NBA Draft/Trades/July 1 signings Review (3)

I’m glad I waited a couple of days before posting my thoughts, because a lot of my opinions going into the draft (see the Oden/Durant saga) have changed because of what has occurred over the weekend.

My analysis will be a bit different than most, since I won’t pretend to know about every player drafted and make bold predictions about them based on someone else’s highlight package or three sentence profile.

Your GM did his job:

These are just the teams who did most of what they were supposed to, as in addressing a specific need or improving a strength without being dumb about it.

Chicago

Although I’m not crazy about Noah, I’m impressed that they nabbed Aaron Gray where they did.

Atlanta

Though about six years late, the Hawks finally have their point guard. I hope he succeeds just for Dominique’s sake. Horford would look even better on the Hawks if it weren’t for the fact that 1) Josh Smith is better at the PF than the SF, 2) they hadn’t wasted last year’s pick on Shelden Williams.

New York

I’m just assuming that the draft pick will be a steal, because it’s Isaiah. I’ve never heard of the guy, either. Jared Jeffries should start trying out for the Liberty.

The Randolph trade depends entirely on Isaiah continuing to work well with his players, because you really shouldn’t have Zach and Eddy Curry on the floor together for any defensive possessions. Having those two out there together would be like having Barry Word and Christian Okoye in the backfield at the same time. You’re not fooling anyone! We know you’re going to dump it inside and not pass out! If he can get them 28 minutes each and keep David Lee out of foul trouble playing beside them, then the trade was a good idea. Plus, they got rid of Francis.

Utah

Never seen Almond play, but Sloan isn’t into teaching and Wisconsin players aren’t dumb. Getting a big senior to put next to Deron will just add to the physical beatdown the Jazz put on every one they play. They should still try and trade AK for Richard Jefferson.

Miami

Daequan Cook actually reminds me a lot of Dwyane Wade, except with a jumpshot. I like combo-guard backcourts and this one should be good pretty quick. Dorell Wright just needs to wake up so the three of them can get the Heat some wins.

Washington

They still need help up front, but as I said above, I like combo-guard backcourts and this guy will definitely be better than DeShawn Stevenson.

Memphis

I wasn’t sold on Kyle Lowry, either.

We had to correct for last year’s screwup:

New Orleans realised that Peja sucks, so drafting another SF makes sense, 64 million later. Brewer should make the Marko Jaric and Trenton Hassell contracts look even worse. Charlotte had to decide whether drafting Sean May was a mistake by keeping Brandan Wright or if drafting Adam Morrison was a mistake by trading for J-Rich. Of course, they pick the more expensive option, although I like the 1-2-3 combination of Felton-Gerald Wallace and Richardson.

My GM is an idiot:

Sacramento, realising that Brad Miller is too slow to keep up with Kevin Martin, Quincy Douby and Francisco Garcia, drafts a slow big man who can’t defend.

Boston, in my Oden/Durant discussion, I stated that “It’s really too bad for Ainge, who drafts quite well but trades quite horribly.” Well, when Paul said he wanted a vet so they could contend, he probably should have said he wants to contend for more than an 8th seed.

Why would Milwaukee go after Yi with Brewer on the board and Charlie V on their team?

Phoenix is so concerned with saving money that they forgot that you make more money by actually getting to the Finals. Splitter was the difference between Nash getting broken down for a game-winning layup and that layup getting sent into the 4th row.

I either don’t know enough about your selection, or there’s nothing to say about your picks:

Philly, Dallas, Houston, Cleveland, Indy, Denver, the Clippers and the Magic

Anything else?

Although I initially hated the deal, Jason Kapono is going to make TJ Ford look like Isaiah Thomas and Chris Bosh look like David Robinson. With Jason and Anthony Parker licking threes from the corners, it’s going to be a layup drill for anyone on the Raptors who can dribble.

NBA Draft/Trades/July 1 signings Review (2)

I’m glad I waited a couple of days before posting my thoughts, because a lot of my opinions going into the draft (see the Oden/Durant saga) have changed because of what has occurred over the weekend.

My analysis will be a bit different than most, since I won’t pretend to know about every player drafted and make bold predictions about them based on someone else’s highlight package or three sentence profile.

