Wait, was that game available on ESPN3? The whole tourney was on ESPN3 except the Final? What the what? I watched both semi-finals, would love to be able to see the Final some day.
Portugal 5-0 Germany. Wow, don't see a German just get drop kicked very often. Portugal as so confident on the ball, attacked the goal all the time from all directions. The Germans were solid athletes but the D was shaky and the offense was inconsistent, they were German but not as German as they will be in 4-5 years.
Sweden 2-1 Denmark. Sweden finished their early opportunities, Denmark just couldn't get back into it. Evenly matched, both sides were solid.
Portugal was the best of those four but Sweden should be able to counterattack better than the Germans.
(EDIT)
Sweden (5-4) 0-0 Portugal
Yes, the game was on ESPN3. Hell of a battle. Against the Germans, Portugal was able to layer their attack so they were constantly rolling in attackers in a way that just riddled the German defense. But the Swedes were happy to flatten out the back and hold Portugal to mostly outside shots which never connected. The Swedes looked more dangerous around the goal, more comfortable around the goal but they never connected either. I used to hate penalty kicks but now I kinda get sucked in by them. Great save to win it. Good stuff. We'll be seeing a lot of those guys again in the future.
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
NBA Bric-a-Brac
First things first: Pero Antic to Fenerbache. Antic is the classic case of one of those dudes you root for because you want him to be good but really he's not that good. I suspect at Fenerbache he'll get more minutes, more reps and be a more integral part of the offense that he ever was with the Hawks. Antic is early 30s but I'd say still good enough to maybe be a difference maker for Fenerbache. Good luck, Pero.
Ridnour and cash considerations to Raptors; a trade exception to Thunder. Ridnour is into that portion of his career where his contract can be still useful but his game cannot. Doubt we'll see him Toronto's pre-season camps, might see his contract get moved once or twice before next summer. I suppose there's a team or two that would be willing to bring him in, but I'm telling ya, he is bad at basketball, I guarantee there are undrafted guys vastly better, cheaper, younger, more motivated than Ridnour. I doubt we'll ever see him on the court again.
Wade (Heat) opts out. I assume this opt-out is just the mechanism to get a raise from the Heat. He'll get some photo ops, try to blow up your Yahoo news for a week or so, but I don't see him playing anyway ever besides the Heat. Who wants to pay a gajillion dollars for an every once in a while Dwyane Wade? Heat will....but why would anyone else? Wade will spend his entire career with the Heat, a rarity in sports these days, he's not going anywhere, but I assume he'll get a very nice raise for 3 more years.
Lebron (Cavs) opts out. Lebron will opt out every year if need be to get exactly what he wants. Good for him, badasses like him are rare and I never failed to be impressed by the guy, I think everything he does is measured, well-considered and usually absolutely correct. Lebron wants to make sure management does exactly what he wants and management will do what he wants. And they should, he's right. Give him the roster he wants, the coach he wants, the money he wants, the influence he wants, just give it to him. Lebron is the Cavs, how could he ever leave?
Cavs pick up option on Mozgov; Miller opts in; Cavs tender offers to Shumpert, Dellevadova; rumored to be offering max deal to Love. Looks like the whole gang'll be back next year for the Cavs. And supposedly Smith wants back too. Another rumor is getting Tiago Splitter for Brendan Haywood's kooky contract (he'd give them plenty of depth). Personally I'd make Miller go away and let Smith and Dellevadova walk because I think they can do better with the MLE or BAE but if Lebron likes those guys, then go ahead and keep those guys (if he doesn't, get rid of them). That team should dominate the East for 5-6 more years. They could be more flexible, maybe even a little better, but Lebron wants what Lebron wants and that's what the Cavs need to do.
Hinrich (Bulls) opts in. Still a nice player off the bench, been with the Bulls forever, still good enough to bring back.
Magic waive Gordon; reach a deal with Barcelona for Hezonja. Last summer the Magic signed Gordon and Ridnour and I could not for the life of me figure out why they picked up either of those guys. It took one expensive year but now they're both gone. Not good signings but could've been worse, call it a sunk cost and move on. Barcelona needed a transfer fee to release Hezonja (think it was around $1.4m, seems reasonable), Magic worked it out. I think the first day they can sign him is July 10, I assume we'll see Hezonja signed sometime around then.
Ellis (Mavs) opts out. He's a for-real scorer and he'll get paid. Some buzzed about teams: Lakers (Monta and Kobe together? That sounds excruciating) and Hawks (he's not a 'team concept' guy but I think it could be a good fit). I'd suggest Sixers (they won't pay him but they could use an unconscious veteran scorer) Raptors (sign and trades Derozan for Ellis? I guess that could happen), Nuggets (hey, man, that roster could be all kinds of different by the end of the summer). Not sure where he goes, his game is his game so which team does he fit best?
Warriors pick up option on Speights. The Warriors must get rid of Lee, I thought they might let Speights go too. I like Speights, think he's a good fit for the Warriors.
Thunder hire Monty Williams, Maurice Cheeks. Hmm, did Billy Donovan hire his own staff? Plenty of NBA veteran-ness on the bench beside Donovan there, a security blanket for some guys, a built-in firing squad for others. In this case, I'd say Donovan's good in OKC for at least 3 years and Williams and Cheeks are just padding their resumes til they can get head coaching gigs somewhere else.
Deng (Heat) opts in. Early rumors were that Deng would opt in and set sail with Dwyane Wade...but why would that happen? Deng has 1 yr/$10.5m left with the Heat, he's a nice piece coming off the bench there, I'd say keep it together for one more year.
Heat declines option on Beasley. Tsk, tsk. Once upon a time Beasley was the #2 pick (by the Heat) and to my eye the most likely to be a star in the NBA. But turns out Beasley was just such a douche, he could never keep it together in any environment to contribute. Miami was the last place that would give him a shot, and he wasn't bad coming off the bench last year. No one else will want this guy, I'd say he's off to China.
And some rumors....
Gasol (Grizzlies) thought to be re-upping for max. Yeah, he's a heart on his sleeve kinda guy, everyone knows he loves the Grizzlies, loves the town, loves his crew, no one thinks he's going anywhere else. Likewise, anything short of a max deal from the Grizzlies would be a bit disappointing. Marriage made in heaven, and put Gasol right behind Wade as the next big star to spend his entire career with one team (oh, were you thinking Kobe would never play anywhere but the Lakers? I'm not so sure, I reckon we'll see Kobe for at last 2-3 more years).
Pelicans to offer max to Davis. Yup, ya damn right they will. I assume the max was offered in a gold plated dump truck surrounded by dudes in suits bowing and averting their gazes. I reckon he'll sign, don't think there's any advantage for him to take a shorter deal.
Is John Calipari leaving Kentucky for Sacramento? No. Heh, heh, Sacramento? Bwah-ha-ha! Come on, man, Cal would leave Kentucky for the perfect gig but Sacramento is not anybody's idea of the 'perfect' anything. Perfect for Cal: still a whole summer left of figuring out whether Blatt is back in Cleveland, that's a gig Cal would (should) want. Other than that, we'll see what the Lakers have going next summer but otherwise I don't see any other NBA gigs that would interest Calipari in the next year. And I don't see him being interested in Sacramento ever under any circumstances.
Lakers may make offer to Butler (Bulls). Supposedly Butler wants to leave Chicago but as a restricted free agent he's probably not going to leave (don't think the Lakers have any assets for a sign and trade), so supposedly he wants the shortest possible contract with the Bulls (which I think would be 3 years). I don't see Butler going to the Lakers any time soon but if the interest is mutual maybe somewhere down the line it could happen. I think Butler would fit nicely with the Pacers, put him next to PG, that'd be some gnarly D.
Cavs want Dunleavy (Bulls); Bulls want to re-sign Dunleavy, I thought the Bulls would let him walk but if Lebron wants him then suddenly the Bulls don't want him to go. Dunleavy is the quintessential reliable veteran right now, not gonna carry a team but gives predictably decent minutes on the court. I can see Lebron liking that guy.
Two cents: I think Aldridge goes back to Portland.
Ridnour and cash considerations to Raptors; a trade exception to Thunder. Ridnour is into that portion of his career where his contract can be still useful but his game cannot. Doubt we'll see him Toronto's pre-season camps, might see his contract get moved once or twice before next summer. I suppose there's a team or two that would be willing to bring him in, but I'm telling ya, he is bad at basketball, I guarantee there are undrafted guys vastly better, cheaper, younger, more motivated than Ridnour. I doubt we'll ever see him on the court again.
Wade (Heat) opts out. I assume this opt-out is just the mechanism to get a raise from the Heat. He'll get some photo ops, try to blow up your Yahoo news for a week or so, but I don't see him playing anyway ever besides the Heat. Who wants to pay a gajillion dollars for an every once in a while Dwyane Wade? Heat will....but why would anyone else? Wade will spend his entire career with the Heat, a rarity in sports these days, he's not going anywhere, but I assume he'll get a very nice raise for 3 more years.
Lebron (Cavs) opts out. Lebron will opt out every year if need be to get exactly what he wants. Good for him, badasses like him are rare and I never failed to be impressed by the guy, I think everything he does is measured, well-considered and usually absolutely correct. Lebron wants to make sure management does exactly what he wants and management will do what he wants. And they should, he's right. Give him the roster he wants, the coach he wants, the money he wants, the influence he wants, just give it to him. Lebron is the Cavs, how could he ever leave?
Cavs pick up option on Mozgov; Miller opts in; Cavs tender offers to Shumpert, Dellevadova; rumored to be offering max deal to Love. Looks like the whole gang'll be back next year for the Cavs. And supposedly Smith wants back too. Another rumor is getting Tiago Splitter for Brendan Haywood's kooky contract (he'd give them plenty of depth). Personally I'd make Miller go away and let Smith and Dellevadova walk because I think they can do better with the MLE or BAE but if Lebron likes those guys, then go ahead and keep those guys (if he doesn't, get rid of them). That team should dominate the East for 5-6 more years. They could be more flexible, maybe even a little better, but Lebron wants what Lebron wants and that's what the Cavs need to do.
Hinrich (Bulls) opts in. Still a nice player off the bench, been with the Bulls forever, still good enough to bring back.
Magic waive Gordon; reach a deal with Barcelona for Hezonja. Last summer the Magic signed Gordon and Ridnour and I could not for the life of me figure out why they picked up either of those guys. It took one expensive year but now they're both gone. Not good signings but could've been worse, call it a sunk cost and move on. Barcelona needed a transfer fee to release Hezonja (think it was around $1.4m, seems reasonable), Magic worked it out. I think the first day they can sign him is July 10, I assume we'll see Hezonja signed sometime around then.
Ellis (Mavs) opts out. He's a for-real scorer and he'll get paid. Some buzzed about teams: Lakers (Monta and Kobe together? That sounds excruciating) and Hawks (he's not a 'team concept' guy but I think it could be a good fit). I'd suggest Sixers (they won't pay him but they could use an unconscious veteran scorer) Raptors (sign and trades Derozan for Ellis? I guess that could happen), Nuggets (hey, man, that roster could be all kinds of different by the end of the summer). Not sure where he goes, his game is his game so which team does he fit best?
Warriors pick up option on Speights. The Warriors must get rid of Lee, I thought they might let Speights go too. I like Speights, think he's a good fit for the Warriors.
Thunder hire Monty Williams, Maurice Cheeks. Hmm, did Billy Donovan hire his own staff? Plenty of NBA veteran-ness on the bench beside Donovan there, a security blanket for some guys, a built-in firing squad for others. In this case, I'd say Donovan's good in OKC for at least 3 years and Williams and Cheeks are just padding their resumes til they can get head coaching gigs somewhere else.
Deng (Heat) opts in. Early rumors were that Deng would opt in and set sail with Dwyane Wade...but why would that happen? Deng has 1 yr/$10.5m left with the Heat, he's a nice piece coming off the bench there, I'd say keep it together for one more year.
Heat declines option on Beasley. Tsk, tsk. Once upon a time Beasley was the #2 pick (by the Heat) and to my eye the most likely to be a star in the NBA. But turns out Beasley was just such a douche, he could never keep it together in any environment to contribute. Miami was the last place that would give him a shot, and he wasn't bad coming off the bench last year. No one else will want this guy, I'd say he's off to China.
And some rumors....
Gasol (Grizzlies) thought to be re-upping for max. Yeah, he's a heart on his sleeve kinda guy, everyone knows he loves the Grizzlies, loves the town, loves his crew, no one thinks he's going anywhere else. Likewise, anything short of a max deal from the Grizzlies would be a bit disappointing. Marriage made in heaven, and put Gasol right behind Wade as the next big star to spend his entire career with one team (oh, were you thinking Kobe would never play anywhere but the Lakers? I'm not so sure, I reckon we'll see Kobe for at last 2-3 more years).
Pelicans to offer max to Davis. Yup, ya damn right they will. I assume the max was offered in a gold plated dump truck surrounded by dudes in suits bowing and averting their gazes. I reckon he'll sign, don't think there's any advantage for him to take a shorter deal.
Is John Calipari leaving Kentucky for Sacramento? No. Heh, heh, Sacramento? Bwah-ha-ha! Come on, man, Cal would leave Kentucky for the perfect gig but Sacramento is not anybody's idea of the 'perfect' anything. Perfect for Cal: still a whole summer left of figuring out whether Blatt is back in Cleveland, that's a gig Cal would (should) want. Other than that, we'll see what the Lakers have going next summer but otherwise I don't see any other NBA gigs that would interest Calipari in the next year. And I don't see him being interested in Sacramento ever under any circumstances.
Lakers may make offer to Butler (Bulls). Supposedly Butler wants to leave Chicago but as a restricted free agent he's probably not going to leave (don't think the Lakers have any assets for a sign and trade), so supposedly he wants the shortest possible contract with the Bulls (which I think would be 3 years). I don't see Butler going to the Lakers any time soon but if the interest is mutual maybe somewhere down the line it could happen. I think Butler would fit nicely with the Pacers, put him next to PG, that'd be some gnarly D.
Cavs want Dunleavy (Bulls); Bulls want to re-sign Dunleavy, I thought the Bulls would let him walk but if Lebron wants him then suddenly the Bulls don't want him to go. Dunleavy is the quintessential reliable veteran right now, not gonna carry a team but gives predictably decent minutes on the court. I can see Lebron liking that guy.
Two cents: I think Aldridge goes back to Portland.
Sunday, June 28, 2015
Pointless Trade Idea
Wolves get David Lee (1 yr/$15.5m) and a 2016 1st rd pick (Warriors); Hornets get Pekovic (3 yrs/$35m); Warriors get Williams (1 yr/$7m), Zeller (2 yrs/$9.5m/team option).
Wolves ditch the long term commitment to injury-prone veteran C that has the potential to hold up their future roster construction and the development of their fine young low post talents and replace him with one year of a crafty veteran who knows how to be a good team player (and show Towns how to score, Dieng how to pass, Payne how to maximize his abilities). More salary for them but no matter, they're plenty well below the cap. And since they're taking back more salary than they're sending out, the Warriors should add 2016 1st rd pick (or perhaps 2016, 2017, 2020 2nd rd picks). Seriously, I think Lee wold be great for the Wolves and with this one move the roster would be set. Put the team on the court and let them play. If Bennett/Muhammad or Martin/Budinger can be moved, pull the trigger; if a blockbuster for Rubio comes along, think it over; other than that, put the kids out there and let's see 'em.
Hornets get a long term vet down low on a contract that gets better as the cap rises,if Pekovic stays healthy at all, he's pretty good and defensively an upgrade on whatever the Hornets would've had anyway. They give up on a young big but the Hornets ability to develop players (or draft well in the first place) is not that great and Zeller is not so promising that he's untouchable or anything, whereas Pekovic is at least a reliable veteran. The Hornets would also be giving up on Marvin Williams, a poor free agent signing that hasn't been the replacement for McRoberts that they needed. Not a great deal but a reasonable one, Pekovic probably is better for them going forward than Zeller and/or Williams.
Warriors have got to get rid of Lee and they'd prefer to get absolutely nothing in return. Williams (I think) can be bought out, which is expensive but less expensive than keeping Lee; and Zeller is cheap enough to be flipped for a coupla 2nd rd picks. Might want Zeller: Pelicans need cheap young talent, Celtics might be able to coach Zeller into a nice player, Sixers always love big guys on rookie deals. Repeat: Warriors must get rid of Lee. What they get back is entirely secondary. In my version they need to do more work beyond this deal but its worth it. (2nd rd picks are a great way of looking like you're accumulating promising future assets when really you're dumping toxic current assets)
Wolves ditch the long term commitment to injury-prone veteran C that has the potential to hold up their future roster construction and the development of their fine young low post talents and replace him with one year of a crafty veteran who knows how to be a good team player (and show Towns how to score, Dieng how to pass, Payne how to maximize his abilities). More salary for them but no matter, they're plenty well below the cap. And since they're taking back more salary than they're sending out, the Warriors should add 2016 1st rd pick (or perhaps 2016, 2017, 2020 2nd rd picks). Seriously, I think Lee wold be great for the Wolves and with this one move the roster would be set. Put the team on the court and let them play. If Bennett/Muhammad or Martin/Budinger can be moved, pull the trigger; if a blockbuster for Rubio comes along, think it over; other than that, put the kids out there and let's see 'em.
Hornets get a long term vet down low on a contract that gets better as the cap rises,if Pekovic stays healthy at all, he's pretty good and defensively an upgrade on whatever the Hornets would've had anyway. They give up on a young big but the Hornets ability to develop players (or draft well in the first place) is not that great and Zeller is not so promising that he's untouchable or anything, whereas Pekovic is at least a reliable veteran. The Hornets would also be giving up on Marvin Williams, a poor free agent signing that hasn't been the replacement for McRoberts that they needed. Not a great deal but a reasonable one, Pekovic probably is better for them going forward than Zeller and/or Williams.
