It's been nearly a month into the NBA free agency period and there STILL is no decision regarding Lamar Odom's basketball future. The star forward is torn between his most recent employers, the Los Angeles Lakers, whom he just won a championship with, and the team that sent him to LA, the Miami Heat. The Lakers had a couple of different offers on the table for Lamar a couple weeks ago, but took them back after Odom allegedly did not respond to them for a while. The latest offer from the Lakers is a 3 year deal worth about $25 million reportedly with performance-based incentives that could push his total salary north of $27 million. The Heat have also approached Odom with a couple different offers, one for 5 years worth $34 million with an opt-out clause after year 4, and another 4 year deal with similar salary per year with a chance to leave after year 3. The Portland Trailblazers have also snuck in an offer of 5 years $40 million, but Odom is not expected to take that into serious consideration.
I understand Lamar wants to do what's best for him and his family, but that has to be staying in LA. The Lakers are not only able to offer him more money than Miami (Side note: This whole "The money is a lot closer once you factor in Florida has no state taxes" is bogus. NBA players are taxed for the money they make in the state they play a particular game in, not by the state in which the team they play for is located in. This means that even though Odom would be playing for Miami, he would be taxed by California when the Heat visit the Lakers and the Clippers. Similarly, When Odom played for the Lakers, he wasn't taxed by Florida when the Lakers were at Miami or Orlando. So Odom gets tax relief for only half a season, not for all 82 games, as if he needs it anyways), but are also built to win championships for the next 3-4 years at least (pending Kobe signing his extension). The Heat, meanwhile, are stuck behind a slew of Eastern Conference teams who also improved this offseason and Dwyane Wade appears ready to jump ship after the upcoming season. There's abslolutely no reason for Lamar to go to a situation like that. No one seems to know Odom's mind in this matter. Some report that Odom is strongly leaning towards Miami and will accept one of their deals shortly if the Lakers do not improve their offer as he wants them to. Others believe Odom's flirtation with the Heat is nothing more than an act to drive up the Lakers' offer before he agrees to return. The most concrete rumor swirling about at the moment is that Lamar will announce his decision very soon.
As frustrating as I'm sure it has been for the Lakers front office to deal with Lamar this month, I honestly don't know why they don't just bump his offer a little more to secure him back into the fold. Wouldn't 4 years $36 million do the trick?? I think that's all he wants. A 4th year for at least $9 million per. The Lakers need to realize that they have an incredible opportunity here with the players they have. Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Ron Artest are all still going to be playing at elite levels for at least the next 3 years. Wouldn't you want add Lamar Odom, who's still on the good side of 30, to that mix?? It would be an upgrade over a team that won the championship last season with the Artest for Ariza swap. The Lakers really can't afford to let Lamar walk away. All the other contenders improved over the offseason. From San Antonio, Dallas, and Portland in the West to the big three of Boston, Cleveland, and Orlando in the East. Essentially trading both Ariza AND Odom for Ron Artest would be a major step backward, and there's no more room for that. When Lamar plays at a high level (which unfortunately is not every game) the Lakers are absolutely unbeatable. It's a guaranteed win. So if Odom plays well in just 4 out of every 7 games during the playoffs, the Lakers are GUARANTEED a title. How sweet a deal is that?? You can't say that about any other team in the league. There's just no replacement for Lamar. His unique skills and talents are extremely valuable. A guy with his size and length, who can handle the ball, pass the ball, and shoot the ball like he does, in addition to being an underrated defender and great rebounder is a rarity in the NBA. In fact, I don't think there's any other player in the league right now comparable to him. The Lakers present all sorts of matchup problems with Odom in the lineup to complete their trio of towering men in the middle. Orlando got to the Finals by creating matchup problems for every team they faced, but the Lakers were able to neutralize them largely because Lamar was the one power forward in the league who could hang with Rashard Lewis on the perimeter defensively and also make him pay on the other end. If Los Angeles loses Lamar, they also lose all the advantages over the rest of the league that they were able to cash in on with him on the squad. They would no longer be favorites to repeat as champs, and I'm not even sure if they would be favored to win the West after the way the Spurs have reloaded their roster. Without Odom, the Lakers would become heavily dependent on the development of Andrew Bynum into a dominant center. That's not an option I'm ready to rely on at this point. Bynum has shown some amazing flashes the last couple seasons, but he has also shown a tendency to get hurt, foul constantly, come up with poor showings in big games, and worry more about getting his own than helping out his teammates and dominating the interior on defense like the Lakers need him to do. I still think he can become a valuable part of a title-winning team, but with Odom on the roster, the pressure is not on Bynum to come up big right now. His development becomes a luxury instead of a necessity. And if he does come along nicely on the back-burner, then the Lakers become an even MORE dangerous team, and downright impossible for anyone to beat. The bottom line is this: The Lakers need Lamar Odom and Lamar Odom needs the Lakers. I'll even buy him candy everyday if he agrees to sign. And I think he will. I gotta belieeeeeve.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Fantasy Footballing
Yesterday I partook in my first fantasy football draft for the upcoming NFL season. My friend officially assigned the date on Monday. It's only July, most training camps haven't even started yet, baseball season is in full swing, and the NBA offseason has been exciting to follow (we're heading into day 30 of Odom-Watch), yet all of a sudden a fantasy football draft is thrust upon me. I'm not even THINKING about football yet. So for the next 18 hours I brushed up on my NFL news and boy was I out of the loop. I totally forgot that Tony Gonzalez is now a Falcon and that DeAngelo Williams scored 20 (TWENTY!!) touchdowns last year. But I did my homework, participated in a couple mock drafts Monday night and Tuesday morning, did my own rankings by tiers, filled out roster sheets for all 10 teams, printed out an NFL depth chart and headed for the "War Room" Tuesday afternoon for our 3rd annual "That's What She Said" league draft. It was a typical offline draft, with people torpedoing each other's sleepers and favorite players, and giving misleading advice to others. I didn't like my spot in the draft (I had the 5th pick and took Steven Jackson. This season I think it's advantageous to either pick in the top 4 because those are the only running backs I trust, or 8th or later so you can take a top wide receiver like Larry Fitzgerald without reaching) so I had to settle for a lot of players instead of getting the ones I was really targeting, but I think I did alright with what I had. There were many different draft strategies in play such as taking quarterbacks, tight ends, defenses, and even kickers a round or three early, or even taking 2 tight ends or defenses, so I was able to load up on running backs and receivers with some upside potential who will hopefully pan out...emphasis on hopefully.
In my opinion, football is the most difficult fantasy sport to play. I play a ton of fantasy (football, basketball, baseball) and in my experience I have by far the least success in football. Now I don't mean to sound conceited, but I think I perform pretty well in fantasy, and my results in basketball and baseball reflect that (I've won 60-70% of my basketball and baseball leagues over the past 2 years on multiple sites), but for some reason I've struggled in football, only winning 1 out of like 15 leagues the last 2 seasons. Thinking about it more, I've decided that fantasy football is a lot like poker: you can be the best player at the table but still lose all your chips. Similarly, I could have been (and in many cases I think I have been) the best drafter at the table but I have consistently come up short. The "luck" component in football is just too big a factor. Running backs are every team's bread and butter for points, but you never know which back is going to suddenly fall off a cliff (such as Priest Holmes, Shaun Alexander, Larry Johnson, Joseph Addai, and perhaps now LT), whether it's because of their age, their workload, their lack of an offensive line, or a breakout backup. Plus, with more and more teams going with platoon systems at running back (thanks a lot Mike Shanahan), it's becoming increasingly difficult to find rushers who are guaranteed to touch the ball even 18 times a game. Wide receivers can have all the talent in the world, but if the guy throwing them the football is no good, they can't accumulate stats (see Randy Moss with the Raiders). Similarly, a great quarterback with limited weapons or in a run-first system or with a terrible offensive line is trapped as well. Put a great player in a new system and maybe he's not so great. Let a decent backup get a starting gig in a fitting system and he can become a superstar (Michael Turner last season). Injuries are also of greater concern in football. Five games missed in baseball is only 3% of a season, but 5 games missed in football is 30% of a season. Also, football is the most dependent on the whole team. Baseball is a mostly individual game. It doesn't take teammates to hit home runs or strike guys out. Even in basketball, individual players can dominate even though their teams may suck. But in football, every single play is dependent on all 11 guys on the field. The O-line must block well, the receivers must run precise routes, the quarterback must make the correct reads, the running back must be able to pick up a blitzing linebacker, and the result of the play may still be just a 5 yard gain. And putting injuries and teammates together, injuries to important members of the team not only affect that player, but others on the team as well. Take the Patriots last season. After an offensive exhibition the year before, everyone is clamoring to take Patriots players in the draft room. Tom Brady goes as high as 3rd overall in many drafts. Randy Moss goes by the end of the 1st round. But not even a single quarter into the first game of the NFL season, Brady's knee is shredded and he is lost for the season. Now, that doesn't only affect Brady and all the people who spent a top pick in round 1 on him, but it affects the rest of the Pats offense and the ownners who drafted those players too. Even though Matt Cassell turned out to be a more than sufficient replacement for Brady, look at Randy Moss's numbers last season with Cassell and compare them to the year before with Brady:
'07 (with Brady) -- 16 games, 98 rec, 1493 yds, 23 td (NFL record)
'08 (with Cassell) -- 16 games, 69 rec, 1008 yds, 11 td
A massive difference. And imagine how it would have been if Brady's backup was, say, Dan Orlovsky and not Matt Cassell. Just because one player got hurt, even if that player is not on your fantasy team, it can severely hurt the stock of a player that is on your squad. I've learned that fantasy football leagues cannot be won with just skill (though that's still the most important part). So with that in mind, GOOD LUCK to all of you playing fantasy football this year!
Now for my personal draft strategy:
1. First Two Picks. For many years, the by-law was go running back-running back with your first two picks. Nowadays, it's almost impossible to find two running backs you can totally trust for 200+ points over a season (only 10 turned the trick last season, that's an average of 1 per team in a standard 10 team league). Now, I would strongly suggest grabbing an elite wideout with one of your first two picks (with your first rounder only if it's later in the round, say after pick 5 or wherever you stop trusting running backs) and even going WR-WR in the first two rounds isn't a bad idea. However if others start taking receivers off the board late in round 1 and early in round 2 and you find some pretty good running backs start to slip in the second round go ahead and draft them with confidence. This season, I only feel confident in the consensus top 4 backs-- Adrian Peterson, Michael Turner, Maurice Jones-Drew, and Matt Forte-- so I would love to get a top 4 pick. After that, I would be torn between the next level of rushers or a top receiver. Starting at about number 7, I wouldn't hesitate to grab Larry Fitzgerald and feel good about it.
2. WAIT ON A QUARTERBACK!!!! Many people are enamored with quarterbacks because they score the most total fantasy points over a season. Last year, 6 of the top 8 overall scorers in fantasy were quarterbacks. But that's just it. Why rush to get the best quarterback when the 6th best one is still 8th overall in points?!?! Drafting is all about value. You have to maximize the value of each pick. Lasy year, if you took the best quarterback and the 6th best running back (Drew Brees and LaDainian Tomlinson respectively) they combined for 507 points. If you took the best running back and the 6th best quarterback (DeAngelo Williams and Peyton Manning respectively) they combined for 517 points. Last season people rushed to get Tom Brady with a top 3 overall pick and got burned. Last year I drafted Philip Rivers in the 9th round of the league I mentioned above and he was the #4 overall scorer in fantasy. There are top 10 quarterbacks that go really really late. When someone else drafts a top tier QB in round 2, you burn them by grabbing another elite running back then and still getting a top 10 QB 7 rounds later.
