It's been long enough, Blue Team. Nearly two months without a post? Enough already, write something so people can begin wasting time at work and in class again. Somehow I've managed to not write anything on Michael Vick, Brett Favre, Serena Williams, Carolina's hoops schedule, Kanye West, the MLB pennant races, or the nude jogger in Waxhaw, NC (no, it's not anyone in my family...I don't think). The obligatory college football & NFL previews were also temporarily shelved. But, in honor of Mark McGwire, let's keep all that in the past and move forward...sort of.
The NFL season is only a week old and yet it has already surprised us in numerous ways. Though there were not that many "upsets" once the games actually ended, there were some incredible games and finishes where we might not have expected them. Keep this in mind: every season, there are probably 4-6 teams that are going to make the playoffs, barring a major injury. There are probably 6-8 teams that barring a miracle, make-a-movie-about-it season, are not going to make the playoffs. Everyone else looks about even on paper in mid-September. You can seemingly count on Pittsburgh, New England, & probably the New York Giants this year. I'd argue that's all. Indy has defensive issues and a ton of new coaches, Tennessee's QB is still Kerry Collins, San Diego apparently is going to continue playing down to the level of its competition, Baltimore is stuck behind Pittsburgh and doesn't have a go-to offensive weapon in the AFC. Philadelphia is replacing the late Jim Johnson as its Defensive Coordinator and always must deal with a fragile QB & RB in MccNabb & Westbrook, Minnesota & Green Bay both have system challenges (Minny's offensive changes around Favre & the Packers transition into a 3-4 defense), and the Panthers...well, they suck. Even though the "playoff locks" don't always end up being dominant, they generally are going to finish in the top six of their conference. My point is this: there aren't as many locks this year. Bill Simmons has said that he feels the NFL has entered the "Tyson Zone" of unpredictability and I would agree with that; the above analysis helps show us why.
That being said, I think the AFC looks pretty simple this year. The Patriots, Colts, Titans, Steelers, Ravens, & Chargers are all solid. I also like the J-E-T-S to be good under Rex Ryan - lowered expectations and not dealing with the Brett Favre hoopla will help this team. Give me 6 of those 7 in the post-season. The NFC is a bit tougher, as the Giants, Iggles, Vikings, & Packers are the only team I'm counting on for much right now. The NFC South is pretty wide open and the NFC West just shouldn't put a team in the post-season anymore. The only "sleepers" I'll give you are the aforementioned J-E-T-S and Coach Singletary's 49ers (might they manage 9-7 and a division title?). I'm not counting New Orleans as a sleeper, as it wouldn't surprise anyone if they are very, very good this season. The Super Bowl smells like New England vs Green Bay to me, with the Pats coming out on top.
A quick aside: I checked out ESPN.com's NFL Predictions chart last week and noticed a startling trend: no one picks an NFC team to win the Super Bowl. Out of 16 guessers (cause that's all they're doing: guessing, just like you or me), not a one picks a National Football Conference foe to take home the Lombardi Trophy. Weird.
Moving on to the hometown Panthers, last Sunday was obviously awful. The entire team played poorly, but Jake Delhomme was clearly the worst, giving the Eagles possession of the football five times by himself. Add this performance to last season's post-season debacle and you get this. Of course, he's not the only one under fire. Apparently a 38-10 loss at home in the FIRST GAME of the season, after going 12-4 and winning the NFC South last season, is worthy of John Fox's job coming into question. Sigh.
The Panthers are 0-1. Just like Cincinnati, just like Arizona (Remember them? The team who murdered the Pamfuzz in the playoffs last year?), just like Tennessee. You don't get two losses for a bad performance like that. Now, don't get me wrong: I don't think 2009 is going to be a great season for the Carolina Panthers. The schedule is tougher, the depth is thin, and their best run stuffer is already done for the season...the karma is just not there for this team. Then again, last season started with its best player punching out its big-money defensive back in training camp and still ended up 12-4 - some karma, huh? Anyway, I do not foresee 12-4 again, but I also do not think we're headed for 4-12 either. Things often snowball in the NFL, so it's important to right the ship and get a win in at least one of the next two games (at Atlanta, at Dallas) so the team isn't staring at 0-3 and having to deal with the media and fans tearing them to bits. Even at 1-2, the season can easily be salvaged. So don't risk breaking your leg jumping off the bandwagon yet. Breath, stretch, shake and let game one go.
Moving to the college game, I have not had the chance to see a lot of games thus far. I did catch the Carolina game at UCONN (what an ugly game), I've seen Michigan play and win twice thanks to being in Michigan for Labor Day (congrats again to Gracie and Ryan), and I was able to watch USC squeak by The Overrated State University (henceforth my name for the Buckeyes). Of course I saw the employer, Virginia Tech, in both its effort versus Alabama & Marshall. The Hokies will be fine, typical 10-2 or 9-3. But my Tar Heels...I'm concerned. Health is far too big of an issue and it's only September. The offensive line was thin in May and is anorexic now, special teams are shaky, and the wide receivers have not given me any reason to be optimistic for this season, sans Erik Highsmith's two big 3rd down conversions last Saturday. The defense has done a nice job thus far, but the offense must find a way to put consistent points on the board and be able to move the football like they did during the fourth quarter at UCONN. My 8-4 prediction is starting to feel more like 6-6. Sigh again.
But in other news, Carolina did win the 2009 National Championship. Happy sigh. I feel better.
No promises, but The Blue Team seems to be back in bidness. We'll turn our attention to more of the world of sports again sometime soon. Bye bye bye...
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
From That "Prospective"...
Three more quick thoughts on the Okafor/Chandler trade. First, please note that my displeasure from the trade is largely related to the quality & durability of the two players involved. Strictly from a basketball sense, it just is not an even trade. In my opinion, this holds true even if Tyson Chandler stays healthy for two seasons. I just think Okafor's consistency is more valuable. From a long-term financial standpoint, it does provide tremendous flexibility.
Second, and work with me here: if you're the management team of the Bobcats, how do you come to the conclusion that the same player you signed to an extension last summer is no longer a good fit? Seriously, click on that link and read the release from ESPN.com about the signing, paying special attention to the quotes from Rod Higgins and Larry Brown. Does this trade mean they had their doubts even then about his long-term place in Charlotte? The team just signed him to that ridiculous deal in order to trade him a year later? I doubt it; that would take far too much forward-thinking on behalf of the Charlotte organization. But ok, let's say you signed Okafor to that deal and then, a year later, had buyer's remorse. You decide you made a mistake, that he's not a good fit for this team, that you just don't want to pay him all that money; whatever the reason, you decide he needs to be traded. Ok, fine. But, he's durable and a double-double big man, plus he's never in trouble or bad for team chemistry and the best you can do for him is Tyson Chandler? Samuel Dalembert (2 years, $12.1 million in 2009-2010) from Philly, Chris Kaman (3 years, $10.4 million in 2009-2010) from the LA Clippers, Joel Przybrilla (2 years, $6.8 million in 2009-2010) & an expiring deal from Portland, Jamal Crawford (2 years, $9.36 million in 2009-2010) from Golden State earlier in the summer, or any other number of players might have been had for Okafor. Heck, why not play out a year with Tracy McGrady on the roster (McGrady & Chuck Hayes' expiring deals for Raja Bell, Okafor, and VladRad). Better players, with potentially more offensive skills, expiring contracts, or whatever the team desired were available. You just can't tell me the best offer for Emeka was Tyson Chandler.
And third, if you are going to trade a player of Okafor's ability, why not force a team to take one of those three bad deals off your hands too? Diop's is the worst and the longest, but he's just not getting traded for anything other than a seemingly more useful player with an equally bad contract. Nazi plays the same game as Okafor, just older and not as well, so including him would have been tough. But, what about VladRad? Why not force a team to take him and either get back an expiring deal or a more useful player (hey, anybody for a conventional power forward or a scoring guard)? It wouldn't work in all situations, but I think a bit more exploration might have been prudent.
Oh well, what's done is done. The team has traded the original face of the franchise and there is no turning back now. I have not read anyone (other than Scott Fowler) that approves of the deal for the Bobcats. John Hollinger went as far as to say "What are the Bobcats thinking?". Time will tell on this trade, as it does most. I was very, very critical of the Raja Bell & Boris Diaw for Jason Richardson & Jared Dudley swap initially, but it has been good to this point (fine with trading Richardson, but thought they could have done better for him - much like this trade. Let's see if Diaw can continue to play motivated for three more $9 million years). Forgive me if I don't rush out to buy a new Tyson Chandler jersey though.
Second, and work with me here: if you're the management team of the Bobcats, how do you come to the conclusion that the same player you signed to an extension last summer is no longer a good fit? Seriously, click on that link and read the release from ESPN.com about the signing, paying special attention to the quotes from Rod Higgins and Larry Brown. Does this trade mean they had their doubts even then about his long-term place in Charlotte? The team just signed him to that ridiculous deal in order to trade him a year later? I doubt it; that would take far too much forward-thinking on behalf of the Charlotte organization. But ok, let's say you signed Okafor to that deal and then, a year later, had buyer's remorse. You decide you made a mistake, that he's not a good fit for this team, that you just don't want to pay him all that money; whatever the reason, you decide he needs to be traded. Ok, fine. But, he's durable and a double-double big man, plus he's never in trouble or bad for team chemistry and the best you can do for him is Tyson Chandler? Samuel Dalembert (2 years, $12.1 million in 2009-2010) from Philly, Chris Kaman (3 years, $10.4 million in 2009-2010) from the LA Clippers, Joel Przybrilla (2 years, $6.8 million in 2009-2010) & an expiring deal from Portland, Jamal Crawford (2 years, $9.36 million in 2009-2010) from Golden State earlier in the summer, or any other number of players might have been had for Okafor. Heck, why not play out a year with Tracy McGrady on the roster (McGrady & Chuck Hayes' expiring deals for Raja Bell, Okafor, and VladRad). Better players, with potentially more offensive skills, expiring contracts, or whatever the team desired were available. You just can't tell me the best offer for Emeka was Tyson Chandler.
And third, if you are going to trade a player of Okafor's ability, why not force a team to take one of those three bad deals off your hands too? Diop's is the worst and the longest, but he's just not getting traded for anything other than a seemingly more useful player with an equally bad contract. Nazi plays the same game as Okafor, just older and not as well, so including him would have been tough. But, what about VladRad? Why not force a team to take him and either get back an expiring deal or a more useful player (hey, anybody for a conventional power forward or a scoring guard)? It wouldn't work in all situations, but I think a bit more exploration might have been prudent.
Oh well, what's done is done. The team has traded the original face of the franchise and there is no turning back now. I have not read anyone (other than Scott Fowler) that approves of the deal for the Bobcats. John Hollinger went as far as to say "What are the Bobcats thinking?". Time will tell on this trade, as it does most. I was very, very critical of the Raja Bell & Boris Diaw for Jason Richardson & Jared Dudley swap initially, but it has been good to this point (fine with trading Richardson, but thought they could have done better for him - much like this trade. Let's see if Diaw can continue to play motivated for three more $9 million years). Forgive me if I don't rush out to buy a new Tyson Chandler jersey though.
Top 5 Tuesday: Bobcats
Top 5 Tuesday returns! Today's topic: Great Moves in Charlotte Bobcats history. Straight to the countdown we go...
5)
4)
3)
2)
1)
There you have it folks, the five greatest moves ever by my hometown Charlotte Bobcats. What an incredibly difficult list to construct, so many outstanding choices.
More thoughts on the Okafor trade later. Ben brought up a good point in the "Comments" section of last night's post and I have two other things to mention as well. I'll try to get to that later today.
Yeah buddy, rollin' like a big shot
5)
4)
3)
2)
1)
There you have it folks, the five greatest moves ever by my hometown Charlotte Bobcats. What an incredibly difficult list to construct, so many outstanding choices.
More thoughts on the Okafor trade later. Ben brought up a good point in the "Comments" section of last night's post and I have two other things to mention as well. I'll try to get to that later today.
Yeah buddy, rollin' like a big shot
Monday, July 27, 2009
Gotta Go Shopping: Okafor Trade Analysis
You know, I had a lot to do tonight. There is a pile of clean laundry (whites & towels) laying under my feet on the sofa. There is more dirty laundry to wash in the foyer. I have a proposal to do for work and a 9:30am meeting to get ready for, not to mention a new employee starting tomorrow (shouts Waddle). Wrestling is on, being hosted by Shaq, and the Cardinals and Dodgers are on ESPN. Most importantly, I have a passport to apply for and a flight to book for a wedding/trip to Canada. So how did I spend my Monday evening?
Because of the Charlotte Bobcats, I was driven to playing the drums, trying a new beverage, and trying to digest the latest trade by MJ & Co.
The drums? A subpar effort on some Billy Joel, Boston, and The Band. New groups to drum to, but not my best. The drink? Orange Crush + Captain = Orange Creamsicle-esque beverage. It was good, but I think it would be better as a frozen treat. The trade? This potential trainwreck.
With the trade still in discussion, I hesitate to write too much on it. However, if I don't write tonight, it's not happening this week. Emeka Okafor for Tyson Chandler, huh? Not so much, 'Cats, not so much.
A few quick notes, then some analysis. First, I find it odd/funny that ESPN.com broke the news of this trade that was apparently agreed to in principle on Friday, as opposed to the Charlotte Observer or a Charlotte news station digging it up. As much as I have defended Rick Bonnell, the Bobcats beat writer for the Observer, it is a bit frustrating that he did not have the scope on this deal first.
Second, Scott Fowler of the Observer has already written an article defending the trade. I know this only because that is what the headline says. I will read his piece only after I finish writing this, as to remain close to my opinion only. However, I would have put $100 that someone, perhaps multiple writers, would defend this trade in the hometown paper. Maybe it is part of the gig; don't totally offend the folks who you need a future story from. And as an amateur blogger, I have no inside information or expert knowledge that a professional might. But, seriously, can someone at this paper please call a spade a spade for once?
And third, this trade (should it happen) is not your average NBA trade for Charlotte. Okafor, though not an NBA superstar (or even All-Star), is/was the face of the Bobcats franchise. He was our first ever draft pick. He is incredibly active in the community. He is unfailingly polite, articulate, and reliable off the court. Though fans may have some frustrations with his lack of offensive development, he still holds a special place within the community. Gerald Wallace might be the team's best player, but Okafor is the most recognizable. A deal like this can only further bury the Bobcats far away from the area's sports spotlight.
Now, let's try and look at this trade objectively. My first reaction, on a -10 to +10 scale (-10 being "I absolutely hate this deal" and +10 being "Oh my Lord, what a steal"), was a -2. After stewing on it for an hour, I went to about a -4. That's where I am as I write this. Why? Let's look at the +/- of the deal:
The negatives:
- Tyson Chandler costs more money short-term than Emeka Okafor. According to Hoops Hype, Chandler is due $11.85 million this season, with a player option (which he will surely exercise) next year for $12.75 million. Okafor is only due $10.5 million in 2009-2010, and $11.5 in 2010-2011. That's about $2.5 million more for Chandler. For a team that is supposedly pinching the pennies just to try and re-sign Raymond Felton and a couple low-dollar free agents, does it really make sense to add salary?
- Tyson Chandler is not as good a player as Emeka Okafor. According to ESPN.com's Trade Machine, this trade would cost the Bobcats 6 wins next season. Chandler's PER is 13.4 while Okafor's is 18.0. Granted, Chandler had a rough, injury-plagued season last season, dropping his PER...which makes me wonder why the Bobcats would trade for him. To further illustrate, consider that Chandler has averaged a double-double in only one season in his career: 2007-2008, thanks in large part to the assists of Chris Paul on his dunks. On the other hand, Okafor has averaged a double-double in all five of his NBA seasons.
