The Thunder are in a very good situation.  They can take either Rubio or Thabeat with the third pick.  Whichever is available.  They can also trade out of it.  I think Rubio is the best pick for the team.  I'm not sure how excited he is to come to OKC.  The team chemistry is one of the strong points of the Thunder.  Some argue that they don't need another PG.  Yes they do.  With the NBA game 48 minutes long, that is 96 minutes for the two guards that play there.  Westbrook and the 2 guard and Rubio could easily get 30 minutes each.  He is young and exciting and already has name recognition.  He would add more to the OKC fan base.  Could you imagine OKC Thunder shirts being sold in Europe?

 Thabeat is raw and may not ever develope offensively.  That is the risk you take with drafting him.  However, the defensive presence may allow  a team to do things they couldn't do otherwise.  He would give the Thunder a shot blocker. But, he isn't going to be a superstar.

Continue reading "Thunder and the 3rd pick."

Every Oklahoman wants to see Blake Griffin in an Oklahoma Thunder uniform.  The only way this is to happen is to trade with the Clippers.  The best chance the Thunder has is to trade both of this year's first round picks and possibly a future pick.  Or, the Clippers might take both first rounders and dump one of the big salaries onto OKC.  Like Camby or Randolph.

Continue reading "Thunder to get Blake Griffin?"

This year the Thunder made some good trades and lots of improvement the second half of the season.  The continued growth of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and Jeff Green will be carried onto next year.  One player overlookd was DJ White.   He showed some promise at season's end.  The Thunder are in great position with the 3rd overall pick and another late first rounder.  But, what about free agency?

Desmond Mason, Malik Rose, and Robert Swift are all free agents.  I don't invision any of them remaining with the team.  Chucky Atkins, Shaun Livingston, and Earl Watson are all free agents the next year.  So, don't be surprised to see any of them dealt this summer.  They need an inside presence and a shooter.  Here who is available that might come to OKC.

Continue reading "Thunder Free Agency"

The Hawks continue to improve and will continue to improve providing the resign Mike Bibby.  The most important move they can make this summer is to retain the 31 year old point guard.  Last year he made 14million and they will have to be close to that to keep him.  If someone manages to lure him away, there is no viable option on the team. They have the 19th pick in the draft.  However, that won't yield them a player that is ready to step in.  There are three other options:

Jason Kidd would be a one or two year stop.  He would make the team better, but not enough to sacrifice the chemistry that is there with Bibby.

Andre Miller would be perhaps the best fit should Bibby leave.  If Bibby goes to Philly, expect Miller to arrive in Atlanta.

Continue reading "Atlanta Hawks summer"

The Clippers had a horrible year.  They were suppose to be more than just a playoff contender.  Fred Jones is a free agent and Ricky Davis has a players option.  I doubt he will leave.  The Clippers have the first overall pick and will take Blake Griffin.  A trade could happen and if it does it's likely to involve either Camby, Randolph, or Kaman who all have close to or over 10million on their contracts.

pg--Baron Davis--as good as they get when he is healthy.

SG--Erick Gordon--showed us he can score and will only get better.

SF--Al Thornton--made improvements and was a pleasant surprise

PF--Zach Randolph--great one night and gone the next.

C--Chris Kaman--was injured most of year. A solid player.

Marcus Camby can play inside and they get a lot more atheltic.

Continue reading "Clippers offseason"

The best fit Minnesota could get now is Favre and a healthy arm. Even if his arm isn't 100%, if it is at least 70%, then they will improve. He provides tangibles and experience and can win.  With Favre as quarteback, they are at least a threat to pass, regardless of who the receivers are.  That is something they didn't have last year.  Adrian Peterson will still get his yards and Taylor will too.   And if Favre's arm is ok,  look out!

