SB Nation - Dikembe Mutombo

Denver Stiffs reader mail...

Andrew Feinstein — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 02:19:57 -0000

Here's a sampling of some of the emails that have found their way into my email box lately and my (tardy) responses to them...

How could you not write about David Thompson being Michael Jordan's presenter at the Hall of Fame? I can't believe you didn't post on that one!

-Dillon W. in Denver, CO

It was inexcusable for me to not to write about that! The Denver Post's Dave Krieger wrote a nice piece on it, however, and if memory serves I linked out to it at the time. I'm currently reading Bill Simmons' The Book of Basketball and Simmons goes on and on about how great The Skywalker was in his ABA/NBA heyday, noting that Thompson could have been MJ had he laid off the cocaine and behaved like a true professional. As a Nuggets fan, reading those passages just makes you cringe knowing that we had a championship caliber team that never came to be thanks to Thompson's drug habit (not a rare case in those days of the NBA, unfortunately).

On a side note, the whole Basketball Hall of Fame presenter thing is total horse shit. The "presenter" is nothing short of an escort who walks up the stairs with the inductee and then is forced to stand awkwardly throughout the inductee's entire speech (and in the case of MJ's speech, awkward is an understatement...Thompson may have been the only person MJ didn't insult during his now infamous diatribe). Presenters should get at least five minutes to, you know, present! Just further proof of why the Basketball Hall of Fame is the worst of the three major sports Hall of Fames.

I was just reading something online about how the Dallas Cowboys' owner is upset that Cowboy’s merchandise accounts for 33% of the sales in this area – but he has to split this up with the other teams to even things up. Is this something the NBA could do? It would be good for a smaller market team like us if we could get a piece of the Lakers’ merchandise money. On the other hand, though – that money may be a large incentive for an owner to spend a little extra on his team to win a championship.

-Danny G. in Lafayette, CO

It's my understanding - from good sources whom I've asked about this - that all NBA merchandise sales are evenly distributed among the 30 teams. Even if the Nuggets sell a Carmelo Anthony jersey at Pepsi Center, those jersey sale receipts go into a giant pool that everyone shares. Where large market franchises like the Lakers and Knicks have a HUGE advantage over small market franchises like the Nuggets is in three areas: local TV rights, sponsorship and ticket/luxury suite sales. (It makes practical sense if you think about it; imagine what the Lakers can charge for a TV package in a Southern California plus Las Vegas plus Hawaii market well north of 16 million people whereas Colorado's entire population is south of five million.)

And thus, the NBA instituted the luxury tax so that large market teams could spend, spend, spend if they want, but must contribute some of that spending to their smaller market brethren. The problem is that small market teams like the Nuggets, Jazz and others have had to exceed that tax line just to be competitive, and are losing millions upon millions of dollars as a result. This is why a lockout is looming to change the system.

You are a whiner. (In reference to my column on the Lakers having an absurdly easy schedule to begin the season).

-Chris M. in Los Angeles

I took a lot of shit from Lakers fans for my column calling out the mockery that is the Lakers 2009-10 schedule, which included 17 of their first 21 games to be played in the friendly confines of the Staples Center. But I feel like one of my central arguments - that an excessive amount of back-to-back games can be detrimental to an overall season - was vindicated when the Lakers got waxed in Denver a few weeks ago because they had to play a, guess what, back-to-back!

I thought I'd pass along a link to a feature story I did with Kenyon Martin for SLAM online titled "Don't Hate Kenyon Martin" in hopes you could help spread the word on a shameless plug. I know you guys are the one-stop-shop for everything Nuggets newsworthy, so figured your readers might enjoy the Martin story.

-Wendell M.

Shameless plug accepted! It's a good read, too!

I'm a big fan of your site. I read all the posts. What do you think of this idea for a lineup? Starters: Petro (C), Nene (PF), Melo (SF), Afflalo (SG) and Billups (PG). Second Unit: Birdman (C), K-Mart (PF), Graham/Balkman (SF), Earl (SG) and Lawson (PG). That looks like a strong second unit! Can we let the blog readers debate? Let Nene dominate. He could really punish the PFs but wastes a lot of energy being physical to centers bigger than him. K-Mart makes the second unit stronger. Putting Birdman at center is not a concern because Birdman is not an offensive weapon. And K-Mart would have to help out on defense. Looking forward to your take.

-Eric B.

I've long argued that by moving Nene to the four-spot (PF), he would dominate and the Nuggets would be better for it. But I'm not convinced - and clearly neither is the Nuggets coaching staff - that Petro would be anything short of a liability at the five (C). At 12-4, it's hard to make an argument that the Nuggets need to change things up. But I'll be interested to see what their record is when they start accumulating more games against real teams.

Ciao Andrew from Italy. I hope to find you well. I read with a lot of pleasure your interview with coach Karl. You can not be a journalist, but for real you made a great work more than a lot of journalists. Really pleased to read that! Can't wait to read next articles. Ciao.

-Marco in Italy

I received a lot of complimentary emails about my visit with Nuggets head coach George Karl, but this one definitely came from the furthest location!

Hey man, love the site and love the nuggets up here in the PNW. But I have been searching high and low for a clip of that 1980's Denver Nuggets "So Exciting" song and can't find a thing. Does anybody know if it exists out there on the interwebs as of now? Or if somebody has a copy and can digitize it. It would be awesome. You could even post it on the blog and we could have a huge "favorite Nuggets memories thread".

-Jeremy K. in the Pacific Northwest

The song in question - I believe - is this one, sent to me during the playoffs last season by Denver Stiffs reader "justingeorge." And yes, we need to kick off a "favorite Nuggets memories thread." I have so many, I wouldn't know where to start. Off the top of my head, one of my favorite Nuggets memories has to be sitting at McNichols Arena to watch the Nuggets beat the Supersonics in Game 3 of the 1994 playoffs. If you remember, the Nuggets had gotten their asses kicked in Seattle in Games 1 and 2, and had basically no hope of winning the series entering Game 3. Then, as if they had suddenly grown up overnight, the young Nuggets startled the Sonics with a 110-93 victory, led by 31 points from Reggie Williams (who also had eight assists...that had to be a career high for RW), an amazing 19-point, 13-rebound, six-blocks (!) game from Dikembe Mutombo and out-of-nowhere big time games off the bench from Rodney Rogers and Robert Pack. Damn, I miss that Nuggets team!

Hey Andrew, I am a huge fan of the Nuggets and your blog. I saw that the Birdman is having a lot of trouble with knee tendonitis. I am both a basketball and squash player and used to be in so much pain I couldn't walk after a game. Instead of taking pain meds, I put these straps on my knees and I never felt anymore pain in that area. It is because the pressure applied by the band stabilizes the tendon so it doesn't slide around the knee as much and causes less pain to the individual. I am just a first year med student and I don't doubt the abilities of Dr. Traina at all. That being said, I think this is just a little thing that may help a lot. The reason I am sending you this e-mail is because you have a bigger voice with the Nuggets organization and they probably will listen to you as opposed to me. Here is a link to the patella strap. Thanks for taking the time to read the message.

-Balaji S.

