FreeDrafto, Pt. 345483-004A: The Lobster Quadrille
For the past few years, we've been toying with the idea of a full mock draft for the first round, but given our complete outsiderness, we were unsure what we could really contribute to the draft discourse. We have no insider knowledge and certainly no expertise in the college or overseas brand of sport. But, holed up in the FD South lab, Shoals developed the following criteria for a truly FD draft experience:
1. player's style
2. how well they would go with team's style
3. how little they hurt the style universe by being kept away from a more ideal bride
4. how much they'll actually get to make an impact
With that tetralogy in mind, and having studied no other mock drafts, we set about our business. Shoals made all the even picks, I, Recluse, did all the odds.
Taking Oden first is so obvious a decision it even makes sense in the demented FreeDarko worldview. A decade of Duncan dominance has led to the misperception that a gameplan focused around the post is boring, but anyone who witnessed the NCAA title game knows that Oden's style on the court can be as awe-inspiring as the sickest AI crossover. Off the court, his Will Smith-inspired goofy charm is a perfect fit with Brandon, LaMarcus, and the crew.
2. Seattle Supersonics - Kevin Durant
I swear to the skies, this will stop soon. Soon, this will become recognizable as a FreeDrafto production. But come on, you should be pleased we didn't go Durant number one. So sweeping, angelic, and sweetly electric a player we have almost never seen; if LeBron makes the game up as he goes along, Durant effortlessly inhabits everything we know it to be. Getting selected by a half-dead franchise makes him a savior on a fixed deadline. Raise your paw twice if you won't keep your eyes trained on this one. Caveat: if the Sonics don't retain Shard Shard, this will all be so much more ordinary.
3. Atlanta Hawks - Julian Wright
Just fucking face it, the Hawks aren't ever going to draft a real point guard. Joe Johnson's success thus far has made Steve Belkin look like a false matyr, but he still isn't the answer at the point. Wright's got the height Atlanta so obviously covets, and he played point guard for his high school team, so Wright to ATL makes a whole mess of sense.
4. Memphis Grizzlies - Mike Conley JUNIOR
The Hawks actually don't need a point guard that bad, considering that they have no actual offense to bring to life. Just teach some dude to throw lobs, and mandate three-pointer practice, and they'll be fine. The Grizz, however, have no excuse. They have shooters, athletes, scorers, learners, and an All-Star post presence—they just lack anyone who can create for himself. When Chris Paul animated the Hornets, they had a similar (team minus one) set-up. Without a point guard, the worst in the league; with one, a playoff lock.
5. Boston Celtics - Glen Davis
In the time since he was traded, neither Paul Pierce nor the Celtics have come close to the heights they scaled with Antoine Walker, so clearly, Ainge and co. need to draft the most Antoine-like player available, which means Big Baby. No, he doesn't have Walker's all-around game or (to be honest) his talent, but he is fat and he likes to dance.
6. Milwaukee Bucks - Al Horford
I always thinks of the Bucks as a totally no-nonsense team, since they have nothing better to do, can't attract anyone silly to waste money on, and are from a town that's best known as a longitude and latitude. Hence, they will be taking Al Horford, the third-best prospect in this draft. Oh, and if a frontcourt of Hoford, CVE, and Bogut can still manage to lose 200 games in the East, then I will once and for all forswear basketball know-how.
7. Minnesota Timberwolves - Corey Brewer
Minnesota is reportedly interested in Spencer Hawes, but KG punched the last tall white guy they tried to stick him with, so I think that's out. Brewer is a much better fit anyway, as he's basically a perimeter version of Garnett, a long, versatile country boy who wears his heart on his sleeve and isn't above playing some serious defense. Brewer would join Foye and Ricky D. in forming a guard trio with the athleticism and speed to keep up with Garnett and the balls to take the big shots when the situation demands it.
8. Charlotte Bobcats - Joakim Noah
He's a decent fella with a couple of college championships. So even if he'll cause a positional logjam, the Bobcats will take him. That's not just this year with Noah--it's the last two, and every single one going forward. Not sure if this makes them the new Hawks, or the Bulls-in-waiting. Oh, and those thinking they'll replace Gerald Wallace--did it ever really seem like they wanted (or knew how) to make the most their time together?
9. Chicago Bulls - Brandan Wright
Everyone knows that Chicago needs a low-post scorer, and they would consider themselves quite fortunate if the smooth lefty from North Carolina fell to them here. Wright's a laid back kid who would probably giggle awkwardly if asked to imagine himself ever firing a gun in a strip club parking lot. Skiles and Paxson will love him, maybe even enough to teach him how to shoot a proper jumpshot. In addition to fixing his shot, Wright needs to bulk up quite a bit before he's ready for a big time contribution. Tyrus Thomas isn't ready yet either, but somehow, they'll find a way to average 20 and 10 between the two of 'em.
10. Sacramento Kings - Yi Jianlian
To make up for the lopsided trade and regretted months that will follow Artest's departure, the Maloofs need a smokescreen. A man whose very name brushes away all comprehension of "Ron Artest." So they will pick a soft, skilled, majestic, unproven Asian whose elusive nature will kick off its own kind of media frenzy. In the pregnant silence and waiting, there is nothing to do but heal. 11. Atlanta Hawks - Sean Williams
With all the jokes about Atlanta being a team of small forwards, people seem to forget that they also have one of most promising young centers in the league in Zaza Pachulia. Yet, what the Hawks really need from their center isn't finesse in the post, it's shotblocking and rebounding. That's what Shelden Williams was supposed to provide, but is too short and unathletic to. That's why they must turn to this S-Dot Williams, who's like Samuel Dalembert if his interest in engineering stopped at figuring out how to make a bong out of an empty 2-liter bottle. It's somewhat distressing that he got kicked off the team at BC on multiple occasions, but in the NBA, there's no class and everyone smokes weed, so he should be fine. 12. Philadelpia Seventy-Sixers - Jeff Green
His name is Billy King. His franchise's best season in recent memory came under the helm of Larry Brown. This year's late surge came with names like Andre Miller, Willie Green, Bobby Jones, Joe Smith, and Louis Williams. Some teams always draft white players over black ones; Billy King has finally found his comfort zone, and it comes in stockpiling names as dull as his own. Green is also pretty damn good. . . and also happens to play the same position as the exotically-named Andre Iguodala.
13. New Orleans Hornets—Nick Young
The Hornets have a good young nucleus with Chris Paul, David West, and Tyson Chandler --and don't forget (as I always do) that Peja is still a Hornet--but they still need a smooth wing who can heat up from outside. Young, an almost prototypical NBA wing, fits the bill perfectly. He also brings a clean-cut charisma that complements bowling aficionado Paul and should help sell tickets equally well in New Orleans or OK City. Young grew up idolizing the Showtime Lakers; while he won't last until LA picks at #19, he'll have to find solace in suiting up for LakeShow alum Byron Scott.
14. LA Clippers - Javaris Crittendon & Thaddeus Young
You know what? Fuck the Clippers, and fuck the rules of this draft. I remember what the red, white and blue once stood for, and it wasn't vets lining up to miss the playoffs. The only way to get back to those core values? Hand the team to a cocksure, uneasy tower of a point guard and a supposed scorer who makes time stand still for himself and others. Whatever the opposite of rebuilding is, this is it. Together, these two will build an upside-down palace that reaches down to the center of the Earth. . . and reaches back up to China, where it towers over all those other Yi and Yao-like beasts set to take over the league in the next ten.
15. Detroit Pistons - Jason Smith
The Pistons have three former All-Star power forwards on the roster, but their median age is 33, which is ancient for the NBA, especially when you factor in knee problems. Jason Maxiell had his moments in the Playoffs, but he's not going to get it done by himself. As a legit 7-footer with range, Smith is the perfect complement to the undersized Maxiell's wrecking ball steelo in the post. Smith will be the latest iteration in a line of jump-shooting big men that stretches from Lambieer to Rasheed. Ironically, what Smith seems to lack is the fire that, for better or worse, drove both men and also made them ideal representatives for the city known for race riots, Eminem, and the Stooges.
16. Washington Wizards - Al Thornton
Super-athletic tweener, scoring machine who has it way too easy, meteoric game with an old soul, certified talent that for some reason no one's jizzing over. . . where else but the Washington Wizards would he go? The kind of player who could dizzy Arenas into forgetting all these "I want to toil for a reputable organization" lines and go back to running the madhouse.
17. New Jersey Nets - Spencer Hawes
Hawes will not fall this far in the actual draft, but this is the official FreeDarko Mock Draft, and no one who says he loves George W. Bush is going Lotto on my watch. But, when you're dealing with a 7-footer with serious skills, backing the worst president of all time will only knock you down so many spots. Spence provides the interior scoring the Nets have been sorely lacking since Krstic went down and is the rare white center who can run with J-Kidd and also score in a half court offense. Besides, Kidd has always seemed like he might be a closet Republican anyway.
18. GoldenState Warriors - Wilson Chandler
So the Warriors pick an energetic athlete who can handle multiple positions because that's how they do. Proving that if the Hawks had a point guard, they could beat the Mavericks.
19. LA Lakers - Acie Law IV
It's a truism to say that Phil Jackson likes big point guards, but Law is just the kind of guy he loves, possessing the height to cause match up problems and the self-possession necessary to put up with his Zen bullshit. The only problem is that Law and Kobe both love to take the big shot, but that's a problem that the Lakers (and maybe even Kobe) would welcome.
20. Miami Heat - Marc Gasol
He's from Spain, just like the Cubans. As opposed to Tiago Splitter, who traces his back to Portugal. Or Udonis Haslem, who is just from Florida. With that roster in shambles, sometimes you've got to take a stand for something higher--i.e., getting people to sit in the seats during the regular season.
21. Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers - Shavlik Randolph, I mean, Josh McRoberts
22. Charlotte Bobcats - Daequan Cook
In an absolutely perfect world, there would exist a player who combined the best qualities of Gerald Wallace and Matt Carroll. This would be all the more apt, since the 'Cats will likely lose these two bright spots. Said player would also blossom under the organization's watchful eyes, instead of being brought in and expected to produce instant maturity. Which, you know, would prove there was actually an organization there. That player would be Daequan Cook. . . now if you'll excuse me, I've got to tie my arm off again.
