So now we know the newest two members of the Toronto Raptors family after Thursday’s draft in New York brought us North Carolina forward Ed Davis and Florida State center Solomon Alabi.

While nothing out of the ordinary happened in terms of trading either Jose Calderon or Hedo Turkoglu, although that could very well still happen down the line, the two additions to the roster came in places where there was a need.

The Raptors back office should really be applauded for the picks, even though they will not be immediate difference makers on the court, because both have to be seen as a touch of value, and certainly better than the mock drafters had suggested.

Davis’ availability, in particular, was a surprise at the No 13 pick as he was widely expected to go anywhere between No 7 and 10, so there was no real shock when commissioner David Stern announced him as the Raptors selection.

His defensive prowess at North Carolina was the thing that made him stand out from the crowd in the likely middle of the lottery, and it is precisely what the Raptors need – we remember all too well the number of times teams put up over 100 points on us last season.

Although his hero Chris Bosh still appears likely to leave, with Miami now the apparent destination, Davis should be a more than adequate replacement on the boards and his rebounding needs little work to translate to the pro game.

Offensively, NBA Betting pundits acknowledge that Davis is a work in progress but if Andrea Bargnani continues to be the scoring machine he became last season, and free agency is kind in finding a decent complementary piece, then things might not be as bleak as many would have feared,

Alabi, too, is an interesting project for Raptors coaches to work on – that sad last player hanging around in the draft green room who had been expected to go somewhere late in the first round but dropped because of injury concerns.

He was the tallest player in the draft, at an inch over seven feet, but he is a defensive wizard in the making and it is worth remembering that he has only been playing the game for a couple of seasons.

Now it is just a case of waiting and being patient, although in Davis’ case, the NBA Odds suggest that he could well be called upon for some decent minutes in his freshman pro season, but overall the grade for Toronto’s 2010 draft has to be a positive one.

By Andy Charles

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