-I'm starting to get the feeling that Alex is the Bethlehem Shoals to my J.E. Skeets on this blog. (at a much smaller level of course) I come in and provide posts that aren't much longer than a sentence but get to the point. Alex uses the English language as his toy and plays around beautifully with thoughts and insight. My posted videos and pictures make me laugh but rarely have anything to do with what I write about, and Alex's go along with his post. If we both mated, we would create a Henry Abbott of TrueHoop. Which is where Mike will need to come into the picture. Even though I'm not sure you understand any of this, Mike, for which I apologize. Of course, I love where the blog is going so far, even though 5 people max read it.
-Not sure if you mentioned this in your post Alex, but don't you get the feeling that the Rockets COULD, just maybe work out like the Celtics IF Ron Artest pulls a Ray Allen and solely concentrates on what he needs to do for the team, rather than try and take over every game offensively? I do. And the role players on Houston are so much stronger than Boston's with Scola, Head, Landry, Battier, Novak(clutch photoshop), and Alston. (UPDATE: Goddammit, Shoals already made the Boston comparison early in the morning...I seriously hadn't read it)
-I apologize for my posts being short and far apart but I am hitting crunch time in summer school and am still working about 35+ hours per week. My game will pick up in mid August before yet another lull with the start of my student teaching.
-And of course, a video that makes me laugh, even though I'm positive most of you have already seen it......
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Rocketeers
-I'm happy for the rockets getting Ron Artest the same way i was happy for the Nuggets getting Carmelo Antony, this is obviously a little different though. The nuglet twins + JR + Kleiza + even marcus camby basically tells us we need to pay a little more attention to these stat machines ala (the Hollinger/Berry's)and that two super scorers put together doesn't guarantee a thing... The Rockets to me, with I'm sure just about everyone, else are a conundrum in their own right. a Fairly average team with Yao Ming, and 21+ without him largely due to confidence and, *Dikembe voice*, Luis Scola. (To me last year's signing of Scola will have had more impact when everything is said and done than Artest's stint will have) Before I read John Hollinger's piece today on Truehoop i thought, well this just adds another piece into their already stacked squad along with a solid defender, but with the Carmelo Iverson aftermath along only one ball to go around, will this work? Hollinger describes Artest back in Indiana as an over achieving role player that struggled to maintain star power when being option 1. So basically, if Artest can get jump started back into his crazy defensive minded and nasty when called upon offensive game, he could be perfect for this team. Unfortunately, with Ron and Yao coming back, the rocket's crazy chemistry will have to be built anew, but if everyone gets on the same page and T-Mac is healthy this will be the number 3 team in the West behind OKC and Lakers.
-I know who Poot would pick but Beans or David Lee? Two different positions, but like said on truehoop today, both very active, smart players.
-Machine clips are amazing, he is honestly the biggest weiner in the NBA, post-game comments on lakers-fan.com cementing it. No doubt in my mind, no one else comes close.
-I like Kevin Martin and the potential of Donte Greene. Two extremely gifted scorers +another in Douby with the likes of Jason Thompson coming up to keep the inside under wraps and Garcia to distribute the rock... Spencer Hawes isn't bad either, but imagine if D'Antoni had this crew? I like them way better than his Knicks squad in terms of "Seven Seconds or Less"... Greene needs to go to New York with along with Ramon Sessions.
-
Amidst being stuck on the bench for the last few years, damn man, JJ Redick killed it in college. Furthest I could remember his Duke team going was i believe the Sweet 16, but in ACC play he was unstoppable... even Chris Paul back in the day was no match for him
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
The New Machine
Sasha resigns with Lakers. As much as I can't stand watching him on the court, these videos make everything so much better...