3. Wait on a Tight End, Defense, and Kicker. Let's get the last couple out of the way first. Take a kicker only in the last round. Period. No matter what. You can't have enough quality depth at RB and WR. And it's impossible to predict which kicker will be the best in a given season. Also, the differences in kicker's fantasy points are practicaly negligible. It doesn't matter if you have the #1 kicker or the # 10 kicker. (If you draft 2 kickers you should light yourself on fire) Don't even worry about bye weeks. Pretty much the same goes for defenses. You can always pick up a hot defense off the waiver wire or play matchups and pick up whichever defense is playing a bad offense that week. Don't waste an 8th round pick on a top defense just because you think you've got the other positions covered. You don't. As for tight ends, don't get caught up in them. They're not a major source of points. Last season, only 1 TE in the entire league gained 1000 yards or caught 10 TDs or cracked 115 fantasy points. Exactly zero tight ends averaged double digit fantasy points per game last season. Only 4 averaged at least 6 a game. The 49th best RB had the same number of points as the 5th best TE. That's how weak the position is. DO NOT waste a pick on a tight end early in a draft. Nothing before the 5th round, and that's only to nab one of the elites (this year that's Antonio Gates, Tony Gonzalez, Jason Witten, or Dallas Clark). After that, wait until at least the 10th round. They're all equally worthless by that point. It's much more important to stack your roster with upside backs and receivers. You never know who's going to get hurt, who's going to have a down year, or who's going to break out. Draft for depth at those positions. For running backs, take strong backups who can produce with limited touches and can dominate if the guy in fornt of them is hurt or ineffective (think Jonathan Stewart, Ahmad Bradshaw, or Felix Jones). For receivers, take guys that are the number 1 receivers on their teams (think Kevin Curtis, Donnie Avery, Ted Ginn, Devin Hester, Mark Clayton, or Domenik Hixon). Hey, their QB has to throw to someone right?
4. Finally, it's your team, take whomever you want. If you really want to take Larry Fitzgerald 4th overall, by all means go ahead. You won't get him with your next pick. Don't stick too close to rankings and projections. No one really knows what's going to happen. I heard this conversation too many times yesterday:
"Hey, it's your pick. Who do you want?"
"Oh snap! Ummmm....who's the best available running back??"
"According to this list.....(insert crappy player with little to no upside here)."
"Yeah, just give me him."
Go with your gut. Take a risk. There's no winning formula. Like I said before, there's a lot of luck involved. You never know when it will favor you.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
The All Whatevers
About 3 summers ago I was taking U.S. History at College of the Canyons with my boys Kevin Mendoza and JJ Min. Class was pretty boring as all our professor did was lecture on and on about what happened in (I'm assuming, I can't really say for sure) the history of the United States. Meanwhile, we would be hard at work comparing notes about different all star teams, like our 1st team All NBA History team, where we picked 5 guys that have played in the NBA in any era to make the team. Basically, the best player in the history of the league at each position. And we did more such fantasy lineups and whatnot. This is how we got through 5 solid weeks of Professor Murray telling us about how many historical American figures "went through the ruff!" (or roof as it is more commonly pronounced). NBA Summer League and an enthralling offseason thus far still has basketball on my brain, so I bring to you my collection of various and completely random all star teams (current players only unless otherwise noted). Comment with your own teams at the bottom. Here we go:
The "All International Team"
This is more than just a starting lineup, it's an entire team. As in the 12 guys that would make the active roster if we played a USA vs. World game similar to how the NHL all star game was (or is? Someone ask Matt Leon).
Point Guard- No doubt about it, the starting point would have to be Steve Nash. In my opinion, Nash is the best offensive point guard in the league still today. Say what you want about Chris Paul or Deron Williams, but Nash has better vision, is a better passer, a better shooter, and a better leader than either of those guys in my eyes. There's a reason he's a 2-time MVP in this league (should be 3, the Warriors gave Dirk what he deserved after he robbed Nash of his third straight award back in '07) and he is a very underrated clutch player as any Suns fan can attest to.
There are a couple guys very deserving of backing up Nash on this squad. One of them has won 3 titles as the starting point guard of the San Antonio Spurs, Tony Parker, while the other led the Spanish national team to a silver medal in the 2008 Olympics (it could have been a gold if he had played in the gold-medal game), Jose Calderon. Parker has been doing it for much longer, but to me Calderon is more of a true point guard. On a team like this, I think that makes the difference. Calderon is a little bit like Nash in the sense that he distributes the ball to his teammates extremely well and can knock down open shots, while Parker is more of a flashy slasher and scorer and less of a passer with not as much range and shooting ability as the other two. On this team, the point guard doesn't have to do a lot of scoring and the ability to knock down open threes is a boon. So I'm going with Calderon as the primary backup for Nash. Keep Parker on the side though, he still can grab one of the final two roster spots.
Shooting Guard- Here is a position that international players have yet to have a major impact on. I suspect it's mostly due to their slight disadvantage in athleticism, though guys like Rudy Fernandez are closing that gap. One guy that has broken through as a major force from this spot though is the Spurs' Manu Ginobli. Ginobli has won the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award before and is considered one of the top shooting guards in the league. His unique brand of basketball makes him a tough cover (for anyone not named Sasha Vujacic- see the 2008 Western Conference Finals) as does his left-handedness. Yes that is an asset to be sure. Ginobli has always been able to slither his way into the lane and finish around the basket, but since tacking on a reliable outside jumper to his game, he has become especially dangerous. He would make a great second scoring option on this team.
To back him up, there's not much. My heart puts Sasha Vujacic in this spot, but if my life was on the line in a game like this....maybe not. At least not the way he played this past season. The aforementioned Rudy Fernandez has a bundle of talent that was on display in the Olympics. In the gold-medal game against Team USA he went off for 23 points on bold slashes to the rim, step-back three pointers and a mammoth hammer dunk on Dwight Howard's head before he fouled out late in the final period. That's the kind of talent I want coming off the bench in this slot.
Small Forward- As recently as two years ago, Peja Stojakovic had this spot on lockdown. Today...not so much. Hedo Turkoglu has to be the selection here. He's shown over the past 2 seasons why he's worth the money he'll be getting paid now. Turkoglu has great size for the position along with an array of offensive weapons. He can get to the rim, step back for the jumper, or create for his teammates. He may not get as many touches as he's used to on this team, but with guys like Nash and his new real-life teammate Calderon setting the table, he can fill it up with ease.
Backing him would probably be Stojakovic. Andrea Bargnani played well enough last season to draw some consideration for this spot, but Peja has done more for longer. At worst, he's a deadly sniper off the bench, and he'd get plenty of open opportunities with the point guards on this team.
Power Forward- The only other international league MVP gets this spot. It goes to Dirk Nowitzki. He's already great friends and former teammates with Nash so they know how to play together. Dirk can easily step into his natural role as the number one scoring option on this team and he's another top notch shooter from the perimeter.
Nowitzki's backup is a guy who deserves a starting spot and will probably play starter's minutes on a team like this. It's the third Spaniard to make the squad, Pau Gasol. He was terrific all year and especially in the postseason for a title winning Lakers team and he will be one of the few guys on this team who can dial it up on defense and on the boards. These two power forwards are too good, and some other notable guys must be left off, such as Argentina's Luis Scola.
Center- Starting at center will be the same guy who always starts at center for the Western Conference all star team, Yao Ming. Yao is used to not getting a ton of touches, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem to let the other guys get the ball a lot more. Yao is the best offensive center in the league today, and he's also a tremendous free throw shooter.
Pau Gasol will be the guy taking Yao's spot when he gets injured...I mean...gets tired. But the official backup center will be Andris Biedrins. Mehmet Okur may be a more talented player, but this is a team almost entirely devoid of defense, and lacking a dominant big man to protect the rim. Biedrins can fill that void. Okur can't. If only Darko Milicic wasn't a bust...
The last 2 roster spots are still up for grabs. One of them has to go to Tony Parker for his championship experience and dynamic abilities, though finding minutes for him will be difficult. Also making the cut is Luis Scola, who can fill a big man role very well with his low-post scoring and rebounding abilities.
The "All White (American) Team"
No, this is absolutely not racist so don't even go there. It's just fun and challenging to think of fielding a competitive team filled with only white American players, the key word being "American", meaning that none of the guys who made the All International Team qualify here even though they meet the pigment requirement. Also, mixed race guys who look white don't count (i.e. Jason Kidd). This one goes in reverse order of positions, because it's much easier for white guys to be 7 feet tall than it is for them to be athletic.
Center- Chris Kaman: Two years ago he was putting up a 18-13 with 3 blocks for the Clips before getting injured. He's got the talent, he's just got to stay healthy.
Backup- Brad Miller: Old reliable Brad. He's got toughness, size, rebounding ability, and a solid offensive skill set. His advancing age keeps him out of the starting lineup, just like in real-life.
Power Forward- Troy Murphy: He would be a great compliment to Kaman as he's a perimeter guy on offense who specializes in spacing the floor and drilling threes. He's also a terrific and underrated rebounder.
Backup- David Lee: He was a walking double-double for the Knicks last year (he led the NBA in that category) and he's one of the best role players in the league. He can score 10 points without having a single play called for him and his hustle and energy always has him picking up loose balls and rebounds.
Small Forward- Mike Dunleavy: Now it's getting tougher to find guys to fill these spots, but Dunleavy has put up some really nice numbers the past couple seasons when healthy. He can score 16-18 a game with good percentages.
Backup- Jason Kapono: What? You really thought I would put Luke Walton on this team? HAH! In all fairness, Kapono is currently tied for the best career three point percentage in the history of the NBA. I'd rather have that coming off the bench than an occasional pretty pass followed by 2 turnovers, 3 missed shots, 4 fouls, and 5 fingers to the face from yours truly (SLAP! I'M RICK JAMES BITCH!!!!)
Shooting Guard- Mike Miller: This guy can flat out stroke the basketball from deep. Miller though, as few people know, can do much more than just catch and shoot. He is also a terrific rebounder for a guard and can create looks for teammates. He averaged 7.4 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game over the final 3 months of last season from the 2-guard spot.
Backup- J.J. Redick: What? You really though I would put Adam Morrison on this team? HAH! No way. Ammo's only good for ripping up the Summer League. While Redick isn't the star some thought he would be in this league, he has improved his game and was at least in the rotation of the Eastern Conference champs last season. And he can still shoot it.
Point Guard- Kirk Hinrich: Sadly Steve Nash doesn't qualify for this team. Oh well. Hinrich has solid starting experience and he was a key component of some young Bulls teams that have made the playoffs the last few seasons. He's a tough defender, good shooter, and good distributor which is really all you need from a point guard.
Backup- Steve Blake: Blake was the starting point for a young Blazers squad that made their first trip to the postseason this past year. He's a solid lead guard who can pass and knock down open jumpers.
11th Man- Chris Andersen: Who better to play garbage time minutes than a guy who's image can define "white trash"?
12th Man- Luke Ridnour: He scored 77 points in an NBA Live game against Raymond Paseman. Yes that's enough for him to get a spot over Walton and Morrison.
1st Team "All Left Handed"
G- Manu Ginobli: His unique angles and drives have made him difficult to guard for years.
G- Michael Redd: One of the best scorers in the NBA does it with a slingshot left-handed launch.
F- Lamar Odom: His long left hand can finger roll basketballs into the hoop from the 3 point line.
F- Troy Murphy: He can shoot threes off that left hand like few bigs can with their right. And he can board it.
C- Chris Bosh: He's got a silky smooth jumper or he can put it on the deck and blow by you.
2nd Team "All Left Handed"
G- Derek Fisher: His left hand has released more big shots than just about anyone else's in history.
G- Delonte West: Had a real nice year for Cleveland this past season. A tough defender and good outside shooter.