- Tyson Chandler has not been as durable a player as Emeka Okafor in recent seasons. Not only did Chandler miss 37 games last year, but he has never played in all 82 games in his career. Okafor has done that both of the last two seasons. In addition, Chandler was traded this past season to Oklahoma City, only to have the trade rescinded due to a failed physical (concern over his toe injury). In fact, New Orleans was so desperate to get rid of him and his salary that they were only getting back Chris Wilcox & Joe Smith in the deal, both of which would have left the Hornets at season's end. Now, instead of dumping Chandler for next to nothing, they get back a durable double-double machine. And the Bobcats get back...well, all of those same issues that made the Hornets want to get rid of Chandler for next to nothing.
- Tyson Chandler, even if healthy and playing at his best, does not bring a lot of what the Bobcats could use. This team really, really needs a big guy who can get easy baskets. Not dunk-off-a-dump-off baskets, but back-your-guy-down-and-score baskets, a la Elton Brand, Tim Duncan, or Pau Gasol. Whether or not this is at power forward or center does not really matter, but it needs to happen. Yes, Boris Diaw is effective as an offensive weapon, but he is not that type of scorer (although I will admit that he's been very good for this team...thus far). For a team to be an efficient offense/tight defense squad, a low-post threat who shoots a high-percentage is necessary.
The positives:
- The Bobcats save a ton of money from 2011-2015. Chandler will likely walk after the end of his deal, or at least earn whatever type of contract he might get from Charlotte (less than what was due Okafor, I'm sure) after two years. That's great, flexibility is key in the NBA. But, that logic also admits a major mistake by the Bobcats' management team: re-signing Okafor to a 6-year deal worth that much money to begin with prior to last season. We just did it! Now, my philosophy is that you only sign marquee, super-duper stars for more than four years and more than $12 million/year at any point in the contract. So yes, I thought the Okafor contract was a bit much when they did it. But, I did see some logic: double-double machine, face of the franchise right now, premium for a big man, and they seemingly had the money to spend (at the time). Since then, the organization has added the $26.5 million over 4 years for Diop & nearly $13 million for 2 more years of VladRad, crippling its short & long term space. In essence, those two added contracts have helped generate the "need" to rid the team of a questionable long-term deal of a solid, if unspectacular, player.
- The Bobcats, specifically Coach Larry Brown, wanted a taller center. This does make some sense. It was clear when Brown signed off on adding Diop to the roster that he values size at the 5-spot. His preference was further driven home by rumors of Samuel Dalembert becoming a Bobcat (he of the equally ridiculous contract). Okafor played center at UCONN, but is a bit undersized at the center position. Long arms, but not a lot of vertical. The really good centers in the league just tear him up (see Howard, Dwight). At the 4-spot, Okafor is way too slow to go out and guard anyone with a face-up game (see Bosh, Chris) and never provided the offense necessary from most power forwards. Chandler, at a legit 7-0, does give Coach Brown a taller, more athletic center. This is honestly a good thing in this trade.
- The Bobcats may have a valuable trade piece for use around January 2011. I believe, and I need to check to make 100% sure, that even after Chandler exercises his player option for 2010-2011, he can still be traded to another team. This would mean the Bobcats would have the ability to trade his $12.75 million worth of salary for another player or two from a team looking to free up cap space after the 2010-2011 season ends. Of course, the Bobcats could also just let Chandler play out his deal and use that cap room to attack a free agent or two of their own: VladRad & Nazi's deals both expire that same summer, meaning that the 'Cats could have as much as $25 million to spend in the summer of 2011. That does require two things to happen though: 1) free agents have to actually agree to play in Charlotte; and 2) the Bobcats have to still exist in Charlotte.
In summary, I see the long-term benefit of this deal after typing all of this out, especially the above point about all the cap room. However, for a team that was "making the playoffs next season" (2009-2010), it sure doesn't look like they have improved in the short-term with this deal. They have further crippled their short-term cap room and no doubt drove away some more fans (do these "fans" even exist?) by trading the face of the franchise. I am therefore officially assigning my trade evaluation as a -3 on this deal. This franchise needed to make a decision to preserve cap room last year or figure out a way to go for it and they made the wrong decision.
As for me, I now have to buy a new Bobcats jersey. My #50 is no longer in style. Personally, I'm planning to wait until this team gives me a long-term player who's worth spending $60 on. Call me in the summer of 2011 I guess.
Because of the Charlotte Bobcats, I was driven to playing the drums, trying a new beverage, and trying to digest the latest trade by MJ & Co.
The drums? A subpar effort on some Billy Joel, Boston, and The Band. New groups to drum to, but not my best. The drink? Orange Crush + Captain = Orange Creamsicle-esque beverage. It was good, but I think it would be better as a frozen treat. The trade? This potential trainwreck.
With the trade still in discussion, I hesitate to write too much on it. However, if I don't write tonight, it's not happening this week. Emeka Okafor for Tyson Chandler, huh? Not so much, 'Cats, not so much.
A few quick notes, then some analysis. First, I find it odd/funny that ESPN.com broke the news of this trade that was apparently agreed to in principle on Friday, as opposed to the Charlotte Observer or a Charlotte news station digging it up. As much as I have defended Rick Bonnell, the Bobcats beat writer for the Observer, it is a bit frustrating that he did not have the scope on this deal first.
Second, Scott Fowler of the Observer has already written an article defending the trade. I know this only because that is what the headline says. I will read his piece only after I finish writing this, as to remain close to my opinion only. However, I would have put $100 that someone, perhaps multiple writers, would defend this trade in the hometown paper. Maybe it is part of the gig; don't totally offend the folks who you need a future story from. And as an amateur blogger, I have no inside information or expert knowledge that a professional might. But, seriously, can someone at this paper please call a spade a spade for once?
And third, this trade (should it happen) is not your average NBA trade for Charlotte. Okafor, though not an NBA superstar (or even All-Star), is/was the face of the Bobcats franchise. He was our first ever draft pick. He is incredibly active in the community. He is unfailingly polite, articulate, and reliable off the court. Though fans may have some frustrations with his lack of offensive development, he still holds a special place within the community. Gerald Wallace might be the team's best player, but Okafor is the most recognizable. A deal like this can only further bury the Bobcats far away from the area's sports spotlight.
Now, let's try and look at this trade objectively. My first reaction, on a -10 to +10 scale (-10 being "I absolutely hate this deal" and +10 being "Oh my Lord, what a steal"), was a -2. After stewing on it for an hour, I went to about a -4. That's where I am as I write this. Why? Let's look at the +/- of the deal:
The negatives:
- Tyson Chandler costs more money short-term than Emeka Okafor. According to Hoops Hype, Chandler is due $11.85 million this season, with a player option (which he will surely exercise) next year for $12.75 million. Okafor is only due $10.5 million in 2009-2010, and $11.5 in 2010-2011. That's about $2.5 million more for Chandler. For a team that is supposedly pinching the pennies just to try and re-sign Raymond Felton and a couple low-dollar free agents, does it really make sense to add salary?
- Tyson Chandler is not as good a player as Emeka Okafor. According to ESPN.com's Trade Machine, this trade would cost the Bobcats 6 wins next season. Chandler's PER is 13.4 while Okafor's is 18.0. Granted, Chandler had a rough, injury-plagued season last season, dropping his PER...which makes me wonder why the Bobcats would trade for him. To further illustrate, consider that Chandler has averaged a double-double in only one season in his career: 2007-2008, thanks in large part to the assists of Chris Paul on his dunks. On the other hand, Okafor has averaged a double-double in all five of his NBA seasons.
- Tyson Chandler has not been as durable a player as Emeka Okafor in recent seasons. Not only did Chandler miss 37 games last year, but he has never played in all 82 games in his career. Okafor has done that both of the last two seasons. In addition, Chandler was traded this past season to Oklahoma City, only to have the trade rescinded due to a failed physical (concern over his toe injury). In fact, New Orleans was so desperate to get rid of him and his salary that they were only getting back Chris Wilcox & Joe Smith in the deal, both of which would have left the Hornets at season's end. Now, instead of dumping Chandler for next to nothing, they get back a durable double-double machine. And the Bobcats get back...well, all of those same issues that made the Hornets want to get rid of Chandler for next to nothing.
- Tyson Chandler, even if healthy and playing at his best, does not bring a lot of what the Bobcats could use. This team really, really needs a big guy who can get easy baskets. Not dunk-off-a-dump-off baskets, but back-your-guy-down-and-score baskets, a la Elton Brand, Tim Duncan, or Pau Gasol. Whether or not this is at power forward or center does not really matter, but it needs to happen. Yes, Boris Diaw is effective as an offensive weapon, but he is not that type of scorer (although I will admit that he's been very good for this team...thus far). For a team to be an efficient offense/tight defense squad, a low-post threat who shoots a high-percentage is necessary.
The positives:
- The Bobcats save a ton of money from 2011-2015. Chandler will likely walk after the end of his deal, or at least earn whatever type of contract he might get from Charlotte (less than what was due Okafor, I'm sure) after two years. That's great, flexibility is key in the NBA. But, that logic also admits a major mistake by the Bobcats' management team: re-signing Okafor to a 6-year deal worth that much money to begin with prior to last season. We just did it! Now, my philosophy is that you only sign marquee, super-duper stars for more than four years and more than $12 million/year at any point in the contract. So yes, I thought the Okafor contract was a bit much when they did it. But, I did see some logic: double-double machine, face of the franchise right now, premium for a big man, and they seemingly had the money to spend (at the time). Since then, the organization has added the $26.5 million over 4 years for Diop & nearly $13 million for 2 more years of VladRad, crippling its short & long term space. In essence, those two added contracts have helped generate the "need" to rid the team of a questionable long-term deal of a solid, if unspectacular, player.
- The Bobcats, specifically Coach Larry Brown, wanted a taller center. This does make some sense. It was clear when Brown signed off on adding Diop to the roster that he values size at the 5-spot. His preference was further driven home by rumors of Samuel Dalembert becoming a Bobcat (he of the equally ridiculous contract). Okafor played center at UCONN, but is a bit undersized at the center position. Long arms, but not a lot of vertical. The really good centers in the league just tear him up (see Howard, Dwight). At the 4-spot, Okafor is way too slow to go out and guard anyone with a face-up game (see Bosh, Chris) and never provided the offense necessary from most power forwards. Chandler, at a legit 7-0, does give Coach Brown a taller, more athletic center. This is honestly a good thing in this trade.
- The Bobcats may have a valuable trade piece for use around January 2011. I believe, and I need to check to make 100% sure, that even after Chandler exercises his player option for 2010-2011, he can still be traded to another team. This would mean the Bobcats would have the ability to trade his $12.75 million worth of salary for another player or two from a team looking to free up cap space after the 2010-2011 season ends. Of course, the Bobcats could also just let Chandler play out his deal and use that cap room to attack a free agent or two of their own: VladRad & Nazi's deals both expire that same summer, meaning that the 'Cats could have as much as $25 million to spend in the summer of 2011. That does require two things to happen though: 1) free agents have to actually agree to play in Charlotte; and 2) the Bobcats have to still exist in Charlotte.
In summary, I see the long-term benefit of this deal after typing all of this out, especially the above point about all the cap room. However, for a team that was "making the playoffs next season" (2009-2010), it sure doesn't look like they have improved in the short-term with this deal. They have further crippled their short-term cap room and no doubt drove away some more fans (do these "fans" even exist?) by trading the face of the franchise. I am therefore officially assigning my trade evaluation as a -3 on this deal. This franchise needed to make a decision to preserve cap room last year or figure out a way to go for it and they made the wrong decision.
As for me, I now have to buy a new Bobcats jersey. My #50 is no longer in style. Personally, I'm planning to wait until this team gives me a long-term player who's worth spending $60 on. Call me in the summer of 2011 I guess.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Reason for my Absence
I just wanted to issue a quick apology for the lack of posts recently. A vacation was planned following the week of the NBA Draft, as I journeyed to Garden City, SC with the family. However, I just have not gotten back on the writing bus, as a few of the most loyal Blue Teamers have pointed out.
With that said, I need some prayers folks. Work is very rough right now, as I am having trouble with hitting my sales goal. As a quick summary, I had a great season two years ago, thanks in large part to one major account. Last year proved more challenging, and I suffered a bit from lack of focus and the need to really learn my craft in a tough economy. This year, I re-focused and eliminated a number of distractions from my life in hopes of success. It has not worked. The big account from two years ago, which allowed me to buy my first house, flat-screen TV, furniture, and a sweet pair of UNC shorts, is in peril. If I lose this account, there is no way I will hit my goal this year and will suffer greatly because of it.
Needless to say, I am down and frustrated because of it. The last three weeks, including my "vacation" time, have been filled with self-doubt and wallowing in pity. In efforts to be honest about it, I'm throwing out my personal/professional life on this blog. Some of you know me well, others not much at all. But, I ask each of you to throw a prayer up for me. For discipline, positive thinking, and persistence. For the many accounts I need to close business on to happen, including saving the big one (they need financing - anyone want to invest in some real estate?). For me to work harder than ever before. And for God to do His work in my life as a whole.
Ya'll, this is not life or death, and I'm not trying to paint it as such. It's just that my professional life means a lot to me, as I love my job and what we do. But, do me one other favor and don't ask too much about it. I'll update as things happen, but I don't really want to/can't talk too much about it. I would just appreciate the prayers right now. I acknowledge that either way, God is good all the time and completely in control of everything according to His will.
Don't ever give up, right?
With that said, I need some prayers folks. Work is very rough right now, as I am having trouble with hitting my sales goal. As a quick summary, I had a great season two years ago, thanks in large part to one major account. Last year proved more challenging, and I suffered a bit from lack of focus and the need to really learn my craft in a tough economy. This year, I re-focused and eliminated a number of distractions from my life in hopes of success. It has not worked. The big account from two years ago, which allowed me to buy my first house, flat-screen TV, furniture, and a sweet pair of UNC shorts, is in peril. If I lose this account, there is no way I will hit my goal this year and will suffer greatly because of it.
Needless to say, I am down and frustrated because of it. The last three weeks, including my "vacation" time, have been filled with self-doubt and wallowing in pity. In efforts to be honest about it, I'm throwing out my personal/professional life on this blog. Some of you know me well, others not much at all. But, I ask each of you to throw a prayer up for me. For discipline, positive thinking, and persistence. For the many accounts I need to close business on to happen, including saving the big one (they need financing - anyone want to invest in some real estate?). For me to work harder than ever before. And for God to do His work in my life as a whole.
Ya'll, this is not life or death, and I'm not trying to paint it as such. It's just that my professional life means a lot to me, as I love my job and what we do. But, do me one other favor and don't ask too much about it. I'll update as things happen, but I don't really want to/can't talk too much about it. I would just appreciate the prayers right now. I acknowledge that either way, God is good all the time and completely in control of everything according to His will.
Don't ever give up, right?
Monday, June 29, 2009
All the Bobcats Need for 60 Wins Is...
Following last week's NBA Draft, the Charlotte Bobcats have not changed a great deal. Two rookies will join the team and hope to make an impact. Neither will be able to lead this organization to 60 wins, but I know someone who will - LeBron James. Yeah, you should probably keep reading...
