Basketballs and Bears

All league tournament- 50's vs 80's- Second round, round robin

2009-10-03T11:07:00.002-04:00

50's vs 80's
80's vs 60's
50's vs 60's

PG Rodgers vs. Stockton. No contest, man. Stockton makes Rodgers look like a fool. Adv: Stock.

SG Arizin vs. Jordan. Adv: Jordan.

SF Baylor vs. Bird. Here, I actually think Baylor gets bullied. Bird is that physical and that skilled, all at the same time. If Bird pulls up, there's nothing Baylor can do about it. Adv: Bird.

80's beat out 50's.

All league tournament- 60's vs 90's

2009-10-03T10:51:00.002-04:00

50's vs 00's
70's vs 80's
60's vs 90's

PG O vs. Nash. O couldn't guard Nash's passes if he tried. No one can. Then again, O's got a free pass on the offensive end. At 6'5" he would wear Nash out by the first quarter, at which point those shots would fail to fall. Advantage: O.

SG West vs. Kobe. Kobe's 6'6", West's 6'2". On the offensive end, Kobe would bully West around, and Kobe would probably contain West pretty well. It's pretty dead even, honestly, except Kobe's one of the best ever. Advantage: Kobe.

SF RB vs. Marion. Marion would contain Rick Barry. It's hard to see, but it's true. Marion would never get the ball anyway, so Rick Barry wouldn't really have a ball with anything on the defensive end. If the ball comes down, Marion bullies Barry for the rebound every time. Advantage: Marion.

PF Lucas vs. KG. This would be really interesting. KG can do it all, but Lucas, on the offensive end, would make KG look weak and frail. KG on the defensive end would probably, because of his size, freeze Lucas in his tracks. It's a dead heat. I have a bias for 90's players, to be perfectly honest. They're just more unique. To counter that bias, advantage: Lucas.

C Kareem vs. Duncan. I love you, Timmy, and you've been incredible, but for twenty years Kareem destroyed Hakeem, Pat Ewing, Lanier, Walton, Moses, Elvin Hayes, Wes Unseld, and pretty much every great center in the 70's AND 80's. Timmy's the greatest defensive player that every lived, but in the end no amount of defense can stop that skyhook. Advantage: Kareem.

The 60's take this one.

All league tournament- 70's vs 80's

2009-10-03T00:02:00.002-04:00

50's vs 00's
70's vs 80's
60's vs 90's

70's vs 80's.

PG Tiny vs. Stockton. Stockton will get by Tiny all the time, dish to Jordan and have Jordan make mincemeat out of every player that ever lived. When Tiny's rolling with the ball, however, there are few forces in physics that can stop a moving Tiny at 6'1". It's kind of even, but I have to pick one. Player vs. player, advantage: Tiny.

SG Pete vs. Jordan. No sentence required. Advantage: MJ.

SF Dr. J vs. Bird. Oy. This is the make or break comparison, I would guess. The good doctor will test Bird to no end physically. Bird will pull up and it will go in, though, and there's nothing Dr. J can do to stop it. Advantage: Bird.

PF McAdoo vs. Admiral. Oh boy. Tough territory. The Admiral would put an end to McAdoo with his defense. No one can stop a moving 7'1" scoring train. No one. Advantage: Admiral.

3-1 80's.

All league tournament- 50's vs 00's

2009-10-02T23:53:00.003-04:00

50's vs 00's
70's vs 80's
60's vs 90's

PG Rodgers vs. Paul
SG Arizin vs. Mayo
SF Baylor vs. Durant
PF Russell vs. Griffin
C Wilt vs. Dwight

PG Rodgers vs. Paul. This isn't even funny, no disrespect to Guy. Chris Paul is the best PG in history, period.

SG Arizin vs. Mayo. This is tougher. Mayo's smaller, quicker, and will encircle Arizin several times with the rock. If Mayo takes the wrong shot, though, Arizin will be there to pick it up. You can't beat the guy who invented the jump shot at his own game, I imagine. Advantage: Arizin.

SF Baylor vs. Durant. Kevin Durant is the future. Kevin Durant makes all other comers look petty. At 6'9", Durant is too lanky and too soft to grab the boards, but he'll rarely miss a shot. One on one, it would be even. In a fullcourt game, though, Durant would be the offensive option and Baylor wouldn't know how to guard him. Advantage: Durant.

PF Russell vs. Griffin. Oy. BG's disgusting, but he's never played a regular season game. Bill Russell's also disgusting, and he's won 11 rings. I'm giving the advantage to Russell out of respect.

C Wilt vs. Dwight. This is the only tough one. Dwight is an athletic animal. Wilt is a destroyer of worlds. In today's NBA, though, it's quite hard to compare Wilt to Dwight. One on one, you can see Wilt with the array of offensive moves and Dwight just trying to throw it down on someone who's 7'1". It won't work. Erick Dampier is one thing. The Stilt is another. Advantage: guy who averages 50 ppg.

The 50's take this one. We have yet to establish the legacy of the '00 players. This will probably change sometime soon.

All decade teams

2009-10-02T21:15:00.002-04:00

All 50's team (drafted)
PG Guy Rodgers- The heavily overlooked Rodgers was a bit of a Steve Nash 48 years before Steve Nash was drafted. Bob Cousy's certainly an honorable mention. Bear in mind, though, that Cousy couldn't average 40% FG for his life. That's a big no-no.

SG Paul Arizin- This guy was the man. The best FL in the game. Averaged 11.4 RPG one season...at 6'4"! That class of '50 was stacked.

SF Elgin Baylor- Elgin's the reason we had Billy Cunningham, the reason we had Dr. J, the reason we had Marques Johnson, the reason we had...LeBron. Elgin is the first great small forward. He rebounds like Russell, scores like Dr. J and could drop 50 on anyone....at 6'5".

PF Bill Russell- The greatest champion. Russell is the first low-impact/high-output player. He doesn't have to score much to be effective. He often averaged less than 15 ppg, but more than 20 rpg, more than 4 bpg, etc.

C Wilt- No justification needed. Possibly the greatest ever.

All 60's (drafted)
PG Oscar Robertson- The only one to average a triple double, ever. In '62-'63 he averaged 30/13/12. LeBron, take heed.

SG Jerry West- The Logo. Scored like nothing. One of the first ever combo guards. Makes Dwyane Wade look like a copycat.

SF Rick Barry- The first of the ABA legends. One of the reasons why, by 1970, the ABA was stacked with greater talent than the NBA.

PF Jerry Lucas- One of the few super heavy rebounders (near 20) not named Bill Russell or Wilt Chamberlain. Played with Oscar Robertson on Royals teams that, were they still equipped with Maurice Stokes, would have been Celtics-big like the decade earlier. Robertson/Twyman/Lucas/Stokes? Seriously?

C Kareem- Again...no justification needed.

70's
PG- Tiny Archibald. This, for the first time, wasn't easy. You have guys like Magic, and...well, you have Magic. Magic's really good. His advanced numbers (ast%, TS% especially) were top 20 across the board throughout history. I should pick Magic. I'm not going to. Tiny averaged 35 and 11 in '72. 2.6 stl. 35 and a freaking 11. 49% FG/85% FT/110 3's. Magic's better. I've never seen a PG average 35, though. I respect that highly. Let's think. In this season, Tiny took 2106 FGA's. He averaged 11.4 AST on 27 AST%. That's 3378 passes resulting in 910 AST. 2106 FGA's + 3378 passes = 5484 touches in 80 games. The team had 7581 possessions. 5484/7581 = 72%. 72% of the time, Tiny was the offensive option. He either scored a point or passed the ball. 72% of the time. Here's a comparison. LeBron in '07-'08, when he was supposedly the "entire team," took 1642 FGA's. He had 539 AST on 24.3% AST = 2218 passes, + 1642 FGA's = 3860 touches. The '08-'09 Cavs had 6454 touches. LeBron was 60% of the team. Tiny was 12% more of the team. Magic, '90-'91, with his career high AST%. 976 FGA, 987 AST on 39.9% AST. 2473 passes, + 976 = 3449 touches. The team had 6911 touches. 50%. For all that AST%, he was only 50% of the team. This was after Kareem retired. In other words, Tiny deserves this for being as ridiculous as he was scoring wise and as selfless, at the same time. Fear not; Magic can be our sixth man, seeing as he plays basically everything.

SG- Pistol Pete. The 70's had some of the classiest players, but in terms of 2's the decade was weak. Pistol Pete was, of course, one of the greatest scorers and passer in history. He also averaged more turnovers than almost anyone.

SF- This is tough, between Dr. J and Bird. I don't know what to do here. Dr. J was "the league" in the ABA and the NBA. Bird was a greater champion, a greater shooter, a greater passer...I don't know. I'm going to make an executive decision. Dr. J gets the 70's. Bird gets the 80's.

PF- Bob McAdoo- Mac averaged 30/15/3 blk in the beginning. Mac was so good, so consistent and so lengthy in terms of career, it's hard to find a combination like him. He was Kareem at 6'9", honestly, without inventing the skyhook.

C- Moses Malone. Lanier comes close, but the 20 year career is staggering. Took the Rockets in Houston to new heights all on his own.

80's
PG- John Stockton. No explanation needed.

SG- MJ. No explanation needed.

SF- Bird. Not technically drafted in the 80s...but did play his first season ending in 1980. It's a stretch. It's also Larry freakin' Bird. We can make allowances.

PF- Sorry, Charles and Karl. We're putting David Robinson at the 4. You can be our sixth man. Robinson was such a skilled big man that it's hard to imagine that he only won two championships, and only with Tim Duncan alongside him. Throughout the 90's, though, he was brilliant. He even dunked like Dr. J. I will give Karl the sixth man, though. He was the epitome of an athlete.

C- Hakeem. You could argue for Pat Ewing...but you'd be foolish in doing so. Ewing scored a lot more than he rebounded, and Hakeem was just...Hakeem. He played like Wilt or Russell or Moses Malone years after that style of play was eliminated.

90's
PG- Steve Nash. I don't want to hear the "he doesn't play defense argument." He's Steve Nash. He's the greatest passer of all time. That's that.

SG- Kobe. 'Nuff said.

SF- Shawn Marion. Over Grant Hill? Si. Over Ray Allen, Peja, Pierce, VC, T-Mac, the Candyman? Claro. Marion was the only player of his kind. His defensive displays, at 6'7", are unparalleled. His stats make you feel weak and restless if you're any other player. Pierce is the honorable mention, but in the end Marion's unstoppable.

PF- KG. Tim Duncan's a...

C- Tim Duncan. I don't want to hear the Shaq arguments. I never liked Shaq. Shaq bores me. His antics are hilarious, but his work ethic is precarious. Duncan is the greatest defensive player of all time.

00's. You can't really justify these yet. I imagine you will be able, however, sooner or later.
PG- Chris Paul.

SG- OJ Mayo.

SF- Kevin Durant.

PF- Blake Griffin.

C- Dwight Howard.

There are too many honorable mentions to count. LeBron, Kevin Love, Dwyane Wade, Derrick Rose, Eric Gordon...but, history speaks and I listen.

Fantasy drafting tips - my personal strategy - first unit

2009-09-25T19:29:00.006-04:00

I'm going to structure this like a Choose Your Own Adventure novel. You'll see.

1st Round
1st pick- Chris Paul. Period. He's better than LeBron, he shoots better than LeBron, he's younger than LeBron (could he possibly be improving this season?) and he makes all those who enter the assist and steal battles feel empty.

2nd pick- LeBron. Easy. If you can't get CP, get this stud.

3rd pick- Dwyane Wade. Also easy. Better than Kobe, younger than Kobe, and the main offensive option. If Jermaine's FGA's decrease and Beasley's increase, Wade has the same number as last year. The same numbers at least year will suit you perfectly. Take it from me.

4th-8th pick- Kevin Durant. Kevin Durant is THE pick for the first round. He's a steal at anything lower than 7th, just because the incredible upside, incredible scoring and rebounding and shooting and....everything. Man, he's just really good. If he's not an All-Star starter next year, we have a serious problem.

9th-end of round pick- Al Jefferson. Jefferson is the beast. After one season of injury, two things happen: a) the player comes back with a vengeance, or b) the player comes back injured. Jefferson's a battler and the Wolves need him badly. He'll be up and running, and he'll make Tim Duncan run for his money.

OR: 9th-end of round pick- Amare Stoudemire. Amare is going to outperform any standard because he needs a contract in 2010. If he's injured again and keeps complaining, he won't hold any leverage. If he keeps complaining and plays really freakin' well, at least it will be half-way warranted.

OR: 9th-end of round pick- Kevin Garnett. KG's got more than a lot left in the tank. Ray Allen is very possibly on the way out of Boston if they can't pulverize like usual. If that's the case, Garnett gets Timberwolf-like touches and makes every other power forward in the game look soft. If not, KG's still back with a vengeance. After having been without Garnett for so long, they'll look to him again.

If you picked Chris Paul, turn to my recommendation for my late second round pick.
If you picked LeBron, turn to my recommendation for my late second round pick.
If you picked Wade, turn to my recommendation for my late second round pick.
If you picked Kevin Durant, turn to any recommendation from the middle of the second round.
If you picked Amare Stoudemire, turn to my early second round pick.
If you picked Al Jefferson, turn to my early second round pick.
If you picked Kevin Garnett, turn to my early second round pick.

Early second round pick- Steve Nash. If you call him dried up from the outset, you're missing the point. He's still Steve Nash, basketball king of passing and shooting. From no one else in the league can you get 50-40-90, period. That's very important in any format.

Early to middle second round pick- Antawn Jamison. One thing you don't know anything about when it comes to Antawn Jamison are his pretty incredible stats. He hit 112 3's last season. That's more than Steve Nash. So he shoots well for a big guy and rebounds well as well. Expect another great year, considering Gilbert Arenas' return.

Middle to late second round pick- Paul Pierce. Your two picks here are Carter and Pierce. Pierce and Carter and quite similar. The difference is age. Pierce only just broke 30, and Carter's 33. That's pretty much it. The distribution is more or less the same passing-wise, the touches are the same, the talent's the same. It's a tossup. They're even, except you want Pierce, who has less chance of slowing down.

OR: Middle to late second round- Brook Lopez. The should-have-been rookie of the year, Brookie is a monster at a very early age. He was Andrew Bynum-like in his first year. What Lopez lacks in girth compared to Bynum, he makes up for in intensity. Unfortunately, this is the Lopez to pay attention to (not Robin).

If you have already picked a guard, proceed to Rashard Lewis.
If you have already picked a big man, proceed to Jason Richardson.
If any of the players listed are still available, pick the one that is. If more than one is available, pick the one earlier on this list.

Third round pick, regardless of time: Rashard Lewis. His shooting, decent rebounding, and...well, his shooting is impeccable. He'll easily give you six rebounds, 20 points, three 3's, a steal and a block. He's Rashard Lewis. He just happens to be good at everything. He'll also get deceptively good as the year goes along: not necessarily better, but the name Rashard Lewis will be in higher demand if the shooters that owners originally pick (Peja Stojakovic, Stephen Curry, Al Harrington, i.e.) fade away.

Third round pick: Jason Richardson. Yes, you might be tempted to say, "Oh, J-Drunk who stinks it up in Phoenix?" Correction: J-Drunk who stunk it up in Phoenix because he couldn't get touches when Shaq was around. J-Rich, as it happens, will get his threes and touches since Shaq's departure and once Nash takes more of a role-playing position. Remember, J-Rich Version 07-08 was one of the top three point shooters in history. He had an off-year last year and still had 1.8.

If you lack a point guard, proceed to Baron Davis.
If you picked later than half way and lack rebounding, proceed to David Lee.
If you picked earlier than half way and lack a shooting guard, proceed to OJ Mayo.
If you're not any of these, proceed to Jameer Nelson or Rajon Rondo.

Fourth round
Baron Davis. B-Diddy is back. Diddy is again going to be late-first round talent like in 2007-08. Why? Because he's passing to one of the picks that will make you look like a fantasy behemoth: Blake Griffin. Griffin will go off like nothing you've ever seen save for Tim Duncan, and Diddy will be there for 10 ast a game, 5 reb, 20 pts, 2 threes, 2 stl and half a block. In other words, think big. A repaired relationship with Mike Dunleavy, healthy limbs and great weapons in his arsenal will pump Diddy up to nothing you've ever seen.

David Lee. In Mike D'Antoni's system, anything is possible. Just ask Steve Nash, Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire. The system carries over to New York, where any Knick is a fantasy staple at some level. Lee is highly underrated and for 17 pts/11 rebounds, he's a steal. You're not going to get much blocking out of him, which is a problem, but the rest of it, the FG%, the decent FT%, is all more than worth it.

OJ Mayo. The thing about OJ Mayo is that he was bonafide last year, and under Derrick Rose's shadow. Next year he's going to be even more bonafide. Think 2.5 3's, 2 stl, 47% FG for a guard, 5 ast, 5 reb...think Allen Iverson, to be perfectly honest.

Nelson/Rondo. They're pretty much the same in a number of ways. They're both going to be the main distributors on their team and give you around 7 ast per game. Nelson will give you 2 stl, Rondo will give you 2 stl. Nelson will give you 2 3's, Rondo will give you 5 reb. Nelson will give you 15 pts, Rondo will give you 15 pts. If you're looking for Jason Kidd, pick Rondo. If you're looking for a player like Steve Nash when he was with the Mavs, pick Nelson.

Fifth round
If you're missing a forward, proceed to Blake Griffin.
If you're missing a center, proceed to Andrew Bynum.
If you're missing a guard, proceed to Eric Gordon.

Blake Griffin. Blake Griffin, dominating force of basketball, throw-it-down monster and savior of the Clippers franchise, is the best pick in the whole dang draft. He's going to have a Tim Duncan-esque year in a round where you can feasibly pick up Al Horford. To heck with Al Horford! Take the guy who averaged 22 and 14 last year! Seriously!

Andrew Bynum. Reminds me of Artis Gilmore. Low scoring, ridiculous FG%, 2 blk, 8 or more RPG. He's a future Hall of Famer. His low post arsenal is far too advanced for most centers, who simply get to the basket and throw it down. Bynum is working with the likes of Kareem, so obviously his repertoire is advanced beyond belief. Expect a full season out of Bynum.

Eric Gordon. If you followed my advice, you already have a point guard. Eric Gordon is the next logical step. I pigeonhole Gordon for about 1.8 stl, 2.5 3's, 23 ppg, 80% FT...in other words, the works. He's the real deal, but behind Rose and Mayo and Love he gets the short end of the stick.

Playoff results

2009-09-06T17:41:00.002-04:00

West
1. Lakers vs. 8. Thunder. Destruction. Kobe runs by the half decent defense and lights up Durant. Sorry, K-Dazzle - you've got a little bit of a way to go. Lakers in 4.

4. Mavs vs. 5. Blaze. The Mavs are too deep. That's hard to say against the Blaze, but it's true. They're very similar teams. They both play great defense. They both have point guards who like to slow up. They both have versatile scorers at the 2. They both have 8/8 defensive powerhouses in the middle. The Mavs just do it better. They're older. They've had more experience. The Blaze will have it's turn. Mavs in 7.

3. Nugs vs. 6. Hornets. I like the Hornets, but this is a rematch of last year, with the exception of Emeka Okafor and an improved JR Smith. That pretty much evens up talent-wise. Nugs in 5.

2. Spurs vs. 7. Clippers. Blake Griffin runs Tim Duncan up the wall, and goes over. The greatest defensive player in history is Duncan. Griffin takes Duncan to the hole. A tall feat? Not when Baron Davis is making Tony Parker look soft, Eric Gordon is out-Manu'ing Manu at a younger age, Al Thornton is outscoring RJ at a younger age, and Camby is limiting Duncan when worst comes to worse with Duncan, allowing Griffin to dominate. It sounds crazy, but Clips in 6.

East
1. Magic vs. 8. Raptors. The Magic are way too talented. Old Carter kicks undeveloped Carter's butt. Nelson is very Calderon'y, but from three there's no question who wins. Hedo is a point of controversy, but Lewis shoots Bosh out of a big contract in 2010. And then there's Dwight. Magic in 4.

4. Wiz vs. 5. Heat. These are two different teams. Arenas and Wade are both very flashy scorers, both almost as effective. When Arenas/Foye goes up against Chalmers/Wade, though, Wade shuts Arenas down on the defensive end and Arenas and Foye can't do anything about Wade on the offensive end. The frontcourt, however, is a clear victory for the Wiz. Butler/Jamison/Haywood is balanced, defensively sound and .offensively dangerous. Beasley/Haslem/O'Neal is not. Wiz in 5.

3. Cavs vs. 6. Bulls. The Cavs take the Bulls to school. The Bulls have no answer for the King, nor Shaq. Derrick Rose will probably be a match for Mo, but that's about all she wrote. Cavs in 5.

2. Celts vs. 7. Bobcats. Two of the best defensive teams in the league go at it. The difference is that Boston can score, period. Charlotte can't, not without AI. Wrong move, MJ, again. Celts in 4.

West
1. Lakers vs. 4. Mavs. The Lakers are still really good. The Mavs are good. The Lakers are better. Gasol and Dirk match up pretty evenly defensively. Dirk would be able outscore Gasol if this were taking places a couple years ago, but not by much by this season. Kobe is Kobe, and Josh Howard can defend him to a point before he gets schooled. Artest and Marion is a battle, but Marion's not the Marion he used to be. Dampier can't defend a new and improved Bynum. Lakers in 6.

3. Nugs vs. 7. Clips. It's hard to say that the Clips are in contention for the Western conference finals, but they very well may be. Chauncey can contain Baron. Gordon and JR fight it out on very similar playing fields. If TD can't completely contain the Griffin, then Kenyon Martin certainly can't. Conversely, Thornton can't even come close to containing Melo. Melo, in the end, makes the indomitable Griffin overstretch his bounds defense-wise. It'll be close, believe it or not. The Nugs just defend better. Nugs in 7. The Griffin will be back.

East
1. Magic vs. 4. Wiz. This is pretty interesting. The Magic are way too good for the Wiz in the end, but don't tell Gil Arenas. He'll fight to the end to keep that team afloat. In the end, Nelson contains Arenas and Carter blows by everyone in his last incredible series. Magic in 5

2. Celts vs. 3. Cavs. A rematch of the '08 playoffs, but with Shaq and Mo now in the picture. KG and Ray are tired, and Paul Pierce does everything he can to contain LeBron, but it's not good enough. He's LeBron, after all. Cavs in 6

West
1. Lakers and 3. Nugs. The Lakers destroy the Nugs, all due respect to the Nugs. Artest makes Melo look ridiculous, Kobe runs by Chauncey, Bynum completely posterizes Nene a couple times. Lakers in 5

East
1. Magic and 3. Cavs. Tough. Shaq and Dwight go at it. Dwight is superior. It's a rematch, save for Carter, who destroys. Magic in 7

Finals
Magic vs. Lakers. I got the Magic. Carter is the difference. Bass is the difference, and he probably shuts Gasol down given a few games with him. Howard obliterates Bynum. It's still really hard, because Artest's perimeter defense will shut Lewis down from time to time and kill Orlando's whole game. In the end, the Magic wanted to win a championship and they get it. Magic in 6

Western conference standings

2009-09-06T16:39:00.003-04:00

1. Lakers. No explanation required. Kobe/Artest/Gasol is absolutely diabolical. Artest is an upgraded version of Ariza, truth be told. Bynum will get 70+ games in, and the Lakers will now approach 70 wins. If only they could give Jordan Farmar the start. I really do despise Derek Fisher. Sue me.

2. Spurs. RJ is the least of their additions. DeJuan Blair, Antonio McDyess, a healthy Manu....well, RJ's pretty good. The Spurs are set to do some damage, and Tim Duncan, as always, is set to lead the Spurs close to the promised land. Manu's the definition of per minute efficiency. TP will health up before the season starts, no doubt. This is the same team that won two championships in the past five years, but better.

3. Nuggets. I like this team because I like Chauncey Billups. That said, JR Smith, for all his explosive talent, is not mature enough to start on an NBA team, far more so than Mike Beasley. Kenyon Martin is quickly fading. Carmelo can't play defense to save a family member's life. This is a great team, but they won't be better than last year: they'll be a tad worse.

4. Mavs. Dirk and Kidd are an incredible pair, and whoever you surround them with is the only thing that determines whether they win a championship or one playoff game. They've been surrounded with top notch talent this time around including Josh Howard, and more recently Shawn Marion, Drew Gooden, and very likely Stephen Jackson or Monta Ellis. Rodrigue Beaubois is even a great talent for a rookie, as we saw at Summer League. I just love this team's depth and solid mixture of offense and defense.

5. Blaze. This was a good team last year, and it's better with Andre Miller. It's better with an improved Greg Oden. It's better with an improved Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge. It's better because of all of those people. Not that much better. The West just got too good for the Blazers, and Andre Miller does not cut it as the answer.

6. Hornets. Emeka Okafor is a serious offensive threat in that system. That's the biggest improvement. Chris Paul is still Chris Paul, David West is still David West. Emeka Okafor is a serious offensive boost from Tyson Chandler, and a more consistent one if Tyson Chandler fails to fully recover from the toe ordeal.

7. Clippers. Ooh, do I love this year's Clippers. I think Baron Davis and Mike Dunleavy are going to figure it out. I think Eric Gordon is going to destroy people and possibly headline the steals category across the league. I think Al Thornton is going to be very Alex English-y. I think Marcus Camby will continue to do what he does best. Most importantly, I think Blake Griffin is going to destroy people very early in his career. 20/11/1 block/1 steal. He will shut people down, he will tear it up. Add a couple more young pieces and this team will soar. I also love their depth, as it stands. Telfair, Craig Smith, Rasual Butler are for real.

8. Thunder. Durant is the future. Durant is....so good it's scary. 30 ppg next year, almost without question. The reason they make the playoffs is because Russell Westbrook is primed for a breakout, because James Harden is going to complement Durant very well, Jeff Green is, as always, going to complement Kevin Durant well, etc. They're young, they're very talented, and they have Kevin Durant. And the Suns and Jazz stink, anyway.

9. Suns. The Suns have always held a special place in my heart. But they stink. They're making all the wrong moves. No one plays defense. Amare Stoudemire is a beast, J-Rich scores like a manic, Steve Nash is the greatest passer in the game, Earl Clark is a bright spot if I've ever seen one. Doesn't matter. Defense must be played. The offense will get them to the brink of the playoffs, but that's that.

10. Jazz. They haven't changed. They're paying a lot money for a very decent group. That's that. Paul Millsap is re-signed, but he doesn't have the starting job. Mehmet Okur is not going to keep up last year's excellence forever. Deron is, of course, nasty, but that's that. The pick they're getting from New York will help. I think Evan Turner has potential, if they use that pick on him. Otherwise, don't expect any more than the usual.

11. T-Wolves. As we explained, Kevin Love is the future. Al Jefferson is beast. That, enough, is enough for some serious damage. Jonny Flynn is ROTY sleeper material, just for his incredible playmaking and penetration. That's serious damage, but that's all. Their starting 2 is Bobby Brown. Ryan Gomes will get better. That's all. It's not enough, but it's a weak bottom of the West. They're at least better than the Warriors, Rockets, Kings and Grizzlies.

12. Grizzlies. Allen Iverson is a great addition, but to a very bad team. Would they be worse than the Kings without him? Maybe. Are they at the bottom of the Western Conference with him? Sure. Iverson and Mayo are very reminiscent of each other, which is redundancy, which never works. Conley has a tiny bit of future. Randolph and Thabeet are wastes. Gay is going to improve. At 6'8", 240, and with a down year last year, he's destined to have a good year. His teammates? Substandard. We'll see how it turns out, but don't expect anything from this team but a high pick.