F- Tayshaun Prince: Still regarded as an elite defensive stopper and picked up his offensive game last year too.
F- Anthony Randolph: Hasn't made many headlines yet but watch out for him this year.
C- Andris Biedrins- Randolph's teammate has established himself as an elite rebounder and good inside defender.
1st Team "All Overrated"
G- Mo Williams: He went from underrated to overrated in a heartbeat. His assists dropped significantly last year and any half decent shooter could knock down the open looks he got playing with LeBron. Too bad he couldn't make them in the conference finals. Why was he an All Star again?
G- Chauncey Billups: Just hear me out. Billups got way more credit than he deserved for the Nuggets' breakthrough this season. Sure he's a great leader and a great player and he certainly helped Denver out a lot with that, but the biggest help he provided for them was that he was just a better fit for the Nuggets than Allen Iverson. Just because he was a more willing passer, better outside shooter, and took less shots than A.I., it naturally opened up more opportunities for Melo, J.R. Smith, Nene, and the rest of the team to shine. That was the biggest difference. Also, "Mr. Big Shot" isn't as great in the clutch as people portray. Last season, among the top 30 players in the league in points per 48 minutes of clutch time, Billups ranked 25th out of the 30 in clutch field goal percentage at a pedestrian 40.4%. Compare that to teammate Carmelo Anthony who shot an astounding 56.5% in the clutch on more attempts than Billups and you tell me who should take the "big shots" for that team. And he was always an overrated defender when he played for those great defensive Pistons teams. It's like saying Hedo Turkoglu is a lockdown defender because Orlando had the best defense in the league last year. Just stop it okay? Good.
F- Josh Howard: He used to be all the rave when people found out he was a little better than the 30th pick in the draft, and he was rewarded with an All Star appearance. Does anyone want to make that mistake again? Since then Howard has gone from the future of the Mavericks to now possibly just the 5th most important player on the team. Oh and he admittedly smokes weed all day and hates on the national anthem too. You stay classy Josh.
F- Josh Smith: All the high-fying aerial acrobatics makes Smith more of a highlight reel than a complete player. Smith has no offense to speak of other than dunk the ball when he's open near the rim (and sometimes even that doesn't work like when he tried the between-the-legs jam in the middle of a game). For some inexplicable reason he attempts 1.3 3-pointers a game even though he's a 27% career shooter from downtown. You can talk about his elite shot blocking skills, but know that last season he posted his lowest per game blocked shot totals in his career at just 1.6 a game. Not to mention the fact that he shot worse from the free throw line than both Shaquille O'Neal and Dwight Howard last season.
C- Tyson Chandler: I would have loved to put Dwight Howard here, but after the NBA Finals, it seems people finally agree with me on Howard's total lack of an offensive game. And besides, the guy is still the premiere defensive force in the league. So I turn to Chandler. What can he do on offense besides throw down lob passes from Chris Paul? You guessed it. Squadoosh. He has averaged double digit points per game only once in his career. People say he has a ton of value as a rebounder and a shot blocker. Well, in an 8 year career, Chandler has only averaged double digit rebounds per game twice (just 8.7 per game last year) and his blocked shots per 36 minutes have steadily declined over that span, from 2.4 per 36 minutes as a rookie to 1.1 per 36 minutes in '08 (and just 1.4 last year). Oh and he was even worse than Josh Smith from the free throw line last season.
1st Team "All Underrated"
This team is for those players whose names are recognizable, but people still don't give them the accolades they deserve:
G- Jose Calderon: Nobody knew who this guy was until a year and a half ago when he got the starting gig in Toronto after TJ Ford was carried off on a stretcher. Calderon averaged 9.8 assists per game in his first 45 starts and even though he started just 56 games on the year, he still finished with an 8.3 assist per game average over the whole 82. As the full-time starter last season, Calderon quietly put up 13 points and 9 assists per game on 50% from the field, 40% from three, and a staggering 98% from the line.
G- Jamal Crawford: All people seem to know about Crawford is that teams ship him off every couple season. His new employer, the Hawks, are his 4th NBA franchise. What people don't know is how effective Crawford has been in his three previous stops in the league. He's one of the most underrated scorers in the game and can also rack up the assist totals. In the 2007-2008 season, he was just one of a handful of non-point guards to average 20 points and 5 assists per game. He has also scored 50 points in a game for 3 different teams. How many people can say that?
F- Andre Iguodala: The first thing that probably comes to most peoples' minds about Iggy is his sick dunk in the Slam Dunk Contest a few years back (a contest he would have won if Nate Robinson didn't get 25 tries and still got a 50), but he's the total package. Philly's new A.I. is a dynamic scorer from the wing. He can slash, finish, and make big jumpers. His most underrated quality is his excellent defense. He guards the other team's best perimeter scorer night in and night out, does a really good job, and still carries the woeful Sixers offense on the other end. He's proven to be cool in the clutch too, with a pair of buzzer-beating game winners on the road last season, against the two NBA Finals participants no less.
F- Troy Murphy: Murphy has gone unnoticed his whole career, but he shouldn't be. He has the rare ability as a big man to absolutely stroke the ball, but still be a dominant force on the glass. He has basically the same career 3-point percentage as Ray Allen and shot it at a 45% clip last year. He has also averaged a double-double in 4 different seasons including this past one, where he put up 14 and 12.
C- Al Jefferson: Unfortunately for Jefferson, he does not get much exposure. He played on some terrible Celtics teams and was in the Kevin Garnett deal that sent him to a terrible Minnesota team where people hardly see him play. They're missing out on a real treat. Jefferson is probably the most unheralded high school success story. He has put up 3 straight seasons of 11+ rebounds per game, back to back 21-11 years, and last year was the only player in the NBA to average 23 points and 11 rebounds a game. He's already one of the best, if not the best, low post scorer in the league. I hope for his sake he gets to play for a contender some day.
2nd Team "All Underrated"
This one is for the guys people don't hear about but should.
G- Ramon Sessions: Sessions came out of the D-League to put up big numbers, particularly in assists. At the end of the '08 season, Sessions averaged about 8 assists a game as a starter, including one 24 assist performance, something Chris Paul, Steve Nash, and Deron Williams have not achieved. He's proven he can score too. In one game last season he dropped 44 points to go along with 12 assists, the only player in the league to put up such lofty numbers in those two categories in the same game. I have no idea what he has to do to secure a starting role in this league.
G- Francisco Garcia: A real deep sleeper here. I've always liked Garcia since his college days at Louisville. Playing now for the Sacramento Kings, he definitely doesn't garner the attention he should. Garcia is a lights-out shooter who can also be a defensive stopper. He has shot over 39% from downtown each of the last 2 seasons and was one of a handful of players in the league last season to average 1 three, 1 steal, and 1 block per game. That kind of versatility is extremely valuable.
F- Thaddeus Young: He's still developing and getting a feel for the game, but Young made a huge impact in Philadelphia last season. His size and versatility make him an asset, as well as his unique skill set. A little bit like Lamar Odom in terms of the left-handedness, the perimeter skills in a sizable body, the length, and the tools to be a great defender. Young averaged over 15 points a game as a 20 year old, and in his last 14 games in which he saw double digit minutes on the court, he averaged over 22 a game.
F- Anthony Randolph: Here's a guy who didn't even play much his rookie season but I have to put him on this list because of his tantalizing upside. Randolph's raw talent was good enough to make him look beastly towards the end of last season when eccentric coach Don Nelson finally let him loose. In the last 10 games of the '09 season, Randolph averaged 14 points and 11 boards per game and he just tied a Summer League record with 42 points in a game. The league better be on notice about this kid, especially in a system like Golden State's.
C- Joel Przybilla: This guy does yeoman's work for the Potland Trailblazers practically unnoticed. Over the last 2 seasons he's made the Blazers' selection of Greg Oden over Kevin Durant look even more questionable as he has proved himself to be a more than serviceable starting center. Przybilla averaged 13.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per 36 minutes last year, and 12.8/1.8 in '08. Who wouldn't take that from their starting center?
1st Team "All Second Rounders"
2nd round picks who really should not have been:
G- Gilbert Arenas: A lot of teams, including the one that drafted Arenas, wish they had taken a harder look at Hibachi. Drafted with the 2nd pick of the 2nd round (30th overall) in 2001. Players taken before him include: Raul Lopez (24), Jeryl Sasser (22), Joseph Forte (21), Kirk Haston (16), Kedrick Brown (11), Rodney White (9), Desagna Diop (8), Eddie Griffin (7), Eddy Curry (4), Kwame Brown (1)
G- Mo Williams: Yes I may have said he's overrated but I also said he used to be underrated. He definitely should not have been a 2nd rounder, even in such a strong draft class. Drafted with the 18th pick of the second round (47th overall) in 2003. Players taken before him include: Travis Hansen (37), Luke Walton (32), Maciej Lampe (30), Brian Cook (24), Sasha Pavlovic (19), Luke Ridnour (14), Marcus Banks (13), Jarvis Hayes (10), Michael Sweetney (9), Darko Milicic (2)
G/F- Michael Redd: He came into the league as a supposed defensive stopper. Little did people know that not only would he play no defense, but he would become one of the best shooters/scorers in the league. Drafted with the 14th pick of the second round (43rd overall) in 2000. Players taken before him include: Marko Jaric (30), Mark Madsen (29), Speedy Claxton (20), Jamaal Magloire (19), Chris Mihm (7), DerMarr Johnson (6), Marcus Fizer (4), Darius Miles (3), Stromile Swift (2)
F- Rashard Lewis: People didn't want to take a chance on this future All Star right out of high school. Bad idea. Drafted with the 3rd pick of the second round (32nd overall) in 1998. Players taken before him include: Nazr Mohammed (29), Tyronn Lue (23), Brian Skinner (22), Rasho Nesterovic (17), Matt Harpring (15), Bonzi Wells (11), Larry Hughes (8), Robert Traylor (6), Raef LaFrentz (3), Michael Olowokandi (1)
F/C- Carlos Boozer: 2 of his college teammates were top 3 picks in his draft. Neither one of them have been an All Star like Boozer though. Drafted with the 6th pick of the second round (34th overall) in 2002. Players taken before him include: Dan Dickau (28), Kareem Rush (20), Juan Dixon (17), Fred Jones (14), Melvin Ely (12), Jared Jeffries (11), DaJuan Wagner (6), Nikoloz Tskitishvili (5), Drew Gooden (4), Jay Williams (2)
1st Team "All Bust"
Top draft picks who absolutely should not have been. Guys must have played this decade to qualify. Players whose careers were altered by freak injuries (i.e. Jay Williams, Shaun Livingston, Jonathan Bender) get a pass, but inability to stay healthy otherwise is taken into consideration.