After concluding my rundown at the end of the NBA Draft's first round, the Charlotte Bobcats made two 2nd round selections which have not been discussed. Derrick Brown, a forward from Xavier, was chosen with the 40th selection. Clearly, since I had placed Brown 15th in the first round in my Mock Draft, I like the kid and think he could be really good. Definitely a guy who will make the roster and potentially contribute this season, if he gets some playing time behind Wallace and VladRad. Brown has a funky offensive game, but is athletic and smart. NBADraft.net makes the comparison to Derrick McKey, in large part because he's a lefty and 6-8. I would personally like to see Brown continue to fill out a bit more and try his hand at the 4-spot and evolve into a David West (former Xavier forward as well) type - an undersized, strong, sweet-shooting pick-and-roll guy. The Bobcats also selected Robert Vaden in the 2nd round and promptly traded him to OKC for $$$.
At this point, where does that leave Charlotte's hoops team? In need of a superstar. Just like a week ago. Sure, some depth was developed from this draft. But, I don't think the team is any better for it, as a VORP evaluation would show (Value Of Replacement Player). There is no substantial upgrade to drafting Henderson & Brown than signing a backup at the 2 & 3 spots for this season.
Going into the 2009-2010 season, the Bobcats still need to unload a contract or two if they can and try to use the saved dollars to help with a free agent or two. More than anything right now, some scoring off the bench would be nice. A combo guard who can drop 15 points in the 2nd & 3rd quarters of a game...explosive for stretches...potentially able to help out in the 4th quarter...Allen Iverson anybody? A college friend and I discussed this possibility via Facebook messages last week and I claimed to be in the "No" camp on looking at AI. I remain there today...but only because I don't think he could accept that type of role in Charlotte. If he continues playing, Iverson should look to a contender like Boston (if they don't re-sign House) or Orlando or Cleveland to contribute and know his role off the bench as opposed to a still-building team like the 'Cats. That being said, he would provide exactly what the team needs and might be open to playing nice under Larry Brown & MJ...just a thought. A backup at the 4-spot is still necessary, as Rick Bonnell points out today. I can't see either of his preferred options materializing, but I think he has the right idea. A more-likely scenario would involve trading Nazi and/or VladRad for a backup at the 4-spot with a bad contract, or just going cheap and re-signing Juwan Howard.
In pondering all things NBA last week, I did construct an interesting thought related to Charlotte & Cleveland. If you took LeBron James off the Cavs and put him on the Bobcats, would Charlotte turn into a better team with LBJ than Cleveland is? The comparison here is apples-to-apples: Charlotte with LeBron vs Cleveland with LeBron (not a trade scenario). As currently constructed, I think it would be darn close. Mo Williams is better than Raymond Felton, but not a ridiculous amount. Let's say Ray-Ray is 85% of Williams. LeBron would essentially play the 2 for the 'Cats since Gerald Wallace is a 3, so you'd have to compare Wallace to Delonte West as a swingman-to-swingman comparison (moving Raja Bell to our bench). Gerald > Delonte, easily. Now, here's where things get interesting: would you rather have Diaw/Okafor or Shaq/Varajeo (assuming he is re-signed)? It's probably advantage Cleveland, but not by that much. I do think Shaq can be a dominate force for another year or two, but how healthy will he stay? And next to LeBron, how good could Diaw's passing skills look? How many more easy dump-offs would Emeka receive courtesy of King James? Cleveland would definitely have a depth advantage with Big Z in the post vs Diop/VladRad, but I'd give Raja Bell the nod over Daniel Gibson and the DJ Augustin/Gerald Henderson combo is better than whatever turd sandwich Cleveland can piece together for it backcourt backups this year. And coaching is not even close: a big + for the Bobcats.
My point in this ridiculous hypothetical is two-fold: 1) The Bobcats have a lot of the suppoting cast pieces in place for a great team - they just lack the super-duper star to make it happen; and 2) Cleveland's supporting cast, minus a 37 year-old Shaq, is just not that good (as was shown in the playoffs vs Orlando). I think that illustrates just how good LeBron really is, along with just how sucky Cleveland would be without him. I honestly believe that if you add a LeBron or a D-Wade to the Bobcats that you instantly have a 60-win team, but you could probably say the same thing about ten other non-playoff teams in the NBA as well.
Of course, in reality, none of this matters a bit because it ain't happening. However, next summer when there are free agents available, the hope is that MJ & Co can lure a player based on "the pieces are in place around you, we just need a stud to elevate us to the next level", similar to what Orlando attempted with Rashard Lewis. Sure, it won't be LeBron James, but what about Joe Johnson or Michael Redd? Maybe the 'Cats become at 53-win team at that point. That's really the only hope for becoming a great team, a potential contender, since a major trade would take away a large chunk of the supporting cast that is in place. One thing you cannot argue based on this exercise: one player in the NBA can make all the difference, and the Bobcats don't have it.
Enough on the Bobcats for a week or two, I promise. I know there is a limited amount of folks who care about the NBA, much less a 35-win team in an ambivalent market. We'll take a more diversified look at the world of sports later on this week. Peace up, A-town down.
After concluding my rundown at the end of the NBA Draft's first round, the Charlotte Bobcats made two 2nd round selections which have not been discussed. Derrick Brown, a forward from Xavier, was chosen with the 40th selection. Clearly, since I had placed Brown 15th in the first round in my Mock Draft, I like the kid and think he could be really good. Definitely a guy who will make the roster and potentially contribute this season, if he gets some playing time behind Wallace and VladRad. Brown has a funky offensive game, but is athletic and smart. NBADraft.net makes the comparison to Derrick McKey, in large part because he's a lefty and 6-8. I would personally like to see Brown continue to fill out a bit more and try his hand at the 4-spot and evolve into a David West (former Xavier forward as well) type - an undersized, strong, sweet-shooting pick-and-roll guy. The Bobcats also selected Robert Vaden in the 2nd round and promptly traded him to OKC for $$$.
At this point, where does that leave Charlotte's hoops team? In need of a superstar. Just like a week ago. Sure, some depth was developed from this draft. But, I don't think the team is any better for it, as a VORP evaluation would show (Value Of Replacement Player). There is no substantial upgrade to drafting Henderson & Brown than signing a backup at the 2 & 3 spots for this season.
Going into the 2009-2010 season, the Bobcats still need to unload a contract or two if they can and try to use the saved dollars to help with a free agent or two. More than anything right now, some scoring off the bench would be nice. A combo guard who can drop 15 points in the 2nd & 3rd quarters of a game...explosive for stretches...potentially able to help out in the 4th quarter...Allen Iverson anybody? A college friend and I discussed this possibility via Facebook messages last week and I claimed to be in the "No" camp on looking at AI. I remain there today...but only because I don't think he could accept that type of role in Charlotte. If he continues playing, Iverson should look to a contender like Boston (if they don't re-sign House) or Orlando or Cleveland to contribute and know his role off the bench as opposed to a still-building team like the 'Cats. That being said, he would provide exactly what the team needs and might be open to playing nice under Larry Brown & MJ...just a thought. A backup at the 4-spot is still necessary, as Rick Bonnell points out today. I can't see either of his preferred options materializing, but I think he has the right idea. A more-likely scenario would involve trading Nazi and/or VladRad for a backup at the 4-spot with a bad contract, or just going cheap and re-signing Juwan Howard.
In pondering all things NBA last week, I did construct an interesting thought related to Charlotte & Cleveland. If you took LeBron James off the Cavs and put him on the Bobcats, would Charlotte turn into a better team with LBJ than Cleveland is? The comparison here is apples-to-apples: Charlotte with LeBron vs Cleveland with LeBron (not a trade scenario). As currently constructed, I think it would be darn close. Mo Williams is better than Raymond Felton, but not a ridiculous amount. Let's say Ray-Ray is 85% of Williams. LeBron would essentially play the 2 for the 'Cats since Gerald Wallace is a 3, so you'd have to compare Wallace to Delonte West as a swingman-to-swingman comparison (moving Raja Bell to our bench). Gerald > Delonte, easily. Now, here's where things get interesting: would you rather have Diaw/Okafor or Shaq/Varajeo (assuming he is re-signed)? It's probably advantage Cleveland, but not by that much. I do think Shaq can be a dominate force for another year or two, but how healthy will he stay? And next to LeBron, how good could Diaw's passing skills look? How many more easy dump-offs would Emeka receive courtesy of King James? Cleveland would definitely have a depth advantage with Big Z in the post vs Diop/VladRad, but I'd give Raja Bell the nod over Daniel Gibson and the DJ Augustin/Gerald Henderson combo is better than whatever turd sandwich Cleveland can piece together for it backcourt backups this year. And coaching is not even close: a big + for the Bobcats.
My point in this ridiculous hypothetical is two-fold: 1) The Bobcats have a lot of the suppoting cast pieces in place for a great team - they just lack the super-duper star to make it happen; and 2) Cleveland's supporting cast, minus a 37 year-old Shaq, is just not that good (as was shown in the playoffs vs Orlando). I think that illustrates just how good LeBron really is, along with just how sucky Cleveland would be without him. I honestly believe that if you add a LeBron or a D-Wade to the Bobcats that you instantly have a 60-win team, but you could probably say the same thing about ten other non-playoff teams in the NBA as well.
Of course, in reality, none of this matters a bit because it ain't happening. However, next summer when there are free agents available, the hope is that MJ & Co can lure a player based on "the pieces are in place around you, we just need a stud to elevate us to the next level", similar to what Orlando attempted with Rashard Lewis. Sure, it won't be LeBron James, but what about Joe Johnson or Michael Redd? Maybe the 'Cats become at 53-win team at that point. That's really the only hope for becoming a great team, a potential contender, since a major trade would take away a large chunk of the supporting cast that is in place. One thing you cannot argue based on this exercise: one player in the NBA can make all the difference, and the Bobcats don't have it.
Enough on the Bobcats for a week or two, I promise. I know there is a limited amount of folks who care about the NBA, much less a 35-win team in an ambivalent market. We'll take a more diversified look at the world of sports later on this week. Peace up, A-town down.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
2009 NBA Draft Rundown
Somehow, it is ten minutes before the 2009 NBA Draft commences, and I’m thinking about…Michael Jackson. The King of Pop, apparently dead of a heart attack. Wow. RIP to one of the all-time most exciting and talented entertainers the world has ever seen.
On to the draft. I’ve got the Chick-Fil-A ready to go, but not without incident. I usually go in to pick up my order at the CFA in Christiansburg, and tonight was no different. However, while attempting to text about Michael Jackson and carry my food out at the same time, I managed to drop my bag of food and spill half my frenchy fries. But, this near-disaster turned into a winning situation, as I got to keep my remaining fries and get an entire second container of waffle fries too. I tell ya’ll what, the fine folks at the Christiansburg CFA treat me right. They are always friendly and make sure your experience is good.
Anyway, the Bobcats t-shirt & Carolina shorts are in place. Also, I’m hitting this draft from the new kitchen table for computer/food efficiency. Get a visual in place.
Let the record show that it is 7:22pm and I’m already annoyed with fellow UNC alum Stuart Scott. Boo-no.
Dickie V makes his first appearance for the evening. It is also the first time I’ve seen him on my HD television. He looks like a ghost on speed. He also loves Ty Lawson, which might be the kiss of death for Ty’s NBA career.
Let’s just say this one time and get it out of the way, in efforts to refrain from becoming redundant: ESPN could not have put together a worse announcing team for this draft telecast. Between errors, no substantive points, and a lack of chemistry, it is going to be a long night.
Blake Griffin goes #1 to the LA Clippers. Welcome to hell, Blake. He sounds just like Mark McGwire in his interviews: “I’m not here to talk about the past…” This is followed up by an awkward interview with the Griffin parents by Lisa Salters. Oh boy.
Hasheen Thabeet goes #2 to the Memphis Grizzlies. Here’s hoping he takes some ribs home to Tanzania with him when he goes to do charity work (Thabeet is already known as a philanthropist among his peers and the college basketball world). Good to see that Dikimbe Mutumbo passed along his Cookie Monster impersonation to Thabeet.
Over/under on how many times Thabeet gets throw around by another big man or dunked on by a wing player is 3,419 (assuming he survives six years in the NBA).
#3 pick is James Harden to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Yeah, they have a team in Oklahoma. Harden was dressed by Andre 3000, complete with bow tie. Interesting pick because the word was Harden was the guy OKC thought was the best fit for their team, but Rubio is probably a higher-ceiling talent. I think Harden will be pretty solid though.
All three guys selected thus far have been very well-spoken, especially Harden. Some real quality guys this year in the draft.
My main man, Tyreke Evans, goes #4 to Sacramento. Sad times here at Casa de Kyle. He’s going to be really stinkin’ good. I am optimistic for his chances playing off the ball at the shooting guard with Kevin Martin at the 3 for the Kings. Martin is a great shooter and should open up the lane a bit for Tyreke’s driving abiltiy.
Minnesota is doing back flips right now, Rubio is still on the board.
Hey, did you know Ricky Rubio will be the first player selected in a draft to be born in the 1990s? Stuart Scott just told me that…for the 4th time. Seriously.
Rubio goes #5 to the T-Wolves…and the Madison Square Garden crowd chants “U.S.A., U.S.A” Awesome. Now they just need a shooting guard next to him. I’m interested to see what they do here at #6. Jordan Hill would make some sense too, as there is not really a pure shooting guard available that is worth the #6 pick. DeRozan maybe? Curry is more of a point guard, in my opinion, and would be tough to fit next to Rubio.
We are reminded that Minnesota has no coach right now. Why? Because they sucked last year. Why did they suck last year? Because they’ve drafted four straight shooting guards from 2005-2008. McCants (traded), Roy (traded on draft night for Randy Foye…who just got traded too), Corey Brewer (um…struggling is putting it nicely), and OJ Mayo (traded on draft night). Therefore, they still need a shooting guard.
Naturally, Minnesota takes Johnny Flynn at #6. Like Rubio, he is also a point guard. So I’m assuming Minnesota is trying to swing a trade and took Flynn on behalf of another team...? Otherwise this pick makes NO sense. Naturally, no one on ESPN points out this possibility. No one.
Johnny Flynn is seriously one of my all-time favorites to hear interviewed. He is an Avery Johnson in training.
Hey, Ric Bucher is on my TV and speculating that the Wolves will keep Rubio and Flynn. I am befuddled. At least they finally addressed the possibility of a trade.
Golden State is up and takes Stephen Curry at #7. New York fans are pissed. Aren’t they always? I am intrigued as to how the Warriors will play him next to Monta Ellis. Neither guy can defend, but then again, neither can anyone else on Golden State’s roster. I assume Curry will try out the 1-spot with Ellis playing the 2.
Sweet footage of Dell Curry as a Charlotte Hornet. Man, one of my favorites growing up. I also want to mention that watching Stephen Curry in person during the 2008 NCAA Tournament 1st & 2nd rounds is one of the highlights of my sporting events career. Truly special.
There is no way the goatee Stephen Curry has is real. I don’t think he’s seen a razor in his life.
The Knicks are on the clock. They show a man of foreign descent in the crowd with a Dook hat on. No comment.
The Knicks select Jordan Hill at #8 and the fans boo. I doubt anyone would be cheered by th- oh crap, Stuart Scott literally said that as I typed the sentence. I have no real comment on Jordan Hill other than I enjoyed watching him play late-night at Arizona, but he’s really got to improve to be an NBA rotation guy.
Carolina grad Donnie Walsh interviewed by Rachel Nichols. I just wanted to point out that he’s a Tar Heel and we won the national title in 2009.