13. Warriors. Stephen Curry is the man. He's very unfortunate to be in Golden State. Like in Phoenix, no one plays defense. The offense is ballin'. As it stands, they're set to start Corey Maggette at PF and leave Tony Randolph on the bench. Don Nelson doesn't understand how to play his players, and he never has. The Warriors have great talent, but they stink. It happens.

14. Rockets. Oy, what a fall. Yao's out, T-Mac's out, Artest is gone. Brooks and Ariza are your main offensive options. Pathetic. Pray for John Wall.

15. Kings. They don't deserve a sentenc

Eastern conference standings

2009-09-06T15:47:00.004-04:00

1. Magic. The biggest addition to this team was not Vince Carter. The biggest addition was the combination of Brandon Bass, Matt Barnes, keeping Marcin Gortat and a healthy Jameer Nelson. Nelson is a clear upgrade over Rafer Alston. Bass is a clear update over Battie. Carter is a very clear update over Hedo. In all, this team is much better. Not necessarily true of Cleveland and Boston.

2. Celts. 'Sheed is still for real. He makes up for the unfortunate loss of Leon Powe tenfold. KG will be healthy, which will make a world of difference. I think the Celts with KG are better than the Cavs with Shaq, but are obviously worse than the Cavs with Shaq without KG. I think the Celts with KG are also better than the Cavs with Z. They're better, they're deeper, they're more experienced. If KG goes down, though, that's that.

3. Cavs. LBJ and Shaq is a force to be reckoned with. Sadly, that force isn't that much more dominant than LBJ and Z. Mo is going to score like wildfire again. Signings of Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon are solid, but not significant. I'm interested to see what happens with Leon Powe, how he reacts to Cleveland. His per minute stats are quite impressive. He could bump the Cavs ahead of the Celts by himself.

4. Wiz. The addition of Gilbert Arenas, Randy Foye and Mike Miller is a three man wrecking crew to a backcourt that was the only piece missing from this team. Miller's a prototypical FL, Foye's a prototypical SC and Arenas is a SH or a SC. Flip Saunders can do wonders with Arenas, making this a team to beat. Any time you have Hibachi on fire, you should be ready to get grilled, so to speak.

5. Heat. Mike Beasley has had enough. He's had enough with the redo '08 drafts with him out of the lottery. He's had enough with the weed association, and the immaturity accusation. He wants to score and rebound and show everyone what he's made of, and he knows darn well he's only got one season left before he starts getting waived. So he's going to explode, and he's going to give Miami a couple more wins. Not going to be enough. Jermaine is just not Jermaine. Dwyane is, of course, top Dwyane, but that's about it. With a rookie PG and a very young team and without that Robin to Wade's Batman, the Heat are not going to make it to the upper echelons.

6. Bulls. I like the Bulls. I think Derrick Rose is going to be bonafide. I think Tyrus Thomas is going to explode, and I think the Blazers will be very sorry they traded him. I think Brad Miller will be a suitable fill in the middle. The pieces work. Vinny Del Negro is a junk coach, but Derrick Rose can probably half coach that team on his own.

7. Bobcats (do-do-do doooo do-do-do). Hear me out. DJ Augustin is ballin'. GW and Boris Diaw are much better in Charlotte. The point is that this is quite possibly the best defensive team in the league, save for Boston, and they can pretty much shut anyone down.

8. Raptors. Hedo and DeRozan are the big reasons for this. Hedo gives Jose the ability to take on SH duties, and DeRozan takes up Vince Carter SC duties. Bargnani was stellar last year and will only get better. Running and gunning can definitely get you the 8th seed in the east, even if you don't play defense to save your life. Amir Johnson is the X factor. If Triano knows how to get him moving, the Raptors can move up this list.

9. Hawks. All decent pieces. Mike Bibby is decent. Al Horford is decent. Marvin Williams is decent. Zaza Pachulia is decent. Joe Johnson and Josh Smith are good. That's not good enough anymore. The East got better. Jamal Crawford doesn't help.

10. Sixers. Brand doesn't work here, and he might end up on the bench. Without Andre Miller, this team is a lot worse, even though Andre Miller is not exactly what he was with the Cavs and Nuggets. Jrue Holiday has my support as a bonafide high school prospect with the wrong position in college, but in the end if he were that much better than Darren Collison he would've gotten the job instead of Collison. This team was decent, and now it's mediocre.

11. Pacers. This is a good team that will get better, but not that much better. Hans and Hibbert are set to explode. Troy Murphy, under pressure from Hans and Hibbert, should get shipped out for a serious PG. Granger is an absolute stud. If those things all happen, this team will make the playoffs. As it stands, I think this is a decent team with depth chart issues and improper execution of all of its assets.

12. Pistons. I like CV, and I like CV a lot. That said, every thing else in Motor City is a mess. Ben Gordon and Rip Hamilton are competing for minutes. Tayshaun Prince is drying up. Rodney Stuckey is a 2 in a 1's chair. Ben Wallace is old. I get the feeling they'll trade Rip Hamilton for someone to clog up the middle. Mehmet Okur? and start Booze at the five for a small, run and fun lineup in Utah. Unless they do anything, same problem as the Pacers. It wasn't exactly a bad move to get Allen Iverson, but it didn't help their immediate prospects.

13. Bucks. This team is crap. Michael Redd reminds me of Tracy McGrady last year, and Bogut has a long way to go before he's the top pick we all envisioned. They do have a bright spot: Donny Motiejunas. Before they get him, they're crap.

14/15. Knicks/Nets. No explanation required.

The Future

2009-09-05T23:37:00.002-04:00

As I peered into the 2010 NBA Draft, as I always do early, I was curious about the prospects. John Wall is apparently the future. Picture Derrick Rose finishing every shot, they said. Fine. You think that, don't you? You do. And you have every right. But Donatas Motiejunas is the prize. Donawhat Motiewho?

The patterns have aligned once more. I ran some tests with the draft chart again. Last time on The Pattern segment we determined the following:

a) that 2008 was better than 2003.
b) that Kevin Love is the future.
c) that Blake Griffin is the future.

The specific way that you predict the future is through playing styles. How did I know Orlando was going to the Finals? Because they were a clone of Louisville. The brackets aren't the same, so I had to gauge it a little. How did I know Kevin Love was the future? Because, as you'll find, he's not only numerically consistent, he's also the one proven star in the 2008 draft that can't be matched to a 1996 or 1994 player.

Go ahead. List all of the significant players in each draft. I did as follows: the position, the pick, the team that drafted him. MJ is SG3Bulls. Karl Malone is PF13Jazz. Dale Ellis and Rolando Blackman are both SG9Mavs. Go figure.

The 12 year theory held true, for a while. 1992 resembled 2004. 1993 resembled 1985. That was odd, because that was an 8 year differential. That made sense, however, because it was the same distance on the board. 12 years is two years right, one decade up. 8 years, on a year ending in a number greater than 2, is two years back and one decade up.

But then I figured out that 1984 was most like....1970. Archibald wreaks of Stockton, considering they were both picked late. Lanier wreaks of Olajuwon. Pistol Pete, considered the greatest player up until that point (that wouldn't change until Bird and Magic went at it), was Jordan-esque in terms of the incredulosity of his moves. Tomjanovich and Barkley were both Rockets, both big rebounders. So I had a problem. I had fourteen year distances, twelve year distances and eight year distances. I couldn't draw any more connections. I had to figure out what 2010 was.

Technically, 2010 should be representative of 2024, 2022, 1998 and 1996. Since we know nothing about 2024 or 2022, let's work with 1998 and 1996. 2010 prospects line up as follows:

John Wall- Derrick Rose-y. FL.

Ed Davis- Elden Campbell? BANG.

Derrick Favors- Amare Stoudemire? BANG

Cole Aldrich- Artis Gilmore with the Spurs BANG

Willie Warren- ? SC

Donatas Motiejunas- Dirk Nowitzki GL

Al-Farouq Aminu- Donyell Marshall VS

Greg Monroe- 6'10" Shawn Marion VS

The one that matches up is Motiejunas and Dirk. Dirk was drafted in '98. As it happens, the best player in 2010 is the fifth pick, a forward. As an international player, it's unlikely he'll get much coverage and he'll end up with the same pick he started with, which, right now, is from five to ten. Robertson was 1. Erving was 12. Jordan was 3. Bryant was 13. Love is 5. What I missed earlier was the best of the fifties, which was 1958. The best player in '58 was Elgin Baylor, at pick #1. So, 1.1.12.3.13.5 is the pattern. What that would indicate to me, on a hunch, is that 5 repeats. Match five with Motiejunas' expected pick and the year Dirk was drafted, and you have DMoney as the future.

Prediction #4: DMoney is the future, take 3.

The Pattern, Edition 1

2009-07-21T07:53:00.003-04:00

I haven't yet informed you of my prediction technology. It's simple: use the past to predict the future.

I was thinking about the 2009 draft. It's commonly said that 1984, 1996 and 2003 were the best. You can cancel that idea, because Bosh and 'Melo, while they are good players, aren't top notch on a talent/decade basis. I was thinking about that concept: talent/decade. 1960 had Big O and Jerry West. That was it. For the kind of talent that was being produced back then, the amount, that was significant. You can argue for '62, but there's not a good guard in sight. I tried to put a team together. Believe me. It's impossible. Hayes/Unseld in '68, Clyde/Pearl in '67, Kareem in '69, all were solid. Big O and Jerry in the same draft? Both were two of the top ten ever, probably, and both in the same draft.

For the 70's, it was 1972: Dr. J, Bob McAdoo, Paul Westphal, even Don Buse is big in fantasy circles for his great A/T ratios. '71 had one season of Haywood and Gilmore, which is a fiar argument. '74 had Walton who barely lasted, Marvin Barnes whose best season was his first, the Iceman (of course), Jamaal Wilkes who was decent...it was good. No Dr. J's or McAdoo's. It's harder to make the argument for '72, but it's mine to make.

Then, of course, there was '84. And '96. You know, 60, 72, 84, 96....they're going up by 12 years each time! That's how you notice a pattern. That's not a coincidence. That's history.

The next logical progression is to move on to 2008 as the best in the new millenium thus far. 2008? What about 2003? 2003 was good. We have yet to see how monstrous 2008 will be, and I predict, considering the even greater talent in the league now than in 2003, seeing as talent always increases as time passes, it will be even better than 2003.

Prediction #1: 2008 will be better than 2003.

After each of those, there's a legitimate 4, I realized. It gets harder to tell the earlier you go, but my candidate in 1961, Walt Bellamy, is 6'11". Let's just say that in the modern NBA, these candidates would work out as 4's height-wise, even if their games were structured to play the 5.

'73 brings ABA monster George McGinnis, who paves my road to truth with gold: the ABA in the 70's was better than the NBA of the 70's. Nevertheless...never heard of George McGinnis? The NBA's doing. Check out Basketball Reference.

'85 brings the Mailman. '97 brings Timmy D. '09 brings....Blake Griffin. Makes perfect sense. While you thought you'd be looking at Olowokandian performance, at best another Danny Manning, you were wrong. Sterling, it seems, got it right this time with the #1 pick.

Prediction #2: Blake Griffin will be a star in the league for years, a possible Hall of Famer at that.

If you were thinking of other patterns with draft years and types, don't think twice. Shaq '92/Howard '04? Howard/Shaq play a very similar game, albeit with different statistical results. McHale doesn't fit. The truth is that since the pattern starts with 1960. The 1950's drafts had one great guy, pretty much across the board. The 40's were pitiful. Like I said, the pattern stars with 1960. If you laid it out by decade, you couldn't do anything before 1960, and you couldn't do anything after 2009. For it to be an across-the-board pattern, as these things usually are, it would have to work across the board. You can't go before 1960 without falling into a talent black hole, save for Wilt, Russell, Cousy, Arizin and three other guys, or past 2009 without having any semblance of the talent to come. (Brandon Knight? Josh Smith II? Not enough evidence.)

For now, this works.

Prediction #3 analyzes the types of players that came out of the drafts. As in the NCAA tournaments, seeding plays a nominal, but important role. Picks in drafts also do the same. The best player in 1960 was Oscar Robertson, taken with the 1st pick. The best player in '72 was Dr. J, taken with the 12th pick. Michael Jordan, the best player ever, was taken, as we all know, with the 3rd pick. Kobe Bryant was taken with the 13th pick in '96. I'm detecting a pattern! 1, 3, and 12, 13. So who's the best in 2008? Well, if we take every other best draft since 1960, we come up with the fifth pick, Kevin Love. Not Derrick Rose? Not O.J. Mayo? Not Mike Beasley?

I want you to know something: Kevin Love's rebounding rate was 3rd in the league. 3rd...in the league. Right behind...Dwight Howard. In 25 minutes. I imagine he'll get a minute boost next year, and along with a talent boost, should increase from around 9 rebounds to...what? Even 11 is kind of pessimistic? 12? What if who ever the coach is gives him 35 minutes a game? 14? In his second season? Just to give you an idea: Tim Duncan was fifteenth on this list. Marcus Camby was a mere fourth. Joel Przybilla, believe it or not, grabbed the top spot. Przybilla's had his chance. Love's just getting started.

So you think it's a joke. Those numbers say "star" to me, not "joke." "Oh, he's just another Al Horford." Al Horford came in at 18% in '07-'08. Tim Duncan came in at 18.9%, and at fifteenth. Al's PER was 14.9. Love's? 18-ish.

This is not prospect love. This is star love. And I mean Love, the star. Kevin Love, quite possibly in the company of Jordan, Dr. J, Big O and Kobe. If I'm right, well, you might as well recommend me to John Hollinger. If not, don't read another thing I write.

Prediction #3: Kevin Love is one for the ages, right under your nose.

The patterns speak for themselves.

The Top 10 PF's, Ever

2009-07-20T00:50:00.003-04:00

Note: Charles Barkley is a PF.

1. TD. Possibly the greatest defensive player ever. Did what a PF should do, and was inconceivably the best at it.

2. KG. Did what a SF should do, and did it so well at 7'0" that he gets a lot of credit in my book.

3. Rodman. The greatest rebounder ever. Didn't score much. Didn't need to. No one was crazier. There's credit to be had for that in my book.

4. Karl Malone. A great scorer and a decent rebounder. Malone gets less credit in my book than most, but the Mailman and Stockton was simply the greatest one-two punch ever, especially that didn't win a championship. They should've stole one from the Jordan Dynasty. Just one. One. 97-98 would've been sufficient.

5. Barkley. Sir Charles is my 11th favorite player ever, which says a lot about his bad-assedness.

6. Hayes. Elvin Hayes could score, could rebound, seriously at 6'9". He's Bill Russell, but better.

7. Pettit. Bob Pettit was Tim Duncan and Elvin Hayes long before that kind of star caliber existed. Credit goes his way for that.

8. Cunningham. Billy Cunningham. What a name for a basketball player. But so right. Billy. Cunningham. He was pretty cunning, to say the least. Love for my ABA brothers.

9. Dirk. The German Skyscraper could score at any given moment. His shooting was incredible on top of his rebounding and defense. Pretty impressive.

10. McHale to the Chief! His GM decisions make him lose points, but give credit to the man who put #2 on this list on this list. Not to mention serious scoring from the 4.

The Top Ten Centers, Ever

2009-07-20T00:41:00.002-04:00

1. Wilt. 100. 8.6. 50. 5.5. 68.2. No one. Even. Comes. Close.

2. Hakeem. Not Kareem. Winning a championship in the Jordan Era is hard enough without Jordan. With Jordan? It should be pretty impossible. Credit the Shake for that.

3. Kareem. You get your due, big fella. No one scored more points. No one will come close. That sky hook is nasty.

4. Bill Russell n' Flow. The greatest champion. 11 champs in 13 seasons. Speaks for itself. Maybe not the greatest skill wise, but 11 championships in 13 seasons is like FDR territory in terms of presidential years.

5. Artis Gilmore. The ABA's own goliath. Gets almost no love. Gilmore was like mini-Stilt.

6. Maurice Stokes. Guilty. Three seasons that good, but only three. So? Grant Hill doesn't deserve the top 10 SF because of injuries? I disagree. This is a talent/winning competition, not a could've won championship. Stokes gets the nod.

7. David Robinson. The Admiral was Shaq-ish, but not overly Shaq-ish. I give the Diesel less credit than he's worth. The Admiral was the real deal, truthfully.

8. Shaq. Fine. He deserves it, but he's down the list a ways.

9. Moses. What a career, what a span of time. The ultimate basketball player. Great playing, long career. Perfect. Plus, he had a spunky attitude that will probably be unmatched in all of sports.

10. Mikan. The first big giant.

The Pistons and the beginning of free agency

2009-07-01T20:58:00.002-04:00

The Pistons used up all of their cap space on Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. This has been seen by some as two terrible moves, all clumped into one big terrible move. When you could be signing and trading for big names, why would you "settle" for Gordon and Villanueva? some hae asked. There's no settling being done. These two are on the move.

Villanueva had a great year on the very disguised Bucks. The Bucks lost total interest from me, at least, after Redd and Bogut went down. Their best two players were Jefferson and Villanueva, and at least Charlie V didn't dissapoint. He's looking like the perfect next Sheed. A three, a block, a steal, 17 points in 27 minutes at 6'11". I like it.

Ben Gordon is young Ray Allen. That's it. He shoots the ball really well. When you ask him to shoot, he's a godsend. When you ask him to pass, everybody calls him shoot-first. He's a shooting guard, for Pete's sake. He shoots. That's his job. He does it well, by the way.

When you add Ray Allen to Rasheed Wallace, you'd get a pretty good deal, right? Think of it that way.

There are a couple teams with significant cap space. The Heat could be one of them, but right now we're sure of the Grizzlies, the Thunder, and the Pacers. The Pacers would probably love a point guard and a true center (and can afford both). The Grizzlies would probably love Blake Griffin. No cigar, but they might be in the mood for a 4. The Heat probably want a point guard too. The Thunder need a five.

Let the Lamar Odom Sweepstakes begin.

The 10 roles

2009-06-09T20:49:00.002-04:00

The perfect basketball team, the perfect 10 man rotation has 10 roles. Any team has 10 roles. It is like a play; each has a purpose, a function, and has the job of performing that function. When there's too much of a function piled up, the statistics become useless.

The 10 roles.

Shooter- someone who can give you 50% FG, 40% 3PT, and 90% FT, or close. Ray Allen comes to mind. Typically should start at the 2. Code: SH.

Scorer- someone who can score 30 PPG, and give you 50 at will. Allen Iverson comes to mind. Typically should start at the 3. Think Elgin Baylor or Dr. J. Code: SC.

Distributor- someone who can give you plenty of assists and less than 3 turnovers. Muggsy Bogues is the ultimate example. 89-90= 10.8 AST, 1.8 TO. Perfect. Doesn't have to shoot well. Typically starts at the 1. Code: DIST.

Guard-like- a forward who plays like a guard. Often, he'll give you a STL, or a 3, or more than 3 AST. Kevin Garnett comes to mind. Typically starts at the 4. Code: GL.

Banger- someone who gives you lots of rebounds and blocks, regardless of scoring or decent percentages. Shaquille O'Neal works well here. Typically starts at the 5. Code: BANG.

Instant offense- just add water. Someone who doesn't need a lot of minutes to score 10-15 pts. JR Smith is an example. Typically comes off the bench at the 2. Code: IO.

Forward-like- a guard who plays like a forward. Often, he'll give you 5 rebounds and 5 ast, a couple points or more, and possibly a block or a steal. Percentages are, again, discounted. Jason Kidd and Mike Miller come to mind. Kobe Bryant sort of fits the definition; then again, he's Kobe Bryant. He fits plenty of definitions. Typically comes off the bench at the 3 or the 1. Code: FL.

Variety show- someone who gives you a little bit of everything. 1 blk, 1 stl and 1 3PT guys are the perfect example. Shawn Marion doesn't come off the bench, but he does this well. Mostly comes off the bench at any position but the 5. Code: VS.

Defender- a hard-nosed, sometimes called "dirty" player who simply mans somebody up. Bruce Bowen comes to mind. Mostly comes off the bench at the 3, but sometimes at the 2. Code: DE.

Specialist- does one thing, and does it well. Chris Andersen is a block specialist. Trevor Ariza is a steal specialist. Comes off the bench at any position. Code: SP.

A perfect depth chart:
PG DIST/FL
SG SH/IO
SF SC/DE
PF GL/VS
C BANG/SP

So if you had a depth chart that looked like this:

PG Calderon/Ridnour
SG Allen/Smith
SF Anthony/Bowen
PF Garnett/Varejao
C Przybilla/Andersen

I would call your team "in good shape."

Strange.

2009-06-09T13:24:00.002-04:00

Another Boston rumor just came up. Last week it was Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo for Leandro Barbosa and Amare Stoudemire. That doesn't make any sense. The next one that doesn't make any sense? Boston is interested in acquiring the #2 pick.

They do know who's in this draft, right?

On the off chance they do, they must be looking to extend and trade Rondo. Fine, but then you'd be giving up on Conley if you're Memphis. Is Rondo better? Yes. Are the Grizzlies giving up on Conley? No.

Here's what I thought. The Grizzlies need size. They already have a starting 5. There's no way in hell Boston's giving up KG.

So it'll have to be a 3 way trade.

What I've seen happen in a lot of scenarios has been: Ray Allen and Kendrick Perkins for Shaquille O'Neal. I once had a dream that Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and Shaquille O'Neal all played for the Sonics. That dream will never happen. But for the Celtics, two out of three ain't bad. At the 2, you could certainly procure Ben Gordon at a reasonable price.

Some more strange things: Reggie Evans is headed to Toronto, and Jason Kapono is headed to Philadelphia. This makes Philadelphia even more dangerous, as its shooting capacity is weak. I know where Toronto's going. Andrea Bargnani is leaving Canada. Quote, the Raptors have "too many finesse players." In terms of big men, Bargnani fits that bill well. I think Bosh is looking not for a Jermaine O'Neal, but for...a Shaquille O'Neal.

Here's the truth. I could fix the Suns in three moves. Just three.

Step 1: Allen and Perkins for Shaq.
Step 2: Nash for Calderon, Bargnani and Ukic.
Step 3: Richardson for Kirilenko.

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=m48yo7

Suns
PG Calderon/Collison (sue me for being a little more keen on defense than Kerr)
SG Allen/Barbosa
SF Kirilenko/Barnes
PF Stoudemire/Amundson
C Perkins/Lopez

The 10 roles, which I will explain in a minute, have been fulfilled. Liftoff to championship. The hopelessly unsalvageable Suns can be salvaged.

The sports predictor has done it again

2009-06-08T23:30:00.002-04:00

When, in the course of obscure sports events, it becomes necessary to predict, count on me.

According to this, Carlos Boozer is deciding between New Jersey and Detroit. Detroit has a renaissance coming, and it doesn't involve Carlos Boozer. I think New Jersey not only has the pieces to compete for Boozer, but the will. With that said, they'll be closer to a championship. Keeping Vince Carter might not be a bad idea. On the other hand, should the Nets acquire a bonafide, younger small forward (hint Josh Howard hint), who knows what might go down? Think even Ron Artest given enough money.

Top targets at each position this offseason, free agent or not. Next position: SG.

2009-06-08T10:08:00.004-04:00

1. Vince Carter. Carter is the perfect balance of solid defense, solid 3PT output, solid penetration and solid scoring, as well as being the best dunker in the game. His contract's not McGrady-size; it can be dealt. Washington might be particularly interested, as I mentioned before.

2. Ray Allen. One of the best pure shooters in history, Ray Allen's still got hops. It's questionable whether Boston will actually part with one of its big three, but rumors as dumb as Amare and Barbosa for Allen and Rondo have been marching on, so...you never know.

3. Allen Iverson. Iverson is an incredible player with a lot of talent, but his talent demands the ball. He needs to start and get 20 touches or he'll never get "in a rhythm." Some just want that ridiculous scoring talent. Charlotte's made some overtures to Iverson as Larry Brown was his old coach. Expect Minnesota to make an offer.

4. Manu Ginobili. As the Spurs will rebuild this summer, expect Ginobili to get traded, ultimately. His defense is great, his per-minute stats are pretty much the best. Give him 17 minutes and he'll give you 17 points. Give him 30 minutes and he'll give you 30 points. Give him 40, and he'll give you 40. I could see Denver being interested, given a 3 way involving Nene.

5. Ben Gordon. Possibly, no one will be interested in a shoot-first shooting guard, who's kind of doing what he's supposed to do. Possibly, the Bulls will be the only interested candidates. Possibly, plenty will be interested in a pure shooter like Ben Gordon. Either way, Ben Gordon shoots well, which is worth something.

6. James Harden. A rookie, I know, but a solid one. He kind of reminds me of Iceman. And I love Iceman.

7. Stephen Jackson. A great player. If you take a look at his assist numbers, they're pretty ridiculous for anyone but a PG. He could actually run the point if you let him, probably. Crouching tiger, hidden Iverson. Truthfully, though, his contract's huge. It's pretty impossible to trade him. He also can't play defense. Toronto might be interested...maybe?

8. Michael Redd. From this point on, I'm talking about 2nd tier talent. Michael Redd can give you 20, maybe even 30 points on any given night, and he can break apart zone defenses like a nutshell, but other than that, he's not worth much. He's available, but not....wanted.

9. Tracy McGrady. McGrady has a huge expiring contract. That's about the best thing he's got going for him. He can't really shoot all that well. He averaged 16 PPG in '08-'09, which is...not Tracy McGrady standard. If you need cap relief in an AI-to-Detroit type move, go for it. Otherwise, don't bother.

10. Jason Richardson. Meh.

Top targets at each position this offseason, free agent or not. First position: PG.

2009-06-08T09:33:00.004-04:00

1. Baron Davis. If you're looking for a run and gun, 3PT shooting, steal-happy assist-happy guard who can also get you about 4 RPG, Davis is your guy. Just because he had a bad year, doesn't mean he isn't class talent. Milwaukee, Minnesota, Sacramento, Miami, Toronto and Miami all might show interest.

2. Steve Nash. Another run and gun PG who's also one of the best shooters in the land. The 50-40-90 club is a regular hotspot for Nash, but his defensive capacity's a little worse. The Suns are probably a little less likely to part with Nash than with Richardson or Stoudemire, but in order to win a championship and fast, I think the Suns would part with anyone at the right price.

3. Tony Parker. For someone who's in his prime and poised to bring a team to a championship from Day One, there'll be someone looking for Parker. Miami is probably suspect #1 considering the fact that Miami is looking for a half-court point guard more than a runner. The problem is that Miami also needs the PG to be able to shoot, a quality Parker does not have. The only reason Parker is this high is because of the fact that the Spurs need to rebuild.

4. Jason Kidd. Kidd's still got triple double potential for one more season, given an experienced squad to work with. Kidd's unique in that he's more like a forward than a guard and that he can run, which he's doing with Dallas, and he can stop and wait like he did in New Jersey. He might just end up re-signing with Dallas, but if Dallas isn't willing to commit the kind of guaranteed years he's looking for, expect someone else to snatch up the opportunity.

