Shaq tried showing off his skills in the ring against the Big Show on Monday Nights WWE Raw. There are also other clips of him throwing the verbal smackdown throughout the show as well, and all I could think of was: Where’s that off season spare tire he usually has? He looked surprisingly fit throwing a chokehold and bulldozing the Big Show. Did he join the Jenny Craig program like Baron Davis did last off season? Could it have been because he was wearing black? Cleveland has to be pumped to see him in this good of condition!
Tag Archives: NBA
Morrow the Latest Reason for Optimism in Oakland
Anthony Morrow’s summer league record 47 point performance was the latest in a string of events producing optimism for East Bay sports franchises. It’s been a well-document rough decade for fans of the Warriors, Raiders, and A’s. The Warriors have one playoff appearance in the last fifteen years. The A’s days as the low budget cinderella sto
ry are long behind them. And the Raiders, well, they’ve become the subject of ridicule to the say the least, and quite possibly have earned the reputation as the most dysfunctional franchise in all of pro sports. Outsiders will often question Oakland fans’ blind faith, but the fact that there is hope is always enough to keep us coming back. These teams don’t exactly lay dormant during the offseason like some I can think of. I couldn’t imagine being a Royals fan, or a Pirates fan, or a Grizzlies fan. Almost every offseason, these three teams give reason for optimism. Hope, if you will. The Raiders bring in guys like Randy Moss and Deangelo Hall. The A’s bring in guys like Matt Holliday and Jason Giambi. It may be all there is to cling to, but I’ll take that over just going through the motions any day. True, the lows have far outweighed the highs, but, at the end of the day, we’ve still seen a Super Bowl berth, an American League Championship Series, and one of this decades greatest NBA Playoff runs of all time.
The Warriors are now two full seasons removed from their lone playoff appearance that we can remember. They followed that up with the best regular season record to NOT make the playoffs, and then came crashing back down to earth last season. They lost Jamal Crawford this offseason, but as great of a player as he is, the team didn’t live or die by him. In other words, they’re just as good with or without him. The only major addition this offseason was Stephen Curry, but that came as a surprise to many who expected GSW to draft another big man that may or may not see the floor. You know, someon
e like Joe Smith, Todd Fuller, Brandan Wright, Jordan Hill maybe. Instead, they got a shooter that is so desperately needed. Not only that, they got a player who has never been regarded as a “project” or having “potential.” Someone that HAS been labeled as such is last year’s lottery pick, Anthony Randolph. Those who have seen him play know he could be a one of a kind superstar in this league if he hones his game to match his potential. It seemed to be a big IF last season, as the first few games I saw him play left me declaring him one of the most clueless off-ball defenders I’ve ever seen in the NBA. However, a few blocks and dunks later and it’s all forgotten. This summer, Randolph has vowed to take his game to the next level, and he’s backed it up in the Las Vegas Summer League. It’s pretty much a forgone conclusion that he’ll win the MVP award, and he’s opened many eyes across the nation, including those of Team USA, who has extended an invitation to the team’s camp.
With Randolph sitting out Thursday night, it was the other Anthony who stood in to fill up the box score. Shooting 18-26 from the field, including 7 three-pointers, Morrow broke the 2 day old summer league record by 5. Critics might say it was just a summer league game, which is fair. Von Wafer shared the 42 
point record. Donte Greene even managed to score 40 last year, and he looked, in 08-09, like one of the worst players in the league at times. However, this was no fluke. This was not Morrow beating helpless D-league players off the dribble and taking it to the rack over 6’8″ stiffs. Morrow is a spot up shooter, both from the pass and off the dribble. He has a quick release that renders whoever is guarding him insignificant. After all, the guy led the NBA in 3 point shooting last year – hardly a fluke. Chappy and I were also in attendence last November for what we’ll forever refer to as “The Anthony Morrow Game,” when he torched the juggernaut that is the Clippers defense for 37 points in the Staples Center in Los Angeles. (You can see us in the second row just to the right of the basket)
The best part about all of this is Randolph and Morrow are, for all intents and purposes, afterthoughts on this Golden State Warriors roster. They’re not right now, but during the season you look at the team and you see Stephen Jackson, Monta Ellis, Corey Maggette, and Andris Biedrins. Now, factor in the new and improved Anthonys, along with Steph Curry, and this team is pretty stacked. Warriors fans can’t wait for the season to start! Will they make they make the playoffs, or even have a .500 season? Maybe, maybe not. But that’s the beauty of being an Oakland fan. Every upcoming season is going to be one to remember…………….. for better or for worse. -MCeezy
-
It shouldn't be long before scenes like this return to the Arena in Oakland
The New Salary Cap Kills Dreams, and Gives Other’s Hope
Today the salary cap numbers were released for the NBA, and as projected the cap space for next season dropped by close to $1 million from $58.68 million this past season to $57.70 million this upcoming season. It is also projected to drop 5% more next year during the extremely hyped free agency class of 2010. I know that I’ve been a little depressed and couldn’t really tell what the motivations were for the moves made by my Warriors, but now I feel that this is going to give us the boost we needed, as it may help us get rid of our horrendous owner (back to that later).
