SB Nation - Malik Allen

Bucks Season Preview

Frank Madden — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:24:34 -0000

Could happier times finally be on the horizon?

Below you'll find our contribution to the annual season previews that the good folks at Celtics Blog have been hosting for the last couple years.

Last Year's Record: 34-48

Key Losses: Ramon Sessions, Richard Jefferson, Charlie Villanueva

Not-So-Key Losses: Keith Bogans, Malik Allen, Damon Jones

Key Additions: Brandon Jennings, Hakim Warrick, Ersan Ilyasova, Carlos Delfino, Kurt Thomas, Jodie Meeks

Not-So-Key Additions: Roko Ukic

Actual analysis and deep thoughts after the jump.

1. What Significant Moves were made during the off-season?

Where to begin?

The Bucks have had a penchant in recent years for turning over half their roster each summer--funny how mediocrity encourages that kind of thing--yet they managed to outdo themselves over the last few months, allowing their three "leading scorers" to depart through either free agency or trades and replacing them with a mixed bag of young talent and proven veterans--all on reasonable deals. With their cap number lurking dangerously close to the tax both this year and next, trading Richard Jefferson for what eventually amounted to Kurt Thomas, Carlos Delfino, Roko Ukic and salary flexibility was largely a necessity given Jefferson's deal greatly outpaced his productivity.

The real question is whether the Bucks actually took enough advantage of the flexibility provided by RJ's departure. While the Bucks' decision not to make a qualifying offer to Charlie Villanueva drew some quizzical looks, the truth was that Villanueva's inconsistent, defenseless style meant he was never in the Bucks long-term plans. Realistically, signing the productive Hakim Warrick for just $3 million and the return of Ersan Ilyasova on a three-year deal for just $7 million is likely to provide far more value to the Bucks than locking Villanueva into a long-term deal. The pair is likely to gather the lion's share of PF minutes this season, though it's also possible Kurt Thomas grabs minutes next to Andrew Bogut rather than simply backing him up.

But perhaps the most intriguing decision was to select Brandon Jennings as the effective replacement for Ramon Sessions. Sure, Jennings beats Sessions on sex appeal and "potential," but the odds of him being able to replace Sessions' productivity in the near term? Doubtful. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to watch the youngster learn on the job, but there will be some seriously long nights as the kid figures out the NBA game (and how to make jumpshots). That's why Luke Ridnour--finally healthy and looking improved in the preseason--will probably get the starting nod on opening night. The tragedy is that the Bucks' inability to lock in Sessions earlier in the summer led them to effectively use their remaining dollars under the tax on Warrick, Delfino, and Ukic. If Sessions had signed a max MLE deal watching him leave would have been somewhat tolerable, but for four years and $16 million it's tougher to stomach. (Frank)

2. What are the team's biggest strengths?

Scott Skiles. Ethnic diversity.

And, um...scrappiness? OK, maybe I'm being redundant. It's actually pretty simple: the success of the 09/10 Bucks will be mostly dependent on their ability to take another step forward defensively and rebound the way they did in the first half of 09/10.

That doesn't mean they'll be boring. Skiles' teams have always relied on defense and rebounding to play at a fast pace, and that was the formula we began to see a year ago. Before Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut were lost to season-ending injuries, the Bucks were a top five rebounding team and top ten defensively--no small feat for a franchise that had finished in the lower half of the league's defensive efficiency rankings every year since 1991. Leading that effort is '08 second rounder Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who will compete with Delfino for the starting SF spot and will regularly draw the task of guarding the opponent's best wing scorer.

While they ended up middle-of-the-pack in both rebounding and defensive efficiency, they forced more turnovers than any other team in the league and should be even better now that they've added the ballhawking Jennings, don't have Villanueva getting minutes at PF, and will (hopefully) have Bogut back full-time in the middle. In other words, the Bucks will win by minimizing opponent opportunities (by forcing turnovers and not giving up second chances) and pushing the pace the other way. (Frank)

3. What are the team's biggest weaknesses?

Losing Jefferson, Sessions, and Villanueva necessarily leaves the cupboard rather bare offensively, but those losses will be blunted by the return of Redd and Bogut. Still, don't expect the Bucks to win any shootouts, as they're short on guys who can create their own shot and only Redd and Warrick have shown any ability to get to the line consistently.