23. New York Knicks - Jared Dudley
I was really surprised to learn that Dudley is from San Diego. Obviously, he played college ball in Boston, which is one reason why, but I just get a grimey, Northeast vibe from him. Being a dead ringer for Jim Jones also helps. With a solid jumper out to 3-point range and good all-around skills, Dudley can help fill a major need at the 3 position. And, following Balkman and David Lee, he also fits with Isiah’s hard-working late first round pick steez.
24. Phoenix Suns - Tiago Splitter
Stealing ATL's lottery pick would have been too much, too overlordly to really smell like the Suns. Nabbing a seven-foot Brazilian who moves well, has been hovering around the draft forever, and yet remains in a state of perpetual mist? Steve Kerr knows what he's been hired to do--weird shit that makes everyone in the league wonder and ultimately makes Phoenix look smart. Basketball hipsters indeed.
25. Utah Jazz - Morris Almond
When I first started hearing about Morris Almond, I imagined him being light-skinned and having "good hair", looking basically like former UCLA guard Toby Bailey. I guess I was thinking of Morris Day, but the name Almond also seems to lend itself to such an appearance. Anyway, if you haven't seen him, that's not what he looks like, but his game is kinda like a better, more consistent version of Bailey's. He's got good size for a 2-guard and is one of the best shooters in the draft, making him the perfect complement to the Williams-to-Boozer tandem.
[Shoals pointed out that I was likely thinking of the absurdly similarly named actor Morris Chestnut, which is probably true. However, as Morris Chestnut isn't light-skinned, nor does he have “good hair,” that still doesn’t explain my mental picture of Almond.]
26. Houston Rockets - Nick Fazekas
The Rockets need a PF, and this is how Adelman thinks. Bonus points for being sort of foreign. Also, he's as far from Mike James/Bonzi/Rafer as anyone left in our draft pool, which seems like a semi-logical way to construct a roster.
Detroit should probably go Euro here, but after Darko and Delfino turned out to be relative busts, I think Dumars is keeping it stateside. He's done well with underrated college guys in Prince and Maxiell, so we’re going to give him the best ones left, because unlike the Clippers, who lucked into two picks, Dumars fucking earned this.
28. San Antonio Spurs - Arron Afflalo
29. Phoenix Suns - Reyshawn Terry
All right, I’ll admit it, this is a total homer pick. I’m a Tar Heel, and I want Rey to get that guaranteed money so he can take care of his. But, let’s not act like he’s some charity case, he would be a perfect fit for the Suns. He’s a great transition player, can stroke the 3, and plays solid defense. Marcus Williams is actually probably a better pick here, since he has a higher ceiling than Terry and is already used to living in the desert, but fuck that, this is my draft and I do what I please.
30. Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers - Petteri Koponen
Pairing him with Andre Miller would be sitcom magic.
I just don't see any way the Blazers past on Oden. It doesn't happen. I'm so excited for the Hawks' pick I can't even contain myself until Thursday night.
I think this is a great idea. So much so, in fact, that we did something similar at our blog, except we did it along the lines of "what makes this a more interesting league" (while still making somewhat logical picks) instead of the FD general principles, so there are no picks quite as deliriously awesome as Big Baby to the Celtics. I don't mean to make a shameless plug or dig on you guys at all, it was just on my mind right when I saw this post and I had to post about it.
The Sonics taking Durant but not keeping Rashard is what made me so mad that they got the 2nd pick in the first place. That would be so disappointing. Although Rashard going to Charlotte would help offset it.
I think we can all agree that Nick Young to NOOCH would be wonderful.
I think Petteri to the Spurs would make for a good movie. Brash young point guard comes to old team ready to mix things up, convinces some of the guys who used to be like him (Parker, Manu, I imagine Oberto used to be that way too) to go back to their old ways, and in the end the star and coach learn to let loose a little bit. Petteri starts going out with Eva's Scandinavian friend who's also a cheerleader. Final shot freeze-frames on Petteri being carried off the court after Game 7.
1) Who the fuck is Wilson Chandler? 2) Hawes is 6'10" and 1/4 to 1/2. His wingspan is 7'1", 3 inches shorter than Durant. 3) God help whoever drafts Daequan Cook. They'll need to draft an eastern european just to balance out all the vowels. 4) Dudley will be good. Fazekas will not.
Great idea, ya'll. I love that the Clippers got not one, but both of the "Most Likely To Be A Bust" draft picks. Nice work.
Also, Seth from Posting and Toasting suggested Morris Almond nickname s/b "Mo Nuts". I would like you all to comply with that. It's really not that much to ask....
Fazekas will good, relative to where he gets drafted (late 1st round or even 2nd round). He's an amazing shooter. In other words, he's Keith Van Horn (white = white, right?). Now, if you took KVH in the top-10, you might be disappointed. But if you took KVH at #22, you'll be happy! Such is Nick Fazekas.
I really soured on Fazekas after the Memphis game, but he's been lighting it up from deep in workouts, so you have a point, SML. Whenever I saw him, though, it looked like he was more of a good shooter for his size than an actual good shooter. But that could just be the Memphis game and how out-of-place he looked overtaking four solid years. For some reason he seems like the equivalent of a 4A player in baseball.
BR, I just noticed that you're concerned with Reyshawn Terry getting guaranteed money in a draft that has the Pistons taking three players with one pick. I admire your loyalty.
as for hawes, that's grossly disturbing. the bush stuff. a bit naive, no?
though anonymous 11:52, i think hawes is a legit 7-footer. everything i've seen suggests he is. though watching him all year in seattle, he sure doesn't play like it.
Keith Van Horn was probably the definition of a 4A player in baseball. Ergo: "KVH = Fazekas". Unless you think Adam Morrison is the definition of 4A player. Then Adam Morrison= Fazekas.
Perhaps the best definition of Fazekas' potential is his basement is "the next Adam Morrison" and his ceiling is "the next KVH". I'll actually go further, and say he could be "the next Kurt Thomas", but with 3PT range and less crazy eyes, fouls and rebounds.
Speaking of 4A players, I was at the Mets-A's game last Friday. We decided that the A's lineup is full of players who Baseball Almanac entry could be limited to two words:
Shannon Stewart: Fouled Out Bobby Crosby: Caught Looking Mark Kotsay: Fielder's Choice Mark Scutero: Grounded Into Double Play
Van Horn averaged 15 ppg eight of his first nine seasons in the league (granted he got a lot of playing time because he was the #2 pick), so I don't think he really qualifies as 4A. Looking at old drafts, here are some people I think would seem right: Chris Mihm, Mateen Cleaves (he might just be AAA), Mark Madsen (maybe the best definition, although his Stanford stats don't jump out at you), Joe Forte, Jared Jeffries, Juan Dixon, Casey Jacobsen, Troy Bell, Keith Bogans, Julius Hodge. That's from looking at drafts from 2000-2005. Debunk accordingly.
I think you have to have some skill that makes you unique or stellar at the college level, but a few weaknesses that make it virtually impossible for you to compete at anything approaching that level in the pros. But a lot of these guys will be role players for a long time, kinda like the 4A players that hang around as fourth outfielders.
I will bet you that Fazekas never approaches Thomas's level of toughness. Again, that Memphis game really told me a lot about him; he had no desire to mix it up with the athletic guys and he stayed in the corner when his shot was very cold. Now, maybe that won't be an issue in the NBA when he can spot up the whole game, but it was easier to get perimeter shots off for him against grossly unathletic WAC centers than it will be when he's being guarded by NBA fours.
That A's lineup is entirely guys who would be good role players on a World Series team. Kotsay is one of my favorite random players in the league, mostly because of his outrageous arm.
well, brilliance of course. Julian Wright and Williams to Atlanta is one of the greatest draft combos ever. but...
how can anyone compare the Hawks to the GSW when Atlanta doesn't even have a single Finno-Baltic player? Oh I hear you crying, Zaza Pachulia "but I'm from Georgia and my real name is Zaur"-listen, take that back to the Caucasus where it belongs. Eerily enough, Zaur and I have exactly the same birthday. Also, Stalin was from Georgia; think about that, Billy Knight. The Hawks will only complete their transformation to becoming non-Nellie Warriors by drafting a 6'7" wing from Lithuania (um, Renaldas Seibutis in the 2nd Rd?). There's also no way that Morris Almond can be a better Morris Day lookalike than Matt Barnes.
Also,can we all facilitate an imaginary Ibero-All Stars matchup? Namely: -Barbosa, Varejao, Vinicius, Nene, Splitter and Ticha Penicheiro (cos they don't got no PG) vs. -the Brothers Gasol, Manu, Calderon/Rodriguez, Walter Hermann, Rudy Fernandez and Ricky Rubio -Barngani and Belinelli can play for both teams The winners get to eat the losers and rule the Iberian Peninsula for the next 1,000 years. David Stern needs to make it happen next year instead of another boring-ass skills competition and a godawful celebrity game.
sml: Don't hate on Marco Scutaro. Sure, he's not very good, but the dude has a seriously creepy knack for busting out gamewinning walk-off hits. I think the only dude with more in the last 2-3 seasons is Ortiz.
t: well, having grown up there I can tell you that there's a respectable Chinatown, a bunch of Koreans and a ton of South Asians plus pockets of Japanese, Vietnamese, etc. Chi-town is keepin it real as hell w/the Eastern Europeans though, I think it's the largest Lithuanian (yo, Martynas Andriuskevicius! and Songaila I guess) and Polish city outside of the respective home countries and there's hella Greeks (yo, Diamantidis?!?) and Romanians (the Great Muresan?) and Bulgarians (umm...no one). And dumb potato-swilling micks like my own family (PAT BURKE, aka Captain of the Irish National Team!!!).
I think Fazekas, like Kurt Thomas and KVH, would be best utilized in a pick-and-roll offense. That's when he'll have his most success.
Padraig: I'm terribly confused about why there are two Argentines (Ginobili and Herrmann) on Spain's team? Why not add Oberto or Nocioni over "the other Gasol" (the Jeremy Giambi of the NBA, or this generation's Gerald Wilkens)? And Carlos Delfino is preparing to blow up this season in Toronto....