Machine & Kobe = BFF
Machine & Kobe = BFF
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Legend of Sleepy Morrow
-The all star studded line-up at the Rocky Mountain Revue was no match for newly signed warrior Anthony Morrow, along with wrecking buddy Mr. Anthony Randolph. The tournament of tournaments was highlighted by Morrow, who i never saw play for Georgia Tech, the last name i can remember from a Georgia Tech team is Will Bynum and BJ Elder, aside from Thaddeus Young and Crittenton who i never layed eyes on in college... On espn, Morrow is described as having a Rip Hamilton type game, which could develop well under Nelson's system if he gets some minutes... maybe we'll see a more varied attack this up-coming year with waning hopes of the playoffs and a slew of youngsters who could potentially rival Portlands crazy up-and-comers for future dominance in the west? (for the next 6 years at least). Get Brandon Wright and Bellinelli on board and Golden State will have a bench nothing to gawk at... Anyway, Ellis, Maggette, Morrow, Bellinelli? Sounds good to me, this season will be fun even though arguably the most entertaining player in the league picked up and ran out of town.
-I've been saying for the last three and half days that Spain is someone to be very weary about in USA's quest for another Bronze... Honestly it's easy to get pumped on the Gasol's, Rubios and Fernandez's, but holy jah, Calderon and Navarro in the back court?! Honeslty nothing is going to be guaranteed with the Red White and Blue on August 15. We need to utilize our athleticism, get into their heads if that's possible, and have Dwight Howard bang on them... Why isn't Tyson Chandler on the second string? Him Chris Paul and Deron Williams could arguably be very close to as good as Dwade and Kobe on the floor...*This just in, first prediction of Gold:Argentina, Silver: Spain, Bronze: USA on UpsideandMotor... man says until NBA takes breaks in season to allow team to be assembled and galvanized, we won't win with sheer all-star power alone... You could be very correct my friend, and this is the year that will make or break this very standard.
-In no way is this blog ever going to be on SB nation... unique pages like Golden State of Mind along with NBADRAFT.NET, have taken on McDonald's countertop layouts, and although all the sites may be networked and easier to navigate, that's why I have 24 BBall bookmarks, you don't need to do that for me... these sites are hideous. If anyone has dissenting opinion, i would be pleased to hear it.
-Biedrins just got re-signed... Praise that. Some say 63 mil is too much, but he is a one-of-a-kind active center who's singing, along with Monta's, establishes Run TMC on steroids until 2013... Bless you beans, I know you are from Latvia, but Europe just wasn't for you...
-Since it is sunday i will anounce Man-crushes of the week in order of respective times I have had picnics with them in my dreams... 1.Portland Trailblazers 2.Anthony Randolph 3. Spanish Basketball Team 4. Brian McCorkmick 5. Yo Gotti
-Poot, this is a lot to ask but maybe an NFL mini preview of the shit you GOTTA see this year? I'm going to try to see some Adrian Peterson games along with Mr. Marshawn Lynch, but other than this, I need some fuel to get excited come September...
-I've been saying for the last three and half days that Spain is someone to be very weary about in USA's quest for another Bronze... Honestly it's easy to get pumped on the Gasol's, Rubios and Fernandez's, but holy jah, Calderon and Navarro in the back court?! Honeslty nothing is going to be guaranteed with the Red White and Blue on August 15. We need to utilize our athleticism, get into their heads if that's possible, and have Dwight Howard bang on them... Why isn't Tyson Chandler on the second string? Him Chris Paul and Deron Williams could arguably be very close to as good as Dwade and Kobe on the floor...*This just in, first prediction of Gold:Argentina, Silver: Spain, Bronze: USA on UpsideandMotor... man says until NBA takes breaks in season to allow team to be assembled and galvanized, we won't win with sheer all-star power alone... You could be very correct my friend, and this is the year that will make or break this very standard.
-In no way is this blog ever going to be on SB nation... unique pages like Golden State of Mind along with NBADRAFT.NET, have taken on McDonald's countertop layouts, and although all the sites may be networked and easier to navigate, that's why I have 24 BBall bookmarks, you don't need to do that for me... these sites are hideous. If anyone has dissenting opinion, i would be pleased to hear it.
-Biedrins just got re-signed... Praise that. Some say 63 mil is too much, but he is a one-of-a-kind active center who's singing, along with Monta's, establishes Run TMC on steroids until 2013... Bless you beans, I know you are from Latvia, but Europe just wasn't for you...