Warriors have got to get rid of Lee and they'd prefer to get absolutely nothing in return. Williams (I think) can be bought out, which is expensive but less expensive than keeping Lee; and Zeller is cheap enough to be flipped for a coupla 2nd rd picks. Might want Zeller: Pelicans need cheap young talent, Celtics might be able to coach Zeller into a nice player, Sixers always love big guys on rookie deals. Repeat: Warriors must get rid of Lee. What they get back is entirely secondary. In my version they need to do more work beyond this deal but its worth it. (2nd rd picks are a great way of looking like you're accumulating promising future assets when really you're dumping toxic current assets)
Pointless Trade Idea
Jazz get Porzingis (#4 pick money), Calderon (2 yrs/$15.1m); Knicks get Favors (3 yrs/$35m), Burke (2 yrs/$5.9m, team options), Trey Lyles (#12 pick money)
Phil hinted that he wanted Frank Kaminksy who went #9 to the Hornets but I think he really wanted Lyles (especially at #12 money). If Phil could get Favors on a good deal going forward and Burke on his team-friendly rookie deal and ditch Calderon in the process, he might take it. He'd probably want the Jazz's 2016 1st round pick too even though the Jazz would be taking back two years of Calderon (which is a cheaper for them than including a 1st rounder), not sure if that's enough of a sweetener. The Jazz are a draft-built team, they can ill afford to give away a lottery pick. Perhaps a 2017 1st rounder could be added but the Knicks might balk at that.
Exum, Burks, Hayward, Porzingis, Gobert is your Jazz starting five with Booker, Calderon and Hood (and Olivier Hanlan?) off the bench. Too thin to give up 2016's 1st rounder pick (that's a lottery pick) but perhaps promising enough to include 2017's 1st round pick. (And, man, if the Jazz could lure Paul Millsap back, their only hope of a free agent badass coming to the SLC, then Porzingis could give them for-real punch off the bench)
I think this is a pretty good deal for both teams: Knicks get an established downlow presence on a very good deal (Favors), a top ten talent rookie (Lyles), a cheap low risk/high reward audition at PG (Burke) and they get rid of their least desirable contract for one skinny Euro kid that everyone in New York already hates; the Jazz get perhaps the intriguing rookie talent of this draft, a veteran PG (over priced but the Jazz can afford it) and still have plenty of room to make more moves.
Draft Evaluation (Atlantic)
Wizards (#15 Oubre (trade), #49 White) Oubre is high risk/reward, they're hoping an Oubre/Porter platoon can replace Paul Pierce. They'd love to get decent cheap bench minutes down low out of White as he'll be cheap enough he might make the roster (if Summer League isn't a disaster). Wall, Beal, Webster, Gortat, Nene is the starting five. Humphries off the bench down low, Oubre and Porter off the bench on the wings, Sessions for PG. Solid enough for the East but not a lot of flexibility though there are still roster spots to fill. Does this team beat the Pacers or Hawks in the playoffs? Too early to say.
Celtics (#16 Rozier, #28 Hunter, #33 Mickey, #45 Thornton) Risk/reward kinda draft. Hunter might be a for-real scorer...or he might be utterly awful. Rozier might be a confident ballhandler and playmaker...or he might be overmatched at the next level. Mickey might be a nasty defender down low or a ball hawking rebounder...or he might be a career D-league. Thornton might be...I dunno who he is...but he might something other than what he's supposed to be. The Celtics kinda got stuck in the middle with this draft: they need to draft their stars, they can't count on free agency. Ainge has drafted well over the years and I think they did well again with this haul, but there aren't any stars in there, just another batch of nice role players. The Celtics must have a big trade this summer, we'll see what comes.
Nets (#23 Hollis-Jefferson (trade), #29 McCullough) McCullough is hurt, probably won't play this year. Hollis-Jefferson is expected to be an all-world on-ball defender but not much else. The Nets have to get cheaper, can't imagine they'll be any good at all this year (but I thought that last summer and they still made the playoffs). These picks are for the future, the cheaper, younger future.
Sixers (#3 Okafor, #35 Hernangomez, #37 Holmes, #47 Gudaitis, #58 Tokoto, #60 Mitrovic) I think Okafor and Nerlens can play together, if so expect Embiid to be available by the 2016 draft. I think all 3 of the 2nd round foreigners are for the future, and as for Holmes and Tokoto, they'll get a chance because the Sixers are still dedicated to sucking for one more year at least. This year is about finding out if Nerlens and Okafor make a good combo, if so then there is finally something to build around. Expect the Sixers to earn themselves another lottery pick next year, add in 1st rounders from the Heat (probably around #25 or so) and the Lakers (mid-teens, maybe lottery), and whatever they can get for Embiid (I'd think a top ten 2016, another 1st rounder 2017). I think next summer is the time the Sixers have targeted to make their splash in free agency (....or perhaps they'll never make that splash and just keep accumulating value in the form of draft picks rather than W's).
Knicks (#4 Porzingis, #19 Grant (trade)) I can understand the NYK faithful to be gunshy about another Euro wunderkind and, hey man, Phil would've rather been anywhere than #4 in this draft. But the buzz is the kid can play. Frankly the Knicks are more dangerous to his future than the other way around. I wish the kid well, his highlights are pretty sick and before you call him tiny, he's actually bigger and stronger than Anthony Davis. If he's good in New York, the Knicks will be building around him soon enough; if he's not, Utah Jazz might be up for a blockbuster trade.
Celtics (#16 Rozier, #28 Hunter, #33 Mickey, #45 Thornton) Risk/reward kinda draft. Hunter might be a for-real scorer...or he might be utterly awful. Rozier might be a confident ballhandler and playmaker...or he might be overmatched at the next level. Mickey might be a nasty defender down low or a ball hawking rebounder...or he might be a career D-league. Thornton might be...I dunno who he is...but he might something other than what he's supposed to be. The Celtics kinda got stuck in the middle with this draft: they need to draft their stars, they can't count on free agency. Ainge has drafted well over the years and I think they did well again with this haul, but there aren't any stars in there, just another batch of nice role players. The Celtics must have a big trade this summer, we'll see what comes.
Nets (#23 Hollis-Jefferson (trade), #29 McCullough) McCullough is hurt, probably won't play this year. Hollis-Jefferson is expected to be an all-world on-ball defender but not much else. The Nets have to get cheaper, can't imagine they'll be any good at all this year (but I thought that last summer and they still made the playoffs). These picks are for the future, the cheaper, younger future.
Sixers (#3 Okafor, #35 Hernangomez, #37 Holmes, #47 Gudaitis, #58 Tokoto, #60 Mitrovic) I think Okafor and Nerlens can play together, if so expect Embiid to be available by the 2016 draft. I think all 3 of the 2nd round foreigners are for the future, and as for Holmes and Tokoto, they'll get a chance because the Sixers are still dedicated to sucking for one more year at least. This year is about finding out if Nerlens and Okafor make a good combo, if so then there is finally something to build around. Expect the Sixers to earn themselves another lottery pick next year, add in 1st rounders from the Heat (probably around #25 or so) and the Lakers (mid-teens, maybe lottery), and whatever they can get for Embiid (I'd think a top ten 2016, another 1st rounder 2017). I think next summer is the time the Sixers have targeted to make their splash in free agency (....or perhaps they'll never make that splash and just keep accumulating value in the form of draft picks rather than W's).
Knicks (#4 Porzingis, #19 Grant (trade)) I can understand the NYK faithful to be gunshy about another Euro wunderkind and, hey man, Phil would've rather been anywhere than #4 in this draft. But the buzz is the kid can play. Frankly the Knicks are more dangerous to his future than the other way around. I wish the kid well, his highlights are pretty sick and before you call him tiny, he's actually bigger and stronger than Anthony Davis. If he's good in New York, the Knicks will be building around him soon enough; if he's not, Utah Jazz might be up for a blockbuster trade.
Friday, June 26, 2015
Draft Day Trades
Thought this would be a busy day for trades but not so much. Indeed, seemed kinda lackluster (the most high profile player on the move was Grievis Vasquez, you know him and love him but your mom doesn't, thus not a blockbuster trade). Oh well, the player movement season is now underway (July 10 technically, but the rumors have already begun) and there were a handful moves last night.
Wizards get #15 (Kelly Oubre); Hawks get Tim Hardaway Jr; Knicks get #19 (Jerian Grant). I kept getting confused as to who was going where when this was first announced. After figuring it all out, it makes sense to me. The Hawks get a veteran who can play right now rather than trying to bring along a rookie, yes Hardaway was disappointing last year but the situation was deteriorating from the get go, none of which was Hardaway's fault, I think he can play and he's probably better right now than Grant or Oubre. The Wizards get the high risk/reward guy, could be a dynamic scorer that begins to replace Pierce or he could be out of the league in 2 years, either way the Wizards are probably in the right place to roll the dice with Oubre. Knicks get the most reliable good rookie in the deal, moved a contract they apparently no longer wanted and Grant is a reasonable replacement for Hardaway. A good deal for all three teams I'd say
Wolves get #22 (Tyus Jones); Cavs get #31 (Cedi Osman), #36 (Rakeem Christmas). The Wolves get one more dynamic young rookie (hometown hero to boot) to throw into the youth movement (I'd say one more lottery and then its go time for this Wolves crew) rather than trying to figure out what to do with two 2nd rounders who fit neither the roster nor the bench. Cavs, on the other hand, need cheap young bodies that can be easily buried out back if need be or just as easily stuffed onto the end of the roster. They chose one foreigner to stash away (don't think he'll be ready for another year or two) and one marginal NCAA prospect that'll probably be D-leaguin' it for the foreseeable future.
Raptors get #46 (Norman Powell), the Clippers 2017 1st rd pick; Bucks get Grievis Vasquez. The Raptors are blowing it up, everyone's available and Vasquez was the first to get out alive. The Raptors add Powell (a pretty good value at #46, I'd say he's got a decent shot at making the team) and a bonus pick next year for a 2nd string PG, not a bad move for them. The Bucks have a lot of young guards (3rd year MCW, 2nd year Tyler Ennis, rookie Rashad Vaughn), and though Vasquez is not the type of defender J Kidd seems to prefer, offensively he's a steady hand with the ball, decent playmaker, decent shooter, a 2nd string PG you can rely on. Feels like they overpaid a bit but Vasquez is probably EXACTLY the guy they wanted and therefore worth a little more. Good move for the Bucks, Vasquez and Vaughn are two good pick-ups for only future (as opposed to present) considerations.
Blazers get Mason Plumlee, #41 (Pat Connaughton); Nets get Steve Blake, #23 (Rondae Hollis-Jefferson). Nets get a reasonably-priced veteran PG and a highly motivated (if one dimensional) rookie with no real pressure to perform this year. Nets need to peel off salary for the next two years or so til they can get back into the free agency game. Plumlee wasn't in their future so to turn him into a backup PG and a rookie contract is a plus. The Blazers, too, are in re-build mode but from the opposite direction: the Nets have too many expensive players, the Blazers' expensive players are exiting en masse. If Aldridge isn't around then Plumlee will play (and make people miss Aldridge) and the Blazers need all the players they can get. Connaughton could maybe surpass McCollum but I doubt it, he's more likely a D-leaguer or post-Summer League trade bait,
Grizzlies get Andrew Harrison; Suns get Jon Leuer. Harrison thought he was joining the Wildcat roundup out west but it was just a stop on his way to the Grizzlies. Telling you, I believe in Harrison, as a big combo guard he's probably a good fit for the Grizzlies. Not sure the Suns need Leuer, not a bad player, he's not a salary dump kinda guy, but I don't see where he fits the Suns. Guess he's emergency depth.
Nets get Juan Pablo Vaulet; Hornets get 2018 2nd rd pick, 2019 2nd rd pick, cash considerations. No idea who Juan Pablo Vaulet is but the Nets just gave away their last two draft picks for the next 5 years to get him. The Nets need to get younger and cheaper, this guy definitely lets them do that, considering what they paid I assume he's ready to play now, not some stash job. This is one of those deals that if Vaulet turns out to be any good at all, then it'll be a good deal for the Nets; but if he's not, then this is another one of those deals you point to when everyone's trying to figure out why the GM just get fired.
Blazers get Daniel Diez; Jazz get cash considerations. I do not know Diez, The Blazers need bodies more than the Jazz do, that alone makes this deal seem obvious.
Clippers get Branden Dawson; Pelicans get cash considerations. I was impressed with Dawsen on Michigan State's Final Four run this past March, he looked like a decent shooter and handler, decent athlete, just a generally solid dependable player. Mich St dudes tend to last, I think he's a good pickup for the Clippers, thought he was a good pickup for the Pelicans, while their roster is already overstuffed with outside shooters, I'd have given Dawsen a shot at supplanting some of those guys but I guess they'd rather have the cash.
Wizards get #15 (Kelly Oubre); Hawks get Tim Hardaway Jr; Knicks get #19 (Jerian Grant). I kept getting confused as to who was going where when this was first announced. After figuring it all out, it makes sense to me. The Hawks get a veteran who can play right now rather than trying to bring along a rookie, yes Hardaway was disappointing last year but the situation was deteriorating from the get go, none of which was Hardaway's fault, I think he can play and he's probably better right now than Grant or Oubre. The Wizards get the high risk/reward guy, could be a dynamic scorer that begins to replace Pierce or he could be out of the league in 2 years, either way the Wizards are probably in the right place to roll the dice with Oubre. Knicks get the most reliable good rookie in the deal, moved a contract they apparently no longer wanted and Grant is a reasonable replacement for Hardaway. A good deal for all three teams I'd say
Wolves get #22 (Tyus Jones); Cavs get #31 (Cedi Osman), #36 (Rakeem Christmas). The Wolves get one more dynamic young rookie (hometown hero to boot) to throw into the youth movement (I'd say one more lottery and then its go time for this Wolves crew) rather than trying to figure out what to do with two 2nd rounders who fit neither the roster nor the bench. Cavs, on the other hand, need cheap young bodies that can be easily buried out back if need be or just as easily stuffed onto the end of the roster. They chose one foreigner to stash away (don't think he'll be ready for another year or two) and one marginal NCAA prospect that'll probably be D-leaguin' it for the foreseeable future.
Raptors get #46 (Norman Powell), the Clippers 2017 1st rd pick; Bucks get Grievis Vasquez. The Raptors are blowing it up, everyone's available and Vasquez was the first to get out alive. The Raptors add Powell (a pretty good value at #46, I'd say he's got a decent shot at making the team) and a bonus pick next year for a 2nd string PG, not a bad move for them. The Bucks have a lot of young guards (3rd year MCW, 2nd year Tyler Ennis, rookie Rashad Vaughn), and though Vasquez is not the type of defender J Kidd seems to prefer, offensively he's a steady hand with the ball, decent playmaker, decent shooter, a 2nd string PG you can rely on. Feels like they overpaid a bit but Vasquez is probably EXACTLY the guy they wanted and therefore worth a little more. Good move for the Bucks, Vasquez and Vaughn are two good pick-ups for only future (as opposed to present) considerations.
Blazers get Mason Plumlee, #41 (Pat Connaughton); Nets get Steve Blake, #23 (Rondae Hollis-Jefferson). Nets get a reasonably-priced veteran PG and a highly motivated (if one dimensional) rookie with no real pressure to perform this year. Nets need to peel off salary for the next two years or so til they can get back into the free agency game. Plumlee wasn't in their future so to turn him into a backup PG and a rookie contract is a plus. The Blazers, too, are in re-build mode but from the opposite direction: the Nets have too many expensive players, the Blazers' expensive players are exiting en masse. If Aldridge isn't around then Plumlee will play (and make people miss Aldridge) and the Blazers need all the players they can get. Connaughton could maybe surpass McCollum but I doubt it, he's more likely a D-leaguer or post-Summer League trade bait,
Grizzlies get Andrew Harrison; Suns get Jon Leuer. Harrison thought he was joining the Wildcat roundup out west but it was just a stop on his way to the Grizzlies. Telling you, I believe in Harrison, as a big combo guard he's probably a good fit for the Grizzlies. Not sure the Suns need Leuer, not a bad player, he's not a salary dump kinda guy, but I don't see where he fits the Suns. Guess he's emergency depth.
Nets get Juan Pablo Vaulet; Hornets get 2018 2nd rd pick, 2019 2nd rd pick, cash considerations. No idea who Juan Pablo Vaulet is but the Nets just gave away their last two draft picks for the next 5 years to get him. The Nets need to get younger and cheaper, this guy definitely lets them do that, considering what they paid I assume he's ready to play now, not some stash job. This is one of those deals that if Vaulet turns out to be any good at all, then it'll be a good deal for the Nets; but if he's not, then this is another one of those deals you point to when everyone's trying to figure out why the GM just get fired.
Blazers get Daniel Diez; Jazz get cash considerations. I do not know Diez, The Blazers need bodies more than the Jazz do, that alone makes this deal seem obvious.
Clippers get Branden Dawson; Pelicans get cash considerations. I was impressed with Dawsen on Michigan State's Final Four run this past March, he looked like a decent shooter and handler, decent athlete, just a generally solid dependable player. Mich St dudes tend to last, I think he's a good pickup for the Clippers, thought he was a good pickup for the Pelicans, while their roster is already overstuffed with outside shooters, I'd have given Dawsen a shot at supplanting some of those guys but I guess they'd rather have the cash.
Notable Undrafted Players
With the selection of Luka Mitrovic with the #60 pick, a rush of brand new unrestricted free agents joined the league. Guys like: Cliff Alexander (Kansas), Aaron Harrison (Kentucky), Travis Trice (Michigan St), Chasson Randle (Stanford), Ryan Boatright (UConn), Christian Wood (UNLV), Robert Upshaw (Washington), Juwan Staten (WVU), LeBryan Nash (Oklahoma St), Treveon Graham (VCU), Terran Petteway (Nebraska), Brandon Ashley (Arizona), Jaiteh (France) and Ponitka (Belgium). At some point in the last 2-3 years most all of those guys were considered 1st round talent. And now they're all free to get invited to NBA camps.
Alexander was the only eligible Freshman that didn't get picked, where does that dude go now?
Harrison will make an NBA team, I'm certain: he's big, he's got handle, scores from all over, not afraid of tense moments. I thought the Sixers would use one of their picks on him, but at #60 they no longer have to, they can invite him to camp and still draft someone else. Wouldn't be surprised to see Harrison with either the Sixers or the Heat.
Upshaw discovered some health problems in the pre-draft camps (if I'm not mistaken). I hope he gets well and gets another shot at the League.
Wood was a late 1st rounder in many mock drafts right up to the last week or so. Not sure what happened to him but teams were scared off in one way or another.
Easy to forget now but Nash was a top five prospect coming out of high school. Four years of NCAA and now he's probably going to grad school.
Petteway, Staten and Graham are guys that had admirers, thought they'd get picked in the 2nd round.
Some will be D-Leaguers, some will go to Europe, some will make it in the NBA and some will never play basketball again. Which ones?
Alexander was the only eligible Freshman that didn't get picked, where does that dude go now?
Harrison will make an NBA team, I'm certain: he's big, he's got handle, scores from all over, not afraid of tense moments. I thought the Sixers would use one of their picks on him, but at #60 they no longer have to, they can invite him to camp and still draft someone else. Wouldn't be surprised to see Harrison with either the Sixers or the Heat.