I appreciate you thinking that I have a big voice with the Nuggets organization, but they won't even grant me or Nate credentials yet! Shows you how much "juice" I have. That said, I'll pass this along to the right people and thanks for thinking of how to help the Birdman, who is clearly having a down season.

In regards to "Three Days with George," I'm jealous of the access you had. I once saw Artis Gilmore naked in a locker room after a pre-season game, and have never returned. Great job reporting on the Nuggs...you do a better job then the Post. I wish you guys would take on the Post's coverage of the Nuggs, or the lack thereof.

-Chip E. in Denver

Thanks for the kind words, Chip! I agree that the Post could do a better job with their Nuggets coverage, but I know the guys who cover the Nuggets and can tell you for certain that they're earnest, work hard and love what they do. That said, I think the problem is that they still write for print limitations rather than online. A good example of this was their recap of the Knicks game on Friday night. I didn't see the print edition, but the online edition recap was so brief that it provided no information other than what we saw from the stands or on TV. Unfortunately, until Nate and I do this full time (unlikely in the near future I'm afraid), we depend on the Post's coverage to glean additional insight into the team. I can only hang out with George Karl every so often (insert wink here).

Oh, and if I saw Artis Gilmore naked in the locker room I'd probably never go back either.

Why haven't you written anything about Allen Iverson's retirement? You used to be a big A.I. guy, right?!

-Marcus N. in Philadelphia

Because I don't believe that A.I. has actually retired yet, but is desperately trying to land a gig with another team on his terms, I'm holding off on his career obituary which I'm dying to write. As I wrote in the latest Stiff List, Iverson is behaving like a girl who breaks up with her boyfriend who's not giving her the love she wants hoping he'll come crawling back to her with an engagement ring.

And yes, I still like A.I. the player, but not A.I. the Nugget player. The evidence in the post-A.I. Era clearly proves that he was a bad fit for the Nuggets and unless handled properly, remains petulant and unprofessional to boot. Don't get me wrong, though, I'm hoping and praying he plays again...and in Philadelphia (as now rumored) would be priceless!

Game 5 Pre-Game: Oklahoma City at Houston

Zorgon — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:36:35 -0000

More photos » by Pat Sullivan - AP

The Thunder were blown out by the Rockets in the Pre-Season, but does that translate to a regular season win? Rick Adelman doesn't seem to know.

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This also counts as an open thread, so feel free to post your thoughts during the game here.

Time: 7:30 PM Central Standard Time

Place: The Toyota Center, Houston, Texas

TV: Fox Sports Oklahoma, Fox Sports Houston

Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1)

Enemy Blog(s): The Dream Shake

Backstory: The Thunder are coming off two close losses to the Lakers and Trail Blazers, and are looking to get back above .500 with a win against the Rockets, which is seeming just as possible now than it was at the start of the season, but in a different way. At the start of the season, I'd think we'd have a chance to win because we were a sub-par team facing a par team, but right now it's looking like we have a chance to win because we're a par team facing a good team.

The Rockets are the NBA's enigma. To the casual fan, losing Tracy McGrady, Ron Artest, Yao Ming, and Dikembe Mutombo while gaining no real talent but Trevor Ariza does not equal a 3-2 start, especially with quality wins at Utah and Portland. But, if you've been following the Rockets all along, you know that they've played without the aforementioned players before. And when they do, their whole game plan changes, but they still manage to win games and play as a .500 team. They score a lot, small balling it up and down the floor. Trevor Ariza has proven himself to be a lockdown defender, Shane Battier is still there providing defense and 3 balls, Luis Scola is one of the best scoring big men in the league, Chuck Hayes and Carl Landry can both score well, and Aaron Brooks is quietly becoming one of the leagues better point guards, something the Rockets have been searching for ever since they landed Yao. In reality, this team is no surprise. They've just finally been given a chance to show their stuff.

Below: Matchups, Prediction

Matchups:

Center: Nenad Krstic vs. Chuck Hayes

Chuck Hayes is pretty short for a Center, but that's not a good thing. It means that if Nenad Krstic even tries to make a jump shot, Hayes will be all over him. The only hope for Krstic to win this matchup will be to bang with Hayes inside or out rebound him somehow, but I really doubt that's going to happen. Hayes will easily outperform Krstic tonight.

Power Forward: Jeff Green vs. Luis Scola

Scola will almost certainly out-rebound Green here, but the real question will be who can out score the other. Scola is limited to an inside repertoire, and with Thomas and Collison being able to defend him in the post off of the bench, I think that Jeff Green will have more opportunities to score.

Small Forward: Kevin Durant vs. Shane Battier

Shane Battier is a good defender and can shoot a hell of a 3 ball, but I don't think there's any stopping Durant here. Durant will score about the same as normal, so his main concern should be with taking care of the ball and making sure he doesn't leave Battier open for gut-wrenching 3s. Still, Durant is the clear winner here.

Shooting Guard: Thabo Sefolosha vs. Trevor Ariza

Two fierce defenders going at it. Can they combine to score more than 10 points? I have a feeling that Ariza will be all over the floor tonight, so he might be guarded by Durant or on fast breaks at times, so I see him winning this matchup.

Point Guard: Russell Westbrook vs. Aaron Brooks

At the start of the year, or at pretty much any other time, I'd give the win to Westbrook. But Brooks is looking like a mean, lean scoring and assisting machine right now. And Westbrook as been in a total slump. So, while I think Westbrook's performance won't be negatively affected, I think his numbers will, in the end, be slightly worse than Aaron Brooks'.

Battle of the Benches

For how good the Rockets are, they don't have much of a bench. Kyle Lowry and Carl Landry get heavy minutes, and you'll see dashes of Chase Budinger and/or David Andersen. They're all solid players, but in all truth, they're about the same as our tandem of Kevin Ollie, Etan Thomas, James Harden, and Nick Collison. If our bench plays like it has been recently, then it's a dead tie. But, if they revert back to the way they played the first couple of games, then I say the Rockets win this one.

Coaching and Intangibles

This one's a dead heat too, as we're both coming off a recent close loss to the Lakers, both of us have had surprisingly good starts, and both of us are well-rested. I guess I'll give it to the Rockets though, simply because they're at home and Rick Adelman is a darn good coach.

Bottom Line

This should be a close, high scoring game, the perfect thing for a Thunder or Rocket fan to unwind to on a Friday Night. But, I don't see us slowing it down from the Rockets pace of game, and when we play at their pace and on their floor, they're going to win more often then not.

Prediction:

Rockets 105, Thunder 100

How do you think the game will go? Vote in the Poll!

And, again, feel free to drop any comments you might have during, before, or after the game below. I might be here during the game to drop my thoughts as well. Go Thunder!

Poll

Who's going to win tonight?

The Oklahoma City Thunder

10 votes

The Houston Rockets

29 votes

39 votes | Poll has closed

Off Season Alternative Training Techniques

C.A. Clark — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 19:20:27 -0000

More photos » by Vincent Yu - AP

Kobe's one of the greatest of all time, and he learned post moves from Hakeem, one of the greatest of all time, so this kid is definitely receiving the GREATEST BASKETBALL LESSON OF ALL TIME.