Teams that have been clearing cap space for the 2010 free agent bonanza are suddenly realizing that they may not have the cap room they first thought. The Knicks have been the most adamant in trying to get a superstar to the big apple in 2010, as they have been dumping salary like Steinbrenner gives out $100 million contracts. Their obvious goal was to make enough room under the cap to sign a combo of star players and bring the franchise back to contention for a championship. Since they were trying to clear out enough money to sign a combo of players, they haven’t really developed much of a team.
During the tirade of trades that would be off the books by 2010 the projected cap was in the $60 million range. Now it appears that number will be around $8 million less than what was projected a year ago to spend on the superstar summer. Basically, instead of signing two superstar free agents, they will have to settle for one superstar and one MLE player. In the Knicks case, it seems that not developing a team worthy enough to entice a superstar, is going to hurt them next summer. As of now, it seems much more likely that Cleveland, Toronto, and Miami can retain their franchise guys, and possibly, for slightly less money than they had originally thought. Does it sound very tempting to a player like Lebron to go to a lottery team like the Knicks or stand pat and keep trying in Cleveland where he knows he’s close. If Lebron isn’t moving to a team with a player like Bosh, Wade, or Amare there isn’t a point for him to leave. I’m sure he believes he could make them a playoff team, but I doubt he could talk himself into thinking that they were a championship caliber team.
What does this do to the Warriors you may ask? Not only is the cap not a concern to me, even though the Warriors have a lot of their money tied up for many years down the road, it actually could be a franchise changing year for the good of the team! Being a lifelong Warriors fan, I wasn’t old and wise enough to enjoy the early teams they had with Run TMC, so I’m stuck with the visions of the Chris Cohan era, which has produced a whopping 1 playoff appearance in 15 seasons! 
This recent news has helped our horrible owner have what alcoholics like to call “a moment of clarity”. Even if this team does get blown up because of the sale, is that really the worst thing that could happen to this franchise? I love the way their team is set up with youth and some veterans, but any longtime Warriors fan will tell you that it can’t get much worse as long as the new owner doesn’t take us for a Donald Sterling type ride. I’d love to see a front office that actually has relationships with the GM, coach, and players. What a concept!
Pistons Hire Guy To Coach Team
I get it. John Kuester isn’t exactly Joe the Plumber off the street. Sure, he has a legitimate resume, even if it’s being an assistant coach on the team that requires the least coaching in the league, i.e give the ball to Lebron and stand around the three point line. But my concern is this….
Ok, so they didn't hire Coach Finstock from Teen Wolf, but you get the idea
Over the last three hires, the Pistons have hired coaches with less and less experience. They went from going to the NBA Finals two years in a row under Larry Brown, to losing in the Eastern Conference Finals three years in a row under Flip Saunders, to getting bounced in the first round under first year coach Michael Curry last season. If that pattern holds, Detroit will be in the lottery next season. Seems like a backward step to me.
Sucks To Be Chris Cohan
Rumor over at Golden State Of Mind suggests owner Chris Cohan is thinking about selling his majority stake. Whether there’s truth to this or not has yet to be seen, but in the meantime, the fan poll is extremely surprising. Not in the sense that fans would be thrilled to see him go, but the landslide numbers in favor. Goes like this…
Would you be doing backflips if Warriors majority owner Chris Cohan sold off his stake in the franchise?
YES: Cohan is the worst owner in all of pro sports 225 votes
NO: I work for the Warriors and I won’t bite the hand that feeds me 4 votes
I wouldn’t be surprised if those 4 votes really did work for the Warriors. If you were Cohan and you saw this, wouldn’t you just walk away on the spot??? Though terrible, I never really considered Cohan the worst owner in all of pro sports, but I don’t think anybody could inspire poll results as bad as this!
UPDATE: AS OF 7/5, IT IS NOW 1,229 TO 44
Artest To The Lakers E-mail Thread
Andre: I hope the Lakers are thinking about letting Ariza go so they can spend
their money on Artest instead
Tony: YES…that’s what I’m talking about too Dre!!!!!!!!!! However, ask any
fan what they think of him, and people want to throw up. Just adds fuel
to fire for the laker haters and doubters out there.
Andre: We know the Lakers like Artest, he’s basically Ariza a few years down
the line and stronger and scarier on D as well. Lamar knows he will
need to take that Mid level Exception id he wants to stick around, which
leaves Artest some room if they don’t extend an offer to Ariza. It’s
too bad the Lakers seem to be ok with Odom, I’m not
Matt: Dude, Artest playing with Kobe is a soap opera no one will be able to
resist. Ron has become a bigger black hole every year. Kobe will be
yelling at him every game. There’s no way they work out. Dj Mbenga and
Chris Mihm won’t be the only guys fighting each other in practice!
Tony: If Jordan could put up with Rodman something tells me Kobe and Artest
will find some good middle ground….Wins and championships seem to be a
good cure all.
Matt: Yeah, but Rodman wasn’t a black hole on offense.
Tony: Artest will adapt…shit he’ll be on a winning team for a change.
Brian: The Pacers were a winning team, that turned out well…
Tony: Really comparing the Pacers to the Lakers?
Brian: Only in the sense he had two other guys that were stars in Jackson and
O’neal and they were winning…
Andre: Ha, you’re saying Jackson was a star 5 years ago? And seriously, I’ll
repeat Tony’s words, are you really comparing the Pacers and Lakers?