Duh, Sergio Rodriguez for the spaniards! Why raid Portugese Imperialist history (not even Portugal itself, man) when there's homegrown, crazy prospects at your fingertips, or at least in Portland?
I graduated from UNR so I watched Fazekas almost every game. I dont know how he is gonna play D in the NBA and the thought of him and Yao trying to run the floor together is downright scary. Fool is pigeon toed like crazy.
That being said, he will spot up and nail Js all day when passed to out of the double team.
Excellent idea. Ironically, that would make them stacked at the point, but doesn't give them much in the way of big men. I'd start Deron and Mo together.
Does anybody else think that Corey Brewer seems to be way undervalued going into the draft? I mean, if you pick after the first two and need a big, you probably go with Horford, if you need a PG you take Conley. But my gut feeling is that Brewer will be at least as valuable as these guys if he's not buried on the bench somewhere. I see a little Marion in him combined with Josh Howard and some early Knicks Sprewell.
Minnesota at 7 is actually the first team where he'd really be showcased because Atlanta, Memphis, Boston and Milwaukee don't have their biggest need at the swing positions.
Prediction: Brewer will receive at least the 3rd most votes for rookie of the year.
i'd say that milwaukee's biggest need is at the swing position. simmons missed all of last year, and patterson is getting old and is a headcase. villanueva is more of a 4. i guess if i were them, i'd go best available forward and play villanueva at the other spot.
point guard could also be a problem if mo williams opts out (TO GO TO ATLANTA!).
padraig: excellent work of late. looking forward to the fruits of your crusade for the finno-baltic revolution. and thanks for educating us about finno-nordic-scando relations a few days ago. on point.
That team doesn't look so bad. If I could mix two names, the Davis/Howard team would be pretty badass (Baron, Ricky, Josh, Juwan/Dale, Dwight). Jones team would be complete, but pretty awful (not worth mentioning). Ditto Johnson (not even worth mentioning outside of Amir and Joe, and I guess Dermarr counts too).
Marc Gasol as Jeremy Giambi made me laugh out loud. Damien Wilkins is too good, I think, and the Gasols match up to the Giambis zany whiteguyness.
Iverson fan, am I off in saying that Fazekas isn't an all-star weekend level shooter? That's admittedly based on a small sample size, but he seems like a more versatile Pittsnogle or Novak to me (that sounds worse than I mean it to sound).
What the hell, man? Where's the insightful commentary on the Spurs' pick, you jerk-ass? I don't know why I bother reading this thing for free. I'll just go find another alternative sportblog that's got the grapes to make fun of the champs.
I predict Corey Brewer ends up the third or fourth best player in this draft. If he wants it there's no reason he can't be Josh Howard. All this talk about the Warriors trading up for Yi is upsetting me because I'd much rather they take Brewer or Horford with a high pick.
Yi to Oakland makes tremendous sense. It's a marketing coup - doesn't the Bay Area have the largest Asian population in the states? That'll get them a few more fans, and a ton of jerseys sold.
As for Yi's effect on the team: Um, on a team of swingmen, the 7'swingman is king? I would actually wager that Yi is a Chinese government project made specifically with the goal to empower Don Nelson to destroy the NBA once and for all....
Seriously, if Nellie ain't jacking off everytime he sees video of Yi working out....
Yi to GSW makes complete social, marketing, and geographical sense, which is what worries me. Those factors are so obvious that I think they could overwhelm basketball. I wouldn't be that upset if we got him because he's not a stiff or anything, but I'm as skeptical as I should be given I haven't seen him play yet.
Somewhat off-topic: has anyone been watching the old drafts on NBATV? These things are way more exciting than they have any right to be. 93 is on now, I forgot how awesome and FD the first five picks were: Webber (everything), Bradley (not that FD at the time, but in retrospect his involvement with the Nellie Mavs makes Mormon missions qualify), Penny (duh), Mashburn (positional revolution at the time, these guys can't wrap their heads around whether he's a three or four), JR (I swear to God, he's clearly happiest about going to Minny because he'll get to wear 34). Unfortunately, it drops off hard with Calbert and Hurley.
The subtle racism of the commentators is more obvious here. When they cut to Sager (who's wearing a real suit) for the Bradley interview, Bob Neal said that "I think you're really gonna like him," even though there was no clear difference in his personality in comparison to Penny, who I would actually say was more impressive because they talked about how he improved his grades to make the Dean's List. Yesterday they were showing the 90 draft, and when the Hawks picked Alec Kessler, a microbiology major considering med school, the dudes couldn't shut up about him just because he wasn't like Derrick Coleman or Gary Payton. I'm not even sure they said anything about his basketball skills, but everyone said it was a great pick. Maybe that kind of stuff would happen now if a lottery pick had the chance to go to med school, I dunno.
Bradley was 205 when he entered college, which is just ridiculous given his height. They were really excited that he'd put on 40 lbs over three or four years.
JR actually said this in his interview: "I'm nasty on the court, but off the court I'm a perfect man to society."
sml/matt: Well, I more meant like Spanish speaking roots vs. Portuguese speaking w/out dissecting colonialism and imperialism and all that. Which kinda sucks if you're Portugal and your only pro basketball player of note is Ticha Penicheiro of the Sacto Monarchs, so I had to include the brasileÑos (brasileiros? I speak Spanish but not Portuguese). I didn't mean to offend the Argentines, much respect, it was just dudes whose style I like and I guess the FDest team of Spanish-speaking cats I could imagine. The Argentines alone don't have a PG (not that Pepe Sanchez hasn't been awesome in the ACB) and the Spaniards are stacked 4/5 and super-stacked at the 1 (and i DID include Rodriguez) but have a lack of quality wings unless you want to include Victor Claver; it seemed like a good match. Brothers Gasol sounds like an NBA Brothers Grimm to me but I like the Basketball Giambis as well. Look, I'm down for NBA Spain v. NBA Argentina (but if that's the case I'm inserting Taurasi onto the team) too, but isn't that essentially just the annual Worlds/Olympics final? I'm also down with 1-on-1 Pachulia/Tsakalids battle for Georgian supremacy. I mean, it IS imaginary, after all.
T: Seriously, after everything else, how are the English going to steal Ireland's GOAT? How would that even work? The dude is from Dublin, not Belfast, so unless Burke's got British citizenship it's a no-go. I'm still with ya rooting for a Deng/BG/Azubuike/Joel Freeland (kid the Blazers took last year)/random Nigerian team. You know who's looking even more stacked, though? France with Parker, Turiaf, Pietrus/Gelabale, Petro/Mahinmi/Ajinca, Nicolas Batum and a couple other athletic prospects from Martinique or Guadalupe. There's a team that will hella, hella fun to watch running like crazy.
sml again: "on a team of swingmen, the 7' swingman is king?" Truer words were never written. I mean, who knows, maybe he's really 32 and the next Skita, but he sure as hell seems like a Nellie wet dream. Also wouldn't Biedrins, Yi, S-Jax, J Rich/Barnes and Baron be an all-time FD lineup?
@Ty Keenan: That's exactly what I was thinking, why would anybody take Yi over Brewer? It's not like the latter doesn't also have the potential to develop into an allstar. I understand a Horford or Conley pick if they fill a certain need, but Yi?
@Brown Recluse: My assumption was that Simmons was actually close to returning at the end of last season and would surely be ready to go when training camp starts. Then Patterson as your backup SF off the bench is not that bad. But you're right, you probably shouldn't count on that. And as soon as you remove Simmons from the equation SF does become a big need for the Bucks, especially if they plan on playing Bogut at C and Villanueva at PF.
I kind of hope that a contender trades up to take Brewer when he drops out of the top five. Could be years before he has the chance to play a meaningful game again if he ends up in Minnesota or Milwaukee.
I'm a Bucks fan, and I'm perplexed as to why no one except me wants them to draft Brewer. Their biggest weakness is at the 3 and they have no one who plays defense. Why are they looking at anybody else? Jeff Green would work too, but he seems like a reach.
The reason Yi to the warriors is such a phenomenal fit is because it has such potential to bust. Let's say Yi only has game when playing against 6-3 assistant coaches?
I mean, if he's something special, then Nellie could indeed bring the Right Way hegemony crashing down. But when that happens, Nellie has to have done it on his terms, with a team of people whose collective upside is as steep as their aggregate anti-upside.
Ty, I read the shit about Fazekas shooting so well from 3 in workouts, and I was surprised. I never thought of him as that great of an outside shooter. He has always been money from 18 feet, but seeing him projected as possibly the best shooter in the draft is crazy to me.
While he made the occasional 3 in college, he wasnt like an old school Dirk or anything. Maybe he has been working hard though. I know he is really worried about slipping to the second round and losing the guaranteed contract. That's why he came back to UNR last year.
His offensive game is actually really similar to Yao's with a little more range and way less length.
Thanks, iverson fan. One possible explanation is that Trent and Fox pinned him to the post because of his height, which happens with a lot of college guys like that just because they're bigger than everyone else on the team.
I like the potential of Yi to blow up the right way and all that stuff, but it's hard to consider when a team you've rooted for your whole life has finally had some success and needs a pick to sustain that. I know it would be a more Warriors move to take Yi, but it seems like overthinking when a relative sure thing like Brewer would also be available. And it's not like Brewer wouldn't fit in. Of course, this is all speculation, and it's unlikely that a trade will even go through. I'm sure we'll end up with fucking Jason Smith.
Personally, I do find Greg Oden's game to be boring. Yeah, he's good, but he's also 7 feet tall and probably about 250, 260. What else what you expect?
And that's where we come to Durant's upside. While we all know that Oden's going to be a 20 and 10 man, I think the sky is truly the limit for a guy like Durant. Oden is the safer pick for the Blazers (ahem, Sam Bowie), but if you're the Sonics you've got to be licking your chops.
I still don't understand why oden is so limited potential wise and is going to be alonzo mourning at best. While durant is some sort of person who may potentially challenge jordan and beat out lebron for mvp down the line. Durant is going to be an all star, but i also think people fall in a love a little too much with wing players and college stats. Everyone knows that stats don't always translate. Durant is going to be good and i'm not taking things away, i just feel it's insulting to say that Oden is going to be just another 20-10 guy. His offensive moves steadily improved as the season went on and his hand slowly healed and he was never at 100 or even 80-90%. He has the ability to match duncan's stats easy and to have as big an impact on the defensive end as him, and duncan is now the no brainer pick for best power forward of all time with 4 rings.