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The Los Angeles Lakers opened training camp on Wednesday, and finally, finally we got some basketball related news. Somewhat lost in the shuffle of the throngs of "reporters" from TMZ and E! News, two members of the team talked about the steps they took to improve their game over the offseason.

Kobe Bryant spent some time with the Master of the post, Hakeem "the Dream" Olajuwon, trying to learn the Dream Shake, and all of Hakeem's other devastating post moves. This seems further proof to me that Kobe is intent on developing the same kind of high post game that made Michael Jordan so unstoppable in his later years.

Lamar Odom took up boxing as a way to improve his footwork, and strengthen his core joints (ankles, hips, knees). It might also improve his ambidexterity, since, in his own words, "If I can knock a guy out with a right hand jab, I should be able to hit a layup with that hand too."

So, with that in mind, I'll take a look at which sport or training session with other NBA player would be most beneficial to each member of the Lakers. (Apologies to all the players brought in to fill the training camp roster, but you are not included. If any of you makes the opening day roster, I swear I'll write you in later).

Andrew Bynum - Kareem's Sky Hook

Alright, so this one is cheating because it's basically already in the works. But how awesome would it be if Bynum finally felt comfortable enough to break out the sky hook in games. What is Bynum's ceiling with a dependable sky hook? I think that it would make him the best offensive center in the game right now, since Howard is limited in that department at the moment, Shaq is too old, and Yao's entire future is still somewhat up in the air. As they say, the sky (hook) is the limit.

Pau Gasol - Crew

Aside from the hilarity involved with Pau fitting his 7 foot frame into a tiny crew boat, there is no better sport for training upper body strength. Every crew team member I've ever seen (coxswains aside) has had huge shoulders and forearms, women included. Since Pau isn't a huge fan of straight weight lifting, this could be the perfect summer activity to turn his chicken wings into turkey legs.

Ron Artest - Golf

For the man who needs mental strengthening much more than physical, I prescribe golf. I can't think of a game that is more capable of inducing someone to lose control, and anybody who does lose control even a little bit on the golf course is immediately punished for it. The focus which is required on the links wouldn't be a bad thing for Ron Ron either.

Luke Walton - Shooting Lessons with Reggie Miller

Walton has had (extremely) brief periods where he has been a very competent shooter. During those periods, people understand why the Lakers might have been willing to pay him so much money to be on the team. Despite never being the most athletic of guys, Luke's all around game has always been strong. He's can handle the rock, can be a tremendous passer, and has enough size to do what he needs to in the post. If he could consistently knock down the outside shot, his stock would jump from fringe role player to legitimate starter in the NBA.

Adam Morrison - MMA

The most well known moment of Adam Morrison's life is when he began to cry with a few seconds remaining in an NCAA tournament game where his precious Zags absolutely choked the game away to the UCLA Bruins. Also, if you haven't noticed, his body looks like bread dough. A couple months of training in the Octogon should do well to get rid of both attributes.

Sasha Vujacic - Posting up with Charles Barkley

Wait a second, WHAT?!?!? Hear me out. Obviously I don't want Sasha to start going to the post and attempting to back down his man for hours on end (although the comedy of such an activity would be off the charts.) Instead, I figure if Sasha spends a day training in the post with a man for whom they actually created a rule against taking too much time with the ball, Sasha might just learn that he doesn't have to shoot the rock within 2 nanoseconds of receiving it. If Sasha had the Chuck Wagon's patience, he might still be called the Machine.

Derek Fisher - Soccer

Fisher is already the consummate professional, and his body is probably in as good a shape as you can expect. It also seems ridiculous to ask a 13 year veteran to go pick up a new trick to use in the league (unless that player is gunning for participation in the GOAT debate, that is). So, for Fisher, I prescribe a sport intended to help him improve his quickness, which is the attribute that seems to be deteriorating the fastest as he ages. No sport in the world will teach you to have quick feet better than soccer.

Jordan Farmar - Tennis

You think that a bad attitude and not listening to coaches will hurt you in basketball? Tennis is littered with players who could have been all time greats, but failed to realize their potential because they didn't listen to coaches, and had a poor attitude about what they do. Plus, the individual nature of the game is such that you literally have no one to blame but yourself for your failures.

Shannon Brown - Dunking Techniques from Vince Carter

This is pretty much self-explanatory. If you've got all-world athleticism, and can jump as if you are on the moon, why not dial up the style while you're up there? You're telling me Shannon couldn't put his forearm in the basket? Or pull off a 360 through-the-legs windmill? Shannon's already got the game, as evidenced by the high school dunk contest he apparently got screwed out of winning ... against LeBron James. He just needs some tips from VC about how to turn that athleticism into something more artistic.

DJ Mbenga - Blocking from Dikembe Mutombo

Mbenga already has the mentality for this. The man attempts to block practically every shot that comes within a 10 foot radius, but he ends up with more fouls than blocked shots. He just needs some technique to go along with the desire, and who better to provide it than one of the best shot blockers of all time, Deke. Besides, more than anything in the world, I want Mbenga to adopt the finger wag after each block. With Mutumbo's career finally and tragically over, we need to keep the finger wag alive, and Mbenga is definitely the man for the job.

Josh Powell - Dancing moves from Ronny Turiaf

Josh Powell is already considered Turiaf-lite. Why not commit and go for the whole package? He's already got the same type of game as Turiaf. He's already got the capability for awesome hair-dos as Turiaf. All we need is for Powell to start shaking and grooving every time a Laker makes a big play on the court, and it'll be like the fan-favorite Ronny never left.

RaptorsHQ Talks with Jerome "Junkyard Dog" Williams - Part I

RaptorsHQ - Franchise — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 11:01:04 -0000

JYD never took a night off as a member of the Raptors...

View full size photo »

Jerome Williams has been a Raptor fan-favorite for quite some time. From his tireless work as a key member of the 2001 playoff team that took an Allen Iverson-led 76ers to seven games in the Eastern Conference Semi-Final, to his equally tireless work off the court for children, Williams has been a class act in his adopted home. After his retirement from the NBA in 2005, the Junk Yard Dog has begun a new life centered on charity work and a love of helping others. Raptors HQ's Ray Bala recently caught up with JYD to find out exactly what he has been up to since he retired and what he thought about his time in Toronto.

RaptorsHQ: I'm just gonna say come out and say it: I'm a huge Georgetown Hoyas fan and I've been following you since your days there in college. I remember you guys, (Allen) Iverson, Othella (Harrington), Don Reid, you all came down to play Memphis State here in Toronto and I missed the game. I had to get a report handed in and I missed my one chance to see all you guys! I heard the game was crazy though.

Jerome Williams: Wow that game was crazy! (Laughing) Coach Thompson got us an extra .2 seconds on the clock and it goes down in Toronto history as the last game to shut down Maple Leaf Gardens. Georgetown with the victory!

HQ: For some of our younger readers, can you tell us who gave you the nickname JYD?

JYD: When I was with the Pistons, former bad boy Rick Mahorn gave me that name and it's stuck with me.

HQ: Now why did he give you that nickname?