More generally, the Bucks simply don't have clear-cut NBA starters aside from Redd and Bogut. There's no shortage of athletes or quality role players, but having the best roster from 11-15 doesn't get you all that much--and it's generally pretty pointless to being pay a few vaguely capable guys to wear street clothes each night. So while there's been lots of talk by the Bucks about being three-deep at every position, that's largely just distracting from the lack of proven quality at most positions. Skiles has admitted the rotation is something of a free-for-all at the moment, with virtually everyone on the roster capable of getting rotation minutes at some point this season. But would that be true if the Bucks had more established players at the point and forward spots? No.

With Bogut back and Villanueva gone, the Bucks also will hope to shore up their porous interior defense. As part of that, the Bucks led the league in fouls a year ago and early indications from the preseason are that not much has changed on that front, though Bogut has played sparingly as well. Bogut has improved steadily over the years in that department, and Kurt Thomas immediately provides a big boost as well. (Frank)

4. What are the goals for this team?

Media, fans, players--certainly they all have different ideas, though all can agree that after five straight last-place finishes in the Central, escaping the division basement would provide a long overdue baby step in the right direction and toward respectability. If that doesn’t happen, well, don’t count the national media among those surprised: they have lower expectations for Milwaukee this year than their usual, remarkably low expectations. Most who follow the team closely however probably peg the Bucks as a similarly capable side to last year. The offseason headlines naturally tilt toward the big names lost or dealt away, but if the team’s two most important chips (Redd and Bogut) return to health, the Bucks should be a mildly competitive team.

So, what should Redd and Bogut aim for, realistically? They are mainstays on these last-place finishers, but the last time either played 80 games, they both did--and the Bucks won 40 games and made the playoffs (2005-06). The chances the Bucks do the same this year are probably the same as the odds Redd and Bogut both stay on the floor without a scrape. Likely? No. Possible? Possible. (Alex)

Projected Finish: 34-48. We're projecting the same record as a year ago for a reason. While the losses of Sessions and Jefferson leave a void at two key positions, don't underestimate the impact of having Redd and Bogut healthy again. Bogut in particular has a chance to prove he's worth the $60 million contract he inked two summers ago, as he'll get every chance to be a bigger factor offensively in addition to his usual role of anchoring the defense. If he can't score 15+ ppg it will only further exacerbate the Bucks' lack of scoring depth.

Moreover, the Bucks' bench is deeper and should offset some of the uncertainty surrounding the starting forward and point guard positions. There's certainly enough upside to contend for one of the final playoff spots, but it will require the health (and productivity) of the big names, Skiles to again get the most out of his team defensively, and at least a couple of the young players--Ilyasova, Jennings, and Mbah a Moute primarily--to make an impact. Given the Bucks never seem to get everything to go their way, we won't hold our breath.

Poll

How many games do the Bucks win in 09/10?

Less than 20

16 votes

20-25

32 votes

26-30

63 votes

31-35

105 votes

36-40

186 votes

41-45

127 votes

46-50

21 votes

50+

27 votes

577 votes | Poll has closed

Spoiler Alert: Denver Nuggets Preview

djturtleface — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 18:28:38 -0000

More photos » by Matt Slocum - AP

Nene is huge. And he'll need to log huge minutes if the Nuggets don't want to be playing a starting frontcourt with either Malik Allen or Johan Petro. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Browse more photos »

The Nuggets are my second favorite team in the NBA. Let's get that straight right now. I backed the Nuggets all season last year, told everyone that, yes, they were that good, even though nobody believe me that they were a new team. That's the funny thing about the NBA. Sometimes swapping one piece can completely change your team's outlook.

I remember that some stats-heavy analyst was saying that the Chauncey Billups trade didn't make the Nuggets great; the fact that the Nuggets played defense this year made them great. Apparently he's not into making the connect.

My point being that this isn't the same team the Nuggets had last year, just like swapping Allen Iverson for Mr. Big Shot changed their dichotomy last year. The problem, however, is that --unlike acquiring Billups -- I'm not convinced this season's change is for the better.