Wow. I think teams are always in for a surprise when it comes to
Artest, but magically teams keep taking a chance… wonder why if he’s
such a ball hogging black hole on offense
Brian: He had already won a championship with the Spurs, so yes he had earned
his All star status… I’m not comparing the teams, I’m just saying that
he was on a good team and it turned out well (pun intended)…
Andre: Ok, cause I’m still thinking Stephen Jackson is NOT a star and never has
been. At least not of the caliber your trying to compare him with. But
that’s a different argument for a different time, who cares about
Stephen Jackson, he needs a shower
Matt: Well how about this…
O’Neal = Gasol
Jackson = Odom (neither are all-stars)
Andre: But then you would be drawing a direct line between the Kobe and Artest,
and there’s no way even Artest would agree with that, and that’s the
point. HE would get the picture pretty damn quick on that team. HE has
a great basketball IQ, and he’s been made the go to guy on all of his
previous teams. No more of that if he comes to LA
Tony: Exactly….you take a write up for a guy who was the only offensive
player at time at Houston, and want to transport the analysis over to
how he would play as a Laker?
Brian: So Artest with Yao and Oneill is suddenly different than with Gasol?
Matt: I don’t think that’s the parallel being drawn, but now that I think
about it, Gasol would prob be the most frustrated sitting down there
wide open while Ron jacks up a 24 footer
Andre: Suddenly different? You’re talking about one of the best C’s in the game in terms of being active, having great hands, a smooth jumper, and moving up and down court like a forward and not a C.
PLUS, You’re comparing Artest with KOBE to begin with. This thought process is flawed from the beginning. Artest wouldn’t be the ballhogging black hole if he made all of the pressure shots that Kobe makes. He’s not Kobe on offense by far. Just a bull in the low post with a great jumper and lots of opportunities to miss in his career because the guys around him were his support, he was a main cog on offense.
Brian: Yeah, just try and tell Artest that. He thinks he’s the best player in the league and doesn’t need help from anyone…
Tony: Say what you will…..but being life long kings and warriors fans your
indoctrinated to look at things from the bleakest and most negative
perspectives. Its in your bloods, us laker fans come from the
perspective of winners, and we can make it work school of thought.
Brian: Yeah, and you obviously haven’t watched him play more than 100 games…
Matt: Yeah, I’ve watched Artest on the Pacers when I hated him, I watched him
on the Kings and liked him, then I watched him on Houston where I was
unbiased. Same shit, different toilet.
Brian: I realized that the matching him with a HOF coach wasn’t really
addressed. I can already hear Kobe crying over the phone to Phil when
Artest takes 25 18 ft jumpers with a hand in his face. (Since Phil won’t
be there to do anything for half of their games, that settles that)
Matt: I’d love to hear Rambis, “um Ron, er, Mr. Artest? Umm, do you, uh, think maybe you could not take so many off-balance 22 footers? I mean, it’s cool if you want to keep doing that, but we have Kobe on our team too. He’s not just a decoy. Thanks Mr. Artest. Don’t hurt me”
Andre: Did Artest come over and personally pee on your rug or something? IS
Artest a carpet-pisser??
Brian: HAhaha! No, no rug pissing, he’s just been devastating to the team
concept for every franchise he’s played for, so I really can’t stand
that type of player..
Tony: I’d say Houston did just fine this year?????
Brian: Definitely a fluke, I’ve never seen him make that many shots through two
straight series…
Tony: I was talking about the team killer aspect……
Matt: Yeah, b/c much like you said, but with a different intent, the Rockets
didn’t have a kobe or gasol. You think Shane Battier or Von Wafer are
gonna get pissed at him for shooting so much? No.
Tony:Lets just accept the fact your going to shit on him no matter what he
does…….I get that.
Matt: I’m not saying he’s gonna turn the Lakers into a lottery team.
Remember, I’m the guy who defended him and said over and over I would
never trade him for Lamar Odom. I still feel that way. ALL I’M SAYING,
is that he’s gonna be a ball-hog and Kobe’s gonna get pissed at him.
Not really going out on a limb
Tony: Good let him get pissed….to alpha-dogs going after the same thing is
great. Phil is in his element with that shit.
Brian: You want Kobe to get pissed so he passes less? That doesn’t sound like a
good thing…
The Sad State of the NBA
With the draft wrapped up and the free agency about to kick into full swing (Highlighted by Ben Gordon and Hedo Turkoglu), it seems like the NBA is in a different state than it has been for most seasons with the vicious economic decline. Instead of hearing about the best players being traded, we hear more about 
the rumors on how so many NBA teams are losing money, and are definitely going to have even more troubles with their payrolls next season. Money is the most valuable part of every organization and it seems that more teams are interested in shedding cap space, than making their teams better to compete for a title. Trade offers aren’t even about talent as much as who is getting the player with the big contract that expires next year. 12 teams accepted the leagues offer to borrow between $13 and $20 million. I won’t completely blame it on players and situations like the highly chronicled Darius Miles who is still sucking cap space away from Portland and just violated the leagues drug policy again. 
But, he is definitely one of the reasons the league needs to review the collective bargaining agreement before the seemingly imminent lockout in 2011.
