The New Raptors, Pt. 1 - Ron Baker

[Brian Scalabrine]

"With the 59th pick in the NBA Draft, the Toronto Raptors select... Ron Baker." 

  And, a collective sigh was heard from Wichita. Shockers fans rejoiced that their four year star had been drafted. To them, Baker is a hero. He became a hometown boy done good when he first started playing for Wichita State, which was only the beginning of a Shockers legend. He left top-ten in assists, steals, points, and three pointers. He and Fred VanVleet led the Shockers to a 35 win streak, and their first No. 1 seed and final four appearance. All that hard work and success at the college level had culminated in the ultimate honor for a college player--a draft selection. Even at 59, it was an accomplishment. Wichita fans had only seen three of their players be drafted in the last decade, and now the fan favorite Baker was one of the lucky few. A sigh of relief was heard. 

  Now, that sigh did not come out the mouth of Baker. At his draft party, friends and family were perplexed to see Baker not celebrating. He sat emotionless, solemn, determined. After a few minutes, he stood up and turned off the TV. He did not stay to see who was picked next, or to see draft analysts peg Baker as the steal of the draft. According to Baker, "I had work to do."

  To be drafted is every kid's dream, and that was of course as true for Baker as anyone else. However, he expressed that differently than most. "My thought process was as clear as ever," he explained, "what was going through my head was just that I finally got drafted. And that I'd never gotten anywhere by celebrating. I didn't celebrate when I made the team as a red-shirt, or when I came back from my injury, even when we made the Final Four. I wasn't going to start now." 

  He later corrected himself, "I guess my way of celebrating was to set new goals." And his new goal? To make the rotation. 

  "At 59, nothing is guaranteed. Not a thing. And I'm glad, I don't want things to get easy for me. That's just not who I am. A lot of guys drafted where I was-- they'll be happy enough to make the roster. Not me. If I put my nose to the ground, work hard and play my game, then I'll earn my time. I expect that from myself. Some people say that's idealistic, or that I'm not being grateful for what I've already got... Well, I'm not some people. That's why I went straight from being drafted to hitting the gym. I've got something to prove."

  GM Brian Scalabrine commented on the selection, "There's not a lot of guys at the end of the draft who will come into training camp and raise the bar on the rest of the team. We got that with Ron. I swear, in a couple years, this pick is going to be seen as highway robbery." When asked about the fact that Baker hasn't been signed to the team yet, Scalabrine mused, "It's just a technicality. We don't want him to get too comfortable." He went on to say, "We know he's got a long career ahead of him, and we're glad it's with us."

  As the Raptors stare deep into the abyss of a surprising rebuild, rays of light shine through the darkness, giving Raptor fans hope for the future. One such light is pick 59, Ron Baker.