-Since it is sunday i will anounce Man-crushes of the week in order of respective times I have had picnics with them in my dreams... 1.Portland Trailblazers 2.Anthony Randolph 3. Spanish Basketball Team 4. Brian McCorkmick 5. Yo Gotti
-Poot, this is a lot to ask but maybe an NFL mini preview of the shit you GOTTA see this year? I'm going to try to see some Adrian Peterson games along with Mr. Marshawn Lynch, but other than this, I need some fuel to get excited come September...
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Olympic Exhibition Game 1
The U.S. dominated Canada in exhibition play but I feel that they left much to be desired. Their defense was OK vs. a very weak opponent but I was surprised at how useless non-Dwight Howard centers preformed (Bosh and Boozer) especially on the defensive end. If they think that playing top notch competition such as Argentina or Spain and try to score by isolating Dwayne Wade, Kobe Bryant Lebron James (when he gets back) and Carmelo Anthony, U.S. will be in for a surprise. Crisp passing along the outside to find players like Michael Redd will be the only way we will advance and win the Gold. Having said all this, it was the first exhibition and Lebron was kept out for precautionary reasons with a mildly sprained ankle, so I'll give Team U.S.A. a free pass.
As far as the future of U.S.A. Basketball, look no farther than the man who just signed a 5 year extension with the Warriors. It's hard to not get up for this guy. Click on that shit to see how far up that little guy can rise...
As far as the future of U.S.A. Basketball, look no farther than the man who just signed a 5 year extension with the Warriors. It's hard to not get up for this guy. Click on that shit to see how far up that little guy can rise...
Friday, July 25, 2008
Stats And Such
Count the Basket did a phenomenal job of compiling last years statistics and different statistical methods for ranking players. You might be familiar with John Hollinger's PER stat from ESPN.com. Just imagine about 10 other statistics that place different levels of importance for different statistical categories such as points, rebounds, assists etc. After the compilation, Eli compared their ranks across all statistical categories and came up with a Top 10 player list for the 2007-2008 NBA season based on every major statistical scoring method.
1. Kevin Garnett
2. Lebron James
3. Manu Ginobili
4. Dwight Howard
5. Kobe Bryant
6. Dirk Nowitzki
7. Tim Duncan
8. Pau Gasol
9. Steve Nash
10. Chris Bosh
I am kind of disappointed that Eli did not release the entire list (only Top and Bottom 10 were shown). Curious to see which players were considered "Middle of the Pack" in the NBA.
Glad that points are not the be all, end all statistic and other important characteristics of a true basketball player were considered.
Tim Duncan is exactly where I think he should be. Sick of all the analysts who rate him head and shoulders the best player in the NBA because his team wins titles. He does have some help at #3. And I am guessing Tony Parker is somewhere in the Top 25 as well.
I have a slight problem with Kevin Garnett being considered the best of the best and with Chris Bosh showing up at all on the Top 10. I know they both stuff the stat sheets with points, blocks and rebounds, but recall that they never seem to have that "clutch" factor in the 4th quarter. Even in the Finals, Garnett was often a ghost in the final 5 minutes of games. I know it is hard to qualitatively (or am I thinking quantitatively) put a number with "clutch" but I think there should be some sort of point deduction for that.
On a final and unrelated note, Team USA starts exhibition play tonight against Canada without the services of Lebron James who is resting an ankle. While resting, he managed to throw at the "Guarantee Card" in one of his interviews regarding the Gold Medal. The entire team was asked about his prediction and they all fired back with the generic, "If my teammate says it, I believe it. We are a team." Except Carmelo, who said that no game in the tournament is a guarantee. Way to go Melo, fight that machine!
1. Kevin Garnett
2. Lebron James
3. Manu Ginobili
4. Dwight Howard
5. Kobe Bryant
6. Dirk Nowitzki
7. Tim Duncan
8. Pau Gasol
9. Steve Nash
10. Chris Bosh
I am kind of disappointed that Eli did not release the entire list (only Top and Bottom 10 were shown). Curious to see which players were considered "Middle of the Pack" in the NBA.
Glad that points are not the be all, end all statistic and other important characteristics of a true basketball player were considered.