My biggest concern for the NBA is the shrinking cap space each season. If the economy continues to go the way it has, the cap will keep falling. In turn, this will make it impossible for teams to stay under the cap especially with the current contract constructions weighted at the end, and put some teams over the cap before the next season even starts. This year will only be the second time in league history that the cap has been lowered from the previous season. Teams know this, and it is making them thriftier than ever. Why do they want to risk hitting the luxury tax for making it one round deeper in the playoffs? They really don’t, and this is going to be the NBA’s biggest problem during the recession! The objective for mediocrity in the league is not going to keep fans around, and without the fans the league will obviously struggle. The seats are already empty in the smaller market areas and terrible franchises. I watched many Clippers games (more than I’d like to admit) this year and most of the time you could hear the other teams fans that happen to live in L.A. at the games cheering over the Clippers’ fans (if there actually were any).
So with Amare on the block, and few interesting free agents out there, what will happen this offseason you ask? I think it’s going to be a lot of low-balling, and there will definitely be a lot of teams giving away superior talent just to relieve their books. With all of the talks surrounding my Warriors, and Amare Stoudemire possibly going to them, I took a step back to see what could possibly be behind it. Sure Amare is a great player when he’s healthy, but even he felt that the Warriors are giving up too much talent for him to want to go to there. It makes me wonder if the Warriors original objective was to have Stoudemire for a one year rental and have a lot of money come off the books instead of having: Biendris (5 years), Wright (3 years), and Bellinelli (3 years). 
Were the Warriors making a money dump like the Kings did when they gave away Brad Miller to save themselves millions off the cap in the long run? I feel like I can’t trust any move my team is making this offseason without wondering, was this done just for the pocketbook or did they really try to improve the team to make them a contender…
NBA Draft Reactions – California Edition
The 2009 NBA Draft featured something we haven’t seen since 1998: Three California teams picking in the top 10. That year was highlighted by the Sacramento Kings’ selection of Jason Williams, an unfortunate swap of Vince Carter of Antawn Jamison (which didn’t really turn out that bad) and a Clippers’ pick we’ll touch on in a minute. Once again this year, the San Diego Clippers chose first, the Kings picked fourth, and the Golden State Warriors held the 7th selection.
Los Angeles Clippers #1: Blake Griffin, Oklahoma
From the producers of Michael Olowokandi, in came the consensus #1 pick. I’ve been a long-time skeptic of Blake Griffin. This past season, I was finally sold on Griffin being a solid all-around player. He’s been dubbed as the “can’t-miss” selection of the draft. What I’m not sold on is him becoming a great player. Most will agree he’ll be a “long-time NBA starter.” What that will translate to, I’m not sure. All we can go on is the facts. They are the Clippers. Elton Brand managed to lead the Clippers to one postseason berth in his time in LA. He set the bar pretty high. I’m not sure if Griffin can lead them to the postseason, but they do also have Baron Davis, Zach Randolph, Eric Gordon, and Al Thornton. Problem is, the losing culture of the franchise will overshadow all, including Griffin’s performance.
Sacramento Kings #4: Tyreke Evans, Memphis
Local sentiment favored Ricky Rubio, for the simple fact that many around here saw him as the next coming of Jason Williams. J-Will didn’t single-handedly turn the franchise around – he had some help – but he was probably the most responsible for generating excitement and fan support. It seemed like a match made in heaven. Sac needed a point guard, and Rubio wanted to come here. The Kings, however, instead opted for Evans. I have to agree with the pick. I have stated for a while now that Evans probably has the most star potential in this year’s draft. How he’ll work out at PG I’m not sure, but he gives the Kings a much-needed scoring threat. While I definitely see them improving on their impressive 17 win total from a year ago, the possible outcomes are many. His production will constantly be compared with Rubio’s, as many will wonder what could’ve been.
Golden State Warriors #7: Stephen Curry, Davidson
I have wondered for a long time if Curry would be able to succeed at the elite level. I’m still not sure if he can. He impressed everywhere he worked out leading up to the draft, but many of those workouts are based largely around shooting displays – something we know Curry exceeds at. The Warriors’ front office proclaims that he is the perfect fit for their system. His game is so similar, yet different from Monta Ellis. He does give them a much needed shooter. Regardless of what happens, I love this pick for two reasons. He’s not Jordan Hill, who was probably the W’s backup choice. Second, I loved it simply for the reaction it got from Knicks’ fans. I loved seeing their player get snatched up right before their pick, and then watching them settle for Jordan Hill. Many thought Curry would be dealt, most likely to Phoenix. However, Don Nelson today stated on the record that Curry could “unpack his bags, even buy a house,” because he “ain’t going anyplace.” Problem is, Nellie’s word doesn’t carry much weight.
Los Angeles Lakers #59: Chinemelu Elonu, Texas A&M
Does it really even matter?
The Worst Sports Franchises of All-Time
As I read Simmons plea for Blake Griffin to run and hide from the Clippers, which probably isn’t the worst idea for him on the day of the NBA draft, I pondered what a list of the worst franchises of all time would look like. It’s not hard to think of a lot of really crappy teams, but narrowing that list down is tricky. The fields accounted for are; what they’ve done over their whole franchise’s history and to their fans. According to business journal in 2008 the worst five rated franchises (NBA, MLB, NFL) from worst to best of the worst were: Detroit Lions, Memphis Grizzlies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Minnesota Timberwolves, and the St. Louis Rams. Financially I couldn’t agree more, because I don’t know their books or care to. However, I do believe that some of the teams listed abouve are trying to do the right thing for their franchise. Well, atleast enough to stay out of the top five worst on my list.
