Babcock shoots down Carter-Iverson rumour
By STEVE BUFFERY -- Toronto Sun
As the Raptors worked out one of the big men who could go early in Thursday's draft, a big trade rumour sent general manager Rob Babcock looking for a big bottle of aspirin.
A rumour that originated out of a Philadelphia radio station had the Raptors and 76ers swapping superstars, Vince Carter for Allen Iverson. Babcock was not amused.
"There are no serious trade discussions going on," Babcock said, shortly after putting a number of draft-eligible players through their paces yesterday at New York State University at Buffalo. WIP Radio in Philadelphia was originally attributed with breaking the story, but the station later backtracked, saying that it "was simply banter between hosts."
PRESSURE TO TRADE
What gave the report credence, however, is the fact that there is some pressure in Toronto for the Raps to trade Carter, who is considered soft with questionable leadership skills. As well, Iverson bickered with interim coach Chris Ford last season and infuriated management and many fans by skipping practices and games with questionable injuries.
The Raps worked out a number of players who will be eligible for Thursday's draft, but the one player who garnered the most interest yesterday was 7-foot-3 Puerto Rican Peter John Ramos, one of the great mysteries of the draft who could go anywhere from sixth to 29th.
Depending on who you talk to, Ramos could turn out to be a gem or a bust. The New York-raised centre is very strong, particularly for a 19-year-old, has a nice hook shot and soft touch on his jumper with range out to 15 feet and is developing a post game.
On the downside, his defensive game is said to be weak and some scouts have questioned his work ethic and attitude. There are also worries that he suffers from acromegalia, a rare growth hormone disease, which could cause health problems later on.
Ramos, who didn't begin to play basketball seriously until he was 14, played for Criollos de Caguas in the Superior Basketball League in Puerto Rico, averaging 20.5 points and 9.5 rebounds. He averaged 11.5 rebound and 11 points at the 2003 world junior championship.
"He's a rapidly improving player," Raptors director of player personnel Jim Kelly said. "If you would have seen him last year at this time I don't think you could have imagined we were considering him for the No. 8 spot in the draft."
With the No. 8 pick in the first round, the Raptors will take either a point guard or a big man to play alongside Chris Bosh, and Ramos is considered one of the top big men in the draft.
The Raps will take a look at another big man today, 7-foot-5 Russian Pavel Podkolzine, who played for Varese in the Italian League last season. He is also 19 and should go in the first round. Another projected first-round pick the Raps will work out today will be small forward Josh Childress, who averaged 15.2 points for Stanford last season.