Upshaw discovered some health problems in the pre-draft camps (if I'm not mistaken). I hope he gets well and gets another shot at the League.
Wood was a late 1st rounder in many mock drafts right up to the last week or so. Not sure what happened to him but teams were scared off in one way or another.
Easy to forget now but Nash was a top five prospect coming out of high school. Four years of NCAA and now he's probably going to grad school.
Petteway, Staten and Graham are guys that had admirers, thought they'd get picked in the 2nd round.
Some will be D-Leaguers, some will go to Europe, some will make it in the NBA and some will never play basketball again. Which ones?
Draft Thoughts (46-60)
Powell to Bucks. Good pick for the Bucks, probably should've been gone by #46, could be a decent scorer off the bench.
Gudaitis to Sixers. Sixers fan are coming down with...Guda-itis. (I think its a cheese-related illness) Another big down low to throw on the pile. Don't know the guy, don't know if he's ready to play now or later.
Johnson to Thunder. Johnson's a smart player but he's not as quick as he needs to be to play at the next level. He's big, he'll be an okay defender and rebounder. That might be good enough for the Thunder rotation.
White to Wizards. Mature kid, should be able to play right away, might give some decent minutes off the bench.
Eriksson to Hawks. Hmm, a foreigner (Swedish) I am unfamiliar with.
Harvey to Magic. Harkless, Harris, Harvey, Hezonja, suddenly the Magic's plan makes sense!
Bhamwara to Mavs. Pointer to Cavs. Diez to Jazz. A string of foreigners I don't know. Sometimes these picks turn into something, sometimes they don't. I have no idea which one these picks represent.
Lalanne to Spurs. UMass center I do not know. If Pop thinks he can play then he can probably play.
Dawsen to Pelicans. I was impressed with Dawsen during Sparty's run to the Final Four. Michigan State guys tend to stick, I think he's got a good chance of catching on with the Pelicans.
Radicevic to Nuggets. Not sure if he's ready to play now or later.
Tokoto to Sixers. Had his moments at UNC, Philly runs on rookies, maybe he's got a shot at getting some decent playing time.
Agravanis to Hawks. Olympiacos veteran, he can probably come over right away. (Filling Pero Antic's roster spot?)
Mitrovic to Sixers. (Thought they'd go with Aaron Harrison here) Finished it off with the Red Star Belgrade veteran, he's probably ready to play, another big down low to throw on the pile.
Gudaitis to Sixers. Sixers fan are coming down with...Guda-itis. (I think its a cheese-related illness) Another big down low to throw on the pile. Don't know the guy, don't know if he's ready to play now or later.
Johnson to Thunder. Johnson's a smart player but he's not as quick as he needs to be to play at the next level. He's big, he'll be an okay defender and rebounder. That might be good enough for the Thunder rotation.
White to Wizards. Mature kid, should be able to play right away, might give some decent minutes off the bench.
Eriksson to Hawks. Hmm, a foreigner (Swedish) I am unfamiliar with.
Harvey to Magic. Harkless, Harris, Harvey, Hezonja, suddenly the Magic's plan makes sense!
Bhamwara to Mavs. Pointer to Cavs. Diez to Jazz. A string of foreigners I don't know. Sometimes these picks turn into something, sometimes they don't. I have no idea which one these picks represent.
Lalanne to Spurs. UMass center I do not know. If Pop thinks he can play then he can probably play.
Dawsen to Pelicans. I was impressed with Dawsen during Sparty's run to the Final Four. Michigan State guys tend to stick, I think he's got a good chance of catching on with the Pelicans.
Radicevic to Nuggets. Not sure if he's ready to play now or later.
Tokoto to Sixers. Had his moments at UNC, Philly runs on rookies, maybe he's got a shot at getting some decent playing time.
Agravanis to Hawks. Olympiacos veteran, he can probably come over right away. (Filling Pero Antic's roster spot?)
Mitrovic to Sixers. (Thought they'd go with Aaron Harrison here) Finished it off with the Red Star Belgrade veteran, he's probably ready to play, another big down low to throw on the pile.
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Draft Thoughts (31-45)
Osman to Wolves (Cavs). I think this pick goes to the Cavs, guess they're looking to just stash Euro guys. Still trade bait just in Euro form rather than draft pick form. Will he ever don a Cavs uni? I'll bet ya a dolla he don't.
Harrell to Rockets. Could've had him at 18, decided to hold out and got him later. Harrell plays hard, can be a helluva rebounder, should be a mean defender. I thought his offense was pretty statue-like and overzealous at that, don't think he's a scorer in the pros (the poor man's Terrence Jones). But could be a rotation player, a pretty good fit for the Rockets.
Mickey to Celtics. The Celtics love defensive intensity guys and they got themselves another one. Mickey's a little bit of an inside scorer, think he might could be a decent rebounder. (I'd say his bestest upside is PJ Brown and that ain't bad)
Brown to Lakers. Don't know anything about Brown (senior out of Stanford). Not sure if he's roster filler or just a tossaway pick. The Lakers are clearly going all out in free agency, that's where the money's gonna go. But at the bottom of the roster there will be room for a handful of super low level contracts and 2nd round picks are sometimes good for those spots. Brown may make the roster but I wouldn't bet on it.
Hernangomez to Sixers. I think the Spurs had their eye on Hernangomez and the Sixers with their five 2nd round picks are probably eagle eye-like watching what the Spurs watch. These picks, these rights to foreign players, are all still valuable, worthy as burgeoning commodities (re: basketball players) or as trade offerings. The value of the players is derived from the market one can make for their contracts and if you know which players the other teams like, that can be valuable down the road. Does Hernangomez play for the Sixers? Not in the next two years. And he may well debut with someone other than the Sixers.
Christmas to Wolves (Cavs). Either the Cavs think he can a) give them some (cheap) minutes down low right away or b) he's trade bait or c) he gets to come to training camp, meet David Blatt's secretary, get a bunch of complimentary Cavs gear, then go on back to grad school. A? No. B? If he can fetch a 2016 2nd rounder that'd be fine but that probably won't happen. C? Bingo.
Holmes to Sixers. Don't know much about him but he is a familiar name from other mocks. The Sixers have shown a good eye for finding value in the 2nd round, decent chance this guy can play. We'll see at Summer League.
Hilliard to Pistons. Vaulet to Hornets. Richardson to Heat. I put them all together because I know nothing about any of them. (Thought the Heat might go for a Harrison twin at that pick)
Connaughton to Nets. Tough guy SG, nice stroke, good heart, but I'm not sure his game is good for his body, hard to see him having a long or particularly notable career.
Hanlan to Jazz. Versatile combo-type guard, hey man in Utah errybody gets time, throw him in with the youth movement, see if he can hang.
Young to Pacers. Thought he was gonna go higher, really good scorer, could be a good fit for the Pacers. Nice pick at #43.
Andrew Harrison to Suns. Sure, why not, the shuttle between Phoenix and Lexington just got another passenger. Hey, I think the Harrison twins will both be fine NBA players, The criticism against them is mystifying to me: they were top ten prospects out of high school who made back to back Final Fours in college...you want more? They're both steals in the 2nd round.
Thornton to Celtics. Don't they already have a dude named Marcus Thornton? Don't know this guy, I'm guessing he's a tough guy. Probably D-League starter.
Harrell to Rockets. Could've had him at 18, decided to hold out and got him later. Harrell plays hard, can be a helluva rebounder, should be a mean defender. I thought his offense was pretty statue-like and overzealous at that, don't think he's a scorer in the pros (the poor man's Terrence Jones). But could be a rotation player, a pretty good fit for the Rockets.
Mickey to Celtics. The Celtics love defensive intensity guys and they got themselves another one. Mickey's a little bit of an inside scorer, think he might could be a decent rebounder. (I'd say his bestest upside is PJ Brown and that ain't bad)
Brown to Lakers. Don't know anything about Brown (senior out of Stanford). Not sure if he's roster filler or just a tossaway pick. The Lakers are clearly going all out in free agency, that's where the money's gonna go. But at the bottom of the roster there will be room for a handful of super low level contracts and 2nd round picks are sometimes good for those spots. Brown may make the roster but I wouldn't bet on it.
Hernangomez to Sixers. I think the Spurs had their eye on Hernangomez and the Sixers with their five 2nd round picks are probably eagle eye-like watching what the Spurs watch. These picks, these rights to foreign players, are all still valuable, worthy as burgeoning commodities (re: basketball players) or as trade offerings. The value of the players is derived from the market one can make for their contracts and if you know which players the other teams like, that can be valuable down the road. Does Hernangomez play for the Sixers? Not in the next two years. And he may well debut with someone other than the Sixers.
Christmas to Wolves (Cavs). Either the Cavs think he can a) give them some (cheap) minutes down low right away or b) he's trade bait or c) he gets to come to training camp, meet David Blatt's secretary, get a bunch of complimentary Cavs gear, then go on back to grad school. A? No. B? If he can fetch a 2016 2nd rounder that'd be fine but that probably won't happen. C? Bingo.
Holmes to Sixers. Don't know much about him but he is a familiar name from other mocks. The Sixers have shown a good eye for finding value in the 2nd round, decent chance this guy can play. We'll see at Summer League.
Hilliard to Pistons. Vaulet to Hornets. Richardson to Heat. I put them all together because I know nothing about any of them. (Thought the Heat might go for a Harrison twin at that pick)
Connaughton to Nets. Tough guy SG, nice stroke, good heart, but I'm not sure his game is good for his body, hard to see him having a long or particularly notable career.
Hanlan to Jazz. Versatile combo-type guard, hey man in Utah errybody gets time, throw him in with the youth movement, see if he can hang.
Young to Pacers. Thought he was gonna go higher, really good scorer, could be a good fit for the Pacers. Nice pick at #43.
Andrew Harrison to Suns. Sure, why not, the shuttle between Phoenix and Lexington just got another passenger. Hey, I think the Harrison twins will both be fine NBA players, The criticism against them is mystifying to me: they were top ten prospects out of high school who made back to back Final Fours in college...you want more? They're both steals in the 2nd round.
Thornton to Celtics. Don't they already have a dude named Marcus Thornton? Don't know this guy, I'm guessing he's a tough guy. Probably D-League starter.
Draft Thoughts (16-30)
Rozier to Celtics. Interesting pick, I think Rozier can be pretty good at the next level: he controls the ball well, plays hard all the time, I think he's a good fit with the guards they already have (though they may have trades to make).
Vaughn to Bucks. Another interesting pick, he was supposed to be late 1st/early 2nd kinda guy, guess the Bucks really wanted him. He seems to be a physical fit for the long lean defense J Kidd wants to run. I think Vaughn can be good, I like this pick.
Dekker to Rockets. Uh, I don't like this pick. Some mocks had Dekker earlier than this so perhaps the Rockets feel like they stumbled onto something lucky but I think they would've been better off with a PG (Jerian Grant, Tyus Jones) rather than a streaky white kid who plays James Harden's position. Not sure what he gives the Rockets, not into this pick (Hollis-Jefferson might've been a better pick here).
Grant to Wizards. Hmmm, I like Grant but do the Wizards needs a PG? No. An SG? No. Okay, the Wizard bench just got a little deeper. Grant is a senior, more mature, very polished player, he should be able to contribute right away as a combo guy off the bench. (Grant to Knicks, Oubre to Wizards, Hardaway Jr to Hawks; okay that makes more sense)
Wright to Raptors. In my initial mock draft I had Wright going #21 to the Mavs who would then trade him to Utah for Trey Burke. Guess the Raptors could do that too. This time last summer the Raptors were rolling: they got out from under their worst contracts, rebuilt the squad ragtag-style, had a decent showing in the playoffs. For the first month of the season, they had all that magic going....then that stopped and never really returned. Raptors are probably in blow-up mode so not sure whether Wright ends up in Toronto or not.
Anderson to Mavs. Versatile player, might be asked to do any numbers of things and supposedly Anderson is a gamer who's down to play ball. Mavs need anything and everything so if Anderson plays hard he can succeed there.
Portis to Bulls. Portis might be totally useless in the pros but I think he's got real upside. He's a Thibodeau kinda player (uh, guess that doesn't matter), think he'll fit right in on that roster and he'll give them more offense than you think. Good pick, he should've been gone by now.
Hollis-Jefferson to Blazers. Blazers have lost two fine defenders in Matthews and Batum, they'll need Hollis-Jefferson to hit the ground running as a lockdown defender. (Will he outscore Cauley-Stein? Flip a coin)
Jones to Cavs. --And he's already traded....to the Wolves apparently. I believe the Cavs get #31 and #36, they need cheap young bench fillers, those two picks are better than a late 1st rounder, good move for the Cavs. For the Wolves another fine young baller nipping at the heels of Ricky Rubio (can he be traded back to Spain?), LaVine's a combo guy (a perfect foil for Wiggins), I think Jones will get some run as a rook and they'd just as well have one more rookie instead of two, good move for the Wolves.
Martin to Grizzlies. Yup, that guy is the quintessential Grizzlies PF. Throw in Matt Barnes and the Grizzlies have already gotten a lot Grizzlier.
Militunov to Spurs. Serbian guy, don't know anything about him save that he was a late 2nd round prospect in the few mock drafts I saw him in. They maybe coulda got him with the #55 pick but I guess they really wanted him and feared the Sixers' bevy of 2nd round picks. If Pop thinks he can play then he can probably play.
Nance Jr. to Lakers. I know absolutely nothing about him apart from the fact that his dad's name is Larry Nance. Nance Sr was a solid big man in the days when Bird and Magic played all the important games (won a dunk contest didn't he?) The name hasn't appeared on any of the mocks I've seen this entire season, so either the Lakers know something that no one else does or this was just some kind of ceremonial pick that doesn't clutter the roster. I thought RJ Hunter was a natural for this pick, an understudy to Kobe (jeez, how crappy a gig would that be? Remember Aaron Rodgers getting the cold shoulder from Favre? Nothing compared to a Kobe scorned), set to take over at SG in 2017. But there's something about Nance, I reckon.
Hunter to Celtics. Hey man, Hunter has a real shot at being a helluva scorer. With the #28 pick, he's the kinda guy the Celtics can work with.
McCullough to Nets. I don't much about McCullough but he sounds really big. Torn ACL, probably gonna miss next year. Nets will be awful next year, no reason to rush this kid.
Looney to Warriors. Oh man, that last kid that didn't get a valentine, keep showing him on the tv puttering with his cell phone, getting lonelier and lonelier in the green room. Good things come to those who wait. Nice work, dude, you're rolling with the champs. (See Draymond? Do that!)
Vaughn to Bucks. Another interesting pick, he was supposed to be late 1st/early 2nd kinda guy, guess the Bucks really wanted him. He seems to be a physical fit for the long lean defense J Kidd wants to run. I think Vaughn can be good, I like this pick.
Dekker to Rockets. Uh, I don't like this pick. Some mocks had Dekker earlier than this so perhaps the Rockets feel like they stumbled onto something lucky but I think they would've been better off with a PG (Jerian Grant, Tyus Jones) rather than a streaky white kid who plays James Harden's position. Not sure what he gives the Rockets, not into this pick (Hollis-Jefferson might've been a better pick here).
Grant to Wizards. Hmmm, I like Grant but do the Wizards needs a PG? No. An SG? No. Okay, the Wizard bench just got a little deeper. Grant is a senior, more mature, very polished player, he should be able to contribute right away as a combo guy off the bench. (Grant to Knicks, Oubre to Wizards, Hardaway Jr to Hawks; okay that makes more sense)
Wright to Raptors. In my initial mock draft I had Wright going #21 to the Mavs who would then trade him to Utah for Trey Burke. Guess the Raptors could do that too. This time last summer the Raptors were rolling: they got out from under their worst contracts, rebuilt the squad ragtag-style, had a decent showing in the playoffs. For the first month of the season, they had all that magic going....then that stopped and never really returned. Raptors are probably in blow-up mode so not sure whether Wright ends up in Toronto or not.
Anderson to Mavs. Versatile player, might be asked to do any numbers of things and supposedly Anderson is a gamer who's down to play ball. Mavs need anything and everything so if Anderson plays hard he can succeed there.
Portis to Bulls. Portis might be totally useless in the pros but I think he's got real upside. He's a Thibodeau kinda player (uh, guess that doesn't matter), think he'll fit right in on that roster and he'll give them more offense than you think. Good pick, he should've been gone by now.
Hollis-Jefferson to Blazers. Blazers have lost two fine defenders in Matthews and Batum, they'll need Hollis-Jefferson to hit the ground running as a lockdown defender. (Will he outscore Cauley-Stein? Flip a coin)
Jones to Cavs. --And he's already traded....to the Wolves apparently. I believe the Cavs get #31 and #36, they need cheap young bench fillers, those two picks are better than a late 1st rounder, good move for the Cavs. For the Wolves another fine young baller nipping at the heels of Ricky Rubio (can he be traded back to Spain?), LaVine's a combo guy (a perfect foil for Wiggins), I think Jones will get some run as a rook and they'd just as well have one more rookie instead of two, good move for the Wolves.
Martin to Grizzlies. Yup, that guy is the quintessential Grizzlies PF. Throw in Matt Barnes and the Grizzlies have already gotten a lot Grizzlier.
Militunov to Spurs. Serbian guy, don't know anything about him save that he was a late 2nd round prospect in the few mock drafts I saw him in. They maybe coulda got him with the #55 pick but I guess they really wanted him and feared the Sixers' bevy of 2nd round picks. If Pop thinks he can play then he can probably play.
Nance Jr. to Lakers. I know absolutely nothing about him apart from the fact that his dad's name is Larry Nance. Nance Sr was a solid big man in the days when Bird and Magic played all the important games (won a dunk contest didn't he?) The name hasn't appeared on any of the mocks I've seen this entire season, so either the Lakers know something that no one else does or this was just some kind of ceremonial pick that doesn't clutter the roster. I thought RJ Hunter was a natural for this pick, an understudy to Kobe (jeez, how crappy a gig would that be? Remember Aaron Rodgers getting the cold shoulder from Favre? Nothing compared to a Kobe scorned), set to take over at SG in 2017. But there's something about Nance, I reckon.
Hunter to Celtics. Hey man, Hunter has a real shot at being a helluva scorer. With the #28 pick, he's the kinda guy the Celtics can work with.
McCullough to Nets. I don't much about McCullough but he sounds really big. Torn ACL, probably gonna miss next year. Nets will be awful next year, no reason to rush this kid.
