Centers

Let me explain something - big lumbering white guys are incapable of becoming good NBA centers. Chris Kaman? Huh? Slow. Weak defender. Zero shot-blocking ability. Very limited offensive game - and yet, he is somehow considered a top young Center.

On the other hand, at age 36, Alonzo Mourning is proving for the second straight year in Shaq's absence that he is still a top 5 NBA center. While his offensive game definitely disappeared, Zo remains the best shot blocker, and one of the premier interior defensive presences in the game. With Shaq out, who is better? Yao, Dwight Howard, maybe Okafor, a recovering Amare and probably Ben Wallace.

Random Thoughts.

Deron Williams has the ability to be just as good, if not better than Chris Paul. Hes bigger, and better defensively. As the accuracy of his jumpshot improves (and it will), he will become a more well-rounded scorer as well. Going out on a limb - Deron Williams will be the best PG in the league in 3 - 5 years.

LeBron is way overrated, and Carmelo Anthony is even more overrated. Dwayne Wade and Gilbert Arenas are the real pillars to build a franchise around. In fact, I dont think that LeBron or Anthony should be included on the Dream Team - neither of them have enough defensive skills to be considered well rounded.

Colangelo should forget about selecting Dream Team members by position. The USA should field a team of the most well-rounded, big, "team" players with strong defensive abilities, including the following: Dwayne Wade, Joe Johnson, Gilbert Arenas, Lamar Odom, Dwight Howard, Chauncey Billups, Deron Williams, Ron Artest, James Posey, Tyson Chandler, Jason Richardson and Elton Brand. And Pat Riley or Mike D'Antoni should be the Head Coach if we really want to win.

How is Charlie Villanueva ever going to be any better than a C+ version of Derrick Coleman?

Golden State would be far better if they simply cut Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy. Dunleavy might be the worst player in the league. He simply cant shoot; 3 pointers, mid-range jumpshots; wasnt he drafted as a sharp-shooting prospect? Monta Ellis and Mickael Pietrus are real talents.

Look for Andray Blatche to develop into a Lamar Odom like player. Going to take 2 - 4 years, but it will happen.

Its going to require a complete restructuring of the Cavaliers roster before they ever become a real contender.

The Clippers are poised to make a serious run in the West this year. Tim Thomas was an outstanding off-season addition, and Corey Maggette will continue the return to his pre-injury form.

No team with Andre Miller as the starting PG can be considered good. Had Nene Hilario ever done anything to warrant attention besides dropping his last name?

2006-07 Bulls

Im starting to feel sick...

Current Bulls roster:

PG: Kirk Heinrich
SG: Andres Nocioni
SF: Luol Deng
PF: Tyson Chandler
C: Ben Wallace

Bench:
PG: Chris Duhon
SG: Ben Gordon
PF: Tyrus Thomas

And according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein, Chicago is in trade talks with New Orleans/Oklahoma City about a deal that would send Tyson Chandler to the Hornets for P.J. Brown and J.R. Smith.

The Bulls are also rumored to be in talks to acquire Kevin Garnett...

Insanity

If the Knicks are the worst franchise in the NBA, then the Atlanta Hawks are second worst. Has GM Billy Knight completely lost his mind?

1. Marvin Williams selected over Chris Paul with Al Harrington on the roster at the 4 position
2. Boris Diaw an afterthought addition in the Joe Johnson Suns trade
3. Sheldon Williams selected #5 overall in the 2006 draft
4. Signing Speedy Claxton to a 4-year deal
5. Potentially not re-signing Al Harrington

Colangelo

Bryan Colangelo just gets it; just feels that way. The Toronto Raptors traded forward Charlie Villanueva today for point guard TJ Ford. Its hard to argue with the surprising rookie year performance of Villanueva, but Im still not totally convinced. And I really hope the Raptors opt not to re-sign one-year wonder Mike James, aka: a player who was terrible on the Miami Heat. Really appears as though Colangelo is remaking the Raptors, perennial NBA losers, into a real up and coming franchise. Bosh, Bargiani and Ford are a great nucleus from which to build.

aka: The Big Dog

"The Nuggets formally offered Anthony a five-year maximum contract extension worth an estimated $80 million on Saturday morning and Anthony didn't hesitate to accept."