This week’s winners:

New Jersey

They were wise to know that letting Vince go for nothing wouldn’t make a lot of sense. Just because he’s a pansy doesn’t mean you don’t have to address your hole at the 4 spot. Sean Williams reminds me of what Randy Moss was when he slipped in the NFL draft. A supremely-talented player that teams shied away from because of his attitude.

The good thing for the Nets is that, by the time Sean has his meltdown in a couple years, Kidd, Jefferson and Carter will be old and worthless so the ping-pong balls will be rolling in at the same time.

Detroit

Probably the best value draft of anyone. Haven’t seen Stuckey play, but everything I’ve seen from his screams Chauncey Billups in my mind. I’ve had a mad-on for Aaron Afflalo for months now. You watch, he’s going to be the next Michael Redd, and just like Redd did to Ray Allen, he’s going to make Rip Hamilton tradeable in two or three seasons.

Los Angeles Lakers

Based on the resigning of Luke Walton, which I feel would be a must for any team that runs the triangle, I think that the Lakers got excellent value for the players they selected. Assuming none of them are included in trades for KG or JO (I don’t know why Minny or Indy would want them anyways) these guys will be rotational players for sure.

Taking Crittenton was smart just because Farmar shouldn’t have had to carry the PG load by himself as a rookie, given Smush Parker’s garbagesse. Getting Marc Gasol is an absolute steal and he should provide some solid bench minutes for whichever All-Star big the Lakers procure.

NBA Draft/Trades/July 1 signings Review

I’m glad I waited a couple of days before posting my thoughts, because a lot of my opinions going into the draft (see the Oden/Durant saga) have changed because of what has occurred over the weekend.

My analysis will be a bit different than most, since I won’t pretend to know about every player drafted and make bold predictions about them based on someone else’s highlight package or three sentence profile.

This week’s big winners:

San Antonio.

Wow. Just, wow. So you’re telling me that, coming off a title sweep of my boy LeBroom (thanks, Tim) and his Cavs, that you strengthen your squad like this? First off, Tiago Splitter is the current teammate (on Tau Ceramica) of fellow Spurs draftee and arguably the best big player in Europe, Luis Scola. San An has been having trouble bringing Luis over, but now, with Tiago and fellow countrymen Manu “I’m Black” Ginobilli and Fabricio Oberto (he’ll resign) the Spurs are looking at having the most cohesive and the best defensive frontline in the league. Scola can scora, too.

For those who don’t know about Splitter, he’s a great defensive big who can run the floor, just what Phoenix needed, a player who can actually match up with Amare. Marcus Williams, who I’ve seen very little of, is the kind of player I can see evolving into the super-wings that Arizona regularly produces (Richard Jefferson, Iguodala, Sean Elliott). Bruce Bowen has his pupil.

Portland

The Oden pick goes without saying, because he would have terrorized that franchise if they had passed on him. The Randolph trade is great for chemistry because Channing Frye should know that he’s not as good as the guys ahead of him, so he should eventually sign their long-term for cheap to form an HOF front-line rotation should Przybilla stay healthy. My favourite move by far, however, was buying the rights to Rudy Fernandez. Him and Sergio Rodriguez formed an amazing backup guard tandem in the World Championships of basketball last year for Spain and they will do the same for Portland. Wait, they got Josh McRoberts, too? Wow. Bring on Kobe.

Seattle

Again, the Durant pick goes without saying. The Ray Ray trade opens up the relocation of Ridnour or Watson, because no team need three mediocre point guards, let alone two now that Delonte West is in town. I’m thinking that Jeff Green will learn to play the “power 2″ the same way Bonzi Wells did… and Jeff is a much more complete player than Wells was coming into the league. Should Rashard Lewis bolt for Orlando, which I think is just a threat to jack up the contract from the Sonics, then Green and Durant could evolve into a Brand-Odom type of combo, but on steroids. Picking up Glen Davis in the second round will make for some intriguing ‘small’ lineups as well.

