Those odds of over 100/1 about the Raptors getting their hands on the No 1 pick in next month’s NBA draft proved to be spot on, so we move ahead with just the No 13 pick to look forward to - exactly where the balls had us landing.

No hopes of a game-changer down there, just more of the same from previous seasons – a good bench player with possible upside to turn into a starter, or a guess from Europe that will take a year or two to develop.

Just to compound the agony, all of the first three NBA picks in the draft went to Eastern Conference rivals, two of them in the Atlantic Division where we were already predicting improvement from New Jersey and Philadelphia.

Sure the Nets and 76ers, assuming Washington takes John Wall, missed out on the big prize in the draft, but Evan Turner and possibly Derrick Favors will quickly improve teams who have money to spend in free agency as well.

My big worry is that next season is going to be an absolute disaster for the Raptors, maybe ending up finishing bottom of the division, and ending up with a far higher lottery pick this time next year in a draft that doesn’t look like being spectacular right now.

Without Chris Bosh, making the assumption most everyone else is making, it is asking too much for Andrea Bargnani to take this team and carry it on his (sometimes ailing) back. Think last season’s Nets and perhaps worse.

The pressure would be unbearable for Bryan Colangelo, although many think losing him wouldn’t be a bad thing, but the impact on the Raptors would be felt for years, especially if there is no big free agent add this summer.

Come the end of July, if the roster looks like it is now, minus Bosh, add the 13th pick, then struggles, crying, moaning and whining are going to be the order of the day for the next few months…and when the games start they could just get louder!

Oh, and if you want to know, my new mock draft now has the Raptors taking Patrick Patterson with the 13th pick – Eric Bledsoe’s stock is dropping fast – unless, somehow, sweet-skilled center Greg Monroe from Georgetown falls into our lap.

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