NBA Blog

• For 364 days out of the year, San Antonio is my favorite team.  But on draft night, I am going with Portland.  Paul Allen and Kevin Pritchard have been thoroughly entertaining over the past two seasons.  They go about the draft in a manner that can best be described as frantic.  Seriously, they cannot sit still during the draft.  It is like watching an eight-year-old with ADHD who just downed 12 jolt colas, 4 red bulls, and 27 packs of sour patch kids.  They cannot be stopped.  I believe the final tally was 11 trades in two consecutive drafts.  It has to be some kind of record. 
• Portland did a great job last night by finally cleaning house.  All of the relics of the Jail Blazers are finally gone, and they have a tremendous young core of players to start over with.  Frye, Rodriguez, Jack, McRoberts, and Fernandez can all be solid NBA players, while Roy, Aldridge, and Oden will be superstars.  Nate McMillan will have a lot of fun toying with his rotation, because of the versatility of Fernandez, McRoberts and Roy.  They’ll go extremely big, but still be able to get up and down the court.  It will be great to have the Rose Garden rocking again.
• Phoenix sold another pick last night.  I just don’t get it.  They realize that they are allowed to use those things, right?  This year they sold Rudy Fernandez to Portland.  Last year, they sold Sergio Rodgriguez to Portland.  Rodriguez easily could have been their back-up point guard.  Two years ago they sold Nate Robinson.  Last year they also passed on Rajon Rondo.  I’m pretty sure none of this would have happened if team Colangelo were still running the show.  Then again, if team Colangelo were still involved, I’m pretty sure Kevin Garnett would be wearing the PHX right now, because he would have shipped Amare’s lazy, no-defense, slow rotation, no practice, selfish rear-end to Minnesota for the chance to win at least two titles while Nash still has something in the tank.
• Houston now has three point guards who shoot first, two shooting guards, two injury-prone centers, and no small forwards or power forwards.  At least they drafted Aaron Brooks and Carl Landry about 15 picks too early.  That was borderline retarded. 
• Isiah continued to impress by trading for headcases with long-term contracts.  But he always gets the best player in the deal.  I just don’t see the Eddy Curry-Zach Randolph-Stephon Marbury trio ending well.  Get ready for some fireworks.
• Get ready for a mega-blockbuster deal.  Golden State has been trying to get Kevin Garnett, and by dealing Jason Richardson last night, they picked up a $10 million trade exception.  That means they would only have to come up with roughly $12 million in contracts to land Garnett.  I wonder what type of package would be necessary to get him.  Do you think Brandan Wright, Al Harrington, Monta Ellis the exception and two future firsts would get it done? 
• Another possibility for Golden State is to make a run at Kobe Bryant, because Mitch Kupchak and the Buss family certainly did not help themselves last night.  They drafted a point guard who is not NBA ready, just like last season, even though they don’t need a point guard for their current head coach.  In the words of Scooby-Doo, “Ruht-roh!”  Kobe is definitely gone, and soon.

I was going to leave it alone during the Draft, but I could not pass this up.  The Bulls let Tyson Chandler walk away.  Then they used up all their free agent money on Ben Wallace, a player at this point who is less talented, shorter, and older than Tyson Chandler.  Chandler was a monster this year, and Wallace already showed the signs of aging.  Wallace won’t last the duration of his contract, but Chandler will be an All Star and soon. 

So here is what the Bulls did, they used their pick, Pick #9 on a bootleg version of Chandler.  The Bulls could have re-signed Chandler avoided bringing in P.J. Brown who did nothing for them this season, and they could have given Tyrus Thomas more minutes.  By the way, Thomas was a monster on the stat sheet if you go look at his per-48 minute averages.  If the Bulls had done that, they would have been able to do something else with this pick, perhaps draft another scorer in Al Thornton or Thaddeus Young.  Or they could have drafted down, picked up future picks and stacked their team via sign-and-trades.  However, they signed Wallace, and let Chandler walk for P.J. Brown who they failed to trade for Kevin Garnett or Pau Gasol this past season.  What on earth is going on there?  I’m dumbfounded.