Golden State

I thought that they had the best draft of anyone. Chris Mullin proves that it sometimes pays off to have patience with your rookie GM. Getting Brandan Wright was a stroke of genius. For a team that plans to run, pairing him with Biedrins is the perfect complement. Richardson’s offence won’t be missed, as Monta is ready to go big-time and if not, Marco Belinelli will lick every open jumper that Baron and the ball-movement gets for him. Other than Toronto, are there any other playoff teams with their future nucleus already in place? Monta, Marco, Brandan and Biedrins will be ready to take over once Baron Davis’ back goes out for good.

Did I mention the $10 million exception? Mullin is a now a king… but don’t cave in to a bad KG trade demand Chris. You’d better be keeping a couple of those kids. In my opinion, they’ll be able to ball with Odens and the Durants once all is said and done.

The reasoning behind the NBA age limit – Part 1 of 3

When people think about the rule passed by David Stern and the NBA, restricting players under 19 years of age on the day of the annual league entry draft, quality of the game, education, racism, human rights and are the usual bases for their feelings on the topic.

I will address (expose) these four sticking points, following with the real reason why this rule exists: money. Finally, I will propose a situation that would be much more beneficial for the league, general managers and players alike. Now, these thoughts have been stewing for a while, so don’t be mad if I subconsciously plagiarize.

First though, this article provides a summary of all of the American players to enter the NBA draft directly out of high school, without having played NCAA ball or professionally elsewhere (See: Jackson, Stephen). This covers everyone from Moses Malone in 1974 to Amir Johnson, the physical freak awaiting his chance to play for the Pistons.

Interestingly, this article suggests that high schoolers are just as, if not more, successful than the average NBA draftee, with nearly all making rotational contributions for their teams.

Quality of the Game

This is probably the most popular argument for supporters of the limit. They argue that unseasoned 18 year-old players, who take a number of years to develop, drop the quality of the game as the roster spot that that player fills could be better assumed by an older player who can contribute right away. Waiting for these youngster to improve guarantees extended stretches in games where a young player plays poorly as he attempts to gain the experience to eventually succeed. Kobe Bryant’s air balls against Utah in the playoffs are a pretty good example of this.

The problem with this argument is that NBA teams should never be in a position where there immediate AND long-term future depends entirely on the play of an 18 year old. What should happen is that, the bad teams draft immediate help (Dwyane Wade), which is what they need right now, while the good teams pick up players who they can stash away for a couple of years (Jermaine O’Neal). To me, it seems like there is a bigger issue with the inability of general managers to assess talent.

Part two coming soon…

What Oden/Durant mean to the NBA – Part 6 of 6

With phenoms Greg Oden and Kevin Durant assuredly headed into the NBA’s Northwest division, it bears discussing how the 2007 NBA Draft Lottery has changed the landscape of the NBA. A division-by-division analysis will work best.

Atlantic Divison

Winners: Toronto and New York

The boys up North were laughing the hardest of anyone once the lottery balls rolled out with neither in the Eastern Conference. With Bosh and Bargnani, the Raptors have the best offensive one-two punch in the East at the 4-5 whose only weakness – rebounding – just happens to be the one shared strength between Oden and Durant. With those two out of the way, especially with neither of them landing in Chicago, Milwaukee, Boston or Philly, the Raps have a lot less work to do in order to contend out East in the short and long term.

If Oden or Durant had ended up in Chicago, Isaiah Thomas might have hung himself.

Indifferent: New Jersey

Nobodies knows if Vince is coming back, they looked very beatable against the Raptors and were completely exposed against Cleveland and Nenad Krstic isn’t the guy to take them over the top. A Bynum, Randolph, Nachbar, Marcus Williams core was a distinct possibility with Vince still available as trade bait. Whether or not Jersey chooses to rebuild, the two phenoms would have only added to the misery soon to return for Nets fans.

Loser: Philadelphia

I’m not sure who told them to play hard, but someone else should have told them that a 30 year-old Andre Miller won’t be around long enough to make this team a contender. Why they didn’t tank is beyond me. Similar to Milwaukee, this team went from scary to pesky by ruining their own lottery chances. Durant would have made them a ridiculous fast break team, Oden would have automatically made them the best defensive teams in the league. You never know though, if Tiago Splitter and Jeff Green are on the board when the Sixers pick, they may have a strong enough lineup to make some serious noise.