Of course he did. Carmelo Anthony is simply a way overhyped version of former Purdue sensation Glenn the "Big Dog" Robinson. Ive said it since Carmelo's rookie year. Same player. Great mid-range jumpshot and overall ability to score the basketball. That's it. The Nuggets have just committed themselves to a long run of one-and-done playoff runs. Amazing how LeBron and Carmelo were the prized possessions of the 2003 draft, when Dwayne Wade was the true diamond in the rough.

2005-06 Heat?

If the Miami Heat had not traded for Shaquille O'Neal (and I can't decide if I think Shaquille or Hakeem Olajuwon was the best center Ive ever seen play), they could have fielded the following team during the 2005-2006 season. I am a big Lamar Odom fan. Pretty interesting...

PG: Jason Williams
SG: Dwayne Wade
SF: Lamar Odom
PF: Udonis Haslem
C: Alonzo Mourning

Bench:
PG: Gary Payton
SG: Caron Butler
SF: James Posey
PF: Antoine Walker
C: Michael Doleac

Draft Rankings

My draft "rankings" follow. I dont consider International players since its too difficult for me to effectively "scout" them. This is not considered to be a mock draft, but rather a projection of success.

1. Tyrus Thomas
2. Randy Foye
3. LaMarcus Alridge
4. Ronnie Brewer
5. Rajon Rondo
6. Guiellermo Diaz
7. Maurice Ager
8. Rudy Gay
9. Josh Boone
10. Rodney Carney

Darkhorse:
1. Taquan Dean
2. Daniel Horton

Sign Bobby Jackson, Please.

From Dime Magazine (www.dimemag.com)

"In case your favorite NBA squad is in need of a point guard/sixth man, Bobby Jackson will be available this summer. One of the top free agents on the market, B-Jax reportedly told a Sacramento radio station that he’s definitely not re-signing with the Grizzlies."

The Heat absolutely need to sign Bobby Jackson to replace Gary Payton - who incidentally should have retired 3 years ago. Jackson would be the perfect fit coming off the bench for the Heat behind Jason Williams.

Unconventional Gold - Guaranteed.

Is there any doubt that the following team would walk away with a Gold Medal - without even practicing? Funny thing is, not one single player was chosen for either the USA Basketball's 2002 Men's World Championship or 2004 Olympics Team embarrassments. Should be interesting to see if any of the younger players (e.g. Billups, Arenas, Heinrich or Bosh) are selected to represent the Dream Team in 2006...

PG: Chauncey Billups
SG: Gilbert Arenas
SF: Ron Artest
PF: Rasheed Wallace
C: Marcus Camby

PG: Sam Cassell
SG: Kirk Heinrich
SF: Jason Richardson
PF: Chris Bosh
C: Alonzo Mourning

Coach: Phil Jackson

Some of the more questionable historical selections:
2002: Andre Miller, Antonio Davis and Raef LaFrentz - besides the fact that Raef simply can't play, how is it possible that someone with the name Raef LaFrentz could have been chosen, or even eligible to represent the USA.
2004: Carlos Boozer and Richard Jefferson - Im convinced that besides Larry Brown, Jefferson, and his inability to make a wide open jump shot / 3-pointer (which isnt even NBA range) was the most responsible for the USA's disappointing Bronze metal finish.

MVP? More Like, LVP. AmandUH.

Kobe Bryant has gained quite a bit of momentum in the MVP race recently. Thats insane. The Mamba is the anti-definition of Most Valuable Player. 80 point games are historic, and a scoring average of 35 points is impressive on the surface. The media appears to be marveled that the Lakers made the playoffs, and they appear to be everyone's dark horse to win a round.

Its easy to look at the Lakers roster, Kobe's contribution and be impressed by their season.

However, Im not. Lets not forget that is the same Mamba that single-handedly destroyed the Lakers dynasty. The same Mamba that demanded a roster of less than role players; and the same Mamba that has made it simply impossible for the Lakers to attract talent.

In the 2003 off-season, the Heat signed Lamar Odom, and drafted Dwayne Wade. Pat Riley stepped down, and the Heat started off the season 0 - 7. However, the Heat went on to set an NBA best 17-4 record over the final 21 games and ended the season with a 42-40 record, becoming the first team in NBA history to be 11 games under .500 during the month of March and finish the season with a winning record.

