RAPTORS: Fantastic First Rounds?

Raptors 2003 Draft Lottery Index

FANTASTIC FIRST ROUNDERS?

by Matthew Iaboni
-- raptors.com

(TORONTO) -- The Toronto Raptors have come a long way since their first-ever National Basketball Association Entry draft at SkyDome in 1995.

With fans chanting for the expansion Raptors to take UCLA’s Ed O’Bannon, NBA commissioner David Stern ended the drama by announcing the Raptors' inaugural draft choice – guard Damon Stoudamire from the University of Arizona.

Damon Stoudamire was the Raptors first overall selection.

(Ron Turenne/NBAE/Getty Images)

Eight years have passed since that day and now the question is; who Stern will present with this year's Raptors cap? In preparation for that, here is a look at the draft history of the Toronto Raptors.

Damon Stoudamire quickly turned the doubters into believers quickly and soon the fans were chanting for “Mighty Mouse” to save the day for the fledgling team. Although the Raptors finished with 21-6 1 record that year, the seventh overall pick created interest and became identity of the Raptors.

Stoudamire played almost three seasons with the Raptors and enjoyed his best seasons in the purple, averaging 19.0 points per game and 9.3 assists. He was the NBA Rookie of the Year in a class that included Kevin Garnett, Jerry Stackhouse and Rasheed Wallace. Stoudamire now plays in his hometown of Portland with the Trail Blazers.

Due to an agreement that was worked out between the NBA and the expansion teams (Toronto and the Vancouver Grizzlies) neither team would be able to select first overall until three years into their existence. This would greatly affect the Raptors because they won the draft lottery in 1996 but had to settle for the second overall pick.

The first pick in the 1996 draft went to the Philadelphia 76ers who went to Georgetown for "The Answer", guard Allen Iverson. The Raptors chose Marcus Camby from Massachusetts. Camby didn’t have the success that Stoudamire did in his days as a Raptor and eventually was traded to the New York Knicks in 1997.

Isiah Thomas gets Marcus Camby to sign on the dotted line.

(Ron Turenne/NBAE/Getty Images)

The 1996 draft was one of the stronger ones during the mid-90s. Other players drafted that year who have gone on to have better careers than Camby are Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Stephon Marbury, Ray Allen, Antoine Walker, Kobe Bryant and Canadian Steve Nash. Camby is currently playing for the Denver Nuggets.

The Raptors third-ever first-round pick was a slender, wiry high school player from Mount Zion Academy, Tracy McGrady. The ninth pick from the 1997 draft has become arguably the best player from that draft (even though Tim Duncan was first overall) and in the NBA. McGrady played sparingly in his first season with the Raptors but when he did play he showed tremendous skill that would one day make him a superstar; unfortunately for the Raptors it’s with the Orlando Magic.

Glen Grunwald became the Raptors' full-time general manager after the 1997-98 season and changed the franchise forever when he swapped picks with the Golden State Warriors.

The Raptors had the fourth selection in 1998 and Grunwald opted for forward Antawn Jamison from North Carolina. The Warriors, with the fifth pick, chose guard Vince Carter also from North Carolina. The trading of Jamison for Carter brought the Raptors to their greatest heights.

Due to an NBA lockout in 1998-99 the season was shortened to 50 games. But it was the 50 best games in the history of the Raptors, to that point at least. Carter electrified Air Canada Centre crowds with his dunking ability. If Stoudamire was the first superstar of the Raptors, Carter one-upped him and has become the franchise. Carter averaged 18.3 points per game in his first NBA season and like Stoudamire, won the Rookie of the Year award. With Grunwald and Carter, the Raptors climbed from being just another expansion team to a contender on the rise.

The 1999 draft saw Grunwald pull off another trade. This time Grunwald traded the Raptors’ fifth selection, Jonathan Bender from Picayune High School in Mississippi to the Indiana Pacers for veteran forward Antonio Davis. The Raptors had another pick in that draft, 12 overall, and they chose Alek Radojevic from Barton County. Radojevic didn’t materialize with the Raptors and is now no longer in the NBA. Davis, meanwhile is the inside presence the team needed and, with Carter, has become one of the two players the Raptors count on game in and game out.

The 2000 draft saw the Raptors choose forward Morris Peterson from Michigan State University. Peterson would play an important role as he picked up the scoring slack that the team needed when McGrady left. Peterson has become a good inside and outside shooter and has fit in nicely with the Raptors.

Over the years the Raptors have picked plenty of outside shooters with their first-round picks but in the 2001 draft they changed that trend. With the 17th pick, the Raptors selected forward Michael Bradley from Villanova University. The power forward hasn’t played a lot in his two years with the team but when he does play, he is a physical force down low.

In last year’s draft, the Raptors continued their trend of making a pick and then swapping that choice. This time they did so with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Raptors, picking 20th chose guard Kareem Rush from Missouri and immediately moved him for forward Chris Jefferies from Fresno State. Jefferies will continue to develop into a similar player as Peterson.

Of all the Raptors first-round selections over the past eight years, most can be termed as successes. The odds are the Raptors solid decision-making will continue. Their roster is filled with quality draft picks, adding one more impact player won’t hurt.