While I was typing this rant, I saw the Hawks do the first thing I’ve agreed with in twelve years, and I’m not talking about their uniforms.  (For the record, I am completely against teams just changing their colors out of the blue.  Why should the Hawks be able to pick blue as their main color when they’ve worn red and gold for their entire duration in Atlanta.  It is kind of like the Jazz switching to powder blue or the Grizz jumping to navy blue out of nowhere.  It’s stupid).  Anyway, the Hawks got a stud power forward and a tremendous scoring point guard.  Go look at Acie Law’s point per game averages, and then look at his scoring in the final four minutes of games.  You will recognize that Law averaged more in the final two minutes of a game than his opponents did.  That is awesome.  I’ve already compared him to Sam Cassell because of this “big ball” factor.  And anytime Marc Jackson raves about how awesome a point guard is, I’m backing it.  I’m out. 

 

We have our first trade of the day ladies and gentlemen.  Orlando just traded the 54th overall selection to Houston for that always impressive player: Cash Considerations.  It is the baseball equivalent of the player to be named later.  Exciting stuff. 

While you are surfing the ‘net, check out another pretty cool basketball blog:  www.kluvsthisgame.blogspot.com

Keep supporting the sites, and we’ll keep up the chatter.  I’ll be back with more updates as they happen.

 

You have all read and seen at least 35 mock drafts over the past two weeks, including the recent interactive draft at ESPN.  (I was forced to read it this morning, because the mighty ESPN.com website could not support the number of hits it was receiving). 

After my last mock draft, I felt somewhat like a homer because I was justifying a trade that most people thought was a joke.  I stand by the prediction, because I truly believe that Luis Scola could be an excellent NBA power forward that could come in and start for the Sixers by the first game of the season.  They really need a solid big man, and after Horford and Noah, there just is nothing available to the Sixers where they are now. 

Anyhow, I will put together one last mock draft and avoiding going into all the trades that will happen.  Trust me, there will be many.  I predict that Boston, Atlanta, Seattle, Indiana, Memphis, Phoenix, Minnesota and Golden State will all make deals to either pick up veterans or move up in the draft.  I would not be surprised to see Monta Ellis, Jermaine O’Neal, Lamar Odom, Luke Ridnour, Theo Ratliff, Shawn Marion, Pau Gasol and several other players switching teams before the night is over. 

Please note that I only prepared the first round, because I do have to get some work done today.

Without further ado, let’s take one last look at the draft:

1.  Portland - Greg Oden.  We’ve known this day was coming, and it was no shock last night when the story officially broke that Portland was taking Oden.
2.  Seattle - Kevin Durant.  Once again, we are not covering anything new here.  Durant should put up at least 17 points per game next season.
3.  Atlanta - Al Horford.  I am convinced Horford is the best player after the first two stars.  I believe that Horford’s game could resemble a young Larry Johnson’s.  Don’t panic Atlanta fan (yes, I’m talking to the one Hawk fan alive), Johnson was a total monster his first few years in the league before his back gave out on him and he could not jump more than three inches.  Horford even has a nice flex after dunking on someone, so he won’t have to add that to his NBA game.
4.  Memphis - Mike Conley.  He is the best point guard in the draft, he’s the fastest player in the draft, and he already knows how to play with a dominant big man in the post.  Those are three things that Memphis desperately needs.  Atkins is on his way out, and Mighty Mouse Stoudamire is best suited for a back-up role.  Jerry West got stuck drafting fringe players with some upside that never panned out for two or three years until last season’s selection of Rudy Gay.  Memphis needs a lot of help, and could possibly (read should) try to get in a deal where they can either move Gasol for more picks and young talent, or pick up a player already developing (read Monta Ellis and Patrick O’Bryant from Golden State, who desperately wants Yi).  If the Grizz remain in this spot, a core of Conley-Lowry-Gay-Warrick-Gasol should be fast and athletic enough to entertain the 14 fans that show up to their games, and, who knows, maybe they will win some games next year. 
5.  Boston - Joakim Noah.  Something has to happen here.  Boston is flat out screwed up, and no legit superstar wants to play for that franchise.  It is pathetic.  People would rather play in New York, who has even less of a chance of becoming a winner in the near future.  This once great franchise has been ruined, first by the moronic Chris Wallace (you can read my thoughts about Wallace here), and then by Ainge’s inconsistent plans and Doc Rivers hiring.  It is just sad.  Note:  I originally had Corey Brewer here, but then I reconsidered.  Brewer could be a tremendous defensive stopper, and could put in 14 a night over his career, but Boston desperately needs some interior presence on the defensive end.  If they can get Wally healthy, he could split time with the Delonte West-Tony Allen-Gerald Green trio.  I still think Green could be an All Star, he’s just two/three years away from dominating offensively.  Allowing Green consistent minutes in a limited role could speed up his development.  Noah can roam the paint to block shots, rebound on both ends, draw charges, and provide some heart to this team.  Is it a little early for a better version of Anderson Varejao or Mikki Moore?  Probably, but it is their best possible option.
6.  Milwaukee - Corey Brewer.  Bobby Simmons should start at small forward, but he has not been healthy since his fat contract signing.  This team already has a lot of nice pieces, especially if they re-sign Mo Williams.  You could be looking at a core roster that includes Mo Williams, Michael Redd, Bobby Simmons, Corey Brewer, Charlie Bell, Charlie Villenueva, and Andrew Bogut.  That is a high scoring and exciting team to watch.  The Bucks still need another big man who likes the rough stuff.  Perhaps the mid-level exception will be enough to land a player like Anderson Varejao or Fabrico Oberto, who would be perfect for that role.  If that happens, watch out for the Bucks who will finish just behind Cleveland in their division next season.
7.  Minnesota - Jeff Green.  If Kevin Garnett is in Minnesota next season (and right now I’m working under that assumption), the ‘Wolves must draft, repeat must draft, Jeff Green.  He is the most NBA ready of any player available, and he fills a hole/need.  Is he as good as Brewer?  Only time will tell.  If Minnesota moves Garnett for more picks, they will probably go with either Hawes or Yi.  Either way, they lose.
8.  Charlotte - Yi Jianlian.  So what if Yi never worked out for them, and so what if I said I was not going to include trades.  If Yi is available, he is getting drafted here.  He just will not be playing for Charlotte.  This is a trade waiting to happen.  I promise.
9.  Chicago - Spencer Hawes.  He’s tall, he’s white, and he’s unathletic, which makes him perfect for the top-10.  The only difference between Aaron Gray and Spencer Hawes is that it took four years for Gray to show that he doesn’t fit with the new style of the NBA.  Hawes did it in half the time.
10.  Sacramento - Brandan Wright.  If Artest is around next year, he might actually kill Wright for showing no heart whatsoever.  Brandan Wright is like a Tyrus Thomas who just does not care to work hard.  In short, he might actually be Stromile Swift.  Yay!  Go Kings!
11.  Atlanta - Acie Law.  Atlanta will not be making this pick, Seattle will.  Somehow, Seattle has convinced Billy Knight he needs Luke Ridnour for this pick.  Yikes, then again, this is Billy Knight.  Since Seattle has the selection, I don’t see why they would take someone other than Law.  Earl Watson can split time with him, and a pairing of two All-American/All Big XII players who know each other well is brilliant.  Imagine being down by four with two minutes left in a game, can you see yourself losing that game when you have the best shooter in the game (Ray Allen) and two young gunners who have cajones bigger than Sam Cassell? I sure don’t. 