Lamar Odom revived his NBA career by averaging 17.1 points, and a career and franchise high 9.7 rebounds. In the first round of the playoffs, the HEAT beat the Hornets in seven games and took the Pacers to Game Six in a close contest where they lost 73-70 and ended their home game winning streak.

While Dwayne Wade had an incredible rookie year, he was not playing anywhere near the level Kobe is playing at this year. It was Stan Van Gundy's first year as a head coach, and as much as I like SVG, hes no Phil Jackson. Rafer (aka: Skip To My Lou) Alston has proven to be only slightly better than Smush Parker. The Lakers traded Caron Butler (former Heat player) in the off-season for Kwame Brown.

So was the Lakers season this year really that impressive? Does Kobe really deserve consideration for MVP.

Impossible. The Heat took a team with a mildly similar make-up and significantly less experience into the second round of the playoffs, almost upsetting Eastern Conference favorite Indiana.

Think about the Heat's prospects of winning a title now with Shaq and Wade. Kobe orchestrated MVP consideration via pure manipulation. The Mamba is far closer to least valuable TEAM player ever.

Trail "Blazers"

Talk about pioneering the wrong draft formula. The Blazers last took a college player from a top basketball program (Michigan State) in 2001 - Zach Randolph. Let's just assume Randolph is an all-star caliber player. Since 2001, Portland has drafted 6 players in the first round that were either from High School, Russia or a Junior College. Had they simply stayed with the simple formula of selecting players from top programs (which are presumably far easier to scout), they could have drafted some combination of Tayshaun Prince, Josh Howard and Charlie Villanueva. The following draft analysis looks at who the Blazers selected, and which college players were still available on the board...

2005:
6. Martell Webster (High School)
7. Charlie Villanueva (UConn) - Toronto
17. Danny Granger (New Mexico) - Indiana

2004:
13. Sebastian Telfair (High School)
22. Viktor Khryapa (Russia) via Trade
23. Sergei Monia (Russia) via Trade
15. Jameer Nelson (St. Joseph's) - Orlando via Trade

2003:
23. Travis Outlaw (High School)
29. Josh Howard (Wake Forest) - Dallas

2002:
21. Qyntel Woods (Northeast Mississippi CC)
23. Tayshaun Prince (Kentucky) - Detroit

2001:
19. Zach Randolph (Michigan State)

Scouts "Inc."

Off-topic as it relates to basketball, but I just couldn't resist...

According to ESPN.com, Scouts Inc. "breaks down film of every NFL game, college games and individual footage of college prospects, and our experts attend NFL training camps and both NFL and college games in person. They do everything their NFL counterparts do, but instead of internalizing this information, they write it exclusively for ESPN. Scouts, Inc., is dedicated to serving the hard-core football fan with thoughtful, in-depth analysis of NFL and college players, coaches and teams."

http://insider.espn.go.com/insider/story?id=1767169

Perhaps thats why I found the following post-draft, pre-season analysis of Charger's first round pick Shawne "Lights Out" Merriman:

"Possesses good lower body strength for size, plays with a mean streak and should be able to hold ground at the point of attack when lined up at linebacker. Shows great range, takes adequate pursuit angles and makes plays in pursuit. Plays with a great motor and always seems to be around the ball at the end of the play. Doesn't always use hands well, relies on quickness to slip blocks in the open field and has some problems making the play once an offensive lineman locks on. Lacks ideal size for an every-down defensive end, will need time to develop cover skills if moves to linebacker and probably won't make an immediate contribution on defense."

Merriman was selected to the Pro Bowl, and won the Defensive Rookie of the Year award. According to Superbowl.com, he "finished the season ranked first among NFL rookies, and 15th overall, with 10 sacks. He made an immediate impact on the Chargers’ defense, recording 57 tackles, the fifth-highest total on the team" - and don't forget that he basically didn't play the first four or so games of the year.

Thankfully, Scouts Inc. isn't responsible for drafting on behalf of the Chargers.

On the Verge

Player closest to becoming a perennial All-Star...