G- DaJuan Wagner: There was a lot of hype surounding Wagner coming out of college, though most people don't remember that now. Needless to say, he failed live up to that hype. Drafted 6th overall in 2002. Playes taken after him include: Nene (7), Chris Wilcox (8), Amar'e Stoudamire (9), Caron Butler (10), Tayshaun Prince (23), John Salmons (26), Roger Mason (30), Carlos Boozer (34), Juan Carlos Navarro (39), Flip Murray (41), Matt Barnes (45), Luis Scola (55)
G- Adam Morrison: He had a great college career but you had to know it wasn't going to translate to the NBA right? Well, apparently Michael Jordan didn't know that. The silver lining for Ammo is that he was part of a pretty bad draft class. Drafted 3rd overall in 2006. Players taken after him include: Tyrus Thomas (4), Brandon Roy (6), Randy Foye (7), Rudy Gay (8), Ronnie Brewer (14), Rajon Rondo (21), Daniel Gibson (42), Paul Millsap (47)
F- Darko Milicic: In what could end up as the greatest draft class ever depending upon what these players do over the next decade or so, one player will stand out from the rest. That is Darko Milicic for his complete inability to make an impact on an NBA roster. People gave Joe Dumars a lot of credit for what he did with the Pistons. They seem to forget how he drafted Darko. Drafted 2nd overall in 2003. Players taken after him include: Carmelo Anthony (3), Chris Bosh (4), Dwyane Wade (5), Chis Kaman (6), Kirk Hinrich (7), TJ Ford (8), David West (18), Boris Diaw (21), Travis Outlaw (23), Kendrick Perkins (27), Leandro Barbosa (28), Josh Howard (29), Mo Williams (47)
F/C- Kwame Brown: Drafted straight out of high school by none other than the G.O.A.T. himself , MJ, Kwame was supposed to be the next Shaq. But he fumbled away his opportunity the way he fumbles away most entry passes into him. He's already played for 4 different franchises and once skipped a playoff game to attend a rap concert. Drafted 1st overall (FIRST!!!) in 2001. Players taken after him include: Tyson Chandler (2), Pau Gasol (3), Jason Richardson (5), Shane Battier (6), Joe Johnson (10), Richard Jefferson (13), Troy Murphy (14), Zach Randolph (19), Gerald Wallace (25), Samuel Dalembert (26), Tony Parker (28), Gilbert Arenas (31), Mehmet Okur (37)
C- Michael Olowokandi: The Kandi Man was, in my opinion, the worst #1 pick in the history of the league. He was already 23 when he came into the league and he only had 1 good season in college, at the University of the Pacific of all schools. Only the Clippers could make a pick like this. Drafted 1st overall in 1998. Players taken after him include: Mike Bibby (2), Antawn Jamison (4), Vince Carter (5), Jason Williams (7), Larry Hughes (8), Dirk Nowitzki (9), Paul Pierce (10), Al Harrington (25), Rashard Lewis (32), Rafer Alston (39), Cuttino Mobley (41)
(Did anyone notice that 2 of the 5 biggest busts this decade were selected by the greatest player in NBA history? Ironic isn't it?)
1st Team "All Time"
I started off by describing this one. This is with the assumption that all players are in their prime and would be playing with today's rules against players of today's caliber.
PG- Magic Johnson: Greatest point guard ever. Could make any play, ran the break to perfection with the Showtime Lakers, and is probably the greatest teammate ever. Career stats: 19.5 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 11.2 apg (best all time), 1.9 spg, 52% fg, 85% ft, 12-time All Star, 3-time NBA MVP, 3-time Finals MVP, 9-time All-NBA 1st Team, 5-time NBA champion
SG- Michael Jordan: G.O.A.T. Nuff said. Career stats: 30.1 ppg (best all time), 6.2 rpg, 5.3 apg, 2.3 spg (3rd best all time), 50% fg, 83.5% ft, 14-time All Star, Rookie of the Year, 5-time NBA MVP, 6-time Finals MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, 9-time All-Defensive 1st Team, 10-time All-NBA 1st Team, 6-time NBA champion
SF- Larry Bird: Basketball Jesus was one of the greatest players of all time. There wasn't anything on the court he couldn't do, and given his lack of athleticism, that is quite amazing. One of the greatest shooters of all time as well and the only player in history to average 10+ rebounds and 6+ assists per game over a career. Career stats: 24.3 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 6.3 apg, 1.7 spg, 50% fg, 89% ft, 12-time All Star, Rookie of the Year, 3-time NBA MVP, 2-time Finals MVP, 3-time All-Defensive 2nd Team, 9-time All-NBA 1st Team, 3-time NBA champion
PF- Tim Duncan: The most underrated superstar of all time. People don't notice the way he dominates games with fundamentals instead of flash. He doesn't go for stats, but he always leads his team to victory. He's been arguably the most consistent superstar of all time, putting up basically the same great numbers for 12 straight seasons. Career stats: 21.4 ppg, 11.7 rpg, 3.2 apg, 2.4 bpg, 51% fg, 11-time All Star, Rookie of the Year, 2-time NBA MVP, 3-time Finals MVP, 8-time All-Defensive 1st team, 8-time All-NBA 1st team, 4-time NBA champion
C- Shaquille O'Neal: In his prime he was nothing short of unstoppable, and against better competition than Wilt Chamberlain. That led to the Hack-a-Shaq, because there was just no other way to slow him down. He's also a dominant rebounder and great teammate (though Kobe Bryant would beg to differ). Career stats: 24.7 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 2.6 apg, 2.4 bpg, 58% fg, 15-time All Star, Rookie of the Year, 1 NBA MVP, 3-time Finals MVP, 3-time All-Defensive 2nd Team, 8-time All-NBA 1st Team, 4-time NBA champion
(There are 64 All Star appearances, 4 Rookie of the Year Awards (Magic and Bird were rookies in the same season so only one of them could win it), 14 NBA MVPs, 17 NBA Finals MVPs, 44 All-NBA 1st Team selections, and 22 NBA championships among these 5 players. Wow...)
There you have it. If you have any other ideas or differing opinions drop it as a comment.
The "All International Team"
This is more than just a starting lineup, it's an entire team. As in the 12 guys that would make the active roster if we played a USA vs. World game similar to how the NHL all star game was (or is? Someone ask Matt Leon).
Point Guard- No doubt about it, the starting point would have to be Steve Nash. In my opinion, Nash is the best offensive point guard in the league still today. Say what you want about Chris Paul or Deron Williams, but Nash has better vision, is a better passer, a better shooter, and a better leader than either of those guys in my eyes. There's a reason he's a 2-time MVP in this league (should be 3, the Warriors gave Dirk what he deserved after he robbed Nash of his third straight award back in '07) and he is a very underrated clutch player as any Suns fan can attest to.
There are a couple guys very deserving of backing up Nash on this squad. One of them has won 3 titles as the starting point guard of the San Antonio Spurs, Tony Parker, while the other led the Spanish national team to a silver medal in the 2008 Olympics (it could have been a gold if he had played in the gold-medal game), Jose Calderon. Parker has been doing it for much longer, but to me Calderon is more of a true point guard. On a team like this, I think that makes the difference. Calderon is a little bit like Nash in the sense that he distributes the ball to his teammates extremely well and can knock down open shots, while Parker is more of a flashy slasher and scorer and less of a passer with not as much range and shooting ability as the other two. On this team, the point guard doesn't have to do a lot of scoring and the ability to knock down open threes is a boon. So I'm going with Calderon as the primary backup for Nash. Keep Parker on the side though, he still can grab one of the final two roster spots.
Shooting Guard- Here is a position that international players have yet to have a major impact on. I suspect it's mostly due to their slight disadvantage in athleticism, though guys like Rudy Fernandez are closing that gap. One guy that has broken through as a major force from this spot though is the Spurs' Manu Ginobli. Ginobli has won the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award before and is considered one of the top shooting guards in the league. His unique brand of basketball makes him a tough cover (for anyone not named Sasha Vujacic- see the 2008 Western Conference Finals) as does his left-handedness. Yes that is an asset to be sure. Ginobli has always been able to slither his way into the lane and finish around the basket, but since tacking on a reliable outside jumper to his game, he has become especially dangerous. He would make a great second scoring option on this team.
To back him up, there's not much. My heart puts Sasha Vujacic in this spot, but if my life was on the line in a game like this....maybe not. At least not the way he played this past season. The aforementioned Rudy Fernandez has a bundle of talent that was on display in the Olympics. In the gold-medal game against Team USA he went off for 23 points on bold slashes to the rim, step-back three pointers and a mammoth hammer dunk on Dwight Howard's head before he fouled out late in the final period. That's the kind of talent I want coming off the bench in this slot.
Small Forward- As recently as two years ago, Peja Stojakovic had this spot on lockdown. Today...not so much. Hedo Turkoglu has to be the selection here. He's shown over the past 2 seasons why he's worth the money he'll be getting paid now. Turkoglu has great size for the position along with an array of offensive weapons. He can get to the rim, step back for the jumper, or create for his teammates. He may not get as many touches as he's used to on this team, but with guys like Nash and his new real-life teammate Calderon setting the table, he can fill it up with ease.
Backing him would probably be Stojakovic. Andrea Bargnani played well enough last season to draw some consideration for this spot, but Peja has done more for longer. At worst, he's a deadly sniper off the bench, and he'd get plenty of open opportunities with the point guards on this team.
Power Forward- The only other international league MVP gets this spot. It goes to Dirk Nowitzki. He's already great friends and former teammates with Nash so they know how to play together. Dirk can easily step into his natural role as the number one scoring option on this team and he's another top notch shooter from the perimeter.
Nowitzki's backup is a guy who deserves a starting spot and will probably play starter's minutes on a team like this. It's the third Spaniard to make the squad, Pau Gasol. He was terrific all year and especially in the postseason for a title winning Lakers team and he will be one of the few guys on this team who can dial it up on defense and on the boards. These two power forwards are too good, and some other notable guys must be left off, such as Argentina's Luis Scola.
Center- Starting at center will be the same guy who always starts at center for the Western Conference all star team, Yao Ming. Yao is used to not getting a ton of touches, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem to let the other guys get the ball a lot more. Yao is the best offensive center in the league today, and he's also a tremendous free throw shooter.
Pau Gasol will be the guy taking Yao's spot when he gets injured...I mean...gets tired. But the official backup center will be Andris Biedrins. Mehmet Okur may be a more talented player, but this is a team almost entirely devoid of defense, and lacking a dominant big man to protect the rim. Biedrins can fill that void. Okur can't. If only Darko Milicic wasn't a bust...
The last 2 roster spots are still up for grabs. One of them has to go to Tony Parker for his championship experience and dynamic abilities, though finding minutes for him will be difficult. Also making the cut is Luis Scola, who can fill a big man role very well with his low-post scoring and rebounding abilities.
The "All White (American) Team"
No, this is absolutely not racist so don't even go there. It's just fun and challenging to think of fielding a competitive team filled with only white American players, the key word being "American", meaning that none of the guys who made the All International Team qualify here even though they meet the pigment requirement. Also, mixed race guys who look white don't count (i.e. Jason Kidd). This one goes in reverse order of positions, because it's much easier for white guys to be 7 feet tall than it is for them to be athletic.
Center- Chris Kaman: Two years ago he was putting up a 18-13 with 3 blocks for the Clips before getting injured. He's got the talent, he's just got to stay healthy.
Backup- Brad Miller: Old reliable Brad. He's got toughness, size, rebounding ability, and a solid offensive skill set. His advancing age keeps him out of the starting lineup, just like in real-life.
Power Forward- Troy Murphy: He would be a great compliment to Kaman as he's a perimeter guy on offense who specializes in spacing the floor and drilling threes. He's also a terrific and underrated rebounder.
Backup- David Lee: He was a walking double-double for the Knicks last year (he led the NBA in that category) and he's one of the best role players in the league. He can score 10 points without having a single play called for him and his hustle and energy always has him picking up loose balls and rebounds.
Small Forward- Mike Dunleavy: Now it's getting tougher to find guys to fill these spots, but Dunleavy has put up some really nice numbers the past couple seasons when healthy. He can score 16-18 a game with good percentages.
Backup- Jason Kapono: What? You really thought I would put Luke Walton on this team? HAH! In all fairness, Kapono is currently tied for the best career three point percentage in the history of the NBA. I'd rather have that coming off the bench than an occasional pretty pass followed by 2 turnovers, 3 missed shots, 4 fouls, and 5 fingers to the face from yours truly (SLAP! I'M RICK JAMES BITCH!!!!)
Shooting Guard- Mike Miller: This guy can flat out stroke the basketball from deep. Miller though, as few people know, can do much more than just catch and shoot. He is also a terrific rebounder for a guard and can create looks for teammates. He averaged 7.4 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game over the final 3 months of last season from the 2-guard spot.
