The Raptors tried to get a better handle on the Russian riddle that is Pavel Podkozline.

Dubbed the Siberian Shaq, the behemoth is either the second coming of Shaquille O'Neal or a lottery bomb waiting to explode in the Toronto tradition of an Alek Radojevic.

Like a lot of teams, the Raptors aren't sure about Podkozline, other than to say the guy is big -- which isn't saying much considering the guy is 7-foot-5.

"He's a very intriguing prospect because of his size,'' Raptors outgoing assistant general manager Bob Zuffelato said of Podkozline. "The biggest problem with Pavel is that he hasn't played.''