Evans Just Fine For Raptors At Nine

May 20, 2009 - 2:36 p.m. After devoting all reasonable consideration to the question of who the Raps should draft, I have made my decision. For the record, I am a Tyreke Evans man. When Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo steps to the microphone on June 25, the name he should call is Tyreke Evans, a six-foot-six guard fresh off his one and only season at the University of Memphis. Whether or not Colangelo, armed with workout tapes, recommendations from contacts, what he has seen with his own eyes, impressions from interviews and a lifetime of experience, makes the right decision I cannot say. I can only blaze the trail. It’s up to every man to decide whether he will follow. Let me acknowledge that there are tempting alternatives, If Stephen Curry isn’t scooped up by the New York Knicks at eight, he offers the scoring at the two guard the Raptors have long sought. Gerald Henderson, a Duke junior, would bring a little less offence but might compensate with stronger defence. He’s three inches bigger than Curry. Louisville junior Earl Clark is a six-foot-10 wing who can defend and score. None of these guys would be a mistake. They’re just not Tyreke Evans. Evans puts the slash back in slasher. He gets to the hoop and finds the glass. He is devastating off the dribble and can make his own shot. In short, he gives the Raptors an element of playmaking and aggressiveness they are sorely lacking. Evans played point guard for the Tigers and led them to a 33-4 record. He scored 33 points in the Tigers’ Sweet 16 loss to Missouri. Evans stock has bounced around. Evans is an average defender and there is some doubt about his shooting stroke because of a 27.4 percentage behind the arc. In his second year of high school he was projected to be all everything but other than being young and inconsistent, his basic skills have not atrophied. He addresses the Raptors need for a backup behind Jose Calderon and an explosive force at two guard. The Raptors should be glad scouts were able to find faults in his game. They should keep him on the board when the Raptors reach for him ninth.