#5 Memphis Grizzlies -They’re trying to make it to the Clippers status, but it’s tough to make up all those losing seasons that the Clips have on them. Their first four years 
yielded them a total of 56 wins in Vancouver, so why not move to Memphis! That move, coinciding with dreadful drafts have doomed the franchise to the depths that they are currently in and will be in for some time to come. Even this year with the second pick, they may have to settle for a role player since there is no clear instant NBA impact player in that spot. I’m sure this draft will yield them their next Big Country Reeves. When they do have a good player, they find a way to trade them for a poo poo platter of players and draft picks that they will eventually mess up on! I’m not just referring to the Gasol trade last year, but they also traded away Mike Bibby and Steve Francis just before their primes! Is OJ Mayo the next?
#4 Pittsburgh Pirates – Well, they have a nice park, and well, that’s about the only exciting thing that’s happened to them over the past 17 years. Since 1992, the Pirates haven’t had one winning season, and it doesn’t appear that one is coming anytime soon. They are now the proud owners of the longest string of losing seasons by any team in MLB history! Is it the curse of the Killer B’s (Bonds and Bonilla)? My guess is they are cursing themselves by continually trading players for prospects and never really letting any player play for any part of their prime.
#3 Los Angeles Clippers – Not only do they make the worst decisions possible, but every time they make a decent one it never works out. Their .365winning percentage in the Donald Sterling era shows their inability to make a streak of good decisions. He’s more interested in what prostitute’s he’s bringing to the game that night than who is on the court for his team. The dwindling fanbase has gone into a depression that may not be shakeable until they decide to move to their fourth location. The seats have been emptier and emptier as the seasons go by, except when the Lakers come to town to play them… I think Billy Crystal even stopped his season tickets this past season (don’t quote me on that, maybe he just didn’t go very much).
These Kids are lucky they don't know how bad their team is yet!
#2 Kansas City Royals – Owner David Glass should give the name “owner” an apology. He likes to play the small market victim card whenever he can, but he is always the first person in line begging to receive some of the revenue sharing from the commish. They never re-sign a star, and never puts a team on the field that is remotely competitive. Any team that averages a whopping 96 losses per season may as well make their vacation plans for October in April! There should be someway to kick out owners out of a league if they aren’t don’t even trying.
#1 Detroit Lions – It’s hard to pick exactly where to begin, but they capped off the number one spot with the first 0-16 season in NFL history, and only one playoff win since 1957 just shows the meaning of their sucktitude. It takes talent to construct these aweful teams. It must be fun for them to constantly have fans on the edge of their seats and brown bags over their heads wondering what terrible decision their franchise will make to set them back (insert amount of years). This continual three to five year re-building plan just makes me feel happy that there are people messing up franchises more than Al Davis is for my Raiders.
Doin Work 2009 NBA Mock Draft
Maybe it’s no coincidence that the NBA Draft falls on June 25th this year, which happens to be my birthday. Since I’ll be getting crushed at a bar Thursday with my iPhone out, watching each pick unfold, and then going home and watching it again on DVR I figured I might as well come up with a mock draft. So, let’s get started………
Los Angeles (Clippers) #1 Blake Griffin: What can we say about this pick? Nothing really, it’s the brain dead easy choice in a parity driven draft. What we’ll be writing about it in a few years is anybody’s guess, especially with the Clippers landing the golden ticket. My hunch, Griffin is a three or four time all-star by the time his career is over. If he can achieve that in a Clippers uniform, then this is the best thing to happen to the organization since Don Sterling died….wait……never mind.
Memphis #2 Hasheem Thabeet: Speaking of the Clippers, I think the Grizzlies are the “New Clippers” of the NBA if that makes any sense. After GIVING away Paul Gasol last year, you have to wonder what motives this team has to field a quality product. Anyhow, the front line is the worst in the NBA, and the Grizz haven’t had any success with their other Spanish players (Gasol & Navarro), touching another doesn’t seem plausible. Thabeet and his 153lbs shot blocking force seems like the easy pick here.
Oklahoma City #3 Ricky Rubio: Who knows what happens here. Sam Presti is a genius, and will take in every scenario before pulling the trigger on anything. The back court is young, dynamic, and flexible. Rubio seems to fit the mold of an upside-rich player who will have time to grow as the team continues to build over the next few years. Side Note: a trade here is very possible for a team that may have an offer which includes a veteran and salary cap relief.
Sacramento #4 Tyreke Evans: “It was a man beating up boys.” Strong words coming out of Sacramento…especially with the likes of Flynn and Curry he was apparently dropping whoop ass on. Evans strikes me as the type of player who gets drafted with little hype and immediately kills it in the NBA, leaving everybody saying “why the hell didn’t we see this coming.” I love this pick much more for the Kings, who don’t seem to have a situation that allows Rubio to mold his game into NBA form in the near term. Kings fans should be happy if this pick pans out.