DeMar DeRozan goes #9 to Toronto (hope he has a passport), Brandon Jennings to Milwaukee at #10, and…Terrence Williams at #11 to New Jersey. The Bobcats will not have a chance to draft Williams and his Barbie backpack. I’m fairly relieved.
Bobcats are on the clock at #12 and Gramps texts in to speculate Gerald Henderson. I am hoping for Earl Clark or a trade, but he’s probably right. During the course of the three previous picks, my Rhode Island buddy calls in to discuss the draft, etc. Derrick is biased towards the Big East, but he loves Earl Clark too.
With the 12th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Charlotte Bobcats select…Gerald Henderson. Not the end of the world, but I don’t think he’ll ever be a great player. It could have been worse, and I’d rather have him than Williams, but it could have been better too (see Clark, Earl or Trade, Draft Day).
Gerald Jr. mentions golf and hard work in his interview with Mark Jones. He apparently battled frequently in workouts with Tyler Hansbrough. I wonder if he threw any forearms in Psycho T’s direction during those workouts? It’s ok if he did, I’m sure Tyler just flexed and showed him his National Title ring. Erich IM’s in to lament the Bobcats not taking a chance on the former national player of the year…
And speaking of, in a surprise move, Tyler Hansbrough goes #13 to Indiana. Wow. I’m quite shocked, actually. NY fans chant “overrated”. That’s alright though, none of them can read. A frat boy-in-training is shown in the crowd with a #50 NC jersey, complete with mop-top hair.
It looks like Tyler is ready to play right now during his interview with Jones. They cut to National Championship winning coach Roy Williams in the seats. ROY!
For the record, I completely forgave Henderson for his stupid forearm assault on Tyler immediately after the 2006-2007 season ended. I loved watching Henderson at Dook and would have loved him as a Tar Heel. I am also realistic that Tyler will be a good, but not great, NBA player. No major bias coming from this house.
I think it’s time for a bowl of ice cream and a beverage.
Ric Bucher is reporting a great trade rumor of Amar’e to Golden State for Brandan Wright (go Heels), Marco Belinelli, and Andris Biedrins. That would actually be a pretty decent get for Phoenix, some cheap-but-talented guys to go with Biedrins. Maybe Golden State would then flip a wing player for another big man?
Earl Clark goes #14 to Phoenix and somehow we end up welcoming Brandon Jennings, who was picked 10th by Milwaukee, to the stage. As previously mentioned, I love Earl Clark and think Phoenix got a great player.
In other news, Cousin Car wishes the Bobcats had made a run at Psycho T as well. She is pissed. “I just do not like Gerald at all,” Car says. Rhino, on the other hand, is already in search of Pacers/Bobcats tickets.
Austin Daye goes #15 to Detroit. Daye is very talented and long and skilled and all of those things. I am afraid he is also a wuss and will not be a good NBA player. At least you can bet that he’ll be better than fellow Gonzaga alum Adam Morrison.
Dickie V is on my television in HD again. Oh my. He loves Hansbrough and Steph Curry, who he claims will be a “big-time star” and the Rookie of the Year next year. Vitale also hates guys being taken on “potential”. Same song, different verse.
Chicago passes on DeJuan Blair at #16 and takes James Johnson from Wake Forest instead. I know Andrew is probably relieved. Not sure how much I like Johnson, but I’m open to seeing how it works.
Steve Kerr is interviewed and mentions multiple times that the Suns are “in transition” right now. Suns fans, I would not be renewing those season tickets unless you want to watch a train wreck of a team next season.
Yup, Andrew texts in to express affection for the Bulls & James Johnson.
Ty Lawson gets passed up at #17 by the 76ers in favor of Jrue Holiday. I forgot he was still available, honestly, even though Holiday has been sitting in the green room for two hours. I’m getting a bit concerned for Lawson, he could tumble a ways now with Teague and Maynor still out there. Word this afternoon was Portland likes him though, so maybe the Blazers can grab him at #22?
Finished with the ice cream, and debating a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios. If HNC were an NBA player, they’d have to be Scotty Pippen: consistent, versatile, and overall solid. Not my numero uno cereal, but an All-Star member of the rotation for years.
And nevermind my worry about Ty Lawson slipping, as Minnesota takes him at #18. ESPN talks for three minutes before bringing in Ric Bucher to assuage the fears of fans everywhere that the T-Wolves are trying to field a midget league team by telling us that Lawson is going to Denver for the Bobcats’ protected first-rounder next year.
Funny moment of the night so far though was the flood of texts, IMs, and BBMs that just rolled in after that Lawson pick. Expletives galore, and some good versatility among those chosen by my friends. Even Coach Roy was surprised by the pick, texting me a “WTF…three PG’s???” after the pick was made.
Jeff Teague goes #19 to Atlanta. He’s going to be great for them, as I really like Teague as a quality guard in this league for a long time. Yes, more than Lawson. On a related note, Utah takes Eric Maynor #20 to play behind Deron Williams. Here’s hoping that they don’t regret passing on DeJuan Blair if Millsap & Boozer both leave in free agency.
Larry Brown is on my television and gets the “ass-hole, ass-hole” chant for the NY crowd. I also just realized the Bobcats lead the league in players named “Gerald”, with Henderson & Wallace on board. So we’ve got that going for us!
New Orleans brings us Darren Collison at #21. Kind of a reach there, in my opinion. No better than a backup in this league. They do need a second point guard, but I would have rather had Toney Douglas than Collison.
So, we still have DeJuan Blair & BJ Mullens on the board. Blair’s stock has really fallen tonight, as he was speculated as high as #11 within the last week. Mullens is destined to be a big white stiff, so maybe teams actually realized that. It has also been a quiet night in the trade market thus far, with few new deals to report.
Portland is choosing 22nd here and selects Victor Claver. He’s not coming to the US for a couple years, which would be fine if Portland had not traded up with Dallas to grab him.
Shaq being interviewed by Lisa Salters and he sends out condolences to Michael Jackson’s family first – classy move by O’Neal. Seriously. He sounds optimistic about going to Cleveland and is willing to do what it takes to be a team player. Lisa is butchering this interview, btw, as she has most of the night. Dear ESPN – please don’t bring in four folks (Stu Scott, Mark Jackson, Van Gundy, and Salters) who are not used to unscripted television for the NBA Draft. Last time I’m mentioning this (wanna bet?).
Sacramento takes Omri Casspi from Israel at #23. Jews everywhere rejoice. One time at a New York Mets game, my Dad & I watched a kid use his kippah (yarmulke) as a bowl to eat his potato chips from. I doubt Casspi will do this in Sac-Town, but if he does, Frito Lay better be ready as a sponsor.
Dallas takes BJ Mullens at #24. I guess they are willing to wait on this kid, seeing as he did not start at Ohio State (which Jay Bilas points out as I’m typing this). “Must improve: post game”. Ominous for a POST player. Next, David Stern tells us that Oklahoma City has drafted Rodrigue Beaubois at #25, followed by Ric Bucher telling us that OKC has traded him for BJ Mullens.
I have to say, this draft has not been all that exciting, sans Brandon Jennings’ sudden appearance and the three point guards that Minny has selected. I might should have watched Burn Notice live and left the draft muted on TV #2 instead of DVR-ing it. Does anyone reading this watch Burn Notice? I have watched since its inception and find it entertaining week after week, even though it is basically the same show week after week. Why is that?
Chicago is back up and grab Taj Gibson at #26. I am not sure about that one either. Aren’t he and James Johnson similar players, or at least project to the same position in the league? I would think they would need to think about a shooting guard to at least back up Ben Gordon or whoever ends up playing the 2-spot for them.
Memphis takes DeMarre Carroll with the 27th pick after a spirited discussion among the ESPN guys about how to make the team exciting. Um, I don’t think that did it.
Minnesota returns to take another point guard at #28? Nope, they select Wayne Ellington from the University of National Champions. I wish Minnesota was not trading Lawson; that would have been fun to watch them play together again.
Interview with Roy! Sweet shirt/tie combo there, Coach. I love that man.
The Knicks are now picking at #29 following a trade with the Lakers, and have also traded Q Richardson to Memphis for Darko Milicic. Both of these developments were reported earlier today, so no surprises there. Here’s hoping Darko does well in New York and can salvage a decent career and some dignity under Mike D’Antoni. The Lakers take Toney Douglas here, and we are to assume he is headed to the Big Apple anytime now.
Cleveland closes out the first round by taking Christian Eyenga at #30.
Final thoughts as we close out this way-too-long live rundown: this draft was drama-free. The trade market is heating up, though, and should continue for a few weeks as discussed earlier today on the blog (see below). Congrats to Blake Griffin for going #1, congrats to the Timberwolves for drafting a seven-footer in the form of three point guards, and congrats to the Tar Heels for having a lot of good players. Early-entries like Chase Budinger, DeJuan Blair, & Patty Mills last until the second round, which must be disappointing for those guys. There may be a bit more nuts-and-bolts analysis in the coming days, including some further fallout from the trade and free agent markets, here on The Blue Team – be sure to check in. Thanks for reading ya’ll, be good.
On to the draft. I’ve got the Chick-Fil-A ready to go, but not without incident. I usually go in to pick up my order at the CFA in Christiansburg, and tonight was no different. However, while attempting to text about Michael Jackson and carry my food out at the same time, I managed to drop my bag of food and spill half my frenchy fries. But, this near-disaster turned into a winning situation, as I got to keep my remaining fries and get an entire second container of waffle fries too. I tell ya’ll what, the fine folks at the Christiansburg CFA treat me right. They are always friendly and make sure your experience is good.
Anyway, the Bobcats t-shirt & Carolina shorts are in place. Also, I’m hitting this draft from the new kitchen table for computer/food efficiency. Get a visual in place.
Let the record show that it is 7:22pm and I’m already annoyed with fellow UNC alum Stuart Scott. Boo-no.
Dickie V makes his first appearance for the evening. It is also the first time I’ve seen him on my HD television. He looks like a ghost on speed. He also loves Ty Lawson, which might be the kiss of death for Ty’s NBA career.
Let’s just say this one time and get it out of the way, in efforts to refrain from becoming redundant: ESPN could not have put together a worse announcing team for this draft telecast. Between errors, no substantive points, and a lack of chemistry, it is going to be a long night.
Blake Griffin goes #1 to the LA Clippers. Welcome to hell, Blake. He sounds just like Mark McGwire in his interviews: “I’m not here to talk about the past…” This is followed up by an awkward interview with the Griffin parents by Lisa Salters. Oh boy.
Hasheen Thabeet goes #2 to the Memphis Grizzlies. Here’s hoping he takes some ribs home to Tanzania with him when he goes to do charity work (Thabeet is already known as a philanthropist among his peers and the college basketball world). Good to see that Dikimbe Mutumbo passed along his Cookie Monster impersonation to Thabeet.
Over/under on how many times Thabeet gets throw around by another big man or dunked on by a wing player is 3,419 (assuming he survives six years in the NBA).
#3 pick is James Harden to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Yeah, they have a team in Oklahoma. Harden was dressed by Andre 3000, complete with bow tie. Interesting pick because the word was Harden was the guy OKC thought was the best fit for their team, but Rubio is probably a higher-ceiling talent. I think Harden will be pretty solid though.
All three guys selected thus far have been very well-spoken, especially Harden. Some real quality guys this year in the draft.
My main man, Tyreke Evans, goes #4 to Sacramento. Sad times here at Casa de Kyle. He’s going to be really stinkin’ good. I am optimistic for his chances playing off the ball at the shooting guard with Kevin Martin at the 3 for the Kings. Martin is a great shooter and should open up the lane a bit for Tyreke’s driving abiltiy.
Minnesota is doing back flips right now, Rubio is still on the board.
Hey, did you know Ricky Rubio will be the first player selected in a draft to be born in the 1990s? Stuart Scott just told me that…for the 4th time. Seriously.
Rubio goes #5 to the T-Wolves…and the Madison Square Garden crowd chants “U.S.A., U.S.A” Awesome. Now they just need a shooting guard next to him. I’m interested to see what they do here at #6. Jordan Hill would make some sense too, as there is not really a pure shooting guard available that is worth the #6 pick. DeRozan maybe? Curry is more of a point guard, in my opinion, and would be tough to fit next to Rubio.
We are reminded that Minnesota has no coach right now. Why? Because they sucked last year. Why did they suck last year? Because they’ve drafted four straight shooting guards from 2005-2008. McCants (traded), Roy (traded on draft night for Randy Foye…who just got traded too), Corey Brewer (um…struggling is putting it nicely), and OJ Mayo (traded on draft night). Therefore, they still need a shooting guard.
Naturally, Minnesota takes Johnny Flynn at #6. Like Rubio, he is also a point guard. So I’m assuming Minnesota is trying to swing a trade and took Flynn on behalf of another team...? Otherwise this pick makes NO sense. Naturally, no one on ESPN points out this possibility. No one.
Johnny Flynn is seriously one of my all-time favorites to hear interviewed. He is an Avery Johnson in training.
Hey, Ric Bucher is on my TV and speculating that the Wolves will keep Rubio and Flynn. I am befuddled. At least they finally addressed the possibility of a trade.
Golden State is up and takes Stephen Curry at #7. New York fans are pissed. Aren’t they always? I am intrigued as to how the Warriors will play him next to Monta Ellis. Neither guy can defend, but then again, neither can anyone else on Golden State’s roster. I assume Curry will try out the 1-spot with Ellis playing the 2.
Sweet footage of Dell Curry as a Charlotte Hornet. Man, one of my favorites growing up. I also want to mention that watching Stephen Curry in person during the 2008 NCAA Tournament 1st & 2nd rounds is one of the highlights of my sporting events career. Truly special.
There is no way the goatee Stephen Curry has is real. I don’t think he’s seen a razor in his life.
The Knicks are on the clock. They show a man of foreign descent in the crowd with a Dook hat on. No comment.
The Knicks select Jordan Hill at #8 and the fans boo. I doubt anyone would be cheered by th- oh crap, Stuart Scott literally said that as I typed the sentence. I have no real comment on Jordan Hill other than I enjoyed watching him play late-night at Arizona, but he’s really got to improve to be an NBA rotation guy.
Carolina grad Donnie Walsh interviewed by Rachel Nichols. I just wanted to point out that he’s a Tar Heel and we won the national title in 2009.
DeMar DeRozan goes #9 to Toronto (hope he has a passport), Brandon Jennings to Milwaukee at #10, and…Terrence Williams at #11 to New Jersey. The Bobcats will not have a chance to draft Williams and his Barbie backpack. I’m fairly relieved.
Bobcats are on the clock at #12 and Gramps texts in to speculate Gerald Henderson. I am hoping for Earl Clark or a trade, but he’s probably right. During the course of the three previous picks, my Rhode Island buddy calls in to discuss the draft, etc. Derrick is biased towards the Big East, but he loves Earl Clark too.
With the 12th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Charlotte Bobcats select…Gerald Henderson. Not the end of the world, but I don’t think he’ll ever be a great player. It could have been worse, and I’d rather have him than Williams, but it could have been better too (see Clark, Earl or Trade, Draft Day).
Gerald Jr. mentions golf and hard work in his interview with Mark Jones. He apparently battled frequently in workouts with Tyler Hansbrough. I wonder if he threw any forearms in Psycho T’s direction during those workouts? It’s ok if he did, I’m sure Tyler just flexed and showed him his National Title ring. Erich IM’s in to lament the Bobcats not taking a chance on the former national player of the year…
And speaking of, in a surprise move, Tyler Hansbrough goes #13 to Indiana. Wow. I’m quite shocked, actually. NY fans chant “overrated”. That’s alright though, none of them can read. A frat boy-in-training is shown in the crowd with a #50 NC jersey, complete with mop-top hair.