Tim Duncan is exactly where I think he should be. Sick of all the analysts who rate him head and shoulders the best player in the NBA because his team wins titles. He does have some help at #3. And I am guessing Tony Parker is somewhere in the Top 25 as well.
I have a slight problem with Kevin Garnett being considered the best of the best and with Chris Bosh showing up at all on the Top 10. I know they both stuff the stat sheets with points, blocks and rebounds, but recall that they never seem to have that "clutch" factor in the 4th quarter. Even in the Finals, Garnett was often a ghost in the final 5 minutes of games. I know it is hard to qualitatively (or am I thinking quantitatively) put a number with "clutch" but I think there should be some sort of point deduction for that.
On a final and unrelated note, Team USA starts exhibition play tonight against Canada without the services of Lebron James who is resting an ankle. While resting, he managed to throw at the "Guarantee Card" in one of his interviews regarding the Gold Medal. The entire team was asked about his prediction and they all fired back with the generic, "If my teammate says it, I believe it. We are a team." Except Carmelo, who said that no game in the tournament is a guarantee. Way to go Melo, fight that machine!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Krayzie Bone As Who?
I was watching this video off of my little Bone Thugs website and I couldn't help but notice the jersey worn by Krayzie Bone at 1:26. Alex, your thoughts....
Oh and one more thing, I will be getting NFL Sunday Ticket this year for free (Direct TV Promo) and will be treating myself with NBA League Pass for finishing student teaching. Good luck getting me off of my couch this Fall/Winter/Spring.
Oh and one more thing, I will be getting NFL Sunday Ticket this year for free (Direct TV Promo) and will be treating myself with NBA League Pass for finishing student teaching. Good luck getting me off of my couch this Fall/Winter/Spring.
Priorities
-Solid article in SLAM yesterday about the stars in the NBA... just not willing to be stars. The J.R. Smiths of the world along with Sean Williams, and Mr. Gerald Green. Although Adam Morrison is on this list for lack of reasoning, or as put, sits on the sideline and doesn't care about his job, I see J.R. Smith and Gerald Green with potential in the right formula and situation to become useful, if not super-useful. I could try to analyze in what situation that could be, however, my NBA talent evaluation skills prohibit me from doing so. Gut feeling on this one, but they are still really young and could find a good home somewhere... come to think of it, Green is kind of a poor man's Smith + a little more height and athleticism. J.R. Smith has proven he can kill it any given night/be a consistent warm-up allstar, whereas, Green you are more surprised to see him raining jump shots, rather more of a role player. Anywayz, i would be happy to see Smith take Louis William's spot on the Sixers after the Warriors sign Williams. Elton Brand, AI, and JR could be a devlish threesome. We'll see.
-Don't give up on Morrison yet. People are writing him off, but if he is given another chance to shine behind Gerald and Jared this year he could turn some heads... just give him time, don't send him to europe yet. I don't know if a chip on his shoulder will help or hinder his progress because he seems like he always plays with one, and contains Donte Green's same impeccable shot selection as demonstrated by Jim Boeheim on our front page.
-Warriors signed a very smooth Jim Calhoun stud. The way he used to drop dimes in college was
awesome, but the NBA is a different story. I'm guessing he won't play too much under Nelson, but i still like the signing. I'm pumped if we get Lou Williams, we'll be hands-down the funnest team to watch in the NBA behind Oklahoma City Thunder if they would have drafted Bayless... Westbrook will do just fine though. Lou and Monta though? Don't they both pose a problem with an undersized two? Like i said, fun to watch but maybe Lou running the point and not Monta. There's gotta be priorities, No? They won't win but hell, Mullin will get it right, if they get this guy. Let's shoot for the 1st round again, not to win it all, but to be #1 in fastbreak points, and entertainment value. Best represented by Eddie starring Whoopie Goldberg. Maggette, Biedrins, Monta, Jackson, and Harrington, with Lou, Randolph, Bellinelli, and Wright off the bench. Sign me up league pass.....