I'm really excited about durant though. He seems to get it, unlike other nba players. He's not obsessed with simply dunking and shooting 3s like other players. It's kind of how melo has a great feel for the game and a great skill set. He's not super athletic but his foot work on the perimeter and post are phenomenal. He doesn't need to dribble for an hour at the top of the key in iso to eventually cross someone over like lebron or wade, he gives a few head fakes and stutter steps and uses a really his good footwork to get by the defender rather quickly. I can't wait for durant to dominate the midrange area like melo has been doing. He can shoot 3s if he wants, but i doubt he'll be doing it all the time. He's instantly going to be one of my favorite nba players.
Ty: "I predict Corey Brewer ends up the third or fourth best player in this draft. If he wants it there's no reason he can't be Josh Howard." That second sentence is one of the stupider things I have read on this site.
Oops, then I read the first part of this sentence by anon 10:26: "He has the ability to match duncan's stats easy and to have as big an impact on the defensive end as him, and duncan is now the no brainer pick for best power forward of all time with 4 rings. Ty: You are no longer in possession of the stupidest quote in this thread. Say it out loud, it sounds funny. "He has the ability to match duncan's stats easy and to have as big an impact on the defensive end as him." The best power-forward ever. Like he says it RIGHT after. "He has the ability to match duncan's stats easy and to have as big an impact on the defensive end as him." Man, that's hilarious. "EASY" Hahaha.
The new Kanye West single/video samples "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger." In the video, they reenact a scene from Akira, in which the protagonist is leaving his hotel room, only to be accosted by armed guards. In the movie, well its fuckin' awesome, but the video is obviously tame for younger audiences.
Uh, guy, if you're gonna call something "one of the stupider things I've read on this site," please use a name so I have someone to respond to. Not taking much responsibility for your own comments throughout threads when I don't know which ones you're making, don't you think?
Anyway, I didn't mean to compare the games of Brewer and Howard exactly, it was more a comment that he should be a player of that same quality, which I think would make him one of the four best players in the draft. I realize that the way I wrote it made it sound that way--my fault.
As for Duncan/Oden, Duncan's career averages are 23.8 and 12.5 with 2.8 blocks. Awesome, to be sure, to put it in perspective Shaq's are 25.5 and 12.1 with 2.2 blocks. So that's a lot for Oden to live up to. Now, anon 10:26 didn't say Oden would match those stats, he just said that Oden has the ability to do that. A huge difference, to be sure, and when someone has been called the best American center prospect of his generation I don't think it would be shocking to see him come up with averages like that.
He has a lot of work to do to get there, obviously.
T's point makes me think of something else about Oden matching Duncan's stats. While I still think he could get close to them, Oden doesn't seem like the kind of guy who'll own the offensive paint like Duncan does. Oden can be "just another 20 and 10" and rock shit like T says, but Z-Bo actually matched Duncan's combined points and rebounds this year (33.7). No one would say Z-Bo was a better offensive player.
Defense is another story, Oden seems to be well on his way to doing everything Duncan can do.
To whoever asked why we are limiting Oden's potential, it is simply because Oden's game is heavily reliant on his physical attributes- strength, speed, quick jumping ability, height. I liken his impact to a less physically dominant Shaq or a Dwight Howard. It is Durant who I compare to Duncan who depends on his skill more than brawn to dominate. With a skill player the sky is the limit or for now MJ from 95 when he was no longer air-jordan but postup-jordan.
Why does oden have no offensive skill? He played the whole season at below 80% and still put up 16ppg. His low post skills are coming along is similar physically to young magic shaq and he put up 26 his first few years. I DON'T THINK ODEN WILL DO THAT his first few years, but the motor skills are there, the feel for the game is there and the work ethic is there. The talent is certainly there too. The "just another 20-10" thing was to say that he has MUCH more potential that say zach randolph, jermaine oneal or elton brand. He has a chance to dominate like Duncan. Not right away, but down the road, he has a very good chance to be that kind of player. He won't be shaq scoring almost 30ppg in his prime, but he can most certainly be like duncan who not only puts up 23-11-3blocks, but also makes an impact defensively and makes players around him better.
He is going to be better than dwight howard pretty much his rookie year. Take it from a magic fan who watches at least 2 magic games per week. Dwight is maaddd overated as a complete nba player. He's an athletic monster, but that is absolutely it. His rebounding numbers are inflated by him stealing every single board from teammates when no one is around, and not only that, he gambles by trying to out jump people all the time and gets out positioned regularly. He gives up a bunch of rebounds that have no business going to anyone but him because he refuses to box out consistantly. Not only that, but he'll NEVER get it offensively. He's so much more raw than oden and has much less feel for the game even at this point. Dwight can't move 3 feet on the block without getting ripped or scared by a double team flash and pick up the ball. He can't pass out of a single or double team, and just has poor motor skills. He'd be great on a team like the wizards with good scorers and creative guys who can feed him garbage points and let him get putbacks, but he's not a team focal point. He's not even very good on defense. I can't tell you how many times people waltz into the lane on the magic because dwight is only concerned about weakside blocks. Darko is already a much better defender if you watch when they're both on the floor. I love dwight, but i wish the magic would quit pretending he's going to become shaq. I'm not hating on dwight, but as a magic fan, i have to be realistic. It's really frustrating watching magic games.
If i were everyone, i'd be worried that Bill Simmons is so high on durant because he dominated college basketball like Adam Morrison did who bill simmons was convinced was going to be a monster. Durant won't flop, but it makes you think given how bad bill simmons is most the time at giving in to hype. Durant will be an allstar no doubt. I don't know about michael jordan(like simmons says every column), but he'll be in the top 10 wingmen equation and probably top 5 once some guys like kobe and tmac start to lose a few step down the road.
i'm kind of shocked this comments section hasn't been taken over by discussion of all the insane trade rumors of the past couple of days. let me just say that FD is pulling for amare to wind up in ATL with josh smith, joe johnson, and marvin williams. get any legit pass-first point guard (save ed cota from lithuania if you have to!) to go with those guys, and you have suns east (with two actual suns!!!!).
I hadn't seen that Amare-to-ATL rumor until just now, but sweet jesus let's make it happen. Realistic NBA possibility would be Brevin Knight, but you're right, do whatever it takes. Am I dumb for thinking Ed Cota would work on that team? Shit, get Doug Gottlieb out of retirement if you need to.
Fazekas to the Rockets? Sure, he can sit next to Steve Novak, who was last year's tall, white three point shooter. And of course, Scott Padgett will probably be signed (inexplicably) for the veteran minimum the day before the season starts and get all their minutes.
people should also be checking out the ford/simmons live mock draft on espn.com. both guys annoy me, but they're shitting on each other's past draft picks, ford called simmons a xenophobe, etc. it's a fun read.
You just beat me to it, BRE. My favorite exchange has to be the Darko comments, although each of them digging into the other's draft history is highly entertaining. This is what Chad Ford wrote about Darko in 2003:
“Darko really is one of a kind. He runs the floor, handles the ball, shoots an NBA three and plays with his back to the basket. So you can slot him at the 3, 4 or 5. Okay, a few other guys can do that too; what sets Darko apart is his toughness in the post. You’ve got to love a guy who has the footwork to spin by an opponent but still prefers to lower a shoulder and bang. Fact is, Milicic plays in attack mode at both ends of the floor. The more you push, the more he pushes back.”
Any mock draft of bloggers that doesn't include MJD or Skeets is lacking.
I'm amused by those who think Oden's upside is Mourning. Please keep in mind that Oden can sky higher than anyone in the NBA except for Dwight Howard (who can go about two inches higher). Now add offensive skills to Howard, plus defensive skills. Okay, subtract a few rebounds (maybe). Can you picture a more explosive Elton Brand?
@CW: darko has yet to make a 3 pointer in an nba game. IN FOUR YEARS.
@SML: so, are you saying that oden's ceiling is "more explosive elton brand"? i don't know if a more explosive elton brand is even better than mourning at his peak. mourning used to be really good. he also had a ridiculously accurate jumper in nba live '97, which used to piss me off.
1) Can we get an FD chat room set up for the draft? They're always fun, especially for the international crew like myself who can't watch the thing live. And the talent level here would make for great one-liners.
2) Yi to GSW also makes sense because his downside is lack of toughness, so he really needs people like Davis/Jackson/Barnes to look after him.
Yi to GSW makes so much sense that I think it's doomed to fail if it happens. But that's just a decade of failure making me fear the worst. By the way, his stats in the 2006 Worlds were something like 7 ppg and 5 rpg. That's ballpark, not exact, but not exactly thrilling.
Speaking of Warriors misfortune, the 95 Draft was on today, and Fuller had a strength of "shooting range" and a weakness of "refine offensive skills." Now, that obviously includes post moves and whatever, but it's nice to know that even his strengths were his weaknesses.
Scott: Because we'd all rather see Amare waste his career alongside JJ and Josh Smith rather than in fucking Minnesota.
Although, if JJ, Amare, Smith, Childress, the Williamses, and a solid point guard don't at LEAST get to the ECF, there's something wrong. Most FD team in the east.
I'm salivating thinking of Nash-to-Garnett. It'd be a season of unstoppable sweetness followed by years of phoenix decline.
What would Atlanta be with Shawn Marion instead of Amare? Isn't that just a little FD when you can have like a whole starting lineup of small forwards? ATL is the perfect spot for Nellieball east!
Matt: Yes, that's just what I'm talking about. It'll be awesome peak, but rapid decline. Thank God we'll still have Leandro.
Atlanta already has several guys that you could call Shawn Marion Lite. But yeah, the Matrix would be pretty dope on there, if they can find a point guard. Or really, they just need to find somebody to throw all of them lob passes. Think they want Boris Diaw back?
If the W's take Yi, he's bound to be a flop, for all the reasons that it makes sense to pick him. I'm not sure whether that makes picking him FD or not. Arguments on both sides, I suppose. All I care about is more stylistic success ... playoffs '07 4 ever!