JYD: Just from my hustle and hard work. He said I was going to be his rookie. When I first got to the Pistons he said I had to beat him in there every day. And Rick was always there first so I would usually be there about three hours before practice just to beat Rick. At the same time, it was my work ethic. My work ethic was never questioned by administration, by the players, by anybody. When he named me the JYD because of my work, everybody accepted it because a) Rick Mahorn works hard and he would never give someone a work hard name if it wasn't true. And b) he was there to stamp it because he's the one who told me to beat him in there every day and that was just a part of the rookie's transition. You did everything that a veteran told you to do, bring donuts, coffee, whatever. SO...that's how I got my nickname. After he left, I could have let it go but by that time I had people barking for me, I had a dog pound, it was like where's this going to go? I can't do anything with this. JYD, that's who I am.

HQ: That nickname alone is now synonymous with not only hard work on the court, but community service and helping the people. It's taken its own personality and identity.

HQ: Now from the reports I've read, after your trade from Detroit, you jumped into your truck and drove up to Toronto. How excited were you to come here?

JYD: I was really excited to come to Toronto. That was my first trade so you have those hurtful feelings of being traded but I've been in the league for four, four and half years, so when it happens you're in a surreal moment. You have mixed emotions and you ask a bunch of questions like, "where am I going," "what do I do with all my friends here (in Detroit)," "how does it all work?" SO I immediately channeled all my energy into a city that was excited to have the Junkyard Dog. I thought about that and I said to myself "this is a great opportunity for me." This team is on the rise, I had been and played in Toronto when I was in college and I loved it so I have college roots there. Man, I shut down Maple leaf gardens with Allen Iverson! So I had a different level of respect for the city and the people and the passion. I was excited so that excitement was real so of course that's why that story lives ‘cause it's a true story. And then to have to battle through a snow storm, now that was unexpected cause it wasn't snowing when I left. Got out there on that Snow Belt it got serious but I made it there.

HQ: What do you think made Toronto special when you finally got here?

JYD: That was a three and half, four hour drive so what made it special when I got there was the fans. The fans made it special. They were calling into the radio, I was listening to the radio, they were saying how excited they were to have a player of my caliber there (on the team) and I just felt like "Dang, this feels like home and I haven't even done anything yet." I think the connection with the fans was the first thing that set Toronto apart (from other cities) because usually you get (to a new city) and the fans have to get to know you. It seemed they knew me all that time, like they knew me better than some of the players on the team so I took that and ran with it.

HQ: As you mentioned, most players seem to need some time for fans to warm up to them. Why do you think the fans jumped at the JYD almost immediately when you arrived in Toronto?

JYD: I think it's because Toronto fans are hockey fans by nature. And in the game of hockey you're only going to be on the ice if you're working hard. It's like a struggle throughout the whole game with a lot of contact, you have a lot of emotion and a low score. If you're brought up in that game and now switching to basketball and you're trying to learn and figure out the game with a higher score and you kinda recognize the players and you have to learn how they work, you're going to gravitate to someone who is putting forth a certain amount of effort that appeals to you. So I think that's what happened to me.

HQ: And I must say that you did work sir. No one out-worked you when you were on the court. Now looking back on your time as a Raptor, who was your favorite teammate?

JYD: Morris Peterson.

HQ: Why Morris Peterson?

JYD: Mo Pete was drafted as a Raptor and he was a good teammate. Mo is an all-around teammate. He was always willing to work hard and next to me he was a fan favorite. He did everything he was asked to do and he never wanted to leave, like me. He was never on the bus talking about "I can't wait to leave Toronto".

HQ: What are your favorite memories as a Raptor both on the court and off the court?

JYD: Wow. On the court I would definitely have say dunking on Dikembe Mutombo in the game that sent us to game seven in Philadelphia (Eastern Conference playoffs).

HQ: Wow. Climbing Mt Mutombo and dunking on him is a big feat! How was that?

JYD: It a fun element of my career in Toronto because I had history with Dikembe with Georgetown, a lot of conversations, and he would take me to dinner. (In Mutombo's voice) "Never Jerome will you dunk on Mt Mutombo." All that mystique about the Georgetown centers and he's probably blocked hundreds of my shots between Georgetown and NBA. Hundreds. So that one time out of a hundred that I actually got ‘em, especially in a game with those kind of stakes! (See the 1:07 mark of this video.) And that was in the fourth quarter and that was an "and one." And you know how you get that "Well it really wasn't a dunk on me" talk. I got through all that. It was an "and one" and it was replayed over and over. On that play, we were down and we were never down again in that game after and we won.

HQ: That must be something you bring up in the alumni game often.

JYD: Naw, I don't bring it up too much but I bring it up every now and again but it just depends how much trash he starts talking. I got you, I got Alonzo but I never got Patrick. He's the only safe one.

HQ: So how about your favorite memory off the court?

JYD: Aw man, there are so memories off the court. I would definitely say the visit to Sick Kids Hospital.

HQ: Why is that?

JYD: You know, those kids always showed the most heart for me because they were in situations where they were sick, in the hospital, and didn't know when they were going to get out. And when we would visit them in the hospital, I'd show up there and their faces would light up. It was like they were dreaming to meet me and I would go and I would feel like, man, whatever I'm doing right now to help them feel special it was like it was God's greatest gift because that gave some of the kids what they needed to get through their ailments. And that's just a powerful thing to do, to help somebody so I'll never forget those moments. Off the court that's probably the pinnacle, and there's been a lot. Helping or assisting in any way is a serious gift from God.

HQ: Since you've left the Raptors as a player, are you currently still with the team?

JYD: I'm not currently with the team but I still do things with the team though because I'm an NBA community ambassador. So I still do work for the league like in player development in Las Vegas in the summer which keeps me close to the game. It keeps me fresh, it keeps me enjoying what I've loved doing for so many years.

HQ: Working with the players, do you miss the game? Playing every night?

JYD: (With a laugh) I don't miss playing every night but I miss playing like once a week! If I could do it like once a week I'd still be playing. Look I could maybe sign a 10 day with the Raptors. Tell Bryan Colangelo I'm good for a week! (with a laugh) Then I got to lay in a bucket of ice for a month!

HQ: Not playing for that long, how are your skills? Was there a decline in any area basketball wise?

JYD: You got to remember that most of the guys who stop playing, it's not by choice. If you take a poll, 95% of the guys are stopping because they have to stop. They can no longer do it, their bodies are done, they can't make a team, can't make the cut, I mean it's hard work to stay in the NBA for any length of time. But when you step away like I did, just by choice, it's a whole different ball game. I'm still playing, I'm still out here. I dunked on a couple of cats out here in LA. I still play, that's the beauty of it. I didn't have any major injuries that stopped me from playing. So where most guys got to stop, then after they stop it's a huge fall-off because they can't play even if they wanted to. But whereas I stopped, I wanted to spend time with my family, pursue other goals, maybe get into other things in the realm of basketball and the NBA and organizations, I had a different walk.

HQ: Now since you walked in your own terms relatively young, do you have any regrets leaving so early?

JYD: The only regret is never putting on that Raptor uniform again. IF I had one thing that I would have loved to do it would be to put on that number 13 one last time just for my fans. Because a lot of people don't really understand the game, I mean the organizational side. I was put in a trade that basically the Raptors were forced to do. They couldn't not do that trade. I didn't want to leave, they didn't want me to leave, but because of their situation with Antonio Davis, they didn't have a choice.

