Lesser lights get chance to shine

The Toronto Raptors held the No. 1 pick in the National Basketball Association draft a year ago, and the biggest names not yet in the NBA dutifully made their way to Toronto to prove themselves worthy of being selected first overall - an honour that eventually went to Andrea Bargnani.

With the 2007 draft coming on Thursday, the Raptors are observers only, with neither a first-round nor second-round pick to use because of previous deals.

As a result, the team's basketball staff spent the past three days auditioning potential players who are probably familiar only to scouts paid to follow them.

The free-agent camp featured 22 players hoping to work their way into the NBA the hard way - as free agents.

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