Washington #5 James Harden: First things first, Washington trades this pick. But for simplicity (and because I’m not a wordsmith like Bill Simmons) we’ll just select Harden. I don’t have much to say about Harden….I’m totally at a loss after his NCAA Tournament showing, and I can’t shake his final game from my mind. I’m guessing the Wizards can’t either to be honest. His overall skills and ability can’t be argued however, and he makes a nice addition to the Wizards back court. Nick Young may not be the long term answer at SG anyhow.
Minnesota #6 Jonny Flynn: Flynn has been making waves in pre-draft work outs, and I can’t see him slipping very far. He may not be the best fit for Minnesota, but I think he has convinced enough GM’s that letting him slide would be at their own risk. He’s a ballsy East Coast point guard, who has the skills and moxy to step right in and be a leader. No other PG is on the table with so few questions (ie. holiday, Jennings).
Golden State #7 Stephan Curry: Cloudy times in Golden State, with Larry Riley taking over the helm for Chris Mullen in the front office, and Monta Ellis apparently speaking out that he wants to be the lone ranger at point guard or risk demanding a trade. If the Warriors were to take the easy way out, Jordan Hill from Arizona slides in here. But this is Golden State we’re talking about!! Despite Curry refusing to schedule work outs with the Warriors, his leverage to avoid getting drafted here is nil. Tons of buzz, deadly outside shooting, and an identical player to Ellis makes drafting him impossible to pass up for the always entertaining Golden State Warriors (oh and his gun slinging tendencies make Nelly want to break out another twelver of bud light).
New York #8 Jrue Holiday: I’m not sure who is more distraught here: Stephan Curry or the Knicks! Having said that, New York must immediately shift there focus to the remaining young point guards left on the board. Despite Holiday’s struggles at UCLA, he showed flashes of amazing skill, and it became obvious later in the season that Ben Howland’s system was reining in Holiday far too much. The fast pace, open floor offense of D’Antoni’s makes Holiday a better choice then Brandon Jennings, who lacks some of the physical attributes of Jrue. Not an ideal situation for the Knicks, but still a solid upside pick nonetheless.
Toronto #9 DeMar DeRozan: With Anthony Parker and Shawn Marion approaching free agency in July, addressing the wing position seems like the most realistic direction. Let’s assume Parker re-signs, and Marion walks shall we? Bringing in an offensive scorer at the two guard spot seems ideal, and DeRozan looks like a pretty good fit. His overall game is still extremely raw, but no other pick really jumps out here. An outside chance exists that the Raptors take Jordan Hill instead based on just the value of his slide, but not likely.
Milwaukee #10 Brandon Jennings: Ramon Sessions is a free agent this summer, and Luke Ridnour is not the answer in a full time role. Brandon Jennings is a great fit here, especially if Sessions bolts for more money elsewhere. Milwaukee would also be a low key franchise for Jennings to play as he adapts to the NBA. Although his struggles overseas were well documented, he may posses some of the greatest upside and flash in the draft. Picking him on the back end of the lottery is a low risk situation for the Bucks, and a great fit for Jennings.
New Jersey #11 Jordan Hill: Rod Thorn, the Net’s GM has been very public in his desire to draft a forward and get a bruiser in the process. I’m not sure Hill qualifies as any sort of enforcer at the NBA level, but his skills and size certainly outweigh the other limitations of say Tyler Hansbourgh. Hill and Lopez would actually be a solid young core at center and power forward, on both sides of the ball. This could be back to back draft coups for New Jersey if Hill in facts slips this far.
Charlotte #12 Terence Williams: I have to site my sources on this one. After reading Chad Ford’s intel on his buzz page over at ESPN I’ve gone ahead and taken this pick from him (hell the man get’s paid to know his shit right?). I’ve had Gerald Henderson slotted here from the day he announced he was entering the draft. In fact I’ve had any player from Duke or North Carolina in this year’s draft here as well for back up. Apparently much has changed in the last week, and Williams has impressed everybody in Charlotte with his workouts and interviews. With rumors flying that Gerald Wallace is on the trading block, Williams maybe an ideal replacement, and makes more sense over Henderson who comes with questions marks.
Indiana #13 Ty Lawson: Unless somebody out of the blue falls to Indiana, the Pacers have said there looking to draft a point guard. Although Jeff Teague and Eric Maynor may have some more desirable upside, you can’t match the hard nosed, winning background of Lawson. He brings solid ability and ball handling, and an impressive resume of winning at the college level. He may not have some of the athletic flash NBA scouts covet, but you’re also not drafting a bust here either. Long term stability, and a productive NBA player isn’t a bad get at 13.
Phoenix #14 Gerald Henderson: Ugh, I’m not sure what Phoenix does here to be honest. There are a million different places that they can go, including the chance they move up the draft board or trade out of the first round entirely in a deal that includes Shaq getting shipped out town at the same time. If Phoenix is set on drafting completely on upside, Austin Daye from Gonzaga seems logical in the Sun’s system. In the end I think Henderson gets the nod, but nothing surprises me at this point if the Suns go a different direction.