5. Jameer Nelson. There's a war going on in Orlando, and I don't mean with the Lakers. No, I mean between Jameer Nelson and Rafer Alston. Both are starting caliber point guards, and only one can get those kind of minutes. Stan Van Gundy needs to start Jameer Nelson, but can't due to the fact that he's not 100%. It depends on which one gets the job and which one ultimately falls out of favor with the organization, but for the moment, expect both to be on the market as needed. Miami is probably ridiculously interested in Nelson, and will probably have to dispense a couple first-rounders to get him.

6. Jose Calderon. Given someone who can score and still shoot well, Toronto will probably give Calderon up. The rumors that Calderon might be sent to the Suns for Steve Nash were not in vain. It's actually a good idea. Besides, anyone who shoots an ungodly 95.1% FT is in demand, whether the team's willing to give that person up or not.

7. Mike Bibby. Mike Bibby shoots the 3 like it's going out of style, and it pays off. He's one of those 13 and 5 guys, ultimately, like Alston, T.J. Ford, Derek Fisher, etc., but he's got added bonus. Like Kidd, if Atlanta isn't willing to pay him top dollar, expect him to bolt. Otherwise, he'll probably just resign.

8. Andre Miller. Miller comes off the Sixers' books this year, and it just so happens that the Sixers are in need of a serious revival. The Elton Brand experiment didn't work out as planned. Their best players are Miller-Iguodala-Young-Brand-Dalembert. While Dalembert's great defensively, something's gotta give, and as it stands, Thad Young and Iguodala are the future. Brand might be shipped, given proper persuasion. It's most like Miller they'll try to make leave town, either by getting a younger PG or not. If they want to win a championship, they have to go a little bit younger.

9. Ricky Rubio. To be perfectly honest, Rubio had better have a lot of upside. I watched a little bit of Beijing, but didn't get to see the Gold Medal Game with that much quality, as I was away at the time. However, had I been there, I would've seen Jose Calderon on the floor the most. Rubio's FG% numbers, assist numbers and, quite frankly, PPG numbers are worrysome, considering that the competition will only get harder stateside. Memphis doesn't really want to draft Thabeet or Rubio, and given a young, solid PF (hint Josh Smith hint) would part with that 2nd pick in a heartbeat. I could seriously see a Josh Smith for the #2 pick straight up. Depending on whether Bibby bolts, they could take either Thabeet and move Horford back to his natural 4 spot, or Rubio and start Zaza Pachulia, who's been solid.

10. Rafer Alston. This is saying that Jameer Nelson is the PG of choice at Amway. Alston's solid, at least, and his contract's not only expiring, but small enough to move with relative ease.

The truth about big men

2009-06-07T10:43:00.003-04:00

How many are there? Answer: four.

What do I mean? How many true centers are there? I can name four. Dwight Howard, Yao Ming, Andrew Bynum, and...Brook Lopez. I said it. I said it. Brookie.

Name another. Tim Duncan? He's a 4. He plays like a 5, but he's a 4.

Shaq? He was, but expect his stats to go down. He shouldn't be in this league.

There are a lot of borderline solid guys that might qualify. Marc Gasol. Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Nene Hilario. But I'm talking dominant here.

Why did I add Brook Lopez to the list? Because he's 21, and he's averaging 13 and 8. He's 21. Compare him to Andrew Bynum. Go ahead. It's almost identical, except...well, Brook's only had a year. He hasn't hit his ceiling yet. Some say he has, but I'm not one of them.

What does this mean? If you're a team that has one of these guys, you're in good hands. If you're not, you're looking for one of these guys. And if you're looking for one of these guys, none of those GM's are going to give them to you, so...tough.

Let's see if Greg Oden and Hasheem Thabeet join these ranks. It is possible.

News, notes, and names from the biggest day in recent memory

2009-05-19T22:26:00.004-04:00

John Wall signs with Kentucky. Blake Griffin effectively signs with the Clippers. John Calipari has the new #1 team in the country, and UNC just sunk to #5.

What do you do about the Clippers? What do you do about James Harden, about the fourth pick if you're Sacramento, the 2nd pick if you're Memphis, etc.?

a) What do you do about the Clippers? The obvious first think you do is a) draft Blake Griffin. Does this wreak of Michael Olowokandi? Absolutely. Am I worried? Yes. Would the Clippers be laughed at horribly if they didn't take Griffin? Certifiably.

You trade Randolph and either Camby or Kaman. Kaman is the least desirable, Camby is the more desirable. Camby is easy to trade. Kaman would be more preferable to trade. There are a couple teams in the league that need true centers, including: Minnesota, Washington, New York, Toronto, Charlotte, Detroit, Atlanta, San Antonio.

I think Minnesota, Washington, New York and Atlanta would all be interested.

Minnesota trades the 6th pick and desirable contracts for Camby/Kaman.

Washington trades the 5th pick and desirable contracts for Camby/Kaman.

New York trades the 8th pick and desirable contracts for Camby/Kaman.

Atlanta's a little tricker, as the Clippers would not be interested in the 19th pick. Camby/Kaman for Josh Smith could be a possibility, with Al Thornton getting sixth man minutes. Horford takes over at the 4, which is his natural position.

I think the Nets would be most interested in Zach Randolph. They run a lot, and their defense is lacking due to the need for defense in East Rutherford also lacking. They could send over their expiring contract in Bobby Simmons, along with Yi Jianlian.

Say you go for Minnesota. Camby for the 6th pick and Brian Cardinal. Simple. You buy Cardinal out and pick Steph Curry 6th. Your lineup is:

PG Curry/Jones
SG Gordon/Collins
SF Thornton/Davis
PF Griffin/Jianlian
C Kaman/Thompson

Nice young core here. Curry/Gordon is absolutely beautiful, as is Thornton/Griffin inside.

James Harden has an even more interesting situation. While he's a good fit for Washington, what I hear is that with Gil Arenas, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison, the idea is to trade that pick for a veteran. I honestly think Phoenix will jump this opportunity. Harden's a hometown Southwesterner out of Arizona State, and he would love to play with them. So, Harden for Richardson, pretty much.

I think if you're Sacramento, you want Baron Davis. You crave Baron Davis. You send Kenny Thomas and Jason Thompson to LA for Baron Davis. What you could also do is send Jason Thompson and the 4th pick, and let LA scramble for whoever might be left worthy of the 4th pick. If you're the Clippers, taking anyone but a PG would be suicide. But Mike Dunleavy has done more stupid things than that, so...anything's possible. Were Mike Dunleavy to present an air of logic, I would think he would go with Thompson and Thomas for Davis, and leave the 4th pick alone. You know who might want Hill? Memphis. Thus, Marc Gasol. Gasol/Hawes is not only perfect, but there's a Spanish Connection between Gasol and Garcia.

If you're Memphis, you take Thabeet. You know you really want Rubio, but you're Chris Wallace and you still have faith in Conley. So you give Conley another shot, trade Gasol to Sacramento for Jordan Hill, and present Conley/Mayo/Gay/Hill/Thabeet.

If you're Oklahoma City, you say, "Drat! I wanted Thabeet!" And you did. But there's no use crying over spilled milk. You draft Ricky Rubio and get it over with. You send Russell Westbrook somewhere. Minnesota might be interested.

If you're Sacramento or Washington, pay attention! Sheesh.

If you're Minnesota, you already traded your pick. Tough.

If you're Golden State, you take Brandon Jennings. You need a PG. Tough.

If you're New York, you take Ty Evans. You have serious backcourt problems, and this is where you address them.

If you're Toronto, you take Demar DeRozan on upside. Possibly, you trade him for an experienced SG. Vince Carter? Eh?

If you're Milwaukee, you take Ty Lawson, should Ramon Sessions jump ship.

If you're New Jersey, you take DeJuan Blair. The rebounding rate on this guy is ridiculous, and the Nets need another legitimate rebounder. As I've learned in, three guys with 10 rebounds are optimal.

If you're Charlotte, you take Earl Clark. At 6'9", he could play the 4 and, while not providing relief for Emeka at the 5, is still a big.

If you're Indiana, you take Jonny Flynn because, well, TJ Ford could jump ship.

If you're Phoenix, you take Eric Maynor. You need a backup PG. Seriously.

John Wall and the dilemma there

2009-05-15T19:55:00.003-04:00

I was doing some research on James Harden. I was scoping out a situation where the Suns traded Leandro Barbosa and the 14th pick to the Clippers, the Clippers traded Chris Kaman to Minnesota, the 3rd pick to Phoenix, and the Timberwolves traded Mike Miller to Phoenix. The Wolves get a real center so Jefferson can play PF; Love is the sixth man and backs both Jefferson and Kaman. Granted, Kaman's game, Jefferson's game and Love's game are about the same. From a height perspective, though, if Jefferson could play the 4, he would not only be happier but more productive. I could see the Wolves procuring Rasheed Wallace, in all honesty, to go along with Allen Iverson. But I could also see a Kaman trade come through.

Anyway, that would bring James Harden to Phoenix. The second trade would be Prince and Will Bynum to Phoenix for Jason Richardson. These two produce a lineup of Nash/Harden/Prince...oh, I forgot...Dirk/Dampier. Yes. I'm still kind of sold on the whole Amare/Shaq for Dirk/Damp thing. Sue me.

So I did some more research on James Harden. ESPN has got a pre-draft workout column going for some of the top prospects in this year's draft: Harden, Griffin, Thabeet, Rubio, Jordan Hill would be examples. But I came across an article on the Nike Hoop Summit, which pitches the best 18 and under high school players from the States against the best 18 and under players from the international scene. I caught it last year, when it featured such studs as Tyreke Evans, Greg Monroe and Jrue Holiday, all possible lottery picks. I was hoping to catch it again. I didn't.

The point here is that John Wall is a fifth-year senior.

John Wall is...a fifth-year senior.

I want you to think about that for a second. John Wall, committed neither to Kentucky nor Miami, but thinking about both of those as serious options, is a fifth-year senior. Here's the text of the CBA that was included after 2006 in terms of the introduction of the one-and-done.

"The player is or will be at least 19 years of age during the calendar year in which the Draft is held, and with respect to a player who is not an international player, at least one NBA Season has elapsed since the player's graduation from high school (or, if the player did not graduate from high school, since the graduation of the class with which the player would have graduated had he graduated from high school)" -- Article X, Section 1(b)(i).

The CBA dictates most any and all rules of the NBA. The cap is dictated by the CBA. The draft is dictated by the cap. Thus, the draft is dictated by the CBA.

John Wall will be 19 in September. The draft is in June. Same calendar year.

Not a single person has jotted Wall down for a mock draft. Perhaps they're certain he goes to college. With this information in mind, I doubt it.

I could see Wall going somewhere between 2nd and 6th. He would go 6th behind someone like Tyreke Evans, and 2nd, obviously behind Blake Griffin. And to be perfectly honest, if for some reason Blake Griffin fell out of favor with the scouts as Mike Beasley did, Wall might even draw the 1st pick. Scares you, doesn't it?

The Kings, the Wizards, the Clippers, the Thunder, the Wolves and the Grizzlies are in prime position to pick up one of the previously believed to be six top picks (Griffin, Rubio, Thabeet, Harden, Evans, Hill), in that order. Well, scratch Hill off the list. Wall is going to the draft, if you want my opinion. The order is Griffin, Rubio, Wall, Thabeet, Harden, Evans. The trade is a good PF for a top-notch upside-type PG. Wall is a great player with a lot of upside. There are places he could improve, and may.

The Wolves and Kings need a PG. The Clippers and Wizards, while in better positions to pick up Wall and Rubio, don't. The Thunder are looking at Thabeet or Griffin. The Wolves would be interested in Harden or Evans...or Allen Iverson. The Grizzlies will probably take Jordan Hill, without a hair's chance at Griffin.

Let's just say Griffin and the Kings end up together. James Harden is probably at the top of the Wizards' list. I could see them trading the pick for...Vince Carter?...given that Harden and already established veterans such as Gil Arenas, Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler would probably not work very well together. But if they keep the pick, they will hope for either Harden or Griffin. Say Griffin's taken. They take Harden at 2nd, 3rd, 4th, whatever it may be.

The Clippers would benefit from going for the trade above. I'm gonna say it's a longshot, and say they sack Baron and go with Wall. If Wall reminds you of Derrick Rose, dearest Chad Ford, and Derrick Rose reminds someone I forget of Jason Kidd with a jumpshot, then John Wall reminds me of Derrick Rose without the jump shot. Or, Jason Kidd. Fine.

Update: Chad Ford also said that John Wall will not declare for the '09 draft. And I don't buy it.

And Jason Kidd does some things similarly to Baron Davis, to be honest.

What do they do with Davis? Why, trade him to Sacramento, of course, for Jason Thompson and Kenny Thomas! It's genius. I know.

Say the Clips do that, and go through with the Suns/Clips/Wolves trade I proposed earlier.

PG Wall/Jones

SG Gordon/Barbosa

SF Thornton/R. Davis

PF Randolph/Earl Clark?

C Camby/Jordan

Eventually, you get rid of Randolph and Camby and institute a young core of Wall, Gordon, Thornton, Clark and Jordan. That's a nice young core if you ask me. The combined cap space that could be obtained from trading Randolph and Camby would find itself at $25M. And with that, you could get LeBron. And would the Clippers be happy with LeBron!

From there, it's pretty straight forward. Thabeet to Oklahoma, Hill to Memphis, Rubio to Minnesota. Those are the guys at the top of those lists, and pretty much that's where they'll end up. The Clippers could make a wild, crazy decade out of the 2010's should they sign LeBron to a $25M contract. John Wall. Eric Gordon. Al Thornton. Zach Randolph. Marcus Camby. And...LeBron James. Nasty.

The Kings, with Davis, Martin, Garcia, Griffin and Hawes, might make a splash. Oklahoma City would be on the verge of the playoffs in some time, with Westbrook, Sefolosha, Durant, Green and Thabeet leading the way. But the Clips...with that lineup, that could be seriously dangerous. And John Wall getting into the '09 mix...that just changes everything.

Richardson for Marion?

2009-05-10T17:35:00.003-04:00

Extremely ironic, no? Shawn Marion back with the Suns? I think it would work. The Raptors sign Shawn Marion for about $12M, approximately, and trade him to the Suns for Jason Richardson. It's perfect. The Suns need a good defender like Marion, and the Raptors need backcourt scoring.

If you're the Suns, you still have Barbosa, so you haven't lost all your backcourt scoring. You draft Ty Lawson out of North Carolina and you instantly have what you need. Then you trade Grant Hill for Tyler Hansbrough. It's like trading Diaw and Bell for Shaq.

PG Nash/Lawson
SG Barbosa/Tucker
SF Marion/Barnes
PF Stoudemire/Hansbrough
C Shaq/Lopez

If you're the Raptors, it was nice to have Shawn Marion, but he was only going to get worse. Backcourt scoring is probably more of an issue for Jay Triano than defense. Then you take that lottery pick and trade it for someone who'll get you 15 and 10. I know. Shawn Marion, right? Well, if you're the Raptors, DeRozan's a project, and Bosh is gone by the end of the year. What would rather have; Richardson and Lamar Odom, say, or DeRozan and Marion? That's what I thought.

Top 10 CB teams, plus NBA playoff prediction update

2009-05-03T12:35:00.004-04:00

1. North Carolina. Sue me. Go ahead. Yes, the Heels are losing a) Psycho T, b) Wayne Ellington, c) Danny Green, d) Ty Lawson. Save for Deon, that's the entire starting rotation. But they're getting (at first glance) a) John Henson, b) John Wall, and they're getting back c) Ed Davis and d) Marcus Ginyard. Sue me. Go ahead. But this is still an incredible team.

PG Wall

SG Ginyard

SF Thompson

PF Davis

C Henson

2. Kentucky. I think there's a legitimate chance that Pat Patterson stays. With that said, Kentucky's getting DeMarcus Cousins. This is DeMarcus Cousins we're talking about here. Let me tell you, this guy is nasty. Nasty good, that is. Add Jodie Meeks and...this is a really good team.

3. Texas. Damion James didn't sign an agent. If he did, I'd have reservations, but...he didn't. This is a good thing, because Texas is taking on two of the top freshmen in the country in Avery Bradley and Jordan Hamilton, ranked #4 and #6, respectively, on the Rivals 150 list. Add developing post players Gary Johnson and Dexter Pittman, and this is a team to beat. And then add J'Covan Brown from last year's recruiting class, and add an improved Justin Mason, and add...greatness, and you have...more greatness.

4. Kansas. Sherron and Cole are staying, which is key. Cole Aldrich probably should have bolted, but...obladi, oblada. That said, adding Xavier Henry, the number one 2 in the country, is huge.

5. Oklahoma. Keith Gallon is no Blake Griffin, not by any stretch of the imagination. But he's good, and Willie Warren can only get better.

6. Washington. Jon Brockman and Isaiah Thomas are going nowhere. I'm curious to see how the two PG offense would be orchestrated. Unless Isaiah Thomas and Abdul Gaddy are Steve Nash and Jason Kidd, I don't know how great it would work out. They're both starting caliber players, but will they both start?

7. Georgetown. You're getting tired of this name, I know. Last time around, they were supposed to be in the Final Four. Give it up, you say! But what about Greg Monroe? He's coming back, he's going to improve, he's possibly going to be joined by #17 Latavious Williams, he very well might get DaJuan Summers back, might get a better Chris Wright back...I don't know. A lot of the talent in college basketball is jumping ship. I just like this team.

8. Georgia Tech. This one's sketchy, but possibly diabolical. Gani Lawal may or may not get drafted. Say he doesn't. He's joined by #3 recruit Derrick Favors. They're joined by Alade Aminu. That's a ridiculous frontcourt. It's a stretch. Lewis Clinch is a good guard, not a great guard, and that being said accounts for the only backcourt talent the Yellow Jackets have. It sort of feels like Wake Forest this year.

9. Florida St. Yes, TDT is leaving. Yes, we have no information about incoming recruit #7 Michael Snaer. I don't know. At this point, it's impossible to tell what to do. This team impressed me with TDT. Without TDT, I don't know what will happen. But I can't find better teams that won't lose half their talent.

10. Ohio St. This might be a safer bet than Florida St., but it really depends on BJ Mullens. a) Will he enter the draft, and b) will he get better if not? It's unlikely Buford goes, and Evan Turner, Big 10 POTY, is staying. I think if Mullens is dominant next year, shows off why he was the #1 Rivals recruit, then you have a great team. If not, well...

10b. Michigan St. A little low? I don't know. I hate this team, and think they got as far as they did in the tourney solely on pure luck. They're losing low post presence Goran Suton. But it's a good defensive team with Tom Izzo, and...what? Maybe.

10c. Louisville. Samardo can only get better. I like his game a lot. Some of their key players, like one of the Andre's and Edgar Sosa, are staying. The chance is tiny, but Terrence Williams might come back. Those things considered, Louisville can be a decent team. Without Clark, though, they pale in comparison to what they were. Clark is, after all, a poor man's LeBron.

10d. Vanderbilt. A stretch. A.J. Ogilvy will not get drafted, which will prompt him not to enter the draft, which will prompt Vanderbilt to get better. They're also picking up John Jenkins, recruit #14. So maybe.

10e. Florida. It's about time, isn't it? Kenny Boynton (no relation to the beach) is solid, some prospects from last year are growing, etc. Doubts? Sure. That's why they're 10e.

10f. Tennessee. This, too, depends on a number of things. a) Will Scotty Hopson get better? b) Will Tyler Smith enter the draft? If both of those things happen, Tennessee does not belong on this list. If neither of those things happen, Tennessee does not belong on this list. If a) happens and b) doesn't, Tennessee belongs right here.

NBA playoff predictions.

a) Lakers v. Magic. Your champs? Orlando Magic. Scary, right? Just got pushed to 6 with Philly, and now they're the champs? Watch. Dwight Howard guarding Kobe Bryant? Possible. 6'10" ('Shard and Turk) ain't bad on 7'0" (Bynum and Gasol). And then you take Howard and put him on Kobe. Genius! Lee's 6'6", so he can take Ariza. Rafe on Fish, as you would expect. Magic in 7.

b) The Hawks will attack the Cavs. Al Horford will totally show Big Z up. LeBron will totally dominate, though, and there is no answer for the King. Cavs in 5.

c) Celts/Magic will be interesting if KG comes back, which is rumored. If not, it will be Magic in 5.

d) Cavs/Magic? I like the Magic better. Sue me. Cleveland is a great basketball team. I like the Magic. Don't ask me why. Magic in 7.

e) Lakers/Rockets. The Rockets are better with Ron Artest and without T-Mac. The Rockets are also better without T-Mac, period. The Lakers are just dirty, period. Lakers in 6.

f) Mavs/Nuggets. The Mavs took care of the Spurs? Scary. The Nuggets are good? Scary. The Nuggets, formerly playoff-fringe, are going to beat the Mavs, formerly NBA Finals material? Even scarier, but it's the truth. Nuggets in 6.

g) Lakers/Nuggets. Fine. You saw this coming. But, it's still the Lakers. Lakers in 5.

Believe it or don't. It's time to trade Tim Duncan.

2009-04-29T18:48:00.002-04:00

Trade Tim Duncan.
Trade Tim Duncan.
Those three words, in combination, could make Spurs owner David Holt (methinks) very scared of the future. Very. So scared, in fact, that hell would probably freeze over. Trade Tim Duncan. Tim Duncan has been the Spurs' cornerstone since he went as the 1997 first pick. He's sort of the Peyton Manning of basketball, but better. Drafted first in '97, really solid, won an MVP and could win as many as possible should any lack of talent arise during any given season.

But what now?

You're Tim Duncan. Yes, your Spurs lost Manu Ginobili to injury. But you picked up a solid force in Drew Gooden. He can score just as well as Manu has all year: 13, 15, 17 points a game. It's not about Ginobili. He wasn't having that good a year anyway. Tony Parker has been having a great year, but you sort of expected that. He was only drafted in 2001. He's been in the league a relatively long time, but not too long. He should be having a good year. They said Timmy was going to crumble this year. And the Big Fundamental did no such thing. But...the injuries. He's got weak knees, and at this rate he will have weak knees for the rest of his career. How much longer can he go?

And when that question comes up, it can only mean one thing. It's time to rebuild.

Rebuilding requires young players. Manu's 31. Tony Parker, alternatively, is 26. I think you keep him, ship Manu.

Who do you target? Spurs basketball requires a dominant big man. Or George Gervin.

Young, dominant big man, to me, equals drafted in 2004 or later. I would consider the following big men, drafted in 2004 or earlier, dominant and tradeable. I agree that some are debatable. Just bear with me. :

Andris Biedrins
Josh Smith
Andrew Bogut
Greg Oden (possibly)
Al Horford (sort of)
Michael Beasley?
Kevin Love?
Blake Griffin?

Obviously, as the drafts get earlier and earlier, the picks get more and more debatable.

Take Biedrins and Bogut off that list, honestly. Biedrins doesn't play defense, and Pop doesn't appreciate that. Bogut's so injury prone, so scary a prospect. I don't think the Spurs would dig him. Beasley's defense is less than satisfactory, and I think the same for Love, if I remember correctly. I'

The others would involve trades with one of the following:
Atlanta
Portland
let's just say Sacramento
or Washington
or Oklahoma City
or Memphis
or LA Clippers

Atlanta would literally have to send everyone on contract except Joe Johnson. It's scary. Atlanta might do it. It's Tim Duncan. They would have to send Horford and Smith, though. Maybe they'd get a big man with the 19th pick. Brackins? Who knows?

I could see Tim Duncan as a Portland Trail Blazer. Wouldn't that be a nasty core? Roy, Aldridge...and Tim Duncan. For a year or two. But Pritchard's smarter than that. They'd win a championship or two, sure, but that team is just full of young talent. They want to win a couple. Then again, there's the possibility that Oden's a bust and Pritchard's doing himself a favor. And then there's the chance that he isn't, that he's been slowly and quietly shaking off rust. Not what his stats would suggest. But who knows? Maybe.

And then there's Blake-o. Ah, Blake Griffin. Griffin conjures up images of two players in particular: Andrew Bogut and...Tim Duncan. Now, we don't have a clear picture of Bogut yet. So far he's been injury prone, inconsistent. A good passer, a good inside playmaker. Not a franchise player. Tim Duncan is an entirely different story.

I think if you're the Spurs, Griffin is the answer. Say we go with Washington, hypothetically. If Washington gets the first pick, they'd have to trade Antawn Jamison in anticipation of Griffin. Say the Nets pull Jamison for Simmons. See, but then they trade Griffin, Butler and Simmons to the Spurs for Duncan. Parker, Manu, Butler, Griffin? Doable. The Wizards, meanwhile, have Gilbert Arenas and Tim Duncan. Believe me: you would do anything for Tim Duncan after coming off any kind of season. It's Tim Duncan. It's...Tim Duncan. If you're the Wizards, you might even be able to use this to sign LeBron. Who knows? It's Gilbert and Tim Duncan. How much more diabolical could it get?

Well, it could. The dark horse scenario: Tim Duncan to the Suns. Yes, I'm talking about Duncan and Shaq in the same starting frontcourt. Why compete for five rings when you can do it together? Stoudemire to the Spurs, Richardson to the Hawks, Josh Smith to the Spurs, etc. I'm just saying...maybe.

PG Nash/BarbosaLawson
SG Williams?Barbosa/Dragic
SF Hill/Barnes
PF Duncan/Amundson
C Shaq/Lopez

Mock draft right now...

2009-04-25T23:32:00.002-04:00

Positions based on current standings.

1 Sacramento - Blake Griffin. D'oh. Package Kenny Thomas and J-Thomp to any team that requires their services and bring in a real point guard. Baron Davis comes to mind.

2 Washington - Hasheem Thabeet. There's no way the Wizards, despite his injury problems, are getting rid of Gilbert Arenas. It would be up to Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison to get traded/dumped, but at the 2nd pick, there's no one who can replace them. So don't. Get Thabeet, trade guys like Haywood and Etan Thomas for a decent SG.

3 LA Clippers - Ricky Rubio. Assume Thabeet goes off the draft board by this point. Assume Mike Dunleavy truly wants Baron Davis gone. Then you have to take Rubio. What do you do with Baron Davis? Package him and Chris Kaman and sign-and-trade for Allen Iverson. Three-way, two-way, doesn't matter.

4 Oklahoma City - James Harden. Makes sense. Your big 4 is Westbrook, Harden, Durant, Green. I'm sure they could sign a center in the offseason. Sam Presti's smart enough to do such thing.

5 Minnesota - Stephen Curry. Minnesota needs a shooter. Foye is a scorer and a little bit of a distributor. I think his assist numbers are going to go up. In the mean time, no one's actually a pure shooter on that team. This is why you pick up Curry and have him man the 2.

6 Memphis - Jordan Hill. Your big 3 is Mayo, Gay, Hill. Should they have taken Kevin Love while they had the chance? Maybe. Can they still get Jordan Hill now and have clear consciences? I think so.

7 Golden State- Tyreke Evans. Evans is actually a PG, believe it or not. At 6'7", he's a very tall one. Expect them to start him and ship Crawford and Maggette or Crawford and Jackson. They can't have all these wings at once.

8 NY Knicks- Demar DeRozan. New York teams picking hot prospects out of Southern California is a pretty common thing, apparently. The Jets just took Mark Sanchez. Why not go for upside with DeRozan?

9 Toronto - Gerald Henderson. Jose Calderon's a fine PG, Shawn Marion's a fine SF, Chris Bosh's a fine PF, and Bargnani's a fine C. Anthony Parker is not a fine SG. Gerald Henderson may be the best option here. Or, package this pick, along with Kapono and Parker, for...Stephen Jackson?