The Biggest Loser: Boston

Unfortunately for Ainge and the Celtics, in this version of reality TV, dropping 5 notches isn’t a good thing. This team is probably the most confusing in the entire NBA, with loads of young talent that doesn’t seem to mesh and loads of vets who refuse to stay healthy. Greg was the only solution in my mind for this team, but Kev would have looked just fine in the Celtic green as well. It’s really too bad for Ainge, who drafts quite well but trades quite horribly. I would have trusted him if he had passed on Oden for Durant just because of his draft resumé.

Well, less than a week until the draft. We’ll see how wrong I am about these predictions in a couple months.

See you later guys

What Oden/Durant mean to the NBA – Part 5 of 6

With phenoms Greg Oden and Kevin Durant assuredly headed into the NBA’s Northwest division, it bears discussing how the 2007 NBA Draft Lottery has changed the landscape of the NBA. A division-by-division analysis will work best.

Central Division:

Winners: Cleveland

The Cavs have been my #2 team from the moment Jeff McInnis and Drew Gooden were added. Mental capacity aside, I’ve always loved their games and felt that they could flourish in the right situation. Larry Hughes is also one of my guys, despite the fact that I knew his signing wouldn’t work without a real scoring PG next to him. Finally, thanks to SLAM magazine, I didn’t have to feel like a bandwagoner cheering for LeBron since they’d been covering him since he was 14.

That being said, I hate watching them play and this playoff run was an absolute fraud. I have never seen a team where all but two players (Bron and Varejao) have seen their stock drop because of their coach. Mike Brown (or Coach Jeezy as they call him on Fiyastarter.com) is the worst offensive coach since Tony Dungy in his Tampa Bay days. If Greg or Kevin were to put on a Bucks or Bulls jersey, it would have made more sense for Clevelanders to invest in NBA League Pass than Cavs tickets because in three years that’d be the only place they would be able to see him.

As it stands, LeBron looks to be a more marketable version of Allen Iverson: willing his team to new heights while his stubborn coach refuses to open up the offense.

Indifferent: Detroit and Indiana

These two teams seem permanently linked as a result of the 2004 brawl. For everyone who thought Detroit won out because of the suspensions, etc., what do the Pistons have to show for it? Sure, multiple trips to the EC Finals and a loss to the Spurs, but right now the Pistons are looking as tired as Miami and will need to get some serious contribution from its rookies to stay afloat. The Pistons would find a way to beat Chicago with Oden this year, but after that, all bets would be off. This team needs another Rip Hamilton-like steal to keep the future viable. Methinks another former Tar Heel could net the Pistons that player.

Indiana has somehow managed to find itself in the same situation as Minnesota, but does not have the excuse of having lost four draft picks. How Bird has turned Brad Miller, Al Harrington, Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson into this bag of rotten hummus is beyond me. The only direction to go right now is down, having Oden and Durant around would have just sped up the process and elongated the time spent down there.

Losers: Chicago and Milwaukee

Oden was the player Chicago probably had in mind when they negotiated the pick swaps with the Knicks. Essentially a Curry/Chandler hybrid, Oden would have made Chicago a dynastic outfit for the next ten years (as well as a luxury tax mainstay with all of the extensions). Now, the Bulls have to gamble with their pick, depending on whether they feel Tyrus Thomas can develop a low post game or if they feel another defensive big is needed as insurance for Ben Wallace’s gradual decline. I’m thinking they’ll reach for Spencer Hawes, who is just the kind of slightly-above average center that the other young bigs in the East will dominate.

I feel really, really bad for the Bucks. I regained a lot of faith in their franchise after they fired Terry Stotts, and were my popular pick for a major turnaround with or without a top two pick. That being said, they’ve gone from a scary team to pesky one by missing out on these two.

Next up: The Atlantic Division

What Oden/Durant mean to the NBA – Part 4 of 6

With phenoms Greg Oden and Kevin Durant assuredly headed into the NBA’s Northwest division, it bears discussing how the 2007 NBA Draft Lottery has changed the landscape of the NBA. A division-by-division analysis will work best.