Stay tuned for part II tomorrow and check out JYD's site, the "JYD project"...

Orlando Magic News for September 11th: Praise for All-Star Dunkers, an Evaluation of Rashard Lewis, and a Marcin Gortat Programming Note

Ben Q Rock — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 21:00:24 -0000

More photos » by Tom Olmscheid - AP

Browse more photos »

The 10 best dunkers of the last decade

It shouldn't surprise anyone to learn that Orlando Magic All-Stars and slam-dunk champions Vince Carter and Dwight Howard rank highly on Kelly Dwyer's list of the best dunkers of the last decade. Dwyer's effusive in praising Vince's dunking acument, if not his game:

Vince Carter is annoying as hell. On that, we can all agree.

But he can dunk. And he's gotten everyone.

[Frederic] Weis. Dikembe Mutombo. Alonzo Mourning, repeatedly. The Pacers, the Celtics, the whole flippin' NBA.

Not only is he the best dunker of the last decade, he's the best of all time. And that's someone with Michael Jordan bedsheets talking.

It's annoying as hell, but VC can throw down. Bow down.
Top 50: Rashard Lewis, no. 38

SLAM lists Rashard Lewis as the league's 38th-best player, and says only Howard will surpass him in importance to this year's Magic team:

After Dwight Howard, Shard will be the second-most important piece of the puzzle this season for Orlando. Dwight will continue to do his thing, looking like the Incredible Hulk under the basket. Jameer Nelson will play his part, setting the table for everyone. As revitalized as Vince Carter may be this coming season, you can’t help but think that he’s salivating at the prospect of winning while being the third or fourth banana some nights. In many ways, Shard is the glue of this team’s core.
Marcin Gortat and Poland are playing well in EuroBasket 2009

The Orlando Sentinel has a look at Marcin Gortat's performance in Eurobasket, and lists how you can watch the next games he'll play in the tournament.

Mike Born--Basketball Without Borders in Africa: Day Three

Dave — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 22:38:08 -0000

This is the third installment from Portland Trail Blazers Director of Scouting Mike Born who is helping to lead the Basketball Without Borders in Africa program as we speak. Mike is contributing his thoughts here and you can also read them at iamatrailblazersfan.com.

DAY 3 - the best parts of day 3 had very little to do with the basketball we played today on the court. I worked once again with Dwight Howard and also got to work with Dikembe Mutombo on post defense. I think I am learning as much about post play as some of the campers getting to with these two players and also Chris Bosh yesterday. The campers competed like crazy and tried to take it all in. Our team also one a close, hard fought game in the afternoon. But we talked about how we can play much better. The kids play so hard but this effort at times can lead to playing to fast and making out of control plays. But we loved again how our team competed and we have done a nice job of playing together. We love our team as kids. A very appreciative and caring
group of kids.

The best parts of the day started after all the drills and games were over. The first terrific event was part of the "Skills for Life" that the camp puts on. A gentleman by the name of Kita and his group called Hoops4Hope spent an amazing hour with the campers and discussed leadership as part of their pillars for life. Hoops4Hope uses basketball, soccer and chess as a way of reaching out to the youth of Africa to teach four pillars for life: Leadership, HIV/AIDS and Healthy Living, Gender (a program specifically for girls), and Conflict Resolution. Kita started this group 18 years ago but it has been under the name Hoops4Hope the last 15 years. I had a chance to talk to him and when you see a human being that is driven with such an amazing purpose and passion for what he is doing, you understand how he and his group can have such an impact on the kids with their teachings.

The message today was a simple, well thought out teaching for the campers. Kita and his group had an amazing and positive connection with the campers. They broke the campers into three groups. Group 1 (around 20 campers) worked as a train (called Shosholoza) where only the front and back person could talk. The other 18 campers had to close their eyes and trust the people leading them through their communication. They had chairs set out and even took them off the court and into the grassy terrain with hills to test the leader's abilities. Group 2 had each of the campers partner up and they had to lead their blind folded partner across the court sideways through a maze of cones on the ground. If you touched the cone you went back and you had 60 seconds to get them safely to the other side. Group 3 was called "team hand ball" and focused on how life can be confusing if there is no plan, no direction and no leadership. They had the teams split up into two teams and had to keep the basketball safely away from the other team for 10 consecutive passes with out dropping or having the ball stolen. The game was played various times at first with no rules or leadership and then with leadership to explain how important leadership and communication were.

But their message was a simple and strong one. It was about how to be a good leader and follower. How these kids can go back and make a difference in their families and communities. That we need more leaders in our world and how the campers can inspire and motivate people. Our leaders must communicate well and have the trust of the followers. The followers must be aware, must listen, must respect and have to trust their leaders. It was a terrific message and I know each and everyone of these kids learned some new skills today that we hope they use in their daily lives.

After our "Skills for Life" seminar the entire staff of BWOB Africa loaded on the buses and headed to the Ivory Park Township for the Habitat for Humanity Build. Our group of around 100 people was broken up into four groups. Each of the four groups had their own home they worked on for the two hour period. I was with all the coaches along with family members and a few of the project leaders for the build. House 3 was going to be the home of beneficiary Barnett and his family of five. It was emotional to listen to Barnett speak to us about how fortunate he and his family were to have us come to help him build his new house. His family of five sleeps in one room so the new house will now have privacy and a place for his children to study. It was an amazing experience to know your work was going to make a significant change in a family's life. And we were not at this place to just do a photo shoot. Our crew leader was on us early. We moved hundreds of bricks, mixed a huge batch of motor that was called "dagga" and stacked rows of bricks on top each other. It was just another meaningful partof this entire trip.

After heading back to the hotel we left for our last function of the night by attending a reception at the United States Consulate. This was an opportunity for the NBA/WNBA to thank the people of South Africa for allowing us to come to Africa and help spread our message to their people. It was also for the Ambassador and Consul General to thank the NBA/WNBA and our entire staff for us being in the city of Johannesburg as well. It was another well planned event and I had the chance to talk to various people who were from Johannesburg about their city, country and continent. Just another opportunity to learn more about the South African culture.

It was a busy day but a great one as well. Not much down time here but when you feel you are making such a difference at each event it is easy to have plenty of energy. Tomorrow we will have another great day of basketball by doing stations, playing games and hearing from Kita and his group on HIV/AIDS and Healthy Living. We are also planning a visit to the Soweto Kliptown Youth Trust (SKY) and I have heard from many people this is one of the most touching events of this camp. Hard to believe because there have been so many wonderful experiences already. Until then.

Scout Born

Thanks as always to Mr. Born for making this experience come alive for those who can't travel along.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

Mike Born: Basketball Without Borders Africa--Day One

Dave — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:05:37 -0000

The Director of Scouting for the Portland Trail Blazers (and good friend of this site) Mike Born is participating in Basketball Without Borders--Africa this week. It's good to know the Blazers are participating in such a life-changing, and perhaps society-changing--project. Mike will be sharing his reflections on this event with us. Here is his first update from Johannesburg, South Africa.

