It was a bit of a bookkeeping day for the Raptors yesterday when they did the expected and extended qualifying offers to Fred VanVleet, Malcolm Miller and old friend Nando DeColo so the team would retain the right to match any offers they get (specifically Fred) and keep them in the fold for perhaps, cap ballast in any trades that may come down the pike.

(No, DeColo is not coming back, he’s got it too good in Russia and no NBA out so forget about that, okay).

None of those moves were remotely surprising heading into free agency that starts on first thing Sunday morning so no one should get too worked up about any of it.

(Speaking of free agency, my man Blake over at Raptors Republic has done his usual amazing deep dive into the numbers — it’s here — and I can’t possibly match its depth so I’m not even going to try; besides, I have word limits on most stories and it takes forever to explain it all)

Suffice it to say that back in the season there was never any question that that Raptors would match any off VanVleet got so I wouldn’t worry too much about that, Miller’s super cheap and still intriguing so he might be back and Nandomania will run rampant in the EuroLeague once again.

We’ll have much more on the bigger picture of the summer machinations with the roster tomorrow along with what might be an explosive time league-wide and through the weekend but that’s where the locals stand right now.

There was, however, one thing that happened yesterday that was a bit newsworthy but again not surprising in that the Raptors did not extend a qualifying offer to Lucas Nogueira, who now becomes an unrestricted free agent this week.

It makes financial sense, I suppose, because the offer would have been for more than $4 million on a one-year deal and he would have jumped at it, but it does likely mean the end of his time in Toronto.

And I have to tell you, having been around the block a couple of times with this organization, I honestly cannot think of a more intriguing, less impactful player than Bebe was in his years here.

He had all the requisite skills to be a regular, he’s long and quick with good instincts and was as complete a young player to work with as you could want.

Sure, he wasn’t a great, or even a good, shooter but that can be taught; his athleticism around the rim was astonishing, he blocked shots out of nowhere and he ran the floor with Siakam-like speed and intensity.

At 25 years old and with the game going where it’s going, he should be looking for an eight-figure annual salary this weekend rather than hoping one more team will gamble with a non-guaranteed low-money contract offer.

So, what happened?

Sadly, the ability to meld physical gifts with the mental toughness needed to survive — let alone thrive — just wasn’t part of his makeup.

He was, and is, a unique young man, a very nice kid, a bit too sensitive, far too injury prone and people high in the organization wondered openly about his recuperative powers or willingness to play through discomfort.

He seemed to be the poster boy for unfulfilled potential and I really feel bad for him.

He was fun to talk with and fun to be around, he just never seemed to take the opportunity afforded him seriously enough, which was frustrating to watch because just about everyone who hung around the team wanted him do well.

This is a guy who showed up last year with a couple of face tattoos — yeah, tattoos right on his face — and when I saw him, shook my head and said, “what the eff are those?” he gave me that big Bebe grin and said:

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“I just can’t help myself.”

If Bebe can be seen as some kind of cautionary tale for those like him who will come after him, it’s that the professionalism necessary to succeed, the willingness to push oneself, to take mental responsibility for physical gifts, is just – if not more – as important.

I don’t know if Bebe gets another NBA job — I suspect he will and the Raptors could even take a shot on a deal worth much less than the qualifying offer would have been — but if he does, I hope he realizes what he needs to do to make it.

Don’t forget this.

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You know what we need?

We need a mailbag, don’t we?

Let’s try for one sometime around the middle or start of next week, that’ll give us time to get through the start of the free agency period and won’t put any extra stress on the old body.

You remember how to do it, right? Click on to askdoug@thestar.ca , let me know what’s on your mind and I’ll do what I can do.

Nothing’s off-limits so let your minds wander – basketball, life, which Blue Jay should be traded first – and we’ll maybe aim for a Tuesday publication.

It’ll be good to get some of the old gang back together, won’t it?