10 Milwaukee - Earl Clark. A good complement to Bogut the banger. Note: Brandon Jennings might go here if it's affirmative that he's declaring for the draft.

11 New Jersey - DeJuan Blair. At SF, Bobby Simmons is going to get traded. Any $10M expiring contract would be one that Rod Thorn would take advantage of. And as it happens, he's probably going to pull in an Amare Stoudemire, an Antawn Jamison, etc. But are there many SF's that he can pull in that can make a difference? I don't know. For this, you take a real high-quality banger in Blair and pray he can hold his own at the 3.

12 Charlotte - Terrence Williams. Very, very poor man's LeBron's sidekick, sort of. There's no real clear talent here better than any other, so why not go for need?

13 Indiana - Jonny Flynn. There's nothing you can do about the fact that Indiana needs a 5 and there's only one on the entire board, and he went at #2. If you're Indiana, you say to yourself, "Self? Tough." And you get a replacement for TJ Ford, who's a possible trading chip due to the expiring contract.

14 Phoenix - Ty Lawson. You obviously need a backup PG here. There's nothing else you need. Nash is running on borrowed time and the future is soon. Lawson brings incredible value here and may very well be the next incarnation of Nash himself, if not D.J. Augustin. Then, of course, you trade Matt Barnes/Grant Hill to New Orleans for their pick, and pick up Tyler Hansbrough. Genius. I know.

15 Detroit - Craig Brackins. Brackins is absolutely a chance. I've never heard of him, never seen him play. But what you have to understand is that he's the last power prospect deserving of this pick, and Antonio McDyess has got to retire sometime or another. And Rasheed Wallace might not come back, etc. Accounting for all of those things, Brackins is ultimately the way to go.

16 Chicago - Jrue Holiday. Strangely enough, Jrue Holiday is not a PG. And if Ben Gordon jumps ship for some reason, Chicago needs him here. For the first time in I don't know how long, Chicago's a tiny bit short on backcourt talent.

17 Philadelphia - Jeff Teague. To be perfectly honest, Andre Miller is standing on his last pair of legs. The future is coming, just like it is in Phoenix. Teague is more than great value here, even if his stock has been falling.

18 Minnesota - Eric Maynor. Just in case Foye can't distribure like we thought he could, Maynor's probably the best option on the board.

19 Atlanta - James Johnson. I don't really know anything about this kid, but if the Hawks are looking for a replacement should Josh Smith bolt, James Johnson could be that kind of player almost to a tee.

20 Utah - Chase Budinger. Utah's only weak position is at the 2. Deron Williams is solid. Andrei Kirilenko is solid. Boozer is solid (sort of). Okur is solid. Ronnie Brewer still has a little bit of time left to learn the ropes, but I'd think about giving up on him some time soon. If that's the case, Budinger could be an ample replacement should he ever start to penetrate like his wingspan suggests.

21 New Orleans - BJ Mullens. I know. It's a stretch to say the least. Upside is pretty much the only thing he's got going for him. New Orleans will probably trade this pick anyway. In terms of what they need, though, there's not much else they can do.

22 Dallas - Tyler Smith. A lot of terrible things could happen because of the Mavs picking Smith. But from this point on, to say that there's first round "value" is a reach. Any of these guys might go undrafted in other drafts, let alone in the second or (gasp) first round. So it doesn't really matter.

23 Sacramento - Darren Collison. He's a reach. Sure. And as it happens, Sacramento could end up with Baron Davis anyway. But if the Kings are left with Udrih at the point at the end of this draft, expect Darren Collison to be off the board here.

24 Portland - Austin Daye. Daye sort of reminds me of Lamar Odom. And Lamar Odom is awesome. So...just do it. Nobody cares.

25 Oklahoma City - Damion James. The chemistry between Kevin Durant and Damion James is already pretty great. What OK City really needs is Duke (Wayne) Ellington, but...like I said, nobody cares.

26 Chicago - Patrick Patterson. I'm going to stop justifying myself here.

27 Memphis - Tyler Hansbrough.

28 Minnesota - Luke Harangody.

29 LA Lakers - Patrick Mills.

30 Cleveland - Wayne Ellington.

The two most beautiful trades that I can imagine right now.

2009-04-14T22:49:00.000-04:00

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=cz9oqs

The basis for this one is that:
a) Bosh is on the way out, however you slice it. That franchise is going to have to be someone else's Bosh will ask for a trade, and why not settle the depth issue, especially in the frontcourt, where they need it most, while you're at it.
b) Peja for Carter, straight up. The Hornets could afford not to how?
c) And the Nets add a seriously good straight shooter in Peja and a very good overall player in BOSHBOSHBOSH.

Nets
PG Harris/Dooling
SG Steph Curry?/CDR
SF Peja/Hayes
PF BOSHBOSHBOSH/Boone
C Lopez/Boone

HorNets
PG Paul/Daniels
SG Butler/Brown
SF Carter/Posey
PF West/Bowen
C Chandler/Armstrong

Raptors
PG Calderon/Ukic
SG DeRozan?/Parker
SF Marion/Kapono
PF Yi/Najera
C Bargnani/Anderson

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=cm6oky

a) DIRK AND NASH BACK TOGETHER! Is there anything more beautiful that you can imagine than that? The Suns want it, all right. Jamison also has a history with the Nash/Dirk dynamic duo, so that'll make a formidable big 3.
b) Shaq and Amare is an instant upgrade over Dirk and Dampier, regardless of whether Dirk is better than Shaq or Amare or both or not.
c) The Wiz need to get rid of Jamison...to roll out the carpet for Griffin! G'deh! Plus, Flip Saunders, new coach of the Wiz, would love a great offensive player like J-Rich and there's a big hole at SG anyway.

Suns
PG Nash/Curry
SG Barbosa/Barnes
SF Jamison/Hill
PF Nowitzki/Amundson
C Dampier/Lopez

Mavs
PG Kidd?/Barea
SG Wright/Green
SF Howard/Singleton
PF Amare/Bass
C Shaq/Hollins

Wiz
PG Arenas/James
SG Rich/Stevenson
SF Butler/Young
PF Griffin/McGee
C Haywood/Thomas? Songaila?

Good trades, better teams.

Shaq to Dallas? Fine.

2009-04-09T20:48:00.001-04:00

Rumors have been spreading that Shaq wants to go the Mavs.

I envision:

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=dljztl

seeing as:

a) Phoenix would love to reunite Dirk and Nash. Antawn Jamison and the two constituted the '03-'04 Mavs. I think they'd have fun with that.

b) Jason Kidd's probably retiring, and they need a PG in Dallas. Who better than Gilbert A?

c) Washington needs to rebuild. It would be nice if they didn't have to deal with Gilbert's getting injured all the time. And since the rebuilding is presumably around Blake Griffin, naturally they need to get rid of Antawn.

The Suns:

PG Nash/Curry
SG Barbosa/Barnes
SF Jamison/Hill
PF Nowitzki/Amundson
C Stoudemire/Lopez

The Wizards:

PG James/Crittenton
SG Richardson/Stevenson
SF Butler/Young
PF Griffin/McGee
C Haywood/Songaila

The Mavs:

PG Arenas/Barea
SG Wright/Terry
SF Howard/Green
PF Bass/Singleton
C Shaq/Hollins

Then the Nuggets trade, or Stoudemire for Nene and Smith:

Suns:

PG Nash/Curry
SG Smith/Barbosa/Barnes
SF Jamison/Hill
PF Nowitzki/Amundson
C Nene/Lopez

thus, the Brazilian connection, the Mav connection, etc.

Nuggets:

PG Billups/Carter
SG Jones/Weems?
SF 'Melo/Kleiza
PF Martin/Balkman
C Stoudemire/Andersen

I don't know. Sounds reasonable to me.

Rescue the Suns? Or sink them?

2009-04-08T18:49:00.001-04:00

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=ddb75o

Playoff generator is still great.

2009-04-08T18:24:00.001-04:00

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/playoffscenario?algorithm=custom&23=D005101414515545104100540105550&24=D10411011

Fading stars? Since when?

2009-04-04T15:16:00.000-04:00

There are a couple guys that are said to fading stars right now, that I'm not sure I can agree with. I'm sure you know some of the names. Allen Iverson. Shawn Marion. Peja Stojakovic. Zach Randolph. For example. Granted, Jermaine O'Neal and guys like that are actually dying out, but the other four I can't agree. And I can't judge Baron Davis...god knows what to do with him. All of those guys had great stats last year, and they're just in bad situations for their talents. Detroit's backcourt is clogged. Toronto stinks, even though they shouldn't. Posey and Butler are taking all of Peja's shots (believe me, he was on my fantasy team most of this year). The Clippers' frontcourt is clogged, too. What I'm saying is it's not the end of the world for those four, and there should be small markets for them even if they turn out to be big trades.

I'm eyeing two teams to make big moves this offseason; Minnesota and Memphis. Both will have high draft picks and both will have good cap space. Both are probably looking at a guy like Hasheem Thabeet or, if possible, Blake Griffin. Both might also be looking at a guy like Allen Iverson or Peja Stojakovic.

I really think you could put together a Minnesota core of Iverson/Marion/Stojakovic, trade Jefferson to the Hornets and keep Thabeet in the pivot. I mean, come on! You know you like it. Sign Iverson and Marion at $10 a piece, or sign and trade to Toronto some Love/Miller action. Worst case scenario, it looks like this.

PG Foye/Telfair
SG Iverson/Ollie. But there's no real point in having a backup for Iverson, seeing as you can play him 48 minutes a night.
SF Marion/Blair
PF Stojakovic/Smith
C Thabeet/J. Jordan

And that, my friends, is enticing. Take it or leave it. Iverson putting up 25, Stojakovic with 3 threes a night, Marion bringing it down, Thabeet blocking shots all over the place...it's magic. You've probably got a future DPOY in Thabeet, if I have my say, and probably a Dikembe Mutombo look-alike and all star down the line. I mean, 'Sheem's going to be on my fantasy team in his rookie year.

If I were Kevin McHale, I would do this. If I weren't...well, maybe not.

Playoff generator is great.

2009-04-02T21:22:00.000-04:00

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/playoffscenario?algorithm=custom&22=C511505405444510045005040&23=D005141400514445154510540105514&24=D10410011

And, the BaB picks based on that.

East
CL over DT
MI over AT
BO over CH
OR over 76

CL over OR
BO over MI

CL over BO

West
LA over DL
HO over PT
DV over UT
SA over NO

LA over HO
SA over DV

SA over LA

Finals
SA over CL

You heard it here first. Spurs win.

What's in a draft?

2009-03-30T21:48:00.000-04:00

Freshmen. Upper classmen. Bad teams looking for a new piece. Good teams looking for money, to trade up, etc. Threshold teams looking to be better. And David Stern. Now, all of those things should take place. But, when one takes a little more prominence then any of the others, the draft becomes...less than exciting. I mean, what happens when you put a lot of upperclassmen in a draft? Potential is on the backburner. What about too many bad teams? The league stinks, and some of those bad teams don't get an interesting piece. What about too much David Stern? Well, the one-and-done phenomenon happens, for example. And then there are too many freshmen, sometimes. That's not always a bad thing. I will take an OJ Mayo over a Chase Budinger in that #3 slot any single day of my GM'ing life. Any single day. But sometimes, I'd rather a Jordan Hill over an Anthony Randolph. You know? Whole drafts could have been decidedly different without some of those imbalances.

David Stern is imagining...the two-and-done. The-two-and-done. One-and-done is OK for some aspiring NBA'ers. One year is fine. They can deal with that. Brandon Jennings is one exception. But what I'm saying is, two years? Some prospects might want to get paid, and not want to put up with that. They might go to Europe, or to Guangdong, or wherever. And god forbid they get paid a lot of money and stay! That would be terrible for the NBA. I mean catastrophic.

Bad idea, D-Stern. BaB is decidedly against it.

The '08 Draft, My Way

2009-03-30T20:34:00.000-04:00

1 Derrick Rose, Chicago. This is a no-brainer. Worked out just fine for the Bulls.
2 Brookie, Miami. This is also a no-brainer. Jermaine O'Neal was not the answer, at all.
3 OJ Mayo, Minnesota, only you keep him. Better than Miller, I'll say.
4 Mike Beasley, Seattle/OKC. Oh, the places Durant and Beasley'll go. Would go.
5 Kevin Love, Memphis, and you keep him where he is. Up front, Memphis might very well be the worst team in the league. This would help much.
6 DJ Augustin, NY Knicks. Then, you can actually use Duhon as a backup and not have to worry about picking up Larry Hughes, of all people! This was a no brainer, and Walsh failed.
7 Russell Westbrook, LAC. Then you don't have to waste your cap space on Baron Davis, who failed miserably this season.
8 Eric Gordon, Milwaukee. Foresight! Michael Redd will be out for season! Adjust! Adjust!
9 Mario Chalmers, Charlotte. You would've wanted Augustin here, but Chalmers will do you just fine in many of the same categories.
10 Jason Thompson, Sacramento. Thompson has surely been the star that you never saw coming. I could see him putting him ridiculous numbers in the future. Plus, here he plays for his hometown Nets.
11 Ryan Anderson, Indiana. Murphy/Anderson is a good, serious frontcourt. Murphy/Foster ain't change. That's just more of the same.
12 Darrell Arthur, Sacramento. Arthur has been one of the better rookies, as many expected him to be before everyone started fretting over his knee. His knee was fine, you geniuses. He would've been a steal at 12.
13 Brandon Rush, Portland, but you keep him. He would've been perfect at that height to start at the 3.
14 Anthony Randolph, GSW. I really like Randolph now. Coming into the draft, I wasn't so convinced. But if the Monster from Jamaica gives him HoF approval, then by all means, he's just that.
15 JaVale McGee, Phoenix. Oh, Steve Kerr. RLopez was understandable, too, but...you could've done better.
16 Courtney Lee, Philadelphia. If only they knew they'd have to start Willie Green half the time.
17 JJ Hickson, Indiana. Apparently, people see things in Hickson. All right. Then take your best available option here.
18 Roy Hibbert, Washington. It might've been smart to retake McGee if available, but I know Hibbert has a lot of potential. You'd have seen this being a smart move eventually, had there not been so many post players in Indiana.
19 Marreese Speights, Cleveland. What they see in him is also beyond me, but fine. If you like him, here he goes.
20 Kosta Koufos, Charlotte. Okafor at the 4, Koufos at the 5 might have worked out well. Instead, they have Ajinca the Project.
21 Jerryd Bayless, New Jersey. I mean, I like the guy a lot. But what happened here? It's beyond me. Either way, maybe he needs a shot here. I don't know. Put him at the 2 or something, behind VinCart.
22 CDR, Orlando. CDR! Why do you not get used effectively? CDR is the man, who deserves a higher pick but, considering the amount of big men needed, can't, really.
23 George Hill, Utah. Turned out fine, turns out. Brevin Knight can't seriously be the backup PG on a team this deep. Be reasonable.
24 Robin Lopez, Seattle/OKC. This might've been a little more reasonable, to be honest. Lopez would've had time to evolve as a player, considering OKC wasn't in the hunt for any playoffs any time soon.
25 Nick Batum, Houston -> wherever, or not. The only value left.

You can do the rest as you like. As in, IDC.

The Blair Wolf Project

2009-03-21T14:14:00.000-04:00

You can say a lot of things about K-McHale's GM'ing. You can say it was junky. You can say it was ununderstandable. You can say that. But his coaching has been great, actually, considering the weapons in his arsenal. Minnesota might win 20 games, and understandably so.

But there are ways to improve the Timberwolves. There are many ways. Obviously, the cornerstone here is Al Jefferson. You keep him, regardless. He's the new KG (not really). But he runs that franchise, and that franchise goes where he goes.

And, like I said, there are a number of ways to fix the Wolves.

a) Allen Iverson. That, in itself, is a giant upgrade, but don't tell anyone. After his horrible outing in Detroit, it's unlikely many teams will want him. But Minnesota will surely take him. Surely. Then you've got a strong offense that can sell tickets. Will it win championships? Doubtful.

b) Sell Love and Miller. Together, they give one team a strong, young building block (Kevin Love) and a good contributor in Miller. Was Miller, at one point, very good? Sure. Is he now? Doubtful. That $12M could be used to draw a number of targets to Minnesota, including:

Peja Stojakovic
Gerald Wallace
Elton Brand
Amare Stud
sign-and-trade Sheed
sign-and-trade Monster From Jamaica
etc.

c) Sell the 6th pick and future ones/Love + Miller. You could draw:

any of those guys above, plus:
Tracy McGrady
any stud with a huge, $20M contract

d) Start a youth movement with a Teague/Blair/Jefferson core. You can call it the Blair Wolf Project.

I think the Monster from Jamaica or Sheed or Peja would work great. Take the following example of a team.

Team next year with no moves:
PG Telfair/Ollie
SG Foye/Brown
SF Gomes/Miller
PF Love/Smith
C Jefferson/?

Draft:

PG Teague/Telfair
SG Foye/Miller
SF Blair/Gomes
PF Love/Smith
C Jefferson/Jordan

Trade Miller and Love to NOrleans.

PG Teague/Telfair
SG Foye/Brown
SF Stojakovic/Blair
PF Gomes/Smith
C Jefferson/Jordan

Sign Odom for less.

PG Teague/Telfair
SG Foye/Brown
SF Stojakovic/Blair
PF Odom/Gomes
C Jefferson/Jordan

Reminds me of Orlando, but a little bit better considering the depth and youth. That's one way.

Tournament summary, as of Round 2

2009-03-21T13:00:00.000-04:00

-Santa didn't stop around again, the mistletoe's still in the attic. CHRISTMAS!!!!! (weep)
-Cleveland St. rocks Wake. I should've seen that coming. It's just, Farouq is the man.
-I'm gonna call Zags over Tar Heels. (teeth clenched)
-The best game has been OK St./TN, IMO. Or at least, that I've been able to see. Four OK St. Cowboys had four fouls (which is a big deal in college) and they still made it out alive.
-Clemson fails me again. THAT'S IT! No more picking Clemson! Ever! G-Demon!
-I now hate Florida St. That enticing war cry ain't got substance. Where was the war? You lost to Wisconsin! WISCONSIN!
-Syracuse FTW, as I expected, and handily. Sorry if you called an upset, because you fail.

The Top Picks, and Where They Would Work Best Among The Suitors Likely

2009-03-18T20:27:00.000-04:00

There are seven teams in position for the seven sure fire players in this draft. The teams are:

Sacramento
Washington
LA Clips
Memphis
OK City
Minnesota
Golden State

in that order.

There are seven sure fire players in position to be drafted by seven teams in this draft. The players are:

B. Griffin, PF
R. Rubio, PG
G. Monroe, PF/C
J. Harden, SG
H. Thabeet, C
J. Teague, CG (combo guard)
J. Hill, PF

One of those top four teams will have the best chance of picking up the #1 prize, Blake "The Beast" Griffin. He's not really called "The Beast" by anyone but me. Bear in mind, you don't get The Beast unless you get the #1 pick. And, if you get the #1 pick, you get The Beast, no questions asked. If you're one of the top 5 teams, you probably have a legit chance. If not, your chance is fat.

The Grizz needs a PF like Griffin, but Griffin himself was born and raised in Oklahoma. Naturally, he'd love playing with the Thunder. The Grizz are in a better position right now. Griffin -> Grizz.

The Kings need a PG...badly. They have the worst record in the league, and they'd probably get first dibs on Ricky Rubio. The Clips would want him too, but...fat chance. Rubio -> Kings.

I'm not entirely sure what the Clips need. They need a full restructuring. The only big worth keeping is Camby. Greg Monroe might be perfect, in that case. Trade Randolph and Kaman away for cap room and depth, pick up Allen Iverson, rejoice and be merry. Who knows? Maybe they'd trade Kaman to the Wiz for their pick and take Rubio. We can't assume anything. Monroe -> Clips

The Wiz need James Harden. Story ended. Harden -> Wiz

OK City needs a board monster like...'Sheem. Sheem -> Thunder

I bet the Wolves would be very, very interested in Jeff Teague. Hey, guess what? They're in the perfect position to pick him up. Teague -> Wolves

Which leaves Hill to the Warriors, very appropriately.

The Kings have:

PG Udrih/Jackson/Solomon
SG Martin/McCants
SF Nocioni/Garcia
PF Thompson/Diogu
C Hawes/Simmons?

now =

PG Rubio/Udrih/Jackson
SG Martin/McCants
SF Nocioni/Garcia
PF Thompson/Diogu
C Hawes/Simmons?

Next year, that lineup looks like:

PG Rubio/Udrih
SG Martin/Garcia
SF Nocioni/Greene
PF Thompson/Thomas
C Hawes/none

with the Kings at the cap. UFA's the Kings might be interested in include low key front court players. The addition of Rubio alone should be enough to make the Kings' 2009-10 season much better. And I mean the "much better" from the Microsoft commercials with the little Asian girl. They could try and sign Lamar Odom, if anything. Lamar Odom is a monster.

The Wiz, when everyone's healthy, looks like this:

PG Arenas/James/Crittenton
SG Harden/Stevenson
SF Butler/McGuire/Young
PF Jamison/McGee/Blatche
C Haywood/Songaila/E. Thomas

After cap clearing, it looks like this.

PG Arenas/Crittenton/Dixon
SG Harden/Stevenson
SF Butler/McGuire/Young
PF Jamison/McGee/Blatche
C Haywood/Songaila/Pecherov

With the re-addition of Arenas, Haywood and the addition of Harden, that team should be much better already. On top of that, they'll about $4M in the hole, which in strange NBA GM terms means they'll have cap room. There's no one they really need to have interest in. They should see how '09-'10 goes and see what they do with that cap room.

I already did the Clips. Get out of here, you charlatan.

The Grizz have a really interesting situation. Their pockets are approximately $5M deep. They could pick a really big name. Next year, they look like:

PG Conley/Mayo
SG Mayo/Buckner
SF Gay/Ross
PF Griffin/Arthur
C Gasol/Darko

A crap bench, to be sure.

Add...Mike Bibby.

PG Bibby/Conley
SG Mayo/Buckner
SF Gay/?
PF Griffin/Arthur
C Gasol/Darko

The addition of Griffin and Bibby should a significant change enough. For good measure, you could add a role player like Trevor Ariza, Gerald Green...etc.

OK City's in an interesting position too. They've got a very nice young core.

PG Westbrook/Atkins
SG Sefolosha/Weaver
SF Durant/Wilkins
PF Green/Collison
C Thabeet/Krstic

That's a nice young lineup there. But then you add $14M in cap room. And then...you could sign...Ben Gordon? You thought I was going to say Allen Iverson, didn't you? Fat chance. Even I thought I was going to say Allen Iverson until about a second ago.

The addition of Gordon and Thabeet should cause enough improvement to notice effects. And you've probably still got $10M in cap room for 2010.

Minnesota's in a (really) interesting draft position. This is what their lineup looks like now:

PG Telfair/Ollie
SG Foye/Brown
SF Gomes/Miller
PF Love/Williams
C Jefferson/Collins

Then...you're at the cap, due to expiring contracts.

Then you draft Teague. So...

PG Teague/Telfair
SG Foye/Brown
SF Gomes/Miller
PF Love/Smith
C Jefferson/?

And then you add the (other two draft picks) this first round.

PG Teague/Telfair/Ollie
SG Foye/Miller/Brown
SF DeJuan Blair (Pittsburgh)/Gomes/Carney
PF Love/Smith
C Jefferson/Jerome Jordan (Tulsa)

Then you're about $4M in the hole. But you've got a nice core. You could trade Love and Miller for...Peja Stojakovic. He can play PF just as well as Rashard can. Then...

PG Teague/Telfair/Ollie
SG Foye/Brown
SF Blair/Gomes/Carney
PF Stojakovic/Smith
C Jefferson/Jordan

And what's sort of funny is that when I hear Jefferson/Jordan, I think Thomas Jefferson/Michael Jordan presidential ticket. That's just me.

Golden State would have/has an interesting predicament. Observe:

PG Crawford/Watson
SG Ellis/Belinelli
SF Jackson/Maggette/Azubuike
PF Hill/Randolph/Wright
C Biedrins/Turiaf

Then you could package Maggette and Wright...for...a PG. Crawford has an ETO this year, which, considering previous prolific Warriors PG's...turns out kind of poorly. I know what you're thinking. http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=c9f886

You could do that.

Finals Prediction

2009-03-17T12:22:00.001-04:00

Spurs v. Cavs. Syracuse v. Louisville. Sort of the same story.

My bracket:

http://www.fileden.com/files/29895/bracket.jpg

Here's what I figure.

a) This tournament compares best to that of 1998. In 1998, Nazr Mohammed, Jamaal Magloire and Jeff Sheppard (who you probably don't remember) took Kentucky to a championship under Tubby Smith. Who did Tubby Smith succeed just that year? Rick Pitino. Which is why Louisville is your champion. It's also the best team in the field.

b) Three regions will turn out pretty conservatively, while one will look like pure havoc. The East Region is that region, because Pittsburgh is the #1 seed that needs to get upset. Duke won't get upset right away, but...eventually. Minnesota (under Tubby Smith!) is perfect for that. Since no seed under 9 makes it to the Elite 8, Minnesota goes down.

c) The regions shape up pretty nicely for this. Let's get this off the table first: I absolutely hate Pittsburgh, Duke, Michigan St. and Kansas. Crap teams that don't deserve to be seeded as high as they are. One #1 seed will get upset in the 2nd round, and I think Oklahoma State is perfect for that. This is why they're in the sweet 16.

d) So in the East region, the guy who gets to the Final Four has to be relatively highly seeded. The right amount of upsets have been calculated. I think American, on a huge winning streak, takes out Villanova, who I never really liked. The story is the same with Portland St. and Xavier. So then the highest seed is Florida St., at 5. So they advance.

e) There were 9 upsets in 1998. I've predicted 9.

More to come when I think of it.

Allen Iverson would work best...where?

2009-03-14T14:30:00.000-04:00

For starters, there are a lot of places he wouldn't work well. These include:

Cleveland
Boston
Orlando
Atlanta
Miami
Philadelphia
Detroit
Milwaukee
Chicago
New York
New Jersey
Charlotte
Indiana
Toronto
Washington
LA Lakers
San Antonio
Houston
Utah
New Orleans
Portland
Denver
Dallas
Phoenix
Golden State
Memphis
Oklahoma City
Sacramento

Which basically leaves:

Minnesota
LA Clippers

or, the dying end of the Western Conference.

There are advantages to both. With Minnesota, the lineup looks like this:

PG Foye/Telfair
SG Iverson/Miller
SF Gomes/Brewer
PF Jefferson/Smith
C Thabeet?/Love

Iverson and Jefferson are the only two guys you need. Jefferson kicks it out to Iverson when he can't get it done in the paint, and Iverson dishes it to Jefferson when he can't get it done from the arc. Both of these guys could get you 25 pts next year. Thabeet and Love are really just contributors. Foye's a great distributor who's coming into his own more and more. Since Iverson can't be a distributor, the backcourt arrangement works perfectly.

With the Clippers it looks like this:

PG Davis/Jones
SG Iverson/Gordon
SF Thornton/Novak
PF Randolph/Camby
C Kaman/Jordan

Say you trade Randolph to...the Nets...for a slew of bench players.

PG Davis/Jones
SG Iverson/Gordon
SF Thornton/Simmons/Novak
PF Camby/Yi/Najera/Skinner
C Kaman/Anderson/Jordan

And then say you factor in the high first round pick the Clips will get, which could be:

Ricky Rubio
Greg Monroe
James Harden

depending on what the Wizards and Kings desire.