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA, September 2, 2009 -

What a day. Wow! We just finished day one of the seventh edition of Basketball without Borders- Africa. I have heard what a terrific experience this camp has been from Chad Buchanan (who attended last year), Kevin Pritchard (who attend a few years back) and various other NBA coaches and scouts. I am really excited to see how the week plays out. I want to first talk a little history of BWOB and this years camp as well. The BWOB Africa camp was created by the NBA/WNBA to reach out into the community and provide projects focusing on education, grassroots basketball development and HIV/AIDS education.   The BWOB Africa is a huge outreach program to help the African community in so many different ways. The basketball instructional camp is for young people that utilizes the sport as a vehicle to influence positive social change, It features current and former NBA players and team personnel as camp coaches for 60 young athletes (19 & under) from 23 countries across Africa. The staff participate in various projects including a return to the Cotlands Community Center in Soweto, which was opened during BWB Africa 2007 to help plant vegetable seeds and cultivate the land, a Habitat for Humanity Build Day where we will help construct four new homes for families that have never had the chance to own their own house, a youth basketball clinic, and of course teaching campers how to improve their basketball skills on the court and the daily life-skills seminars to help them make good decisions off it as well. The camp lasts from September 2 - 6.   The staff here this upcoming week is going to be tremendous. There is a daunting amount of work that goes into organizing an event like this and you can tell they have done this dance before. From the staff that has organized this entire project, selected/organized the arrangement for all 60 players, the coaches/scouts here to help the campers, down to the many NBA players who are attending this year...it is a terrific group of people. Dikembe Mutombo will lead a contingent of NBA/WNBA players including Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh, Dirk Nowitzki, Luc Mbah a Moute, Teresa Edwards, Nkeysha Sales along with other players here as camp coaches. There is a tremendous purpose to why the NBA/WNBA and all the people are here. And I am already starting to sense a feeling of unbelievable purpose in being here myself.

Day 1. It was a great start to the camp. We are only one day in, but I can already feel myself being pulled in by the purpose of us being in South Africa. I of course want to let things play out, but it is hard not feel the care and love of the people involved with this camp.   In talking to others who previously have been involved with the camp, it is apparent how all phases have improved from year to year. From a player like Luc Mbah a Moute (from Cameroon/UCLA/Milwaukee Bucks), who was a participant in one of the initial camps here, and his story of how BWOB Africa helped pave a new road for him to the other various stories of outreach, I can already see how working this camp can change the lives of all people involved.

A large group of us started the day by visiting the Apartheid Museum. Many of the NBA/WNBA players, joined by their families and various staff members, were part of this group. I have seen some historic places in my life, ranging from a concentration camp in Germany, to the Berlin Wall, Normandy Beach and the Great Wall of China, but this place tops the list of sites that can change how a person views the world. To know that Nelson Madela sacrificed 27 years of his life in prison knowing he had a greater purpose and was willing to make the sacrifices to lead a group of people is awe-inspiring to say the least. We spent just under three hours at the museum and it was a moving experience.   It is so perfectly laid out and encompasses so much history. We could have spent two or three days here and still not taken it all in. It was an awesome place to see.

From there we moved to the gym facilities to scout out the talent. Six teams with 10 campers per team will participate so the coaches/scouts job in the afternoon was to evaluate the campers for our draft. I like to consider myself a thorough scout so it is not easy to evaluate 60 kids in 90 minutes and then draft a team of 10 kids, but my assistant Carlos Barroca and I did the best we could and we like the team we comprised. I have heard how hard the kids play, how hungry they are to learn and how appreciative they are that we are here. They were right on the money and the best part of getting to know the kids has only just begun. I only saw them play for a brief time, but you can feel the love for the game and how thankful they are for this opportunity. I cannot wait to gather our team tomorrow and get to know the kids. We tried to draft a group of players who not only had talent, but had a good feel for the game and also looked like they truly cared about their teammates. I want our team to learn as much as we can about the game...but more importantly, I want them to play hard, play together and really enjoy the experience of BWOB Africa.

We then moved on to the draft and some meetings at night. This was time for various discussions concerning the camp and the opportunity to hear two guest speakers in Richard Lapchick and Bob Nemang. These gentlemen discussed their personal stories about how apartheid was prevalent in their lives. It was as moving for me to hear their stories as it was to visit the museum. Hearing their extremely personal stories granted me an even greater appreciation of all that I have, all that my family has, and how the world is always changing.   They each talked for about 15 minutes, but I would have listened all night. I was touched by both of their stories and they only reiterated how much our being here matters to the people we can reach out and help.

Our entire group finished the night by enjoying dinner together at an excellent African restaurant just outside our hotel. I believe every person involved with this camp was in attendance, including some 75 people. I know I am new to this experience, but I can see why others spoke so highly about this camp. For all those fortunate enough to be involved, it already feels like a huge, tight-knit family united by our purpose. We are here to help people- most of whom are such giving human beings in their own right.   With a person like Dikembe Mutombo in your presence, the abundance of smiles and hugs is apparent. I know it is only day one, but I am eager to experience more of what will surely turn out to be one of the most memorable experiences of my life.

Scout Born

Thanks to Mike Born for the update. I'm sure we're all looking forward to hearing more about his trip and the experience.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

Asking GSoM: Raptors HQ wants the 411 on Marco Belinelli

Atma Brother ONE — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 09:45:07 -0000

UPDATE (8/1/09 10:01 am): Rap it up with the HQ in The Scoop on Belinelli!

I should also be clear on the Raps angle since we have a lot of Raptors fans reading. First of all, welcome T-Town. As my esteemed colleague JAE and I have written at length this trade is meaningless for the Warriors. In the long run it's also pretty meaningless for the Raptors. But if you want to assign a grade for the Raptors front office for this move, it's undoubtedly an A. It's a low risk, potentially high reward move. They traded nothing for the possibility of something. Can't fault that one bit from the Raps angle- unlike that silly and unnecessary extension for quite possibly the worst rebounding big man in the league, but that's another story for another time...

=============================

At the start of the last year in this decade we rolled out the famous Polling GSoM segment. It's been a hit to say the least. Even The New York Times recognizes game. But as you all know, we're not one hit wonders (ahem, Young MC) here at the mighty GSoM. Building on that success it's time to launch another soon to be platinum status hit.

My golden friends I give you... Asking GSoM!

What's that you say?

Well think of Asking GSoM as a more eloquent and in-depth version of Polling GSoM. Instead of just voting and participating in an unstructured discussion we've got a structured and provocative set of discussion topics centered around a common theme and news item in the association.

Our friends over at Raptors HQ provide the "Asking" for this inaugural segment with their inquiries about the Marco Belinelli for Devean George swap. Check out:

Raptors HQ is legit. This ain't no Craptors HQ!

Jump to see what questions have been flown into the GSoM Mailbag via Air Canada.

Asking #1: There has been a lot of discussion about what sort of player Belinelli is now and what he could be. Your recent poll is suggesting he is fools gold but there are also a lot of Raps fans who recall his performance against the team when he went 5/8FG3, 6/6FT, 6AST, 23PTS, in a 117 point GSW win. Was this a complete anomoly, much like his summer league performance a few years back? Has any other player built a reputation based on one summer league game like Belinelli appears to have done?