Continue reading "Favre and Minnesota"

The LA Lakers are the top team in basketball.  Can they stay that way?  Oh yes!  Both Trevor Ariza and Lamar Odom are free agents this year and both contributed heavily to the team's title run.  Both likely will not be kept.  Odom made over 14million this past year and Ariza made 3mil.  They will have to pay Ariza more to keep him and Odom will be paid about the same.  It makes more sense in the long term to keep Ariza.  He will be a less expensive and is younger.  The energy he brings to the game is refreshing.  Odom can be the go to guy while Kobe is resting and that is what is appealing there.  Whichever one leaves means that either Adam Morrison or Luke Walton will have to step up their games to bring LA back to the title match.

Continue reading "Lakers--Which one to keep? Ariza or Odom"

Now that the season is over, who is the NBA's MVP?  There are two clear front runners:  Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.  The numbers put by Lebron this year were staggering.  Over 35 points and over 7 assist a game.  Cleveland had 66 wins while the Lakers had 65. If the MVP goes to who did the most for their team, then it's hands down James.  But how can you be the league's best player if your not in the league's top game?  As good as LeBron was, he wasn't in the finals.  Bryant's number are lower than James.  But, they are still pretty amazing.  Plus, he made it to the finals.  Yet, Bryant has a much better surrounding cast.  James deserves the MVP for the regular season.  However, for the entire season, it's Kobe.

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As a math major, I'm always fascinated by numbers.  I took this years NBA stats and have started tinkering around with them.  One major stat stands out so far---offensive rebounds.  If you compare offensive rebounds to the wins a team has, you will find that it produces a slightly negative correlation.  Meaning, the MORE offensive rebounds a team has, the FEWER wins it will produce.  The reason is this: teams with lower field goal percrentages lose more games and have more opportunities for offensive rebounds.  When determining the value of a player through statisics, offensive rebounds can be very misleading. 

Defensive rebounds tell us a completely different story.I have many more stats to interperet.  So far, the strongest positive correlation is defensive rebounds.  The more defensive rebounds a team has, the more likely it is to win  games.  Therefor, to determine a players statistical value, it is much more important to look at defensive rebounds than offensive, or total for that matter. There will be more to come and hopefully a way to determine how many wins a player generates.

Continue reading "winning in the NBA Part one"

Who will New York take with the 8th pick?   I've seen many mock drafts and there is one consistency--point guard.   Brandon Jennings, John Flynn, Jrue Holliday are all point guards that keep popping up.  I've looked at the last 20 drafts and have broken down the 8th pick as follows:

Super stars--0

Quality starter--3

Starter --7

Bench --6

Bust-4

So, there is a 50% history that the Knicks will find a starter and a 20% chance that the pick will be a total bust.  Unfortunately there are no super stars with the 8th pick.  Right now, the Knicks need all the help they can get.

Continue reading "New York Knicks and the 8th pick"

With the first pick of the NBA draft, the Clippers are in great shape. I looked at the last 19 years and broken it down as follows: Super stars--11 Quality starter--2 Starters--3 Bench --3 So, historically, the Clippers will get a starter out of the pick with a better than 50% chance that he will become a superstar. That's pretty good odds. So, don't trade the pick LA.

Continue reading "Clippers and stats of the first pick."

Cleveland fell short of making the NBA finals and they have LeBron James for at least one more year until to make another run at it.   At least one piece will be added Tuesday with the NBA draft.  The Cavs have the 30th and 46th overall picks in the draft.  Predicting on who they will take is very difficult and looking at draft boards produces all kinds of possibilities.  We can look at what those past picks have been like:

Of the past 14 drafts, 5 have produced serviceable players at the 30th pick. One consistent starter and 4 bench players.  The starter being David Lee.  That make the odds about a 3rd that they will get someone who will help the franchise.  Now, let's look at the 46th pick.  That spot has produced 2 players with one receiving very little time.  The other, is Matt Barnes who has started some games.  The odds aren't good.  It looks like free agency is what is going to get this team over the top.

Continue reading "Clevland Cavaliers draft picks"

The Dallas Mavericks only have one pick this year in the NBA draft and they really need help to keep from falling any further.  If you look at draft boards, the list of players that could go to Dallas at the 22nd pick are too numerous to mention.   But, we can look at how the past 14 drafts have done at that position.