Southeast Division:

Winners: Washington and Orlando

This team reminds me a lot of the old Seattle Supersonics teams with Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp and Detlef Schrempf among others. Not necessarily in style, but because it is impossible to gauge exactly what the team will do because of their inconsistency. When the Big 3 are doing their thing, their offense attack is as scary as any in the league. When either of Haywood or Thomas show up, all of a sudden the Wiz have a scary rebounding team.

The last thing this team needed was another player ready to expose their defensive weaknesses, especially up front. Who knows, if Arenas comes through on his promise to improve defensively and the Wiz can find a center who actually is interested in protecting the basket (not sure how, but Camby would look great in the Princeton offense) a trip to the EC Finals isn’t out of the question at all. Having either of these rookies around would essentially guarantee that Gil opts out next summer.

The Magic are extremely happy that the next great big man is not down the highway from their big man, because this team really fell apart down the stretch last year and all of a sudden what was once a team on the rise is a team desperately needing a big summer to avoid returning to the dark days of the TMac era. (Doesn’t that Francis trade look even worse now?) Having a probable equal to Howard in Oden in the division or the exact kind of cure-all, Grant-Hill type talent like Durant staring them in the face would be even more depressing than having a college coach back out on a huge contract.

Indifferent: Miami

These dudes are old. These dudes are really old. It will be interesting to see what reporters say about Dwyane Wade when his records start to resemble Kobe’s while his supporting casts start to resemble the current Lakers’ squads as well. Barring a trade for Artest, a miraculous signing of Rashard Lewis or ALLOWING JASON WILLIAMS TO DO MORE THAN THROW ENTRY PASSES, this team is going to fall off pretty quick.

Losers: Atlanta and Charlotte

If Atlanta had landed the #1, George and Jeb Bush would have rigged the votes in the Hawks’ war room to ensure that Billy Knight does not select Kevin Durant. I’ve always had a soft spot for the Hawks since Dominique was my brothers’ guy, but if they passed on Oden for Durant… suffice it to say that there would probably be some form of ensuing atrocity in the ATL. If the Hawks did get Oden, then Salim could probably assume the easiest job in America aside from the Hawks’ current season ticket tabulator.

Oden, Smith, Williams/Childress, Johnson and a PG secured by a trade of one of the small forwards would be a force NOW. I’d even consider throwing a few years of max money at Chauncey just for the fun of it. Alas, this is all a pipedream now, as Atlanta will probably pass on another talented point guard or two… again.

The Bobcats really need a leader, something that Durant really looks to be. Putting him between Sean May and Okafor would really have solved the height issues surrounding those two as well. As it is, they’re hoping that this year’s Brandon Roy will slip to them instead of the other way around. Michael Jordan’s draft record so far isn’t looking so great and his latest gaffe may have set this team a lot further back than most realize or want to admit.

Next Up: The Central Division

What Oden/Durant mean to the NBA – Part 3 of 6

With phenoms Greg Oden and Kevin Durant assuredly headed into the NBA’s Northwest division, it bears discussing how the 2007 NBA Draft Lottery has changed the landscape of the NBA. A division-by-division analysis will work best.

Southwest Division

Winners: Dallas, Houston

The only way the landscape of this division would change significantly is if both Greg and Kevin ended up on the same team. Dallas’ window will remain slightly open for the next four years with or without Durant or Oden in the division, and T-Mac and Yao’s pretender act doesn’t show significant signs of changing in the near future either. Injuries might end up shutting that team down regardless.

These two teams are happy because there’s now two less takeover type players to knock them out of the first round – in their own backyard.

Indifferent: San Antonio 

Well… I’m not really sure what to say. If Durant ends up being a small forward, I’m sure Bruce would keep playing just long enough to ensure one more broken ankle, if he ends up at the 4, odds are Timmy D will lock him down. A CP+GO combo would have been really scary, but Peja is on their team… and Tony Parker is still under 26. Which brings us to…

Losers: New Orleans and Memphis

As I mentioned above, the Peja signing pretty much ruined any chance of the Hornets climbing up in the west. The deal Stojakovic signed was the luxury-tax era equivalent to the Allan Houston deal. What really makes me upset is that, of all cities most likely to lose their young star, New Orleans is the least deserving given what they’ve gone through with George Shinn and of course Katrina. All of this would have been forgotten had the ping-pong balls returned an Oden or a Durant.