My 20 cents: It was a complete anomaly. It's a little funny come to think of it. I remember awhile back Devean George made a big name for himself in the summer league, but maybe I'm only remembering that because I lived in SoCal at the time and was surrounded by LA Faker fans who hilariously tried to convince me that George was the next Shawn Marion (true story).

Asking #2: Raptors fan are generally pretty excited about the trade. George was not going to contribute a great deal and Belinelli seems to be falling into a best case scenario given the United Nations feel with the Raps and the possibility of more PT. What went wrong in Golden State? Is it simply a numbers game and that Belinelli is less talented than the rest of the current players at his position? Or, is it the circus of a front office (and the politics that came with that)?

My 20 cents: Belinelli is not only less talented than the rest of the other Warrior players at his position, but less talented than about 95% of the guards in the league. He got beat out for playing time fair and square on a 29 win team. What does that tell you? He's not a very good NBA player.

Asking #3: The feeling at the HQ is that even if Belinelli doesn't work out the team didn't have to give up much to get someone with upside and who could become a rotation player. It's not like Colangelo gave up a first round pick for Marcus Williams....(ouch!). There seems to be some sentiment that if Belinelli doesn't get minutes however, he could cause a disturbance in the locker room. Is there anything to support this?

My 20 cents: After his rookie season in the offseason Belinelli aired his frustration with his lack of playing time (which he by the way didn't earn or deserve) to the Italian press. Belinelli also reportedly refused Nellie's request to go down to the NBDL amidst his horrendous rookie campaign. He seems like a decent enough cat though. I doubt he's a locker room drama queen and that he'll create any disturbance in the Toronto locker room, but that's just my intuition and not based on any real reports.

Asking #4: One player readers keep comparing him to is former Raptor Jason Kapono. Although Kapono could shoot he was an atrocious defender. Is Belinelli really that bad a defender? Is there another NBA player who might be a better comparison (please say yes!)?

My 20 cents: Some delusional Warrior fans will actually argue that Belinelli is a good defender, but take that with a pound of salt. Remember we haven't seen anything resembling defense here since that magical We Believe run in the spring of 2007. Most Warriors fans wouldn't know what good defense was if a Dikembe Mutombo rejection hit them in the face. Belineli is not nearly as good of a 3pt shooter as Kapono, but probably just as atrocious of a defender.

Post your detailed insights to these questions in the comments.

And since we have some Raps fans reading I thought it'd be fun time to bring back this oldie, but goodie...

Houston Rockets 2009-2010: Are we over/under-rating what the team will be?

UofTOrange — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 14:56:01 -0000

I've been called an eternal optimist around here before. Mostly because I've always want to believe that this team could do things like the 22 game winning streak, or taking LA to 7 games. In the life of this blog that optimism has been proven to be "correct" if there is a such thing. It's also been proven to be wrong (Utah 2 years ago and Yao's injuries) pretty often as well. This is called being a fan, though you could easily be a pessimist and be just as big of a fan (ask Dave). The team, provided there is solid management and coaching will have it's ups and downs, all teams do. The great Celtics went forever between Larry Bird and a championship. The Lakers have had plenty of droughts as well. The Rockets, as a upper middle half team historically will take more lumps than those two teams, but that's just life.

I've seen everything from "this team will suprise people in the play-offs" to "This team will have a shot at John Wall". Granted any lottery team would "have a chance" but I suspect that wasn't the point of that comment. To get to my opinion let's look at how the team stands right now:

FA: Von Wafer
Retired: Dikembe Mutombo
Lost via FA: Ron Artest

Injured: Yao Ming (entire season), Tracy McGrady (half the season)

Under Contract
PG: Aaron Brooks (3 more years), Kyle Lowry (2 more years)
SG: Shane Battier (2 more years), Brent Barry (1 more year)
SF:Trevor Ariza (5 more years), James White (2 more years)
PF:Luis Scola (1 more year), Carl Landry (2 more years), Chuck Hayes (2 more years)
C: Joey Dorsey (3 more years though he's really not a C)f

Rookies that may sign:

SG: Jermaine Taylor
SF: Chase Budinger

Doesn't count: Brian Cook

Point Guard: I feel like the Rockets are set here. That doesn't mean that if Rubio was offered to me I wouldn't trade just about anything on the team (not Scola) to get him, but overall, I'm happy going into the season with an upper half point guard tandem. Both guys could start in the NBA and both guys bring different talents to the floor for a given match-up. Last year I wanted Lowry to start because the offense needed his balance. This year the offense is Brooks, Scola and whatever cuts Ariza makes. So ABZ is the answer as the starting 1, and a lot of teams wish that was the case, so I certianly will not (nor want to) complain about it.

Shooting Guard: There are four wild cards here. 1. Will Shane Battier be traded before the season and 2. Can Jermaine Taylor step in this year and contribute at SG right away. 3. Does Von Wafer resign? 4. When does McGrady come back/is he traded?
1. With Battier that isn't speculation on my part. I do not have a lot of inside sources, but the few I do have say that the Rockets are actually listening to offers for Battier. Not openly shopping him mind you, but last year they didn't even listen simply telling teams he was untouchable before they spoke. Battier himself has said he thinks he's gone and that was never a thought of his before.
2. Jermaine Taylor looks like a player, especially on the offensive end. His shot isn't falling right now, but his body positioning and offensive talents are evident. Is he ready to step in day 1? Probably not, but the Rockets have 4 months to make him that player.
3. Von Wafer is going to be a Houston Rocket, I feel very strongly about that. This has all the makings of Landry last year. Agent upset about not getting respect, but the simple fact is that Daryl Morey is a very respectful guy, he's just not stupid. He doesn't bid against himself, and he knows good and well that Wafer likes it in Houston and knows that Houston gave him a chance when no one else would. The Rockets will ultimately get him at a very cheap salary (I'd say much less than Landry's 3/$9MM).
4. Good old Tracy McGrady. He seems like a whipping boy around here this year. That was never the case before. We've all loved him in our own ways for a long time. I think it's just as simple as a set of circumstances that were poorly approached by him, but that's another post. Is McGrady traded? Does he come back and play? I wish I had the answer. If he is traded it will be for a big name or for young players with talent and draft picks. No matter what though, Morey will give himself the most flexibility he possibly can while also making the future as positive as he can.
So there are basically 2 scenarios I see here that are likely. 1. Battier is the opening day starter and 2. Battier is traded and ~~Rudy Fernandez~~Wafer or Taylor is the starter. In the first case the Rockets are in better shape overall for THIS season. In the second I believe Wafer would be the starter and they'd bring Taylor along with a lot of playing time. Mid season you could get McGrady back, maybe even a little earlier. If this is the case, McGrady will be starting. Morey will want to maximize his value at the trade deadline and at that point he'll decide if he likes his trade options or if he simply wants to let McGrady's contract expire.

Small Forward: Trevor Ariza is the future here. Yes, he will play some SG, but he's a true SF in my opinion and given the Rockets options I think it makes the most sense to play him here and Battier at the 2. It's semantics though, as Battier will guard the other teams best player between the 2 and 3 and neither of them are true shooting guards. James White will have plenty of opportunities to show what he is made of between now and the first game of the season. Either way he will get some second team reps during the season to show if he can score even half as well as he did in the D league. This position has a lot of what ifs, but ultimately it is the Trevor Ariza show and he'll have to prove he was worth this much money. I'm coming around, but I can guarantee you that last year I had more confidence when this was the Battier/Artest show. That's in no way to say Ariza can't do it, just that I want to see it with my own two eyes, and I really hope I do.