Looney to Warriors. Oh man, that last kid that didn't get a valentine, keep showing him on the tv puttering with his cell phone, getting lonelier and lonelier in the green room. Good things come to those who wait. Nice work, dude, you're rolling with the champs. (See Draymond? Do that!)
Draft Thoughts (1-15)
Towns to Wolves. Towns is gonna be a good scorer down low, good enough defender and rebounder, as a starter he slots Dieng back to the bench (and makes Pekovic eminently tradeable), which gives them a nice offensive tandem down low. The team is still very young, look for them to be back in the top ten next year, but this is an exciting core to build on.
Russell to Lakers. Okafor was the obvious pick, but Russell is the guy the Lakers wanted to take. They are sooooooo hoping he turns into a badass, Lakertown loves winners but they're extra gooey for the homegrown. Clarkson now becomes trade fodder, I expect the Lakers to be on the move tradewise (but I don't expect they'll end up with Cousins).
Okafor to Sixers. Sixers are value shoppers and obviously they had Okafor in their top 3 and they took him. Mudiay might've been a better fit for them but that said, I think Okafor and Nerlens can play together and if Embiid needs another year, well, they got his replacement ready to go. They'll have the Heat and Laker 1st rounders next year, expect them to comfortably suck again and roll deep again into next year's draft. (Also wouldn't be surprised to see them swap some of their five 2nd round picks for 2016 2nd rounders, just to keep the draft thing rolling)
Porzingis to Knicks. I thought they'd take Porzingis because he provides the best trade opportunity. The Hornets have been shuffling paper lately and they nabbed Kaminsky, a guy the Knicks talked about....think maybe Prozingis is headed to Charlotte? (Mutterings are that David West is headed to the Knicks and maybe Tobias Harris and/or Wesley Matthews)
Hezonja to Magic. Sounds like a bulldog, if he can shoot he could be a real badass. Gives them protection if Harris bolts and makes Fournier tradeable.
Cauley-Stein to Kings. I think WCS is gonna be a helluva defensive player (think outside linebacker more than wing forward) and fits pretty much any team anywhere. The Kings (with or without Cousins) will undoubtedly suck next year...and the next year after that. As much as I love WCS, the Kings probably would've been better served grabbing Mudiay but I guess they got tradin' on their minds.
Mudiay to Nuggets. (Ty Lawson is officially on the block) As the draft drew closer, Mudiay is the guy that strikes me as the most ready to play, most ready to shine out, show off and be a for real badass and dropping to #7 is probably gonna drive him all the more. I'll go ahead and name him my pre-pre-pre-season pick for ROY. That said, the Nuggets will probably be making a lot of moves this summer...and be terrible next year. But Mudiay and Nurkic will both be fun to watch, though they won't be bringing W's to Denver right away.
Johnson to Pistons. The Pistons could use a lot of things but building up scorers is probably the way to go right now. Johnson's upside is all-star, his downside is Michael Beasley. Pistons are a tough situation but hopefully Stan Van can guide Johnson to a solid productive season.
Kaminsky to Hornets. The Hornets take...a slow white guy that no one expected to go this high. The Hornets make no sense to me....unless Kaminsky gets moved to NYK. Stay tuned.
Winslow to Heat. smh...Heat shouldn't even be here and they're gonna steal Justice Winslow??!? I'm telling ya: I think Winslow has the highest upside in the whole draft. Wade won't leave Miami but he's on the Johnny Carson work schedule, plenty of time for Winslow to play the Joan Rivers role this team needs. I think the Heat will be pretty good next year already and I think Winslow can really give them something (....or the Heat implode and look horrible come April, also possible).
Turner to Pacers. I think Turner's gonna be a nice player down low, athletic, wants to be a scorer, will he be replacing Hibbert or playing alongside him? Not sure yet, either way I think he can be good for the Pacers.
Lyles to Jazz. Good pick! I don't think Lyles will be necessarily be a big star but I do think he'll be a good role player for a long time in this league, the kind of prductive reliable player that teams will want for years to come.. He's a smart kid, good hands, good scorer, gonna do what needs to be done on defense, he'll adapt to whatever comes his way. I definitely like his chances to get a third or even fourth NBA contract.
Booker to Suns. Along with Knight, Bledsoe and Goodwin, Booker fills out the Kentucky alumni volleyball team. Personally I think Booker is a little overrated, streaky scorer, great one night, non-existent the next. He can shoot, that's nice, but he'll need to fill out, get better on defense and work hard to be the player he's supposed to be. Honestly can't say I saw enough to notice.
Payne to Thunder. Thunder were the ones who first fell in love with Payne, rumors buzzed about him all through the top ten, in the end he goes to where it all began. This pick is all about Westbrook: if he plays then not much is needed from Payne but if he can't play Payne's gonna get a ton of minutes. Either way I think he's the kind of player who is what he is, can contribute right away.
Oubre to Hawks. Oubre has been up and down in this draft process not sure what to say about him now. For the Hawks he can come off the bench and be an energy scorer, not exactly a replacement for Carroll but closer to the basket than Korver. The Hawks are in flux, not sure if Oubre is the best roll of the dice (I would've rolled with Portis).
Russell to Lakers. Okafor was the obvious pick, but Russell is the guy the Lakers wanted to take. They are sooooooo hoping he turns into a badass, Lakertown loves winners but they're extra gooey for the homegrown. Clarkson now becomes trade fodder, I expect the Lakers to be on the move tradewise (but I don't expect they'll end up with Cousins).
Okafor to Sixers. Sixers are value shoppers and obviously they had Okafor in their top 3 and they took him. Mudiay might've been a better fit for them but that said, I think Okafor and Nerlens can play together and if Embiid needs another year, well, they got his replacement ready to go. They'll have the Heat and Laker 1st rounders next year, expect them to comfortably suck again and roll deep again into next year's draft. (Also wouldn't be surprised to see them swap some of their five 2nd round picks for 2016 2nd rounders, just to keep the draft thing rolling)
Porzingis to Knicks. I thought they'd take Porzingis because he provides the best trade opportunity. The Hornets have been shuffling paper lately and they nabbed Kaminsky, a guy the Knicks talked about....think maybe Prozingis is headed to Charlotte? (Mutterings are that David West is headed to the Knicks and maybe Tobias Harris and/or Wesley Matthews)
Hezonja to Magic. Sounds like a bulldog, if he can shoot he could be a real badass. Gives them protection if Harris bolts and makes Fournier tradeable.
Cauley-Stein to Kings. I think WCS is gonna be a helluva defensive player (think outside linebacker more than wing forward) and fits pretty much any team anywhere. The Kings (with or without Cousins) will undoubtedly suck next year...and the next year after that. As much as I love WCS, the Kings probably would've been better served grabbing Mudiay but I guess they got tradin' on their minds.
Mudiay to Nuggets. (Ty Lawson is officially on the block) As the draft drew closer, Mudiay is the guy that strikes me as the most ready to play, most ready to shine out, show off and be a for real badass and dropping to #7 is probably gonna drive him all the more. I'll go ahead and name him my pre-pre-pre-season pick for ROY. That said, the Nuggets will probably be making a lot of moves this summer...and be terrible next year. But Mudiay and Nurkic will both be fun to watch, though they won't be bringing W's to Denver right away.
Johnson to Pistons. The Pistons could use a lot of things but building up scorers is probably the way to go right now. Johnson's upside is all-star, his downside is Michael Beasley. Pistons are a tough situation but hopefully Stan Van can guide Johnson to a solid productive season.
Kaminsky to Hornets. The Hornets take...a slow white guy that no one expected to go this high. The Hornets make no sense to me....unless Kaminsky gets moved to NYK. Stay tuned.
Winslow to Heat. smh...Heat shouldn't even be here and they're gonna steal Justice Winslow??!? I'm telling ya: I think Winslow has the highest upside in the whole draft. Wade won't leave Miami but he's on the Johnny Carson work schedule, plenty of time for Winslow to play the Joan Rivers role this team needs. I think the Heat will be pretty good next year already and I think Winslow can really give them something (....or the Heat implode and look horrible come April, also possible).
Turner to Pacers. I think Turner's gonna be a nice player down low, athletic, wants to be a scorer, will he be replacing Hibbert or playing alongside him? Not sure yet, either way I think he can be good for the Pacers.
Lyles to Jazz. Good pick! I don't think Lyles will be necessarily be a big star but I do think he'll be a good role player for a long time in this league, the kind of prductive reliable player that teams will want for years to come.. He's a smart kid, good hands, good scorer, gonna do what needs to be done on defense, he'll adapt to whatever comes his way. I definitely like his chances to get a third or even fourth NBA contract.
Booker to Suns. Along with Knight, Bledsoe and Goodwin, Booker fills out the Kentucky alumni volleyball team. Personally I think Booker is a little overrated, streaky scorer, great one night, non-existent the next. He can shoot, that's nice, but he'll need to fill out, get better on defense and work hard to be the player he's supposed to be. Honestly can't say I saw enough to notice.
Payne to Thunder. Thunder were the ones who first fell in love with Payne, rumors buzzed about him all through the top ten, in the end he goes to where it all began. This pick is all about Westbrook: if he plays then not much is needed from Payne but if he can't play Payne's gonna get a ton of minutes. Either way I think he's the kind of player who is what he is, can contribute right away.
Oubre to Hawks. Oubre has been up and down in this draft process not sure what to say about him now. For the Hawks he can come off the bench and be an energy scorer, not exactly a replacement for Carroll but closer to the basket than Korver. The Hawks are in flux, not sure if Oubre is the best roll of the dice (I would've rolled with Portis).
Few Last Notes Before the Draft
David West opted out of his contract with the Pacers, looks to hit the market. The Pacers save some money (and may be hoping that Hibbert opts out too) but I thought West was a keeper, a no-nonsense veteran that contributes and keep everyone in line (sounds like Larry Bird's dream player, no?). West endured the ins and outs of George, Lance, Granger and Turner in the last coupla years, seems like now the Pacers are back on the upswing, thought West would be in for the long haul. Guess not. Where does he go from here? Knicks or Lakers could use him, might be a useful replacement for Millsap with the Hawks, Mavs always need new faces.
Lamb goes to the Hornets, Barnes to the Grizzlies, Ridnour and a Hornets 2nd rd pick to the Thunder. Okay, this makes a little more sense. Thunder are dumping salary and end up with Ridnour (who I assume will be waived soon) and a bonus 2nd rd pick. Grizzlies get another veteran defender, seems like the Grizzlies have enough of those guys but why interrupt the motif they got going? The Hornets get an SG to replace Henderson...who's really no better than Henderson. The Hornets have been making moves (supposedly they've made Kody Zeller available) and I am a fan of Batum but they're still a ways away from the playoffs with this squad.
Apparently Aldridge has informed the Blazers that he'll be moving on (according to the San Antonio newspaper). Wow. This has been percolating since their 1st rd playoff exit but until then it was inconceivable that Aldridge would be anywhere but Portland next year. With Afflalo and Batum already gone, Matthews and Lopez presumed to be leaving, the Blazers are in for a full-in overhaul this summer. Wow. So who might be on their radar: K Love? West? Valenciunas? Vucevic? Millsap? Are the Blazers expecting to turn it around pronto or are they resigned to sucking next year?
I think there will be a lot of trades tonight. Marcus Smart, Terrance Jones are suddenly in play, Jamal Crawford could be out there, Batum and Barnes may still be on the move, and of course any and all of the Nuggets roster could probably be had for 'future considerations'. No one's talking about the Raptors but they may be as desperate as anyone to exchange roster pieces. This summer's gonna be a lollapalooza of player movement and tonight should be pure Steve McQueen action.
Lamb goes to the Hornets, Barnes to the Grizzlies, Ridnour and a Hornets 2nd rd pick to the Thunder. Okay, this makes a little more sense. Thunder are dumping salary and end up with Ridnour (who I assume will be waived soon) and a bonus 2nd rd pick. Grizzlies get another veteran defender, seems like the Grizzlies have enough of those guys but why interrupt the motif they got going? The Hornets get an SG to replace Henderson...who's really no better than Henderson. The Hornets have been making moves (supposedly they've made Kody Zeller available) and I am a fan of Batum but they're still a ways away from the playoffs with this squad.
Apparently Aldridge has informed the Blazers that he'll be moving on (according to the San Antonio newspaper). Wow. This has been percolating since their 1st rd playoff exit but until then it was inconceivable that Aldridge would be anywhere but Portland next year. With Afflalo and Batum already gone, Matthews and Lopez presumed to be leaving, the Blazers are in for a full-in overhaul this summer. Wow. So who might be on their radar: K Love? West? Valenciunas? Vucevic? Millsap? Are the Blazers expecting to turn it around pronto or are they resigned to sucking next year?
I think there will be a lot of trades tonight. Marcus Smart, Terrance Jones are suddenly in play, Jamal Crawford could be out there, Batum and Barnes may still be on the move, and of course any and all of the Nuggets roster could probably be had for 'future considerations'. No one's talking about the Raptors but they may be as desperate as anyone to exchange roster pieces. This summer's gonna be a lollapalooza of player movement and tonight should be pure Steve McQueen action.
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
NBA Transactions and Rumors
Blazers send Batum to Hornets for Vonleh and Henderson. Nicolas Batum is one of my favorite players in the league to watch....when he's not hurt. Healthy he's one of the great tenacious wing D'ers in the league, quick to turn the counterattack, unfortunately his injury-prone-ness has made that contract a bit suspicious. Looks to me like the Blazers are in full-blown rebuild mode. The Hornets clearly never thought much of Vonleh, took forever to debut, never really got regular run once he finally got in there, disappointing debut on a disappointing team; I really have no feel for what he offers the Blazer besides a cheaper contract. Henderson is one of those irrational confidence guys and guys like that need new environments to play in, Blazers should have plenty of minutes for him, he can be a useful rotation player.
Speaking of the Blazers: Afflalo's out, Batum's out, Matthews and Lopez seem set for new cities...but Steve Blake opts in when I thought he could probably make more money elsewhere. They making room for Kevin Love? Is Aldridge down with these moves or is he getting weirded out? The biggest domino has yet to tip.
Monta Ellis opted out of his contract with the Mavs. Apparently the relationship deteriorated last year (yup, I would've pissed about bringing in Rondo, too) and the word was that even if Ellis had opted in he would've been a trade chip. Who needs Monta? Grizzlies, never know what the Blazers will look like next year, ditto the Raptors. I think he fits the Sixers: veteran scorer that doesn't care that all his teammates are still too young to drink beer because...Monta doesn't pay attention to his teammates anyway. But I can't imagine the Sixers would ever pay the money Monta will want.
Kevin Love has opted out with the Cavs. I suspect a sign-and-trade is coming. Love wants to maximize his contract but doesn't really want to play in Cleveland with Lebron and Kyrie. The Cavs are willing to play the game because they know somebody will pay. It'll be tough for the Cavs to take back max money, they'll need a mid-price contributor and an expiring contract they can jettison (like say, Gerald Wallace?). I think Love moves on from the Cavs with everyone's blessing. Blazers are making moves, they Love-able?
Magic send Ridnour to Grizzlies for the right to Timma. I don't speak ill of players very often but I'm gonna let this fly: Luke Ridnour is the worst player in the NBA! WORST! He fools you because he's a fine athlete, moves well around the court and has good handle on the ball like a for-real PG. But watch him: he is NEVER where he ought to be. He never makes the right pass, never takes the right shot, is routinely beaten like a mule on defense. He's a fine athlete but he is not good at this thing called basketball. I really have no idea why the Grizzlies want him except that he'll be an energetic practice player and a reliable human being. But on the court he is a disaster, he is the worst player in the league. For the Magic to get the draft rights to a dude I never heard of is plenty more than enough for Ridnour. I'd rather have a VHS copy of whatever draft that dude was in than Luke Ridnour.
I'm not a bitter fanboy, I'm not a hater, I'm not one to call for the firing, trading, dismissing, etc., of any of these people. There are personalities occasionally that warm me (or irk me) but in general I just watch the game on the court. My dislike of Ridnour is entirely as a guy that watches a lot of basketball. Dude sucks. Think I've made my point.
Ed Davis opted out with the Lakers. I did not watch the Lakers at all this season (hmmm, seriously, I'm not sure I watched them even once) so I don't know much about Davis as a player. But my basic osmosis-like understanding is that he can probably get more than the $1.5 (or so) he was due next year from the Lakers. Also, the Lakers seem keen on getting rid of any and all contracts to make room for...Cousins? Love? Aldridge? Deandre? Well, whoever it is, it ain't Ed Davis. Where does Davis go? Plenty of teams need a young athletic center, if he can come off the bench and rebound and/or block shots, I'd think he can get $2.5-$3.5m this summer. (A lot of C's on the market this summer, not sure if that works for or against Davis's hopes for a raise)
JR Smith opted out from the Cavs, now the chatterers are saying he's looking to re-up with the Cavs. I dunno, if the Cavs keep Love that really hamstrings their spending this summer and moving Love may or may not loosen up more cash. Either way I didn't think Smith was the guy the Cavs would want. Perhaps Lebron likes Smith, otherwise I think they can do better (or at least cheaper) with that roster spot. I think Smith to the Grizzlies or somewhere is more likely but we'll see how the rumors play out.
Today there were reports about the NCAA suggesting a plan whereby college players can go to the pre-draft camps and then return to college. This is good for the players and we should applaud the fact that they are better off. But should we praise the organization that has held them down all this time? Just because the NCAA is finally going to get it right doesn't mean we should let them off the hook for decades of tyranical power over collegiate athletes. Let me hit you with a concept: if you want to be a professional basketball player then going to the pre-draft camps is just part of the job. Why has the NCAA been keeping young students from bettering themselves within their chosen profession? Are there NCAA-like institutions designed to keep computer programmers from meeting with potential employers? Or architects? Chemical biologists? Everyone else is free to pursue their opportunities within their professions, so why do we allow this phoney-baloney imaginary authority called the NCAA to yoke these young men (and do they treat the women this abominably?) rather than helping them move to the next stage of their careers? (Man I am hating tonight! One last blast) Fuck the NCAA. Some day a mighty revolutionary will appear and strike down this utterly foolish windmill called the NCAA and collegiate athletes will be allowed to flourish and live reasonable lives instead jumping through the NCAA's arbitrary hoops for no discernible reason. Seriously: fuck the NCAA. I can't wait for somebody to put them out of our misery. And will we miss the NCAA when it is gone? I assure you, we will not.
