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The title of this post is my lame attempt at a nickname for our newest Raptor, DeMar DeRozan. It's a play on the Springsteen song, "The Rising" and the fact that DeRozan is a high-flyer. What, you think you can do better? Admittedly, it's not as good as my new nickname for Shaq in Cleveland.
Although I don't expect him to have much of an impact in his rookie year, I still think DeRozan was the right selection for the Raptors at the ninth pick. He seems to have as much upside as anyone in this draft. He's a tremendous athlete with the motor and quickness to develop into a good defender and explosive scorer. As a bonus, he seems to have a good attitude and work ethic, and he's already embraced the city of Toronto.
In all likelihood, he'll back up either Anthony Parker or Carlos Delfino next season. If the Raptors decide to re-sign Parker, he'll make an excellent defensive mentor for DeRozan — although I would hope he doesn't try to teach him that awkward mid-range fadeaway of his.
For me, the big story of the rest of the draft was the fact that DeJuan Blair fell to the Spurs at the 37th pick. Talk about a perfect fit! Sure, he's a six-foot-five power forward, but does that matter if he's playing next to Tim Duncan?
The other big story from yesterday, of course, was the trade sending Vince Carter and Ryan Anderson to Orlando for Courtney Lee, Rafer Alston and Tony Battie. It's a clear upgrade over Lee and Pietrus at shooting guard and it gives the Magic a legitimate first offensive option with a history of making clutch shots.
Suddenly, the idea of a Cavs-Lakers final doesn't seem nearly as interesting as the potential for a Magic-Lakers rematch. I don't know about you, but I'm bored with the whole "Shaq vs. Kobe" storyline. I don't really care which one of them ends up with more rings.
But think about how exciting a "Vince vs. Kobe" battle would be in the 2010 NBA Finals! I found it in my heart to forgive Vince a long time ago, so I'm actually hoping that this matchup comes to pass.
And if it does, I want Kobe to light up Vince like a motherfucking Christmas tree.
OK, maybe I haven't completely forgiven Vince. 
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