However, all signs indicate that Seattle will take Rodney Stuckey with this pick.  I don’t agree with it, so I’m keeping Law in this spot.  If Law does not get drafted here, he could fall all the way to number 20, which would be incredible.  A backcourt of Law and Wade paired with Shaq is extremely frightening for every team in the East.  With Law on the Heat, they are automatically the favorites to win the East next season, especially after their deal with Charlotte to move Jason Williams’s expiring contract to sign Gerald Wallace. 
12.  Philadelphia - Al Thornton.  Perfect fit.  He will be a first-team All Rookie selection.  I am afraid he has already topped out for his career.  He is a year older than LeBron James at this point.
13.  New Orleans  - Thaddeus Young.  The Hornets should take a Young, but not this one.  They should select Nick Young, but Thaddeus could be a pretty good scorer, especially when Peja misses 35 games this season.
14.  Los Angeles - Julian Wright.  Even Elgin Baylor cannot screw this up, right?
15.  Detroit - Rodney Stuckey.  The Pistons are taking him, so can we just skip their time on the clock and move on.
16.  Washington - Sean Williams.  He has so much talent, but is such a risk.  The Wizards have been desperate for some help inside for years.  Perhaps Williams can keep it together long enough to be a player in this league, or he could become the next Eddie Griffin.
17.  New Jersey - Jason Smith.  I have had him here from the beginning, and I’m not changing now.
18.  Golden State - Javaris Crittenton.  Somebody else will be drafting here, and whoever it is, they certainly need a point guard.  Crittenton is also the best available player at this point.
19.  Los Angeles - Rudy Fernandez.  This pick probably will not belong to the Lakers either, but I don’t know who will pick here.  Fernandez is certainly talented, but he could be stuck overseas for another year because of his contract.
20.  Miami - Gabe Pruitt.  They just missed out on Crittenton, then again, they could be trading up to get him.  If not, Pruitt is the next best thing.  His size and talents match up well with Wade at the shooting guard spot.
21.  Philadelphia - Josh McRoberts.  Billy King loves Duke players, and why shouldn’t he.  After all, they always pan out.  That was sarcasm, folks.  Glen Davis is more talented than McRoberts and he is a much better rebounder, so, obviously, King takes McRoberts.
22.  Charlotte - Derrick Byars.  He could step in and help Adam Hermann replace Gerald Wallace, who is certainly gone this season.
23.  New York - Wilson Chandler.  Once again, Isiah takes a player he could have selected early in the second round.  He’ll probably be pretty good, because Isiah’s best ability is evaluating young talent.  But why would Isiah take him here, when he could trade down, pick up two second-rounders and get both Chandler and Taurean Green, two players he covets?
24.  Phoenix - Dacqueen Cook.  The Suns will try to move Diaw, and Cook is the perfect replacement for him.  He has the talent and skill set to be a very good small forward.  Heck, he even disappears at times, just like Diaw.  It’s perfect.
25.  Utah - Morris Almond.  He shoots the ball extremely well.  The Jazz desperately need that.  He won’t help them with their defensive flaws, but the playoffs showed that Utah is at their best when they are pushing the pace.  Adding another shooter who can play several spots is a great addition.
26.  Houston - Nick Fazekas.  Everything out there indicates that Fazekas is their guy.  Once again, someone passes on Glen Davis for a power forward who is soft.  Then again, Fazekas has shown an ability to rebound, and he is the best shooting big man in the draft.  He probably fits in better with Adelman’s system than Davis does.  As long as Chuck Hayes is still wearing the Team China colors, the Rockets probably won’t need Davis.
27.  Detroit - Marco Bellineli - He will replace Carlos Delfino, right down to the inconsistent play. 
28.  San Antonio - Jared Dudley.  If San Antonio selects Dudley here, I will be ecstatic.  I absolutely love Dudley’s game, and he is the perfect fit for the San Antonio system.  If they take Koponen here, I can only hope that Dudley falls into their laps at 33.
29.  Phoenix - Glen Davis.  Kurt Thomas will probably get moved, and so will Boris Diaw and Shawn Marion.  Amare plays well at the center spot.  Adding Davis is a pretty good move to play in the post.  He won’t get up and down the court as well as Marion or Diaw, but at least the fast-paced game can help keep the pounds from adding up.
30.  Philadelphia - Tiago Splitter.  He is too enticing to let slide out of the first round.  He’s been on the radar for several seasons, but may still be stuck in Europe for another year because of contract issues.  If that is the case, maybe he will be ready to come over in time for the Sixers to try and move Dalembert. 