The heating-up rumor of the moment is Cousins to the Lakers in all kinds of various (imaginary) ways. I doubt this happens. In basketball its easy to forget the divisional alignments because it generally doesn't seem that important. But the Kings trading one of the biggest, bestest stars in the league for less than he's worth (I personally believe Cousins' contract is easily one of the best in the league for the next coupla years) to one of their divisional rivals is pretty implausible regardless of what the Kings get back. Why would they help the Lakers when they've been down lately, hell, now's the time for the Kings to block any and every opportunity the Lakers have to get ahead. I don't think the Kings trade Cousins (I cannot conceive of the possible deal that would be better than having Cousins in a Kings uniform for at least the next two years) and if they were dumb enough to do so, they'd trade him East, certainly not to another Cali team.
Speaking of the Blazers: Afflalo's out, Batum's out, Matthews and Lopez seem set for new cities...but Steve Blake opts in when I thought he could probably make more money elsewhere. They making room for Kevin Love? Is Aldridge down with these moves or is he getting weirded out? The biggest domino has yet to tip.
Monta Ellis opted out of his contract with the Mavs. Apparently the relationship deteriorated last year (yup, I would've pissed about bringing in Rondo, too) and the word was that even if Ellis had opted in he would've been a trade chip. Who needs Monta? Grizzlies, never know what the Blazers will look like next year, ditto the Raptors. I think he fits the Sixers: veteran scorer that doesn't care that all his teammates are still too young to drink beer because...Monta doesn't pay attention to his teammates anyway. But I can't imagine the Sixers would ever pay the money Monta will want.
Kevin Love has opted out with the Cavs. I suspect a sign-and-trade is coming. Love wants to maximize his contract but doesn't really want to play in Cleveland with Lebron and Kyrie. The Cavs are willing to play the game because they know somebody will pay. It'll be tough for the Cavs to take back max money, they'll need a mid-price contributor and an expiring contract they can jettison (like say, Gerald Wallace?). I think Love moves on from the Cavs with everyone's blessing. Blazers are making moves, they Love-able?
Magic send Ridnour to Grizzlies for the right to Timma. I don't speak ill of players very often but I'm gonna let this fly: Luke Ridnour is the worst player in the NBA! WORST! He fools you because he's a fine athlete, moves well around the court and has good handle on the ball like a for-real PG. But watch him: he is NEVER where he ought to be. He never makes the right pass, never takes the right shot, is routinely beaten like a mule on defense. He's a fine athlete but he is not good at this thing called basketball. I really have no idea why the Grizzlies want him except that he'll be an energetic practice player and a reliable human being. But on the court he is a disaster, he is the worst player in the league. For the Magic to get the draft rights to a dude I never heard of is plenty more than enough for Ridnour. I'd rather have a VHS copy of whatever draft that dude was in than Luke Ridnour.
I'm not a bitter fanboy, I'm not a hater, I'm not one to call for the firing, trading, dismissing, etc., of any of these people. There are personalities occasionally that warm me (or irk me) but in general I just watch the game on the court. My dislike of Ridnour is entirely as a guy that watches a lot of basketball. Dude sucks. Think I've made my point.
Ed Davis opted out with the Lakers. I did not watch the Lakers at all this season (hmmm, seriously, I'm not sure I watched them even once) so I don't know much about Davis as a player. But my basic osmosis-like understanding is that he can probably get more than the $1.5 (or so) he was due next year from the Lakers. Also, the Lakers seem keen on getting rid of any and all contracts to make room for...Cousins? Love? Aldridge? Deandre? Well, whoever it is, it ain't Ed Davis. Where does Davis go? Plenty of teams need a young athletic center, if he can come off the bench and rebound and/or block shots, I'd think he can get $2.5-$3.5m this summer. (A lot of C's on the market this summer, not sure if that works for or against Davis's hopes for a raise)
JR Smith opted out from the Cavs, now the chatterers are saying he's looking to re-up with the Cavs. I dunno, if the Cavs keep Love that really hamstrings their spending this summer and moving Love may or may not loosen up more cash. Either way I didn't think Smith was the guy the Cavs would want. Perhaps Lebron likes Smith, otherwise I think they can do better (or at least cheaper) with that roster spot. I think Smith to the Grizzlies or somewhere is more likely but we'll see how the rumors play out.
Today there were reports about the NCAA suggesting a plan whereby college players can go to the pre-draft camps and then return to college. This is good for the players and we should applaud the fact that they are better off. But should we praise the organization that has held them down all this time? Just because the NCAA is finally going to get it right doesn't mean we should let them off the hook for decades of tyranical power over collegiate athletes. Let me hit you with a concept: if you want to be a professional basketball player then going to the pre-draft camps is just part of the job. Why has the NCAA been keeping young students from bettering themselves within their chosen profession? Are there NCAA-like institutions designed to keep computer programmers from meeting with potential employers? Or architects? Chemical biologists? Everyone else is free to pursue their opportunities within their professions, so why do we allow this phoney-baloney imaginary authority called the NCAA to yoke these young men (and do they treat the women this abominably?) rather than helping them move to the next stage of their careers? (Man I am hating tonight! One last blast) Fuck the NCAA. Some day a mighty revolutionary will appear and strike down this utterly foolish windmill called the NCAA and collegiate athletes will be allowed to flourish and live reasonable lives instead jumping through the NCAA's arbitrary hoops for no discernible reason. Seriously: fuck the NCAA. I can't wait for somebody to put them out of our misery. And will we miss the NCAA when it is gone? I assure you, we will not.
The heating-up rumor of the moment is Cousins to the Lakers in all kinds of various (imaginary) ways. I doubt this happens. In basketball its easy to forget the divisional alignments because it generally doesn't seem that important. But the Kings trading one of the biggest, bestest stars in the league for less than he's worth (I personally believe Cousins' contract is easily one of the best in the league for the next coupla years) to one of their divisional rivals is pretty implausible regardless of what the Kings get back. Why would they help the Lakers when they've been down lately, hell, now's the time for the Kings to block any and every opportunity the Lakers have to get ahead. I don't think the Kings trade Cousins (I cannot conceive of the possible deal that would be better than having Cousins in a Kings uniform for at least the next two years) and if they were dumb enough to do so, they'd trade him East, certainly not to another Cali team.
Monday, June 22, 2015
NBA Bric-a-Brac
The Lakers have two notes in the news: they've declined the $9m option on Jordan Hill and they are apparently interested in Dwyane Wade. As for Hill I thought he could be useful as a trade chip but I guess they'd rather go the free agent route instead (they've certainly got plenty of money to throw around). As for Wade....bwah ha ha ha! Let's see: if they give $25m to Wade to play half the games and $25m for Kobe to play half the games, that's $50m for ONE complete (overrated) player. Yes, I'm not a Wade fan and the Lakers are certainly capable of doing dumb shit, but this would be one of the all-time colossal mistakes in the history of basketball....and I say that without a shred of hyperbole.
Danny Ferry has been officially relieved of his GM duties with the Hawks, hardly a fitting end (though not an unexpected one) to what I thought was one of the finer GM performances of this past season. Ferry last year found himself amidst a collection of braves with no chief and at the slightest hint of political incorrectness (remember: he was reading someone else's report, so the complaint against him isn't even about his own words or beliefs), he was sent on leave and never returned though the squad he shepherded finished #1 in the East and got to the Conference Finals. I think he had a pretty good year in a shaky environment, I think the complaints against him (at least where I sit, I don't know the guy) seem petty at best and I hope he gets another chance in this league.
Steve Blake has picked up his player option to stay in Portland. I'm a little surprised by this because Blake was pretty good last year, I reckon he could get more than $2.1m out there. Is this an indication that Aldridge is coming back too? Or does Blake go forward in hopes of getting traded to a contender at the deadline?
Paul Pierce is reportedly going to opt out of his option with the Wizards and it appears the Clippers are the likely next stop. I dunno....Pierce is still a solid contributor in this league but I don't see him as the difference maker for the Clippers (and that's assuming the money is there...which it isn't). Pierce can be useful for the Wizards, perhaps he's ready to go back to the Celtics, he could give the Bulls some life off the bench, could we see him in a Mavs uni next year? Pierce is in the last great money grab of his career and none of those squads I mentioned seem ready for a Championship so I think he'd be better off going for the money....which means Lakers?
Danny Ferry has been officially relieved of his GM duties with the Hawks, hardly a fitting end (though not an unexpected one) to what I thought was one of the finer GM performances of this past season. Ferry last year found himself amidst a collection of braves with no chief and at the slightest hint of political incorrectness (remember: he was reading someone else's report, so the complaint against him isn't even about his own words or beliefs), he was sent on leave and never returned though the squad he shepherded finished #1 in the East and got to the Conference Finals. I think he had a pretty good year in a shaky environment, I think the complaints against him (at least where I sit, I don't know the guy) seem petty at best and I hope he gets another chance in this league.
Steve Blake has picked up his player option to stay in Portland. I'm a little surprised by this because Blake was pretty good last year, I reckon he could get more than $2.1m out there. Is this an indication that Aldridge is coming back too? Or does Blake go forward in hopes of getting traded to a contender at the deadline?
Paul Pierce is reportedly going to opt out of his option with the Wizards and it appears the Clippers are the likely next stop. I dunno....Pierce is still a solid contributor in this league but I don't see him as the difference maker for the Clippers (and that's assuming the money is there...which it isn't). Pierce can be useful for the Wizards, perhaps he's ready to go back to the Celtics, he could give the Bulls some life off the bench, could we see him in a Mavs uni next year? Pierce is in the last great money grab of his career and none of those squads I mentioned seem ready for a Championship so I think he'd be better off going for the money....which means Lakers?
US Open
'He's stepping up to a 78 foot putt....just wants to get a good touch on it...oh, it looks like it might drop, its got the right angle, an amazing shot...no, it curled away from the cup at the last minute....and he's left with a 15 foot uphill putt to save par.' (Not an actual quote, rather a composite of dozens and dozens of shot opportunities in this tourney)
Can't say I'm surprised the US Open was determined by a 3-putt. When I first saw this wacky course on Thursday night I foresaw a lot of 3-putts. This was one of the most brutal courses (certainly the weirdest looking) I've ever seen. These guys looked like they were playing on the bottom of a swimming pool. It was hard to watch on the TV, can't imagine how frustrating it was in person.
Jordan Spieth pulled it out, good for him, clearly this season belongs to him regardless of what transpires over the summer. Felt bad for Dustan Johnson but this course was born to be a heartbreaker.
Can't say I'm surprised the US Open was determined by a 3-putt. When I first saw this wacky course on Thursday night I foresaw a lot of 3-putts. This was one of the most brutal courses (certainly the weirdest looking) I've ever seen. These guys looked like they were playing on the bottom of a swimming pool. It was hard to watch on the TV, can't imagine how frustrating it was in person.
Jordan Spieth pulled it out, good for him, clearly this season belongs to him regardless of what transpires over the summer. Felt bad for Dustan Johnson but this course was born to be a heartbreaker.
NBA Draft
I did some draft previews for the first 14 picks already, went something like this: 1) Okafor 2) Towns 3) Russell 4) Porzingas 5) Winslow 6) Mudiay 7) Hezonja 8) Cauley-Stein 9) Lyles 10) Turner 11) Oubre 12) Kaminsky 13) Johnson 14) Payne). Now I'm back to revisit those picks to see if I still agree with myself.
Personally I think Okafor is more ready to go than Towns but the intelligentsia doesn't agree with me and it seems like Towns to the Wolves is what's gonna happen. I won't fight it, I think he's gonna be a nice scorer down low and the Wolves youth movement is all the more intriguing next year.
Its long seemed that (like last year) the top two picks are set in stone even if the order is up in the air, thus the Lakers at #2 would take whichever of Towns or Okafor is still available. But lately the Lakers have been rumbling about Russell....eh, I think that's smoke (hey, now is the time for teams to get all Jedi on each other). I think Okafor will be there and the Lakers will take him.
The Sixers....ah, the Sixers. They really could use a PG and the top graded PG out there should still be available at #3. But don't forget: the Sixer brass is all about getting the best value, not the best player. The flirtation with Porzingas heated up last week which means the Sixers could be targeting him instead (as trade bait more than anything) and spending their five 2nd rd picks on a series of PGs: Hanlon, Young, Boatright and the Harrison twins (of course they may do that even if they pick Russell). The Sixers are in serious danger here of outsmarting themselves: look, even if you've got a valuable player, you've got to give him an environment of basketball to maximize his skills and therefore his value. If the Sixers roll into next year with three exciting young C's and no one to get them the ball, the value will drain out of those players and the Sixer experiment will be a disaster. For now I'm going to assume that reason will prevail and the Sixers take Russell at #3 (though wouldn't be shocked to see them trade him away almost instantly).
The Knicks want to trade #4, no doubt about it. They've played their part in pumping (and dumping?) Porzingas' stock in hopes of faking out the Sixers and stealing Russel at #4; if that works out, I think the Knicks would be pleased with that pick. But I suspect the Sixers won't fall for that and Russell won't be available to the Knicks. They'd love to trade back and scoop up Cauley-Stein but Porzingas has the best trade value, so the Knicks will take him at #4.
Personally I think Winslow has the highest upside in the entire draft and if the Magic are unable to hold on to Tobias Harris, Winslow is a perfect fit for them. The Magic also seem to be on the Porzingas bandwagon but unless they want to trade up a spot to snag him (hey, they paid the ransom on Payton last year), I think the Magic take Winslow (with or without Harris).
The Kings need a PG. On my board, Mudiay is still there. There's been talk of trading the #6 pick but for the Kings that wouldn't serve much purpose (its not like they're pushing for the playoffs next year). Take Mudiay, build around the Mudiay-Cousins combo (and start researching next year's lottery pick).
The Nuggets could be wheeling and dealing at #7, so rather than seeing who fits their roster, probably better to look at this as a value pick (a la the Sixers) rather than a roster-stuffer. Snagging #2 from the Lakers and #4 from the Knicks (the two most impatient teams in the league) probably won't be available to them, but snagging multiple picks from the Celtics (#16, #28, the Mavs 1st rounder next year, plus some combo of Young, Sullinger and a raft of 2nd rounders?) could be a possibility....so who do the Celtics want with the #7 pick? The Celtics could use a shotblocking C, Cauley-Stein and Turner would both be there. The Nuggets may not be picking for the Celtics but surely they're not picking for themselves either. #7 depends on whether Cauley-Stein, Lyles or Hezonja can generate the most buzz over the next coupla days. I'll go with Lyles at #7.
The Pistons are taking their annual #8 pick. Not sure how many drafts Stan Van has overseen in his time but I don't think this is trade bait, they're looking to add to the roster. I suspect if Hezonja is still there they'll take him (if not, I'd look for them to take Johnson).
The Hornets are a mess, they need everything. Whoever gets chosen here will get a chance to play with little expectations in the first year, could be a kush gig for a rookie...or his career will be over before it begins, one or the other. Is GM Jordan in love with Payne? I think it would be an awkward fit with Kemba (and he's already been paid), so I think they'll go with Cauley-Stein and hope WCS and MKG form the backbone of a hard hitting defense. (If WCS is gone, I think they'll take Lyles)
The Heat are lucky to have snagged the #10 pick, so this draft is house money for them. My previous thought was that Turner was the best pick for the next few years of their roster construction: with Andersen and Haslem hitting the road next summer, Turner and Whiteside keep them solid and affordable in the paint for the next few years. Since the Heat fancy themselves a deep playoff team next year, do they feel like they need output right away at this pick or can they afford to develop someone slow? If the former they could reach for Booker here, if the latter I still say Turner is the better pick...I say Booker goes #10 (and look for the Heat to snag a Harrison twin at #40). (I'm not so high on Booker, he was extremely streaky at Kentucky, going off every now and again and then disappearing for weeks at a time; I'd say he's two years away from being useful but NBA teams love to get excited about their rookies; while all that may also be true of Turner, I think his long term value for the Heat is actually better)
I initially had the Pacers taking Oubre at #11 but Oubre has fallen out of favor recently. The Pacers could go for size with Turner or Kaminsky but I reckon they'd be better off with Payne. The Pacers still have size down low, the D is still solid, what they need are playmakers. Payne is a speedy waterbug, I think he helps them out right away. (Could depend on whether West and Hibbert stick around for another year, I'm betting they both do)
Telling you, Jazz: Kaminsky is the guy for you at #12. So obvious to my eye that I'm not even gonna comment on it.
I still have Johnson available at #13 making him a no-brainer pick for the Suns. They could take a flyer on the falling Oubre, they may go for more size with Turner, they could reach for Dekker, But I say Johnson at #13.
OKC was the first team to be enchanted by Payne but now I think the buzz has moved on and I don't think he'll be available to them there. If they want a PG Jones and Grant are still there, some draft previews have them going with Dekker but I think that would be a mistake (dude, how lame is Dekker gonna look coming off the bench to spell Durant?), Turner is still available if they're looking for size down low, if they're in the mood for a reach I suggest they go for Portis. I've talked myself out of all those options...I'll say Jones goes #14.
To recap: Towns, Okafor, Russell, Porzingas, Winslow, Mudiay, Lyles, Hezonja, Cauley-Stein, Booker, Payne, Kaminsky, Johnson, Jones. That's what I think today....but the draft is four whole days away, plenty of time to change all of that.
Personally I think Okafor is more ready to go than Towns but the intelligentsia doesn't agree with me and it seems like Towns to the Wolves is what's gonna happen. I won't fight it, I think he's gonna be a nice scorer down low and the Wolves youth movement is all the more intriguing next year.
Its long seemed that (like last year) the top two picks are set in stone even if the order is up in the air, thus the Lakers at #2 would take whichever of Towns or Okafor is still available. But lately the Lakers have been rumbling about Russell....eh, I think that's smoke (hey, now is the time for teams to get all Jedi on each other). I think Okafor will be there and the Lakers will take him.
The Sixers....ah, the Sixers. They really could use a PG and the top graded PG out there should still be available at #3. But don't forget: the Sixer brass is all about getting the best value, not the best player. The flirtation with Porzingas heated up last week which means the Sixers could be targeting him instead (as trade bait more than anything) and spending their five 2nd rd picks on a series of PGs: Hanlon, Young, Boatright and the Harrison twins (of course they may do that even if they pick Russell). The Sixers are in serious danger here of outsmarting themselves: look, even if you've got a valuable player, you've got to give him an environment of basketball to maximize his skills and therefore his value. If the Sixers roll into next year with three exciting young C's and no one to get them the ball, the value will drain out of those players and the Sixer experiment will be a disaster. For now I'm going to assume that reason will prevail and the Sixers take Russell at #3 (though wouldn't be shocked to see them trade him away almost instantly).