Of the past 14 drafts, only 2 have produced mentionable players.  Kenny Thomas has been a solid bench player and starter when needed.  The other is Courtney Lee who started in the NBA finals in his first year.  That isn't very good odds.  But, it could happen.  At this point, I think Dallas would take either of those players.  I'm not sure what direction the team is going to go.  But, Mr. Cuban dosn't look like a guy who starts from zero and rebuilds.  Although he does like to wheel and deal.

Continue reading "Dallas Mavericks draft pick"

The San Antonio Spurs don't own a first round pick.  But they do have 3 second round picks at 37, 51, and 53.  Let's take a look at how each have done in the past 14 years to determine what the chances are that the Spurs will get someone who can help them.

 37th pick--As of right now, there have been three players that have been productive for their teams with the best being Eddie House.  None of the three have been regular startes.  So that puts the chances 3 out of 14 that they will find value here.

51st pick--Sharp shooter Kyle Korver is the only one to make a name for himself.

53rd pick--Greg Buckner has played solid defense everywhere he has been. And, that is it here.

Based on past results, the Spurs have a 5/14 chance to find someone productive in this year's draft.

Continue reading "San Antonio Spurs draft pick"

The Memphis Grizzlies are looking forward to this year's draft.  They have no were to go but up.  The question is, how far can they rise.  They have the 2nd, 27th, and 36th overall picks in the draft.  More than half of the mock draft boards out there have Hasheem Thabeet going to them.  He would provide an inside defensive presence for sure.  A few boards have Ricky Rubio going that way.  And the next pick listed is James Harden. They will be happy with who they take this year.  But, let's look at how these positions have fared over the past 14 years.

 At the 2nd pick, there have been 3 players who became 20 point scoreres, 7 other starters, 3 bench players, and one flop.  Odds are over 90% that they will get a player to contribute and 70% that they will find a starter.  But, only 3 out of 14 have become high powered scorers.  It looks like OJ Mayo will have to score even more and whoever is selected 2nd will help in other areas.

Continue reading "Memphis Grizzlies draft"

The Thunder made some improvement as the year went on and this week's draft will there will be more improvement.  Although there is a lot of speculation on who they will take at #3, let's take a look at how successful the third and 25th picks have been.

The third pick has actually been more successful than the second pick.  In the past 14 drafts, the second pick has produced 5 all stars, 10 starters, 3 bench players and a total bust, while the 3rd pick has produced 7 all starts, 11 starters, 3 bench players and no busts.  So that's a 50% chance that OKC will get an all-star. 

Of the past 14 drafts, 2 players have become starts and 4 others bench players.  Close to 50-50 of finding a player that will improve this team. 

Continue reading "OKC Thunder draft chances"

The Sacramento Kings have a lot to gain in this week's NBA draft.  They have almost 3 first rounders (they have the first pick in the 2nd round). They have 3 unrestricted free agents, Bobby Jackson, Calvin Booth, and Cedric Simmons.  Only Bobby Jackson really played this year and he only started 10 games.  So, they aren't loosing anything.  The starting five consist of pg Beno Udrih, sg Kevin Martin, sf Anres Nocioni, pf Jason Thompson, and C Spencer Hawes. 

This team is in store for a lot of improvement.  Nocioni was only there for part of a season as was Martin (due to injury).  Thompson is a young player still developing.  Udrih and Hawes may get better, but they are really bench players forced into action.  Sacramento has the 4th, 23rd, and 31st picks of this years draft.  The best situation the Kings can hope for is for Ricky Rubio to fall to the 4th pick.  This may happen. Whether it does or not will be seen. Instead of guessing who they may get, let's look at how successful these positions have been:

Continue reading "Sacramento Kings draft chances"

The Wizards were the second worst team in the NBA this year and will get the 5th and 32nd picks of the draft.  Anawn Jamison and Caron Butler had to carry the load and did what they could.  Without All-star Gilbert Arenas, they struggled.  A healthy Arenas alone could mean a push for the playoffs again.  A couple of bright spots were the emergence of Dominic McGuire and the continuing development of Nick Young. Big man Jordan Hill seems to be the unanimous choice for most draft boards. The 5th pick has produced 5 all-stars and 10 starters in the past 14 drafts.  The 32nd pick offers little hope.  In the same span, there were only 2 bench players.  However, there was one all-star in Rashard Lewis.  Good luck Wizard fans.