Preview

As I just pointed out, this season's Nuggets are fit to be a very different squad. Yes, the big pieces are all still in place: Carmelo Anthony, Billups, Kenyon Martin, J.R. Smith, Nene, and the Birdman Chris Andersen. The problem is that the small pieces are all jumbled, and probably not for the better. Losing Linas Kleiza is a bigger deal then most people realize; the Nuggets front-court is only Martin, Nene, Birdman, and Johan Petro -- unless you count Malik Allen, who you very might well have to by the end of the season. That's terrifyingly thin given the fact that Andersen is more of a gadget player than a power forward or center, and K-Mart is notoriously fragile.

That being said there are reasons for positive outlook. Dahntay Jones is really terrible, I mean awful, and anyone watching him play knows that he was basically just playing to keep J.R. Smith from taking all of Carmelo's possessions. Jones wasn't nearly the defender the press made him out to be, and dunking was his only practical skill on offense. Replacing him with Arron Afflalo, who is very talented in the right situation, and with more, older J.R. Swish should be a huge production boost for this team.

The backcourt looks better than ever this season, and I suspect that Ty Lawson will nicely complement Billups, allowing him to play shorter minutes to compensate for his age. Again Afflalo is a useful player, kind of a Battier-lite, and this is the year J.R. pulls things together.

Then there's Carmelo Anthony. Anthony had perhaps his worst offensive season since his rookie year last season, and yet the national media gushed over his talents. Expect a return to a 50% shooting from the field, as well as a little improvement in his passing kid. 'Melo is one of the true NBA superstar franchise players, and I suspect he'll come up even bigger and better this year.

Fantasy Preview

Breakout- Carmelo Anthony- He's really good at scoring and rebounding, and a return to form would make Anthony a first round talent that you can find in the second or third. ESPN has him ranked at #18, which seems about right until you consider that guys like Andre Iguodala, Steve Nash, and Al Jefferson are ahead of him. I'd argue all of those players are even more unproven, with Iguodala never hitting potential, Nash on a short minute leash, and Al Jeff coming off an injury that normally slows players down in their first season back.

Bust- Chauncey Billups- Ranked one spot ahead of Anthony, Billups, like Nash, will be seeing shorter minutes this season, which should be terrifying to fantasy owners. I have a hard time drafting him in the second round -- I'd much rather wait a round for Rondo, Harris, and Calderon.

Useful- J.R. Smith and Nene- Both these guys will probably drop too far in your draft. If you can't tell, I really like the Nuggets for fantasy this season. Draft either in a second if you see them around near their ESPN ranks.

Predictions

My Predictions: 52-30 (ESPN: 51-31) Worth noting here that me and my boy Hollinger have the same number. The Nuggets benefited from a slightly weaker Western Conference last season. I believe that, somehow, both conferences are set to get better this year, as much sense as that makes. But while the other competitors definitely got popping this offseason, the Nuggets were mainly stagnant, though they're no longer a team that can punish teams with its infinite well of scoring. This season Nuggets like J.R. and 'Melo need to become smarter and more efficient scorers -- I think they're up for the change.

Denver Stiffs is great, I read it all the time.

Poll

How many games will the Nuggets win this season?

Over 52 games.

11 votes

Under 52 games.

8 votes

19 votes | Poll has closed

Competition Discussion: Denver Nuggets

Mike Prada — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:26:27 -0000

(Previously: Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas).

The season is still a ways away, but most of the rosters are set, barring the requisite Michael Jordan comeback rumor (just kidding, but only a little). We have an idea where our team stands, but we can't really know unless we discuss everyone else. In that spirit, I'm going to throw up a "competition discussion" thread for each of the other 29 teams over the next couple months or so. We'll go in alphabetical order from A to Z. Today's team: Denver. Jump to the comments to discuss the Nuggets and make a prediction on their record.

Last year's record: 54-28 (Pythagorean record: 50-32)

Playoffs: Beat New Orleans 4-1 in first round, beat Dallas 4-1 in second round, lost to LA Lakers 4-2 in Western Conference Finals.