It looks like Tyler is ready to play right now during his interview with Jones. They cut to National Championship winning coach Roy Williams in the seats. ROY!
For the record, I completely forgave Henderson for his stupid forearm assault on Tyler immediately after the 2006-2007 season ended. I loved watching Henderson at Dook and would have loved him as a Tar Heel. I am also realistic that Tyler will be a good, but not great, NBA player. No major bias coming from this house.
I think it’s time for a bowl of ice cream and a beverage.
Ric Bucher is reporting a great trade rumor of Amar’e to Golden State for Brandan Wright (go Heels), Marco Belinelli, and Andris Biedrins. That would actually be a pretty decent get for Phoenix, some cheap-but-talented guys to go with Biedrins. Maybe Golden State would then flip a wing player for another big man?
Earl Clark goes #14 to Phoenix and somehow we end up welcoming Brandon Jennings, who was picked 10th by Milwaukee, to the stage. As previously mentioned, I love Earl Clark and think Phoenix got a great player.
In other news, Cousin Car wishes the Bobcats had made a run at Psycho T as well. She is pissed. “I just do not like Gerald at all,” Car says. Rhino, on the other hand, is already in search of Pacers/Bobcats tickets.
Austin Daye goes #15 to Detroit. Daye is very talented and long and skilled and all of those things. I am afraid he is also a wuss and will not be a good NBA player. At least you can bet that he’ll be better than fellow Gonzaga alum Adam Morrison.
Dickie V is on my television in HD again. Oh my. He loves Hansbrough and Steph Curry, who he claims will be a “big-time star” and the Rookie of the Year next year. Vitale also hates guys being taken on “potential”. Same song, different verse.
Chicago passes on DeJuan Blair at #16 and takes James Johnson from Wake Forest instead. I know Andrew is probably relieved. Not sure how much I like Johnson, but I’m open to seeing how it works.
Steve Kerr is interviewed and mentions multiple times that the Suns are “in transition” right now. Suns fans, I would not be renewing those season tickets unless you want to watch a train wreck of a team next season.
Yup, Andrew texts in to express affection for the Bulls & James Johnson.
Ty Lawson gets passed up at #17 by the 76ers in favor of Jrue Holiday. I forgot he was still available, honestly, even though Holiday has been sitting in the green room for two hours. I’m getting a bit concerned for Lawson, he could tumble a ways now with Teague and Maynor still out there. Word this afternoon was Portland likes him though, so maybe the Blazers can grab him at #22?
Finished with the ice cream, and debating a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios. If HNC were an NBA player, they’d have to be Scotty Pippen: consistent, versatile, and overall solid. Not my numero uno cereal, but an All-Star member of the rotation for years.
And nevermind my worry about Ty Lawson slipping, as Minnesota takes him at #18. ESPN talks for three minutes before bringing in Ric Bucher to assuage the fears of fans everywhere that the T-Wolves are trying to field a midget league team by telling us that Lawson is going to Denver for the Bobcats’ protected first-rounder next year.
Funny moment of the night so far though was the flood of texts, IMs, and BBMs that just rolled in after that Lawson pick. Expletives galore, and some good versatility among those chosen by my friends. Even Coach Roy was surprised by the pick, texting me a “WTF…three PG’s???” after the pick was made.
Jeff Teague goes #19 to Atlanta. He’s going to be great for them, as I really like Teague as a quality guard in this league for a long time. Yes, more than Lawson. On a related note, Utah takes Eric Maynor #20 to play behind Deron Williams. Here’s hoping that they don’t regret passing on DeJuan Blair if Millsap & Boozer both leave in free agency.
Larry Brown is on my television and gets the “ass-hole, ass-hole” chant for the NY crowd. I also just realized the Bobcats lead the league in players named “Gerald”, with Henderson & Wallace on board. So we’ve got that going for us!
New Orleans brings us Darren Collison at #21. Kind of a reach there, in my opinion. No better than a backup in this league. They do need a second point guard, but I would have rather had Toney Douglas than Collison.
So, we still have DeJuan Blair & BJ Mullens on the board. Blair’s stock has really fallen tonight, as he was speculated as high as #11 within the last week. Mullens is destined to be a big white stiff, so maybe teams actually realized that. It has also been a quiet night in the trade market thus far, with few new deals to report.
Portland is choosing 22nd here and selects Victor Claver. He’s not coming to the US for a couple years, which would be fine if Portland had not traded up with Dallas to grab him.
Shaq being interviewed by Lisa Salters and he sends out condolences to Michael Jackson’s family first – classy move by O’Neal. Seriously. He sounds optimistic about going to Cleveland and is willing to do what it takes to be a team player. Lisa is butchering this interview, btw, as she has most of the night. Dear ESPN – please don’t bring in four folks (Stu Scott, Mark Jackson, Van Gundy, and Salters) who are not used to unscripted television for the NBA Draft. Last time I’m mentioning this (wanna bet?).
Sacramento takes Omri Casspi from Israel at #23. Jews everywhere rejoice. One time at a New York Mets game, my Dad & I watched a kid use his kippah (yarmulke) as a bowl to eat his potato chips from. I doubt Casspi will do this in Sac-Town, but if he does, Frito Lay better be ready as a sponsor.
Dallas takes BJ Mullens at #24. I guess they are willing to wait on this kid, seeing as he did not start at Ohio State (which Jay Bilas points out as I’m typing this). “Must improve: post game”. Ominous for a POST player. Next, David Stern tells us that Oklahoma City has drafted Rodrigue Beaubois at #25, followed by Ric Bucher telling us that OKC has traded him for BJ Mullens.
I have to say, this draft has not been all that exciting, sans Brandon Jennings’ sudden appearance and the three point guards that Minny has selected. I might should have watched Burn Notice live and left the draft muted on TV #2 instead of DVR-ing it. Does anyone reading this watch Burn Notice? I have watched since its inception and find it entertaining week after week, even though it is basically the same show week after week. Why is that?
Chicago is back up and grab Taj Gibson at #26. I am not sure about that one either. Aren’t he and James Johnson similar players, or at least project to the same position in the league? I would think they would need to think about a shooting guard to at least back up Ben Gordon or whoever ends up playing the 2-spot for them.
Memphis takes DeMarre Carroll with the 27th pick after a spirited discussion among the ESPN guys about how to make the team exciting. Um, I don’t think that did it.
Minnesota returns to take another point guard at #28? Nope, they select Wayne Ellington from the University of National Champions. I wish Minnesota was not trading Lawson; that would have been fun to watch them play together again.
Interview with Roy! Sweet shirt/tie combo there, Coach. I love that man.
The Knicks are now picking at #29 following a trade with the Lakers, and have also traded Q Richardson to Memphis for Darko Milicic. Both of these developments were reported earlier today, so no surprises there. Here’s hoping Darko does well in New York and can salvage a decent career and some dignity under Mike D’Antoni. The Lakers take Toney Douglas here, and we are to assume he is headed to the Big Apple anytime now.
Cleveland closes out the first round by taking Christian Eyenga at #30.
Final thoughts as we close out this way-too-long live rundown: this draft was drama-free. The trade market is heating up, though, and should continue for a few weeks as discussed earlier today on the blog (see below). Congrats to Blake Griffin for going #1, congrats to the Timberwolves for drafting a seven-footer in the form of three point guards, and congrats to the Tar Heels for having a lot of good players. Early-entries like Chase Budinger, DeJuan Blair, & Patty Mills last until the second round, which must be disappointing for those guys. There may be a bit more nuts-and-bolts analysis in the coming days, including some further fallout from the trade and free agent markets, here on The Blue Team – be sure to check in. Thanks for reading ya’ll, be good.
2009 NBA Draft: Final Mock & Pre-Draft Thoughts
Less than three hours away from the 2009 NBA Draft as I post this. There is still a lot of flux as to what teams will do, even at the top of the draft. It looks like Griffin and Thabeet will go 1-2 in the draft at this point, and I think Rubio ultimately goes #3 - either to OKC or to the team that trades up with the Thunder. If Sam Presti & Co really want James Harden, then they should trade back with Minnesota to #5 and pick something else up and make the Timberwolves pay a bit more for Rubio. After that, it is a crapshoot, especially as it relates to point guards. At least two guys will end up falling out of the top 10 that did not appear to be available in the middle of the draft as of a few weeks ago, meaning a Charlotte, Detroit, or Chicago should gladly snatch them up. I have an odd feeling that we're going to see a busy night out of Indiana, as they've been too quiet for a team with so many long-term holes. Philly might make some noise too. Just hunches there, nothing factual.
Here is my final mock draft, for historical reference:
1. Blake Griffin (LAC)
2. Thabeet (MEM)
3. Rubio (OKC)
4. Flynn (SAC)
5. Harden (MIN)
6. Curry (MIN)
7. Hill (GS)
8. Evans (NY)
9. Holiday (TOR)
10. Clark (MIL)
11. DeRozan (NJ)
12. T. Williams (CHA)
13. Jennings (IND)
14. J. Johnson (PHO)
15. Derrick Brown (DET)
16. Blair (CHI)
17. Lawson (PHI)
18. Mullins (MIN)
19. Teague (ATL)
20. Daye (UTA)
21. Henderson (NO)
22. Maynor (POR)
23. Casspi (SAC)
24. Hansbrough (DAL)
25. Gibson (OKC)
26. Summers (CHI)
27. Mills (MEM)
28. Budinger (MIN)
29. McClinton (NY)
30. Green (CLE)
And for proof, even though you really can't read it:
The key early on is going to be Golden State at #7. The Warriors have a glut of wing players and almost HAVE to slide Monta Ellis over to the point guard spot to play all their guys (Jackson, Azubuike, Maggette, and Belinelli) at the 2 & 3. That would point towards drafting a post player like Jordan Hill to rotate with Biedrins and the Randolph/Wright lean meat sandwich. The problem? That's no good. I think Golden State would love to deal the #7, a young talent and part of their wing depth for a quality player to make a playoff run this year (see Davis, Baron). If they did this, the draft changes really fast.
The only really odd pick in my mock draft is Derrick Brown, the forward from Xavier, going at #15 to the Pistons. I loved that guy as a young freshman in the NCAA Tournament in 2007 and really think some team is going to get a good player. So yes, that's a personal pick going that high. Danny Green going at #30 might be a bit weird too, but a quality spot-up shooter and versatile defender would help Cleveland a lot.
There will still be some trades this evening, of course, but one of the bigger ones went down around midnight - Shaq heading to Cleveland. I don't mind the one-year rental idea with the Big Diesel, but Cleveland has not solved its two biggest problems: defending the pick-and-roll and building a core around LeBron so he'll stay around long-term. They must find a way to not only re-sign Varejao, but also a versatile big man who can defend and move, but a wing player to take some pressure off LeBron. Trading Big Z and one of their 6-2 shooting guards (West, Gibson, Mo "All-Star Point Guard" Williams) would make that possible - but who wants that bag of potato chips?
And in breaking news, literally as I type this: Vince Carter has been sent to Orlando for Courtney Lee, Tony Battie's contract, and Skip to my Lou (Raefer Alston). More analysis as this deal becomes official, but my initial reaction was something to the effect of "hoooooly, I...I mean...ugh, OMG!!!"...Which roughly translates into "what a deal for Orlando - an energized Vince Carter returning to his home state of Florida and playing with talent for the first time since Jason Kidd & RJ - wow!"
Finally, a big picture point before we end this for the evening: beginning with this week's draft, this off-season is going to shape the next 5-7 years of the league. Though the draft itself is weak on talent, it is NOT weak on drama. This season, it also sets the table for a summer of moves that will give us a good indication of which teams are buying and selling. There are so many teams battling economic problems right now, many of which have been paying luxury taxes in the few seasons. These teams are looking to cut costs in any way possible, which means so guys are going to be readily available for trades. In fact, you're likely to see a few of the "3 quarters for a $1" trades this off-season as a team makes a desperate move. The residual effects are that the teams who acquire players being pawned off are setting themselves up to be very, very good for a number of years. Some team are instead setting themselves up to lure a marquee free agent or two next summer by putting talent in place to have around that player. You have others, like the Knicks, trying to clear as much cap room as possible to make a splash next summer with a guy or two from what could be the most star-studded free agent crop in NBA history.
Take the two most-recent blockbuster deals as examples. Cleveland had to upgrade its roster to try and keep LeBron after next season, so they wanted to make a deal or two for some "great" players (Shaq, Vince Carter, etc). And Phoenix, a major spender in the past years with their luxury tax issues, has made everyone available to the highest bidder (i.e. most saved salary) because owner Robert Sarver has apparently run out of money. Put a team like Cleveland with a team like Phoenix and that's how you ended up with Shaq next to LeBron in 2009. I would have preferred an extended Amar'e and a sign-and-trade Matt Barnes going to Cleveland for Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic, JJ Hickson, and Delonte West, but the Cavs took a less-risky approach.
In the case of Orlando, they needed a good shooting guard to drive the ball and take pressure off Howard in the post. New Jersey has been shopping Carter for months in order to clear a ton of cap room for next summer. Done & Done. The Magic are potentially the favorite for at least the Eastern Conference title in 2009-2010 & the Brooklyn Nets now have plenty of money to woe co-owner Jay-Z's boy LeBron in the infamous summer of 2010.
Enjoy tonight's festivities. I'll be cranking on the live rundown, some CFA, potentially some beverages, and a lot of yelling I'm afraid. The 2009 NBA Draft: Who's Real?
Here is my final mock draft, for historical reference:
1. Blake Griffin (LAC)
2. Thabeet (MEM)
3. Rubio (OKC)
4. Flynn (SAC)
5. Harden (MIN)
6. Curry (MIN)
7. Hill (GS)
8. Evans (NY)
9. Holiday (TOR)
10. Clark (MIL)
11. DeRozan (NJ)
12. T. Williams (CHA)
13. Jennings (IND)
14. J. Johnson (PHO)
15. Derrick Brown (DET)
16. Blair (CHI)
17. Lawson (PHI)
18. Mullins (MIN)
19. Teague (ATL)
20. Daye (UTA)
21. Henderson (NO)
22. Maynor (POR)
23. Casspi (SAC)
24. Hansbrough (DAL)
25. Gibson (OKC)
26. Summers (CHI)
27. Mills (MEM)
28. Budinger (MIN)
29. McClinton (NY)
30. Green (CLE)
And for proof, even though you really can't read it:
The key early on is going to be Golden State at #7. The Warriors have a glut of wing players and almost HAVE to slide Monta Ellis over to the point guard spot to play all their guys (Jackson, Azubuike, Maggette, and Belinelli) at the 2 & 3. That would point towards drafting a post player like Jordan Hill to rotate with Biedrins and the Randolph/Wright lean meat sandwich. The problem? That's no good. I think Golden State would love to deal the #7, a young talent and part of their wing depth for a quality player to make a playoff run this year (see Davis, Baron). If they did this, the draft changes really fast.
The only really odd pick in my mock draft is Derrick Brown, the forward from Xavier, going at #15 to the Pistons. I loved that guy as a young freshman in the NCAA Tournament in 2007 and really think some team is going to get a good player. So yes, that's a personal pick going that high. Danny Green going at #30 might be a bit weird too, but a quality spot-up shooter and versatile defender would help Cleveland a lot.