Continue reading "Washington Wizards and the draft"

The Raptors had a horrible season finishing third from the bottom in the East.  Anthony Parker, Shawn Marion, and Jake Voskhul are all free agents.  That is 2 starters and a top bench player.  That leaves a shaky starting lineup:

PG--JOSE CALERSON  SG--JASON KOPONO  SF--JEOY GRAHAM  PF---CHRIS BOSH  C--ANDREA BARNANI

And a very weak bench.  Things may get worse before they get better.  I don't know of any trades, but perhaps a splash in free agency. It's not a big market this year.  And next year, Bosh is a free agent.  So the draft is the best bet for now.  The Raptors have the 9th pick in the draft.  There is bad news and great news with the 9th pick.  Of the past 14 drafts 7 have produced startes, 5 bench players and 3 flops.  The bad news is out of the top 10 picks, the 9 spot produces the least amount of startes and the most number of busts.  The great news is that the 7 starters are all-starts.  Picking first or third also produced 7 all-starts in that same span.  The 9th pick has yielded just as many all-starts as the 2nd, 6th, 7th, and 8th combined! So, the 9th spot is truly a hit or miss.  There isn't much in between.

Continue reading "Toronto Raptors and the draft."

The Milwaukee Bucks had a dissappointing year.  After trading for Richard Jefferson and having Michael Redd, it looked as if a serious move was going to happen.  Andrew Bogut and Redd played for less than half the season.  And that made all the difference.  This is a crucial time for the Bucks.  Keith Bogans and Damon Jones are both free agents. Charlie Vllanueva had a break out year and is a restricted free agent.  And, to top things off, Jefferson and Redd both could opt out of their contracts next summer.  If things don't go well this year, that could happen. Also, Ramon Sessions was a nice surprise. He is also a restricted free agent.

They have a nice starting lineup: PG-RAMON SESSIONS SG-REDD SF-JEFFERSON PF-VILLANUEVA C-BOGUT.

And the bench will have Luke Ridnour backing up the point and Charlie Bell with starting experience at the other guard.  Joe Alexander did nicely as a rookie last year. Help inside off the bench would be nice.  There are many good point guards in this year's draft and many mock drafts have the Bucks taking one.  This would make sense if they plan not to match offers on Sessions.  Or if they plan on more trades.  The Bucks have the 10th and 41st picks of the draft.  The 10th pick in the past 14 years has produced 2 all-stars and 7 starters and 6 bench players.  So, it figures that they will get a quality player.  The 41st pick has produced one starter and 2 bench players during the same span. The Bucks could be a viable threat this year if they stay signed and healthy.

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The New Jersey Nets have the 11th pick in this year's draft.  Devin Harris had a break out year and is an all-star as is Vince Carter.  That gives them some firepower on the perimeter. But that's pretty much it.  They really need a shooting guard and better inside players. Ryan Anderson and Yi Jianlian and Douglas-Roberts are all young developing players that it's not real clear on how good they will get. Brook Lopez is another young player that looks to be solid but not spectacular.  So, the Nets could go numerous directions with the 11th pick.   It doesn't look promising.  In the past 14 years only 2 starters have come from the 11th pick and neither was an all-star.  And, 6 of the players did not contribute much to their teams.  If I were a Ne

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Charlotte was 2 places out from the playoffs.  This team is heading in the right direction.  The starting lineup of Raymond Felton, Raja Bell, Gerald Wallace, Boris Diaw and Omeka Okafor is a fun one to watch.  With DJ Augustine coming off the bench along with Vladimir Ramonovic, they can create some difficult matchups.  Juwon Howard is a free agent. Sean May and Felton are restricted free agents.  With Augistine, the Bobcats don't have to match offers that Felton may get.  I think they should within reason, but they don't have to.  The Bobcats need more scoring and more shooters.  The Bobcats have the 12th 40th and 54th picks to try and do just that.  Most draft boards have Gerald Henderson going to Charlotte. He is athletic and plays hard, but