Backup- J.J. Redick: What? You really though I would put Adam Morrison on this team? HAH! No way. Ammo's only good for ripping up the Summer League. While Redick isn't the star some thought he would be in this league, he has improved his game and was at least in the rotation of the Eastern Conference champs last season. And he can still shoot it.
Point Guard- Kirk Hinrich: Sadly Steve Nash doesn't qualify for this team. Oh well. Hinrich has solid starting experience and he was a key component of some young Bulls teams that have made the playoffs the last few seasons. He's a tough defender, good shooter, and good distributor which is really all you need from a point guard.
Backup- Steve Blake: Blake was the starting point for a young Blazers squad that made their first trip to the postseason this past year. He's a solid lead guard who can pass and knock down open jumpers.
11th Man- Chris Andersen: Who better to play garbage time minutes than a guy who's image can define "white trash"?
12th Man- Luke Ridnour: He scored 77 points in an NBA Live game against Raymond Paseman. Yes that's enough for him to get a spot over Walton and Morrison.
1st Team "All Left Handed"
G- Manu Ginobli: His unique angles and drives have made him difficult to guard for years.
G- Michael Redd: One of the best scorers in the NBA does it with a slingshot left-handed launch.
F- Lamar Odom: His long left hand can finger roll basketballs into the hoop from the 3 point line.
F- Troy Murphy: He can shoot threes off that left hand like few bigs can with their right. And he can board it.
C- Chris Bosh: He's got a silky smooth jumper or he can put it on the deck and blow by you.
2nd Team "All Left Handed"
G- Derek Fisher: His left hand has released more big shots than just about anyone else's in history.
G- Delonte West: Had a real nice year for Cleveland this past season. A tough defender and good outside shooter.
F- Tayshaun Prince: Still regarded as an elite defensive stopper and picked up his offensive game last year too.
F- Anthony Randolph: Hasn't made many headlines yet but watch out for him this year.
C- Andris Biedrins- Randolph's teammate has established himself as an elite rebounder and good inside defender.
1st Team "All Overrated"
G- Mo Williams: He went from underrated to overrated in a heartbeat. His assists dropped significantly last year and any half decent shooter could knock down the open looks he got playing with LeBron. Too bad he couldn't make them in the conference finals. Why was he an All Star again?
G- Chauncey Billups: Just hear me out. Billups got way more credit than he deserved for the Nuggets' breakthrough this season. Sure he's a great leader and a great player and he certainly helped Denver out a lot with that, but the biggest help he provided for them was that he was just a better fit for the Nuggets than Allen Iverson. Just because he was a more willing passer, better outside shooter, and took less shots than A.I., it naturally opened up more opportunities for Melo, J.R. Smith, Nene, and the rest of the team to shine. That was the biggest difference. Also, "Mr. Big Shot" isn't as great in the clutch as people portray. Last season, among the top 30 players in the league in points per 48 minutes of clutch time, Billups ranked 25th out of the 30 in clutch field goal percentage at a pedestrian 40.4%. Compare that to teammate Carmelo Anthony who shot an astounding 56.5% in the clutch on more attempts than Billups and you tell me who should take the "big shots" for that team. And he was always an overrated defender when he played for those great defensive Pistons teams. It's like saying Hedo Turkoglu is a lockdown defender because Orlando had the best defense in the league last year. Just stop it okay? Good.
F- Josh Howard: He used to be all the rave when people found out he was a little better than the 30th pick in the draft, and he was rewarded with an All Star appearance. Does anyone want to make that mistake again? Since then Howard has gone from the future of the Mavericks to now possibly just the 5th most important player on the team. Oh and he admittedly smokes weed all day and hates on the national anthem too. You stay classy Josh.
F- Josh Smith: All the high-fying aerial acrobatics makes Smith more of a highlight reel than a complete player. Smith has no offense to speak of other than dunk the ball when he's open near the rim (and sometimes even that doesn't work like when he tried the between-the-legs jam in the middle of a game). For some inexplicable reason he attempts 1.3 3-pointers a game even though he's a 27% career shooter from downtown. You can talk about his elite shot blocking skills, but know that last season he posted his lowest per game blocked shot totals in his career at just 1.6 a game. Not to mention the fact that he shot worse from the free throw line than both Shaquille O'Neal and Dwight Howard last season.
C- Tyson Chandler: I would have loved to put Dwight Howard here, but after the NBA Finals, it seems people finally agree with me on Howard's total lack of an offensive game. And besides, the guy is still the premiere defensive force in the league. So I turn to Chandler. What can he do on offense besides throw down lob passes from Chris Paul? You guessed it. Squadoosh. He has averaged double digit points per game only once in his career. People say he has a ton of value as a rebounder and a shot blocker. Well, in an 8 year career, Chandler has only averaged double digit rebounds per game twice (just 8.7 per game last year) and his blocked shots per 36 minutes have steadily declined over that span, from 2.4 per 36 minutes as a rookie to 1.1 per 36 minutes in '08 (and just 1.4 last year). Oh and he was even worse than Josh Smith from the free throw line last season.
1st Team "All Underrated"
This team is for those players whose names are recognizable, but people still don't give them the accolades they deserve:
G- Jose Calderon: Nobody knew who this guy was until a year and a half ago when he got the starting gig in Toronto after TJ Ford was carried off on a stretcher. Calderon averaged 9.8 assists per game in his first 45 starts and even though he started just 56 games on the year, he still finished with an 8.3 assist per game average over the whole 82. As the full-time starter last season, Calderon quietly put up 13 points and 9 assists per game on 50% from the field, 40% from three, and a staggering 98% from the line.
G- Jamal Crawford: All people seem to know about Crawford is that teams ship him off every couple season. His new employer, the Hawks, are his 4th NBA franchise. What people don't know is how effective Crawford has been in his three previous stops in the league. He's one of the most underrated scorers in the game and can also rack up the assist totals. In the 2007-2008 season, he was just one of a handful of non-point guards to average 20 points and 5 assists per game. He has also scored 50 points in a game for 3 different teams. How many people can say that?
F- Andre Iguodala: The first thing that probably comes to most peoples' minds about Iggy is his sick dunk in the Slam Dunk Contest a few years back (a contest he would have won if Nate Robinson didn't get 25 tries and still got a 50), but he's the total package. Philly's new A.I. is a dynamic scorer from the wing. He can slash, finish, and make big jumpers. His most underrated quality is his excellent defense. He guards the other team's best perimeter scorer night in and night out, does a really good job, and still carries the woeful Sixers offense on the other end. He's proven to be cool in the clutch too, with a pair of buzzer-beating game winners on the road last season, against the two NBA Finals participants no less.
F- Troy Murphy: Murphy has gone unnoticed his whole career, but he shouldn't be. He has the rare ability as a big man to absolutely stroke the ball, but still be a dominant force on the glass. He has basically the same career 3-point percentage as Ray Allen and shot it at a 45% clip last year. He has also averaged a double-double in 4 different seasons including this past one, where he put up 14 and 12.
C- Al Jefferson: Unfortunately for Jefferson, he does not get much exposure. He played on some terrible Celtics teams and was in the Kevin Garnett deal that sent him to a terrible Minnesota team where people hardly see him play. They're missing out on a real treat. Jefferson is probably the most unheralded high school success story. He has put up 3 straight seasons of 11+ rebounds per game, back to back 21-11 years, and last year was the only player in the NBA to average 23 points and 11 rebounds a game. He's already one of the best, if not the best, low post scorer in the league. I hope for his sake he gets to play for a contender some day.
2nd Team "All Underrated"
This one is for the guys people don't hear about but should.
G- Ramon Sessions: Sessions came out of the D-League to put up big numbers, particularly in assists. At the end of the '08 season, Sessions averaged about 8 assists a game as a starter, including one 24 assist performance, something Chris Paul, Steve Nash, and Deron Williams have not achieved. He's proven he can score too. In one game last season he dropped 44 points to go along with 12 assists, the only player in the league to put up such lofty numbers in those two categories in the same game. I have no idea what he has to do to secure a starting role in this league.
G- Francisco Garcia: A real deep sleeper here. I've always liked Garcia since his college days at Louisville. Playing now for the Sacramento Kings, he definitely doesn't garner the attention he should. Garcia is a lights-out shooter who can also be a defensive stopper. He has shot over 39% from downtown each of the last 2 seasons and was one of a handful of players in the league last season to average 1 three, 1 steal, and 1 block per game. That kind of versatility is extremely valuable.
F- Thaddeus Young: He's still developing and getting a feel for the game, but Young made a huge impact in Philadelphia last season. His size and versatility make him an asset, as well as his unique skill set. A little bit like Lamar Odom in terms of the left-handedness, the perimeter skills in a sizable body, the length, and the tools to be a great defender. Young averaged over 15 points a game as a 20 year old, and in his last 14 games in which he saw double digit minutes on the court, he averaged over 22 a game.
F- Anthony Randolph: Here's a guy who didn't even play much his rookie season but I have to put him on this list because of his tantalizing upside. Randolph's raw talent was good enough to make him look beastly towards the end of last season when eccentric coach Don Nelson finally let him loose. In the last 10 games of the '09 season, Randolph averaged 14 points and 11 boards per game and he just tied a Summer League record with 42 points in a game. The league better be on notice about this kid, especially in a system like Golden State's.
C- Joel Przybilla: This guy does yeoman's work for the Potland Trailblazers practically unnoticed. Over the last 2 seasons he's made the Blazers' selection of Greg Oden over Kevin Durant look even more questionable as he has proved himself to be a more than serviceable starting center. Przybilla averaged 13.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per 36 minutes last year, and 12.8/1.8 in '08. Who wouldn't take that from their starting center?
1st Team "All Second Rounders"
2nd round picks who really should not have been:
G- Gilbert Arenas: A lot of teams, including the one that drafted Arenas, wish they had taken a harder look at Hibachi. Drafted with the 2nd pick of the 2nd round (30th overall) in 2001. Players taken before him include: Raul Lopez (24), Jeryl Sasser (22), Joseph Forte (21), Kirk Haston (16), Kedrick Brown (11), Rodney White (9), Desagna Diop (8), Eddie Griffin (7), Eddy Curry (4), Kwame Brown (1)
G- Mo Williams: Yes I may have said he's overrated but I also said he used to be underrated. He definitely should not have been a 2nd rounder, even in such a strong draft class. Drafted with the 18th pick of the second round (47th overall) in 2003. Players taken before him include: Travis Hansen (37), Luke Walton (32), Maciej Lampe (30), Brian Cook (24), Sasha Pavlovic (19), Luke Ridnour (14), Marcus Banks (13), Jarvis Hayes (10), Michael Sweetney (9), Darko Milicic (2)
G/F- Michael Redd: He came into the league as a supposed defensive stopper. Little did people know that not only would he play no defense, but he would become one of the best shooters/scorers in the league. Drafted with the 14th pick of the second round (43rd overall) in 2000. Players taken before him include: Marko Jaric (30), Mark Madsen (29), Speedy Claxton (20), Jamaal Magloire (19), Chris Mihm (7), DerMarr Johnson (6), Marcus Fizer (4), Darius Miles (3), Stromile Swift (2)
F- Rashard Lewis: People didn't want to take a chance on this future All Star right out of high school. Bad idea. Drafted with the 3rd pick of the second round (32nd overall) in 1998. Players taken before him include: Nazr Mohammed (29), Tyronn Lue (23), Brian Skinner (22), Rasho Nesterovic (17), Matt Harpring (15), Bonzi Wells (11), Larry Hughes (8), Robert Traylor (6), Raef LaFrentz (3), Michael Olowokandi (1)
F/C- Carlos Boozer: 2 of his college teammates were top 3 picks in his draft. Neither one of them have been an All Star like Boozer though. Drafted with the 6th pick of the second round (34th overall) in 2002. Players taken before him include: Dan Dickau (28), Kareem Rush (20), Juan Dixon (17), Fred Jones (14), Melvin Ely (12), Jared Jeffries (11), DaJuan Wagner (6), Nikoloz Tskitishvili (5), Drew Gooden (4), Jay Williams (2)
1st Team "All Bust"
Top draft picks who absolutely should not have been. Guys must have played this decade to qualify. Players whose careers were altered by freak injuries (i.e. Jay Williams, Shaun Livingston, Jonathan Bender) get a pass, but inability to stay healthy otherwise is taken into consideration.