Say you take Rubio and trade Davis to the Rockets, who were interested in him at the deadline.

PG Rubio/Lowry
SG Iverson/Gordon/Barry
SF Thornton/Battier/Simmons/Novak
PF Camby/Yi/Najera/Skinner
C Kaman/Anderson/Jordan

That's a good team. Plus, Camby and Iverson's deal's would expire shortly, leaving the Clips with $20M in cap room. But you could extend them. Or not. Or, you would have a nice young core of Lowry, Gordon, Thornton, Yi, Landry, Anderson, and Jordan. That's pretty cool, too.

Seed Positioning

2009-03-12T09:35:00.000-04:00

Surefire #1's: UNC, Connecticut, Pittsburgh

Possible #1's/high #2's: Memphis, Michigan State, Louisville, Oklahoma

Surefire #2's: Kansas

Possible #2's/high #3's: Wake Forest

Surefire #3's: Duke

Possible #3's, high #4's: UCLA, Washington, Clemson, Xavier

Surefire #4's: Villanova, Syracuse

Possible #4's, high #5's: Marquette, Butler, Gonzaga

Surefire #5's: Arizona St., Texas, Florida St.

Cal, AZ, Illinois, Purdue, TX A&M, OK St., KS St., West Virginia, Providence, Boston College, Miami (FL), LSU, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee and Florida should all gain at-large bids at some seed #5 or lower. That's 38 competitive schools. 21 more conferences have automatic bids that will most likely end up below #10 seeds and have an inkling of competition under the right circumstances. That's 59 schools, plus six schools that probably don't deserve to be there and have no inkling of competition from junk conferences.

My Famed "Most Likely To Be Upset" List

Since I only know five seeds with any certainty, I'll give you the best of those.

Pittsburgh- PITTSBURGH, you ask? Pittsburgh. I never liked these guys, even though they're respectable. Get them cocky and they'll fall, like they did to a) Providence and b) Villanova most prominently. It wasn't close with Providence. It was an 8 point game. That's how you know Pittsburgh didn't care. If there's a 16 seed motivated enough, Pittsburgh will still slaughter them. If there's an 8 or 9 seed motivated enough, BEWARE!

Oklahoma- It may take a while. This is a great team, make no mistake, but any team that relies heavily on one player goes down one time or another. That player goes off for 40 and the rest of the team puts up absolutely nothing. That's what usually happens. The Lakers. Durant's Longhorns. Beasley's Wildcats (after crushing the Mayo-led Trojans). You get the idea.

Louisville- This is the year to love Louisville. They're the most experienced, most worthy Louisville squad in recent college basketball years. But it's still Louisville, sadly. Something can and may go wrong. Edgar Sosa can wake up blind. Samardo Samuels can transform into David Padgett. Earl Clark's left leg can disappear. I don't know. Be creative!

Duke- It's not just that I'm one of the many people that hate Duke. It's also that they lost to Michigan. I saw that game, by the way, and it wasn't close. Duke started off cold, and they ended cold. I think a good defensive team would trouble Duke immensely.

Marquette- This is a good team without Dominic James. Yes, it's a good team. But there's no Dominic James. You get the dilemma. It ain't the 8th ranked team it was a week or two ago.

Gonzaga- Is there a bigger fan of the Adam Morrison saga, the tears spent at UCLA's feet that fateful day, than myself? Absolutely not. Is this the Adam Morrison team I came to know and love? Nope. Beware. If they put the ball in that fraud Austin Daye's hands too often, I fear the worst. If they put it in Pargo's hands too often, the best should come.

Texas- All right, what happened to these guys? They lost to some pretty crappy Big 12 teams. That shouldn't have happened. I can understand Georgetown and Notre Dame dying at the hands of the Big East, but what the heck is Texas' excuse? Sure, it's a good team, and sure, it'll get some credit, and sure, the field isn't strong enough that there are enough people worth of a 5th seed besides Texas. Don't give it too much credit, though. Texas is ripe for defeat.

My Famed "Most Likely To Upset Someone" List

Clemson- Here I am, back with the Clemson card! I picked them to go the Final Four last year, because I certainly didn't trust Kansas. That didn't work out that well; Kansas won it all. But I think under the right circumstances (say, vs. Pittsburgh?) Clemson could come up strong. This is a deep, experienced team with a lot of good wins under its belt.

Wake Forest- Since Wake is a possible #2 seed, it's not much of an upset, but put it this way; they could win it all. It's plausible, anyway. That would be a pretty big upset, no?

Providence- They beat Pittsburgh. By 8. Not bad.

Morehead St.- I don't know. Maybe.

Two Admissions: or, Two Things I Admit

2009-03-11T22:29:00.001-04:00

The First Thing I Admit: I like the Suns' situation. No, I don't mean they have a good situation, but it's extremely interesting. There are a lot of ways to skew it, unlike many other NBA teams. It's good to toy around with. Steve Kerr's decisions are reminiscent of many made in basketball's history, which is why it's fun explaining them and teaching my beloved masses something about basketball through them. That's why I bring them up a lot. Apologies.

The Second Thing I Admit: Steve Kerr has done an understandable job as Suns' GM. Not good or bad. Just understandable.

I understand that the run and gun approach was never going to get the Suns a championship. I understand that the defense Mike D'Antoni was running was nonexistent.

I understand that, which is why I understand grabbing Shaq and firing Mike D'Antoni. Shaq is an All-Star, and he's the best defensive player on the suns.

I understand that getting rid of Mike D'Antoni made a lot of people angry. Steve Nash, Raja Bell, Boris Diaw, Leandro Barbosa and Amare Stoudemire, or pretty much the entire Suns' rotation in the SSOL era, are included.

Effects were shown. Steve Nash's turnovers went up in Terry Porter's half court style. Leandro Barbosa was nowhere near the Sixth Man he was in '06-'07 for the first half of the season in any regard. Amare Stoudemire's numbers dropped across the board, although not as heavily as Barbosa's, for example. Boris Diaw and Raja Bell were generally unhappy regardless of where they were or who they were playing for or what they were doing. But this, this transformation, it had to be done eventually. They couldn't live in this dream-cloud run-and-gun style forever. They would never win it all.

So I understand why Bell and Diaw were traded. It just so happens that Larry Brown was the only taker, and it just so happens they gave up Jason Richardson for the two. It just so happens that Diaw has turned into his old '05-'06 self in many respects, and that no one saw any of that in him any more, which is why they didn't bite. Is Jason Richardson an improvement? Talent-wise, he is. Need-wise, he isn't. Raja Bell was the best remaining Sun defender, and he was traded. Boris Diaw filled a lot of backup forward needs a lot of the time, and he was traded. Jason Richardson can't defend or play the 4, so naturally that's not too good.

I can understand why Amare Stoudemire would be traded. He can't defend. He's good in half-court settings, as we figured out the first part of this season, but not great like he was in, say, '07-'08 with D'Antoni.

I can understand why Jason Richardson would be traded. The Suns need defense. He ain't got it. Thus...you see the dilemma.

I can understand why many of you think the Suns' ship is sunk. After losing Tuesday night to the Mavs, they're now five games out of the playoffs. They have 18 games left, which logically means that if the Mavs lose 5 of their remaining 18 games, and the Suns win 5 of their remaining 18 games, they'll be even. The Suns are 4-7 without Stoudemire. That's a winning percentage of 36.3%. At that rate, they'll win 6 of their remaining 18, approximately. Conversely, Dallas are 7-4 in that same span of time, which means they'll probably win about 10-13 games. So you can do the math, but you don't have to if you don't want to. Phoenix is headed to the lottery. But that doesn't meant the ship is sunk.

The Suns have four trading chips.
1) Richardson
2) Stoudemire
3) Barbosa
4) the lottery pick, presumably #14

Depending on who the Suns pick with that #14 pick, they may structure their core differently. Chad Ford has Jrue Holiday being the Suns' pick at #14, which would be perfect, because Holiday is a pure PG that would be perfect to replace Nash later down the line. That eliminates one problem. The second problem is...the Suns don't play defense. And who plays defense really well that you can think of? Shane Battier! And what do the Rockets need? A dominant frontcourt! And who's dominant? Amare Stoudemire! And what could the Rockets use to fill in the cap gap between Stoudemire and Battier? Why, Brent Barry, Luis Scola, and Chuck Hayes, of course!

Who would make Steve Nash very happy? Dirk Nowitzki! Who would make Dallas very happy? Jason Richardson, an offensive, 3PT shooting machine that knows how to run like Dallas does! Who else would Dallas enjoy? Luis Scola, to fill in for Dirk! Trade! http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=c9x88d!

Who do you start at SG? Why, the great-when-starting Matt Barnes! Or Barbosa! Take your pick!

Now, your vastly improved lineup looks like this.

PG Nash/Holiday
SG Barnes/Barbosa
SF Battier/Hill
PF Nowitzki/Hayes
C O'Neal/Lopez

Isn't that much cleaner? Nash and Dirk back together again in Phoenix, with Shaq throwing down Steve Nash passes?

The Market, After Deadline Edition

2009-03-07T15:07:00.000-05:00

So for the first time today, I did something I should've done a long time ago. I compiled the following list:

Contenders

Boston

Cleveland

Orlando

LA Lakers

Setup

Miami

Atlanta

Utah

New Orleans

San Antonio

Houston

Denver

Portland

Cause For Rebuilding

Detroit

New York

Milwaukee

Philadelphia

Toronto

Washington

Dallas

Phoenix

Golden State

Almost Done Rebuilding

Chicago

New Jersey

Rebuilding, Period

Charlotte

Indiana

LA Clippers

Memphis

Minnesota

OK City

Sacramento

I think this is fair. If not, comment.

But what's extremely strange is...the list is even. There are 12 teams that are in good condition, either as contenders or as those who have a good setup. There are 18 teams that are rebuilding or have cause for such. Nine have cause for such, and nine are rebuilding. The ones who have cause for such are selling, the ones who are rebuilding are buying. The other 12 teams most likely won't make any moves until they start losing.

But the market is dead even. There are 9 teams that are willing to sell, and 9 teams willing to buy.

The sellers all have their respective trading chips. Detroit has Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince. New York has Nate Robinson and David Lee, more or less. Milwaukee has Jefferson; Philadelphia has Brand; Toronto has Anthony Parker, Jason Kapono and other role players; Washington has Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison; Dallas has Josh Howard, Jason Terry and Jerry Stackhouse; Phoenix has Jason Richardson, Leandro Barbosa and Amare Stoudemire; Golden State has Monta Ellis, Wright and/or Randolph.

To restate:

Robinson

Terry

Hamilton

Parker

Kapono

Howard

Terry

Stackhouse

Richardson

Barbosa

Ellis

Prince

Jefferson

Butler

Howard

Stackhouse

Richardson

Lee

Brand

Jamison

Stoudemire

Wright

Randolph

Stoudemire

The buying teams have certain needs.

Minnesota

Sacramento

Minnesota

New Jersey

Chicago

New Jersey

Charlotte

Memphis

OKC

Some of this works out. Two teams need PG's, and two teams have PG's. Sacramento might welcome Jason Terry and Jerry Stackhouse with lots of depth and expiring contracts to send over.

Hamilton and Richardson might be on Minnesota's wishlist, as they have no 3 PT attack besides Mike Miller when healthy. Phoenix and Detroit might welcome Kevin Love as part of a deal.

OKC might want Amare Stoudemire in exchange for their first round pick and other depth/expiring contracts. The draft pick figures to be exceptionally high in the first round. With it, Phoenix could draft James Harden and, along with Curry, have an incredible backcourt of the future. Say they also traded Jason Richardson for some combination of Kevin Love and expiring contracts? A future core of Curry, Harden and Love might turn heads in the future when Shaq, Nash and Hill have retired. Jamison would fit almost perfectly onto the Grizzlies' payroll without Memphis having to give much back to the should-be-rebuilding Wizards in return. This leaves perfect room for cap space in 2010. Memphis turns into the Mayo/Gay/Jamison show. Not bad, chief.

Would Chicago want Elton Brand back? He does provide a low post presence that Brad Miller sometimes lacks. Brand and Miller also know each other from the '00-'01 Bulls. With new backcourt Rose, Gordon and Salmons, real potential could be brewing.

Charlotte drafted Brandan Wright in the first place, and it would be logical that Michael Jordan might want him back. Sure, Jason Richardson's moved on, but Wright's price is much lower and Golden State would almost certainly offer him up with Randolph waiting in the wings. They, too, would probably be in the hunt for Brand or Jamison.

New Jersey's really the only one in any position to make a move on the SF's available; Vince Carter's a surefire trading chip, what with his contract expiring for 2010, and Prince, Howard, Jefferson and Butler all bring interesting things to the table. It's unlikely New Jersey would want to bring Richard Jefferson back, though. Dallas might be interested in a Kidd/Carter reunion as reported before the trade deadline. Howard and Stackhouse for Carter works out perfectly if possible. New Jersey also has a lively young core of Harris, Howard and Lopez (who is easily one of the best 10 centers in the league, for your consideration).

The biggest problem is that there are a terrible amount of shooting guards being offered and not a terrible amount of teams that need them. If only some of those wing players could be magically transformed into true centers! (sigh)

I'm truly interested to see if the following five players end up getting traded.

1. Brand

2. Howard

3. Prince

4. Terry

5. Hamilton

6. Butler

7. Jamison

8. Carter

They might be the biggest names in the offseason right now.

Fix The Suns, Offseason Edition

2009-03-01T12:16:00.000-05:00

The Suns have a predicament. They have too many "mouths to feed" and only one guy to dish them the ball. They don't play defense, and they can't decide whether to run or to play half court ball. Three mouths need to be fed. That's it. Nash and Shaq stay. Period. Nash can play both, Shaq can play both. Shaq can decently defend. Or at least, he's the best defender on the Suns. Nash is an incredible passer, regardless of whether he's running and gunning or setting up a half court play. They stay.

Current setup:
PG Nash/Barbosa
SG Rich/Dragic
SF Hill/Barnes
PF Stoudemire/Amundson
C Shaq/Lopez

Then, there's only one more mouth to feed. The most successful model for teams like Denver, Cleveland and others has been the PG/SF/C setup. I would suggest that.

This is where you take a look at what you have, and what you need. You need a SF. You have an SG and a PF that you can deal. But you don't really have a PF worthy of starting behind Amare. So you need a decent PF, but not one that'll hog the ball too much. You need him to be more of the variety type. I envision an Odom/Kirilenko/Marion type. Marion would not be welcomed back to Phoenix, and Odom won't be traded because of the delicate Laker chemistry. And Utah needs to give up on Brewer and have someone who can shoot the 3 = J-Rich. That works straight up. Richardson for Kirilenko.

New look #1:
PG Nash/Barbosa
SG Barnes/Dragic
SF Kirilenko/Hill
PF Stoudemire/Amundson
C Shaq/Lopez

Then you need a SF. This has to be one of the best in the league, and he has to be good at defense. Only a couple people fall into that category, LeBron being unattainable. Shawn Marion. Ron Artest. Andrei Kirilenko. Josh Howard. Shane Battier. Gerald Wallace.

Larry Brown would have gotten rid of Gerald Wallace already if he wanted to get rid of him. Shawn Marion's already been shuffled around way too much, and he's good value for the Raps. Artest's deal expires and he'll need to be signed, signed and traded, or some combination that would proclude his going to the Suns. Kirilenko, by this configuratino, is already a Sun. Battier's not a mouth to feed. Which leaves Howard, who, in having a bad season this year, could easily be taken off the Mavs hands with proper persuasion: say, Amare Stoudemire.

Howard for Stoudemire? There's a $6M salary difference. The only guys who could cover that include Jason Terry and Jerry Stackhouse. There's no way the Suns would want Jerry Stackhouse. So Terry it is, which also solves the Suns' backup PG problem. Throw in Leandro Barbosa for the backcourt scoring that the Mavs are missing in Terry's absence, and...voila. Barbosa and Stoudemire for Howard and Terry.

The new core:
PG Nash/Terry
SG Terry/Barnes
SF Howard/Hill
PF Kirilenko/Amundson
C Shaq/Lopez

Then there's that 14th draft pick that the Suns could acquire if they don't make the playoffs. Where do they need help? Certainly not up front. Terry's legs are old, and he might not be OK for 20 minute behind Nash and 20 minutes at the 2. So pick up someone who can replace Terry in a couple years.

Stephen Curry. Nash is your only pure shooter after Richardson's gone. Ermm...we can avoid that, now can't we? If Curry doesn't fall to 14, though, the Suns could acquire him through other means, i.e. throwing in 14 and Barnes for 9, 10, 11, 12, or whatever might be more useful in acquiring him. Then:

PG Nash/Terry
SG Curry/Dragic
SF Howard/Hill
PF Kirilenko/Amundson
C Shaq/Lopez

Oh, what a beautiful team we've created here. The backcourt is a thing of pure beauty. Two pure shooters who can both pass like...Steve Nash. Beauty. The frontcourt is also a thing of beauty: a rebounding, blocking, scoring machine. The second unit actually looks pretty good too: Terry and Hill can do a number on inexperienced squads.

I can't foresee this squad winning anything less than a championship, but just in case, Hill would serve as the perfect experiential mentor to young squads, and Dudley the young gun looking for minutes. Both, plus future draft picks, could be used as trading chips.

Nobody else foresees this. Well, bah.

Trade Deadline: Cause & Effect

2009-03-01T10:11:00.000-05:00

Action: Brad Miller to Bulls
Cause: Need for a big man
Effect: But they're not even starting him......

Action: Larry Hughes to Knicks
Cause: Need for more backcourt players
Effect: Little to none.

Action: Stephon Marbury to Celts
Cause: Need for a true backup PG
Effect: Big. The Celts need him, ironically, to go the distance.

Action: Rafer Alston to Magic
Cause: Jameer Nelson's injury
Effect: Substantial, but not substantial enough.

Action: Kyle Lowry to Rockets
Cause: Need to replace aging Alston
Effect: Tiny. They're not starting him either.

Action: John Salmons to Bulls
Cause: ?
Effect: May start in place of Deng.

Action: Drew Gooden to Kings
Cause: ?
Effect: None. They're not starting him either.

Action: Rashad McCants to Kings
Cause: ?
Effect: None.

Action: Shelden Williams to Wolves
Cause: ?
Effect: Loss of McCants.

Action: Raef LaFrentz to Blazers
Cause: ????????
Effect: $13M in cap room, but...no value gained.

Action: Trade deadline action to boredom
Cause: David Stern's conmen in action
Effect: Depressed NBA fans

Marion for O'Neal....but why?

2009-02-14T22:09:00.001-05:00

They did it. Shawn Marion and various ornaments were traded for Jermaine O'Neal and Jamario Moon. Here's the outcome.

PG Chalmers
SG Wade
SF Moon
PF Haslem
C O'Neal

PG Calderon
SG Parker
SF Marion
PF Bosh
C Bargnani

You see, Toronto's absolutely killin'. That's an amazing lineup right there. The defense, the pieces, all there. Colangelo knows exactly how to handle Marion, because he knew Marion well enough in Phoenix to know what he was drafting, and he saw his play long enough to know what kind of a player he is. He fits in perfectly. That is a beautiful lineup.

Miami's all disjointed. Jermaine O'Neal is a dying star. Haslem's a banger, but not useful for much else. They're not even starting Beasley. Wade's at the top of his game, but he's all.

It looks like Toronto got the best end of the deal. It looks like it. But Miami has something up its sleeve. It wouldn't just do the following: a) trade Marion at such a time and at such a drop of the hat. Riley is better than that. Or, b) not start Beasley. This was the move everyone was expecting.

What you're missing is Amare Stoudemire. You figure that once they have a big man in Jermaine O'Neal, that's the end. Riley wouldn't be satisfied with that. He doubted him at first, and he doubts him now. One thing I always remind myself of: not every trade is the game ender.

Indulge me by chewing on this:

MIA sends M. Beasley, U. Haslem, 2009 2nd round pick and 2010 1st round pick
PHX sends A. Stoudemire to Miami

Then....

PG Nash
SG Richardson
SF Beasley
PF Haslem
C O'Neal

PG Chalmers
SG Wade
SF Moon
PF Stoudemire
C O'Neal

Is it definitive that Miami will make a second move for Stoudemire? No. Do I think it's likely? Yes.

Amare Stoudemire trade possibility

2009-02-10T17:06:00.000-05:00

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?players=1018~1727~294~1724~2427~378~3474&teams=8~9~21~21~8~21~8&te=&cash=

Summarize.

PHX sends A. Stoudemire to Warriors, J. Richardson to Pistons
GSW sends S. Jackson to Suns, A. Biedrins to Pistons, A. Morrow to Pistons
DET sends R. Hamilton to Suns, T. Prince to Suns

Phoenix gets some seriously good defensive players and someone who can actually play the point when necessary. They lose one mouth to feed, which is good. Hill for Bayless and the team is getting pretty good.

Jason Richardson was born in Michigan, and he would certainly like to play there. He'll have Andris Biedrins accompanying him, as the Pistons truly need low post talent. Morrow's simply cap buffer; they can waive him if they so wish.

The Warriors would rather not lose Biedrins, but at this point they have no choice. GSW comes out of it a less guard torn team with a seriously good big man that likes running.

PG Crawford/Ellis
SG Crawford/Ellis
SF Maggette
PF Turiaf/Randolph/Wright
C Stoudemire

It's not a great team, but it's better than all the guard clogging.

The Suns come out a way better team, as they have the potential to do 9/10 times.

PG Nash/Bayless
SG Hamilton/Barbosa
SF Jackson/Barnes
PF Prince/Amundson
C Shaq/Lopez

I'll say this with relative certainty; Rasheed Wallace would not be in the equation if the Pistons wanted in on this somehow. Either Rip or Prince would.

Dancing in March: Top 4 seeds predicted

2009-02-07T01:32:00.001-05:00

#1 Quality Teams
Connecticut- So what's wrong with this team? Anyone want to say something? They have one loss, and they play in the toughest conference in the country.
Oklahoma- Can they win it all? Sure. Do one-man centric teams usually do such? No. Does Blake Griffin have adequate help? More than so.
North Carolina- This is a championship team...make no mistake. Marcus Ginyard's absence doesn't subtract that much from this squad.
Wake Forest- Teague has been stellar. Aminu has been what I would've hoped Damion James would have been. The supporting cast makes me feel good about this team.

#2
Duke- Inconsistent when the spotlight's on them is the phrase I'll use to describe the Blue Devils. Add DeMarcus Nelson and this squad wouldn't be so shaky sometimes. He's got his own problems in San Francisco.
Pittsburgh- The expectations for this team, like for Duke, were way too high. This is realistic.
Clemson- The teams from the past that have won have been balanced. Clemson is one of those teams. I sent them to the Final Four last year on the actual bracket, but I was wrong. This may be the year.
Louisville- There's a huge market for this team. They don't deserve to be this good...but you can only screw the bandwagon so much. Save for David Padgett's absence, this is a team with good roots and experience that can go far. The X-Factor here is Sosa, as Clark and Williams will be their brilliant selves.

#3
Marquette- The expectations for this team are way too high, but they've survived the Big East and have been one of the only ones to do so.
UCLA- This is a team that has a chance to break into the #1's, despite recent troubles and troubles at the beginning of the season. No more losses for the rest of the season and I guarantee it.
Texas- -sigh- COME ON, A.J.! In all seriousness, this team has been a major disappointment save for Gary Johnson. These guys have the potential to drop to a 4 or 5 with any more losses.
Xavier- Their only quality win this season will be over Memphis, but their record will be immaculate. They were a third season last year, and I say the same now.

#4
Michigan St.- Sure, they'll win the Big 10, but what does that really mean? Answer = little to none. Still, they beat Texas and Minnesota twice. Can't argue with that.
Memphis- Tyreke has been fine recently. I knew he was a PG at heart. It's really quite similar to the Foye transformation with the T-Wolves. They must beat Gonzaga, but that's likely.
Minnesota- Speaking of Minnesota, how about Tubby Smith? The wins over Louisville, Illinois and even Ohio St. prove a point.
Syracuse- A good team with a recent falling out. Hey, it's the Big East. It happens (at least this year).

There are good moves Steve Kerr could make...and bad ones.

2009-02-06T01:50:00.000-05:00

How has the Steve Kerr administration fared over the past season and a half with the Sunds? Some would argue against its success thus far. The lineup consisted of, before he got there:

PG Nash/Barbosa
SG Bell/Barbosa
SF Marion/Diaw
PF Diaw/Skinner
C Amare Stoudemire/Sean Marks

and some not so memorable people I'm forgetting.

That is an 8 man rotation. That doesn't work out too well too often.

Then the Mikey D era ended. Then came Shaq. The current lineup looks like this.

PG Nash/Barbosa
SG Richardson/Tragic
SF Barnes/Hill
PF Stoudemire/Amundson
C Shaq/Lopez

Now a 10 man rotation.

The Suns have taken a turn for the worst since the J-Rich trade, quite honestly. I thought it would give them the talent to compete. I was wrong. But they have the tools to compete. Steve Kerr is willing to trade anyone. Here's who he should trade.

Jason Richardson to Jazz
Carlos Boozer to Suns

Lamar Odom to Suns
Amare Stoudemire to Lakers
OR
Amare Stoudemire to Timberwolves
Kevin Love/Mike Miller to Suns
and a heap of draft picks

Grant Hill to Blazers
Jerryd Bayless to Suns

Then it looks more like this.

PG Nash/Bayless
SG Barbosa/Tragic
SF Odom/Barnes
PF Boozer/Amundson
C O'Neal/Lopez

or

PG Nash/Bayless
SG Miller/Barbosa
SF Barnes/Dudley
PF Love/Amundson
C O'Neal/Lopez

Bayless is not only an apt ball handler, but a very apt scorer and passer. He also would love to come back to his home state of Phoenix. Grant Hill would be perfect experience for the Blazers. Probably as a reserve or end-of-the-bench role model, Hill would teach the younger Blazers a valuable lesson or two, especially about getting injured.

The Jazz need a scorer. They have a lot of guys that do lots of things around the basket, but they don't have a scorer besides Deron Williams on a good day. Boozer's the equivalent of that, but he's been more or less useless this season. Millsap will be a fine replacement. Instead, you can Brewer for a little bit and put Richardson at starting SG. With a $12M salary, his and Boozer's $11M are comparable enough.

The Lakers need a big man. Bynum is great, but Amare is better. Bynum is injured, and Amare is not. Bynum may come off the bench in future years, and Amare will have no problem with that. Bynum may get canned, honestly. They can't afford him getting injured all the time. Amare, however, would bring the Lakers ever closer in their pursuit of the Celtics. He's probably as good as anyone in the league in stopping Garnett as a defensive threat. Pau could take him defensively, and Amare could make Kendrick Perkins cry. And the Suns need one less "mouth to feed." Odom is great at doing everything but scoring. Perfect. Nash hasn't been a mouth to feed in a while. Boozer and O'Neal could certainly make for a great frontcourt tandem and an offensive threat parallel to none. Nash, of course, can shoot the lights out when necessary.

The other option is to stack up on draft choices for this year. You trade Amare for the interestingly dynamic duo of Kevin Love and Mike Miller. Mike Miller would not need as nearly as many shots as Amare. That's besides the point. Kerr would be able to get a lot from this year's draft. Take a look at Minnesota's current draft standing: #7, #17, and #30. With two of those, Phoenix could have a really great, young second unit. They're already in line for the 19th pick. Say the Wolves give them 17 and 30. I could easily envision, based on the current mocks, a pickup of Ty Lawson, Tyler Hansbrough, and Damion James. Depending on who becomes the better distributor, an amazing core of Lawson, Bayless, James, Hansbrough and Robin Lopez.