Enjoy the festivities tonight everyone.

There apparently has been some serious trade talk about Kevin Garnett going to the Lakers.  There are four teams in the discussion right now with two different scenarios in the works.  I do not see either of them happening.  Let’s break down each of the scenarios with the key components to the deal:

1.  Lakers get Kevin Garnett (and probably Jaric).  Minnesota gets Al Jefferson and the #5 pick.  Indiana gets Bynum and Odom, and Boston gets Jermaine O’Neal. 

This deal simply cannot work, because Boston is giving up waaay too much for O’Neal.  I know he had an outstanding year defensively, but he was a shadow of his former self on the offensive end of the floor.  Plus, he has had multiple seasons where he has missed some extended periods of time due to injuries.  Last season, especially after the All Star break, Jefferson was a beast.  He has shown the development, and I believe he should be at least an 18 point/11 rebound guy for the Celtics.  There is also a chance that the Celtics could get Corey Brewer to play alongside Pierce and Jefferson.  I believe that a team with Jefferson, Brewer, and Pierce will go a lot farther than a tandem of O’Neal and Pierce. 

2.  The other scenario sends KG to the Lakers, O’Neal to the Celtics, Odom and Bynum to the Pacers, and a pu-pu platter of Ratliff, Telfair, and the #5 pick to the ‘Wolves.  After 10 years of having the second best power forward in the game (and he’s been a close second to the Greatest Power Forward of all Time during that stretch), this is all the ‘Wolves can get for him?  That’s terrible.  I know McHale is not a good General Manager, but that is absurd.  There is absolutely no way that deal can happen.  If this trade went down, I think David Stern would seriously have to consider vetoing it, much like he had to do when the Cavs cheap owner was selling players in the late 70’s/early 80’s.  It is a complete fleece-job.

Just thought everyone should know that Fabricio Oberto and Chauncey Billups have filed their paperwork to become restricted free agents.  I steadfastedly believe that Oberto will still be a Spur next season.  However, I am not so convinced that Billups will remain in Detroit.  He’s from Denver and went to college there.  I anticipate that he wants to return to that area (I am sure that the chance to play with Iverson and Anthony is somewhat enticing as well).  The Nuggets have been trying to chop away at their potential luxury tax hit, and have been shopping Marcus Camby.  I’m not sure what Billups will cost, but I believe that a Camby-for-Billups sign-and-trade could work.  There may need to be some extra pieces thrown into the mix (Dale Davis’ expiring contract, or J.R. Smith’s rookie deal), but I do not see why the two teams could not work something out.  The Pistons would then have the chance to draft Billups’ replacement in the draft by selecting either Law or Crittenton.  They would also be bringing in a proven big man to start next to Rasheed in the post while Maxiel and Amir Johnson continue to develop.  Nobody is going to take Nazr Mohammed’s contract outright, but the Pistons may be able to move him with some other pieces involved, possibly Hunter’s contract if he retires.

I was on a plane from Nashville to San Antonio on Friday evening, which gave me plenty of time to put together another mock draft for Thursday’s festivities.  Without further ado:

1.  Portland - Greg Oden
2.  Seattle - Kevin Durant
3.  Atlanta - Al Horford (many are convinced Horford is going here, either to Atlanta or someone else, which is fitting because Atlanta screwed up tremendously last year by drafting Shelden Williams about 15 picks to early.  At least Horford fixes that screw-up).
4.  Memphis - Mike Conley (Conley, Gay, Warrick and Gasol is a pretty outstanding young core)
5.  Boston - Corey Brewer (makes Gerald Green expendable, ubertalented trade bait)
6.  Chicago (trade with Milwaukee) - Yi Jianlian (Bulls need a power forward who can score)
7.  Minnesota - Jeff Green (please take an NBA ready small forward to play alongside Garnett.  I’m not ready for him to go elsewhere)
8.  Charlotte - Joakim Noah (just makes sense across the board)
9.  Milwaukee - Brandan Wright (and in the trade from Chicago they get Chris Duhon, a future first round pick, and pick #49.  I think that is a pretty solid deal).
10.  Sacramento - Spencer Hawes (another offensively gifted center with no defensive skill sets, ala Divac and Miller)
11.  Atlanta - Javaris Crittenton (Atlanta drafts a point guard two years too late! At least they got Acie Law, wait, what?)
12.  Los Angeles Clippers - Al Thornton (what an awesome starting five: Cassell, Mobley, Thornton, Brand, Kaman)
13.  New Orleans - Nick Young (obvious pick)
14.  San Antonio (trade with Philly and Los Angeles Clippers.  I know I’m a homer) - Julian Wright (I hope they can pull this deal off.  Philly gets picks #28, 58, Luis Scola, and from Los Angeles, pick #45 and a future first rounder)