So many things to love about the Phoenix/ATL/Minnesota rumor. My favorite is Billy Knight's ongoing quest to refuse to accquire a legit PG, which at this point has reached epic proportions. Seriously, I thought there was no way in hell dude could avoid it with 2 lottery picks, but of course I was wrong. I mean, Amare plus the 2 Joshes, JJ, etc. would be super FD and hella entertaining, but what are they really going to accomplish without a single real ballhandler? Which 6'8" swingman is gonna set up Amare up for all the cupcake dunks he gets off the Great White PG's fancy passing? I might be in the minority, but I also think Amare is way overrated-like, he's Dwight Howard Lite but with a 15 ft J.
The more I think about Yi to the GSW, the more I like it. Mainly cos if they don't make a move they'll just wind up with Jason Smith (the, uh, white, less-talented Yi) or Splitter's massive buyout, which is another Luis Scola waiting to happen (kinda ironic cos Scola and Splitter are on the same team), so why not? All or nothing is pretty much Nellie's motto anyway. And even if he sucks we still have the prospect of YI HANGING OUT WITH STEPHEN JACKSON. If that doesn't scare the Chinese government I don't know what does.
T: I thought the other big reason Yi's CNT stats are underwhelming was that Yao uses like 90% of the possessions. Actually, a lot of things about the CNT seem both befuddling and vastly interesting...I do like the concept of the "anti-small ball" lineup quite a bit. If only there was a way to get Sun Ming Ming involved.
Two Warriors-related trades that were circulating today:
1) The no.18 and Ellis for the 8, supposedly shot down. I'm glad that this got killed, regardless of the playoffs.
2) Jared Jeffries and the no.23 for the no.18 and Adonal Foyle (and I think somebody else to work out the salaries). Hell if I wouldn't take this just to get Foyle's contract off of the books. The Jeffries contract is pretty bad too, except that at least he'll play and with Barnes probably moving on in FA, there's a spot in the rotation as well.
EZ: I don't wanna scare ya but, dude, the latest Draft Express podcast had a super-disturbing GSW trade rumor: the no. 18 and BIEDRINS for a pick in the 5-7 range to pick up Yi. I mean, I loves swingmen as much as the next, but even Nellie Ball has to have somebody to rebound and Biedrins ought to be nigh unto untouchable. Plus, how could the Warriors trade East Bay Drago? On the other hand, if they do somehow get Yi while retaining Biedrins it might just be a major coup for Sino-Latvian relations.
Thanks for the attempt T., though doesn't work for me either. Plus, the interface looks kinda ugly. Someone could also try some of the options at:
http://www.c4lpt.co.uk/Directory/Tools/chat.html
Things that don't require account creation would be good....
As for the draft, would have loved to see KG in Phoenix, looks like Atlanta is just screwing the fun for everyone. Unless they take Yi at 3 causing every fan to kill themselves, and making all the other lottery teams very happy.
Welcome (back) to the big time, y'all - Sally Jenkins dropped your name (to quote the Kevin Durant mock-draft evaluation above - "sweeping, angelic, and sweetly electric") on the front page of the Washington Post sports section today.
Seattle drafts Durant. Seattle resigns Lewis and then trades him to Houston. Houston gives back Shane Battier, the ghost of Bob Sura, and maybe Kirk Snyder to make the contracts match.
Looks like both teams get better to me, Houston ups its putrid offense and Seattle gets a fantastic teammate and defender and a great influence for Durant. Houston can give up a future 1st or a 2nd or something if necessary.
Yeah there you go, I forgot he was still on the roster. That's a pretty good 5 for the Rockets. Plus, Lewis is from Houston and should love it, and the nonstop open looks McGrady and Yao theoretically generate. Greener pastures.
Foyle is a talisman. He must retire a Warrior or they will crumble. In the FD world of flow and evolution, Adonal Foyle never changing teams is one piece of bedrock that we can always cling to. That and Stern.
i'm not sure why seattle would want shane battier. the problem with rashard lewis on the sonics is that he plays the same position as durant (and wants too much money). guess what position battier plays?
If Durant's what people say he is, they should play him at the 4.
Moving out Rashard frees up touches, but there's something enticingly dysfunctional about a team built around 3 swingmen. That said, battier would be a good fit for a few years before he loses a step and turns into a lesser Bruce Bowen.
Recluse, I think the money thing is more important than the position issue. In 3 years when they have to extend Durant, would they rather have Battier, who is relatively cheap, content to not be an offensive focus (I think Shane Battier would be content just giving sideline backrubs if necessary), and expires sooner? Or would they rather have Lewis, who is a much better offensive player, but overpriced, a shitty rebounder and defender? Plus you can play Battier as a small 4 much more easily than you can Lewis since he's tougher.
@sweaty ewing: first of all, you fucked it up. we were at 82 comments for this post. 82 games. it was perfect.
i see your point about battier. it wouldn't be a bad trade, but i think they can get a better player for lewis in a sign and trade. as much as i despised him in college, i'll admit that battier would work well on most any team, but there are better players to pair with durant for the same cost, imo.
76 Comments:
God bless you, Bronson Pinchot.
I just don't see any way the Blazers past on Oden. It doesn't happen. I'm so excited for the Hawks' pick I can't even contain myself until Thursday night.
I think this is a great idea. So much so, in fact, that we did something similar at our blog, except we did it along the lines of "what makes this a more interesting league" (while still making somewhat logical picks) instead of the FD general principles, so there are no picks quite as deliriously awesome as Big Baby to the Celtics. I don't mean to make a shameless plug or dig on you guys at all, it was just on my mind right when I saw this post and I had to post about it.
The Sonics taking Durant but not keeping Rashard is what made me so mad that they got the 2nd pick in the first place. That would be so disappointing. Although Rashard going to Charlotte would help offset it.
I think we can all agree that Nick Young to NOOCH would be wonderful.
I think Petteri to the Spurs would make for a good movie. Brash young point guard comes to old team ready to mix things up, convinces some of the guys who used to be like him (Parker, Manu, I imagine Oberto used to be that way too) to go back to their old ways, and in the end the star and coach learn to let loose a little bit. Petteri starts going out with Eva's Scandinavian friend who's also a cheerleader. Final shot freeze-frames on Petteri being carried off the court after Game 7.
Pure brilliance.
4 things:
1) Who the fuck is Wilson Chandler?
2) Hawes is 6'10" and 1/4 to 1/2. His wingspan is 7'1", 3 inches shorter than Durant.
3) God help whoever drafts Daequan Cook. They'll need to draft an eastern european just to balance out all the vowels.
4) Dudley will be good. Fazekas will not.
Great idea, ya'll. I love that the Clippers got not one, but both of the "Most Likely To Be A Bust" draft picks. Nice work.
Also, Seth from Posting and Toasting suggested Morris Almond nickname s/b "Mo Nuts". I would like you all to comply with that. It's really not that much to ask....
Fazekas will good, relative to where he gets drafted (late 1st round or even 2nd round). He's an amazing shooter. In other words, he's Keith Van Horn (white = white, right?). Now, if you took KVH in the top-10, you might be disappointed. But if you took KVH at #22, you'll be happy! Such is Nick Fazekas.
I really soured on Fazekas after the Memphis game, but he's been lighting it up from deep in workouts, so you have a point, SML. Whenever I saw him, though, it looked like he was more of a good shooter for his size than an actual good shooter. But that could just be the Memphis game and how out-of-place he looked overtaking four solid years. For some reason he seems like the equivalent of a 4A player in baseball.
BR, I just noticed that you're concerned with Reyshawn Terry getting guaranteed money in a draft that has the Pistons taking three players with one pick. I admire your loyalty.
love glen davis at No. 5. love it!
as for hawes, that's grossly disturbing. the bush stuff. a bit naive, no?
though anonymous 11:52, i think hawes is a legit 7-footer. everything i've seen suggests he is. though watching him all year in seattle, he sure doesn't play like it.
Keith Van Horn was probably the definition of a 4A player in baseball. Ergo: "KVH = Fazekas". Unless you think Adam Morrison is the definition of 4A player. Then Adam Morrison= Fazekas.
Perhaps the best definition of Fazekas' potential is his basement is "the next Adam Morrison" and his ceiling is "the next KVH". I'll actually go further, and say he could be "the next Kurt Thomas", but with 3PT range and less crazy eyes, fouls and rebounds.
Speaking of 4A players, I was at the Mets-A's game last Friday. We decided that the A's lineup is full of players who Baseball Almanac entry could be limited to two words:
Shannon Stewart: Fouled Out
Bobby Crosby: Caught Looking
Mark Kotsay: Fielder's Choice
Mark Scutero: Grounded Into Double Play
Van Horn averaged 15 ppg eight of his first nine seasons in the league (granted he got a lot of playing time because he was the #2 pick), so I don't think he really qualifies as 4A. Looking at old drafts, here are some people I think would seem right: Chris Mihm, Mateen Cleaves (he might just be AAA), Mark Madsen (maybe the best definition, although his Stanford stats don't jump out at you), Joe Forte, Jared Jeffries, Juan Dixon, Casey Jacobsen, Troy Bell, Keith Bogans, Julius Hodge. That's from looking at drafts from 2000-2005. Debunk accordingly.
I think you have to have some skill that makes you unique or stellar at the college level, but a few weaknesses that make it virtually impossible for you to compete at anything approaching that level in the pros. But a lot of these guys will be role players for a long time, kinda like the 4A players that hang around as fourth outfielders.
I will bet you that Fazekas never approaches Thomas's level of toughness. Again, that Memphis game really told me a lot about him; he had no desire to mix it up with the athletic guys and he stayed in the corner when his shot was very cold. Now, maybe that won't be an issue in the NBA when he can spot up the whole game, but it was easier to get perimeter shots off for him against grossly unathletic WAC centers than it will be when he's being guarded by NBA fours.