G- DaJuan Wagner: There was a lot of hype surounding Wagner coming out of college, though most people don't remember that now. Needless to say, he failed live up to that hype. Drafted 6th overall in 2002. Playes taken after him include: Nene (7), Chris Wilcox (8), Amar'e Stoudamire (9), Caron Butler (10), Tayshaun Prince (23), John Salmons (26), Roger Mason (30), Carlos Boozer (34), Juan Carlos Navarro (39), Flip Murray (41), Matt Barnes (45), Luis Scola (55)
G- Adam Morrison: He had a great college career but you had to know it wasn't going to translate to the NBA right? Well, apparently Michael Jordan didn't know that. The silver lining for Ammo is that he was part of a pretty bad draft class. Drafted 3rd overall in 2006. Players taken after him include: Tyrus Thomas (4), Brandon Roy (6), Randy Foye (7), Rudy Gay (8), Ronnie Brewer (14), Rajon Rondo (21), Daniel Gibson (42), Paul Millsap (47)
F- Darko Milicic: In what could end up as the greatest draft class ever depending upon what these players do over the next decade or so, one player will stand out from the rest. That is Darko Milicic for his complete inability to make an impact on an NBA roster. People gave Joe Dumars a lot of credit for what he did with the Pistons. They seem to forget how he drafted Darko. Drafted 2nd overall in 2003. Players taken after him include: Carmelo Anthony (3), Chris Bosh (4), Dwyane Wade (5), Chis Kaman (6), Kirk Hinrich (7), TJ Ford (8), David West (18), Boris Diaw (21), Travis Outlaw (23), Kendrick Perkins (27), Leandro Barbosa (28), Josh Howard (29), Mo Williams (47)
F/C- Kwame Brown: Drafted straight out of high school by none other than the G.O.A.T. himself , MJ, Kwame was supposed to be the next Shaq. But he fumbled away his opportunity the way he fumbles away most entry passes into him. He's already played for 4 different franchises and once skipped a playoff game to attend a rap concert. Drafted 1st overall (FIRST!!!) in 2001. Players taken after him include: Tyson Chandler (2), Pau Gasol (3), Jason Richardson (5), Shane Battier (6), Joe Johnson (10), Richard Jefferson (13), Troy Murphy (14), Zach Randolph (19), Gerald Wallace (25), Samuel Dalembert (26), Tony Parker (28), Gilbert Arenas (31), Mehmet Okur (37)
C- Michael Olowokandi: The Kandi Man was, in my opinion, the worst #1 pick in the history of the league. He was already 23 when he came into the league and he only had 1 good season in college, at the University of the Pacific of all schools. Only the Clippers could make a pick like this. Drafted 1st overall in 1998. Players taken after him include: Mike Bibby (2), Antawn Jamison (4), Vince Carter (5), Jason Williams (7), Larry Hughes (8), Dirk Nowitzki (9), Paul Pierce (10), Al Harrington (25), Rashard Lewis (32), Rafer Alston (39), Cuttino Mobley (41)
(Did anyone notice that 2 of the 5 biggest busts this decade were selected by the greatest player in NBA history? Ironic isn't it?)
1st Team "All Time"
I started off by describing this one. This is with the assumption that all players are in their prime and would be playing with today's rules against players of today's caliber.
PG- Magic Johnson: Greatest point guard ever. Could make any play, ran the break to perfection with the Showtime Lakers, and is probably the greatest teammate ever. Career stats: 19.5 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 11.2 apg (best all time), 1.9 spg, 52% fg, 85% ft, 12-time All Star, 3-time NBA MVP, 3-time Finals MVP, 9-time All-NBA 1st Team, 5-time NBA champion
SG- Michael Jordan: G.O.A.T. Nuff said. Career stats: 30.1 ppg (best all time), 6.2 rpg, 5.3 apg, 2.3 spg (3rd best all time), 50% fg, 83.5% ft, 14-time All Star, Rookie of the Year, 5-time NBA MVP, 6-time Finals MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, 9-time All-Defensive 1st Team, 10-time All-NBA 1st Team, 6-time NBA champion
SF- Larry Bird: Basketball Jesus was one of the greatest players of all time. There wasn't anything on the court he couldn't do, and given his lack of athleticism, that is quite amazing. One of the greatest shooters of all time as well and the only player in history to average 10+ rebounds and 6+ assists per game over a career. Career stats: 24.3 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 6.3 apg, 1.7 spg, 50% fg, 89% ft, 12-time All Star, Rookie of the Year, 3-time NBA MVP, 2-time Finals MVP, 3-time All-Defensive 2nd Team, 9-time All-NBA 1st Team, 3-time NBA champion
PF- Tim Duncan: The most underrated superstar of all time. People don't notice the way he dominates games with fundamentals instead of flash. He doesn't go for stats, but he always leads his team to victory. He's been arguably the most consistent superstar of all time, putting up basically the same great numbers for 12 straight seasons. Career stats: 21.4 ppg, 11.7 rpg, 3.2 apg, 2.4 bpg, 51% fg, 11-time All Star, Rookie of the Year, 2-time NBA MVP, 3-time Finals MVP, 8-time All-Defensive 1st team, 8-time All-NBA 1st team, 4-time NBA champion
C- Shaquille O'Neal: In his prime he was nothing short of unstoppable, and against better competition than Wilt Chamberlain. That led to the Hack-a-Shaq, because there was just no other way to slow him down. He's also a dominant rebounder and great teammate (though Kobe Bryant would beg to differ). Career stats: 24.7 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 2.6 apg, 2.4 bpg, 58% fg, 15-time All Star, Rookie of the Year, 1 NBA MVP, 3-time Finals MVP, 3-time All-Defensive 2nd Team, 8-time All-NBA 1st Team, 4-time NBA champion
(There are 64 All Star appearances, 4 Rookie of the Year Awards (Magic and Bird were rookies in the same season so only one of them could win it), 14 NBA MVPs, 17 NBA Finals MVPs, 44 All-NBA 1st Team selections, and 22 NBA championships among these 5 players. Wow...)
There you have it. If you have any other ideas or differing opinions drop it as a comment.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
One For the Ages
The title fits both the player and the match. One year after vainly battling Rafael Nadal into the fast-approaching darkness, Roger Federer was embroiled in another epic Wimbledon final, this time against Andy Roddick. Federer came into the match with a career 18-2 record against the hard-serving American. Two of those wins came in a Wimbledon final, back in 2004 and 2005. With all that in mind, many (including myself) believed this would be a routine win for Federer. Sure, Roddick's serve could get him to a tiebreak or two, but no more. Whoops.
Roddick gave Federer fits all day with his booming serve, while his hustle and shotmaking kept Fed from ever feeling comfortably ahead. In fact, it was Andy who could start to feel the comfort first. After saving four break points at 5-all in the first set, Roddick broke Federer in the very next game to take the first set 7-5. Then, in the second set tiebreaker, Roddick jumped out to a 6-2 lead and held 4 set points to go up 2 sets to none. As we have all witnessed before, Federer stepped his game up in the clutch, winning the next 6 points (including a shanked volley that Roddick really should have put away) to complete a startling comeback and leveling the match. The third set went much the same way, except it was Federer jumping to a big lead in the tiebreak and holding it to go up 2 sets to 1. It looked like Roddick was out of luck. He went from being on the verge of a 2-0 set lead to facing elimination if he lost one more set. But he kept fighting. In addition to his serve and his forehand, his backhand was superb, and he passed Federer many times off of that wing. Roddick came up with an early break in the fourth set to go up 3-1, and served it out to 6-3 leveling the match at 2 sets apiece. Thus far both men had served reamarkably well, but the difference was Roddick's 2 breaks of serve to Federer's 0. As the fifth set went on, Roddick's serve looked impenetrable. He blistered bombs as hard as 143 mph and got his first serve in around 70% of the time. The only thing keeping Federer in the match was his own savvy serving. Federer served his way to a career high 50 aces (FIFTY!!!), 22 of them in the deciding set, and when Roddick had 2 break points at 8-all, Federer revved up a couple more unreturnable first serves. Roddick kept holding on, despite the pressure of having to serve to stay alive 11 straight times. At 15-14, Federer found the chink in Roddick's serve armor. He got out to a 30-0 lead in the game, putting himself in position to finish Andy off. Roddick dug in and fought back valiantly, but Federer earned himself a championship point and cashed in with a crisp crosscourt backhand that Roddick was unable to return in play. The Swiss star jumped for joy as he was once again crowned Wimbledon king.
I really have to commend Andy Roddick for his will and all around stellar play. I've been saying for years that he's just a big serve and a forehand, not Grand Slam material. But the improvements he's made in his game (particularly his backhand and movement) as well as his fighting spirit really impressed me. He looked like he expected to win out there, despite being on the losing end in 18 of his 20 career matches against Federer. He made shot after shot and served lights out, holding his first 37 service games until the one that ended the match. You could tell how badly he wanted this one, as the tears welled up in his eyes after the gallant defeat. I thought it was unimaginable that he could push Federer to 5 sets, let alone to 14-all in the final frame. He made Federer move and played defense about as well as I've ever seen him play it. Unfortunately for him, he just couldn't break through in that last set. Federer proved he was just too good, but there can be no shame in Roddick's result. He is going to be a force to be reckoned with at the U.S. Open, where his lone major championship came.
As for Roger Federer...he did it. Fifteen Grand Slam tournament championships, now officially the most all time, moving past Pete Sampras who was on hand to observe the feat. Federer was pushed to the limit by a man he's been so used to dominating, but he never let his struggles or frustration get to him. His serve was unbelievable, the way he kept dialing up aces and service winners to hold his serve. He looked overmatched at times by Roddick's power and pace, but in the end his grace made the win look as effortless as a 16-14 marathon fifth set could look. This was Federer's sixth Wimbledon title (all coming in the last 7 years) and with it he regains the world #1 ranking as of tomorrow. This achievement again begs the question: is he the greatest of all time? I spoke to this point in my blog post after he won the French (you can look in the June archive for that one) and I still think he has not yet clinched G.O.A.T. status. He is definitely in the top 2, but it is hard to say how many majors Rod Laver would have won had he not had to skip those tournaments for 5 years in his prime. Plus Laver won a calendar Grand Slam (winning all four majors in the same calendar year) not once but twice, the only man ever to do so. To put it beyond doubt, I think Federer needs to win at least 2 and maybe 3 more majors and hold on this #1 ranking for another year or so. The only thing missing on his resume is an Olympic gold medal in singles, which he can get right there on Centre Court in 2012. People have been talking about his demise for the last year, but since then he has reached the finals of all 4 majors and has won 3 of them. The tennis world is on notice, Roger Federer is not finished yet.