I believe this would work, because Philly’s most glaring need is at power forward.  They won’t get anything remotely resembling the toughness that Scola has to offer them.  He’s also a proven winner on all levels of international competition.  I think it is a pretty sweet deal for them, but what do I know, I’m a San Antonio fan.

15.  Detroit - Rodney Stuckey
16.  Washington - Acie Law (insurance for Arenas, and Antonio Daniels is expendable this season to free up free agent money)
17.  New Jersey - Jason Smith (perfect fit for Jason Kidd, a power forward who can get up and down the court.  Do you remember when Kenyon Martin was an All Star in the East?  Smith could benefit just as much.)
18.  Golden State - Sean Williams (and two bong hits)19.  Los Angeles Lakers - Thaddeus Young
20.  Miami - Gabe Pruitt - (need a starting point guard desperately)
21.  Philly - Derrick Byars (another talented player for Philly.  They could stack their roster with all kinds of young talent.)
22.  Charlotte - Morris Almond (Sleeper alert!  He’s the best shooter in the draft)
23.  New York Knicks - Wilson Chandler (he’s a reach here.  Can’t wait for Spike Lee’s reaction)
24.  Phoenix - Rudy Fernandez
25.  Utah Jazz - Daqueen Cook (plays the 2/3, shoots well, and is incredibly talented)
26.  Houston Rockets - Nick Fazekas
27.  Detroit - Marco Bellineli
28.  Philly - Tiago Splitter (this year’s Anderson Varejao)
29.  Phoenix - Peteri Koponen (right about the time Nash is on the way out, Koponen will be ready to take over the point guard duties)
30.  Philly - Josh McRoberts
31.  Seattle - Ali Traore
32.  Boston - Aaron Gray
33.  San Antonio - Taurean Green (can’t wait for him to back up Parker and contribute every game for the next four years)
34.  Dallas - Alando Tucker (so they can’t get Michael Finley back, Tucker’s from the same school and nearly as old at this point)
35.  Seattle - Jared Dudley (what a steal.  I really like Dudley.  He will give them solid minutes in every facet of the game.  For the record, if San Antonio doesn’t make their deal, and they remain at 28, they should take Dudley then.)
36.  Golden State - Kyrylo Fesenko (I got nothing here)
37.  Portland - Glen Davis (Replacement for Randolph?)
38.  Philly - Reyshawn Terry (perhaps the best all-around athlete in the draft, and the Sixers are still adding players.  David Noel was the best athlete in last year’s draft class and he contributed some a lot of quality minutes for the Milwaukee Bucks.  Terry is similar to Noel, but is a better shooter/scorer.  Guys like that can contribute quite a bit early on in limited action until they figure the NBA game out.)
39.  Miami -  Aaron Afflalo (plays tough and hard.  Could be a solid addition at small forward.)
40.  Los Angeles Lakers - Zabian Dowdell (pretty darn good.  He may be starting by the All Star break)