That A's lineup is entirely guys who would be good role players on a World Series team. Kotsay is one of my favorite random players in the league, mostly because of his outrageous arm.
well, brilliance of course. Julian Wright and Williams to Atlanta is one of the greatest draft combos ever. but...
how can anyone compare the Hawks to the GSW when Atlanta doesn't even have a single Finno-Baltic player? Oh I hear you crying, Zaza Pachulia "but I'm from Georgia and my real name is Zaur"-listen, take that back to the Caucasus where it belongs. Eerily enough, Zaur and I have exactly the same birthday. Also, Stalin was from Georgia; think about that, Billy Knight. The Hawks will only complete their transformation to becoming non-Nellie Warriors by drafting a 6'7" wing from Lithuania (um, Renaldas Seibutis in the 2nd Rd?). There's also no way that Morris Almond can be a better Morris Day lookalike than Matt Barnes.
Also,can we all facilitate an imaginary Ibero-All Stars matchup? Namely:
-Barbosa, Varejao, Vinicius, Nene, Splitter and Ticha Penicheiro (cos they don't got no PG)
vs.
-the Brothers Gasol, Manu, Calderon/Rodriguez, Walter Hermann, Rudy Fernandez and Ricky Rubio
-Barngani and Belinelli can play for both teams
The winners get to eat the losers and rule the Iberian Peninsula for the next 1,000 years. David Stern needs to make it happen next year instead of another boring-ass skills competition and a godawful celebrity game.
sml: Don't hate on Marco Scutaro. Sure, he's not very good, but the dude has a seriously creepy knack for busting out gamewinning walk-off hits. I think the only dude with more in the last 2-3 seasons is Ortiz.
t: well, having grown up there I can tell you that there's a respectable Chinatown, a bunch of Koreans and a ton of South Asians plus pockets of Japanese, Vietnamese, etc. Chi-town is keepin it real as hell w/the Eastern Europeans though, I think it's the largest Lithuanian (yo, Martynas Andriuskevicius! and Songaila I guess) and Polish city outside of the respective home countries and there's hella Greeks (yo, Diamantidis?!?) and Romanians (the Great Muresan?) and Bulgarians (umm...no one). And dumb potato-swilling micks like my own family (PAT BURKE, aka Captain of the Irish National Team!!!).
I figured Glen Davis would go to Philly since they don't have a fat guy ever since Coleman left, but I guess Boston doesn't either.
Love that Afflalo doesn't need an explanation.
I think Fazekas, like Kurt Thomas and KVH, would be best utilized in a pick-and-roll offense. That's when he'll have his most success.
Padraig: I'm terribly confused about why there are two Argentines (Ginobili and Herrmann) on Spain's team? Why not add Oberto or Nocioni over "the other Gasol" (the Jeremy Giambi of the NBA, or this generation's Gerald Wilkens)? And Carlos Delfino is preparing to blow up this season in Toronto....
Duh, Sergio Rodriguez for the spaniards! Why raid Portugese Imperialist history (not even Portugal itself, man) when there's homegrown, crazy prospects at your fingertips, or at least in Portland?
I graduated from UNR so I watched Fazekas almost every game. I dont know how he is gonna play D in the NBA and the thought of him and Yao trying to run the floor together is downright scary. Fool is pigeon toed like crazy.
That being said, he will spot up and nail Js all day when passed to out of the double team.
He is no keith Van Horn. That's just insulting.
Is there anyway to get every NBA player with the last name of "Williams" onto the Hawks roster?
Mo, Marcus--and that would solve the PG problems, plus probably a few NBDL Williamses to fill out the rest.
Excellent idea. Ironically, that would make them stacked at the point, but doesn't give them much in the way of big men. I'd start Deron and Mo together.
PG - Deron, Jason, Marcus (UCONN), Shammond
SG - Mo, Louis
SF - Marvin, Marcus (Zona), Jawad
PF - Shelden, Shawne
C - Aaron, Justin, Sean
It's not much worse than their current roster.
Considering they'd have not 1, not 2, but 3 point guards on that roster I think they'd be pretty set. Any other last names work out like Williams?
Does anybody else think that Corey Brewer seems to be way undervalued going into the draft? I mean, if you pick after the first two and need a big, you probably go with Horford, if you need a PG you take Conley. But my gut feeling is that Brewer will be at least as valuable as these guys if he's not buried on the bench somewhere. I see a little Marion in him combined with Josh Howard and some early Knicks Sprewell.
Minnesota at 7 is actually the first team where he'd really be showcased because Atlanta, Memphis, Boston and Milwaukee don't have their biggest need at the swing positions.
Prediction: Brewer will receive at least the 3rd most votes for rookie of the year.
i'd say that milwaukee's biggest need is at the swing position. simmons missed all of last year, and patterson is getting old and is a headcase. villanueva is more of a 4. i guess if i were them, i'd go best available forward and play villanueva at the other spot.
point guard could also be a problem if mo williams opts out (TO GO TO ATLANTA!).
padraig: excellent work of late. looking forward to the fruits of your crusade for the finno-baltic revolution. and thanks for educating us about finno-nordic-scando relations a few days ago. on point.
That team doesn't look so bad. If I could mix two names, the Davis/Howard team would be pretty badass (Baron, Ricky, Josh, Juwan/Dale, Dwight). Jones team would be complete, but pretty awful (not worth mentioning). Ditto Johnson (not even worth mentioning outside of Amir and Joe, and I guess Dermarr counts too).
Marc Gasol as Jeremy Giambi made me laugh out loud. Damien Wilkins is too good, I think, and the Gasols match up to the Giambis zany whiteguyness.
Iverson fan, am I off in saying that Fazekas isn't an all-star weekend level shooter? That's admittedly based on a small sample size, but he seems like a more versatile Pittsnogle or Novak to me (that sounds worse than I mean it to sound).
What the hell, man? Where's the insightful commentary on the Spurs' pick, you jerk-ass? I don't know why I bother reading this thing for free. I'll just go find another alternative sportblog that's got the grapes to make fun of the champs.
I predict Corey Brewer ends up the third or fourth best player in this draft. If he wants it there's no reason he can't be Josh Howard. All this talk about the Warriors trading up for Yi is upsetting me because I'd much rather they take Brewer or Horford with a high pick.
Yi to Oakland makes tremendous sense. It's a marketing coup - doesn't the Bay Area have the largest Asian population in the states? That'll get them a few more fans, and a ton of jerseys sold.
As for Yi's effect on the team: Um, on a team of swingmen, the 7'swingman is king? I would actually wager that Yi is a Chinese government project made specifically with the goal to empower Don Nelson to destroy the NBA once and for all....
Seriously, if Nellie ain't jacking off everytime he sees video of Yi working out....
Yi to GSW makes complete social, marketing, and geographical sense, which is what worries me. Those factors are so obvious that I think they could overwhelm basketball. I wouldn't be that upset if we got him because he's not a stiff or anything, but I'm as skeptical as I should be given I haven't seen him play yet.
Somewhat off-topic: has anyone been watching the old drafts on NBATV? These things are way more exciting than they have any right to be. 93 is on now, I forgot how awesome and FD the first five picks were: Webber (everything), Bradley (not that FD at the time, but in retrospect his involvement with the Nellie Mavs makes Mormon missions qualify), Penny (duh), Mashburn (positional revolution at the time, these guys can't wrap their heads around whether he's a three or four), JR (I swear to God, he's clearly happiest about going to Minny because he'll get to wear 34). Unfortunately, it drops off hard with Calbert and Hurley.
The subtle racism of the commentators is more obvious here. When they cut to Sager (who's wearing a real suit) for the Bradley interview, Bob Neal said that "I think you're really gonna like him," even though there was no clear difference in his personality in comparison to Penny, who I would actually say was more impressive because they talked about how he improved his grades to make the Dean's List. Yesterday they were showing the 90 draft, and when the Hawks picked Alec Kessler, a microbiology major considering med school, the dudes couldn't shut up about him just because he wasn't like Derrick Coleman or Gary Payton. I'm not even sure they said anything about his basketball skills, but everyone said it was a great pick. Maybe that kind of stuff would happen now if a lottery pick had the chance to go to med school, I dunno.
Bradley was 205 when he entered college, which is just ridiculous given his height. They were really excited that he'd put on 40 lbs over three or four years.
JR actually said this in his interview: "I'm nasty on the court, but off the court I'm a perfect man to society."
sml/matt: Well, I more meant like Spanish speaking roots vs. Portuguese speaking w/out dissecting colonialism and imperialism and all that. Which kinda sucks if you're Portugal and your only pro basketball player of note is Ticha Penicheiro of the Sacto Monarchs, so I had to include the brasileÑos (brasileiros? I speak Spanish but not Portuguese). I didn't mean to offend the Argentines, much respect, it was just dudes whose style I like and I guess the FDest team of Spanish-speaking cats I could imagine. The Argentines alone don't have a PG (not that Pepe Sanchez hasn't been awesome in the ACB) and the Spaniards are stacked 4/5 and super-stacked at the 1 (and i DID include Rodriguez) but have a lack of quality wings unless you want to include Victor Claver; it seemed like a good match. Brothers Gasol sounds like an NBA Brothers Grimm to me but I like the Basketball Giambis as well. Look, I'm down for NBA Spain v. NBA Argentina (but if that's the case I'm inserting Taurasi onto the team) too, but isn't that essentially just the annual Worlds/Olympics final? I'm also down with 1-on-1 Pachulia/Tsakalids battle for Georgian supremacy. I mean, it IS imaginary, after all.
T: Seriously, after everything else, how are the English going to steal Ireland's GOAT? How would that even work? The dude is from Dublin, not Belfast, so unless Burke's got British citizenship it's a no-go. I'm still with ya rooting for a Deng/BG/Azubuike/Joel Freeland (kid the Blazers took last year)/random Nigerian team. You know who's looking even more stacked, though? France with Parker, Turiaf, Pietrus/Gelabale, Petro/Mahinmi/Ajinca, Nicolas Batum and a couple other athletic prospects from Martinique or Guadalupe. There's a team that will hella, hella fun to watch running like crazy.
sml again: "on a team of swingmen, the 7' swingman is king?"
Truer words were never written. I mean, who knows, maybe he's really 32 and the next Skita, but he sure as hell seems like a Nellie wet dream. Also wouldn't Biedrins, Yi, S-Jax, J Rich/Barnes and Baron be an all-time FD lineup?