-Watched the Argentina, Spain highlights of the olympic qualifiers last night... whew! Those are two terrific teams. Everyone loves down here the argentine squad obviously, but Spain is stacked too, and with Delfino running the show and not Ginobili, i'll put my stack in Spain's favor. There are always Carlos Arroyo type performances in the Olympics which defy all odds and make you look forward to that player's future in the NBA, but I hope Ricky Rubio kills it in the olympics, and continues that in the NBA. If this guy is as good as advertised, we're looking at either a Larry Bird type, or Sergio Rodriguez 2.0, or who was once called (Spanish Chocolate, aka Jason Williams 2.0 :(
-Don't give up on Morrison yet. People are writing him off, but if he is given another chance to shine behind Gerald and Jared this year he could turn some heads... just give him time, don't send him to europe yet. I don't know if a chip on his shoulder will help or hinder his progress because he seems like he always plays with one, and contains Donte Green's same impeccable shot selection as demonstrated by Jim Boeheim on our front page.
-Warriors signed a very smooth Jim Calhoun stud. The way he used to drop dimes in college was
awesome, but the NBA is a different story. I'm guessing he won't play too much under Nelson, but i still like the signing. I'm pumped if we get Lou Williams, we'll be hands-down the funnest team to watch in the NBA behind Oklahoma City Thunder if they would have drafted Bayless... Westbrook will do just fine though. Lou and Monta though? Don't they both pose a problem with an undersized two? Like i said, fun to watch but maybe Lou running the point and not Monta. There's gotta be priorities, No? They won't win but hell, Mullin will get it right, if they get this guy. Let's shoot for the 1st round again, not to win it all, but to be #1 in fastbreak points, and entertainment value. Best represented by Eddie starring Whoopie Goldberg. Maggette, Biedrins, Monta, Jackson, and Harrington, with Lou, Randolph, Bellinelli, and Wright off the bench. Sign me up league pass.....-Watched the Argentina, Spain highlights of the olympic qualifiers last night... whew! Those are two terrific teams. Everyone loves down here the argentine squad obviously, but Spain is stacked too, and with Delfino running the show and not Ginobili, i'll put my stack in Spain's favor. There are always Carlos Arroyo type performances in the Olympics which defy all odds and make you look forward to that player's future in the NBA, but I hope Ricky Rubio kills it in the olympics, and continues that in the NBA. If this guy is as good as advertised, we're looking at either a Larry Bird type, or Sergio Rodriguez 2.0, or who was once called (Spanish Chocolate, aka Jason Williams 2.0 :(
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Summer League!
Poot's World... It's time for some observations of a very interesting summer league, packed with ballers, airballs, and uruguayans carrying the ball...
Poot's Allstars/No Shows
Donte Greene.... Holy shit this guy can fill it up. When i heard the warriors had the potential to draft him, i wasn't too excited since apparently he didn't fit the bill at Syracuse, but DAMN. Right now i am watching him against Washington and he is over shooting everything, but i feel like when he finds his range, he could be a superstar. Honestly, this guy could be electrifying. We'll see, but good pick-up for Houston, things are looking up for them.
Jerryd Bayless.... Another holy shit... gets to the cup at will and creates contact everytime. 36 points last night and 17 in the 4th quarter. Poot, honestly, this could be one of the those Sam Bowie things Larry Bird pulled with this one. You liked him too which sucked, but man, Kareem Rush's brother for this fireball? Only time will tell. Blazers added Nicholas Batum too!? Jeez, Pritchard can sit on his squad and be GM of the year 2012-16
Anthony Randolph.... Whoaaaa. Sometimes when you are in a rut, pleasant surprises seem unable to come by, but holy shit... Little-know freshman on a shitty LSU team has these kinds of scoring abilities, SMOOTH handles, and 6 10 to boot? Sign me up. Maybe not this year or the next, but man if he gets this game in the future, him and Monta could be a devlish duo. Things are looking up!
Marco Bellinelli.... When confident, appears to be lights out... on the flip side, when he doesn't have it, ala against Sacramento, he dissappears. Let's hope he learns paced confidence of a role player and not the shoot first mentality of the go-to-guy. His bombs are impressive
Quincy Douby.... Favorite NCAA player in 2005. When he played for Rutgers in the big east, he absolutely killed it despite having the frame of a Sea Horse. He reminds me of a poor-man's Rip Hamilton. He has the potential to be really good in Sac Town.