His Airness Vs. The Black Mamba
With the conclusion of the NBA finals, we finally saw Kobe get the” he can’t win without Shaq” monkey off his back. Kobe’s career is far from done, but his window of greatness could be closing as he transitions to the jump shooting phase of his career. I say that for one reason, he has averaged less free throw attempts per game each year for the last three seasons (10+ from 04 to 07, 7.6 in 08, and 5.9 in 09), which makes me think he would rather not take it to the hole, so instead he’s pulling up for jumpers. Has Kobe had enough “greatness” so far to be considered close to Jordan? Kobe is turning 31 over the summer, so this should be a good point in his career to compare what he’s done so far to Jordan at the same age. I don’t think this is going to be close, but we’ll run it by two categories: stats and bio. I can’t say that Kobe’s resume is as impressive as MJ’s, but adding the fourth championship should make it close!
The Stats
His Airness – Jordan at the age of 29, went into retirement after winning three straight Championships with Phil in Chicago. He left the game he ruled to play professional baseball, but many think that it was an undercover suspension for MJ’s gambling habits (I’m a believer in that theory). He was at the top of the game and his resume was impressive at his first retirement winning; 3 MVP’s, 8 first team All NBA awards, 88’ Defensive Player of the Year, 6 first team All Defense awards, and 3 NBA Finals MVP’s. He won the scoring titles every year from 87 to 93. Many felt that in 93 Jordan deserved the MVP, but they were tired of giving it to him, so they gave it to Barkley.
Black Mamba – I’m sure we’re all a little fresher on Kobe’s stat’s to date, but here they are anyways. Keep in mind that MJ took his year off at 30 years old. Which is when Kobe won his 4th Championship, and added his 1st NBA Finals MVP. He also rounded out the resume with 1 League MVP, 2 time scoring champion, 7 first team All Defensive awards, and 7 first team All NBA awards. At this point I don’t think their stats are comparable, but Kobe did win one more championship than Jordan.
The Path
His Airness – Jordan had his struggles coming into the league since he joined a team that basically sucked. He learned how to win in college hitting a NCAA Championship game winner in 1982. The early Bulls teams were terrible, so he had to compensate by forcing it at times. His greatness still allowed them to win and make the playoffs only to be knocked out early (1st or 2nd round) throughout his first five seasons. In his second playoff series, against the 85-86 Celtics, considered by many to be one of the greatest in NBA history, he made his first playoff mark by scoring 63 in one game (still the record). Two seasons later, Jordan won his first MVP, and the defensive player of the year award.
MJ’s first three Championship years were none other than domination. In the first championship run, it was the first time that Jordan realized he had teammates averaging 8.4 assists in the playoffs, and 11.4 in the Finals. Jordan’s stats seemed to go up when he was in the playoffs. He averaged 34.6 Points, 6.8 Rebounds, 6.6 Assists, and 2.3 steals in his first 9 playoff appearances.
Black Mamba – Kobe came into the league a couple of years younger and less experienced, but was put into the starting rotation in his second year at the age of 20, and showed that he would be a star in the league. Already being teamed up with a superstar in Shaq, he had the chance to figure things out in a winning environment, drastically different than Jordan’s early years. The strike season of 98, shortened Kobe’s first year as a starter to 50 games, but league wide everyone knew that he was going to be a star. The following year Kobe was given the greatest coach of all time in Phil Jackson. With an amazing core, the Lakers would go on to win 3 championships. Kobe would continually increase his all around stats each year, but never won a finals MVP. He became a fixture in the fourth quarter as everyone would wonder when it was going to be “Kobe Time”. At the age of 23, he was the youngest player in the history of the NBA to have three titles.
There wasn’t a fourth championship run, and that’s when Kobe’s struggles started. He wanted to be the “man” in LA, and basically forced the owners to decide what the Lakers future was, him or Shaq. The Lakers chose Bryant as they traded away their star center and gave Kobe the fat wallet he desired. Kobe, was the man and he won scoring titles, but just like Jordan in his early years, he couldn’t really trust his teammates since they weren’t all that good. Kobe was unstoppable, but teams realized he was playing selfishly and just like Jordan didn’t want to pass to a lesser player to let them miss a shot. Kobe’s playoff averages aren’t bad, but comparing them to Jordan’s playoff stats at the same point in his career makes me appreciate just how good Jordan was. Kobe’s playoff stats look like this 25.0 Points, 5.1 Rebounds, 4.7 assists, and .5 steals (His first two seasons totaling 20 games brought down those stats).
Since championships matter most out of all the stats, I guess we can say that Kobe wins! MJ 3 Kobe 4, at the age of 30. There, I said it. I didn’t want to, but I did. This ultimately isn’t a race to win 4 championships though! Kobe still needs two more championships to be standing on the same pedistal as Jordan. He’s going to have to be the Finals MVP for both before I will truly put him in another comparison to Jordan. Looks like Kobe’s got some work to do!