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The Pacers missed the playoffs and made some changes.  Looking towards next year, one thing can be said is that Indiana is interesting.  The Lineup consist of Jarret Jack and TJ Ford in the backcourt, both point guards.  Danny Granger, Troy Murphy and Roy Hibbert in the front court.  Jeff Foster started a lot at center as well. And, Marquis Daniels got his share of starts.  This team isn't going to lose much through free agency and will gain a player.  Michael Dunleavy only played 14 games and was the team's second leading scorer.  It's really hard to say who they might take at 13, but we can take a look at how successful that pick has been as well as the 52nd pick.  It doesn't look good.  Of the past 14 drafts, the 13th pick has produced one st

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The Phoenix Suns missed the playoffs by 2 games.  They had hopes of making a championship run instead. They tinkered with the team and had a new coach.  What is the direction now?  Grant Hill and Matt Barnes are both free agents.  And the big three will be next year--Nash, O'Neal, and Stoudamire.  So, it's very tempting to trade and start all over. Or, make another stab at it.  Joining those three in the lineup is Barbosa and Richardson.  So, there is no lack of scoring, but there is a huge lack of a bench.  Whether they are focused on this year or the future, let's take a look at what type of player they might get in the draft.  They have the 14, 48, and 57th picks.

The 14th pick has a very good history.  12 of the past 14 drafts have given productive players, with 3 starters and one all star.  The 48th pick and produced one starter, while the 57th pick has given us a bench player and an all-star.  The history of those three picks tells us they should get one player.  Free agency is going to be big for the Suns this year.

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Are the glory days for the Pistons over?  They did not make the Eastern Conference finals and they have some free agents to take care of.  Allen Iverson, Rasheed Wallace, and Antonio McDyess could all walk.  And, they just might.  That would leave a starting line up of: Rodney Stuckey, Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Jason Maxiell, and Kwame Brown.  The Pistons have the 13th, 35th, and 44th pick in the draft.  In the past 14 years, the 13th pick has produced one starter and 5 bench players.  So, they have less than an a 50% chance of getting someone to help the team with that pick.  What is interesting, that during the same span the 35th pick has returned one starter and 4 bench players.  And the 44th has produced 3 bench players. That's exac

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The Chicago Bulls had a really good year and did well in the playoffs without Deng.  With Deng back at full strength and Derrick Rose a year older, another step towards the title can be made.  Those two things should happen.  What has Bulls fans holding there breath right now is free agent Ben Gordon.  With out him, the team takes a step backward.  The Bulls have the 16th and 26th picks in the draft.  If Gordon goes, they could use these picks to replace him through the draft or a trade.  Of the past 14 drafts, 6 bench players and 3 starters have been produced.  2 of the starters have become all stars.  8 players have been found with the 26th pick.  4 became starters and one was an all-star.  So, both picks have some weight to them.&nb

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There are a lot of decisions for the 76ers to make this offseaon. both point guards, Andre Miller and Royal Ivey, are free agents. The point guard spot needs to be settled. The shooting guard spot may go to Lou Williams with Willie Green backing him up.  Small forward is set with the teams best player, Andre Iguodala.  Back up Kareem Rush is a free agent, but didn't contribute too much last year. Thadeus Young played well in Elton Brand's absence.  Now that Brand is healthy, there is a lot of flexibility at the power forward spot.  Sean Dalembert started all but one game, but just doesn't score.  Marreese Speights is still developing.  9 out of the past 14 draft have produced 4 starters and 5 bench players. One of those starters was an all-star.  So, they are likely to find someone that can help.  Ty Lawson may be there.