@Ty Keenan: That's exactly what I was thinking, why would anybody take Yi over Brewer? It's not like the latter doesn't also have the potential to develop into an allstar. I understand a Horford or Conley pick if they fill a certain need, but Yi?
@Brown Recluse: My assumption was that Simmons was actually close to returning at the end of last season and would surely be ready to go when training camp starts. Then Patterson as your backup SF off the bench is not that bad. But you're right, you probably shouldn't count on that. And as soon as you remove Simmons from the equation SF does become a big need for the Bucks, especially if they plan on playing Bogut at C and Villanueva at PF.
I kind of hope that a contender trades up to take Brewer when he drops out of the top five. Could be years before he has the chance to play a meaningful game again if he ends up in Minnesota or Milwaukee.
I'm a Bucks fan, and I'm perplexed as to why no one except me wants them to draft Brewer. Their biggest weakness is at the 3 and they have no one who plays defense. Why are they looking at anybody else? Jeff Green would work too, but he seems like a reach.
The reason Yi to the warriors is such a phenomenal fit is because it has such potential to bust. Let's say Yi only has game when playing against 6-3 assistant coaches?
I mean, if he's something special, then Nellie could indeed bring the Right Way hegemony crashing down. But when that happens, Nellie has to have done it on his terms, with a team of people whose collective upside is as steep as their aggregate anti-upside.
Ty, I read the shit about Fazekas shooting so well from 3 in workouts, and I was surprised. I never thought of him as that great of an outside shooter. He has always been money from 18 feet, but seeing him projected as possibly the best shooter in the draft is crazy to me.
While he made the occasional 3 in college, he wasnt like an old school Dirk or anything. Maybe he has been working hard though. I know he is really worried about slipping to the second round and losing the guaranteed contract. That's why he came back to UNR last year.
His offensive game is actually really similar to Yao's with a little more range and way less length.
Corey Brewer is definitely going to be one of the best players from this draft class. He just seems to be absolutely ruthless on the basketball court.
This is way off topic, but:
Is Sufjan Stevens so un-FD that he's FD?
Thanks, iverson fan. One possible explanation is that Trent and Fox pinned him to the post because of his height, which happens with a lot of college guys like that just because they're bigger than everyone else on the team.
I like the potential of Yi to blow up the right way and all that stuff, but it's hard to consider when a team you've rooted for your whole life has finally had some success and needs a pick to sustain that. I know it would be a more Warriors move to take Yi, but it seems like overthinking when a relative sure thing like Brewer would also be available. And it's not like Brewer wouldn't fit in. Of course, this is all speculation, and it's unlikely that a trade will even go through. I'm sure we'll end up with fucking Jason Smith.
Interesting collection of pictures there.
Personally, I do find Greg Oden's game to be boring. Yeah, he's good, but he's also 7 feet tall and probably about 250, 260. What else what you expect?
And that's where we come to Durant's upside. While we all know that Oden's going to be a 20 and 10 man, I think the sky is truly the limit for a guy like Durant. Oden is the safer pick for the Blazers (ahem, Sam Bowie), but if you're the Sonics you've got to be licking your chops.
I still don't understand why oden is so limited potential wise and is going to be alonzo mourning at best. While durant is some sort of person who may potentially challenge jordan and beat out lebron for mvp down the line. Durant is going to be an all star, but i also think people fall in a love a little too much with wing players and college stats. Everyone knows that stats don't always translate. Durant is going to be good and i'm not taking things away, i just feel it's insulting to say that Oden is going to be just another 20-10 guy. His offensive moves steadily improved as the season went on and his hand slowly healed and he was never at 100 or even 80-90%. He has the ability to match duncan's stats easy and to have as big an impact on the defensive end as him, and duncan is now the no brainer pick for best power forward of all time with 4 rings.
I'm really excited about durant though. He seems to get it, unlike other nba players. He's not obsessed with simply dunking and shooting 3s like other players. It's kind of how melo has a great feel for the game and a great skill set. He's not super athletic but his foot work on the perimeter and post are phenomenal. He doesn't need to dribble for an hour at the top of the key in iso to eventually cross someone over like lebron or wade, he gives a few head fakes and stutter steps and uses a really his good footwork to get by the defender rather quickly. I can't wait for durant to dominate the midrange area like melo has been doing. He can shoot 3s if he wants, but i doubt he'll be doing it all the time. He's instantly going to be one of my favorite nba players.
Durant not number 1????
what gives?
You're just hoping you get to watch him in green&gold. But alas, he's destined for red&black...
Ty:
"I predict Corey Brewer ends up the third or fourth best player in this draft. If he wants it there's no reason he can't be Josh Howard."
That second sentence is one of the stupider things I have read on this site.
Oops, then I read the first part of this sentence by anon 10:26:
"He has the ability to match duncan's stats easy and to have as big an impact on the defensive end as him, and duncan is now the no brainer pick for best power forward of all time with 4 rings.
Ty: You are no longer in possession of the stupidest quote in this thread. Say it out loud, it sounds funny.
"He has the ability to match duncan's stats easy and to have as big an impact on the defensive end as him."
The best power-forward ever. Like he says it RIGHT after.
"He has the ability to match duncan's stats easy and to have as big an impact on the defensive end as him."
Man, that's hilarious. "EASY" Hahaha.
The new Kanye West single/video samples "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger." In the video, they reenact a scene from Akira, in which the protagonist is leaving his hotel room, only to be accosted by armed guards. In the movie, well its fuckin' awesome, but the video is obviously tame for younger audiences.
wv: ablutby - a blue Temble Bat Yahm
Uh, guy, if you're gonna call something "one of the stupider things I've read on this site," please use a name so I have someone to respond to. Not taking much responsibility for your own comments throughout threads when I don't know which ones you're making, don't you think?
Anyway, I didn't mean to compare the games of Brewer and Howard exactly, it was more a comment that he should be a player of that same quality, which I think would make him one of the four best players in the draft. I realize that the way I wrote it made it sound that way--my fault.
As for Duncan/Oden, Duncan's career averages are 23.8 and 12.5 with 2.8 blocks. Awesome, to be sure, to put it in perspective Shaq's are 25.5 and 12.1 with 2.2 blocks. So that's a lot for Oden to live up to. Now, anon 10:26 didn't say Oden would match those stats, he just said that Oden has the ability to do that. A huge difference, to be sure, and when someone has been called the best American center prospect of his generation I don't think it would be shocking to see him come up with averages like that.
He has a lot of work to do to get there, obviously.
T's point makes me think of something else about Oden matching Duncan's stats. While I still think he could get close to them, Oden doesn't seem like the kind of guy who'll own the offensive paint like Duncan does. Oden can be "just another 20 and 10" and rock shit like T says, but Z-Bo actually matched Duncan's combined points and rebounds this year (33.7). No one would say Z-Bo was a better offensive player.
Defense is another story, Oden seems to be well on his way to doing everything Duncan can do.
To whoever asked why we are limiting Oden's potential, it is simply because Oden's game is heavily reliant on his physical attributes- strength, speed, quick jumping ability, height. I liken his impact to a less physically dominant Shaq or a Dwight Howard. It is Durant who I compare to Duncan who depends on his skill more than brawn to dominate. With a skill player the sky is the limit or for now MJ from 95 when he was no longer air-jordan but postup-jordan.
Oden's limit is way past Howard. Dwight Howard is a phyiscal freak with a poor feel for NBA basketball - did you see him in the playoffs this year?
Oden is a physical freak with an as-yet-undefined feel for NBA basketball, but if he winds up as a taller Amare, nobody's gonna be complaining.
As a resident of Seattle, if Oden falls to the Sonics that would be a big-time coup.
Why does oden have no offensive skill? He played the whole season at below 80% and still put up 16ppg. His low post skills are coming along is similar physically to young magic shaq and he put up 26 his first few years. I DON'T THINK ODEN WILL DO THAT his first few years, but the motor skills are there, the feel for the game is there and the work ethic is there. The talent is certainly there too. The "just another 20-10" thing was to say that he has MUCH more potential that say zach randolph, jermaine oneal or elton brand. He has a chance to dominate like Duncan. Not right away, but down the road, he has a very good chance to be that kind of player. He won't be shaq scoring almost 30ppg in his prime, but he can most certainly be like duncan who not only puts up 23-11-3blocks, but also makes an impact defensively and makes players around him better.
He is going to be better than dwight howard pretty much his rookie year. Take it from a magic fan who watches at least 2 magic games per week. Dwight is maaddd overated as a complete nba player. He's an athletic monster, but that is absolutely it. His rebounding numbers are inflated by him stealing every single board from teammates when no one is around, and not only that, he gambles by trying to out jump people all the time and gets out positioned regularly. He gives up a bunch of rebounds that have no business going to anyone but him because he refuses to box out consistantly. Not only that, but he'll NEVER get it offensively. He's so much more raw than oden and has much less feel for the game even at this point. Dwight can't move 3 feet on the block without getting ripped or scared by a double team flash and pick up the ball. He can't pass out of a single or double team, and just has poor motor skills. He'd be great on a team like the wizards with good scorers and creative guys who can feed him garbage points and let him get putbacks, but he's not a team focal point. He's not even very good on defense. I can't tell you how many times people waltz into the lane on the magic because dwight is only concerned about weakside blocks. Darko is already a much better defender if you watch when they're both on the floor. I love dwight, but i wish the magic would quit pretending he's going to become shaq. I'm not hating on dwight, but as a magic fan, i have to be realistic. It's really frustrating watching magic games.
If i were everyone, i'd be worried that Bill Simmons is so high on durant because he dominated college basketball like Adam Morrison did who bill simmons was convinced was going to be a monster. Durant won't flop, but it makes you think given how bad bill simmons is most the time at giving in to hype. Durant will be an allstar no doubt. I don't know about michael jordan(like simmons says every column), but he'll be in the top 10 wingmen equation and probably top 5 once some guys like kobe and tmac start to lose a few step down the road.
i'm kind of shocked this comments section hasn't been taken over by discussion of all the insane trade rumors of the past couple of days. let me just say that FD is pulling for amare to wind up in ATL with josh smith, joe johnson, and marvin williams. get any legit pass-first point guard (save ed cota from lithuania if you have to!) to go with those guys, and you have suns east (with two actual suns!!!!).