Offensive Rating: 110.4 (7th)

Defensive Rating: 106.8 (8th)

Pace: 94.3 possessions/game (5th)

In: Arron Afflalo, Ty Lawson, Malik Allen
Out: Dahntay Jones, Linas Kleiza

Projected starting lineup: Chauncey Billups, J.R. Smith*, Carmelo Anthony, Kenyon Martin, Nene

*: I'd start Afflalo, but I don't know if Denver will

Key themes:

Is this team really elite or was last year's run to the Western Conference Finals a bit of a fluke?
How much more can Carmelo Anthony's game grow?
How will they handle losing two of their top nine rotation players in Jones and Kleiza? Can Afflalo and others replace them?
Their frontcourt guys (Nene and K-Mart) uncharacteristically stayed healthy, but the Nuggets didn't really increase their depth behind them. Will they stay healthy? Can Denver survive again in the West with only three real quality bigs (them and Birdman)?
What's the next step for J.R. Smith? Does he start? How will his tumultuous summer, which included a bad episode with Twitter, a reckless driving charge and his captain openly calling him out for his immaturity, affect him?
How will management get this roster to improve when they are so up against the luxury tax?
Chauncey Billups will be 33 this year. How will the Nuggets manage his minutes? How much of an impact will Ty Lawson make?
Was Denver's defensive improvement a mirage, or can it be maintained despite the strong personalities on the team?

Last year was the honeymoon stage of the supposed Chauncey Billups/Allen Iverson heist. This year is going to be where the long-term portion of the trade is going to be judged.

What do I mean? I don't think there are too many smart hoops fans who felt the Nuggets would be worse in the short-term with Billups rather than Iverson. (If you were one, shame on you). Billups' game, based mostly on efficiency, leadership and unselfishness, was perfect for a team like Denver that plays so frenetically. It also helped in George Karl's pleas to change Denver's "culture," which was already in transition before Billups came to town. Karl was already installing a new defensive system, and early returns were promising. Billups just made that transition easier. We all should have seen the short-term gains coming.

Of course, I doubt anyone thought Denver was going to have this much success in the short term. By that, I mostly mean playoff success. Denver emerged as a legitimate threat in the West by routing New Orleans, destroying Dallas and giving the Lakers a run for their money. A play here, a play there, and Denver might have made the Finals. Sure, their bracket opened up for them when San Antonio entered the playoffs so banged up, but Denver took advantage of their opportunity and proved their worth against the Lakers. This was and is a damn good basketball team.

But now comes the problem of trying to build on that success, which is a major uphill climb with Denver because of all the long-term salary they have. Adding Billups' long-term contract only made things worse on that front. The short-term gain was four more wins in a weaker West, with all their injury-prone guys playing more games than normal, and a fairly lucky (all things considered) draw to the Western Conference Finals. The long-term cost might be losing resources needed to build on that short-term success. In other words, Denver may have reached its peak with the Billups trade.

All that said, I think Denver did the best it could to improve or at least maintain their position this summer. Dahntay Jones isn't a big loss, and the swap for Arron Afflalo, who does the same things Jones does but costs half as much, was a brilliant move. Letting Linas Kleiza go was also a good decision, because he was never going to get the proper playing time behind Carmelo Anthony to justify a long-term contract. Trading for Ty Lawson on draft day was also a brilliant move because he can immediately play backup point guard minutes.

But none of those moves move the Nuggets too far forward, and there are a few things that could move Denver backwards. For example, Nene played 77 games last year, even though he's averaged just 53 games per season in his career. If he gets injured, that's a huge loss, because he's so underrated and because Denver only has one legitimate backup big man. Also, if JR Smith's summer struggles carry over into the season beyond his seven-game suspension, the Nuggets could take a step back.

At the very least, San Antonio and Portland have certainly passed Denver (though you could argue they were already ahead of Denver last year), and others could too. Denver will still be a factor, but I don't see them getting back to the Western Conference Finals again until the next rebuilding effort.

Mike's prediction: 53-29, second in the Northwest, fifth in the West.

Team	Mike Prada	JakeTheSnake	Truth About It	Rook6980	bwoodsxyz
Atlanta	47-35	44-38	45-37	45-37	45-37
Boston	57-25	55-27	54-28	44-38	56-26
Charlotte	32-50	32-50	29-53	34-48	37-45
Chicago	39-43	40-42	42-40	40-42	44-38
Cleveland	63-19	60-22	64-18	64-18	61-21
Dallas	49-33	44-38	51-31	50-32	47-35
Denver	53-29

Ridiculous Transactions 8/1-8/7

Jon L — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 14:00:11 -0000

Kasib Powell will be doing his thing over in Greece next year.

View full size photo »

Time once again for Ridiculous Transactions, wherein we talk about all the signings, trades, and waivers that involve the players we love to talk about - D-Leaguers! (and also some European players and a handful of NBA players). Putting aside the discussion of whether these guys should be playing overseas or not, let's get right to this week's moves.