Brandon Wright... Unfortunately doesn't seem to have it yet. Here's to hoping he does, and i will apologize for Poot and myself whether he likes it or not, that AR and BW are two very different players despite their body doubles.
Nick Young... Would seemingly more or less dominate some of these match-ups in summer league after tutoring under Gil and talking via plastic cups and telephone wire to Gabe Pruitt across benches. From what i have seen he is trying too hard and is expecting too much to be given/come to him. He is a great scorer, but i would imagine Douby or Bayless to have more trouble than Nick appears to be having...
Michael! *Donna voice* I know a 9-5 may be impairing you from contributing to this fine institution, but without your help, this burrito is just beans, and no cheese... starcraft 2 thoughts? Glen Rice is not joining the NBA anytime soon mike, so your post need not wait either.... Poot wonderful writing, without my nonsense, this could actually be a legitimate blog...
Poot's Allstars/No Shows
Donte Greene.... Holy shit this guy can fill it up. When i heard the warriors had the potential to draft him, i wasn't too excited since apparently he didn't fit the bill at Syracuse, but DAMN. Right now i am watching him against Washington and he is over shooting everything, but i feel like when he finds his range, he could be a superstar. Honestly, this guy could be electrifying. We'll see, but good pick-up for Houston, things are looking up for them.
Jerryd Bayless.... Another holy shit... gets to the cup at will and creates contact everytime. 36 points last night and 17 in the 4th quarter. Poot, honestly, this could be one of the those Sam Bowie things Larry Bird pulled with this one. You liked him too which sucked, but man, Kareem Rush's brother for this fireball? Only time will tell. Blazers added Nicholas Batum too!? Jeez, Pritchard can sit on his squad and be GM of the year 2012-16
Anthony Randolph.... Whoaaaa. Sometimes when you are in a rut, pleasant surprises seem unable to come by, but holy shit... Little-know freshman on a shitty LSU team has these kinds of scoring abilities, SMOOTH handles, and 6 10 to boot? Sign me up. Maybe not this year or the next, but man if he gets this game in the future, him and Monta could be a devlish duo. Things are looking up!
Marco Bellinelli.... When confident, appears to be lights out... on the flip side, when he doesn't have it, ala against Sacramento, he dissappears. Let's hope he learns paced confidence of a role player and not the shoot first mentality of the go-to-guy. His bombs are impressive
Quincy Douby.... Favorite NCAA player in 2005. When he played for Rutgers in the big east, he absolutely killed it despite having the frame of a Sea Horse. He reminds me of a poor-man's Rip Hamilton. He has the potential to be really good in Sac Town.
Brandon Wright... Unfortunately doesn't seem to have it yet. Here's to hoping he does, and i will apologize for Poot and myself whether he likes it or not, that AR and BW are two very different players despite their body doubles.
Nick Young... Would seemingly more or less dominate some of these match-ups in summer league after tutoring under Gil and talking via plastic cups and telephone wire to Gabe Pruitt across benches. From what i have seen he is trying too hard and is expecting too much to be given/come to him. He is a great scorer, but i would imagine Douby or Bayless to have more trouble than Nick appears to be having...
Michael! *Donna voice* I know a 9-5 may be impairing you from contributing to this fine institution, but without your help, this burrito is just beans, and no cheese... starcraft 2 thoughts? Glen Rice is not joining the NBA anytime soon mike, so your post need not wait either.... Poot wonderful writing, without my nonsense, this could actually be a legitimate blog...
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Brandon Jennings To Europe!
