DeMar DeRozan Wants No Part of Toronto

DeMar DeRozan, a 6"6 shooting guard from USC, stands as one of the enigmas of this year's draft class. Powerful, athletic, and loaded with potential, the only chinks in DeRozan's armour remain a weak outside shot and inconsistent play throughout his freshman season at Southern Cal.

Slotted to be drafted anywhere from the fifth through the 13th pick, DeRozan seemingly fits best with the Raptors at nine, given their need for a slashing forward with athletic ability. DeRozan would be able to go into Toronto and start while deferring to Chris Bosh and Jose Calderon, giving him a chance to grow into his body and learn the NBA version of offense.

In the NBA, however, with today's many drama queens and prima donnas coming out of college, the "perfect fit" doesn't seem to exist anymore. DeRozan recently refused to participate in workouts for the Raptors and was hesitant to visit Canada.

Bryan Colangelo, Toronto's GM, did manage to coerce a visit out of DeRozan and an individual workout, yet the swingman's reluctance to cooperate with the Raptors should be a red light for the Raptors, as the last thing the franchise needs is a large dose of poor team chemistry.

Jim Kelly, the Raptors' Director of Player Personnel, was recently quoted as saying, "That's part of the draft procedure. We don't actually control it. We deal with what we have."

In just over a week, we will see if the prima donna from California gets his wish or not. If he does, he will merely join a list of players who've talked their way out of towns or prevented themselves from being drafted to certain places.

But if the Raptors take the player they want (should he be DeMar), and DeRozan doesn't complain, this could be a match made in heaven for the men in red.