August 1: L.A. Clippers - waived Mike Taylor; Milwaukee Bucks - requested waivers for Salim Stoudamire, then traded Malik Allen to the Denver Nuggets for Walter Sharpe and Sonny Weems; L.A. Lakers - waived Sun Yue; Boston Celtics - waived Gabe Pruitt

This was a dark day in the NBA. Mike Taylor was waived after Sebastian Telfair was brought in. He's not a perfect player by any stretch, but he's shown he can definitely play. We've already discussed Sun Yue. I didn't really expect Stoudamire to make the team, but it would have been fun. Gabe Pruitt didn't have the best Summer League, and the Celtics have been more interested in signing veterans the last few years than in letting their guys actually develop, so his release isn't all that shocking. All expectations are that the Bucks are going to waive Sonny Weems, because as I understand it his contract is guaranteed after a certain date. Assuming that happens it'll really be too bad, not just because Weems can play in the NBA, but how fun would it be to see him running the floor with Brandon Jennings, Joe Alexander and Amir Johnson? The answer is really, really fun.

August 2: Stanley Burrell - signed with VOO Verviers-Pepinster (Belgium); Oklahoma City Thunder - signed Kevin Ollie

Burrell going to Europe was probably an inevitability. He's a good defender, but doesn't do enough other things well enough to get an NBA call-up, so at this point heading overseas was probably more attractive than hanging around the D-League. Between his and Sqeaky Johnson's leaving and Marcus Williams and Malik Hairston likely making the Spurs roster out of training camp, the Toros are going to look a lot different next year. I'm only mentioning Ollie here because I really, really hope that this is some kind of "assign him to Tulsa where he can play for a year and learn how to be a coach" deal. I believe he's the 15th man on the OKC roster, and they already have something like six guards, so the fact that he might take playing time away from someone like Kyle Weaver or Shaun Livingston is pretty mind-boggling.

August 5: Robert Vaden - signed with Imola (Italy); Brent Petway - signed with Ilysiakos (Greece)

So it's finally official, and Air Georgia is headed for Greece. As I mentioned yesterday I don't think this is the worst idea for his career, but I also do sort-of wonder about all these defensive specialists going overseas. Not because people don't traditionally think of defense when they think of European basketball, but because it would seem that NBA teams would be on the lookout for those types of players during the season. Then again, perhaps someone like Petway can boost his offensive numbers a little bit over there and be more attractive as an all-around player to an NBA squad. Vaden going back to Europe isn't a huge deal, though I do sort-of wonder how serious the Thunder are about having him in their plans. Given that they own their own D-League team and run the pro system there, I would think that at some point they would want to give their prospects as much chance to learn that system as possible.

August 6: Kevin Lyde - signed with Eisbaren Bremerhaven (Germany); Kasib Powell - signed with Trikasa (Greece); Ahmad Nivins - signed with Manresa (Spain); Dakota Wizards - retained Kevin Rice as assistant coach; New Orleans Hornets - hired Robert Pack as an assistant coach

Nivins had flashes of looking really good in Summer League this season, and I wonder if his going over to Spain for a year has to do with the Mavs' new affiliate going "underground" until the 2010-2011 season. If so this makes good sense, in that he was unlikely to get much playing time off the Dallas bench, and this will keep him sharp and in playing shape. Lyde rebounded really well in his limited Summer League action, and while he's been to training camp with the Jazz a few times I don't think it was in the cards this year. 2010 is when the next Sail Bremerhaven is going to be held, which is a big international sailing convention, so that might be fun to check out. Hopefully Kasib Powell will check in with us before he heads to Greece, but as I mentioned yesterday, he's already been a D-League MVP and did really will at Summer League this year, so if he hasn't gotten an NBA offer then spending a year in Greece wouldn't be the worst thing.‎

Pack is a New Orleans native, so this is a nice homecoming for him, but I also hope that his presence and access to the coaching staff and front office there will make the team a little more receptive to the D-League. As far as I know, their only experience with D-League players so far has been that they like Courtney Sims, but haven't signed him. For a team that had as many bench scoring and backup center problems as they did last year, they really should have been looking at places like the D-League for help.

