One of the issues which I’ve griped about over the years concerns the Toronto Raptors’ inability to find and deploy an impact rookie. In their 21 seasons of existence, the team has produced exactly two NBA Rookies of the Year, Damon Stoudamire in 1996 and (surprise, surprise) Vince Carter in 1999. In this century, our team hasn’t even produced a contender for the award despite repeated trips to the draft lottery which produced multiple single-digit selections. [20-second timeout: Please don’t send any “You’re wrong – Andrea Bargnani finished second in 2006-07” comments. As you can see, I’m aware.
Norman Powell – Raptors rookie proving a gem