Roddick gave Federer fits all day with his booming serve, while his hustle and shotmaking kept Fed from ever feeling comfortably ahead. In fact, it was Andy who could start to feel the comfort first. After saving four break points at 5-all in the first set, Roddick broke Federer in the very next game to take the first set 7-5. Then, in the second set tiebreaker, Roddick jumped out to a 6-2 lead and held 4 set points to go up 2 sets to none. As we have all witnessed before, Federer stepped his game up in the clutch, winning the next 6 points (including a shanked volley that Roddick really should have put away) to complete a startling comeback and leveling the match. The third set went much the same way, except it was Federer jumping to a big lead in the tiebreak and holding it to go up 2 sets to 1. It looked like Roddick was out of luck. He went from being on the verge of a 2-0 set lead to facing elimination if he lost one more set. But he kept fighting. In addition to his serve and his forehand, his backhand was superb, and he passed Federer many times off of that wing. Roddick came up with an early break in the fourth set to go up 3-1, and served it out to 6-3 leveling the match at 2 sets apiece. Thus far both men had served reamarkably well, but the difference was Roddick's 2 breaks of serve to Federer's 0. As the fifth set went on, Roddick's serve looked impenetrable. He blistered bombs as hard as 143 mph and got his first serve in around 70% of the time. The only thing keeping Federer in the match was his own savvy serving. Federer served his way to a career high 50 aces (FIFTY!!!), 22 of them in the deciding set, and when Roddick had 2 break points at 8-all, Federer revved up a couple more unreturnable first serves. Roddick kept holding on, despite the pressure of having to serve to stay alive 11 straight times. At 15-14, Federer found the chink in Roddick's serve armor. He got out to a 30-0 lead in the game, putting himself in position to finish Andy off. Roddick dug in and fought back valiantly, but Federer earned himself a championship point and cashed in with a crisp crosscourt backhand that Roddick was unable to return in play. The Swiss star jumped for joy as he was once again crowned Wimbledon king.
I really have to commend Andy Roddick for his will and all around stellar play. I've been saying for years that he's just a big serve and a forehand, not Grand Slam material. But the improvements he's made in his game (particularly his backhand and movement) as well as his fighting spirit really impressed me. He looked like he expected to win out there, despite being on the losing end in 18 of his 20 career matches against Federer. He made shot after shot and served lights out, holding his first 37 service games until the one that ended the match. You could tell how badly he wanted this one, as the tears welled up in his eyes after the gallant defeat. I thought it was unimaginable that he could push Federer to 5 sets, let alone to 14-all in the final frame. He made Federer move and played defense about as well as I've ever seen him play it. Unfortunately for him, he just couldn't break through in that last set. Federer proved he was just too good, but there can be no shame in Roddick's result. He is going to be a force to be reckoned with at the U.S. Open, where his lone major championship came.
As for Roger Federer...he did it. Fifteen Grand Slam tournament championships, now officially the most all time, moving past Pete Sampras who was on hand to observe the feat. Federer was pushed to the limit by a man he's been so used to dominating, but he never let his struggles or frustration get to him. His serve was unbelievable, the way he kept dialing up aces and service winners to hold his serve. He looked overmatched at times by Roddick's power and pace, but in the end his grace made the win look as effortless as a 16-14 marathon fifth set could look. This was Federer's sixth Wimbledon title (all coming in the last 7 years) and with it he regains the world #1 ranking as of tomorrow. This achievement again begs the question: is he the greatest of all time? I spoke to this point in my blog post after he won the French (you can look in the June archive for that one) and I still think he has not yet clinched G.O.A.T. status. He is definitely in the top 2, but it is hard to say how many majors Rod Laver would have won had he not had to skip those tournaments for 5 years in his prime. Plus Laver won a calendar Grand Slam (winning all four majors in the same calendar year) not once but twice, the only man ever to do so. To put it beyond doubt, I think Federer needs to win at least 2 and maybe 3 more majors and hold on this #1 ranking for another year or so. The only thing missing on his resume is an Olympic gold medal in singles, which he can get right there on Centre Court in 2012. People have been talking about his demise for the last year, but since then he has reached the finals of all 4 majors and has won 3 of them. The tennis world is on notice, Roger Federer is not finished yet.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Rebuilding the Clippers
To be honest, my absolute dream job would be to be the General Manager of an NBA franchise. It is also a desire of mine to live my entire life in beautiful Southern California, particularly in the vicinity of Los Angeles. The Lakers, from Los Angeles of course, also happen to be my favorite team. Put it all together and my dream job is the position of General Manager of the Los Angeles Lakers (currently held by inadequate but lucky Mitch Kupchak). But I'm a realist. The Lakers are the most prestigious franchise in NBA history and I am sure they have no intention of handing over the keys to their team to some punk kid with no basketball experience and a (I hope) degree in Bioengineering. However, there is one more NBA team in Los Angeles. That's right, the Clippers. I would settle for the Clippers (mostly because I would be getting paid bank, but hey, I get to be an NBA GM also), even though they were just rated by ESPN the Magazine as the WORST North American pro sports franchise in terms of "how much they give back to fans for all the emotion, money and time fans invest in their favorite teams". The absolute worst out of the 122 franchises comprising the NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL. Ouch. Yet, they are the obvious choice. They need to turn their ship around fast and I think I'm just the guy to do it (Did I mention I was a realist? Forget I said that). Impossible you say? Deep down in my heart I agree, but don't tell that to whoever's going to hire me.
The Clippers need to create some positive buzz. Drafting Blake Griffin certainly helps, but most fans' problems occur with the team's management. That's why the best thing to do would be to get a new owner because Donald Sterling is just a crook who's robbing Clippers fans of their hard-earned money. Unfortunately, it's basically impossible to get rid of an owner if they are not willing to sell the team so throw that out the window. So the first tangible move for the Clippers to make would be to FIRE MIKE DUNLEAVY!!!!! PLEASE!!! I AM BEGGING YOU!! PUT YOUR LOVING HAND OUT BABY!! Oh...sorry...got a little carried away there. But I'm not even a Clippers fan and I HATE seeing this guy coach the team. And oh by the way, he's also acting as their GM. Bad idea. It's indescribable how bad this guy is. No one wants to play for him. The Clippers are notorious for not being able to hold on to their good players. Lamar Odom, Corey Maggette, and Elton Brand are just a few of the big names who took their first opportunity to bolt Clipperland. Last year's big free agent acquisition Baron Davis didn't even play half the season before he declared he wanted out. Let's do a little comparison of the top 6 rotation players of two teams:
Clippers-- Baron Davis, Eric Gordon, Al Thornton, Zach Randolph, Chris Kaman, Marcus Camby
Hornets-- Chris Paul, Morris Peterson, James Posey, Peja Stojakovic, David West, Tyson Chandler
Talent-wise those rotations are pretty even, I might even give the Clips a slight edge. So how do you explain the fact that the Clippers only won 19 games while New Orleans won 49?? It's not injuries, because both teams had them. Those 6 for the Hornets averaged 63 games played each on the season, while those 6 for the Clippers averaged 59.5 games played each. You can't tell me that explains why the Hornets won 60% of their games and the Clippers won a mere 23%. The top 6 for the Hornets only played 3.5 more games as a unit, yet won 30 more games with equal or even slightly less talent. It's the coach/GM Mike Dunleavy. As a GM he's brought in talented guys, but many of them are either locker room killers or they don't mesh with one another. He's also brought in some bad contracts (see Zach Randolph and Baron Davis). So step one is relieving Dunleavy of his GM duties and replacing him with yours truly. Why not make a splash with your next GM and stir up your fan base a little? My first move as General Manager of the Los Angeles Clippers will be to fire coach Dunleavy. That move alone will make me a hero among the Clippers faithful, all 12 of them. Dunleavy's got to be out as coach. He has a team as talented as the Clippers, but he can't even win 20 games with them, plays the wrong style, butts heads with one of the best point guards in the league, and can't get his own players to play for him. For more evidence, just read this. I haven't decided on a coach yet, but I would definitely hire a guy who pushes the pace on offense and build a team around that concept. I'm not talking Phoenix Suns 7 seconds or less, but more of what the Denver Nuggets do, pushing the ball and getting good shots to score a bunch of points. With that in mind, I restructure the roster.
Next up on my agenda....clear some of the dead weight. I mentioned the locker room killers and bad contracts earlier. Now it's time to ship them out. First, Zach Randolph. He's a great great player. Only 4 players in the NBA averaged at least 20 points and 10 rebounds per game last year. Randolph was one of them. Quick trivia- who has more 20-10 seasons, Pau Gasol or Zach Randolph? Answer: Randolph 3, Gasol 0. He's a walking 20-10. He's one of the best low-post scorers in the league. But he's got a terrible contract. He's owed $16 million this upcoming season and $17.33 million the year after that. I know I just said he's a great player, but he's not worth that money. Randolph is a notorious cancer. He was the ringleader of the infamous Jailblazers teams a few years ago. He used to be known as the "Black Hole", as in, once the ball is in his hands, it's not coming back out. He's a power forward who jacks up a ton of threes. He got suspended for 2 games for throwing a punch at the Suns' Louis Amundson. When asked to explain himself, he claimed he thought Amundson was about to kiss him. This is not someone you want to mentor young Blake Griffin. Trust me. He's still worth something to certain teams, so you trade him and it gets rid of the bad contract, the bad chemistry, and clears space in the front court for Griffin to get major minutes. So who would take Randolph? Only a team desperate for a low-post threat that could turn them into contenders right now. Enter the Chicago Bulls. They had a great run in the playoffs last year falling in that brilliant series against the Celtics. And they did it playing perimeter basketball. Imagine what they could have done with a guy putting up 20-10 down on the block. Now with their best perimeter scorer, Ben Gordon, jumping ship to the Pistons, the Bulls are in even more need for a guy to fill the scoring void, particularly down on the block. And they have the assets to acquire him. Here's the deal I make: Zach Randolph and 2 first round picks for Krik Hinrich, Tyrus Thomas, and Anthony Roberson. The Bulls are looking to deal Hinrich, who is due $9.5 million just to back up Derrick Rose. Tyrus Thomas hasn't exactly set the world on fire, so he is an attractive asset that is expendable. And Roberson is just in there to make the salaries work. The Clippers have a team option on reserve guard Alex Acker, who has the same contract as Roberson, so they can just decline the option and they won't take on that added salary. The Bulls field a dangerous starting lineup next year with Randolph, Brad Miller, and Luol Deng up front and Derrick Rose and John Salmons in the back court. They also get 2 first rounders as added compensation. The Clippers get rid of Z-Bo and get back a smart point guard who can shoot, distribute the ball, and play tough defense, as well as an athletic, versatile forward who can run the floor, block shots, rebound a little, and finish with authority around the basket, and he's still developing. Both Hinrich and Thomas will fit the uptempo system I would install very well and this deal saves the Clips $1 million this season. (Side note: I plugged in this trade into the ESPN.com trade machine and it came out successful. According to that, the Clippers are projected to add 3 wins with this trade and the Bulls are projected to add 1)