41.  Minnesota - Marc Gasol (great white stiff, makes Aaron Gray look like an awesome athlete)
42.  Portland - Demetris Nichols (perhaps the second best shooter in the draft, and much more sane than Rashad McCants)
43.  New Orleans - Jared Jordan (great insurance for Chris Paul, who has missed some time in each of his first two seasons.  Jordan will be a great backup, who will handle extended minutes because he won’t turn the ball over)
44.  Orlando - Dominic McGuire (too enticing to pass up here)
45.  Philly - Stanko Barac (take a flyer on a huge body, and let him develop)
46.  Golden State - Renaldis Seibitis
47.  Washington - Herbert Hill (vastly underrated.  I think he can give the Wiz quality minutes in the post.  Heck, he can’t be any worse than the junk they throw out there now.)
48.  Los Angeles Lakers - Kyle Visser
49.  Milwaukee - Marcus Williams (he’s talented, but he’s a headcase)
50.  Dallas - D.J. Strawberry (he belongs with Avery Johnson or Pop)
51.  Chicago - Chris Richard (will probably see more minutes than Yi at the start of his career, but he won’t be around nearly as long)
52.  Portland - Sun Yue (throw away pick)
53.  Denver - Bobby Brown (Portland gets a future second round pick in this trade, and Denver gets Steve Blake’s replacement)
54.  Orlando - Ron Lewis (I bet he plays more than J.J. Reddick)
55.  Utah - Stephen Lasme (big body and little else)
56.  Milwaukee - Ryvon Coville (talented and probably should have gone earlier)
57.  Detroit - Aaron Brooks (tough backup point guard)
58.  Philly - Joao Gomez (let him develop oversees)
59.  Phoenix - Ivan Radenovic
60.  Denver - Coby Karl

If you take a look at what the Sixers were able to do, they should have a roster that looks like this:

Point guard - Andre Miller/John Salmons/Koponen
Shooting Guard - Andre Igoudala/Willie Green
Small Foward - Carney/Korver/Terry
Power Forward - Scola/McRoberts/Joe Smith
Center - Dalembert/Hunter/Randolph

They have several players developing oversees (Splitter (PF), Stanko Barac (C), Gomez (PF), and Koponen (PG)), and they have picked up two more future first round picks, one of which will likely be in the Lottery again (Los Angeles Clippers).  Igoudala should be an All Star next year, and the Carney/Korver shooting tandem will benefit even more from his passing ability, and from the all around game of McRoberts.  Scola is just flat out tough, and won’t allow any rough stuff on A.I.2.  He’s a proven international post player who could average close to a double-double for the Sixers. 

Chris Wallace is being named the new GM for the Memphis Grizzlies.  I think that falls under the tag line ‘What the %*#@!”  This is the same guy that once killed all Boston Celtic cap space by trading for Vin Baker, who was earning max dollars, the lowest rebounding power forward in the NBA, out-of-shape, a malcontent, and there were serious questions being raised about his drinking.  Shortly thereafter, Baker was discovered to be a raging alcoholic.  I think his career averages for the Boston Celtics were like 12 minutes per game, .3 rebounds per game, 7 points per game, 8 buffets per week, and 27 bottles of gin per week.  Yet, Chris Wallace is the new GM for the Memphis Grizzlies. 

I thought teams figured it out when John Nash stopped getting gigs.  Oh well, at least some organizations are willing to go after young, up-and-coming GM’s like Sam Presti. 

Unfortunately though, I never heard back from the Grizzlies on my application for GM.  I guess my resume did not ever deserve a form rejection letter.  Bummer.

In the realm of deja vu all over again: The San Antonio Spurs appear to be able to bring their entire roster back for another season if they would like.  Oh, yeah, then there’s that little bit of information that nobody has pointed out yet; the ONLY players that are scheduled to be on the roster after next season, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, and this year’s first round pick.  Um, I think that creates a little cap flexibility for some of those players out there that have the opportunity to opt out of their current contract to look for a contending team, read Kobe Bryant, Gilbert Arenas, and Kevin Garnett.  Just something to ponder while the people of the River city celebrate title number 4.  But keep hiring the Chris Wallace’s and John Nash’s of the world NBA organizations.  By the way, I think Vin Baker is available for a free agent contract, and the Celtics, well, they’ve got the number 5 pick in a two-horse race.  Maybe 2017 will bring better odds of landing the ultimate franchise player, because Boston is in no better position now than they were when Wallace first took over the team.   

Should the Spurs sweep?  Yes. 