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The Atlanta Hawks had another good year. They keep taking steps closer to the Eastern finals.  To do so this year, they will have to deal with a lot of free agents.  Mike Bibby is the only starter that is a free agent and a very big key to this team.  Ronald Murray and Zach Pachulia were two key players off the bench that are also free agents.  Marvin Williams is a restricted free agent and will probably get a pretty good offer that Atlanta can match.  To keep things moving in the right direction, the Hawks have got to resign Bibby and not let Williams go either.  I don't think they will be able to keep all 4 players.  That's where we look at the draft.  Atlanta has the 19th and 49th picks.  The 19th pick could suit Atlanta well in the fact that

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The Utah Jazz have a busy summer in front of them.  Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver, and Mehmet Okur can all opt out of their contracts.  So, they have to convince all 3 to stay.  Paul Millsap is a restricted free agent, so they can match offers to keep him.  Ronnie Price and Brevin Knight are backup guards who are unrestricted free agents.  Keeping the starters is very important to the future of the Jazz. But, today is the draft, which is also a key to the future.  Or, is it?  The Jazz have the 20th and 50th picks in this year's draft. In the past 14 years the 20th pick has produced 2 starters and 6 bench players.  That's almost a 50% chance that the Jazz won't find anyone with this pick.  The 50th pick has produced 3 bench players.  So, t

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Already my favorite new uniform for the Ducks is the black pants and yellow tops.  I always enjoy watching Oregon for their fun style of play and the uniforms.  The other jersey's are ok. But, I hope they wear the yellow top with the balck pants and the yellow shoes often.

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First the Tiberwolves get rid of Kevin McHale. Then, they go crazy.  Minnesota traded away Randy Foye and Mike Miller to the Washington Wizards for Oleksiy Pecherov, Etan Thomas and Daruis Songalia, and the 5th overall pick.  Minnesota now has the 5th, 6th, 18th, and 28th overall picks in this week's draft.  They are looking to ship the 5th pick with the 18th to move up to number 2.  Doing that would allow them to draft either Ricky Rubio or Hakeem Thabeet.  As of right now, the roster has huge holes in it and some overload as well.

pg--Sebastion Telfair, Kevin Ollie, Bobby Brown--Telfair has had his moments, but not enough of them. Ollie is a free agent.

sg--none--Foye and Miller accounted for 26 points a game.

sf--Ryan Gomes, Rodney Carney, Corey Brewer---Brewer only play 15 games last year. Carney is a free agent.

Continue reading "Minnesota Timberwolves now own the draft"

Washington traded away it's 6th pick in the draft along with Darius Songalia, Etan Thomas, and Oleksey Pecherov to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Randy Foye and Mike Miller.  Two years ago the Wizards were an up and coming team.  That changed last year when Gilbert Arenas was injured and out all year.  Brendon Haywood was also out most of the year  With Arenas back, there will be ample fire power.  The roster all of the sudden looks really good.

pg--Gilbert Arenas, Javaris Crittendon, Mike James

sg--Randy Foye, Mike Miller, DeShaun Stevenson

sf--Caron Butler, Nick Young, Dominic McGuire

pf--Antawn Jamison, Andray Blatch

c--Brendon Haywood, JaVale McGee

Arenas has had 50 point games while Butler and Jamison averaged over 20 points a game last year.  Add to that Foye's 16 he averaged last year and the 3 point bombs that Miller is known for and you have a lot of fire power.  Yound and Blatch averaged 10 points each off the bench last year as did Mike James.  So, the seocnd unit is going to be able to score.  This is going to be a fast tempo fun group.  Will Haywood and McGee be enough inside?  That remains to be seen. The question of "was this a good trade" is yes.  The 5th pick has produced 10 starters in the past 14 years with 5 of them being all-stars.  So, there was almost a 1/3 chance to land an all-star or land a bust.  The team got a young, guaranteed starter who can score along with an experienced sharp shooter.  That is a good move. Boston, Cleveland, Orlando, then Washington?

Continue reading "Washington Wizards make a bold move--is it the right one?"

The Spurs clock is running out, but they pushed back time yesterday when they acquired Richard Jefferson for virtually nothing.  They traded Bruce Bowen and Kurt Thomas to Milwaukee and Frabricio Oberto to the Pistons in return for Jefferson.  Parting with Bowen will be hard for the fans, but he fell out of the starting spot and Jefferson is such a good player.  The lineup now has Tony Parker, Manu Ginobilli, Richard Jefferson, Matt Bonner, and Tim Duncan.  The team may start Roger Mason and use Ginobilli off the bench like they have done.  They need some help inside now, but free agency will provide that. George Hill was perfrect for this team last year as a rookie and will only get better.  Good job San Antonio!