There will still be some trades this evening, of course, but one of the bigger ones went down around midnight - Shaq heading to Cleveland. I don't mind the one-year rental idea with the Big Diesel, but Cleveland has not solved its two biggest problems: defending the pick-and-roll and building a core around LeBron so he'll stay around long-term. They must find a way to not only re-sign Varejao, but also a versatile big man who can defend and move, but a wing player to take some pressure off LeBron. Trading Big Z and one of their 6-2 shooting guards (West, Gibson, Mo "All-Star Point Guard" Williams) would make that possible - but who wants that bag of potato chips?
And in breaking news, literally as I type this: Vince Carter has been sent to Orlando for Courtney Lee, Tony Battie's contract, and Skip to my Lou (Raefer Alston). More analysis as this deal becomes official, but my initial reaction was something to the effect of "hoooooly, I...I mean...ugh, OMG!!!"...Which roughly translates into "what a deal for Orlando - an energized Vince Carter returning to his home state of Florida and playing with talent for the first time since Jason Kidd & RJ - wow!"
Finally, a big picture point before we end this for the evening: beginning with this week's draft, this off-season is going to shape the next 5-7 years of the league. Though the draft itself is weak on talent, it is NOT weak on drama. This season, it also sets the table for a summer of moves that will give us a good indication of which teams are buying and selling. There are so many teams battling economic problems right now, many of which have been paying luxury taxes in the few seasons. These teams are looking to cut costs in any way possible, which means so guys are going to be readily available for trades. In fact, you're likely to see a few of the "3 quarters for a $1" trades this off-season as a team makes a desperate move. The residual effects are that the teams who acquire players being pawned off are setting themselves up to be very, very good for a number of years. Some team are instead setting themselves up to lure a marquee free agent or two next summer by putting talent in place to have around that player. You have others, like the Knicks, trying to clear as much cap room as possible to make a splash next summer with a guy or two from what could be the most star-studded free agent crop in NBA history.
Take the two most-recent blockbuster deals as examples. Cleveland had to upgrade its roster to try and keep LeBron after next season, so they wanted to make a deal or two for some "great" players (Shaq, Vince Carter, etc). And Phoenix, a major spender in the past years with their luxury tax issues, has made everyone available to the highest bidder (i.e. most saved salary) because owner Robert Sarver has apparently run out of money. Put a team like Cleveland with a team like Phoenix and that's how you ended up with Shaq next to LeBron in 2009. I would have preferred an extended Amar'e and a sign-and-trade Matt Barnes going to Cleveland for Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic, JJ Hickson, and Delonte West, but the Cavs took a less-risky approach.
In the case of Orlando, they needed a good shooting guard to drive the ball and take pressure off Howard in the post. New Jersey has been shopping Carter for months in order to clear a ton of cap room for next summer. Done & Done. The Magic are potentially the favorite for at least the Eastern Conference title in 2009-2010 & the Brooklyn Nets now have plenty of money to woe co-owner Jay-Z's boy LeBron in the infamous summer of 2010.
Enjoy tonight's festivities. I'll be cranking on the live rundown, some CFA, potentially some beverages, and a lot of yelling I'm afraid. The 2009 NBA Draft: Who's Real?
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
2009 NBA Draft Preview: Bobcats
Continuing with this week's NBA Draft analysis, we'll take a look at the hometown Bobcats and their draft outlook real fast. But, before you look at the draft, you must first look at what's in place and the needs of the team.
Raymond Felton will receive a qualifying offer and return for at least one year, plus DJ Augustin (last year's first-rounder) remains at point guard. In fact, word is Augustin grew almost four inches this summer - he's now 5-7. A third point guard or a shooting guard who can play some minutes at the one will probably come via a small free agent signing this summer. Thus, point guard is set. The 2-guard spot is a different story, as incumbent starter Raja Bell was rumored to be headed to Golden State earlier this week. Even though that fell through, it still lets us know that the 'Cats are not sold on Bell or anyone else who might return as the shooting guard (Cartier Martin was a late-season addition). Gerald Wallace, the team's best player, returns at the small forward spot. Injury prone, in large part due to his aggressiveness, Wallace needs a capable backup who is a true small forward - not Juwan Howard, Boris Diaw, or Vlad Radmanovic moonlighting as a 3. The power forward position is lined by Diaw and Rad, both of whom are heavy on the offensive capabilities, but a bit low on the toughness/rebounding angle. Okafor and Desagana Diop are in the middle, with Nazi holding down the over-paid-and-never-play spot in the post.
So, the summary: no long-term solution at shooting guard, no real backup at the small forward spot, and the need for some defense and rebounding at the power forward. However, look closer at the roster...now envision what a bonafide NBA contender looks like...now think again about the Bobcats...now spit the barf out of your mouth...rinse...ok. Obviously Charlotte does not have the pieces in place to be successful in terms of competing for a title.
What the Bobcats need is a guy their opponent has to gameplan around defensively. Yes, that means a super-duper star. Okafor scores off dump-and-dunks and rebounds, Diaw scores off deep post isolation, Wallace scores on the break and at the line, and Felton scores when no one else will take a shot and he has to throw one up there. Raja Bell is aging at the shooting guard spot and should not be counted on for 70+ games this year, much less 82 and maybe the playoffs. I sincerely think Tyreke Evans can become a guy who the other team must plan around. In the short-term, he would be another guy who can't shoot (like Felton and Wallace) and his turnovers would drive Larry Brown nuts. Plus, he won't be on the board at #12. Regardless, I don't think the odds are high that Charlotte finds a team-changer at #12. Here is a list of the past fifteen years worth of #12 picks and the team who selected him:
2008: Jason Thompson (Sac)
2007: Thaddeus Young (Phi)
2006: Hilton Armstrong (NO)
2005: Yaroslav Korolev (Lac)
2004: Robert Swift (Sea)
2003: Nick Collison (Sea)
2002: Melvin Ely (Lac)
2001: Vlad Radmonovic (Sea)
2000: Etan Thomas (Dal)
1999: Alek Radojevic (Tor)
1998: Michael Doleac (Orl)
1997: Austin Croshere (Ind)
1996: Vitaly Potapenko (Cle)
1995: Cherokee Parks (Dal)
1994:Khalid Reeves (Mia)
Um, yeah. Not so much, huh? The two most recent guys have shown some promise, but it's early yet on both Thompson & Young. Not a single All-Star appearance on this list, unless you count Cherokee Parks' appearance on the NBA's All-Tattoo team. Oh, Robert Swift made an appearance too? I had no idea he was even still alive. For those of you scoring at home, that's 12,348 tattoos and ZERO All-Stars from the past 15 years worth of #12 picks. Log on to Basketball Reference and keep digging through the annals of drafts past; the #12 pick has not been kind to teams.
So what should the Bobcats do? Make a trade, of course. Either trade up or trade out. If there is a guy earlier in the draft that the team loves, then b-e aggressive and trade up for him. I'm not sold on Stephen Curry, but if they think he's the guy, then go get him. If it's Evans, go get him. Now, what would it take to trade up? Probably the #12 pick and one of the point guards - either a contractually extended Raymond Felton or DJ Augustin. Of course, it depends on how high you're trying to move up and who is targeted. After looking at that option, I don't think the pieces are there, nor the trade partner, to be able to move up and get a great player in this draft.
The other option is to trade the #12 pick and move back or out of the first round all together. Pair the pick with a bad contract (Nazi, Vlad, or Diop, in that order) and either get a good player or just the cap space in return. I personally don't love the idea of just moving back in the first round unless it gets rid of a contract too - there just aren't enough good players to be had. I'd much rather try to get a stud who can be good long-term. This idea is essentially what the team tried to do in 2007 in the Jason Richardson deal. The problem with that deal was two-fold: Richardson was not as good as they hoped, and neither were the parts around him. Now, the parts are a bit better, but finding the right player might be tough. Here's my point for the Bobcats - no more role players. No more above average guys. They need a stud, and they aren't going to find one at #12. Unless...
If the Bobcats keep the #12 pick, they need to take Earl Clark, upon availability. Not Terrence Williams, not Gerald Henderson, not a midget point guard. Why? He has the upside to turn into a great player, and fairly soon. Clark is 6-10 and a combo forward out of Louisville. He has decent handle, good range, rebounds pretty well, and can impact the game on both ends. His shot is a bit streaky and he's too light to play the 4-spot right now, but the major knock on him is supposedly his motivation/intensity. Not so much in a "I'm too cool for school and won't try hard" way, but more like a "I just don't show a ton of emotion" way. I was personally sold on Clark for a while as a decent player, but really warmed up to him after reading this analysis. (If you like the NBA, click that link. Just a fantastic, in-depth piece.)
Clark's skillset lends itself to becoming a face-up 4-man down the road. He'll add strength and some weight as a result of the NBA-level workout regiment, so I think the issue of being a bit too light will fix itself in a year or two. At the 4-spot, Clark immediately becomes quicker than many guys trying to guard him, providing the matchup problems that we discussed yesterday in regards to Tyreke Evans. As his shot improves and bigs have to guard him closer, the driving lanes will open up and you suddenly have a tough matchup. His ceiling is something like a Rashard Lewis, but more physical defending and rebounding. Clark definitely is not in Lewis' class as a shooter right now, but he could evolve into that type of guy. For now, Clark can play behind Wallace at the 3-spot and move over to the 4 occasionally. In three years? Maybe you have a stud.
Hopefully the Bobcats make a good decision with this pick. I'm fine with drafting Clark or trading the pick, especially if it unloads a bad deal or two. Unfortunately the Bobcats have apparently made a promise to Clark's collegiate teammate, Terrence Williams, to draft him at #12 if he's still there. That's awesome, considering Chad Ford said today on his ESPN Podcast with Bill Simmons that Williams carried a Barbie bookbag in college and "reminds him mentally of Ron Artest...minus the attacking fans thing, of course" (fast-forward to the 58-minute mark or so). I'll keep the liquor close by Thursday night in case this scenario unfolds. Goooooo Bobcats.
One more update coming pre-draft, with my mock draft and some bigger picture impact of this draft. Then, we'll hit up the live rundown during the draft. And I can't wait. Ain't I...
Raymond Felton will receive a qualifying offer and return for at least one year, plus DJ Augustin (last year's first-rounder) remains at point guard. In fact, word is Augustin grew almost four inches this summer - he's now 5-7. A third point guard or a shooting guard who can play some minutes at the one will probably come via a small free agent signing this summer. Thus, point guard is set. The 2-guard spot is a different story, as incumbent starter Raja Bell was rumored to be headed to Golden State earlier this week. Even though that fell through, it still lets us know that the 'Cats are not sold on Bell or anyone else who might return as the shooting guard (Cartier Martin was a late-season addition). Gerald Wallace, the team's best player, returns at the small forward spot. Injury prone, in large part due to his aggressiveness, Wallace needs a capable backup who is a true small forward - not Juwan Howard, Boris Diaw, or Vlad Radmanovic moonlighting as a 3. The power forward position is lined by Diaw and Rad, both of whom are heavy on the offensive capabilities, but a bit low on the toughness/rebounding angle. Okafor and Desagana Diop are in the middle, with Nazi holding down the over-paid-and-never-play spot in the post.
So, the summary: no long-term solution at shooting guard, no real backup at the small forward spot, and the need for some defense and rebounding at the power forward. However, look closer at the roster...now envision what a bonafide NBA contender looks like...now think again about the Bobcats...now spit the barf out of your mouth...rinse...ok. Obviously Charlotte does not have the pieces in place to be successful in terms of competing for a title.
What the Bobcats need is a guy their opponent has to gameplan around defensively. Yes, that means a super-duper star. Okafor scores off dump-and-dunks and rebounds, Diaw scores off deep post isolation, Wallace scores on the break and at the line, and Felton scores when no one else will take a shot and he has to throw one up there. Raja Bell is aging at the shooting guard spot and should not be counted on for 70+ games this year, much less 82 and maybe the playoffs. I sincerely think Tyreke Evans can become a guy who the other team must plan around. In the short-term, he would be another guy who can't shoot (like Felton and Wallace) and his turnovers would drive Larry Brown nuts. Plus, he won't be on the board at #12. Regardless, I don't think the odds are high that Charlotte finds a team-changer at #12. Here is a list of the past fifteen years worth of #12 picks and the team who selected him:
2008: Jason Thompson (Sac)
2007: Thaddeus Young (Phi)
2006: Hilton Armstrong (NO)
2005: Yaroslav Korolev (Lac)
2004: Robert Swift (Sea)
2003: Nick Collison (Sea)
2002: Melvin Ely (Lac)
2001: Vlad Radmonovic (Sea)
2000: Etan Thomas (Dal)
1999: Alek Radojevic (Tor)
1998: Michael Doleac (Orl)
1997: Austin Croshere (Ind)
1996: Vitaly Potapenko (Cle)
1995: Cherokee Parks (Dal)
1994:Khalid Reeves (Mia)
Um, yeah. Not so much, huh? The two most recent guys have shown some promise, but it's early yet on both Thompson & Young. Not a single All-Star appearance on this list, unless you count Cherokee Parks' appearance on the NBA's All-Tattoo team. Oh, Robert Swift made an appearance too? I had no idea he was even still alive. For those of you scoring at home, that's 12,348 tattoos and ZERO All-Stars from the past 15 years worth of #12 picks. Log on to Basketball Reference and keep digging through the annals of drafts past; the #12 pick has not been kind to teams.
So what should the Bobcats do? Make a trade, of course. Either trade up or trade out. If there is a guy earlier in the draft that the team loves, then b-e aggressive and trade up for him. I'm not sold on Stephen Curry, but if they think he's the guy, then go get him. If it's Evans, go get him. Now, what would it take to trade up? Probably the #12 pick and one of the point guards - either a contractually extended Raymond Felton or DJ Augustin. Of course, it depends on how high you're trying to move up and who is targeted. After looking at that option, I don't think the pieces are there, nor the trade partner, to be able to move up and get a great player in this draft.
The other option is to trade the #12 pick and move back or out of the first round all together. Pair the pick with a bad contract (Nazi, Vlad, or Diop, in that order) and either get a good player or just the cap space in return. I personally don't love the idea of just moving back in the first round unless it gets rid of a contract too - there just aren't enough good players to be had. I'd much rather try to get a stud who can be good long-term. This idea is essentially what the team tried to do in 2007 in the Jason Richardson deal. The problem with that deal was two-fold: Richardson was not as good as they hoped, and neither were the parts around him. Now, the parts are a bit better, but finding the right player might be tough. Here's my point for the Bobcats - no more role players. No more above average guys. They need a stud, and they aren't going to find one at #12. Unless...
If the Bobcats keep the #12 pick, they need to take Earl Clark, upon availability. Not Terrence Williams, not Gerald Henderson, not a midget point guard. Why? He has the upside to turn into a great player, and fairly soon. Clark is 6-10 and a combo forward out of Louisville. He has decent handle, good range, rebounds pretty well, and can impact the game on both ends. His shot is a bit streaky and he's too light to play the 4-spot right now, but the major knock on him is supposedly his motivation/intensity. Not so much in a "I'm too cool for school and won't try hard" way, but more like a "I just don't show a ton of emotion" way. I was personally sold on Clark for a while as a decent player, but really warmed up to him after reading this analysis. (If you like the NBA, click that link. Just a fantastic, in-depth piece.)