Are the Spurs good enough to sweep?  Yes.

Will they sweep?  Um, I think so.

This Spurs team has been incredibly professional in closeout games thus far in the playoffs.  I expect them to come out hot and firing on all cylinders.  They have too many players playing for big things.  (Read, Finley’s first ring, Horry’s 7th ring, Manu’s resurgence after the worst game of his career, Tony’s first NBA Finals MVP, etc.)  Meanwhile, the Cavs looked completely deflated and done after Game 3.  Let’s face it, this team is not good enough to beat the professional Spurs.  The Cavs may try to put up a fight for respect, but they can’t win tonight.

Spurs 93 - Cavs 78.

Man, that game was an eyesore.  However, do not blame San Antonio.  I repeat do not blame San Antonio.  That was a Cleveland Cavaliers game through and through.  I have watched enough of their games this season to notice their style of ugly-ball.  Plenty of standing around on offense, hoisting stupid shots, and multiple offensive rebounds to kill time.  Check, check, and check.  On the defensive end, they clogged the lane and clobbered drivers.  It looked a lot like the old Spurs when Popovich first started coaching the team. 

With all that said, the first few minutes of the game were exciting.  The young Cavs came out firing under the roar of their home crowd.  Heck, even Big Z showed signs of life.  Then everything went to slop, until the final 2:30 of the game.  To be perfectly honest, there is not much else that I remember about the game.  I even put together the road bike I just purchased for my future Mrs.  Hoops while the game was going on.  (This was my way of getting her to train with me for a mini-triathalon). 

I do have some thoughts on the final play.  I think Mike Brown played it properly when he told LeBron to push the ball in the final 40 seconds of the game in the hopes that the King could create a transition bucket.  Then, he should have taken a timeout.  There was no reason for the Cavs to dribble around and kill 18-20 seconds before the awkwardness that is Anderson Varejao attempted a pivot move in the lane against Tim Duncan.  That was bad.

LeBron did get fouled on the final play.  The ref swallowed his whistle, like they always do at the end of the game, and Bowen actually waited too long to foul James. 

Drew Gooden had six fouls last night, and none of them ever should have been committed.  I am really starting to dislike the Gooden-Varejao tandem for LeBron’s future.  Sure, they grab a lot of offensive rebounds, and Varejao draws a lot of charges, but they are so spastic on the court.  Gooden is a complete liability on the defensive end, and he too often plays like a four-year-old who forgot to take his Ritalin.  Sure, you can tell him something, but there is no chance he’s listening or comprehending it.  And 99% of the time he’s just going to run out there and do whatever he wants.  Varejao, on the other hand, is so limited in what he does.  He’s a hustle guy, but he has no offensive abilities whatsoever.  (Clearly, this was evident at the end of the game). 

I can’t imagine why Daniel Gibson could not hit a thing last night.  Perhaps, it has something to do with the fact that his minutes had been so limited this season that his legs just weren’t ready for the playing time he got last night.  It is a shame too, because everyone was calling for this, and Gibson just did not have the stamina to keep up his lights-out shooting.  He did contribute a great deal on the defensive end, though.

The most efficient players for the Spurs on the offensive end last night were Bruce Bowen and Brent Barry.  If Cleveland couldn’t win last night, they OFFICIALLY have no chance to win a game.

Did you ever think that the current Donyell Marshall could be the corpse of Big Smooth Sam Perkins?  Marshall moves as well now as Perkins probably does, and nobody ever attacked the rim at a slower pace. 

Rumor mill: The Celtics may be making some plays here.  They are rumored to be working on a deal with Phoenix and Seattle to acquire either Shawn Marion or Rashard Lewis.  From the looks of it, Lewis would go to Boston if Gerald Green (another H-town boy) were not included in the deal.  I’m not sure what would make this deal work, but I’m assuming Boston would have to put together a package that included Theo Ratliff’s deal, a young player like Rajon Rondo, and something else to sweeten the pot (pick #5 may be too much to ask for Lewis though).  If the C’s can get Robert Swift or Johan Petro out of the deal, more power to them.