Power Forward: This spot on the court is as solid as any 1, 2 punch in the NBA. Both guys could start depending on a teams make - up, and they both care about basketball in unhealthy ways. Scola is a top 10 PF and he'll likely climb that chart this year as he will be expected to be the star. That's a role that he can and will fill. I've said it for almost 2 years now, he can score 20 points a game in this league and he will prove me right this year. I expect a huge season from him, 20/10 is what I think he's easily capable of. Without Artest taking wild shots, and with being the focal point in the post he is going to absolutely take off. Carl Landry will be used some at the 5 and possibly even the 3 (a spot I think he'd do well), and will provide a spark off the bench as he always does. A season removed from getting shot should help him mentally return to himself. I have no concerns at power forward. And for all of you on Morey about not getting a backup center and acting like it was the Rockets number on concern, please allow me to tell you that you are insane. The Rockets have needed a power forward since Barkley retired. Daryl Morey has delivered a top 10 guy and a versatile guy. That is what the team needed more than anything. And you know what? That's not even taking into account Chuck Hayes who is a defensive dynamo and has more often than not helped the team. I'm listing him at center though for discussion purposes.

Center: Okay, so the Rockets are ~~non-existent~~ thin here. Having Dikembe Mutombo finally retire and yao go down for what may be forever, tend to cause issues like that. They had the same problem when Hakeem left. And you know what they did? They gave Kelvin Cato roughly 8 trillion dollars to suck completely. Many of you are angry about the Rockets not having this spot filled. Apparently you think that because the PG (always a problem pre-Morey) and PF (same) have 2 starter quality players that every spot should. Newsflash, most teams don't have back ups for their superstars that can step in right away, no matter how brittle that player is. Ask yourself, who plays for Kobe if he's out for a season? How about Lebron? DWade? Dirk? The point is, the Rockets rolled the dice (and frankly with no other real choice) on Yao's health because it was the absolute best chance at getting a ring. It came up craps, but they still had a shot at the championship. Anyway, that's not the point of this post, so I digress. The Rockets are starting the season (as of today) with Chuck Hayes as their starting center. Considering Joey Dorsey is the other option Chuck has to be the starter. That's not to say that Dorsey can't develop, quite the contrary, he can, it's just to say he's small too. Dorey does have the athletic ability to play the 5, even though he's 6'9. Now, he's not Bill Russell but the average height of the NBA center does seem to have come down, and the overall quantity of quality centers is at an all time low. (On a side note, given all the hormones that people take and the taller than ever height of everyone, isn't it odd that there aren't more dominant 7 footers like Shaq and DHo?) So this is the worst spot on the court going into the season. That's not to knock Chuck Hayes, just to say Chuck is a PF playing center and Dorsey is a project that could still pan out.

Overall: Gven the Rockets are good/great at the 4, solid/good at the 1 and either 2 or 3, potentially lottery bound at the 2 or 3 and the 5, where does that leave the team. Seriously, look at that. There is depth, but it's specific depth. There is an excess of potential, but it's 2 years off potential. McGrady is potentially the best player of the bunch but is out until mid-season/may be traded. Scola could have an All Star year, this is absolutely true. But can this team do more than 41 wins? I say yes, it can, but I don't think it will do much more if it does. My opinion, after really having time to look at it is that, given how it stands today, this is a lottery bound team. Late pick lottery, but still lottery bound.

With that lottery prediction, that's as it stands today. What we've learned from day 1 of Daryl Morey (Shane Battier trade, I don't care what anyone says, he did that) is that he can make the team better with 1 or 2 moves and he will if they make sense to the cap and the flexibility for the future. It's a testament to him that I'm even talking about this subject. As of right now the Rockets have $71,245,249 in payroll. They are under the luxury tax mark and only have $35,423,040 under contract going into the sweepstakes year of 2010. Ariza is the only player with a contract past 2011/12. They also have $39,617,886 (55.6%) of injuries sitting on the bench unable to contribute. And yet, some of you are extremely bullish on their chances to make the playoffs. That's pretty impressive if you ask me and flexibility is something Daryl Morey has created, it absolutely was not something that was given to him.

So I ask you, what is your predicition for the seasongiven how the team stands today (we'll do this again if/when a trade happens)?

Poll

Your prediction for the season:

1-20 wins

19 votes

21-30 wins

74 votes

31-40 wins

386 votes

41-50 wins

642 votes

51-60 wins also known as the "I'm delusional" section

140 votes

1261 votes | Poll has closed

Hawks Press Conference Bullets

hawksdawgs — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 00:49:23 -0000

More photos » by Tony Dejak - AP

Bibby and Zaza mentally preparing for their press conference.

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In case you missed it, no one pulled a Carlos Boozer today. Zaza Pachulia and Mike Bibby resigned with the Atlanta Hawks. Micah Hart and crew at the official Hawks website have lots of great videos documenting the press conference. If you don't have time to watch or wonder what I think about when I watch Hawks videos online. Here are a few press conference bullets.

Mike Woodson's opening thoughts are how impressed he is with the media turnout. This marks the humor highlight of the videos. Coach hits on irony from any number of fronts with this bad boy. One, if a strong media presence existed, he probably would not have a job now. Two, for all Woodson's faults, it is beyond clear at this point that he is not thinking about bloggers when he gives sound bytes. Three, who says this when introducing two free agent signing?
Mike Bibby is very easily distracted. He looked like a fifth grade version of me when I knew I was on camera and just looked for things to laugh about so I looked cool. (Yes, I really did that.)
The Hawks don't haze rookies? I find this to be a severe inditement on the team. Some of these guys need to start feeling like veterans or they are not going to ever play like them. I want Jeff Teague picking up laundry four days a week. UNTIL MY FINGERS GOES DOWN!
How telling is Woodson's hair? The man had a full head of hair. Made a promise to shave his head if the Hawks made the playoffs. Then he never let it grow again. If he makes most decisions in this format, I would not be shocked.
Mike Bibby never had a veteran point guard to learn from. Even though it makes sense coming into the league with Vancouver, still kind of shocking and explains a few of his deficiencies.
Rick Sund made a point to mention that both these guys were unrestricted free agents. It is a point with some weight. Are these two marque starters? No. But both could have easily gone elsewhere. I am not saying LeBron is coming to Atlanta, but if the team puts a winner on the court and will spend some money, I think players are going to want to come here. That is saying a lot since Dikembe Mutombo might be the last unrestricted free agent of any mustard to sign with the Hawks....and that was in 1996.
"Basically, I became a pro here." Great line from Zaza.
Zaza may have been lying, but I don't care. He convinced me that a legitimate factor for returning was the fans. You didn't come close to having me at hello Mr. Pachulia. But you have me now. My Al Horford jersey is officially on a game day rotation.
Zaza also mentioned the Hawks going to the finals....so maybe he was joking about the fans.