The Knicks want to trade #4, no doubt about it. They've played their part in pumping (and dumping?) Porzingas' stock in hopes of faking out the Sixers and stealing Russel at #4; if that works out, I think the Knicks would be pleased with that pick. But I suspect the Sixers won't fall for that and Russell won't be available to the Knicks. They'd love to trade back and scoop up Cauley-Stein but Porzingas has the best trade value, so the Knicks will take him at #4.
Personally I think Winslow has the highest upside in the entire draft and if the Magic are unable to hold on to Tobias Harris, Winslow is a perfect fit for them. The Magic also seem to be on the Porzingas bandwagon but unless they want to trade up a spot to snag him (hey, they paid the ransom on Payton last year), I think the Magic take Winslow (with or without Harris).
The Kings need a PG. On my board, Mudiay is still there. There's been talk of trading the #6 pick but for the Kings that wouldn't serve much purpose (its not like they're pushing for the playoffs next year). Take Mudiay, build around the Mudiay-Cousins combo (and start researching next year's lottery pick).
The Nuggets could be wheeling and dealing at #7, so rather than seeing who fits their roster, probably better to look at this as a value pick (a la the Sixers) rather than a roster-stuffer. Snagging #2 from the Lakers and #4 from the Knicks (the two most impatient teams in the league) probably won't be available to them, but snagging multiple picks from the Celtics (#16, #28, the Mavs 1st rounder next year, plus some combo of Young, Sullinger and a raft of 2nd rounders?) could be a possibility....so who do the Celtics want with the #7 pick? The Celtics could use a shotblocking C, Cauley-Stein and Turner would both be there. The Nuggets may not be picking for the Celtics but surely they're not picking for themselves either. #7 depends on whether Cauley-Stein, Lyles or Hezonja can generate the most buzz over the next coupla days. I'll go with Lyles at #7.
The Pistons are taking their annual #8 pick. Not sure how many drafts Stan Van has overseen in his time but I don't think this is trade bait, they're looking to add to the roster. I suspect if Hezonja is still there they'll take him (if not, I'd look for them to take Johnson).
The Hornets are a mess, they need everything. Whoever gets chosen here will get a chance to play with little expectations in the first year, could be a kush gig for a rookie...or his career will be over before it begins, one or the other. Is GM Jordan in love with Payne? I think it would be an awkward fit with Kemba (and he's already been paid), so I think they'll go with Cauley-Stein and hope WCS and MKG form the backbone of a hard hitting defense. (If WCS is gone, I think they'll take Lyles)
The Heat are lucky to have snagged the #10 pick, so this draft is house money for them. My previous thought was that Turner was the best pick for the next few years of their roster construction: with Andersen and Haslem hitting the road next summer, Turner and Whiteside keep them solid and affordable in the paint for the next few years. Since the Heat fancy themselves a deep playoff team next year, do they feel like they need output right away at this pick or can they afford to develop someone slow? If the former they could reach for Booker here, if the latter I still say Turner is the better pick...I say Booker goes #10 (and look for the Heat to snag a Harrison twin at #40). (I'm not so high on Booker, he was extremely streaky at Kentucky, going off every now and again and then disappearing for weeks at a time; I'd say he's two years away from being useful but NBA teams love to get excited about their rookies; while all that may also be true of Turner, I think his long term value for the Heat is actually better)
I initially had the Pacers taking Oubre at #11 but Oubre has fallen out of favor recently. The Pacers could go for size with Turner or Kaminsky but I reckon they'd be better off with Payne. The Pacers still have size down low, the D is still solid, what they need are playmakers. Payne is a speedy waterbug, I think he helps them out right away. (Could depend on whether West and Hibbert stick around for another year, I'm betting they both do)
Telling you, Jazz: Kaminsky is the guy for you at #12. So obvious to my eye that I'm not even gonna comment on it.
I still have Johnson available at #13 making him a no-brainer pick for the Suns. They could take a flyer on the falling Oubre, they may go for more size with Turner, they could reach for Dekker, But I say Johnson at #13.
OKC was the first team to be enchanted by Payne but now I think the buzz has moved on and I don't think he'll be available to them there. If they want a PG Jones and Grant are still there, some draft previews have them going with Dekker but I think that would be a mistake (dude, how lame is Dekker gonna look coming off the bench to spell Durant?), Turner is still available if they're looking for size down low, if they're in the mood for a reach I suggest they go for Portis. I've talked myself out of all those options...I'll say Jones goes #14.
To recap: Towns, Okafor, Russell, Porzingas, Winslow, Mudiay, Lyles, Hezonja, Cauley-Stein, Booker, Payne, Kaminsky, Johnson, Jones. That's what I think today....but the draft is four whole days away, plenty of time to change all of that.
Saturday, June 20, 2015
Woman's World Cup
Here's what I predicted a coupla weeks ago:
Norway over Ecuador
China over Switzerland
South Korea over Sweden
France over Brazil
Canada over England
Mexico over Germany
USA over New Zealand
Japan over Australia
Here's what's actually gonna happen (starting in two hours or so):
Germany-Sweden
China-Cameroon
Brazil-Australia
France-South Korea
Canada-Switzerland
Norway-England
USA-Colombia
Japan-Netherlands
I missed on Ecuador, Mexico and New Zealand, didn't come close on the matchups (I got confused trying to piece together who would play who in the round of 16). I've only watched a few matches here and there (USA is okay but I'm not overwhelmed, Germany feels like the best team), but I'm up for watching more if I can. Might as well make another round of predictions.
Germany over Sweden
Cameroon over China
Brazil over Australia
France over South Korea
Canada over Switzerland
Norway over England
USA over Colombia
Netherlands over Japan
Okay....I've done my part. Gimme some soccer!
Norway over Ecuador
China over Switzerland
South Korea over Sweden
France over Brazil
Canada over England
Mexico over Germany
USA over New Zealand
Japan over Australia
Here's what's actually gonna happen (starting in two hours or so):
Germany-Sweden
China-Cameroon
Brazil-Australia
France-South Korea
Canada-Switzerland
Norway-England
USA-Colombia
Japan-Netherlands
I missed on Ecuador, Mexico and New Zealand, didn't come close on the matchups (I got confused trying to piece together who would play who in the round of 16). I've only watched a few matches here and there (USA is okay but I'm not overwhelmed, Germany feels like the best team), but I'm up for watching more if I can. Might as well make another round of predictions.
Germany over Sweden
Cameroon over China
Brazil over Australia
France over South Korea
Canada over Switzerland
Norway over England
USA over Colombia
Netherlands over Japan
Okay....I've done my part. Gimme some soccer!
Thursday, June 18, 2015
NBA Finals (Final)
Going into the Warrior-Cav series, I saw the matchup through two separate prisms: what Lebron endured with the Heat against the Spurs last year and how the Warriors handled the Rockets in the previous round. Turns out it was a replay of the Warrors-Grizzlies match in the 2nd round: Warriors shaky for the first three games, then in overdrive for the next three games.
There was no way the Cavs were gonna win this series. In basketball having the best player is a hell of an advantage but even that gets neutralized over time: the advantage is in the efficiency that one all-world dude can bring but when he has to do EVERYTHING then the numbers suffer and cracks appear. James Harden carried the Rockets to the Conference Finals by himself but the Warriors were just too deep; ditto for Lebron carrying the Cavs.
Iguodala as MVP is a fine choice, I reckon. Not sure how Curry got zero votes and personally I would've gone with Lebron. But Lebron was lackluster in game 6 (I'll say it: that was the quietest 32/15/9 you'll ever see) and Iguodala definitely had an impact on the series (though you could say the same for Draymond, Klay and Livingston too).
Going forward the Cavs look to integrate Love and Kyrie, re-up Tristan and Mozgov (and move on from Smith, Shumpert and Dellavedova) and come back stronger next year. They'll be over the cap (not my problem) and I can't help wondering who the coach will be (Mark Jackson? John Calipari? David Blatt? (heh heh, jk)) but the Cavs should dominate the East next year (though the Heat, Pacers, Celtics and Wizards all look interesting).
The Warriors seem to be in dynasty mode but I'm not so sure. They have to get rid of David Lee, they might have to get rid of Maurice Speights too and they might still want to move Iguodala after that. The team will still be really good but they had amazing depth (and health) this year and when that starts to slip, injuries creep in, losing streaks start to happen--I'm not saying its all over for the Warriors, but I don't see how they could be this good again next year. (Well, this Warrior team is one of the single best teams I ever saw, can't imagine anybody being that good next year)
NBA Bric-A-Brac
The Nuggets named Mike Malone their next coach. The Nuggets appear to be in re-build mode, getting younger and cheaper is the current goal, and Malone is probably just the coach for the next phase, not really a long term choice. The Nuggets are shopping all of their veterans for draft picks (Ty Lawson to the Kings for the #6 pick is the popular rumor these days), if successful they should end up with a pile of intriguing young talent. Can Malone guide them into the playoffs? Not this year, probably not next year, the Nuggets are in draft mode for the foreseeable future. That doesn't mean Malone is a bad coach or that he is the wrong man for the job but I anticipate the Nuggets to be firmly in the top ten of next year's draft.
The Hornets traded Lance Stephenson to the Clippers for Spencer Hawes and Matt Barnes. Its a risky move for the Clippers but I think Lance can be successful with the Clippers; Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are the unquestioned leaders of the team, before Lance does anything to challenge that he might want to look over the career of Michael Beasley 'cause that's where Lance is headed. I reckon the Clippers will now look to move Jamal Crawford but shipping out Barnes, Hawes and Crawford look like a rearranging of the furniture, not really an upgrade of anything.
As for the Hornets, the scuttlebutt is that the they'll waive Barnes but I think they could use him, a good veteran wing defender is at least useful as trade bait. Hawes may hopefully give the Hornets a little something of what they gave up when McRoberts skipped to Miami last summer but realistically he's probably just another guy lost on that roster. Also, Al Jefferson and Gerald Henderson both opted in for the Hornets, which is good for continuity if nothing else. The Hornets are a mess, man, one of the worst messes in the whole league, suddenly seems like last year's playoff appearance was more of a fluke than a sign of things to come. The Hornets maybe got a shot at 8th in the East but I'm not feeling it.
Eric Gordon opted in for the Pelicans. Who else was gonna pay him $13m? Gordon got better as the year went on but I still say that's the worst deal in the league right now. Getting this guy outta town and off the roster should be priority #1 for the Hornets and while he's not ideal trade bait there's only one year left on that deal and the Hornets don't really need to bring anything back, so maybe he's movable (a coupla Laker 2nd round picks enough to get Gordon to LA?).
Danny Granger opted in for the Suns. The Suns don't really need Granger and I don't think Granger is at his best in Phoenix....but...hey, man, gotta cash the checks wherever you can. Not an onerous contract and if Granger has some nice moments maybe he becomes trade bait for a playoff team.
JR Smith opted out with the Cavs. If he had opted in, he would automatically become trade bait. It never seemed likely to me that Smith would be back with the Cavs next year (or Shumpert or Dellevadova either), so I guess this was his way of taking control of his free agency. Where does he go? I don't know...Grizzlies?
The Bucks sent Ersan Ilyasova to the Pistons for Shawne Williams and Caron Butler. I assume the Bucks are looking to dump salary so Williams will probably get waived any day now, Butler might be nice veteran scoring off the bench or he might be getting waived too. Ilyasova is a nice player the Bucks just didn't need, but he's gonna be more reliable than Williams or Butler for the Pistons; but as for the Stan Van plan....uh....this patch isn't gonna hold back the flood. Good for rotation depth, salary isn't too onerous, I guess it works for now.
The Hornets traded Lance Stephenson to the Clippers for Spencer Hawes and Matt Barnes. Its a risky move for the Clippers but I think Lance can be successful with the Clippers; Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are the unquestioned leaders of the team, before Lance does anything to challenge that he might want to look over the career of Michael Beasley 'cause that's where Lance is headed. I reckon the Clippers will now look to move Jamal Crawford but shipping out Barnes, Hawes and Crawford look like a rearranging of the furniture, not really an upgrade of anything.
As for the Hornets, the scuttlebutt is that the they'll waive Barnes but I think they could use him, a good veteran wing defender is at least useful as trade bait. Hawes may hopefully give the Hornets a little something of what they gave up when McRoberts skipped to Miami last summer but realistically he's probably just another guy lost on that roster. Also, Al Jefferson and Gerald Henderson both opted in for the Hornets, which is good for continuity if nothing else. The Hornets are a mess, man, one of the worst messes in the whole league, suddenly seems like last year's playoff appearance was more of a fluke than a sign of things to come. The Hornets maybe got a shot at 8th in the East but I'm not feeling it.
Eric Gordon opted in for the Pelicans. Who else was gonna pay him $13m? Gordon got better as the year went on but I still say that's the worst deal in the league right now. Getting this guy outta town and off the roster should be priority #1 for the Hornets and while he's not ideal trade bait there's only one year left on that deal and the Hornets don't really need to bring anything back, so maybe he's movable (a coupla Laker 2nd round picks enough to get Gordon to LA?).
Danny Granger opted in for the Suns. The Suns don't really need Granger and I don't think Granger is at his best in Phoenix....but...hey, man, gotta cash the checks wherever you can. Not an onerous contract and if Granger has some nice moments maybe he becomes trade bait for a playoff team.
JR Smith opted out with the Cavs. If he had opted in, he would automatically become trade bait. It never seemed likely to me that Smith would be back with the Cavs next year (or Shumpert or Dellevadova either), so I guess this was his way of taking control of his free agency. Where does he go? I don't know...Grizzlies?
The Bucks sent Ersan Ilyasova to the Pistons for Shawne Williams and Caron Butler. I assume the Bucks are looking to dump salary so Williams will probably get waived any day now, Butler might be nice veteran scoring off the bench or he might be getting waived too. Ilyasova is a nice player the Bucks just didn't need, but he's gonna be more reliable than Williams or Butler for the Pistons; but as for the Stan Van plan....uh....this patch isn't gonna hold back the flood. Good for rotation depth, salary isn't too onerous, I guess it works for now.
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Stanley Cup Finals
I didn't grow up watching hockey, I've never lived in a hockey part of the country, I don't know the history of the game, I don't know the numbers (shit man I don't even get how the regular season standings work anymore!), I'm not conversant in the strategies or personalities. But I love hockey. Playoff hockey is good good stuff but unfortunately it coincides with NBA so hockey has gotten lost in the shuffle for me. Good luck, then, that the Cup Finals and NBA Finals dovetailed perfectly.
I got to see Games 1,2,5,6. All tense, tight games, great hockey. I did not care who won until Game 6 when I was openly rooting for Game 7 (and thus the Lightning). I always marvel at how fast the game is: 20 minutes of hockey takes about a half hour whereas in basketball the last 2 minutes of game time can last longer than that! The Lightning goalie (Bishop) kinda drove me nuts: constantly diving into players, getting behind the net, quite nerve wracking behavior from a goalkeeper. I wish I had more to say, I enjoyed every second of it.
I got to see Games 1,2,5,6. All tense, tight games, great hockey. I did not care who won until Game 6 when I was openly rooting for Game 7 (and thus the Lightning). I always marvel at how fast the game is: 20 minutes of hockey takes about a half hour whereas in basketball the last 2 minutes of game time can last longer than that! The Lightning goalie (Bishop) kinda drove me nuts: constantly diving into players, getting behind the net, quite nerve wracking behavior from a goalkeeper. I wish I had more to say, I enjoyed every second of it.
NBA Finals Game 6
Game 6....this is it.
Game 5 went (strangely enough) pretty much exactly as I thought it would: the Warriors would control the game, the Cavs would be in striking distance in the 4th, Warriors would pull away, win by double digits. Think the same should happen again tonight.
Lebron will be all out aggressive and for Coach Blatt the kitchen sink will be at his disposal (seems like there's a better joke there than that). I can imagine even seeing Perkins tonight, just to mix it up, just to throw off the energy, get some hard fouls, a wild card out of nowhere. Dellvedova is pretty much spent, Shumpert is probably hurt, Thompson is solid on the boards but not aggressive enough to really make a difference, Mozgov has been effective in getting numbers but not so much at translating that to team results. I expect Smith to let it all hang out tonight, if he's hot in the2nd half (as opposed to the 1st, you don't think he's gonna two good halfs in the same game, do you?), Cavs might could pull this out.
I think the Warriors finish it off tonight. Lebron will be bringing it but the Warriors should still be able to outlast and outscore the onslaught (could totally see Lebron going for fitty tonight). I reckon 42 or so minutes into the game, the Cavs will be done and the Warriors will knock down enough shots to put it out of reach. I'll say Warriors by 7 tonight.
Steph, Klay, Iguodala and Draymond are all in play for Finals MVP, whoever plays best tonight will probably take it. I'd say even Barnes, Lee, or Livingston are in play if they have a phenomenal performance tonight.
But put me in the Lebron camp. He'd only be the 2nd MVP from a losing team and like Jerry West when he did it, Lebron is carrying this team all the way, willing a bunch of dudes to heights they probably don't deserve. Lebron has been at his very best since Game 4 against the Bulls in the 2nd round: after that the Cavs won 3 straight against the Bulls, 4 straight against the Hawks, 2 out of 3 against the Warriors. The wheels have long since come off for the Cavs, the rims are shooting sparks all over the place since Kyrie went down and Lebron has carried---CARRIED--this team right up to (I think) Game 6 of the Finals. That's staggering, man, just fuckin' amazing. If he goes for 50 tonight, loses anyway and wins the MVP in front of the Cleveland fans....doesn't that seem like the perfect finish to the year?
Game 5 went (strangely enough) pretty much exactly as I thought it would: the Warriors would control the game, the Cavs would be in striking distance in the 4th, Warriors would pull away, win by double digits. Think the same should happen again tonight.
Lebron will be all out aggressive and for Coach Blatt the kitchen sink will be at his disposal (seems like there's a better joke there than that). I can imagine even seeing Perkins tonight, just to mix it up, just to throw off the energy, get some hard fouls, a wild card out of nowhere. Dellvedova is pretty much spent, Shumpert is probably hurt, Thompson is solid on the boards but not aggressive enough to really make a difference, Mozgov has been effective in getting numbers but not so much at translating that to team results. I expect Smith to let it all hang out tonight, if he's hot in the2nd half (as opposed to the 1st, you don't think he's gonna two good halfs in the same game, do you?), Cavs might could pull this out.