You may ask why I would bring in a high priced point guard when another talented, high priced point guard is already on the roster. Good question. Baron Davis wanted out last year, and I'll see that he goes. It makes me sad, because he is one of my favorite players, but it's best for all parties involved. Davis is still owed a ridiculous $54 million over the next 4 seasons and his talent and age still make him an attractive commodity on the trading block. The way I'm building this team, I just want my point guard to be able to push the ball, distribute the ball, shoot the ball well from deep, and play defense. Hinrich does all that admirably (the last two better than Davis) and he does it for considerably less money. So who's in the market for Baron Davis? Well, the Houston Rockets have gotten word that Yao Ming's upcoming season and possibly his entire career is in jeopardy, and Tracy McGrady is coming off microfracture surgery as well. It's time for them to rebuild. I'm giving them that chance. This is the deal: Baron Davis, Chris Kaman, Al Thornton, and Ricky Davis for Tracy McGrady, Shane Battier, and a first round pick. Kaman gives the Rockets another 7 footer to build around. Two years ago he was putting up 18-13 with 3 blocks a game before getting injured. He's still young and is a great centerpiece. Baron Davis gives them a high quality offensive point guard who is a major upgrade over Aaron Brooks. Thornton is a young forward who's already a good scorer and is still developing. Ricky Davis is a proven scorer in this league. With all this offensive talent pouring into the hands of a great offensive coach in Rick Adelman, the Rockets can immediately contend this year in the west. They also get rid of Tracy McGrady like they've been wanting to do and this deal saves them $3 million this season to free up some money to re-sign Ron Artest or pursue another free agent. The Clippers shed Baron's bad contract, Kaman's bad contract, and a bad locker room guy in Ricky Davis. Sure I had to give up Al Thornton but I honestly feel he's overrated and I want to deal him while his trade value is still high. The Clippers get back the best perimeter defender in the league in Shane Battier, which is important in an offensive team, and his ability to hit open threes fits into my offense. Tracy McGrady is a gamble. He will miss some time at the start of the season, but I want to develop Eric Gordon so I am in no rush to bring T-Mac back. If he does return relatively healthy, we all know what kind of talent he has and at 30 years old, he can still play at a high level for 25-30 minutes a night and give this team a huge boost. The best part is his $23.24 million contract comes off the books at the end of the season, freeing up major cap room for the tantalizing list of free agents available next summer. We also get back one of the first round picks we traded away to Chicago. (Side note: I plugged this one into the trade machine as well. The Clips' wins don't change. The Rockets are expected to lose 2 more games, but it doesn't take into account the fact that Yao Ming may not play a game and that Houston will have Trevor Ariza instead of Ron Artest. If it did take those things into account, I'm confident the this trade would project quite a few wins to the Rockets)
That's it for the major shakeups. We still have to sign Blake Griffin which will cost about $5-6 million for this year. We also need Steve Novak to sign our $1 million qualifying offer for this season. After that I think there's only one more piece to add. To round out this roster, I think we need another tough swingman who is willing to hustle and play defense, and has the ability to knock down open threes. The man I have in mind is Matt Barnes. Sign him to a similar 1 year $800K contract like the Suns gave him last year and you have a re-tooled Clippers team ready to compete. Here's the breakdown:
The Clippers need to create some positive buzz. Drafting Blake Griffin certainly helps, but most fans' problems occur with the team's management. That's why the best thing to do would be to get a new owner because Donald Sterling is just a crook who's robbing Clippers fans of their hard-earned money. Unfortunately, it's basically impossible to get rid of an owner if they are not willing to sell the team so throw that out the window. So the first tangible move for the Clippers to make would be to FIRE MIKE DUNLEAVY!!!!! PLEASE!!! I AM BEGGING YOU!! PUT YOUR LOVING HAND OUT BABY!! Oh...sorry...got a little carried away there. But I'm not even a Clippers fan and I HATE seeing this guy coach the team. And oh by the way, he's also acting as their GM. Bad idea. It's indescribable how bad this guy is. No one wants to play for him. The Clippers are notorious for not being able to hold on to their good players. Lamar Odom, Corey Maggette, and Elton Brand are just a few of the big names who took their first opportunity to bolt Clipperland. Last year's big free agent acquisition Baron Davis didn't even play half the season before he declared he wanted out. Let's do a little comparison of the top 6 rotation players of two teams:
Clippers-- Baron Davis, Eric Gordon, Al Thornton, Zach Randolph, Chris Kaman, Marcus Camby
Hornets-- Chris Paul, Morris Peterson, James Posey, Peja Stojakovic, David West, Tyson Chandler
Talent-wise those rotations are pretty even, I might even give the Clips a slight edge. So how do you explain the fact that the Clippers only won 19 games while New Orleans won 49?? It's not injuries, because both teams had them. Those 6 for the Hornets averaged 63 games played each on the season, while those 6 for the Clippers averaged 59.5 games played each. You can't tell me that explains why the Hornets won 60% of their games and the Clippers won a mere 23%. The top 6 for the Hornets only played 3.5 more games as a unit, yet won 30 more games with equal or even slightly less talent. It's the coach/GM Mike Dunleavy. As a GM he's brought in talented guys, but many of them are either locker room killers or they don't mesh with one another. He's also brought in some bad contracts (see Zach Randolph and Baron Davis). So step one is relieving Dunleavy of his GM duties and replacing him with yours truly. Why not make a splash with your next GM and stir up your fan base a little? My first move as General Manager of the Los Angeles Clippers will be to fire coach Dunleavy. That move alone will make me a hero among the Clippers faithful, all 12 of them. Dunleavy's got to be out as coach. He has a team as talented as the Clippers, but he can't even win 20 games with them, plays the wrong style, butts heads with one of the best point guards in the league, and can't get his own players to play for him. For more evidence, just read this. I haven't decided on a coach yet, but I would definitely hire a guy who pushes the pace on offense and build a team around that concept. I'm not talking Phoenix Suns 7 seconds or less, but more of what the Denver Nuggets do, pushing the ball and getting good shots to score a bunch of points. With that in mind, I restructure the roster.
Next up on my agenda....clear some of the dead weight. I mentioned the locker room killers and bad contracts earlier. Now it's time to ship them out. First, Zach Randolph. He's a great great player. Only 4 players in the NBA averaged at least 20 points and 10 rebounds per game last year. Randolph was one of them. Quick trivia- who has more 20-10 seasons, Pau Gasol or Zach Randolph? Answer: Randolph 3, Gasol 0. He's a walking 20-10. He's one of the best low-post scorers in the league. But he's got a terrible contract. He's owed $16 million this upcoming season and $17.33 million the year after that. I know I just said he's a great player, but he's not worth that money. Randolph is a notorious cancer. He was the ringleader of the infamous Jailblazers teams a few years ago. He used to be known as the "Black Hole", as in, once the ball is in his hands, it's not coming back out. He's a power forward who jacks up a ton of threes. He got suspended for 2 games for throwing a punch at the Suns' Louis Amundson. When asked to explain himself, he claimed he thought Amundson was about to kiss him. This is not someone you want to mentor young Blake Griffin. Trust me. He's still worth something to certain teams, so you trade him and it gets rid of the bad contract, the bad chemistry, and clears space in the front court for Griffin to get major minutes. So who would take Randolph? Only a team desperate for a low-post threat that could turn them into contenders right now. Enter the Chicago Bulls. They had a great run in the playoffs last year falling in that brilliant series against the Celtics. And they did it playing perimeter basketball. Imagine what they could have done with a guy putting up 20-10 down on the block. Now with their best perimeter scorer, Ben Gordon, jumping ship to the Pistons, the Bulls are in even more need for a guy to fill the scoring void, particularly down on the block. And they have the assets to acquire him. Here's the deal I make: Zach Randolph and 2 first round picks for Krik Hinrich, Tyrus Thomas, and Anthony Roberson. The Bulls are looking to deal Hinrich, who is due $9.5 million just to back up Derrick Rose. Tyrus Thomas hasn't exactly set the world on fire, so he is an attractive asset that is expendable. And Roberson is just in there to make the salaries work. The Clippers have a team option on reserve guard Alex Acker, who has the same contract as Roberson, so they can just decline the option and they won't take on that added salary. The Bulls field a dangerous starting lineup next year with Randolph, Brad Miller, and Luol Deng up front and Derrick Rose and John Salmons in the back court. They also get 2 first rounders as added compensation. The Clippers get rid of Z-Bo and get back a smart point guard who can shoot, distribute the ball, and play tough defense, as well as an athletic, versatile forward who can run the floor, block shots, rebound a little, and finish with authority around the basket, and he's still developing. Both Hinrich and Thomas will fit the uptempo system I would install very well and this deal saves the Clips $1 million this season. (Side note: I plugged in this trade into the ESPN.com trade machine and it came out successful. According to that, the Clippers are projected to add 3 wins with this trade and the Bulls are projected to add 1)
You may ask why I would bring in a high priced point guard when another talented, high priced point guard is already on the roster. Good question. Baron Davis wanted out last year, and I'll see that he goes. It makes me sad, because he is one of my favorite players, but it's best for all parties involved. Davis is still owed a ridiculous $54 million over the next 4 seasons and his talent and age still make him an attractive commodity on the trading block. The way I'm building this team, I just want my point guard to be able to push the ball, distribute the ball, shoot the ball well from deep, and play defense. Hinrich does all that admirably (the last two better than Davis) and he does it for considerably less money. So who's in the market for Baron Davis? Well, the Houston Rockets have gotten word that Yao Ming's upcoming season and possibly his entire career is in jeopardy, and Tracy McGrady is coming off microfracture surgery as well. It's time for them to rebuild. I'm giving them that chance. This is the deal: Baron Davis, Chris Kaman, Al Thornton, and Ricky Davis for Tracy McGrady, Shane Battier, and a first round pick. Kaman gives the Rockets another 7 footer to build around. Two years ago he was putting up 18-13 with 3 blocks a game before getting injured. He's still young and is a great centerpiece. Baron Davis gives them a high quality offensive point guard who is a major upgrade over Aaron Brooks. Thornton is a young forward who's already a good scorer and is still developing. Ricky Davis is a proven scorer in this league. With all this offensive talent pouring into the hands of a great offensive coach in Rick Adelman, the Rockets can immediately contend this year in the west. They also get rid of Tracy McGrady like they've been wanting to do and this deal saves them $3 million this season to free up some money to re-sign Ron Artest or pursue another free agent. The Clippers shed Baron's bad contract, Kaman's bad contract, and a bad locker room guy in Ricky Davis. Sure I had to give up Al Thornton but I honestly feel he's overrated and I want to deal him while his trade value is still high. The Clippers get back the best perimeter defender in the league in Shane Battier, which is important in an offensive team, and his ability to hit open threes fits into my offense. Tracy McGrady is a gamble. He will miss some time at the start of the season, but I want to develop Eric Gordon so I am in no rush to bring T-Mac back. If he does return relatively healthy, we all know what kind of talent he has and at 30 years old, he can still play at a high level for 25-30 minutes a night and give this team a huge boost. The best part is his $23.24 million contract comes off the books at the end of the season, freeing up major cap room for the tantalizing list of free agents available next summer. We also get back one of the first round picks we traded away to Chicago. (Side note: I plugged this one into the trade machine as well. The Clips' wins don't change. The Rockets are expected to lose 2 more games, but it doesn't take into account the fact that Yao Ming may not play a game and that Houston will have Trevor Ariza instead of Ron Artest. If it did take those things into account, I'm confident the this trade would project quite a few wins to the Rockets)
That's it for the major shakeups. We still have to sign Blake Griffin which will cost about $5-6 million for this year. We also need Steve Novak to sign our $1 million qualifying offer for this season. After that I think there's only one more piece to add. To round out this roster, I think we need another tough swingman who is willing to hustle and play defense, and has the ability to knock down open threes. The man I have in mind is Matt Barnes. Sign him to a similar 1 year $800K contract like the Suns gave him last year and you have a re-tooled Clippers team ready to compete. Here's the breakdown:
Starting Lineup:
- Kirk Hinrich
- Tracy McGrady / Eric Gordon
- Shane Battier
- Blake Griffin
- Marcus Camby
Depth Chart:
1- Kirk Hinrich / Mike Taylor / Mardy Collins / Anthony Roberson
2- Tracy McGrady / Eric Gordon / Shane Battier
3- Shane Battier / Matt Barnes / Steve Novak / Tracy McGrady / Tyrus Thomas
4- Blake Griffin / Tyrus Thomas / Steve Novak / Brian Skinner
5- Marcus Camby / DeAndre Jordan / Brian Skinner
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