The top incoming freshman to the college ranks has decided to earn some cash instead of playing in the NBA. He is off to Europe. I am not really surprised by this decision but it has huge implications on the future of basketball. Mark my words, today marks the beginning of the end of college basketball. I've seen this coming for a long time. More top prospects will choose to spend 1 or 2 years in Europe playing for about half a million dollars (300,000 euros) per year including endorsements before leap-frogging back to America to play in the NBA. I don't really blame them either. Who wouldn't want to go overseas to make money while playing the game they love rather than be stuck in an O.J. Mayo situation like we saw this past season? As the talent gets more and more diluted, NCAA basketball talent will suffer dramatically. The NBA draft will feature 75% international players that most people won't know. There is a reason I have been watching Spanish and Italian games online and am training for a job to analyze the NBA, NCAA and European Basketball leagues. The future of the game looks to be completely globalized. Anyone ready for it? Oh and I am sure most of you have seen this, but look at what Chase and the rest of America will be missing out as Brandon leaves for Europe. He reminds me of a "pass first" Allen Iverson...
Saturday, July 5, 2008
The Age Paradox
The next few years will be interesting for NBA draftees and the importance age has on teams willingness to bring in youngsters. In this year's draft we saw Danilo Ganallari and Ryan Anderson drafted 6th and 21st respectively. They are essentially the exact same type of player with the exact same skill set. Both are able to shoot well from distance, distribute from the high post, provide mediocre defense, and display an array of moves from the low post. I would even argue that Ryan Anderson is somewhat better than his Italian counterpart. Because he is 3 years older however, his draft position was compromised. In this day and age, the additional years on one's body is seen as a problem by NBA teams. Potential wins over experience any day of the week.
Back in the mid 90's, we started to see the influx of high schoolers and early entries from college into the NBA Draft. They were often seen in higher regards than their older counterparts even though they were often less skilled. Players like Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett and Tracy McGrady are starting to hit that 10 year mark of an NBA career. This is where injuries frequent, talent dwindles and legs start to become wary of the 82 game grind. Retirement talk often arises with players who were past this point. With these former early draft entries, they are only 29 years old. That was often seen as the prime of NBA players. Just look at Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, Kareem, Wilt, Magic etc. Their greatest statistical years were often in the late 20's and early 30's.
Back in the mid 90's, we started to see the influx of high schoolers and early entries from college into the NBA Draft. They were often seen in higher regards than their older counterparts even though they were often less skilled. Players like Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett and Tracy McGrady are starting to hit that 10 year mark of an NBA career. This is where injuries frequent, talent dwindles and legs start to become wary of the 82 game grind. Retirement talk often arises with players who were past this point. With these former early draft entries, they are only 29 years old. That was often seen as the prime of NBA players. Just look at Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, Kareem, Wilt, Magic etc. Their greatest statistical years were often in the late 20's and early 30's.
So what will be the fate of these 12 year veterans who have barely cracked the 30 mark in their lives? Does it pay off to draft an 18 year old who will start to decline in health and talent in his late 20's or will their be a shift to drafting the college senior again, who hasn't had the 300+ NBA games beaten into his body? I think that Kobe is a freak and will probably go on playing right into his 50's. My interest lies in the McGrady's, Jermaine Oneal's and Garnett's of the world. My gut is telling me that we could see these players calling it a career at a much younger age than previous stars of past eras. And when it happens, we will see the drafting styles of NBA GM's shift from potential back to experience.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Dream Theatre
-In La Paz Bolivia, a few nights ago, I had a dream me and Baron Davis were walking down the streets of San Francisco and talking about his career... Among the subjects were his tenure at UCLA, the Hornets, and surprisingly enough, his boastful claims that when he was in the ¨rucker league¨back in the 70´s he could compete with Monta of today... i also asked him why Chris Mullin would want to break up such an entertaining squad and he threw his hands up in the air without an answer. When we finally had to part, we shook hands, and in a Sleepless in Seattle moment, I turned around and said Baron... I´ve never going to forget this for the rest of my life... he threw his hands up again without words and parted off into the sunset...
The next day he confirmed his desire to be a Clipper. Thanks for the last few years Mr. Davis, We´ll never forget them...
I hope the draft was eventful... I haven´t read any posts including this one so when i get back, i can watch it as if it were live.
The next day he confirmed his desire to be a Clipper. Thanks for the last few years Mr. Davis, We´ll never forget them...
I hope the draft was eventful... I haven´t read any posts including this one so when i get back, i can watch it as if it were live.
Brain Stir
Here are some things that have been stirring around my brain the past couple of days...