Kings Get In A Relationship For The Hell Of It
The Sacramento Kings have had many boyfriends aka coaches over the years. There was their first kiss Jerry Reynolds, the one-night stand Bill Russell, the older man Dick Motta, 
their first real relationship Garry St. Jean, and their first black guy Eddie Jordan. Then came Rick Adelman. The two were together for eight magical years and many thought they would spend the rest of their lives together. The Kings went from undesirable to Prom Queen (ahem, King) during their time with Adelman. Then they got greedy. Thinking they were hot, they ditched Adelman in hopes of doing better. There was the rebound Eric Musselman but his drinking and jealousy became too much. Then they went for looks by getting involved with Reggie Theus. Ultimately, that didn’t work out either. After messing around with Kenny Natt for a few months, the Kings found themselves single and unwanted again. Not wanting to spend the upcoming season alone, it was time to find a new man. At this point, the Kings have been around the proverbial block a few times. They’re not the bombshell they used to be. The options are not as plentiful as they once were. They basically had just three prospects who would possibly take them, once Eddie Jordan wisely decided he had been there, done that. Tom Thibodeau wisely deleted the Kings number from his cell phone, realizing they would never work out. Kurt Rambis was not ready to give up his much hotter and wealthier woman to get involved with the Kings. That left just one guy…. Paul Westphal.
The Kings are now like that friend you have that’s in a relationship, even though you know they aren’t meant to be together. They clearly just don’t want to be alone, or spend the time looking for a better partner. You know who I’m talking about. We all know them. We all know the Kings should’ve married their high school sweetheart, Adelman, but he’s happily engaged to an Asian now, so he would never be stupid enough to leave that. Westphal and the Kings are now an official couple, but we’ll see how long before one finds greener pastures and let’s the other go. It’s only a matter of time.
Amare Stoudemire Opting Out!
Well, it’s a 50-50 chance according to him. I’m giddy at the thought of the possible places he could land. I personally think if he did, he would be an amazing player back in the D’antoni system as he’s proved he can thrive with him as a coach before. It’s reported that he made a visit to 
Atlanta and Chicago as well. Personally, I think he needs to get out of Phoenix. Teaming him up with Rose, and an unselfish big man in Noah would make them a contender! There have been problems with Amare there since they acquired Shaq. I’m sure the Suns would let him, his fancy goggles, and his $17 million he’s set to make next year walk out the door to free agency if that’s what he wants. Since it’s such a large amount, I can’t see why he’d leave, unless he really does care about a winning championship, or if he finds a team that has a deal in place before he’s eligible! Here’s the article.
So, I have to add to the post now that I’m watching the Cavs play. Don’t you think they could really use a scoring big man for Lebron to throw lobs to, and make Dwight work a little harder on the defensive end? I searched through Cleveland’s upcoming off-season and what their cap will look like, and they have $13 million coming off the books from Szcerbiack, and $7 million coming off the book for Eric Snow’s expiring contracts. That’s plenty to lure the likes of goggle man!
I now believe that he may opt-out!
He said he heard it most from New York and Chicago, telling a Chicago station,Whatever team I go to, I hope they’re ready fora championship run.”
Officiating the NBA Refs
Any NBA fan will tell you how bad the officiating is, and how many times your team has been screwed on a bad call. You don’t even need to watch more than a quarter without seeing at least one or two questionable calls. Sure, the Tim Donaghy scandal ruined a lot of people’s perception of refs trying to control the outcome of a game, but for the most part I don’t believe that the rest of the refs are purposely making bad calls they just aren’t competent enough to make the right ones. I think it’s time for the league to help the refs out by changing the way the games are covered.
- Adding a fourth ref – How could this hurt? One more pair of eyes to see a crucial call from a different angle in a game changing call?!? The refs keep track of a lot of things including game time, time outs, fouls, shot clock, and the score which is a lot for a 60 year old man (I’ll get back to that) running up and down the court for a 48 minute game. Maybe more so for a Warriors, Knicks, or Suns. I’m not even 30 and I don’t think I can run back and forth with the pros without getting winded, possibly impairing my vision to the point where I think something happened when it didn’t!
- Instant Replay – Even the MLB has instituted the home run replay after years of debate. If the oldest sport in our country can change with technology that’s been around for 15 years, then why can’t the NBA. Too many times you hear a whistle blown and all the refs are looking at each other with their hands in the air as if a fan blew it. If all three refs don’t know who’s ball or who the foul was on why don’t they review it? Or put a ref behind a monitor that can tell them in an earpiece who touched it last? How hard is that?
- Youth Liberation – I have no doubt that many of these refs are in top form for their age, but how scary is it that the top refs in the league (working most of the playoffs/most important games of the year) are late 40’s to pushing 70?!? I have no problem putting my eyesight up against any of these refs.
- Explanation – I think we need to migrate towards the way the NFL makes calls. After every foul, I would like to see them touch a body part or have something other than raising their hand and pointing at someone! Just let the crowd know what kind of foul occurred. For instance a slap on the arm or hip maybe the ref could point to that part of their body. Maybe a flop they could break out with the worm, which would give the NBA even more incentive to get some younger refs in their twenties and thirties which is much closer to a person’s peak physical prime. These small acts towards accountability on calls could make them actually have to go by more than a flop or how the crowd reacted!
After the Tim Donaghy scandal, we were led to believe that drastic changes would be made for the NBA officiating crews, and alas there have been no noticeable changes. It’s the same refs with the same questionable calls game after game and year after year!
Just a reminder of how bad it can be! Sorry Sacto fans this one hurt!
Doin Work's Staff
-
Doin Comments
11 Things You Might… on Should Kobe Get Two Numbers… tophatal ........... on Good Night Mark Jackson tophatal ........... on Good Night Mark Jackson chappy81 on Good Night Mark Jackson
By
cali4dre
chappy81
dyslecix
mceezy
Doin Work 