Toronto Raptors draft: 5 times the Raps gave up on a draftee early

3. PF Charlie Villanueva 2005, No. 7 overall

When Bryan Colangelo took the reign as the Raptors general manager in the spring of 2006, he did yeoman work in rebuilding and shaping a roster left to him by the worst general manager in Raptors history, Rob Babcock.

One of his first moves was orchestrating a swap with the Bucks for a point guard, TJ Ford, in exchange for the Raptors No.7 selection at the 2005 draft, Charlie Villanueva. Of the two draft picks the Raptors had in 2005, Villanueva, if inconsistent, was the more productive and talented player than Joey Graham, who Babcock selected 16th ahead of Danny Granger.

Villanueva would go on to have an 11-year career averaging 10.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. He wound up playing for four teams, and while his numbers are not spectacular, he did produce 45 points in a March 25, 2006 contest vs. the Bucks as a Raptor.

The ramifications of trading Charlie Villanueva

In the end, the deal was bad for the Raptors. TJ Ford was already injury-prone when the deal was consummated, as recounted by ESPN here:

"“He was an inspiration to all of us when he found the will and strength to fight back from the neck injury he suffered during his rookie season,” Bucks general manager Larry Harris said. “We wish him much success in Toronto.”"

Ford would also feud with Toronto management and coaching staff over playing time, as another severe injury made it necessary for head coach Sam Mitchell to rely on Jose Calderon more.

Ultimately, Ford would play two troubled seasons for Toronto, and any chemistry that could have been built between two athletic bigs in Chris Bosh and Villanueva as both could play an inside-out game was lost. Ford never became the point guard the team needed.