Memphis, well I blame Stu Jackson for anything unfortunate that happens to the Grizzlies, so this is his fault, too. I don’t think there was another team that would have had as quick a turnaround as the Grizz if they had landed Oden. Pretty much everything else is already in place, whether Kyle Lowry is the real deal or they were to use their cap room on a point guard.

There’s always next year I guess, hopefully there are some real steals in the lottery this year so some improvement will be possible. These two teams won’t be sniffing the playoffs for a while without some star quality talent.

Next up: The Southeast Division

I miss old Burlington – The loss of community

This might seem contradictory to what everyone thinks about being a minority, but I miss the days when my hometown only had a few black people in it.

It’s not that I’m jealous or want to horde a beautiful city to myself, but it seems like the sense of togetherness that blacks in my city is gone.

When I was growing up, there were very few black people in the city and it was almost an event every time I saw one I didn’t know. There was almost always a smile, and if the situation didn’t necessarily allow for it, there was always a nod. It meant so much to have everyone you see acknowledge you in that way. That nod may have seemed unnoticeable and insignificant for those who did not participate, but with the regular ignorance and occasional racism that we as black people had to deal with on a regular basis in B-town, the greetings said, “We’re in this together, keep on going” and would really pick me up.

Now, although I love the fact that the frequency of stares from everyone have gone down (since seeing a black person in the city is no longer as rare as coming across a live dragon) the acknowledgment is gone… despite the fact that black people in the city really haven’t moved up yet. Now, when I see a black girl walk out of the back of a restaurant to talk to the all-white waiting staff, there is no non-verbal communication, no understanding of the systemic racism that everyone just missed, nothing.

It seems as though, now that blacks in Burlington no longer have to stick together to ‘survive’, we don’t. The problem is that, without the survival mentality, we’re simply existing.

What Oden/Durant mean to the NBA – Part 2 of 6

With phenoms Greg Oden and Kevin Durant assuredly headed into the NBA’s Northwest division, it bears discussing how the 2007 NBA Draft Lottery has changed the landscape of the NBA. A division-by-division analysis will work best.

Pacific Division

Winners: None

The Pacific is really the pretender division of the NBA, so unless the Kings got super-lucky and got one of the top two picks, nothing was really going to change.

We all knew that Phoenix couldn’t win a title with Steve Nash spearheading their defense in the clutch (which is really the one time when defense matters). Oden and Durant are the exact kind of players who can neutralize Amare and Shawn Marion.

The Clippers’ future hopes were discombobulated the moment Shaun Livingston went down.

Golden State has zero post presence and are banking on my man Baron’s health… both of which are bad situations to be in. By the way, how are they going to afford Monta and Andris with the current core in place?

And LA, well, even healthy they’d be done in the second round because of their point guard situation. Kobe can only do so much. Even if they bring in Camby and/or Jermaine O’Neal, the window is pretty small.

Sacramento is going nowhere.

Indifferent: Phoenix, LAL, LAC and G State

The Suns will only go as far as Shawn Marion and Amare can carry them, because a conference finals quality PG will always light Steve Nash up. D’Antoni should start running a structured offense to get these two some shots on the block, first because it’s stupid to run an offense where only one of your three all-stars is allowed to create plays, second because turning Nash into a catch-and-shoot player will extend his career a couple years and also to simplify a PG job that shouldn’t be that hard given the talent on Phoenix. Leandro can throw an entry pass, run a backdoor cut and then camp out at the three point line if he doesn’t get the ball back. This transition could keep Phoenix relevant when Portland starts balling.

The Lakers, Clippers and Warriors – despite their late-season run – need to do some serious re-examination of their present and future rosters if they want to even think about progressing. The entire Northwest, save Minnesota, is improving. The Southwest, save Minnesota, is murderous.

Loser: Sacramento

Getting either of the kids would have fast-tracked what is going to be a painful rebuilding process. Even some ping-pong ball luck could have moved them into position to get Conley to create a super-fast backcourt. As things stand today, teams are going to begin circling this trip again.

Next up: The Southwest division