Eric Smith posted on his blog last night that Darrell Arthur might be avoiding Toronto as the Raptors prepare for the draft.

For those that don’t know, Arthur is a 6?9 Power Forward out of Kansas. He’s big and athletic; he can jump out of the gym. He’s a good rebounder, a solid scorer, and he’s a fantastic shot-blocker.

That overall skill set has Arthur on the Raptors’ radar but the problem is … Toronto can’t get the Dallas native in town for a workout. Arthur has elluded the Raps to this point.

Jim Kelly, Toronto’s Director of Player Personnel, said on Friday that he and the Raptors’ staff have tried “about five times” to get Arthur in T.O. for a workout but there’s been a reason/excuse for him being a no-show every time.

Could it be true? I am sure there are many players coming out of college that hope they don’t get chosen by the Raptors just because of going to a new country and everything that comes of it.

Living in Canada I find it hard to understand but at the same time if I got a call tomorrow to go and show off my skills in New Mexico or something I would be less than thrilled about it.

Toronto has a young team on the up swing, a fan base that supports the club and a city that has so much to offer. Would he rather get drafted by Charlotte and play in a half full arena?

Arthur is a great athlete and would offer Toronto just what it needs to improve. This kind of story could put a bad mark on his stock for other teams checking him out as well.

Now as Smith points out, it could be overblown at this point. Nobody has heard from Arthur about it.

Only time will tell but as a Raptors fan and a proud Canadian who thinks Toronto is a great city to live in, Arthur is already losing interest in my books.

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