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Yesterday was quite an interesting day for the Raptors. I’m not really an expert on these college players or international players that have entered the NBA Draft, but I do generally keep track of discussion boards and know who the top players are.

Well, I know that by the 6th pick, all of 3 our first options were gone (point guards). I was expecting at least one of them to fall down to 8th spot where the Raptors were picking. “This is not bad”, I thought, since some of the top prospects who were expected to go higher actually were still there, and even if one of them went to Chicago with the 7th pick, for sure the Raptors would get another good prospect.

To my surprise and great disappointment, the Raptors ignored the player who everyone thought should be selected, and selected a Center who was projected to go as low as 18. I couldnt’ believe what I heard and proceeded to turn off the TV and just felt gloomy in general. I mean, if they wanted this guy, why not trade down with someone and at least get some sort of compensation? Anyway, I went to bed and didn’t think much more about it.

The next day I woke up, checked the boards and got a new perspective on what the Raptors have done. Apparently, they did try to trade down and get some compensation, but with no takers. And people were also starting to realize the rationale behind the decision. This guy was a hard worker, fights under the rim, and backs up his buddies, which if you follow the Raptors on a semi-regular basis like I do, you know thats what the Raptors are missing. Insted of taking what people expected them to do, they picked what they needed.

So my point is this: In life, we are often pressured by people’s expectations of us. And we try to please people, which is not necessarily bad, but when we start pleasing people and forget about what’s best for us, then it can get ugly. I mean, the Raptors could’ve gone for the best available player (a Shooting Forward) to satisfy people, but in the end, that person would only find himself fighting for minutes with a logjam of people who can play that position (Vince Carter, Jalen Rose, Lamond Murray, Morris Peterson), which in turn wouldn’t be good for the Raptors. By filling a need, they have made sure that the Raptors will be better of, even if people are upset right now. Similarly, by not falling into the trap of people’s expectations of us, but trying to be the best we can in our own way, we will be better off in the long run.

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