That's probably more along the lines of what Kerr should do if he has concerns about Shaq's longevity.

I'm not saying these are the perfect moves. They're only pretty good looking.

What Steve Kerr must NOT do:

a) Get a banger to complement Shaq. A Kaman/O'Neal front court would be disastrous, as we've seen on the Clippers for the most part.

b) Get another scorer. Allen Iverson is not welcome in Phoenix! Carmelo Anthony would not be a wise move to bring here either!

c) Fail to get a backup PG. Bayless is a great option that's going widely unused in Portland. I would recommend trading for him above anyone else, really.

That's all I've got to say about that. More when I think of it.

The Importance of Being Lamar Odom

2009-02-02T19:29:00.001-05:00

So what's the problem with Lamar Odom? Not a lot. He has had truly amazing seasons. He has been one of the most unique players ever during some seasons with the Heat and Clippers. All he needs is at least 35 minutes and not a lot of frontcourt competition from the rest of his team. He's 29. He will give you a 3, 2 stl, 2 blk, 12 reb, 15 or so pts, 50+ FG%, at least 75% FT on a good year, and a generally great player. On a good year.

The past couple have not been such. Lamar Odom has gained infamy as a slacker after his dismal '07-'08 Finals performance. Now, Lamar Odom does not get 30 minutes, despite being really really good. You wonder why his stats stink. He gets 10 less minutes than last year.

And despite all this, he should be a hot topic in the months to come. He's got a decent sized contract. He doesn't play a role for the Lakers that can't be replaced. Somebody else would offer a lot for him. And he's good after you consider all of his impediments. The fans have no confidence. The coach has no confidence. Kobe more or less has no confidence. And those are three no-no's if you're a Laker.

So even if nothing goes your way, you still have a lot of suitors and a bright future. Not bad.

With Andrew Bynum out the rest of the season, you have to wonder what's going through the heads of Jerry West and Phil Jackson. Another season with Odom at PF, Gasol at C? It'll be the same as last year. Are we just going to keep trying? Wait 'til next year? 2010's coming! We'll have a lot more opposition the year after next. Then it's just down to '09-'10. That's not a lot of time to have a considerable grip on a championship.

Maybe they're thinking they have to make a move. How? For whom? With whom?

But what would they do with him after Bynum returns? Would they bench Bynum? Could they afford such a loss of faith on someone who is possibly the future of the franchise after Kobe retires, sometime in the next ten years?

Assume for a moment that that sort of prolonged future is out of the picture.

Maybe they're thinking, like I am, that the move involves moving Lamar Odom. He is a hot topic. But for whom? The Lakers have a pretty elite group of guys, and any corruption of Phil Jackson's almost scientifically set balance would cause them to spiral downwards into NBA oblivion. Try '05-'06, with Smush and Mihm as Kobe's key backups. That would be horrific.

So this trade has to be careful. It has to be well planned. It has to be very, very well orchestrated. It has to be so well orchestrated that it will make the Pau Gasol deal look like a walk in the park.

The answer, ironically enough, may be Amare Stoudemire.

I can't imagine the Lakers wouldn't be interested. I also can't imagine the Suns would be interested. But both teams need a change. Both teams need the player being offered. Odom would be a fresh start for the Suns, and Stoudemire a really good player who couldn't possibly offset the balance. Sure, Phil doesn't have that Odom-like player. He does have Amare Stoudemire, and you can't go wrong there.

The answer may be someone else. The answer may be someone we're truly not expecting. The answer may be the same person the Heat will seek out. The answer may be somebody else. But I have this feeling.......

Or.....

2009-02-02T17:32:00.000-05:00

Lamar Odom. It now seems (heavily) that Lamar Odom will be taken advantage of. The Lakers may need a true center for the playoffs if they want to get farther than the second round.

The Marion Dilemma: Draft, Plan B

2009-02-01T21:15:00.000-05:00

So I've been wondering for a long time what to do with Shawn Marion. I've gone over it a thousand times. Carlos Boozer's not big enough, Elton Brand's not big enough, Tayshaun Prince and Richard Hamilton have no particular purpose with the Heat, Rasheed's not for sale, Odom's not for sale, Jermaine's got knee problems...the more you look into it, the more you realize that there's no one on the market now that can do anything good for you.

So the idea is...don't look now. Look later. Is this rebuilding? Not quite. I mean, they've only got so many years left with Wade.

More like rearranging.

You take a young center with a rookie contract and a medium contract, say $10M range, with good value, and you give them Shawn Marion. Doesn't matter what position the medium contract plays. Then you take the medium contract and Udonis Haslem and send them for a really good big man/PF in the summer.

Reasoning: You need a center now that will serve you in the long term. Hot topics, established players, can be traded. Young guys with rookie contracts take more sucking up to trade, on your part and on the part of the other GM. You want someone for the future, seeing that your 2010 prospect will want young guys. The other GM, however, can't evaluate the young'un so well that he can actually be confident in saying he wants the guy.

You need someone with about a $10M contract and decent talent to work it out. Haslem is fine, but Chalmers, Beasley, and this young C need minutes to grow. The PF is the only one you can substitute. World class talent would be necessary here. Wade is incredible, but somebody else would work fine. The best require at least $15. U is 6 of that. You need 10 more.

In the summer, teams are most looking to trade. Free agency won't be a hot topic, but there's going to be someone wanting to clear space in the last summer before 2010. Dirk Nowitzki comes to mind, in fact. Amare Stoudemire. Tim Duncan, maybe. Big names. You go for the best. Wade will want to stay.

So then, you have a lineup of:

PG Chalmers
SG Wade
SF Beasley
PF Nowitzki? Somebody....
C Rookie

Some options.

Minnesota - Love & Miller
? - Greg Monroe & ?
Sacramento - Hawes & Martin?
? - Hasheem & ?

Those are the ones I can think of best right now. It's a pretty good looking solution right now.

So if Love is the chosen one?

PG Chalmers/Quinn
SG Wade/Cook
SF Beasley/Miller
PF Haslem/Anthony
C Love/Jason Collins

Then....

PG Chalmers/Quinn
SG Wade/Cook
SF Beasley/Diawara
PF Nowitzki/Anthony
C Love/Jason Collins

This I like. Very much. With a real "Big 3" of Wade, Beasley and Dirk, they can do it next year. They really can.

So it's been a while. Updates/News/Comments.

2009-02-01T20:25:00.001-05:00

-Andrew Bynum, AGAIN?!?!?!? -sighs-
-Celts seem to have regained form. Finals Prediction? Not Celts. Magic/Nuggets. Subject to change.
-Boy, how college basketball can change dramatically very quickly. Since I've posted, Pitt has been knocked off the top spot, as have Wake Forest and (predictably) Duke, after its loss to Wake Forest. Possible #1's tomorrow include UConn, Oklahoma and Wake Forest.
-JAMES HARRISON?!?!?!? COME ON, KURT!!!!!!!!
-Figured out the Marion dilemma. Very, very unexpected, but absolutely plausible.
-More to come when I think about it.

BaB CBB Rankings

2009-01-12T18:47:00.000-05:00

1. Yukon (UConn)
2. Wake Forest
3. Pittsburgh
4. Oklahoma
5. North Carolina
6. UCLA
7. Texas
8. Syracuse
9. Clemson
10. Georgetown
11. Notre Dame
12. Duke
13. Arizona St.
14. Minnesota
15. Michigan St.
16. Marquette
17. Baylor
18. Butler
19. Louisville
20. Xavier
21. Tennessee
22. Ohio St.
23. Villanova
24. Boston College
25. Arkansas

Pickup lines...week IDK

2009-01-10T15:23:00.000-05:00

Eric Gordon
This kid is back on the money. A couple 20 pt games and a couple 3s and stls in each have gone a long way in my mind. He could definitely be one of the best thieves in the game one day.

Andrea Bargnani
Another addition you want to have who's back in the spotlight. The 3's, the 5 or so rebounds, the high FT% and the 15 or so pts, complete with 50% FG most days, go a long way too to his reestablishment in the pickup quota.

Hint: KEEP PAUL MILLSAP PLZ THX!!!!!!!! If you don't, you'll end up having the guy in your matchup pick him up. Wait and see. Boozer won't be back for a month and Millsap will keep haunting you with double doubles, steals and blocks every night.

How To Break Four Teams Into Happier Places

2009-01-10T14:42:00.000-05:00

This trade makes me happy.

Some news: Larry Hughes wants out, the Celtics want to win a game, and the Blazers want David Lee. Only the first two seem realistic. The Celtics, however, DON'T HAVE TRADING CHIPS. If they don't win a championship this year, there's great talent to be had in the first couple pick of next year's draft. You could draft Sheem Thabeet at 7 if you trade Indiana a first and second rounder somewhere down the line.

But Larry Hughes wanting out Chicago presents interesting choices. He's a three point specialist in the long run, but he can also score, steal, and he's pretty versatile. Plenty of not so deep teams want versatility.

The deepest team I can think of, however (Utah), needs Larry Hughes the most. I think the front office is getting annoyed with Ronnie Brewer, and I bet they want to ship Carlos Boozer. Larry Hughes has a comparable salary. This is the sticker that seals the deal involving the trade-hungry teams on the market.

You obviously send Boozer to Miami, because he wants to be with his kid. The next step is finding out where Shawn Marion goes. You've got three teams involved so far (Chicago, Utah, Miami). If you send him to Utah, all he does is get tied up with Kirilenko, as they more or less do the same thing, even if Marion does it better. So you send him to Chicago.

The basic framework is set. This is where Luol Deng comes in. Chicago is a) short 5 million on Marion and b) no longer in need of Luol Deng. So, you ship him. But where? Miami doesn't need another SF or SG, and Utah's obligations in this deal are finished.

You wonder what to do now. It seems like it can't get any worse. Then, you bring in the fourth guy.

Portland's been aching for David Lee. This is impossible. New York wants Marcus Camby, and it can't be done. Lee's salary is just too low. New York would have to send most of its tiny bench away to accommodate him.

But Portland would love Luol Deng. Luol Deng sure can be that "flex forward" that they want Lee to be. So you send him to Portland. In return, Joel Przybilla goes to Miami, along with Jerryd Bayless (a hot topic indeed at $2M) in order to settle cap differences. This opens up minutes for Greg Oden, and Miami actually gets a 7 footer, one that can not only rebound the ball, but shoot at a high percentage. 75% FG is not something you overlook daily.

Thus, the trade above.

The fourth partner is the only thing that could probably be switch-a-roo'd. I'd love to figure out who needs Luol Deng's services the most.

Believe none of what you see...

2009-01-07T22:51:00.001-05:00

Chucky Atkins got traded. No harm comes from it.

Chris Paul should be a reserve and T-Mac should be a starter, say the fans. Strange and untrue.

My starting picks remain unchanged, with the exception of Marcus Camby at center and Rajon Rondo at PG. Here are who I would have as reserves. Remember: 7 reserves per team.

West

PG: Steve Nash, Chauncey Billups.

Contenders: None.

SG: Brandon Roy

Contenders: None.

SF: Kevin Durant.

Contenders: None.

PF: Tim Duncan, Amare Stoudemire.

Contenders: None.

C: Yao Ming.

Contenders: Andris Biedrins, Shaq, Al Jefferson.

Reasoning: You've got entire package here to compete with superstar Dwight Howard. You have a bruiser in Camby, a variety show in Yao. Al Jefferson is really the one who makes the best case out of all the contenders, but Al Jefferson doesn't do anything a) special or b) ridiculously well. That's what an All-Star needs.

East

PG: Jameer Nelson, Jose Calderon.

Contenders: Devin Harris.

Reasoning: Although Calderon leads this group in shooting and assists, and Harris leads this group in scoring, Nelson is the happy medium, which works best. Plus, the Magic have a lot more wins than the Nets or Raptors. Calderon gets the backup to the backup due to the 7 man bench rule.

SG: Ben Gordon.

Contenders: Vince Carter, Joe Johnson.

Reasoning: Fine. So all those other guys rebound better, etc. Wade needs a pure shooter to complement him, and the one that's all star worthy is Gordon.

SF: Danny Granger.

Competitors: None.

PF: David Lee, Al Harrington.

Competitors: None.

C: Emeka Okafor.

Competitors: None.

O.K. The first person to call BC beating UNC was whom?

2009-01-05T18:37:00.000-05:00

I shouldn't see a hand raised. In fact, I don't.

But Pittsburgh as the #1 seed? Not a chance.

UConn has one loss, to Georgetown. If you look at all the respectable teams that are national title contenders, the one that only has one loss which is respectable is UConn. Oklahoma's is to unranked Arkansas, UNC's is to BC, and the rest of them mostly have 2 losses. Despite UConn's loss to Georgetown, they've played the best schedule and deserve that #1 spot. Thus are college sports: You can't always get what is right, or what is fair, or what you want.

2009 NBA Draft Lottery...re-re-visited

2009-01-01T12:23:00.000-05:00

1- OKC- Blake Griffin
Reasoning: Same as last time.

2- MIN- Ricky Rubio
Reasoning: Randy Foye is not a PG. For this reason, Rubio takes the 1, Foye the 2, Miller the 3. Besides, Griffin-Rubio as 1-2 seems to be the logical combination.

3- WSH- Stephen Curry
Reasoning: It's unlikely that the Wizards need anything but a SG and a C, and Curry provides the best talent, hands down.

4- SAC- Jrue Holiday
Reasoning: Beno Udrih cuts it, but not by much. Jrue Holiday slices, dices, and makes you pay. Best true PG (my error last time, I meant besides Rubio).

5- LAC- James Harden
Reasoning: The Eric Gordon Experiment isn't working out. Solution? James Harden. Besides, the fifth pick would bring good trade value for a good bench if Harden isn't Dunleavy's cup of tea.

6- GSW- Greg Monroe
Reasoning: The Brandan Wright experiment has failed. The Anthony Randolph experiment is ongoing, but looks to fail. Time to ship 'em both and try again.

7- IND- Hasheem Thabeet
Reasoning: They need the most help here. I wager they trade this pick, though.

8- MEM- Tyler Hansbrough
Reasoning: Best big man left, and obviously the Grizz needs help in this department.

9- CHA- Jordan Hill
Reasoning: Every other draft seems to like him, and I can't think of a big man left worthy of this pick.

10- NYK- Ty Lawson
Reasoning: Quick? Ty Lawson? Seven Seconds Or Less? How better a match could there be?

11- TOR- Damion James
Reasoning: Chris Bosh creates his own shot, but who else? Answer: nobody. Take James because he can.

12- PHI- Darren Collison
Reasoning: Same reasoning as Lawson last time.

13- CHI- Kyle Singler
Singler isn't a PF, but he might be destined to play just that for the Bulls. They need somebody (anybody!) down low. Singler's the best option here because of the size and the ability to dominate the boards when (at least) it has been necessary for Duke.

14- MIL- They'll probably trade it.

The latest. Sorry for not having posted in a while.

2008-12-29T15:19:00.001-05:00

Real basketball
-The Warriors beat the Celts. This surprises me a lot more than the Lakers beating the Celts. Then the Celts beat the Kings by 45 or something. You know what? Signing Deke would be a great move for the Celts right now. Patrick O'Bryant is not getting it done.
-Elton Brand is out for a month. Not such a big signing after all.
-Stevie Franchise is a Memphis Grizzlie (Grizzly?). This could be a very good move if he ever recovers from that injury. If he retires, this could be a very bad move.
-The Heat are 16-12. They need to trade Shawn Marion for a big. Then they'll be on pace for 50 wins and a playoff seed, no doubt.
-The Dolphins make me cry. Whoops...wrong sport.
-Carlos Boozer's family (fact) lives in Miami. What could very well benefit both teams?

MIA sends
S. Marion
U. Haslem
to the Jazz.

UTH sends
C. Boozer
M. Okur
K. Korver
to the Heat.

MIA Starting 5
PG Chalmers/Quinn
SG Wade/Cook
SF Beasley/Korver
PF Boozer/Blount
C Okur/Anthony

UTH Starting Five
PG Williams/Knight
SG Brewer/Price
SF Marion/Miles
PF Haslem/Kirilenko
C Millsap/Koufos

The Heat get a 7 footer plus another superstar in Carlos Boozer. The Jazz get really deep at forward and get to start Paul Millsap, which makes everyone happy. They still have a 7 footer in the holding bay in Kosta Koufos. Plus, they get Carlos Boozer to a place he wants to be.

-Baron Davis' ego (fact) is bruised by the Clipper-like Clippers. Is Marcus Camby the best Western conference C? Yes. Is Zach Randolph a monster offensively? Yes. Is Baron Davis a great PG? Yes. Has that changed anything? No. And guess who wants Baron Davis?

Stephen Jackson and every Warrior but C.J. Watson and Corey Maggette.

They can't trade Crawford, who would be the most likely suspect of a trade, with another person. So...

LAC sends
B. Davis
C. Kaman
to the Warriors.

GSW sends
D. Nelson
C. Maggette
B. Wright
M. Ellis
to the Clippers.

This makes more sense than you can imagine for both teams.

The Clippers get a SG that can be a Gilbert Arenas-like PG with enough motivation in Ellis, who also shoots 53% FG. Not bad. What they need most is help on the bench, and they get it.

They also get Maggette, who can play the SG and save Eric Gordon from falling into the abyss, and Wright, who can start anew and use the talents he really has to rejuvenate the Clippers.

In case Ellis can't be a PG, they start him at SG and Maggette at SF, backed up by Thornton. They can easily trade Thornton for a PG if Ellis doesn't work out. Or, DeMarcus Nelson could step in. Or, Shaun Livingston can rise from the grave.

LAC Starting 5
PG Ellis/Nelson
SG Gordon/R. Davis
SF Maggette/Thornton
PF Randolph/Wright
C Camby/P. Davis

This makes a lot of sense for the Warriors in that they get their PG back. Crawford (sorry) can't do it. He can shoot, though, which is why they move him to the 2. This also solves that super big hole at the 4, currently filled by Corey Maggette, i.e. Chris Kaman. Yes, he can be a 4. He will be. Biedrins ain't moving.

GSW Starting 5
PG Davis/Watson
SG Crawford/Belinelli
SF Jackson/Azubuike
PF Kaman/Randolph
C Biedrins/Turiaf

This works. Trust me.

Credit the East...

2008-12-16T22:30:00.000-05:00

Sure, the East is worse than the West...over the past couple years. Many, however, have given thought to the fact that the East is better than the West. What does Yahoo! Sports tell us?

East
186-173

West
173-186

If no team is better than their record, then no team is worse than their record. The East has had a better year. Are they better? I don't think so.

The Trade to End All Trades

2008-12-16T21:12:00.000-05:00

Marion and Banks for Sheed and Prince.

You think I'm nuts?

Heat
PG Chalmers
SG Wade
SF Prince
PF Haslem
C Sheed

Pistons
PG Stuckey
SG Iverson
SF Hamilton
PF Marion
C Amir

What Iverson needs is more shots. How do the Pistons accomplish that? Give an extra key contributor. Sure, they're receiving Shawn Marion, but Marion's biggest contributions come when he doesn't shoot, not when he does. With Prince and Sheed gone, Iverson gets more shots, Stuckey gets more shots, and the defensive intensity is still there. (Banks just serves as cap buffer.)

The Heat, meanwhile, get a big man up inside, and a Prince who can do almost anything at the 3 or 4. They can start Beasley, they can start Haslem, they don't have to. I would send the Heat to the Conference Finals at least with the lineup above.

I'm more than sure both teams would do it, but that because Dumars is recovering from post-bad trade shock, he doesn't know what to do with it. Fear not: the Pistons simply remake their identity and turn a bad situation into a good one.

Updated Playoff Scenarios, 1/4 Through

2008-12-11T17:53:00.000-05:00

East
1 Boston
2 Cleveland
3 Orlando
4 Detroit
5 New Jersey
6 Miami
7 Atlanta
8 New York

West
1 LA Lakers
2 Phoenix
3 Denver
4 New Orleans
5 San Antonio
6 Portland
7 Houston
8 Utah

East
First round
BO vs NY = BO
CL vs AT = CL
OR vs MI = MI
DT vs NJ = DT

Second round
BO vs DT = BO
MI vs CL = CL

ECF
BO vs CL = BO

West
LL vs UT = LL
PH vs HO = PH
DV vs PT = DV
NO vs SA = SA

Second round
LL vs SA = LL
PH vs DV = PH

ECF
LL vs PH = PH

Finals
PH vs BO = PH

Yeah....get scared. Suns '08-'09 champs.

The Suns...are going to the Finals. No questions asked.

2008-12-10T22:21:00.000-05:00

All right. I think once in a while I got delusional in thinking Phoenix would be a championship. Once in a while I was giddy. I love the talent they have and had.

Now they've got Jason Richardson. Now? It's official.

Suns
PG Nash
SG Richardson
SF Barnes/Hill
PF Amar'e (has anyone noticed that apostrophe coming up more than usual?)
C Shaq

Bobcats (?)
PG Augustin/Felton
SG Bell
SF Wallace
PF Diaw
C Emeka

Conceivably, a couple parties benefit from this.

Jared Dudley - if he plays PF for the Suns and takes up the role Diaw had (but does it better), he could come up with a decent variety show. I don't know how many minutes they could give him at PF or SF, where he plays. Barnes and Hill pretty much clog up the 3.

Jason Richardson - OH SNAP! Jason Richardson is about to get really, really good. If Terry Porter knows how to use J-Rich, he will be averaging 4 3pters, 5 stl, 6 reb, 7 ast and 80 pts. Obviously I'm kidding. Except for the 3pters. That's reasonable considering Nash's decline (!).

Robin Lopez - If Dudley isn't PF in Diaw's capacity, Lopez could back up both Amar'e and Shaq. If so, Robin Lopez (as I truly suspect) will get 15-20 more minutes. If he were to average 30:00 a night, then get ready for some blockin' and reboundin' big time.

MINI-CONCLUSION: Lopez and Dudley will eat up Diaw's time, but fight for it.

Bobcats' winners?

D.J. Augustin - DJA is about the only guy I expect to benefit from this trade, and his 28 pt, 7 reb performance on Wednesday is a good indicator of things to come. Raja Bell isn't nearly as gifted an offensive performer as Augustin, so expect Bell to get less minutes than Richardson.

I admit, Michael Jordan is proving to be a bad executive. A bad one. Except for covering up Kwame with Caron Butler, Michael Jordan...has been a bad executive. A bad one. Except for finding a way to grill opponents with Hibachi. That was a pretty good move.

Stockton Drafted Sixteenth: 2004 Edition

2008-12-07T15:31:00.000-05:00

We give a 5 year buffer zone to all 16th picks before they are possibly sworn in as BBHoFers. After that, the 16th picks get their medals.

2004
Kirk Snyder
No medal

Here are your top 10 teams in the NCAA. Get psyched.

2008-12-06T22:15:00.000-05:00

The top ten teams in college basketball are thus, in no particular order:

Oklahoma- Definitely the #2 or 3 team in the country. Blake Griffin has made his team into a sort of Stanford from last year, only he's better than Brookie, Taylor's better than Robin, and the guy Warren is better than Goods was. They're 7-0, and expect them to continue to be so. The Big 12 title game? TX and OK.

Pittsburgh - Blair's bangin' on the boards, Young's dishing and swishing, and this team is better than it used to be. It's not worthy of being the number 3 team in the country, but top 10 is about right.

Notre Dame- McAlarney and Harangody are making a stellar combo. They remind me of Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett.

Georgetown- Greg Monroe is better than you think. DaJuan Summers is better than you think. Jessie Sapp is better than you think. These guys are better than you think. Plus? Most of them went to the Final Four.

Connecticut- Definitely the #2 or 3 team in the country. This has a lot of All-American caliber players on it, including Sheem, freshman Kemba Walker, Jeff Adrien and A.J. Price. You'll see this team in the Final Four.

UNC- Well...I don't need to explain why this is the number one team.

AZ St.- Better than I expected. Harden has made his team into a Davidson of sorts. There isn't a lot of size, there's only a decent supporting cast, and there's this one guard you just can't stop.

Tennessee- Of the Triple Smith that was last year, there is only one. That only one, Tyler Smith, is good enough. Along with one of the deepest teams in the country, Smith is going to make the SEC look like piecemeal.

Gonzaga- Also better than I expected. They're obviously going to win the West Coast. It's not Daye you should be looking at...it's Pargo and Heytvelt. Those are the guys left from the Morrison Machine, and those are the guys who lead that team. They're better now.

Davidson- See Arizona State, only substitute "Curry" for "Harden" and "Davidson" for "Arizona St."

Of those, five are worthy of the championship. One will be a fringe Final Four team.

Notre Dame- I like the idea, but the supporting cast just isn't there. Against a team like UNC, Georgetown, Tennessee or even Oklahoma, Notre Dame wouldn't make it out alive.

The Final Four, through my eyes.

Georgetown- Monroe is the new Oden. Get ready.

North Carolina- Sorry, T, this just isn't the year. Until you can get that defense together, the championship is not yours yet.

Oklahoma- A really good team. I consider OK a championship contender. Right now, though, I tip my hat to...

UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT- YOUR 2008-09 NCAA CHAMPIONS
That was big and long. Truthfully, though, the defense, the offense, the coaching, the history, the depth is all there. This is the only team I can say that about.

2009 NBA Draft Lottery...revisited

2008-11-30T19:50:00.001-05:00

Note: Standings have changed since this has been written.

1- Blake Griffin- Oklahoma City Thunder, as of right now
You want an apology? You want a confession? Tomorrow. The day after. Just not today. This guy's averaging 18 reb, and I don't know how to handle myself. What kind of a judge of basketball am I?

Effect: Bill Russell n' Flow, MJ and Scottie Pippen some day? Count on it. And wouldn't that be a match made in heaven for the Oklahoma-grown Griffin?

2- Ricky Rubio- Washington Wizards
Since no one follows Spanish basketball, his ranking can go up because of every other guard stinking, or down because of every other guard being better. His own performance from this point doesn't matter. You saw Beijing. That's what will affect him. Nothing more.

Effect: Gilbert Arenas in street clothes. Figure this one out for yourself.

3- Stephen Curry- LA Clippers
At what point do we call this guy DWade 2.0?

Effect: The Clips would probably be giving recent pick Flash Gordon the cold shoulder by choosing another guard. Baron obviously would get the most minutes in that backcourt, but what a backcourt it could be. If there are 96 minutes in both positions in any one game, give Baron his usual (career average) 35 min, Gordon 32 and Curry 29. Nuts.

4- Greg Monroe- Charlotte Bobcats
Are you skeptical? Do you not buy his 5.5 rebounds? Do you want to know about BJ Mullens? Well...take a look at the two. Two? Two what? See Monroe's 2 blk and stl. Then realize how unique he can be.

Effect: Charlotte needs a big, and if they don't like Monroe, they can deal him to someone else. Otherwise, the crafty Monroe and the bulky Okafor might do nicely together.

5- Jrue Holiday in the park waiting for the Fourth of July- T-Wolves
The only (and best) true point guard of the bunch. The Wolves need him, and he needs the Wolves.

Effect: Holiday/Miller is the archetypical backcourt. Miller shoots and slashes, Holiday shoots and passes. Love/Jefferson is another story, apparently.