Jason Richardson. He's shooting 40% from 3-point land this year, has a solid mid-range game, can consistently take anyone in the league off the dribble, and practically jumps out the gym. Has increased his scoring average this season to 24 ppg vs. a career average of 19. His 44 point outburst in a road win against the Heat (and Wade specifically) on March 10th was the most impressive offensive showcase Ive seen all year (excluding the Mamba's 80 pointer); for most of the game, he was simply unguardable - total juggernaut.

Regrettably...In 2004, the Warriors re-signed Adonal Foyle to a six-year, $42 million contract. In 2005, Mullin gave Mike Dunleavy a 5-year, $44 million extension...Seriously. And apparently Golden State was close to landing Ron Artest, but for Mullin's reluctance to part with Ike Diogu.

At 28-37, G-State is currently last in the Pacific and second worst in the West. At this point, a clear commitment to Richardson is the franchise's only real slam dunk opportunity...

Best ACC Freshman Ever?

Don't get me wrong, North Carolina happens to be my favorite college basketball team, but...

Tyler Hansbrough = "Best ACC Freshman Ever" - I don't know, maybe...

What I do know, is that his game won't translate to the NBA. He's not nearly athletic enough. Perhaps I really do need to make the switch to High-Def, because it doesn't appear as though he can jump more than 10 inches. Most of his shots come from off-balance, clumsy looking hook shots where he does a good job of using his body in a way that prevents his shot from being blocked. That wont work in the pros. And nor will his game. There are talks of him leaving after his Freshman year for the pros. Not a good idea. He needs to milk his entire four year career at North Carolina for everything its worth. At best, he's a C version of Brad Miller - but Brad Miller is one of the best passing big men in the game, and I've never seen those types of flashes from Hansbrough. More likely, he's a career role player, like former Jayhawks star Nick Collison.

A Look Back, And a Look Forward.

Excerpt from ESPN / TheSportsGuy's website today (oh, and BTW - the Sports Guy might be the funniest guy on the planet - so, with all due respect):

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/060317

"John Hollinger stole my thunder here. Originally I wrote a longer section in this spot about how Dwyane Wade was the 2006 MVP -- how it wasn't even really that close, how he's the best two-way player in the league; how he's been scoring 33 a game and shooting 56 percent from the field for the past two months; how he's the one star in the league who can completely turn a game around in about 90 seconds; how he got over an early season funk of taking bad shots and makes the right decisions nearly all the time; how he's probably the toughest two-guard since the late-'90s MJ; how he's the most efficient superstar since the early-'90s MJ; how he's been on a mission since he didn't win the MVP at the All-Star Game; how he has a knack for raising his game when it matters -- and then Hollinger blew this same premise into an entire column. Beat me by one day. If it happens again, I'm going to have him killed.

Here's the point: Miami is 20-4 over its past 24 games, mainly because of Dwyane Wade. I see them continuing to get better and better. Why? Because he keeps getting better and better. After MJ retired, did you ever think you would see another guard average 30-35 points a night, rack up another six rebounds and six assists per game, play world-class defense and shoot 55 percent from the field? Well, it's happening."

Message to Hollinger and Bill Simmons - thanks, you are over a year late.

Having clearly proven my prescience, and discerning NBA talent evaluation skills (the Curry and Chandler "suggestion" was quite accurate as well), Ive decided to return to the world of online blogging, if only to contribute my knowledge for public consumption.

So, without further adieu:

Channing Frye is currently the most overrated "prospect" in the league. He's a good player, but hardly a future all-star candidate. Simply not going to happen. He's got a good mid-range (18-foot) jumper, but so do many players. The reason he was considered soft in college (and slipped to the Knicks) was not because he couldn't shoot, but that he simply can't finish in the paint like the elite NBA players do; Shaq, Duncan, Mourning and now most notably, Stoudemire - when those players get the ball in the paint, they dunk the ball with the sole intention of breaking the rim. Frye simply doesn't have the raw athletic potential that someone like Dwight Howard does from that perspective. Frye will never amount to anything better than an Abdur-Rahim type player (which would actually be realizing his full potential). The Knicks should have traded him for some real talent when his perceived value was the most out of line - perhaps they wouldn't be in the severe predicament they are now.

Oh, and by the way, Nate Robinson is probably a close second in terms of overstated potential - he won't even be as valuable as Earl Boynkins, a career role-player / back-up.