Clark's skillset lends itself to becoming a face-up 4-man down the road. He'll add strength and some weight as a result of the NBA-level workout regiment, so I think the issue of being a bit too light will fix itself in a year or two. At the 4-spot, Clark immediately becomes quicker than many guys trying to guard him, providing the matchup problems that we discussed yesterday in regards to Tyreke Evans. As his shot improves and bigs have to guard him closer, the driving lanes will open up and you suddenly have a tough matchup. His ceiling is something like a Rashard Lewis, but more physical defending and rebounding. Clark definitely is not in Lewis' class as a shooter right now, but he could evolve into that type of guy. For now, Clark can play behind Wallace at the 3-spot and move over to the 4 occasionally. In three years? Maybe you have a stud.
Hopefully the Bobcats make a good decision with this pick. I'm fine with drafting Clark or trading the pick, especially if it unloads a bad deal or two. Unfortunately the Bobcats have apparently made a promise to Clark's collegiate teammate, Terrence Williams, to draft him at #12 if he's still there. That's awesome, considering Chad Ford said today on his ESPN Podcast with Bill Simmons that Williams carried a Barbie bookbag in college and "reminds him mentally of Ron Artest...minus the attacking fans thing, of course" (fast-forward to the 58-minute mark or so). I'll keep the liquor close by Thursday night in case this scenario unfolds. Goooooo Bobcats.
One more update coming pre-draft, with my mock draft and some bigger picture impact of this draft. Then, we'll hit up the live rundown during the draft. And I can't wait. Ain't I...
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Top 5 Tuesday: The Best Player in the 2009 NBA Draft
Making a return this week is a modified Top 5 Tuesday, of course having to do with Thursday's NBA Draft. Today, I present my case for the player I feel will be the best in the 2009 NBA Draft.
The Bobcats are currently slotted to select 12th in the first round. For two months, I've been operating off the assumption that the 'Cats would not move up in the lottery (they didn't) and would be choosing 12th. I was hoping that maybe my guy would have bad workouts or pull a muscle or something so he would fall to 12th (where no doubt the Fightin' Bob Johnsons would pass him over for a midget), but it has not happened. The guy I love? The guy I wish Charlotte could select? Tyreke Evans, the freshman guard from Memphis. Why? I'm so glad you asked. The five reasons:
1) He is not a point guard. A shooting guard with handle? Yes. A shooting guard that really can't shoot right now? Yes again. But NOT a point guard. So, don't compare him to other point guards in this draft or currently in the league. To me, he can play either guard spot, which should be viewed as a good thing. Ultimately, though, I see him as a 2-guard and a darn good one. Why is this so important? Because it will enable him to score the basketball, get to the line, and distribute when he can, as opposed to trying to run a team.
2) He is not a problem child. He had a bit of a reputation in high school. Not OJ Mayo, not Lance Stephenson...but supposedly selfish. I didn't see that at Memphis this year. What I did see though was a kid who slid into the point guard spot ten games into the season and led his team, as a freshman, to 26 straight victories. Scoring the ball, dishing the ball, pressuring the ball - Tyreke had it covered. Not only does that reputation seem to be dispelled, Evans actually appears to be a good teammate who makes the guys around him better.
3) He is solidly built and ready to play. He does, however, need to invest in either a draw string or some better drawers. You don't have to wait on the strength needed to play in the league with Evans, as he's already strong and ready for the 82-game grind. So many young players in the draft in recent years have not been physically ready to play; skills for sure, but not the body. Evans is not one of those players. For a guy who predicates his game on being able to go to the hoop (at this point, his best offensive strategy since he can't hit the outside shot consistently), he should be able to finish at the rim and absorb contact with ease.
4) Evans can play the all-around game. Defensively, I see Tyreke able to stay in front of point guards and be physical with them. He's also quick enough to bother a shooting guard. He plays the passing lanes pretty well and will be a terror on the fast break once he steals the ball. I don't see him becoming a lockdown type of defender, but instead an athletic thief like the guy whose game he resembles. That guy...
5) is Dwayne Wade - a scorer who excels with the ball in his hands, yet can also set teammates up. I like to just refer to that as a "creator" and not worry about what position he starts the game at. I've also seen the Larry Hughes comparison, as well as Jamal Crawford. And yeah, I can see both of those, too. But Evans' ceiling is D-Wade. I'm serious. Following his freshman year of college at Marquette, Wade's game was probably quite similar to Evans' game. No, Wade did not run the point position for his team (they had Travis Diener), but he did spend a lot of time with the ball in his hands to create. Flash also had no jump shot to speak of, which remained the knock on him all the way through the 2003 NBA Draft. In fact, critics point to that as his "weakness" today. And what a weakness it is: Wade only scored 30.2 points/game this year, leading the league. In today's NBA, with the hand-check rules in place, a premium is placed on guys who are quick and have a good handle for their position. Not just point guards, but any player who is able to attack the rim against slower defenders. Evans will be just that type of player, as is Dwayne Wade. Either way, if Evans does not reach to D-Wade heights (again, let me stress this: his CEILING, the absolute best he can be, is Wade), I still think he's a starter in this league and a multiple-time All-Star.
What is your feedback? Who is the best player in this draft? You don't have to leave five reasons why, a few will do. But let's hear it - who do YOU like and what do you think of Evans?
As of today, it would take a ridiculous happening for the Bobcats to get a hold of my homie Tyreke at #12. He will not last past New York at #8 and probably goes before that. So, what position does that leave the Bobcats in? Tomorrow, we'll take a look at just that.
In the meantime, figure out what dance you'd do in the circle.
The Bobcats are currently slotted to select 12th in the first round. For two months, I've been operating off the assumption that the 'Cats would not move up in the lottery (they didn't) and would be choosing 12th. I was hoping that maybe my guy would have bad workouts or pull a muscle or something so he would fall to 12th (where no doubt the Fightin' Bob Johnsons would pass him over for a midget), but it has not happened. The guy I love? The guy I wish Charlotte could select? Tyreke Evans, the freshman guard from Memphis. Why? I'm so glad you asked. The five reasons:
1) He is not a point guard. A shooting guard with handle? Yes. A shooting guard that really can't shoot right now? Yes again. But NOT a point guard. So, don't compare him to other point guards in this draft or currently in the league. To me, he can play either guard spot, which should be viewed as a good thing. Ultimately, though, I see him as a 2-guard and a darn good one. Why is this so important? Because it will enable him to score the basketball, get to the line, and distribute when he can, as opposed to trying to run a team.
2) He is not a problem child. He had a bit of a reputation in high school. Not OJ Mayo, not Lance Stephenson...but supposedly selfish. I didn't see that at Memphis this year. What I did see though was a kid who slid into the point guard spot ten games into the season and led his team, as a freshman, to 26 straight victories. Scoring the ball, dishing the ball, pressuring the ball - Tyreke had it covered. Not only does that reputation seem to be dispelled, Evans actually appears to be a good teammate who makes the guys around him better.
3) He is solidly built and ready to play. He does, however, need to invest in either a draw string or some better drawers. You don't have to wait on the strength needed to play in the league with Evans, as he's already strong and ready for the 82-game grind. So many young players in the draft in recent years have not been physically ready to play; skills for sure, but not the body. Evans is not one of those players. For a guy who predicates his game on being able to go to the hoop (at this point, his best offensive strategy since he can't hit the outside shot consistently), he should be able to finish at the rim and absorb contact with ease.
4) Evans can play the all-around game. Defensively, I see Tyreke able to stay in front of point guards and be physical with them. He's also quick enough to bother a shooting guard. He plays the passing lanes pretty well and will be a terror on the fast break once he steals the ball. I don't see him becoming a lockdown type of defender, but instead an athletic thief like the guy whose game he resembles. That guy...
5) is Dwayne Wade - a scorer who excels with the ball in his hands, yet can also set teammates up. I like to just refer to that as a "creator" and not worry about what position he starts the game at. I've also seen the Larry Hughes comparison, as well as Jamal Crawford. And yeah, I can see both of those, too. But Evans' ceiling is D-Wade. I'm serious. Following his freshman year of college at Marquette, Wade's game was probably quite similar to Evans' game. No, Wade did not run the point position for his team (they had Travis Diener), but he did spend a lot of time with the ball in his hands to create. Flash also had no jump shot to speak of, which remained the knock on him all the way through the 2003 NBA Draft. In fact, critics point to that as his "weakness" today. And what a weakness it is: Wade only scored 30.2 points/game this year, leading the league. In today's NBA, with the hand-check rules in place, a premium is placed on guys who are quick and have a good handle for their position. Not just point guards, but any player who is able to attack the rim against slower defenders. Evans will be just that type of player, as is Dwayne Wade. Either way, if Evans does not reach to D-Wade heights (again, let me stress this: his CEILING, the absolute best he can be, is Wade), I still think he's a starter in this league and a multiple-time All-Star.
What is your feedback? Who is the best player in this draft? You don't have to leave five reasons why, a few will do. But let's hear it - who do YOU like and what do you think of Evans?
As of today, it would take a ridiculous happening for the Bobcats to get a hold of my homie Tyreke at #12. He will not last past New York at #8 and probably goes before that. So, what position does that leave the Bobcats in? Tomorrow, we'll take a look at just that.
In the meantime, figure out what dance you'd do in the circle.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
2009 NBA Draft Preview: Overview
The NBA Draft is coming up this Thursday night: let's preview it. But, not just today. Every day, a brief blog entry on the draft. Because I love ya'll so much.
Everyone says this draft is full of bad prospects and no talent. I personally think the ceiling on a number of players is limited, but the floor may be as well. Most of these early first-rounders will at least be rotation players in the league, as opposed to total busts. Therefore, the draft should be better in quality than the 2000 & 2001 drafts to which it has been compared.
That being said, there are not too many potentially great players to be had. Even the consensus #1 pick, Blake Griffin, is probably not the stud player for an NBA Championship-caliber team. An All-Star, sure, but I don't see him in the Karl Malone category as he has been likened to. I see flashes of Amare, an occasional Mailman, and a bit of Horace Grant all rolled into Griffin. Not bad company, so it is easy to see why he's the best talent in this draft. Keep in mind too that he dominated college basketball this year, to a much greater extent than Derrick Rose, Greg Oden, Andrew Bogut, or some of the other recent collegiate #1's (those guys were great in college, Bogut won player of the year like Griffin; but seriously, Griffin was a man among boys this year). This domination hopefully lends itself to an aggressive confidence and the drive for Blake to become great.
Other than Griffin, there are a few players I really like early on. James Harden should be solid for 12 years or so: cerebral, efficient game with good length and the ability to improve. Jordan Hill will be a good rotation guy for some team, but I don't see an All-Star in the making. I also can see him falling down the lottery board to the 10th pick or so this Thursday - just a hunch. I really liked Johnny Flynn at Syracuse this season, but he might be a bit overrated in the mid-lottery. I'd rather take Lawson or Teague ten picks later than Flynn early on. After that, not much else in the lottery. Oh, there is one guy I absolutely love...but more on him tomorrow. That's right, he gets his own entry.
As for the players I don't so much love? Hasheem Thabeet. He has no offensive game whatsoever and will absolutely be a liability for his team when they have the ball. Furthermore, he is NOT going to rebound in the NBA. The guy has no mass and is not quick enough to beat opponents to the ball. If 6-5 DeJuan Blair can ride him out and knock him on the chest to the tune of 23 & 20, then imagine what Dwight Howard would do to Thabeet? They compare him to Mutombo, but Dikembe was much more athletic at this same stage, in my opinion.
Who else? Stephen Curry. I've seen him in person, he is amazing. He is savvy, he is tough, he is a better ball handler than you think. But, he also took a lot of bad shots, is still only 6-3, and is not an NBA-level defender. Unfortunately, the love affair teams apparently have with this guy and the clamoring to select him at #3 or #4 pretty much sums up this draft - it's just not that good at the top. He might actually be the fourth best guy in this draft. The problem is a team is committed to paying him the same amount of #4 overall pick money as any other year in the draft.
A few late-first round sleepers on the "yay" list: Earl Clark, Chase Budinger, Psycho T (duh), & Derrick Brown. Second rounders: Toney Douglas, Dionte Christmas, Josh Heytvelt, Danny Green, Chris Johnson, & Wesley Matthews.
That's it for today, brief and generalized. I leave you with links to an emerging artist out of DC named Wale. He dropped "Nike Boots" on us earlier this year and his collaboration with Lady Gaga "Chillin" is out now & I'm kinda obsessed. Different sound, quite popular here in the VA and in the District. Enjoy.
Everyone says this draft is full of bad prospects and no talent. I personally think the ceiling on a number of players is limited, but the floor may be as well. Most of these early first-rounders will at least be rotation players in the league, as opposed to total busts. Therefore, the draft should be better in quality than the 2000 & 2001 drafts to which it has been compared.
That being said, there are not too many potentially great players to be had. Even the consensus #1 pick, Blake Griffin, is probably not the stud player for an NBA Championship-caliber team. An All-Star, sure, but I don't see him in the Karl Malone category as he has been likened to. I see flashes of Amare, an occasional Mailman, and a bit of Horace Grant all rolled into Griffin. Not bad company, so it is easy to see why he's the best talent in this draft. Keep in mind too that he dominated college basketball this year, to a much greater extent than Derrick Rose, Greg Oden, Andrew Bogut, or some of the other recent collegiate #1's (those guys were great in college, Bogut won player of the year like Griffin; but seriously, Griffin was a man among boys this year). This domination hopefully lends itself to an aggressive confidence and the drive for Blake to become great.
Other than Griffin, there are a few players I really like early on. James Harden should be solid for 12 years or so: cerebral, efficient game with good length and the ability to improve. Jordan Hill will be a good rotation guy for some team, but I don't see an All-Star in the making. I also can see him falling down the lottery board to the 10th pick or so this Thursday - just a hunch. I really liked Johnny Flynn at Syracuse this season, but he might be a bit overrated in the mid-lottery. I'd rather take Lawson or Teague ten picks later than Flynn early on. After that, not much else in the lottery. Oh, there is one guy I absolutely love...but more on him tomorrow. That's right, he gets his own entry.
As for the players I don't so much love? Hasheem Thabeet. He has no offensive game whatsoever and will absolutely be a liability for his team when they have the ball. Furthermore, he is NOT going to rebound in the NBA. The guy has no mass and is not quick enough to beat opponents to the ball. If 6-5 DeJuan Blair can ride him out and knock him on the chest to the tune of 23 & 20, then imagine what Dwight Howard would do to Thabeet? They compare him to Mutombo, but Dikembe was much more athletic at this same stage, in my opinion.
Who else? Stephen Curry. I've seen him in person, he is amazing. He is savvy, he is tough, he is a better ball handler than you think. But, he also took a lot of bad shots, is still only 6-3, and is not an NBA-level defender. Unfortunately, the love affair teams apparently have with this guy and the clamoring to select him at #3 or #4 pretty much sums up this draft - it's just not that good at the top. He might actually be the fourth best guy in this draft. The problem is a team is committed to paying him the same amount of #4 overall pick money as any other year in the draft.
A few late-first round sleepers on the "yay" list: Earl Clark, Chase Budinger, Psycho T (duh), & Derrick Brown. Second rounders: Toney Douglas, Dionte Christmas, Josh Heytvelt, Danny Green, Chris Johnson, & Wesley Matthews.
That's it for today, brief and generalized. I leave you with links to an emerging artist out of DC named Wale. He dropped "Nike Boots" on us earlier this year and his collaboration with Lady Gaga "Chillin" is out now & I'm kinda obsessed. Different sound, quite popular here in the VA and in the District. Enjoy.