6- Tyler Hansbrough- Memphis Grizzlies
Psycho T will get what he deserves on this draft board whether you like it or not, and that's a lottery pick. Who better to take up his services than a team without good bigs?

Effect: Same as in Charlotte. Who's the charlatan now, Charlotte?

7- James Harden- Sacramento Kings
Little known fact: Chase Budinger has been lottery pick quality twice, and he pulled out twice. Better known fact: The Kings need a SF. Desperately. Fact: Chase Budinger is not the answer. Harden is the best talent here.

Effect: None. They will have to trade, unless they feel like he would work well at the point. The 2's taken. Possibly, however, K-Mart 2 leaves after he becomes a UFA, and they need Harden. That, however, is unlikely.

8- Damion James- Golden State Warriors
The truth is that Brandan Wright hasn't solved many problems. Next step? Get rid of the problem. Damion James is a high rebounding, high scoring variety show. He can go inside, and he can go outside. Golden State needs high octane guys like James.

Effect: You'll see James find his place in the Texas rotation, as he always does. Expect him to do wonders for the Warriors.

9- Tyreke Evans- Indiana Pacers
Aside from last year, Mike Dunleavy Jr. is truly an injury risk. That said, Evans is not only almost the best talent here, but he's also needed to play the 2.

Effect: Dunleavy could a) easily be traded for his talent for a competent big man, or b) stay where he is, and in return he and TJ Ford have a solid backup.

10- Hasheem Thabeet- New York Knicks
This works out for New York because they get to put Lee back at SF, where he belongs, and put Thabeet at C. The frontcourt is super-balanced: a 3pt shot in Harrington, a variety show in Lee, and a bruiser in Thabeet. And anybody could use 7 feet and 3 inches.

Effect: Puts Knicks in playoff contention. You heard me.

11- Kyle Singler- Chicago Bulls
Singler is a new kind of player for a frontcourt that needs it. He's a combination bruiser/variety show/creator. Chicago needs somebody that can do all of those things. Why not put them all into one guy?

Effect: Puts Chicago within striking distance of Pistons.

12- Chase Budinger- Milwuakee Bucks
All I know is it's about time for both Budinger and the Bucks. Budinger deserves this selection, and the Bucks deserve the Peja Stojakovic incarnate.

Effect: Brings Milwaukee within playoff contention.

13- Darren Collison- Toronto Raptors
The Raptors make it easy on themselves by choosing a true point guard who can play the 2 well enough. Collison makes it easier on himself by being a 2 instead of a 1. Collison would function pretty much like Tyreke Evans, only with a defensive dimension to boot.

Effect: Not so much. They'll probably trade this pick.

14- Ty Lawson- Philadelphia 76ers
Andre Miller's hit a brick wall. It's the kind Jason Kidd has moved around, but still smacks him in the face. That brick wall is called...retirement. Miller can face it or continue to move around it. Either way, Philadelphia will need a competent ball handler in his stead. Lawson's still there, and he's the probable choice.

Effect: Not much again.

West lagging? Not so much.

2008-11-29T17:54:00.000-05:00

Lately people have been talking about how the Western Conference has been less powerful than that of the East.

I prove my point. Here are the teams in the East that could win the Finals.

a) Detroit
b) Boston
c) Cleveland
d) Miami (with a tall person)
e) Orlando

Here are the teams in the West that could win the Finals.

a) Phoenix
b) LA Lakers
c) Houston
d) New Orleans
e) San Antonio
f) Utah
g) Denver (now)

I rest my case.

The Clips are the most intriguing team in the league.

2008-11-29T00:45:00.000-05:00

You wonder why I'm writing about the Clips. You know you do. But you also realize why, if you've been reading my posts. You know lately I've been crazy about Eric Gordon. You know Kaman's been one of the best trade options. You also know B-Diddy is one of my favorite PG's.

This is how the Clippers (yes, I said the Clippers) can become a championship team.

1) Trade Chris Kaman for Shawn Marion. The Heat desperately need a center bigger than 6'8" that can rebound, and that's Kaman. The Clips need an SF, because that's the only thing they need any help at. They need defense, and they...need a one of a kind player like the Matrix.

2) Give (Flash Gordon?) the ball. I'm gonna call him Flash for now. I'm gonna suggest that he get the ball more as well. Baron works the top of the key, Gordon penetrates. They could have one of the best backcourts in the league.

3) Trust Zach on one end, and NBC on the other. You know which. You know Camby brings 'em down, and Zach puts 'em up. Why make them do anything different?

4) Get a coach. Dunleavy's put the pieces together, but he can't coach all this talent, and that's why they have 2 wins.

PG Diddy
SG Gordon
SF Marion
PF Randolph
C Camby

That is something. Marion and Camby run the defense, Diddy and Gordon run the offense, and Randolph brings the ball to the hole step by step.

Mark my words.

Rookie Big 12

2008-11-28T16:36:00.000-05:00

I'm a fan of the Big 12, not the Big 10. So here's the Rookie Big 12, not the Rookie Big 10.

1. OJ Mayo
Still my pick for Rookie of the Year, hands down. He's playing tremendous ball. I really, really should've taken him earlier in my leagues. Not a single complaint. The guy is playing better than Rudy Gay. Did you hear me? Rudy Gay!

2. Derrick Rose
I'm not going to lie. This is the second option for Rookie of the Year. Although I never, ever liked Rose and although there was never, ever a bigger critic than I, I still appreciate all he brings to the Bulls. I'll stop with this: with no other rookie would all those injuries be no problem. Captain Kirk? No problem. Larry Hughes? No problem. Tyrus Thomas doesn't know how to shoot the basketball? No problem.

3. Michael Beasley
A sigh of relief for Dwyane Wade. About the only help that Wade has at all. Marion missed all those games, U's way too small for the position at which he starts. At least there's Measly Beasley.

4. Rudy Fernandez
He continues to amaze. He continues to shoot 94.4% FT, no matter how many games you throw at him. Same percentage. One of my favorite five rookies, and one you should've seen play in Beijing.

5. Eric Gordon
You haven't seen the first of Eric Gordon, I know, but you haven't seen the last. He's going to start, he's going to average over 2 spg, he's going to give the Clips over 20 pts if they give him the ball more often, and he's going to make you look like a fantasy genius.

6. Greg Oden
Also not a guy I appreciate as much as the others. I was always more of a Beasley/Durant guy than an Oden/Rose guy. Nevertheless, I respect the blocks and the rebounds and the Shaq-like potential. Greg is but an apprentice, however, and there be dragons ahead.

7. Brook Lopez
Brookie!!!! My favorite rookie is finally making the grade. We can only pray that Josh Boone take a couple more months off.

8. Darrell Arthur
The tragedy of the 2008 draft was Darrell Arthur. At the end of the 1st round, there he was in the green room. They projected him to go 9th. No such luck. He went 28th to the Hornets. Some comparisons: I liken this draft to that of 1998 or 1992. While I can't really put a finger on anyone from 1992, in 1998 there was a young man who I think is pretty similar to what Arthur could become. He was drafted in the second round, and he was also left sitting in the green room. His name was Rashard Lewis.

9. Jason Thompson
His is the face of the Kings. Not Spencer Hawes. Not Donte Greene. Not even Kevin Martin. No, the face of the Kings is that of Jason Thompson. It's not really about what he brings to the box score with him. What you should care about in Jason Thompson is the true athleticism, the true determination he brings to the game, the actual game, when it matters. (We talkin' 'bout practice? Sorry, AI fans, but I have to keep bringing that up to assuage my conscience.)

10. Mario Chalmers
Super Mario loves San Antonio. Super Mario really should love San Antonio. He's had some great games there, including a couple in the NBA and one while he was with Kansas. Do you remember that college game that one time? Where he made that three? That was the championship game, folks. A big time performer? I know it. Also a good provider of assists, steals and threes? Yessir.

11. Marc Gasol
The big men above are a little more refined than Marc Gasol. Brook Lopez, Greg Oden, Darrell Arthur? These are all guys you should come to know and love. Marc Gasol is many times less refined than even his brother Pau. That don't concern me. Think of a mix between Zo and Shaq.

12. D.J. Augustin
Don't pick him up just yet. He had his bright spot while J-Rich was hurt, and it's likely he won't get upwards of 40 minutes that much more in the season. He will get upwards of 30, though, and consider him the third incarnation of Stockton Himself. This is something I truly mean. Stockton. Nash. Augustin. I promise. Just not yet.

Who you SHOULD be voting for to go to Phoenix.

2008-11-27T20:53:00.000-05:00

East
PG - Allen Iverson
I admit that Allen Iverson is a PG. Joe Dumars, who I consider a very able GM, will not, but I admit it. That said, he's still Allen Iverson. I don't care that he missed practice, even if we ain't talkin' 'bout practice, even if we're talking about the game, the actual game...when it matters. He's supposed to be the franchise player, and we talkin' 'bout practice! I digress.

Who's a PG in the East? Run down the list of clubs and you'll see that half are really shooting guards in disguise and the other half aren't really that good.

Contenders: Jose Calderon, Raptors

SG - Dwyane Wade
I'm lucky to have Wade on one of my fantasy teams, because he's been the MVP so far. The Heat lie squarely on his shoulders. He's more of a Michael Jordan than LeBron sometimes. I've never seen someone who can go from 6 pts to 36 so quickly. I've never seen someone take control of as many aspects of the game. Well, that's a lie. Michael Jordan was real good at that.

Contenders: AI, Pistons

SF - LeBron James
I don't think I need an explanation for this one. Well, I would if Wade played SF. Then maybe.

Contenders: Nobody.

PF - Chris Bosh
I'm not a Chris Bosh fan. I never have been a Chris Bosh fan. Lately, though, he's been phenomenal with Jermaine O'Neal on (or off) the floor. I can't say the same for the usual suspects including, in the East, KG and Antawn.

Contenders: KG, Celtics
maybe Elton Brand, Sixers

C - Superman!
Could it be anyone else but Shaq 2.0?

Contenders: Nobody.

West
PG - Chris Paul
One of those. If Deron Williams had yet been healthy, I would see some merit in including him. Otherwise, what happened to Steve Nash? Anybody?

Contenders: Nobody.

SG - Kobe
Another one of those.

Contenders: Nobody, unless Kobe keeps playing like he has recently. The only player here I'd give a 30-game bye to based on past performance. Also the only one I'm on a first name basis with...sort of.

SF - Carmelo Anthony

I know what you're thinking: Did he shoot five or six? In all eventuality, though, 'Melo's game is no longer that of the ball-slinging Wild West Show I liked to call the Nuggets. He's not just a scorer anymore, and the decreased scoring/improved rebounding shows this. I think he's more mature, and I think that with AI gone, he's stepped into a leadership role. Sooner or later, he could be on the same level as LeBron.

Contenders: Rudy Gay a little bit, Grizzlies

PF - Amare Stoudemire

You'd think this is an obvious one when it really isn't. The five contenders, in my eyes, are Dirk, David West, Tim Duncan, Al Jefferson and Amare Stoudemire, in no particular order. They're all playing tremendous ball.

Duncan is...well, Tim Duncan. He's a monster in the low post, and we all know it.

Jefferson is...well, the next Tim Duncan. But he's not Tim Duncan.

Dirk Nowitzki is the anti-Tim Duncan. He shoots threes. He scores 24.6 a game. He shoots 91% FT. (91%? For a PF? What?) We all knew that.

David West is playing the worst ball out of all of them, save for the 89.7% FT, the 49.6% FG, and the 20.5 pts. What you have to consider is that if every Hornet besides he and Chris Paul continue to stink it up, those two are going to get the shots on that team. Think Kobe/Shaq, think T-Mac/Yao, without Artest.

And then there's Amare Stoudemire. He's not playing ball as well as Jefferson or Dirk. He's stealing the ball once, blocking the ball almost twice, and hitting the FT's 84% of the time. Rebounding is down, points are down, FG% is down. Still amazing, but down.

So what's the deciding factor?

Amare has been winning.

Phoenix is second in the West. Not the Pacific, but the West. That's what told me he deserves this spot. With Shaq out once for double-headers, Steve Nash playing worse ball than I've ever seen since he's been in Phoenix, and a total conundrum on defense, something's got to be propelling this team to victory. That's Amare.

Contenders: Dirk, Dallas
Al Jefferson, T-Wolves
Tim Duncan, Spurs
David West, Hornets

C - Al Jefferson

OK, so he didn't get the pick for PF. He's still the best center-eligible player of the previous group, and better than any player who solely plays center in the conference.

Contenders: Andris Biedrins, Warriors (who, by the way, has been playing mighty fine ball)

Pickup Lines

2008-11-26T11:50:00.000-05:00

Iiiiiiiiiiiiiii just wanna tell you how I'm feeling
Gotta make you understand
Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and
Desert you
Each week BaB will post a list of the big pickups off the waiver wire. Sound good?

Andrea Bargnani- Oh yeah. 96% FT, a 3PT and a half, a couple rebounds, 14 pts, I think 50+ FG%...finally, the guy's coming through (a little).

D.J. Augustin- Quite possibly, Jason Richardson will be back in the lineup tonight after missing six games. Quite possibly, not so much. And, quite possibly, D.J. Augustin will start at PG regardless. If the third situation holds true, pick him up. If not, still consider him.

Eric Gordon- He's benefitted significantly from Cuttino Mobley leaving. Ricky Davis has been stinking up the place, so envision Gordon at the starting SG spot. Remember: this is a guy who was arguably better than OJ Mayo back in college.

Knicks!

2008-11-22T23:40:00.000-05:00

The Knicks have done something incredibly smart for the 2010 market, and incredibly dumb for this season. They had something going in the Mike D'Antoni era. That is lost. Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph had particularly benefitted from Mike's system. Crawford's a Warrior, and Randolph's a Clipper. In return, the Knicks have received Tim Thomas, Cuttino Mobley and Al Harrington. I don't yet understand who's going to play the 2 for the Knicks. I don't need to tell you they lost out short term.

PG Duhon
SG Robinson (Chandler? Mobley? Q-Rich?)
SF Chandler/Thomas
PF Harrington
C Lee

That's the most logical. Yahoo! Sports says...

PG Duhon
SG Q-Rich
SF Wilson!!!!!
PF Lee
C Harrington

The problem with starting Richardson is his inconsistency. He's a career 39.9% from the floor. Mike D'Antoni, after dealing with 50-60% FG Suns, won't appreciate 40%. He likes Q, but the fact remains that he's had his day.

I agree with Wilson. I get the feeling Lee and Harrington will start, but Lee at C and Harrington at PF. I think he's more of a KG than a Duncan. That said, he'd be better as a forward than a C. Lee can bring down the rebounds just fine.

Clips?

PG Davis
SG Golden Gordon
SF Thornton
PF Randolph
C Camby

And they'll trade Kaman soon enough! That's the scary part. What could they do with Chris Kaman? I honestly predict that Pat Riley will give Mike Dunleavy a call. Marion for Kaman.

So...

PG Davis
SG Golden Gordon
SF Marion
PF Randolph
C Camby

That is an all star lineup. Not an All-Star lineup, but an all star lineup. The #7 pick in the last draft plus guys who can do it all in every category? This could be a deep-playoff team.

And Golden State?

PG Morrow/Crawford/Monta on one foot?
SG Crawford/Jackson
SF Jackson/Maggette/Azubuike?
PF Maggette/Randolph/Wright
C Biedrins

Barring Andris Biedrins, who has been re-christened Drago Jr., almost every position is up for grabs. There's a lot more depth on this team, though, and all when their supposed star player is out. Golden State gave up an aging power forward for a shining SG who knows how to run.

The big question is whether Nelson wants Anthony Randolph, Brandan Wright, or Anthony Morrow to be a starter. I honestly think he's more inclined to go with Morrow as of recently, but later down the right he will choose Wright. If he sticks with Morrow, Crawford will play the 2, Jackson the 3, Maggette the 4. If he sticks with Wright, or even Randolph, Crawford will man the 1, Jackson the 2, Maggette the 3.

Corey Maggette is by no stretch of the imagination a power forward or someone who wants to be a power forward.

That said, two more items. First, fantasy.

The following players are currently on my Love list as of this trade.

Eric Gordon- I think he'll start for the Clippers, considering Ricky Davis has been stinking up the place. Gordon's stats were so close to current standout OJ Mayo's in college that if he were to get as many minutes, I'm guessing his stats would be similar, if not better. He can penetrate and rebound, like Davis. What Davis doesn't do well is shoot the midrange jumpshot, and Gordon does that well. In fact, he's one of the only people on that team that can. He has an area of opportunity, he has a starting spot, and he has talent. Will he get enough looks to utilize it? I think he'll get enough. Time might pass before he gets all of the looks he deserves.

Brandan Wright- As I said recently, Morrow, Randolph or Wright will be a starter for Golden State. Morrow will either fade or not. If so, which I predict, Brandan Wright will start for Golden State. And do I love Brandan Wright. His stats are decent, and he's only got 17 minutes.

The line is thus: 6.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.6 bpg, 1.6 PFpg, 2.7 FGM, 1.4 FTM.

He does that in 17 minutes.

Say he had 30. 30/17=1.7647058823529411764705882352941. Long, I know.

The line should be something like this: 10-15 ppg, 7-9 rpg, 2.8 bpg, 2.8 PFpg.

Did you see that? 2.8 bpg? I thought you did. Excluding the PF's, which don't matter much, Wright would be an excellent addition for rebounds, blocks and a decent scoring output.

Here's more. In his sole season at UNC, he shot 65% FG and had a steal.

Currently, he's at 0.4 spg. Would that change? I say, "yes." Expect 1.0 stl.

Can he shoot 65% FG? Maybe not. Can he shoot 60%? Possibly. He's shooting 56% right now.

Wilson Chandler- He's the one guy that I hate only because I wish I had him on my fantasy teams. He can be a high rebounding, 1 stl-1 blk-1 three, high FG% guy. He can be a Rudy Gay. He can also be a Lamar Odom (back when Odom was a name you could trust).

Since Tim Thomas will probably split his time between PF and small forward, Q-Rich will split his time between SG and SF, and Cuttino Mobley is probably not going to be a small forward any time soon, Wilson will have the most minutes at this position. He'll probably be the sole guy on the team without a solid backup who only plays one position. In other words, he'll get a lot of minutes and looks.

Bear in mind that his assist numbers most likely won't go up. They're on the verge of being decent. Now that Zach Randolph's off, this team will be less about feeding the ball into the paint and more about driving to the basket. His FTA will go up, which might change is FT% and PTS.

Wilson's the biggest wild card. Watch him anyway.

Finally, a note on LeBron James.

Of the three teams primarily mentioned in this note (GSW, NYK, LAC), the Knicks took the biggest short term lost. Crawford and Randolph were off to the hottest starts on the Knicks. Can they really get LeBron James? Will he leave Cleveland? The answer I have to that question is possibly, but I don't think so.

Still, if the Knicks can't get LeBron, Amare, Bosh, and just about everyone else on the planet is available.

The real winner? I'd say that'd be the Clippers for now, the Knicks for later, the Warriors if they can develop Wingman (Brandan Wright's wingspan is incredible).

I've said some things....

2008-11-20T23:36:00.000-05:00

...that I regret. One of which was that I thought Brook Lopez would be Dwight Howard with less bulk and a sweet shooting touch. Not so much. I said Derrick Rose has not proven himself on any significant level or in any significant game. Did he out-PG the ultimate PG in DJ Augustin in the Elite Eight? Yes. Is he out-PG'ing Jason Kidd at his own game, what with 20 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast to go with 48% FG? Yes. Is he ROTY worthy with those numbers? Yes. Did I make a mistake in saying that? No, because at the time it was true. Now, however, I stand corrected.

The rest, I think, I've been good for. I said OJ Mayo was ROTY worthy, and I stand by the conviction that he will be the biggest contender for that prize. I said early that I wholeheartedly supported Rudy Fernandez, and look at him now! Privately, I've had revelations about JaVale McGee possibly starting for Washington. That worked out well.

Regardless of some things I've said, here is what I'm saying at the 10-game mark.

ROTY
1. OJ Mayo
2. Derrick Rose
3. Michael Beasley
4. Rudy Fernandez
5. Greg Oden
6. Gasol, Marc
7. LRMaM (Luc Richard Mbah a Moute)
8 (tie). Darrell Arthur/Jason Thompson
10. Mario Chalmers (We'll have to see how this one works out, honestly)
Honorable Mention. Get the ball to Morrow, to Morrow... (this one too)
and
Brook Lopez
and
Ryan Anderson
and
JaVale McGee

The difference between Marcus Camby and Dwight Howard. The difference between Deke and Shaq.

2008-11-19T23:03:00.000-05:00

Marcus Camby is a great player. Tyson Chandler is a great player. Both have served time in my adoration. When it comes to offense, when it comes to making your presence felt, Camby and Chandler can't do it.

Then there's Dwight Howard. There's Shaq. There's Wilt. There are those big men that are dominating. 20-10-2 blk is no tough task for 'em.

Greg Oden? Andrew Bynum? Even Al Horford? I'm struggling to know whether some emergent big men will be of the first group of big men or the second.

If they don't start Oden, I fear he will enter the first. They aren't. McMillan made that clear. I think the GO man is destined to become Shaq in playing style. Go to the rim, slam it home. Shaq can at least post up and use some offensive moves. I haven't seen that from Oden on the big level. I saw it with O-State. Maybe he can adjust, maybe he can't.

Spectrum of Greg Oden, as displayed by masters of the big man craft. Included is what I have seen of Ohio State's Greg Oden.
Shaq - rim - 62%
KG - guard-like finesse - 0%
Yao - variety offense - 20%
Deke - stifling defense - 15%
Zo/Dream - a little of everything all the time - 3%

Spectrum of Andrew Bynum.
Shaq - 45%
KG - 0%
Yao - 25%
Deke - 25%
Zo/Dream - 5%

What I predict...in the next five years, from A-Z.

2008-11-17T21:18:00.000-05:00

a) The Lakers and Celtics will become irrelevant. KG will wither out within 2-3, Ray in that same time. Likewise, the Lakers will so blindly convince themselves that the huge frontline of Pau, Bynum and Odom is working that they don't change it for too long. They'll eventually disband and rebuild.

b) The powerhouses in five years will be unexpected, and the Northwest will headline. New Orleans, Minnesota, Oklahoma City, Cleveland, Atlanta, Miami and Portland will be contenders, with the Knicks, Nets, Bulls, Pacers and Grizzlies close behind. Complete power shift? I think so.

c) Kevin Durant and Jeff Green will make Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen's jaws drop.

d) Chris Paul will be something to the effect of John Stockton...but worse.

e) The current Rookie class will be the foundation of the league. I'm eyeing Rose, Beasley, Mayo, Fernandez, Bayless, Gordon and especially Brook "The Bank" Lopez. Bank of a river? Bank of a brook? Bank of a Brook? Never mind.

f) Jrue Holiday and Ricky Rubio will be on the up-and-up.

g) Greg Oden will have at least two microfractures between now and five years from now.

h) Blake Griffin and BJ Mullens will look impressive in the '09 draft, but be no such thing. Instead, Hasheem Thabeet will be the most impressive big man.

i) On that note: Hasheem Thabeet will make Dikembe Mutombo shiver.

j) The most graceful exit from the NBA? Kobe Bryant. A history capped with tragedy will end with sobriety and dignity.

k) The least? Ron Artest. Should I say something else?

l) The most shocking exit to the European stage? Carlos Boozer. Without the attention he thinks he deserves, he'll try for (at least) the money. He (and Josh Childress) won't like it there very much.

m) The least? Mephon Starbury.

n) Carmelo Anthony will finally shave the kid off of his appearance and emerge a man. He and LeBron will rule the league.

o) Andris Biedrins will overtake Al Jefferson and Dwight Howard for the title of MDE, replacing Shaq.

p) On that note: Shaq will give the Phoenix Suns a championship AFTER Amare is taken by the 2010 frenzy. The Suns will use that room for...LeBron James. Steve will continue to average 10 and 10 in the years to come.

q) Boris Diaw will spend the rest of his life on a beach overlooking Marseilles.

r) Monta Ellis will transform his identity into...an unfavorable one.

s) Baron Davis and the Clippers won't last long. Kaman will get traded this year or next, and Camby will retire. Baron Davis may find a home after the stars realign in 2010.

t) Lamar Odom will fight for his job. 20 pts-15 reb-10 ast-9 blk-8 stl-7 offensive rebounds-60% FG-5 PF-4 TO-3 headshots-2 3 pt-1 something else. Or something similar. Mark my woords.

u) The most surprising outbreak? Kevin Love. He'll be up there in assists and rebounds.

v) The least? Rodney Stuckey/Ronnie Brewer.

w) The most surprising decline? Allen Iverson.

x) The least? Tim Duncan.

y) The most valuable player, without being the MVP? Kevin Durant.

z) The most valuable player you'll never hear of? Andris "The Terminator" Biedrins.

Pickup Lines, Week Three

2008-11-16T00:06:00.000-05:00

It's getting hot in here. So, take off all your clothes.
Why sell houses when I can get my hands on some of your real estate?
Each week BaB will give you good pickups from the waiver wire. Sound good?

Thad Young- He's for real. Some have called him a Rashard Lewis, but he rebounds even better. A couple straight 20 pt games have proved this to me.

Yi Jianlian- I hope I've told you about this guy. He's a Thad Young with better FT's and less scoring and better rebounding. He's a little more taken, though.

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute- Despite the hype, the first Bruin from the past couple Final Fours to make an impact has not been Arron Afflalo, Jordan Farmar, Russell Westbrook or even Kevin Love. It has instead been the Cameroonian prince. I like him. He can't shoot the three yet in the NBA, but I predict he'll have at least one in the future, and at least a block and a steal. He's a poor man's mix of Rudy Gay and Josh Howard.

Jeff Green- He's not shooting well now, but last year he shot above 44%, if I remember correctly, and that's good enough. He has improved rather dramatically his rebounding, 3pt shooting and scoring. I hate to say this, but he's doing what I thought Kevin Durant would do. Don't lose faith in K-Dragon. Gain some in the Green Machine, though, because I remember how well he played against UNC in 2007 before Ohio State made the Hoyas pay. There's a lot to be said for what Green may be able to do before long.

Matt Barnes- After those couple days off for the birth of his and his wife's twins, a couple people took a short term off themselves - from starting Barnes or even keeping him on their rosters. Bad move. He's still starting in place of Grant Hill, as far as I know, and it would be unwise to drop him. Alternatively, if you're look for scoring, moderate rebounding and an above average three point shot, take him.

What has surprised me the most recently.

2008-11-16T00:03:00.000-05:00

Not that the Pistons beat the Lakers. Not that the Nuggets beat the Celtics. Not that the Hawks were 6-0, or lost two straight to the Nets. No, the most significant shocker to me has been Houston over New Orleans. Honestly, New Orleans is still my pick to win it all. I think they're now going to see Detroit in the Finals instead of Boston. Houston, though, has been solid, but not a championship contender as many have made them out to be. If they can beat New Orleans with no major contributors injured on either side, that is a shock to me. A shooting guard who can't shoot, a center who can't block, forwards that can't rebound, and a point guard that can't do much of anything...are championship caliber. I mean it. Pencil Tracy McGrady into the second round.

Oden's back!

2008-11-12T20:06:00.002-05:00

Mark your calendars. 8 pm, ESPN. Now.

Pickup Lines, Week 2

2008-11-12T20:06:00.001-05:00

I lost my number...can I have yours?
Is it hot in here or is that just you?
Each week BaB will show you the money with the hottest pickups off the waiver wire. Sound good?