Continue reading "San Antonio nba chapms in 2010? Welcom to the Alamo Mr. Jefferson"

The Hawks appear to be sending both backup point guards to Golden State for Jamal Crawford.  This brings makes signing Mike Bibby more imperative.  To do so, they may not match offers that Marvin Williams receives.  Acie Law and Speedy Claxton both are being shipped.  Neither really played much last year.  Joe Johnson lead the team in assist even though he isn't a point guard.  I doubt they will use him as one.  Andre Miller and Jason Kidd are both available on the market.  My bet is on Bibby returning. Crawford could play the point, but he would be better off as the 2 guard.  He did average 4.4 assist along wth 19.7 points.  

For Golden State, this move is to cut salary.  They aren't getting anything in return.  Maybe a potential back up in Law but, not likely. Monte Eillis can play the point with CJ Watson backing him up.  Crawford played 55 games last year, so they are use to playing without him.  They free up cap room is all they did.

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The Cleveland Cavaliers sent Sasha Pavlovic and Ben Wallace to Phoenix for Shaquille O'Neal.  The trade vastly improves the Cavs interior without losing anything.  The two combined for 41 minutes and 7 points a game.  And, neither played over 70 games.  Shaq averaged over 17 points and 8 rebounds.  With Ilgauskas averaging 27 minutes a game, it won't be that much different with Shaq there.  Both are older centers that have had a hard time staying healthy.  With the two together, it will help both of them out.  Signing Anderson Varejo is the next step. 

For the Suns, it has been a series of bad moves.  First, not keeping their coach, trading the Matrix, and now trading Shaq for two players just to dump salary.  That's what this trade amounts to.  Grant Hill is a free agent and likely will go else where.  They still have Steve Nash, Leonardo Barbosa, Jason Richardson, and Amarie Stoudamire.  Matt Barnes is a free agent and averaged 10 points and  5 rebounds.  He should be resigned.  Robin Lopez is in his second year.  Last year he averaged 10 minutes a game.  So, if Ben Wallace doesn't retire, expect his minutes and Pavlovic's to both go up. This team will still compete.  Right now, they just don't have the depth.

Continue reading "Shaq and LeBroan Cavs championship?"

Portland traded their 24th and 56th picks this year and their lowest pick next year to the Mavs to move up two spots at 22.  Usually picks in the 50s don't amount to much and trading two of them to move up in the draft is a safe bet.  But, the Blazers only moved up two spots late in the first round.  And, historically, 22 is a bad spot.  In the past 14 years, the 22nd pick has produced only 2 starters while the 24th has produced 3 and the 56th 2.  That's right, the 56th pick has generated just as many starters as the 22nd pick.  Also, if you look at bench players, 4 have come from the 22nd spot while 7 have come from the 24th.  So, trading down doesn't figure to be a good thing, it has given teams better players.  Historically, it's not a good move.&

Continue reading "Portland sends 3 to Mavs to move up--bad move."

Vince Carter and Ryan Anderson are sent to the Magic for Rafer Alston, Courtney Lee, and Tony Battie.  In what looks like another attempt by Jay-Z and the Nets to get good buddy LeBron James to New Jersey has been made.  Moving Carter's big salary does that.  What was confusing was shipping youngster Anderson and acquiring poing guard Alston.  PG Devin Harris had a tremendous break out year.  Does this mean that he will move to SG or will Lee start there and Alston be a bench player.

For Orlando, this was a shock.  But also a statement.  They are going to resign Turkolu. Lee had an incredible season, but Carter is a much much much better player.  Huge upgrade there.  Then, Jameer Nelson returns and is better than Alston.  Anderson gives depth at the forward spots.  They need antoher inside bench player, but this team just got better.  Wow!!  I really like this move for the Magic.  The only way this works out for the Nets is if James does arrive.