-I am seriously disappointed with the Warriors and how they have handled their draft and the Baron Davis situation. As far as drafting a Brandon Wright clone in Anthony Randolph, are you kidding me? You want those two clowns anchoring the PF and C position for the next 10 years? I am 99% certain that Shaq outweighs both of them put together at the moment. And its not like they are going to stretch the floor with any sort of shooting range beyond 10 feet. I suppose Baron's situation was inevitable, but its hard to argue against paying this man. I can count on one hand the number of players in this league who are a threat to drop a triple-double every single time they step out on to the floor.
-All of this talk about the Olympics and watching soccer's Eurocup and Champions League has got me pondering. We should have some sort of international club tournament. Hear me out on this one... European Soccer has a tournament where they invite 2 or 3 of the best teams from the best leagues around the world and they duke it out in a tournament for worldwide club supremacy. There is also the World Cup to see which country can sport the best team. Basketball does a solid job with the country battle as far as the Summer Olympics and World Championships but wouldn't you want to see a tournament of the top clubs throughout the world? I say take the top 5 teams from the NBA, Spain, Italy, Greece, Russia, Turkey etc. and have them play a tournament to decide which club team is best. We already know that Barcelona and CSKA Moscow sport teams full of NBA talent. Wouldn't it be fun to watch them all play each other? One adjustment that would have to be made would be a shortening of the NBA season. How about lower the amount of regular season games to 50? That would make the regular season a little more exciting and provide the needed rest for teams that would be participating in this tournament. And to spice up the NBA Draft Lottery, we could always have the bottom 8 teams battle for the #1 pick in a quick NCAA-like bracket single elimination tournament. This might prevent teams from tanking at the end of the year as they must prepare for this tournament to improve the future of their team. As far as the other 16 teams that are tournament free? Throw them into a tournament....I haven't thought of a good enough prize for the winners though....More home court games in the next season? Someone think of something and let me know.
-I have been working out exact details on how this tournament would be set up and run in my head and I will fire out the end results in blog form as soon as I am able to coherently transfer it from brain to paper.
CSKA Moscow
-I am seriously disappointed with the Warriors and how they have handled their draft and the Baron Davis situation. As far as drafting a Brandon Wright clone in Anthony Randolph, are you kidding me? You want those two clowns anchoring the PF and C position for the next 10 years? I am 99% certain that Shaq outweighs both of them put together at the moment. And its not like they are going to stretch the floor with any sort of shooting range beyond 10 feet. I suppose Baron's situation was inevitable, but its hard to argue against paying this man. I can count on one hand the number of players in this league who are a threat to drop a triple-double every single time they step out on to the floor.
-All of this talk about the Olympics and watching soccer's Eurocup and Champions League has got me pondering. We should have some sort of international club tournament. Hear me out on this one... European Soccer has a tournament where they invite 2 or 3 of the best teams from the best leagues around the world and they duke it out in a tournament for worldwide club supremacy. There is also the World Cup to see which country can sport the best team. Basketball does a solid job with the country battle as far as the Summer Olympics and World Championships but wouldn't you want to see a tournament of the top clubs throughout the world? I say take the top 5 teams from the NBA, Spain, Italy, Greece, Russia, Turkey etc. and have them play a tournament to decide which club team is best. We already know that Barcelona and CSKA Moscow sport teams full of NBA talent. Wouldn't it be fun to watch them all play each other? One adjustment that would have to be made would be a shortening of the NBA season. How about lower the amount of regular season games to 50? That would make the regular season a little more exciting and provide the needed rest for teams that would be participating in this tournament. And to spice up the NBA Draft Lottery, we could always have the bottom 8 teams battle for the #1 pick in a quick NCAA-like bracket single elimination tournament. This might prevent teams from tanking at the end of the year as they must prepare for this tournament to improve the future of their team. As far as the other 16 teams that are tournament free? Throw them into a tournament....I haven't thought of a good enough prize for the winners though....More home court games in the next season? Someone think of something and let me know.
-I have been working out exact details on how this tournament would be set up and run in my head and I will fire out the end results in blog form as soon as I am able to coherently transfer it from brain to paper.
CSKA Moscow
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)