I think the Warriors finish it off tonight. Lebron will be bringing it but the Warriors should still be able to outlast and outscore the onslaught (could totally see Lebron going for fitty tonight). I reckon 42 or so minutes into the game, the Cavs will be done and the Warriors will knock down enough shots to put it out of reach. I'll say Warriors by 7 tonight.
Steph, Klay, Iguodala and Draymond are all in play for Finals MVP, whoever plays best tonight will probably take it. I'd say even Barnes, Lee, or Livingston are in play if they have a phenomenal performance tonight.
But put me in the Lebron camp. He'd only be the 2nd MVP from a losing team and like Jerry West when he did it, Lebron is carrying this team all the way, willing a bunch of dudes to heights they probably don't deserve. Lebron has been at his very best since Game 4 against the Bulls in the 2nd round: after that the Cavs won 3 straight against the Bulls, 4 straight against the Hawks, 2 out of 3 against the Warriors. The wheels have long since come off for the Cavs, the rims are shooting sparks all over the place since Kyrie went down and Lebron has carried---CARRIED--this team right up to (I think) Game 6 of the Finals. That's staggering, man, just fuckin' amazing. If he goes for 50 tonight, loses anyway and wins the MVP in front of the Cleveland fans....doesn't that seem like the perfect finish to the year?
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Kooky Factoid
The Warriors only played 2 OT games this season: W at Pelicans, L to Bulls at home (2nd and final regular season home loss for the Warriors). In both cases they lost their next game, both on the road. They've now played 2 OT games in the Finals: W the 1st, L the 2nd, L in the next game (which just happens to have been on the road). See: numbers! Pile up enough history and you'll be able to pretend like you can see the future. Vegas still thinks the Warriors are winning it all even though the most recent statistics don't look so Golden State favorable; I do too.
I expected the Warriors to win Game 1 (they struggled but they pulled it out), Game 2 (they did not win), Game 3 (they did not win) and I expect them to win Game 4. If they lose Game 4, I expect the Warriors to pull off the greatest comeback in NBA history. I just don't believe the Cavs can keep the Warriors playing all wrong for 2 more games, the Warriors are just too good, too deep, too varied to be held in check by anyone for too long.
Why do I have such faith in the Warriors? Haven't the first 3 games, where the ragtag Cavs dominated the possession (like a classic Real Madrid squad) and dictated the tone and tempo (like Peyton Manning in his prime), shown that the Warriors just can't beat the Cavs? Nah, I don't think so. I think what we've witnessed is the will to live, that last drop of life force that demands to continue in the face of impending doom; the Cavs hit that clinging-to-life phase a coupla games ago, the Warriors aren't quite there yet. But when the Warriors get to that fingernail edge of existence, they'll play with a Dellavedov-ish desperation that will floor what the Cavs can bear.
The Warriors are 2-3 in their last 5 games. They lost 3 out of 5 only once before this season: Dec 16 (lost at Grizzlies), Dec 18 (beat Thunder at home), Dec 22 (beat Kings at home), Dec 23 (lost at Lakers), Dec 25 (lost at Clippers); this also encompasses their only 3-game road losing streak of the season. They followed that by winning their next 8 games, 13 of the next 14. Are the Cavs the better team or have we just seen a Xmas miracle?
I expected the Warriors to win Game 1 (they struggled but they pulled it out), Game 2 (they did not win), Game 3 (they did not win) and I expect them to win Game 4. If they lose Game 4, I expect the Warriors to pull off the greatest comeback in NBA history. I just don't believe the Cavs can keep the Warriors playing all wrong for 2 more games, the Warriors are just too good, too deep, too varied to be held in check by anyone for too long.
Why do I have such faith in the Warriors? Haven't the first 3 games, where the ragtag Cavs dominated the possession (like a classic Real Madrid squad) and dictated the tone and tempo (like Peyton Manning in his prime), shown that the Warriors just can't beat the Cavs? Nah, I don't think so. I think what we've witnessed is the will to live, that last drop of life force that demands to continue in the face of impending doom; the Cavs hit that clinging-to-life phase a coupla games ago, the Warriors aren't quite there yet. But when the Warriors get to that fingernail edge of existence, they'll play with a Dellavedov-ish desperation that will floor what the Cavs can bear.
The Warriors are 2-3 in their last 5 games. They lost 3 out of 5 only once before this season: Dec 16 (lost at Grizzlies), Dec 18 (beat Thunder at home), Dec 22 (beat Kings at home), Dec 23 (lost at Lakers), Dec 25 (lost at Clippers); this also encompasses their only 3-game road losing streak of the season. They followed that by winning their next 8 games, 13 of the next 14. Are the Cavs the better team or have we just seen a Xmas miracle?
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
NBA Finals (Game 3)
(Wasn't able to do a Finals 2-game wrap-up, I'll do a 3-game wrap-up instead. I'd like to write more French Open Finals and Women's World Cup, hopefully those come tomorrow as well)
I like the Warriors to throw down tonight. Returning to the Heat-Spurs from last year: Game 3 was when Lebron realized he was all alone, everything floundered down to nothing and the Spurs ran wild. This season I'd say we've already seen more out of Thompson, Mozgov, Dellavedova and Smith too than we thought we would. Upside: Lebron's got parts to work with; Downside: if the Warriors won the next 3 games by 40 points, we'd still be raving about what a great Final those Cavs dude had; Meaning: maybe Lebron's got a crew and maybe that crew will be gone when he wakes up in the morning. We'll see tonight.
Warriors are (-2) tonight, indicating that Vegas (the undisputed god of analytics) still thinks the Warriors are the vastly superior team though they've hardly looked vastly superior to anything so far. For all the lack of scoring and rebounding, the Warriors still should've pulled out Game 2 (I thought they would right up to that goofy pass Steph tried to thread to Klay), so as horribly as they've all played (none of the Warriors have played great by any means), they're still tied with good reason to be optimistic. I predicted before the series that the Warriors would be ready to lay a smackdown in Game 3, I'll stick with it. This may be what they've been waiting for.
The Cavs are overachieving better than anyone could've imagined and Lebron is as monstrous as I can recall. His game is huge at every moment (his mistakes generally coming from fatigue from having to do so much, I'd say). Mozgov is scoring legit points, Thompson is showing himself to be a high level rebounder, Dellevadova is making the most of his opportunities, Lebron is a whole new level of wizardry. Tough to bet against the best when he's got his crew running and they're back at home, but I can't help thinking that the Warriors should still be the better team. I think tonight the Warriors pull it together and rip.
I like the Warriors to throw down tonight. Returning to the Heat-Spurs from last year: Game 3 was when Lebron realized he was all alone, everything floundered down to nothing and the Spurs ran wild. This season I'd say we've already seen more out of Thompson, Mozgov, Dellavedova and Smith too than we thought we would. Upside: Lebron's got parts to work with; Downside: if the Warriors won the next 3 games by 40 points, we'd still be raving about what a great Final those Cavs dude had; Meaning: maybe Lebron's got a crew and maybe that crew will be gone when he wakes up in the morning. We'll see tonight.
Warriors are (-2) tonight, indicating that Vegas (the undisputed god of analytics) still thinks the Warriors are the vastly superior team though they've hardly looked vastly superior to anything so far. For all the lack of scoring and rebounding, the Warriors still should've pulled out Game 2 (I thought they would right up to that goofy pass Steph tried to thread to Klay), so as horribly as they've all played (none of the Warriors have played great by any means), they're still tied with good reason to be optimistic. I predicted before the series that the Warriors would be ready to lay a smackdown in Game 3, I'll stick with it. This may be what they've been waiting for.
The Cavs are overachieving better than anyone could've imagined and Lebron is as monstrous as I can recall. His game is huge at every moment (his mistakes generally coming from fatigue from having to do so much, I'd say). Mozgov is scoring legit points, Thompson is showing himself to be a high level rebounder, Dellevadova is making the most of his opportunities, Lebron is a whole new level of wizardry. Tough to bet against the best when he's got his crew running and they're back at home, but I can't help thinking that the Warriors should still be the better team. I think tonight the Warriors pull it together and rip.
Saturday, June 6, 2015
American Pharoah Takes the Triple Crown
Cool, man: today's Belmont was the first horse race I've watched in probably 10 years and it was the only one I really needed to see in that time. That's efficiency, folks, if Lebron played that well the Cavs might stand a chance against the Warriors (jk, no chance, lol). Gotta say: American Pharoah is a cool name btw, reminds me of American Psycho; I find myself wondering if the horse likes Huey Lewis records...probably not...he's a horse).
Is American Pharaoh a worthy champion? Hell I don't know. What I do know is that speedy quadruped is on his way to a long lazy life of banging hot rich lady horses. Ni-iiiice. Hey, this horse just cashed in the first lottery ticket to the good life that this business has produced in a while (I guess John Henry was the last truly legendary, money-minting horse...?). Good for him but I still couldn't care less about horse racing. I love animals, I love games of chance, I love gambling and day drinking with total strangers, you think I'd be all into horse racing...not a bit. I think its kinda gross as an entertainment, devoid all the loveliness of horses, devoid all the drama of contests and races, ultimately just the lamest sorta degenerate gambler bullshit activity. (And besides, day drinking with strangers can be had pretty much whenever I want it. So what's left?)
Good for you, American Pharoah. Bonjovi!
Is American Pharaoh a worthy champion? Hell I don't know. What I do know is that speedy quadruped is on his way to a long lazy life of banging hot rich lady horses. Ni-iiiice. Hey, this horse just cashed in the first lottery ticket to the good life that this business has produced in a while (I guess John Henry was the last truly legendary, money-minting horse...?). Good for him but I still couldn't care less about horse racing. I love animals, I love games of chance, I love gambling and day drinking with total strangers, you think I'd be all into horse racing...not a bit. I think its kinda gross as an entertainment, devoid all the loveliness of horses, devoid all the drama of contests and races, ultimately just the lamest sorta degenerate gambler bullshit activity. (And besides, day drinking with strangers can be had pretty much whenever I want it. So what's left?)
Good for you, American Pharoah. Bonjovi!
Champions League Final
At halftime: Juventus 0-1 Barcelona (Shweet goal!)
Since Champions League has drifted out of the ESPN universe into the Fox universe, I had forgotten about the long layoff between semis and Final that just started in the last coupla years. I thought it was over and I missed it. Lucky me then to stumble on the Super Bowl of European soccer by chance. Good day to be me.
Barca has so much offensive talent, with a 1-0 lead I expect them to hold the ball for ungodly amounts of time (think Spain crica 2010). They may score more goals or they may be content to sit on the ball. Either way expect lots and lots of Messi.
That Juve back line is so tentative to move: soft touches, bad giveaways, stabbing instead of staying home; they better tighten up back there and swing some counter attack through the middle or they'll be toast. Juve doesn't seem that dangerous around the goal so far, but the beauty of Champions League Finals is that the last 10-15 minutes (if the game is still close) tend to be furious, all-out kinda stuff. Still tight enough now that Juve can easily come back. I'm rooting for overtime, I got nothing better to do.
(Oh yeah: hockey on tonight. Damn it feels good to be a gangster)
Juventus 1-3 Barcelona
When Juve attacked, really kicked it into the box, they were kinda spicy and they made it stick for one goal but they weren't able to keep up the attack. Suarez and Rakatic were everywhere today, Neymar and Messi had their moments but I thought it was Suarez that carried them today. Barca was better from beginning to end though Juve had plenty of good moments (they were able to tie it up) but Messi-Neymar-Saurez up front just held the ball so much, they dominated possession, really squeezed the Juve attack. Buffon made a coupla amazing saves, he played well, he was overwhelmed. Odd: closer than the score suggests...but not really.
Pirlo's playing for the Red Bulls soon?
Since Champions League has drifted out of the ESPN universe into the Fox universe, I had forgotten about the long layoff between semis and Final that just started in the last coupla years. I thought it was over and I missed it. Lucky me then to stumble on the Super Bowl of European soccer by chance. Good day to be me.
Barca has so much offensive talent, with a 1-0 lead I expect them to hold the ball for ungodly amounts of time (think Spain crica 2010). They may score more goals or they may be content to sit on the ball. Either way expect lots and lots of Messi.
That Juve back line is so tentative to move: soft touches, bad giveaways, stabbing instead of staying home; they better tighten up back there and swing some counter attack through the middle or they'll be toast. Juve doesn't seem that dangerous around the goal so far, but the beauty of Champions League Finals is that the last 10-15 minutes (if the game is still close) tend to be furious, all-out kinda stuff. Still tight enough now that Juve can easily come back. I'm rooting for overtime, I got nothing better to do.
(Oh yeah: hockey on tonight. Damn it feels good to be a gangster)
Juventus 1-3 Barcelona
When Juve attacked, really kicked it into the box, they were kinda spicy and they made it stick for one goal but they weren't able to keep up the attack. Suarez and Rakatic were everywhere today, Neymar and Messi had their moments but I thought it was Suarez that carried them today. Barca was better from beginning to end though Juve had plenty of good moments (they were able to tie it up) but Messi-Neymar-Saurez up front just held the ball so much, they dominated possession, really squeezed the Juve attack. Buffon made a coupla amazing saves, he played well, he was overwhelmed. Odd: closer than the score suggests...but not really.
Pirlo's playing for the Red Bulls soon?
Women's World Cup
Not sure I'll get to watch much of these games but I will if I can. Good soccer is good soccer and this will be the best around for the summer. I thought I may as well make predictions.
Groups
A (Canada, China, New Zealand)
B (Norway, Germany)
C (Japan, Switzerland, Ecuador)
D (USA, Sweden, Australia)
E (South Korea, Brazil)
F (France, Mexico, England)
Round of 16 (not sure I've got the right match-ups, oh well)
Norway over Ecuador
China over Switzerland
South Korea over Sweden
France over Brazil
Canada over England
Mexico over Germany
USA over New Zealand
Japan over Australia
Quarterfinals
Norway over China
France over South Korea
Canada over Mexico
USA over Japan
Semifinals
France over Norway
Canada over USA
Finals
Canada over France
I dunno, seems reasonable. Homecourt advantage is still pretty huge in soccer, this will be Canada's best chance to win....maybe ever again. USA looks tough to beat, France is everybody's darling at the moment, Norway and China and Japan are capable squads. But I'll stick with the home team.
Groups
A (Canada, China, New Zealand)
B (Norway, Germany)
C (Japan, Switzerland, Ecuador)
D (USA, Sweden, Australia)
E (South Korea, Brazil)
F (France, Mexico, England)
Round of 16 (not sure I've got the right match-ups, oh well)
Norway over Ecuador
China over Switzerland
South Korea over Sweden
France over Brazil
Canada over England
Mexico over Germany
USA over New Zealand
Japan over Australia
Quarterfinals
Norway over China
France over South Korea
Canada over Mexico
USA over Japan
Semifinals
France over Norway
Canada over USA
Finals
Canada over France
I dunno, seems reasonable. Homecourt advantage is still pretty huge in soccer, this will be Canada's best chance to win....maybe ever again. USA looks tough to beat, France is everybody's darling at the moment, Norway and China and Japan are capable squads. But I'll stick with the home team.
Thursday, June 4, 2015
NBA Finals
Cavs
Lebron is currently averaging 27.6ppg/10.8rpg/8.3apg. Dang. He's gonna need to up the points to about 32 and average a triple double in the Finals to even come close to winning. He'll probably do that and still not come close to winning.
Kyrie does not seem to be at 100%. I thought the Hawks would run him ragged, turns out they never got the chance. If he's healthy, the Cavs can pile up points and stay in games; if he's not I just don't see how the Cavs outscore the Warriors.
I've been impressed with the Thompson-Mozgov tagteam down low. They banged well against the Bulls, thought they'd be outplayed by the nimble Hawks by they were not. Indeed, I'd say it was the implacability of Thompson and Mozgov around the basket that spelled the Hawks' doom. The Warriors are surprisingly tough down low (considering what a finesse team they are), I think Thompson-Mozgov will handle themselves just fine, taking away 2nd chance points may be crucial, but I can't see them being the difference-maker in any kind of Cav victory.
Smith is playing out of his mind right now. If he stays this good, then he'll make a for-real contribution and could be the difference between pulling it out or not. But if he's anything less than this good (and he'll be getting marked by Klay/Iguodala/Barnes/Livingston), the Cavs won't be able to put enough on the scoreboard to hang.
Shumpert is the defensive maestro but how do you maximize his contribution? Put him on Curry and he'll run around all day, make no difference and give you no points. Put him on Klay, he'll have to body up, run the risk of foul trouble, and he still gives the Cavs no points. Put him on Barnes and the other guys are free to bomb away. There are no good cards in that hand. In the end, seems like Shumpert's offensive production can't help but suffer regardless of how his defense holds up.
I think Dellavadova's run of surprising success ends here. The Hawks were outmanned without Sefolosha, Carroll, Korver and Horford; the Warriors are not outmanned and Iguodala is probably clearing a space on his wall for the head of Dellavadova (jeez, that's kinda gruesome). But, seriously, Dellavadova's Barea-like game is not gonna get the best of the Warriors.
Mike Miller is averaging fewer FGA's than anyone else on the Cavs. Less shot attempts per game than Shawn Marion, Kendrick Perkins, even fewer attempts than Brendan Haywood--who I didn't even know existed! I thought Brendan Haywood was just a glitch in the contract matrix, a Keyser Soza-like character GMs whisper about to each other. Turns out Haywood is real and he's there at the ready on that Cav bench....perhaps he's the secret weapon....
Warriors
Curry is money. Before game 2 against the Grizzlies, Curry was presented with his MVP trophy, then went out and played one of his crappier games of the year; he wasn't quite right in game 3 but when push came to shove in game 4, he re-established himself and has been his usual badass self for 8 straight games. I anticipate he will be at full money for the next 4-7 games.
Klay Thompson is coming off 'concussion-like symptoms' after getting kneed in the brain by Trevor Ariza. If he's money, he is the front line of the great Warrior defense. I expect him to outplay Smith and/or Shumpert.
Barnes is a bonus wild card on both ends of the court for the Warriors: they don't really need him, he just adds. He's a good defender, good driver, decent shooter, good passer, good team concept guy. Smith and Shumpert are nice players but neither brings the intangibles that Barnes possesses.
Draymond Green should've won Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved, if he plays his cards right, he might snag Finals MVP instead. Don't be surprised if Green is the one that really holds it all together for the Warriors. If Green outplays the Thompson-Mozgov monster, then he'll be scoring plenty of points, getting plenty of rebounds and contributing plenty of highlights, those are the kinda of things the thinking-man's basketball fan loves and if Green really rocks out, then Curry might not need to rock out himself, don't be surprised if Green sneaks the MVP. (Currently 2nd most in Minutes Played, FTA's, assists, steals, blocks for the Warriors this post-season)
Bogut is the crafty veteran that Thompson and Mozgov aren't. I can't see Bogut dominating those two but nor can I see getting dominated by those two. I tend to think the Bogut-Green vs Thompson-Moagov battle will be mostly a standstill but the Warriors will get the extra opportunities that will crush the Cavs.