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The Thunder drafted James Harden Thursday night.  He is a 6-5 shooting guard from Arizona State.  The buzz word with Harden is "NBA ready".  He may start right away and fit right in.  He is compared most to Brandon Roy who torched OKC badly when Portland came to town.  Harden was only a sophomore this past season, so he has a lot of growing room.   Later in the draft, OKC moved up one spot by giving Dallas a future 2nd round pick.  Then, they selected 7-1 BJ Mullens from Ohio State.  He is pretty athletic for a big guy, but still seems like he is learning the game.  I don't think he will start, but he will give the Thunder some inside help.  In the second round the Thunder traded for SG Robert Vaden, a 6-5 player from UAB.  They got the player from Charlotte at number 54.

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The Memphis Grizzlies had a huge draft, literally.  With the 2nd pick they selected 7-3 C from UConn, Hasheem Thabeet.  He will provide a lot of interior defense and rebounds.  He can alther shots and allow them to do things on defense that others can't. The draw back is that he is very limited on offense. That means defenses will get to do things to them when he is on the floor. At the 27th spot, they got DeMarre Carroll a 6-8 F from Missouri.  He is a high energy guy that can provide a spark off the bench. In the second round at 36, they got Sam Young from Pittsburgh.  This guy can play all over the floor and should have been a first round pick.  He is a 6-7 small forward who can really get at it. 

They are young, and I'm not sure if they will be much better this year.  Thabeet is going to be a really good player that can do some things really well.  He is not a guy that is going to help a team win games in his first year.  He has to have other parts around him. 

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The Sacramento Kings desperately need a point guard.  Beno Udrih isnt' the answer and Bobby Jackson is aging and a free agent. Instead of drafing Ricky Rubio, they took Tyreke Evans who was shooting up everyone's draft board.  He is an athletic player that will add to the defensive end of the floor.  In order for him to get on the floor, he is going to have to play some point. Kevin Martin is the shooting guard, and a very good one.  With the 23rd pick they took Omri Casspi a 6-9 scrapper from Israel.  He is a slasher and likes to bang it up.  In time, he will be a good one. Then the 31st pick came.  They traded it to Portland to move down 7 picks and also received Sergio Rodriguez, who can help at the point. The Kings drafted Jon Brockman, 1 6-7 physical

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New York, I don't care what you need to do, get Ricky Rubio.   He has a chance to be special.  There is no player on your team now that can be special.  He wants to play where his name will be known and New York is it.  He would be great in that style of play. Also, being on the east coast would make him seen more.   I think they could work something out.  Especially if there is a chance that he could play in Europe and not for Minnesota.

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Here is a look at the current roster. 

 PG-Chris Duhon    Nate Robinson---Robinson is a restricted free agent.

SG-Larry Hughes

SF-Wilson Chandler  Danilo Gallinari  Joe Crawford

PF-Al Harrington  Jordan Hill  Jarred Jeffries  Chris Wilcox--Wilcox is an unrestricted free agent

C-David Lee  Eddy Curry Darko Milicic--Curry has an early termination in his contract.  Lee is a restricted free agent.

There is bound to be a trade before the season starts.  There is too many players down low and not enough in the back court. Lee is more of a PF, but had to play the post with Curry hurt so often.  They shored up that problem buy acquiring Darko.  But, Lee is a restricted free agent and will get offers.  They could let him go.  The smart thing would be to resign him.  I think they have tried to trade Curry, but there aren't many takers due to his health.   The Knicks would love to have Rubio in their back court.  I don't know if they can get him, but a trade will be made.

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Yao Ming could miss the entire year and there is a slight possibility he may never play again. This is devastating for the Rockets.  They will already be without Tracy McGrady for half the season due to surgery on his knee.  Ron Artest and Von Wafer are already free agents.  Resigning both is a must if the team wishes to contend again.  If they found out that Ming's foot will not recover, the Rockets may think about rebuilding.  Trading McGrady would be a start. It may be a deal where they wait and see how the season plays out.  If it looks good, they may stick it out.  If they are struggling to make playoffs, they could trade McGrady as he gets back on the court.  He could go to a team looking to make that playoff push.  They had no first round

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