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Top 5 Tuesday x2: DMB & 311
I have been waiting for this day for 3+ years now. But a new Dave Matthews Band album AND a new 311 album on the same day? Unprecedented. A new album is the culmination of years of creativity for the artist. Hopefully, both of these albums will subsequently provide years of listening enjoyment for us, the fans. In honor of this historic double-decker album drop, let's double our Top 5 Tuesday pleasure and get ready to count down the five best tracks from both Dave Matthews Band & 311.
Your role young reader is going to be a little bit different than normal. See, DMB & 311 are probably my two favorite rock-ish bands. So, I am essentially counting down the five best songs of my favorite artist(s). You, therefore, will do the same. In the "Comments" section (we need more comments people, this is slowly starting to grow), I need you to 1) identify your favorite musical artist, 2) provide a brief summary of why you like them, and 3) name your five favorite songs by that artist, in order. To serve as a sample:
Artist: 311
Why: Chad Sexton is a fantastic drummer, they are the best band I have ever seen live, they have provided years worth of bonding between myself and one of my best friends (helllllo Jason Howie), & their music is consistent - great melodies, some throw-down mixed with some mary jane chill, and a side of reggae funk. Love it.
My 311 Top 5:
5) Champagne (7th track off From Chaos) - sounds like a good song to toast to at a wedding to me
4) Don't Stay Home (11th track off 311) - kicking drum intro, really tight song
3) Applied Science (6th track off Grassroots) - the drum solo song. Played live at every concert, includes an extended solo for Chad Sexton and a joint-percussion section with the rest of the band. You think that's not making the top 5? Take the time to click the link on this one to get a taste of a live show. Awesome.
2) Beautiful Disaster (4th track off Transistor) - love the guitar rift and the general feel of this song.
1) All Mixed Up (4th track off 311) - yes, a mainstream track. I can't help it. Just love the flow of the verses, it has a hip-hop reggae feel to it. Chorus is solid and I dare you to play it at a bar and not see people singing along. I never skip it on the ipod.
Artist: Dave Matthews Band
Why: Carter Beauford is one terrific, bass-akwards drummer, their songs are complex & intricate, there are few things better than chillin at a Dave concert, & I never get tired of listening to them.
My DMB Top 5:
5) Pantala Naga Pampa/Rapunzel (1st & 2nd tracks off Before These Crowded Streets) - played together, and oh so creative. Best track off the best DMB album. But boy, does Halloween give it a run for its money.
4) Grey Street (2nd track off Busted Stuff) - the harmonies on this one, lots of energy, and it's great live.
3) #41 (5th track off Crash) - the #41-Say Goodbye-Drive In, Drive Out trio of songs is what caught my ears the first time I heard this album. Dad gave it to me for Christmas because some people had recommended it as something I might like. He didn't know I actually "hated" Dave Matthews Band because I did not like the song "Crash". Naturally, he gave me not only that song, but the entire album. Turns out I kind of liked it. And then it grew on me. And then it became an entry for Top 5 Tuesday. Carter's high-hat work and the live jam on this one put it in the list.
2) Dreamgirl (1st track off Stand Up) - I just love it.
1) Ants Marching (7th track off Under the Table and Dreaming) - very popular song across the masses. Encompasses all things DMB, in my opinion, and is just a fun song.
(For the record, the next five DMB tracks would be Drive In Drive Out, Say Goodbye, Recently, Grace is Gone, and Halloween, in no order).
There you have it, twice the Top 5 Tuesday fun. Hit it up with your favorite artist and your personal top 5. I've gotta run - two albums to pick up and play.
Know that we will always be down, down...
Your role young reader is going to be a little bit different than normal. See, DMB & 311 are probably my two favorite rock-ish bands. So, I am essentially counting down the five best songs of my favorite artist(s). You, therefore, will do the same. In the "Comments" section (we need more comments people, this is slowly starting to grow), I need you to 1) identify your favorite musical artist, 2) provide a brief summary of why you like them, and 3) name your five favorite songs by that artist, in order. To serve as a sample:
Artist: 311
Why: Chad Sexton is a fantastic drummer, they are the best band I have ever seen live, they have provided years worth of bonding between myself and one of my best friends (helllllo Jason Howie), & their music is consistent - great melodies, some throw-down mixed with some mary jane chill, and a side of reggae funk. Love it.
My 311 Top 5:
5) Champagne (7th track off From Chaos) - sounds like a good song to toast to at a wedding to me
4) Don't Stay Home (11th track off 311) - kicking drum intro, really tight song
3) Applied Science (6th track off Grassroots) - the drum solo song. Played live at every concert, includes an extended solo for Chad Sexton and a joint-percussion section with the rest of the band. You think that's not making the top 5? Take the time to click the link on this one to get a taste of a live show. Awesome.
2) Beautiful Disaster (4th track off Transistor) - love the guitar rift and the general feel of this song.
1) All Mixed Up (4th track off 311) - yes, a mainstream track. I can't help it. Just love the flow of the verses, it has a hip-hop reggae feel to it. Chorus is solid and I dare you to play it at a bar and not see people singing along. I never skip it on the ipod.
Artist: Dave Matthews Band
Why: Carter Beauford is one terrific, bass-akwards drummer, their songs are complex & intricate, there are few things better than chillin at a Dave concert, & I never get tired of listening to them.
My DMB Top 5:
5) Pantala Naga Pampa/Rapunzel (1st & 2nd tracks off Before These Crowded Streets) - played together, and oh so creative. Best track off the best DMB album. But boy, does Halloween give it a run for its money.
4) Grey Street (2nd track off Busted Stuff) - the harmonies on this one, lots of energy, and it's great live.
3) #41 (5th track off Crash) - the #41-Say Goodbye-Drive In, Drive Out trio of songs is what caught my ears the first time I heard this album. Dad gave it to me for Christmas because some people had recommended it as something I might like. He didn't know I actually "hated" Dave Matthews Band because I did not like the song "Crash". Naturally, he gave me not only that song, but the entire album. Turns out I kind of liked it. And then it grew on me. And then it became an entry for Top 5 Tuesday. Carter's high-hat work and the live jam on this one put it in the list.
2) Dreamgirl (1st track off Stand Up) - I just love it.
1) Ants Marching (7th track off Under the Table and Dreaming) - very popular song across the masses. Encompasses all things DMB, in my opinion, and is just a fun song.
(For the record, the next five DMB tracks would be Drive In Drive Out, Say Goodbye, Recently, Grace is Gone, and Halloween, in no order).
There you have it, twice the Top 5 Tuesday fun. Hit it up with your favorite artist and your personal top 5. I've gotta run - two albums to pick up and play.
Know that we will always be down, down...
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Top 5 Tuesday: Favorite NBA Players To Watch
This week's Top 5 Tuesday has to be NBA-related, given the ridiculously fun conference finals series currently going on. As I type, the Orlando Magic have taken a 3-1 series lead on Cleveland. Yes, you read that right. And I still think the Cavs have a good chance to win the series. Anyway, I think most people can agree that the top five players in the league right now are, in some order, King James, Black Mamba, Flash, CP3, and D-12 (although I'd debate Howard's inclusion). I thought about trying to rate the top five playoff moments I've ever seen, but figuring out which five Michael Jordan moments to include was a bit redundant. So, I am electing to go with your Top 5 NBA Players to Watch. It might be guys who hustle, guys who dunk, guys on your favorite team(s), or what have you. The only stipulation is that it must be a CURRENT NBA player (thereby eliminating Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Tim Kempton). My choices:
Honorable Mention: Chauncey Billups, Caron Butler, Ben Gordon (when he's hot), Baron Davis (when he cares), Tim Duncan (a former top 5 guy, but getting a bit older).
5b) Kevin Durant: There is no doubt in my mind that he will be in the Top 5 next year. Of course, that requires me actually being able to watch him on television. I saw the AFKATSS (Artists Formerly Known As The SuperSonics) play two times all season, and will need some more Durant time to adequately elevate him to Top 5 status. Either way, I too developed a man-crush while he was at Texas and love his ability to score in every way from every spot on the floor.
5a) Lebron James: Everyone loves him, and rightfully so. He is only down a bit on my list because he's just so physically imposing that it is almost unfair sometimes. Apparently only the Magic have figured out how to slow down the guy. His passing, weakside shot-blocking, and thunderous dunks are unmatched.
4) Brandon Roy: LOVED him in college at Washington and begged Bob's Cats to pick him in the draft. Naturally, they chose Adam Morrison instead (since he was not even the best collegiate player in his state at Gonzaga and he cried. Excuse me, she cried) and continue to search for a go-to-guy to score down the stretch from the wing. Go figure. Anyway, Roy does everything well and is a really tough dude. I enjoy the Trail Blazers mostly because of him and am looking forward to watching them grow up. He's just a gritty, clutch player.
3) Carmelo Anthony: Again, LOVED him in college. Saw him play early that season in Madison Square Garden and fell for his polished offensive game in the NCAA Tournament. He is such a phenomenal scorer for the Denver Nuggets, another young team that has been fun to watch grow. I find 'Melo frustrating at times because he can lose focus and not hustle back; on the flip side, I find him incredibly talented and efficient scoring the ball. My favorite part of his game is the smoothness - no one else like that in the league right now.
2) Chris Paul: I HATED him in college. He played on two great teams at Wake Forest, harassed the Heels on numerous occasions, and whined more than his fair share. He also did this. I figured he would go to the NBA and be a good, but not great, point guard. Now, I am a big Raymond Felton guy, and I like Deron Williams too. But, there is no argument about the best point guard from the 2005 draft. It is Chris Paul, a gap, then the debate begins. CP3 is faster than fast, pokes and prodes the opposing defense better than anyone other than Steve Nash and Ron Jeremy, and drops dimes like I drop rhymes (see?). Paul can score when needed and is one of the best pick pockets in the NBA. Paul is also a terrific team leader and seems to will his teammates to a higher level. There are few guys this competitive in the league, and his refuse-to-lose mentality is what sets him apart from his peers and puts him this high on my list.
1) Mark Madsen: because of this.
Ok, fine. The real #1?
1) Dwayne Wade: I do not care for the Heat, nor have I cared for many of their marquee players since Wade entered the league. That should illustrate the level of respect and admiration I have for D-Wade's game. This guy absolutely KILLS himself every. single. night. for his team. One injury-riddled season in 2007-2008 led them to the lottery. A full--strength D-Wade led them to an overachieving 5-seed. He is as personable a player as the Association has, a good guy off the court. He can do anything on both ends of the floor. But, it is the will to win and his 110% all the time that puts him tops on my list.
Alright, that's it for this week's Top 5 Tuesday. Later on this week, a look at three types of baseball. Next week's Top 5 will take place on a holiday on sorts, so get ready for a double-decker of analysis.
Holla atcha boy.
Honorable Mention: Chauncey Billups, Caron Butler, Ben Gordon (when he's hot), Baron Davis (when he cares), Tim Duncan (a former top 5 guy, but getting a bit older).
5b) Kevin Durant: There is no doubt in my mind that he will be in the Top 5 next year. Of course, that requires me actually being able to watch him on television. I saw the AFKATSS (Artists Formerly Known As The SuperSonics) play two times all season, and will need some more Durant time to adequately elevate him to Top 5 status. Either way, I too developed a man-crush while he was at Texas and love his ability to score in every way from every spot on the floor.
5a) Lebron James: Everyone loves him, and rightfully so. He is only down a bit on my list because he's just so physically imposing that it is almost unfair sometimes. Apparently only the Magic have figured out how to slow down the guy. His passing, weakside shot-blocking, and thunderous dunks are unmatched.
4) Brandon Roy: LOVED him in college at Washington and begged Bob's Cats to pick him in the draft. Naturally, they chose Adam Morrison instead (since he was not even the best collegiate player in his state at Gonzaga and he cried. Excuse me, she cried) and continue to search for a go-to-guy to score down the stretch from the wing. Go figure. Anyway, Roy does everything well and is a really tough dude. I enjoy the Trail Blazers mostly because of him and am looking forward to watching them grow up. He's just a gritty, clutch player.
3) Carmelo Anthony: Again, LOVED him in college. Saw him play early that season in Madison Square Garden and fell for his polished offensive game in the NCAA Tournament. He is such a phenomenal scorer for the Denver Nuggets, another young team that has been fun to watch grow. I find 'Melo frustrating at times because he can lose focus and not hustle back; on the flip side, I find him incredibly talented and efficient scoring the ball. My favorite part of his game is the smoothness - no one else like that in the league right now.
2) Chris Paul: I HATED him in college. He played on two great teams at Wake Forest, harassed the Heels on numerous occasions, and whined more than his fair share. He also did this. I figured he would go to the NBA and be a good, but not great, point guard. Now, I am a big Raymond Felton guy, and I like Deron Williams too. But, there is no argument about the best point guard from the 2005 draft. It is Chris Paul, a gap, then the debate begins. CP3 is faster than fast, pokes and prodes the opposing defense better than anyone other than Steve Nash and Ron Jeremy, and drops dimes like I drop rhymes (see?). Paul can score when needed and is one of the best pick pockets in the NBA. Paul is also a terrific team leader and seems to will his teammates to a higher level. There are few guys this competitive in the league, and his refuse-to-lose mentality is what sets him apart from his peers and puts him this high on my list.
1) Mark Madsen: because of this.
Ok, fine. The real #1?
1) Dwayne Wade: I do not care for the Heat, nor have I cared for many of their marquee players since Wade entered the league. That should illustrate the level of respect and admiration I have for D-Wade's game. This guy absolutely KILLS himself every. single. night. for his team. One injury-riddled season in 2007-2008 led them to the lottery. A full--strength D-Wade led them to an overachieving 5-seed. He is as personable a player as the Association has, a good guy off the court. He can do anything on both ends of the floor. But, it is the will to win and his 110% all the time that puts him tops on my list.
Alright, that's it for this week's Top 5 Tuesday. Later on this week, a look at three types of baseball. Next week's Top 5 will take place on a holiday on sorts, so get ready for a double-decker of analysis.
Holla atcha boy.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Top 5 Tuesday: Ladies (Revised)
Um...so did we know that Hayden is 19? As in, "Hi, my name is Hayden, I'm cute and all, but I'm only 19."
Oops.
New rule for my personal Top 5: you gotta not be too young for me (intentional double-negative, thanks). You can decide for yourself what that limit is, but she definitely crosses the line for Top 5 status. That's just not gonna work, ya'll. And next time, somebody of the male gender please let me know these things and police my postings/Top 5 lists.
As I mentioned, Hayden was a recent addition to the list. So, Hayden my dear, you gots to go. Maybe when I'm 35 and you're 27, that's alright. But I'm not in to changing diapers or having you show an ID to get into an R-rated-movie. And I would enjoy a glass of merlot if we ever had dinner...but you could not partake. So...um...wow, this is kinda awkward...I just think it's best if we stay friends and see other people (preferably those who are "of age" in my case).
Let's just go ahead and move Shakira up to the number 4 slot. And moving into fifth place, none other than my favorite American Idol winner, Carrie Underwood. The blond beauty from Oklahoma rocks the country music scene and rocks my world. Oh lil country girl. Insert gigantic picture here for emphasis:
Recap: Out with the way-too-young Hayden, in with the near-perfect Carrie. Revised Top 5: Carrie Underwood (5), Shakira (4), Alicia Keys (3), Scarlett Johannson (2), Jessica Alba (1). Lock it in.
Down down do your thang...
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