Iguodala has played the 5th most minutes for the Warriors this post-season, meaning he is rested and ready to ball out for this last series. I expect him to play great, he'll mark Lebron at times and he'll get a lot of assists. (Could be auditioning for a job outside of Golden State...?)
Livingston and Barbosa bring size and sure hands off the bench. They'll smother Dellevadova. (Livingston has zero 3FGA's this post-season...isn't that weird?)
I've been pretty impressed with Ezeli, not sure I'd ever seen him play before the Rockets series. He'll bring (if nothing else) fouls off the bench. If he can deter Mozgov or Tompson at all, he'll be doing his job.
Lee has barely played this off-season, Speights has been injured but I think he's ready to play. Are these guys the wild cards? I doubt it but they could be. The Warriors have so much scoring depth that they often win by just flat out burying teams; if they can reach this far down their bench and still bring in competent scorers, they could blast open a 3rd quarter and end the game quick-like. Lee is a crafty vet, hasn't played much but if/when he does come off the bench you expect him to be able to contribute; Speights too. The Cavs don't have anything like that at the end of their bench, the Warriors do.
Prediction
Think back to the Heat-Spurs match up last year: the first two games were very competitive, the Heat should've won them both but were only able to pull out Game 2. Now think back to the Rockets-Warriors series we just watched: the first two games were very competitive, certainly not blowouts, but the Warriors were able to hang on to both victories. I think the first two games of this series will be similar: they'll both tight, tough, deep into the 4th quarter kinda games, but I think the Warriors win them both.
(Heat-Spurs Game 3) Lebron wakes up, realizes he's all alone and gets drubbed by the superior Spurs for three straight games. (Rockets-Warriors) Back in Houston for Game 3, the Warriors laid an unholy beatdown on the Rockets, taking control of the game and the series, then cruising to the finish. I think Games 3 & 4 back in Cleveland don't go well for the Cavs. Lebron has carried this team through the East but the Warriors are just better in every way and when they get the 2-0 lead, they will bring the hammer of Thor down on the Cavs in Game 3. And I don't think they stop there, I don't think they give Lebron a chance to pull it together: they jaked it against the Rockets in game 4 (just as the Clippers had in the previous round), but I don't think they'll mess around with Lebron.
Much has been made of the lack of the Warriors' playoff experience and in the NBA that definitely makes a difference. But in this case I think the Warriors will be better served by the lack of experience: I think they'll treat the Cavs will total and absolute respect and play full throttle at all times. The Warriors have won close games, they've won the blowouts and they've been playing better teams than the Cavs all year long; the Cavs haven't played anyone as good as the Warriors right now. The Cavs are not perfectly healthy, the Warriors are. Lebron is still the best and I've been wrong betting against him already but the Warriors are so much better and plenty well tested by this point.
Warriors in 4.
Lebron is currently averaging 27.6ppg/10.8rpg/8.3apg. Dang. He's gonna need to up the points to about 32 and average a triple double in the Finals to even come close to winning. He'll probably do that and still not come close to winning.
Kyrie does not seem to be at 100%. I thought the Hawks would run him ragged, turns out they never got the chance. If he's healthy, the Cavs can pile up points and stay in games; if he's not I just don't see how the Cavs outscore the Warriors.
I've been impressed with the Thompson-Mozgov tagteam down low. They banged well against the Bulls, thought they'd be outplayed by the nimble Hawks by they were not. Indeed, I'd say it was the implacability of Thompson and Mozgov around the basket that spelled the Hawks' doom. The Warriors are surprisingly tough down low (considering what a finesse team they are), I think Thompson-Mozgov will handle themselves just fine, taking away 2nd chance points may be crucial, but I can't see them being the difference-maker in any kind of Cav victory.
Smith is playing out of his mind right now. If he stays this good, then he'll make a for-real contribution and could be the difference between pulling it out or not. But if he's anything less than this good (and he'll be getting marked by Klay/Iguodala/Barnes/Livingston), the Cavs won't be able to put enough on the scoreboard to hang.
Shumpert is the defensive maestro but how do you maximize his contribution? Put him on Curry and he'll run around all day, make no difference and give you no points. Put him on Klay, he'll have to body up, run the risk of foul trouble, and he still gives the Cavs no points. Put him on Barnes and the other guys are free to bomb away. There are no good cards in that hand. In the end, seems like Shumpert's offensive production can't help but suffer regardless of how his defense holds up.
I think Dellavadova's run of surprising success ends here. The Hawks were outmanned without Sefolosha, Carroll, Korver and Horford; the Warriors are not outmanned and Iguodala is probably clearing a space on his wall for the head of Dellavadova (jeez, that's kinda gruesome). But, seriously, Dellavadova's Barea-like game is not gonna get the best of the Warriors.
Jones has played the 8th most amount of minutes for the Cavs during this playoff run and I suppose that will continue on into the Final. I can see Perkins coming in for thug moments, Harris in case of foul trouble, Miller in mop up time, Marion if absolutely everything is going wrong, and Haywood only plays if a comet hits the bus and everyone's dead. K Love is not available at all.
Curry is money. Before game 2 against the Grizzlies, Curry was presented with his MVP trophy, then went out and played one of his crappier games of the year; he wasn't quite right in game 3 but when push came to shove in game 4, he re-established himself and has been his usual badass self for 8 straight games. I anticipate he will be at full money for the next 4-7 games.
Klay Thompson is coming off 'concussion-like symptoms' after getting kneed in the brain by Trevor Ariza. If he's money, he is the front line of the great Warrior defense. I expect him to outplay Smith and/or Shumpert.
Barnes is a bonus wild card on both ends of the court for the Warriors: they don't really need him, he just adds. He's a good defender, good driver, decent shooter, good passer, good team concept guy. Smith and Shumpert are nice players but neither brings the intangibles that Barnes possesses.
Draymond Green should've won Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved, if he plays his cards right, he might snag Finals MVP instead. Don't be surprised if Green is the one that really holds it all together for the Warriors. If Green outplays the Thompson-Mozgov monster, then he'll be scoring plenty of points, getting plenty of rebounds and contributing plenty of highlights, those are the kinda of things the thinking-man's basketball fan loves and if Green really rocks out, then Curry might not need to rock out himself, don't be surprised if Green sneaks the MVP. (Currently 2nd most in Minutes Played, FTA's, assists, steals, blocks for the Warriors this post-season)
Bogut is the crafty veteran that Thompson and Mozgov aren't. I can't see Bogut dominating those two but nor can I see getting dominated by those two. I tend to think the Bogut-Green vs Thompson-Moagov battle will be mostly a standstill but the Warriors will get the extra opportunities that will crush the Cavs.
Iguodala has played the 5th most minutes for the Warriors this post-season, meaning he is rested and ready to ball out for this last series. I expect him to play great, he'll mark Lebron at times and he'll get a lot of assists. (Could be auditioning for a job outside of Golden State...?)
Livingston and Barbosa bring size and sure hands off the bench. They'll smother Dellevadova. (Livingston has zero 3FGA's this post-season...isn't that weird?)
I've been pretty impressed with Ezeli, not sure I'd ever seen him play before the Rockets series. He'll bring (if nothing else) fouls off the bench. If he can deter Mozgov or Tompson at all, he'll be doing his job.
Lee has barely played this off-season, Speights has been injured but I think he's ready to play. Are these guys the wild cards? I doubt it but they could be. The Warriors have so much scoring depth that they often win by just flat out burying teams; if they can reach this far down their bench and still bring in competent scorers, they could blast open a 3rd quarter and end the game quick-like. Lee is a crafty vet, hasn't played much but if/when he does come off the bench you expect him to be able to contribute; Speights too. The Cavs don't have anything like that at the end of their bench, the Warriors do.
Prediction
Think back to the Heat-Spurs match up last year: the first two games were very competitive, the Heat should've won them both but were only able to pull out Game 2. Now think back to the Rockets-Warriors series we just watched: the first two games were very competitive, certainly not blowouts, but the Warriors were able to hang on to both victories. I think the first two games of this series will be similar: they'll both tight, tough, deep into the 4th quarter kinda games, but I think the Warriors win them both.
(Heat-Spurs Game 3) Lebron wakes up, realizes he's all alone and gets drubbed by the superior Spurs for three straight games. (Rockets-Warriors) Back in Houston for Game 3, the Warriors laid an unholy beatdown on the Rockets, taking control of the game and the series, then cruising to the finish. I think Games 3 & 4 back in Cleveland don't go well for the Cavs. Lebron has carried this team through the East but the Warriors are just better in every way and when they get the 2-0 lead, they will bring the hammer of Thor down on the Cavs in Game 3. And I don't think they stop there, I don't think they give Lebron a chance to pull it together: they jaked it against the Rockets in game 4 (just as the Clippers had in the previous round), but I don't think they'll mess around with Lebron.
Much has been made of the lack of the Warriors' playoff experience and in the NBA that definitely makes a difference. But in this case I think the Warriors will be better served by the lack of experience: I think they'll treat the Cavs will total and absolute respect and play full throttle at all times. The Warriors have won close games, they've won the blowouts and they've been playing better teams than the Cavs all year long; the Cavs haven't played anyone as good as the Warriors right now. The Cavs are not perfectly healthy, the Warriors are. Lebron is still the best and I've been wrong betting against him already but the Warriors are so much better and plenty well tested by this point.
Warriors in 4.
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
French Open Quarterfinals
I was able to see: Wawrinka over Federer in 4, Djokovic over Nadal in 3, Murray over Ferrer in 4.
Odd to me that Wawrinka, the poor man's Federer, is good enough to beat the real Federer. Federer has a way of still looking like the better player even when he's losing. Wawrinka is playing well, he's got a puncher's chance.
The first set of Djokovic-Nadal was an epic battle: Djo breaks Rafa early, Rafa breaks back, Djo saves the set in a tie-break. After that Djokovic just looked better, Nadal got no luck at all. Down two sets, Nadal didn't have the energy to get it to a fifth set. Djokovic's ability to get to each ball and make at least a decent return has officially now surpassed Nadal's. Weird to see a 5-time defending champ go out so casually but Djokovic is in an Aaron Rodgers phase: his good games look like the best games in the world. He's smart, he's quicker than you think, he's got size and reach, doesn't waste energy. I reckon he's the best left, not that he's invincible but he'll be tough to beat.
Frankly I thought Ferrer was gonna pull it out but Murray made shots. Ferrer gets to every shot (every shot), that's his thing: most guys play offense, he plays defense. But by the fourth set, Ferrer was out of gas. Cilic has a similar game (or body type, at least) to Murray and Ferrer cut him out in straight sets, but Murray made more shots than Cilic did, more than even Ferrer could keep up with. Ferrer either just got Murray's best game or prepared him for his next match against Djokovic....guess we'll find out which. (If you're just a casual fan of tennis, you should check out the first two sets of this match, great stuff. Murray makes shots, Ferrer makes returns, each guy displayed the best of his game in this match. Ignore which one is American or married to a Kadashian, forget the politics and just watch the game of tennis get played at a high high level. Good stuff)
Didn't get to see the 5-set thriller between Tsonga and Nishikori, two good young players playing really well right now. Bet it was good. Tsonga goes on to meet Wawrinka in the Semis.
I'll take Djokovic over Murray in 4, Tsonga over Wawrinka in 4. And Djokovic over Tsonga in 3. The Nadal reign is officially over, how long will the Djokovic reign last?
Looking through a list of French Open winners, there are some Finals matches I'd love to nerd out and watch some day: 1999 (Agassi over Medvedev), 1995 (Muster over Chang), 1984 (Lendl over McEnroe), 1981 (Borg over Lendl) and 2005 Semi-final (Nadal over Federer).
Odd to me that Wawrinka, the poor man's Federer, is good enough to beat the real Federer. Federer has a way of still looking like the better player even when he's losing. Wawrinka is playing well, he's got a puncher's chance.
The first set of Djokovic-Nadal was an epic battle: Djo breaks Rafa early, Rafa breaks back, Djo saves the set in a tie-break. After that Djokovic just looked better, Nadal got no luck at all. Down two sets, Nadal didn't have the energy to get it to a fifth set. Djokovic's ability to get to each ball and make at least a decent return has officially now surpassed Nadal's. Weird to see a 5-time defending champ go out so casually but Djokovic is in an Aaron Rodgers phase: his good games look like the best games in the world. He's smart, he's quicker than you think, he's got size and reach, doesn't waste energy. I reckon he's the best left, not that he's invincible but he'll be tough to beat.
Frankly I thought Ferrer was gonna pull it out but Murray made shots. Ferrer gets to every shot (every shot), that's his thing: most guys play offense, he plays defense. But by the fourth set, Ferrer was out of gas. Cilic has a similar game (or body type, at least) to Murray and Ferrer cut him out in straight sets, but Murray made more shots than Cilic did, more than even Ferrer could keep up with. Ferrer either just got Murray's best game or prepared him for his next match against Djokovic....guess we'll find out which. (If you're just a casual fan of tennis, you should check out the first two sets of this match, great stuff. Murray makes shots, Ferrer makes returns, each guy displayed the best of his game in this match. Ignore which one is American or married to a Kadashian, forget the politics and just watch the game of tennis get played at a high high level. Good stuff)
Didn't get to see the 5-set thriller between Tsonga and Nishikori, two good young players playing really well right now. Bet it was good. Tsonga goes on to meet Wawrinka in the Semis.
I'll take Djokovic over Murray in 4, Tsonga over Wawrinka in 4. And Djokovic over Tsonga in 3. The Nadal reign is officially over, how long will the Djokovic reign last?
Looking through a list of French Open winners, there are some Finals matches I'd love to nerd out and watch some day: 1999 (Agassi over Medvedev), 1995 (Muster over Chang), 1984 (Lendl over McEnroe), 1981 (Borg over Lendl) and 2005 Semi-final (Nadal over Federer).
Monday, June 1, 2015
More Random Sports
When there is no NBA I watch other sports. I had forgotten that about myself.
French Open (Serena over Stephens). Serena did it again: threw a 1st set bone to the young American, let her get right to the edge of winning the 2nd set....then yanked the chain. Normally I would appreciate this dominance but I find her play so un-gentlemanly (and tennis is an English sport), to toy with your opponents is more palatable in a team sport (Jordan or Messi or Gretzky or Kobe to do whatever they like) but becomes cartoonish in a one-on-one sport (Floyd Mayweather, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Shooter McGavin, Ernie 'Big Ern' McCracken). I reckon Serena will take another Slam, I don't know who awaits her but I reckon Serena's better.
German Cup (Wolfsburg 3-1 Dortmund). Dortmund scored early, looked like they were gonna dominate. But it didn't happen. Wolfsburg attacked well, looked more dangerous around the goal and were able to connect on a coupla nice ones.
Spanish Cup (Barcelona 3-1 Atheltico Madrid). Barca was better, Messi is a mathematician, Ahletico had a nice charge late, warded off the clean sheet, but Barca pretty well dominated for the first 75 minutes.
Fred Hoiberg confirmed as the next Bulls coach. Good hire? I guess so. Hoiberg played in the league but he's never coached in the league. If his players love him then I guess that'll be better Thibs and I'm guessing next year they'll have a festive vibe. A fresh face may look at this squad and see a lot of good talent, rather than the last guy who watched his young team get old. The Bulls need a positive outlook and a cohesive plan (they could also use some bench depth), good morale will at least keep the gossip to a minimum. Hoiberg's results may well depend on what the Bulls can pull off this summer or next.
French Open (Federer over Monfils, Ferrer over Cilic). Federer-Monfils was suspended yesterday, so Federer only needed two sets today to finish off Monfils; the vibe between them was playful, Federer's gambits worked, not so for Monfils. Federer is still a helluva player, man, wonder if he can win. Ferrer is an attack dog and that's what Cilic got a face full of today. Ferrer is a hustler, gets to every ball, Cilic had power but didn't have the command to elude Ferrer. (Think I'd like to catch Nishikori-Tsonga tomorrow morning, two good players both playing well right now)
Good lord! I'm watching a Tigers-Angels game from a coupla days ago. I got problems, yo.
French Open (Serena over Stephens). Serena did it again: threw a 1st set bone to the young American, let her get right to the edge of winning the 2nd set....then yanked the chain. Normally I would appreciate this dominance but I find her play so un-gentlemanly (and tennis is an English sport), to toy with your opponents is more palatable in a team sport (Jordan or Messi or Gretzky or Kobe to do whatever they like) but becomes cartoonish in a one-on-one sport (Floyd Mayweather, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Shooter McGavin, Ernie 'Big Ern' McCracken). I reckon Serena will take another Slam, I don't know who awaits her but I reckon Serena's better.
German Cup (Wolfsburg 3-1 Dortmund). Dortmund scored early, looked like they were gonna dominate. But it didn't happen. Wolfsburg attacked well, looked more dangerous around the goal and were able to connect on a coupla nice ones.
Spanish Cup (Barcelona 3-1 Atheltico Madrid). Barca was better, Messi is a mathematician, Ahletico had a nice charge late, warded off the clean sheet, but Barca pretty well dominated for the first 75 minutes.
Fred Hoiberg confirmed as the next Bulls coach. Good hire? I guess so. Hoiberg played in the league but he's never coached in the league. If his players love him then I guess that'll be better Thibs and I'm guessing next year they'll have a festive vibe. A fresh face may look at this squad and see a lot of good talent, rather than the last guy who watched his young team get old. The Bulls need a positive outlook and a cohesive plan (they could also use some bench depth), good morale will at least keep the gossip to a minimum. Hoiberg's results may well depend on what the Bulls can pull off this summer or next.
French Open (Federer over Monfils, Ferrer over Cilic). Federer-Monfils was suspended yesterday, so Federer only needed two sets today to finish off Monfils; the vibe between them was playful, Federer's gambits worked, not so for Monfils. Federer is still a helluva player, man, wonder if he can win. Ferrer is an attack dog and that's what Cilic got a face full of today. Ferrer is a hustler, gets to every ball, Cilic had power but didn't have the command to elude Ferrer. (Think I'd like to catch Nishikori-Tsonga tomorrow morning, two good players both playing well right now)
Good lord! I'm watching a Tigers-Angels game from a coupla days ago. I got problems, yo.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