Roger Mason- Tony Parker = ker-SMASH! Luckily, his fortunate replacement, who's already had a good season, will have an even better one with Timmy D at his side to boost his assists through the roof. The most successful big 3, I think, since the first one, is crippling, sadly.

Big Rudy Fernandez- Ay! People just aren't picking up on this guy. A steal, 94% FT, 14 pts, a handful of rebounds and assists, high shooting, and...people aren't picking up.

OJ Mayo- He's on less and less waiver wires these days, but the kid has figured it out quick. Brook hasn't. I'm pencilling in Ovinton J'Anthony (?) Mayo as the Rookie of the Year. Maybe Beasley too.

That's all she wrote.

Bloody Friday

2008-11-07T23:07:00.000-05:00

Sad notes:
-Iverson scores 24, loses to the wholly underappreciated Nets.
-Amare brings it home, loses by 20 to the Bulls, who have no frontcourt save for Thomas the Tyrant's potential.
-Peja has 6 3's, Chris Paul has 20-10, and they lose to the Bobcats.
-Miami over San Antonio would have been preposterous last year. This year? Not so much. D-Wade's bringing the fires of hell across the country.

More sad notes:
-Harrington, Curry and Spurs rumors. I can't imagine Golden State wants Eddy Curry. Reason? Andris Biedrins + no one to man the 4 in San Francisco. Plus, Harrington's just better. Curry had his day. DNP-CD podcast (Marbury/Curry) is pretty funny on the Garbage Time All-Stars website.
-Marbury is getting his GE...never mind. He's going back to high school to stay (in shape). HIGH SCHOOL! He can't get a minute in New York! His career's over. Oy.
-Adam Morrison, while alive, is flailing. I need a resurgence of the man who averaged 28 pts, 3s galore, rebounds galore, steals and blocks and incredible moments with long hair (watch: Zags/UCLA. Possibly the greatest college game ever.)
-Sean May tambien. The former UNC behemoth is...out of shape. Larry Brown definitely doesn't like him, and...well, his career has been dismal. The other UNC stars from that era, i.e. Felton, M. Williams, McCants, have not been terribly more successful.

BTW, Harrington/Curry might work, but the Spurs won't be the third team. With Parker out, they've got enough problems as it is. Possibly Knicks/Spurs might have something to talk about.

Over/Under

2008-11-06T17:33:00.000-05:00

The media's been making predictions. Too high? Too low? My call. You listen.

28 wins for the Nets? Under. The Nets are better than you think, and mostly because of Brook Lopez. Boone's clogging his minutes. If they trade him and, say, Simmons or CDR, they could have enough of a cap clearer. Maybe they deal for Marion, and Has-been Haslem gets back to PF.

3 less wins without Chauncey and with AI? Fail. Honestly, they could get ten MORE wins. All they have to do is deal Rip for a legitimate PF/C and they're set to win the East and send the Lakers packing.

More to come when I think of it.

LOPEZ REUNION!!!!!!

2008-11-04T22:57:00.000-05:00

has been about the only good news all day. Yaaargh, Johnny Mac. Yaaargh.

My fantasy team(s)

2008-11-03T22:12:00.000-05:00

There's an argument going on in side me for one of my fantasy teams. I was wondering if you guys had any opinions.

On the fantasy team I care the most about, my final player basically comes down to Tyrus Thomas, Brook Lopez or Marc Gasol. I really like what Tyrus has been doing, but I haven't seen a big enough sampling to see if he'll be consistent. Alternatively, Lopez and Gasol have been consistent, but not as exciting. I really think that with time, he'll overtake them all.

My guy says that I'll stick with Gasol and Lopez. Which? Easy. Gasol. Will all three stay on the waiver? No se.

Billups and McDyess for Iverson! ?Que te dije? ?Huh? ?Que te dije?

2008-11-03T15:08:00.000-05:00

Although pieces from Miami and the Clippers were absent, my Denver/Detroit collaboration succeeded. Iverson for Billups, McDyess and Samb. Cheicky had a little Samb whose jersey was white as snow.

Projected Lineups

Detroit
PG Iverson/Stuckey
SG Hamilton/Stuckey
SF Prince/Herrmann
PF Johnson/Maxiell
C Sheed/Maxiell/Kwame?

Denver
PG Billups/Carter
SG Smith/Kleiza
SF Melo/Balkman
PF K-Mart/Samb
C Nene/Andersen

Which looks better? Detroit's looks better.

Two things you should know.

a) Detroit will win the Central Division, hands down.
b) J.R. Smith has got the opportunity to be real big in this league.
c) Chauncey Billups could revert to 06-07 form. (05-06? The one where he averaged 18 pts).

This changes the dynamic in the Northwest Division a little. Expect the Utah/Portland/Minnesota scuffle to still be the prominent one. The Nuggets will have Billups and Melo, but they won't get along. They can't be worse than the Son...Thunder.

The former is obvious. The Cavs can't compete with that.

The latter, if you've been watching my recent posts, is less obvious, but true. Consider: AI was averaging the most minutes in the league at SG and PG. Smith plays the SG. As AI probably played 30 minutes scoring and 10 minutes distributing, JR probably got 20 min at most. Now, JR gets 30 minutes. That's the difference.

Reordering Eastern Conference...

1 Boston
2 Detroit
3 Cleveland
4 Orlando
5 Philadelphia
6 Miami
7 Toronto
8 New Jersey

I was fooling myself with Miami. Here's the truth.

Boston in 5
Philly in 6
Detroit in 6
Miami in 7

Boston in 6
Detroit in 7

.........

Detroit in 7

EDIT: Pickup Lines

2008-11-02T19:10:00.000-05:00

Vlad Radmanovic- In the Odom/Ariza battle, Vlad Radmanovic won...and is he winning now! 1.3 stl, 2 3pt, 5 reb, 8 pts, 48% shooting, and...my eternal gratitude. Lamar Odom? GET TRADED PLZLAWL!

Personal note: KP43 ain't comin' through, and likely may not provide as much value. I'm thinking that because of the positional security I have at C already, I may switch him for Vlad. Opinions?

Pickup Lines

2008-11-02T01:57:00.000-04:00

Hey, how ya doin'?
I lost my number. Can I have yours?
Each week B&B will give you an update on who's hot in fantasy. Sound good?

Spencer Hawes- Expect a varying degree of success. In 2 games, he's averaged 10-13...? Not a combination I see often. Brad Miller's on a suspension, so expect Hawes' minutes to dip when Miller comes back. Will his minutes dive, though? I don't think so if he keeps this up.

Darrell Arthur- King Arthur is coming through! After being shipped around the country by ravaging fanatics, Darrell Arthur has a beautiful situation. 6-13-1.5 stl-2 blk. Yeah, you heard me. In Memphis, where no one's in the paint. I'm keeping an eye on King Arthur.

Nene!- I put the exclamation after the last e to emphasize it, and not the first syllable. It's ne-nay, not neh-ney.
That being said, 17-8 with 64% shooting is a super steal off the waivers.

JR Smith- Chad's MIP predictions are happening. 17-8...from a SG!!!!!! A stl, 2 threes and 50% FG complement it. I'm seriously thinking you should put him on cue. Another Nugget, another supersteal.

Birdman....?- Should something happen to K-Mart, expect Nene! to get the 4 or Birdman. If his minutes go up, I could see 10-10 with 2 blk out of him, strangely enough.

Brook Lopez!!!!!!- I'm telling you. Mark my words. 15-10 with 2 blk and 60% shooting. Mark 'em.

Daequan Cook- Obviously the guy's got D. Wade in front of him, which will cut his minutes, but he can play the point too, where they need help. If he starts averaging 30 minutes a game and you need a PG, take a look at him. 13-6 and a stl, 3 3pters, and 50% FG...well, sounds more like a young Steve Nash.

NBA and Mario

2008-11-01T20:48:00.000-04:00

I figured I'd do a little creative accounting and compare NBA and Mario characters. Boredom strikes again, and inability to watch ESPN/TNT/NBA also strikes again.

Mario- LeBron James
Don't tell me Mario isn't the franchise player of the whole kit-and-kaboodle. He is. LeBron is as well. Mario's real tough, and he jumps all over the place. Same with LeBron. Mario fights bad guys. LeBron fights DeShawn Stevenson, who is a less than decent basketball player. Mario wears red, and LeBron wears red. There's plenty of rhyme or reason to it.

Luigi- Kobe Bryant
Luigi is just as important as his brother. He's got the moves, the appeal, and the experience. Kobe's got the moves, the appeal, and the experience. People say Luigi's washed up, that he's just got to give it up to the new kid in town, and he doesn't. Same with Kobe. In the end, you want Luigi more than Mario, even if Mario has better leadership abilities. Same with Kobe.

Yoshi- Kevin Garnett
Yoshi's the most reliable player in the franchise. Night in and night out, he is picking up Mario and Luigi and bringing them to safety. He also goes off on tangents of his own. Yoshi is also a dinosaur. KG's reliable, he's a safe bet night in and night out, he's great, and he's a dinosaur in terms of age.

Wario- Carmelo Anthony
Mario and Wario have really been enemies since Day One. Wario's unpredictable, he wears yellow, he's tricky, and nobody really gives him much respect even though he deserves it. Same with 'Melo. 'Melo and LeBron have really been adversarial contemporaries, ever since getting drafted at the same position in the same draft. LeBron gets lots of attention. 'Melo? Negative attention. 'Melo also wears yellow and he scores 26 a night. Give the man some love.

Waluigi- Shaquille O'Neal
Luigi and Waluigi have been at war recently. Luigi's got other missions on which to focus, but Waluigi keeps nailing him. Waluigi's tall, he wears purple, and he doesn't get much love these days. Same with Shaq. He and Kobe fight, he's tall, he wears purple, and he doesn't get much love these days.

Bowser- Tim Duncan
He's Mario's enemy, he's Luigi's enemy, he's Waluigi's enemy, he's tall, he's awfully hard to beat if you underestimate him and night in and night out he dominates. Yoshi gets jealous for not being the top dinosaur sometimes. I'm going to stop elaborating, and see if you can figure it out based on the context clues.

Peach- Paul Pierce
Mario and Luigi both have secret crushes on Peach, even if they're supposed to be perfect gentlemen sometimes. Her sweet moves have got them drooling. As it turns out, Peach always takes a special interest in Yoshi.

Shy Guy- Steve Nash
Shy Guy really wants to be in the spotlight with Mario and Luigi. Sometimes he gets the chance, sometimes he doesn't. Waluigi's really impeded on his style, as Shy Guy is no longer the non factor in the equation. Plus, Shy Guy wears orange. Deep down, Shy Guy's even cooler than Bowser. He's just so interesting...so consistent.

Boo- Chris Paul
Boo's really scaring people. He's at the castle, he's on the trail...he's everywhere. It feels like he came out of nowhere. Still, Boo is sometimes a more fearsome adversary than Bowser, simply because of the inability to kill him.

Koopa- Greg Oden
Koopa tries to emulate Bowser, but he gets nowhere. He hasn't made a lot of progress in the world as a species. Koopa also falls over a lot. You jump over Koopa a lot. Koopa also hides in a shell when he's scared.

Goomba- Shawn Marion
Face it. He's in his fading years. Back in the day, though, he was great with numbers, sometimes he could fly, sometimes he could really hurt ya. He and Shy Guy had a long relationship as unloved and unwanted. Waluigi, having succeeded Goomba as the most cunning player, has really caused Goomba to lose his touch a little.

Bob-omb- Mephon Starbury
What else is there to say? All Bob-omb does is blow up.

Birdo- Antonio McDyess
This dinosaur's still got a lot of fight left in her. She's often less frightening until you meet her in person. Then she lays it on you. Recently, Birdo hasn't gotten a lot of respect. Long ago, however, she was a fearsome boss.

Daisy- Vince Carter
Peach's counterpart. She's a little more rough around the edges, and not as many people like her these days, but she's still quite attractive.

Toad- Ben Wallace
He's awfully helpful to Mario. He's short for his role, but he always comes through. He's the backbone of Mario's entire operation. Without Toad, Mario would never have gotten to Bowser at all. Toad provides the will, the connection and the consistency for Mario to emerge.

Taking suggestions for Donkey Kong.

Words of Wisdom

2008-10-30T22:03:00.000-04:00

-Watch NO/PHX tonight.
-Stay away from mopeds. Kudos to Skeets on BDL.
-WATCH NO/PHX TONIGHT. TOMORROW WILL NOT DO!
-The Knicks beat Miami? I may have to reevaluate that second in the East bit. Maybe they better make a trade, and fast.
-Paul Pierce is making a list, checking it twice. 27 pts, 2 3pt, 2 stl, various rebounds, all in a day's work.
-Josh Howard's 25 and 9 is impressive right now.
-Dwight Howard's five steals...
more to come.

Opening Night...and Greg Oden

2008-10-29T14:36:00.000-04:00

Yesternight was Opening Night. The night was long to someone who hadn't seen a regular season game in a while, and even longer considering the dread of another postponement of the World Series (on occasion, I watch some baseball). Some notes:

-Where was Greg Oden? What happened to the big man where it mattered most so far?
-Where was Andrew Bynum? Although less agitating than Oden for fantasy players, Bynum gave me less to be infatuated with.
-Paul Pierce was a steal last night, the third highest scorer on the night.
-Big Rudy Fernandez came up big for Portland.
-Lamar Odom....sigh. Somebody trade him, please. Miami, Memphis, New Jersey, somewhere.
-Derrick Rose's 9 ast surprised me. I want to see him average it over 20 games before I pat him on the back.
-Kobe's great. 11 reb for an SG? He's channelling a little MJ there...
-Rondo was solid...hasn't broken out yet. Wait for it....
-LeBron with...16 pts. And no regard for human life.
-Despues de saltar, Shaq no puede hacer nada sin Kobe igualmente.

Possible edit on the DET-MIA-LAC trade...now excluding the Clippers including DENVER

2008-10-27T21:42:00.001-04:00

Denver
A. Iverson -> MIA

Detroit
C. Billups -> DEN
A. McDyess -> DEN

Miami
S. Marion -> DET

HOUSTON!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-10-27T21:38:00.001-04:00

I mean Allan Houston. He was waived a couple days ago, before today's mandate that all rosters be cut to 15 people. My greatest sympathies go out to the man behind an incredible 1998-99 Knicks.

Besides, how can you go wrong with Houston?

-John Houston Stockton
-Allan Houston
-Houston Rockets, now with Ron-Ron
-Houston, we have lift off

The references are endless. Houston is a good name.

Did I mention there's a city in Texas called Houston? That sort of slipped my mind. My apologies.

Readers, your thoughts: Detroit, Miami, LAC-palooza

2008-10-26T20:05:00.001-04:00

I've been evaluating the following trade, and I think it works out for everybody.

Detroit
C. Billups -> MIA
A. McDyess -> LAC

Miami
S. Marion -> DET

LA Clippers
C. Kaman -> MIA

This does the following.

For Detroit, it solves numerous problems. It gives the Pistons an offensive threat while maintaining its defensive coherence. It also gives Rodney Stuckey the chance to shine.

For Miami, everybody's happy. They fill their gaps at PG and C. Has-been Haslem takes up PF again.

For the Clippers, it alleviates some cap stress and gives Camby all the rebounding rights and privileges he's accustomed to. It also gives them veteran leadership for guys like Al Thornton.

Thoughts?

Some great college players that never made it.

2008-10-25T21:35:00.000-04:00

How can this happen? One minute, such a shining star in college. The next? Off to the sidelines in Turkey, Greece, or some other European basketball league. The result? Talent lost. I give you some of the most disappointing outcomes of college stars.

-Chris Lofton- An All-American! Cancer prohibited Lofton from putting up his usual numbers last year. He could've been Allan Houston...he could've been Dwyane Wade...he could've been so great.

-Dee Brown- Although he's in the pros now, it took him way too long. The former Illinois superstar is a backup for a backup with the Wizards. Shame.

-Adam Morrison- Probably my favorite college basketball player. 28 ppg and superstar numbers in every other category plus an unstoppable determination made him the Chevrolet Player of the Year...and now what? Charlotte is trying to ship him away! My, oh my. If they had seen him cry in that fateful Gonzaga-UCLA game...how could anybody bring him more sadness? I've never seen a basketball player so emotional. His failure brings me the most sadness.

-Derrick Byars- My brother goes to Vanderbilt, so this is particularly sad. After singlehandedly pushing Vandy against UNC, Byars got nailed by Psycho and Crew. Psycho went on to lose to Johnny Wallace and Hibbert...they went on to lose to Gregory O, and they went on to lose to Joakim Noah. Crazy how things turn out. With the exception of Greg Oden and Roy Hibbert, no one from that group is running on particuarly good times right now.

-All those guys from George Mason- and what a game it was! The tiny George Mason, against insurmountable odds, beat Marcus Williams (now backup PG for the Warriors) and Rudy Gay (now small forward for the Grizzlies) and some other guys you've heard of. Now they're in oblivion.

Some preseason performers you probably haven't realized

2008-10-25T21:03:00.000-04:00

I had no idea about what was going on in the preseason until a couple hours ago. The answer to my problems: stats. CBSSports.com has it all for you. Beware: everyone's stats are lower in the preseason.

-Chris Andersen- Say what? 8.7 rebounds? 2.3 blk? The third best rebounder in the NW division and the third best blocker in the league? Birdman? It's incomprehensible, but Chris Andersen had a spectacular preseason, as did the Nuggets. Will he win the starting C job? Probably not. Will he be relevant? Probably not. There's at least a glimmer of hope considering the frontcourt absence of NBC.

-JR Smith- Another Nugget! JR averaged 18.3 PPG, 48% FG and 2 stl. If I see JR do that in the regular season, I'm-a go get him. This could be his year if Iverson gets traded. If not, there's not a lot of room for him anywhere else. It's not like he'll start at SF or anything.

-Rudy Fernandez- Big Rudy produced 12 pts, 46% FG, 4 ast, and (get this) 2.6 stl. I've got a lot of faith in the Beijing star already. I get the feeling he might even start at SF. Keep a serious eye out for Big Rudy.

-Sergio Rodriguez- Another Spanish Blazer! 7.2 ast? If he can keep that up, he might have a shot at the starting PG job in Portland.

-Brook Lopez- ROTY, baby! 11.8 ppg, 7.8 reb, 2.3 blk...I'd say Blopez is off to a strong start. Will he win the starting C job in East Rutherford? I get the feeling.

-DeMarcus Nelson- The starter at PG for the GS Warriors, DeMarcus Nelson went undrafted this year, and is now a starter in the NBA. That happens very little. Still, 69.4% FG is something to behold.

-Kevin Durant- What you knew about Kevin Durant: he can score and shoot the free. What you didn't know about Kevin Durant: he can give you 7 reb, 2.3 stl and 1 blk in the preseason. I told you so!

Your 2008-09 NBA Preseason Champions, the New Orleans Hornets

2008-10-25T18:19:00.001-04:00

An indicator of the validity of my prediction? Possibly.

Most Improved Player: 9 Finalists and the Winner

2008-10-20T16:31:00.000-04:00

I will do the Central Division in a jiffy for Previews. First off, I'd like to let you in on the most improved player list. Worst to second is a bigger improvement than middle to first.

10. Andrew Bogut. He's the most likely big man to step it up. He saved himself from the B-List (Bargnani, Kwame Brown), and he's got no one holding him up around the rim.

9. Lamar Odom. If Allen Iverson is the Answer, and Paul Pierce is the Truth, then Lamar Odom is the Question. No one knows where he'll be, what position he'll play, or even if he'll start thanks to Phil Jackson's age. However, if he's traded, which I suspect, other coaches will realize his frontcourt potential and give him control of the land, like he deserves. 20-15-10.

8. Boris Diaw. He had a great 05-06, and a poor 07-08. If he can't step it back up this year to some degree fo 05-06 territory, expect heck from Terry Porter. No word on whether he can emulate that again...if so, expect at least the starting job wrestled away from Grant Hill, and at most a championship for the Phoenician Suns.

7. Kirk Hinrich. Another player who's going to go somewhere and have fun. He's got the talent; it's just that he, and the entire Bulls team, had a bad year, and they went south. With Rose expected to be the starting PG, expect Hinrich to use his talents elsewhere and to great extent.

6. Jermaine O'Neal. Another season, another worry for Jermaine O'Neal. If the injury bug doesn't hit Toronto, O'Neal will have Chris Bosh this time around. Both of them, in the paint, should cause havoc for opposing frontcourts. The problem is that if O'Neal doesn't step it up, he might be off the Toronto books in as little time as he's on them, labeled as another case of the Mephon Starbury.

5. Brandon Roy. He's already great, but expect greater. With Oden in the middle, expect his assists to jump a little for Oden's growing pains. Bayless, attacking the basket against guys one foot his senior, will pass it back to Roy in times of trouble. In short, Roy's going have a lot of guys relying on him, a lot of guys who need the ball for the experience and a lot of great talent to pass the ball to. Possibly expect 22-5-7.

4. David West. With Timmy D, KG, Dirk and Antawn out the door, expect West to be the most dominant PF in the years to come. He starts next season, getting dishes from the best point guard in the game.

3. Ronnie Brewer. A starting SG who hits 55.something% of his shots entering his third year isn't on your radar? He's on mine.

2. Kevin Durant. Somebody call the doctor...this kid's on fire! Expect Ray Allen free throws, AI scoring and possibly 8 rebounds out of him. He can play almost any position well. In fact, he reminds me a little bit of Magic. Maybe he won't wear #32 and and be one of the best PG's ever, but he'll have Magic-sized talent if this keeps up.

1. Rajon Rondo. Rondo is the MLPTEJK (Most Likely Player To Emulate Jason Kidd) this year, or else. High rebounding and assisting for anybody is a sign, and the 49% FG is certainly a sign. Sure, he won't get as many touches as KG, Ray and the Truth, but the point is that he doesn't need them! Ray's deteriorating, so expect Rondo to pretty much split the scoring difference this year (14, 15 pts). I'm telling you now that upwards of 7 ast and 7 reb is very possible. That said, how can you deny that? It's fantasy gold!

MIP: Rajon Rondo.

The Lunacy of the Lakers, Episode 2

2008-10-18T20:52:00.000-04:00

The Lakers have got it all wrong. Phil Jackson's got it all wrong.

The backcourt is fine. Kobe Bryant is amazing. He has help from Derek Fisher, who's decent.

I submit that a problem grows in the frontcourt.

Signs:
a) Lamar Odom's mishandling. He's supposed to have full control of a frontcourt, but have help. That's how Lamar Odom does it. The frontcourt is clogged with talent this year, but nevertheless clogged. How can Lamar Odom bring down rebounds, make assists, block, shoot the ball at a tremendous percentage, etc. with all those other guys clamoring to block, shoot the ball at a tremendous percentage, and bring down rebounds? He can't.
Solution: Trade Pau.

b) Andrew Bynum is Turbo Diesel: the Big Diesel of the future. Kobe's going to have Andrew Bynum for many years. Andrew Bynum is going to have Kobe for many years. They'll grow to love each other, I'm sure. What bothers me is that Pau and Bynum don't mesh well. If I watch a Laker game where there are two 7'0" guys trying to punch each other wearing the same jersey, I think Phil Jackson will break it up- trading. Otherwise, it seems he has this all planned out. He doesn't. If Pau and Bynum start competing for rebounds, points and blocks, they'll stop winning. Then the blame game: Bynum or Pau start criticizing each other in the LA Times, etc. If it gets really bad, Bynum or Pau becomes Mephon Starbury and all hell breaks loose in the Staples Center. In short, that doesn't bode well for anybody.
Solution: Trade Pau.

c) Pau Gasol is...get ready...28. He's in his prime. Andrew Bynum isn't there yet. Think: If the Lakers can't beat the Celtics (or Hornets) this year or next, they'll have to make changes. Lamar Odom could already be gone, and the 2010 offseason would begin. Why not trade Pau at that point for small change and use the extra money to grab...LeBron James? Amare Stoudemire? The possibilities are endless, and Pau will be entering the "over-the-hill" phase.
A way to avoid the possibility of not grabbing someone in 2010?
Solution: Trade Pau (now).

Solution?
Trade Pau Gasol. Sure, you got your money's worth getting him from Memphis, but as it happens, he's messing up the Laker dynamic now.

Options:
Miami, Shawn Marion
LA Clippers, Chris Kaman
Utah, Carlos Boozer

Trade Situations: Fact or Fiction?

2008-10-18T01:21:00.000-04:00

Chad Ford has an interesting list of possible trade victims. I drew the previous post from that list. My analysis:

Marion: Fact
Let's face it: if Miami wanted to trade Beasley, they would have done it on draft day. That means he's staying. That also means that because Marion's at the SF, Beasley must play PF. Although Elton Brand is 6'8" and on occasion a 5, that apparently doesn't mean that physicality can overcome size. Therefore, many say Beasley will be ideal at the 3. This means that there would be no spot for Marion. My guess is they'd want to trade Marion for a PG/C, as Haslem can cover the PF spot well.
Options: Lakers, Lamar Odom
Jazz, Carlos Boozer
T-Wolves, Al Jefferson

Boozer: Fiction
While Boozer is mostly overrated, he's still a legitimate 20-10 threat, and he's going to improve on top of this. The Jazz need Boozer, Deron Williams needs Boozer (because Deron Williams is staying with the Jazz), and Boozer, quite frankly, needs the Jazz. If he chokes this season, all bets are off as to where he'll be the season after.

Odom: Fact
The Jamaican Monster is in the best year of his life, and he's already one of the most unique players in the game. Give him control of the frontcourt and watch him shine. Phil Jackson is oblivious to this.
Options: Miami, Shawn Marion
Denver, Carmelo Anthony
Indiana, Granger/Dunleavy

Carter: Fiction
Although a reasonable argument exists that Carter will be traded, the fact is that this is his last good year and the Nets need an offensive threat. I know so many New Jerseyans who know much less about Carter's off-the-court relations than his talent on the court. New Jersey will keep this link to the NJ Big Three of Kidd, Carter and Jefferson.

Gordon: Fact
While I wish this was Fiction, it isn't. Chicago is a) very dissatisfied with Gordon, offering him only a year in his contract, and b) crowded in the backcourt. Gordon's the best SG on that team, and he's by no means unmotivated, but they will trade someone. They're already dissatisfied with Gordon. Expect him to leave the Windy City.
Options: Jazz, Carlos Boozer
Cavs, Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Magic, Rashard Lewis

R. Wallace: Fact
Sheed's another very unique player...no longer in top form. Last year he averaged decent numbers in categories centers don't usually average anything in: 35.6% three, 76.7% free, 1.2 stl. His 1.7 blk were formidable. However, 6.6 rebounds for a starter is something Dumars can't risk. McDyess, at his age, brought in 8.4, but that number should drop this year. Dumars needs a bigger post presence, and Sheed and McDyess can't give it to him much longer. One will be traded, and McDyess won't be worth much.
Options: Cap space
No particular big man would be offered.

I told you so.

2008-10-18T00:53:00.000-04:00

Moving Marion

What is a possible deal for Shawn Marion? Chad Ford weighs the merits of a trade with the Lakers. Insider "

A trade with the Lakers = a trade for Lamar Odom.

Haven't I been suggesting this since July?

Atlantic Division

2008-10-11T17:42:00.001-04:00

1 Boston
2 Philadelphia
T-3 Toronto
T-3 NJ
5 NY Knicks