I hadn't seen that Amare-to-ATL rumor until just now, but sweet jesus let's make it happen. Realistic NBA possibility would be Brevin Knight, but you're right, do whatever it takes. Am I dumb for thinking Ed Cota would work on that team? Shit, get Doug Gottlieb out of retirement if you need to.
Fazekas to the Rockets? Sure, he can sit next to Steve Novak, who was last year's tall, white three point shooter. And of course, Scott Padgett will probably be signed (inexplicably) for the veteran minimum the day before the season starts and get all their minutes.
people should also be checking out the ford/simmons live mock draft on espn.com. both guys annoy me, but they're shitting on each other's past draft picks, ford called simmons a xenophobe, etc. it's a fun read.
http://winningtheturnoverbattle.blogspot.com/2007/06/nba-blogger-draft.html
Just stumbled across this site. Mock draft of hoops bloggers.
Shoals goes 2nd to Seattle.
Congrats!
You just beat me to it, BRE. My favorite exchange has to be the Darko comments, although each of them digging into the other's draft history is highly entertaining. This is what Chad Ford wrote about Darko in 2003:
“Darko really is one of a kind. He runs the floor, handles the ball, shoots an NBA three and plays with his back to the basket. So you can slot him at the 3, 4 or 5. Okay, a few other guys can do that too; what sets Darko apart is his toughness in the post. You’ve got to love a guy who has the footwork to spin by an opponent but still prefers to lower a shoulder and bang. Fact is, Milicic plays in attack mode at both ends of the floor. The more you push, the more he pushes back.”
Any mock draft of bloggers that doesn't include MJD or Skeets is lacking.
I'm amused by those who think Oden's upside is Mourning. Please keep in mind that Oden can sky higher than anyone in the NBA except for Dwight Howard (who can go about two inches higher). Now add offensive skills to Howard, plus defensive skills. Okay, subtract a few rebounds (maybe). Can you picture a more explosive Elton Brand?
@CW: darko has yet to make a 3 pointer in an nba game. IN FOUR YEARS.
@SML: so, are you saying that oden's ceiling is "more explosive elton brand"? i don't know if a more explosive elton brand is even better than mourning at his peak. mourning used to be really good. he also had a ridiculously accurate jumper in nba live '97, which used to piss me off.
1) Can we get an FD chat room set up for the draft? They're always fun, especially for the international crew like myself who can't watch the thing live. And the talent level here would make for great one-liners.
2) Yi to GSW also makes sense because his downside is lack of toughness, so he really needs people like Davis/Jackson/Barnes to look after him.
if the suns are gonna trade amare...why in the world would minnesota not just take amare?
Yi to GSW makes so much sense that I think it's doomed to fail if it happens. But that's just a decade of failure making me fear the worst. By the way, his stats in the 2006 Worlds were something like 7 ppg and 5 rpg. That's ballpark, not exact, but not exactly thrilling.
Speaking of Warriors misfortune, the 95 Draft was on today, and Fuller had a strength of "shooting range" and a weakness of "refine offensive skills." Now, that obviously includes post moves and whatever, but it's nice to know that even his strengths were his weaknesses.
Scott: Because we'd all rather see Amare waste his career alongside JJ and Josh Smith rather than in fucking Minnesota.
Although, if JJ, Amare, Smith, Childress, the Williamses, and a solid point guard don't at LEAST get to the ECF, there's something wrong.
Most FD team in the east.
I'm salivating thinking of Nash-to-Garnett. It'd be a season of unstoppable sweetness followed by years of phoenix decline.
What would Atlanta be with Shawn Marion instead of Amare? Isn't that just a little FD when you can have like a whole starting lineup of small forwards? ATL is the perfect spot for Nellieball east!
Matt:
Yes, that's just what I'm talking about. It'll be awesome peak, but rapid decline. Thank God we'll still have Leandro.
Atlanta already has several guys that you could call Shawn Marion Lite. But yeah, the Matrix would be pretty dope on there, if they can find a point guard. Or really, they just need to find somebody to throw all of them lob passes. Think they want Boris Diaw back?
Chat doesn't seem to work - can't login as a guest. Just a heads-up.
If the W's take Yi, he's bound to be a flop, for all the reasons that it makes sense to pick him. I'm not sure whether that makes picking him FD or not. Arguments on both sides, I suppose. All I care about is more stylistic success ... playoffs '07 4 ever!
T, thanks for the China National Team education. That sounds pretty terrible.
Fuck Steve Belkin.
So many things to love about the Phoenix/ATL/Minnesota rumor. My favorite is Billy Knight's ongoing quest to refuse to accquire a legit PG, which at this point has reached epic proportions. Seriously, I thought there was no way in hell dude could avoid it with 2 lottery picks, but of course I was wrong. I mean, Amare plus the 2 Joshes, JJ, etc. would be super FD and hella entertaining, but what are they really going to accomplish without a single real ballhandler? Which 6'8" swingman is gonna set up Amare up for all the cupcake dunks he gets off the Great White PG's fancy passing? I might be in the minority, but I also think Amare is way overrated-like, he's Dwight Howard Lite but with a 15 ft J.
The more I think about Yi to the GSW, the more I like it. Mainly cos if they don't make a move they'll just wind up with Jason Smith (the, uh, white, less-talented Yi) or Splitter's massive buyout, which is another Luis Scola waiting to happen (kinda ironic cos Scola and Splitter are on the same team), so why not? All or nothing is pretty much Nellie's motto anyway. And even if he sucks we still have the prospect of YI HANGING OUT WITH STEPHEN JACKSON. If that doesn't scare the Chinese government I don't know what does.
T: I thought the other big reason Yi's CNT stats are underwhelming was that Yao uses like 90% of the possessions. Actually, a lot of things about the CNT seem both befuddling and vastly interesting...I do like the concept of the "anti-small ball" lineup quite a bit. If only there was a way to get Sun Ming Ming involved.
Two Warriors-related trades that were circulating today:
1) The no.18 and Ellis for the 8, supposedly shot down. I'm glad that this got killed, regardless of the playoffs.
2) Jared Jeffries and the no.23 for the no.18 and Adonal Foyle (and I think somebody else to work out the salaries). Hell if I wouldn't take this just to get Foyle's contract off of the books. The Jeffries contract is pretty bad too, except that at least he'll play and with Barnes probably moving on in FA, there's a spot in the rotation as well.
EZ: I don't wanna scare ya but, dude, the latest Draft Express podcast had a super-disturbing GSW trade rumor: the no. 18 and BIEDRINS for a pick in the 5-7 range to pick up Yi. I mean, I loves swingmen as much as the next, but even Nellie Ball has to have somebody to rebound and Biedrins ought to be nigh unto untouchable. Plus, how could the Warriors trade East Bay Drago? On the other hand, if they do somehow get Yi while retaining Biedrins it might just be a major coup for Sino-Latvian relations.
Thanks for the attempt T., though doesn't work for me either. Plus, the interface looks kinda ugly. Someone could also try some of the options at:
http://www.c4lpt.co.uk/Directory/Tools/chat.html
Things that don't require account creation would be good....
As for the draft, would have loved to see KG in Phoenix, looks like Atlanta is just screwing the fun for everyone. Unless they take Yi at 3 causing every fan to kill themselves, and making all the other lottery teams very happy.
I don't think an entire front office would allow the team to trade its only rebounder for a jump shooter.
Trading Andris would have implications everywhere, including the political ones that padraig mentions.
Welcome (back) to the big time, y'all - Sally Jenkins dropped your name (to quote the Kevin Durant mock-draft evaluation above - "sweeping, angelic, and sweetly electric") on the front page of the Washington Post sports section today.
Nice.
Come to think about it, why did I not link to the story, already?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/27/AR2007062702924.html
Pretty FD headline, too: "Durant Is the Comet To End All Dinosaurs".
-Josh
Speaking of trades, what do y'all think of this?
Seattle drafts Durant. Seattle resigns Lewis and then trades him to Houston. Houston gives back Shane Battier, the ghost of Bob Sura, and maybe Kirk Snyder to make the contracts match.
Houston's starting 5: James, McGrady, Lewis, _____, Yao
Seattle: Watson, Allen, Battier, Durant, Swift/Petro/Sene
Looks like both teams get better to me, Houston ups its putrid offense and Seattle gets a fantastic teammate and defender and a great influence for Durant. Houston can give up a future 1st or a 2nd or something if necessary.
Chuck Hayes is a solid starting 4 with little offense.
Yeah there you go, I forgot he was still on the roster. That's a pretty good 5 for the Rockets. Plus, Lewis is from Houston and should love it, and the nonstop open looks McGrady and Yao theoretically generate. Greener pastures.
Zark:
Foyle is a talisman. He must retire a Warrior or they will crumble. In the FD world of flow and evolution, Adonal Foyle never changing teams is one piece of bedrock that we can always cling to. That and Stern.
Here is how Jimmy Mo see it, http://rizzosports.blogspot.com/2007/06/nda-draft-oden-durant-kg-and-kobe.html
i'm not sure why seattle would want shane battier. the problem with rashard lewis on the sonics is that he plays the same position as durant (and wants too much money). guess what position battier plays?
If Durant's what people say he is, they should play him at the 4.
Moving out Rashard frees up touches, but there's something enticingly dysfunctional about a team built around 3 swingmen. That said, battier would be a good fit for a few years before he loses a step and turns into a lesser Bruce Bowen.
Recluse, I think the money thing is more important than the position issue. In 3 years when they have to extend Durant, would they rather have Battier, who is relatively cheap, content to not be an offensive focus (I think Shane Battier would be content just giving sideline backrubs if necessary), and expires sooner? Or would they rather have Lewis, who is a much better offensive player, but overpriced, a shitty rebounder and defender? Plus you can play Battier as a small 4 much more easily than you can Lewis since he's tougher.
@sweaty ewing: first of all, you fucked it up. we were at 82 comments for this post. 82 games. it was perfect.
i see your point about battier. it wouldn't be a bad trade, but i think they can get a better player for lewis in a sign and trade. as much as i despised him in college, i'll admit that battier would work well on most any team, but there are better players to pair with durant for the same cost, imo.
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