Rice being retained as an assistant with Dakota may seem a little awkward, as he was mentioned as a possible (though maybe not a front-running) candidate for the head position, but he knows the team and the area, brings a measure of continuity post-Ticknor, and he's a good defensive coach. It probably won't be too much longer before he's running his own squad.

August 7: Jared Jordan - signed with Telekom Baskets Bonn (Germany)

Jordan going to Europe means he likely wasn't in the Rockets/Vipers' long-term plans, which may seem surprising for a guy who racked up so many assists in college and the D-League, but he also didn't get a lot of playing time in Summer League, so the writing may have been on the wall there. And, while I know we always say these guys should stay in the US, I wouldn't mind living in Bonn for a year.

UPDATE: Yo, this is Scott. Jon L wrote this before his vacation yesterday. A couple of other big moves happened late Friday night and my social life and monetary situation lacks just enough that I was checking the European basketball transactions so that I could update you all! Without further adieu:

Trent Plaisted signed with Zadar in Croatia - Well, this move probably shouldn't surprise you since he averaged 3.0 points and 2.8 boards in Summer League, but the last ever pick of the Seattle Supersonics (later traded for DJ White) is headed back overseas. He was set to play in Italy last season, but had a season-ending back injury just two games into the season. Apparently Detroit likes him less than Ben Wallace, though I have no idea why they wouldn't rather give a young guy a shot instead of paying the artist formerly known as Big Ben.

TJ Parker signed with Asvel in France - Why should you care? Well, you probably shouldn't because he hasn't even been able to parlay being Tony Parker's younger brother into a Summer League invite. I believe he was also the best player on SLUC Nancy, the team Rod Benson played for before returning to the D-League around Christmas last season.

Ben Woodside signed with Gravelines-Dunkerque in France - Well, this one hurts me. Since I'm employed by the Dakota Wizards, I've been salivating at the thought of Woodside being a likely allocation player due to his North Dakota State alumni status. However, it apparently wasn't meant to be. Woodside played for the Timberwolves in Vegas, but never really got his chance to shine behind Jonny Flynn. Also, Gravelines-Dunkerque is a cool name for a basketball team.

Robert Dozier signed with Kolossos Rhodes in Greece - Dozier isn't used to losing (Memphis was 137-14 while he was there) so hopefully this Kolossos team is good. I always thought Dozier was the sort of player that would dominate the D-League, but apparently it wasn't meant to be. Dozier was also the final pick in the draft in June, but apparently he didn't impress Miami in whatever they did instead of Summer League. They do retain his rights though, so it's not all bad.

Jeremy Pargo signed Gilboa Galil in Israel - Pargo played for the Pistons this Summer, and played well, averaging 10 points and shooting 50% from the field in three games. Still, the Pistons apparently didn't have room for him and since players like his older brother Jannero are taking all the good jobs, Jeremy apparently felt that overseas was the right route to go. He's another guy that would have been good in the D-League.

Gary Forbes signed with US Gruppo Triboldi in Italy - Forbes had a great Summer League for the D-League Select team averaging almost 18 points per game, but like everyone else that played in the D-League last season and got a Summer League invite, it seems he's headed overseas. I feel like more guys should play in the D-League this season just so they can play on the Select team in Vegas next Summer. Anyway, I follow Gary on Twitter and he explains it like this: crossin dem waters for that extra bread n then b back for the league nxt year. I feel you, Mr. Forbes - wish I could cross dem waters for extra bread!

Daily Links 8/1

FLCeltsFan — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 15:00:16 -0000

Herald Nuggets get Malik Allen from Bucks for 2 players
Hakim Warrick agrees to 1-year deal with Bucks
Shin injury may sideline Tyler Hansbrough for 2 months
Celtics waive Gabe Pruitt
Globe Gabe Pruitt gone

CelticsBlog    What If This Is It?
LOY"s Place   Well, At Least Something Happened
NES247   Stephon Marbury: The Tragedy
Red's Army    Introducing... your "All-Celtics team"
See Ya, Gabe Pruitt Sporting News Screws Red Auerbach
Nets Daily     "Big Baby" Still an Option?
Green Street    Celtics waive Pruitt (Includes Gabe interview)
Celtics Circuit    A Simple Reaction to the Poll
Celtics Hub    Farewell Gabe Pruitt and latest on Bowen & Powe
NESN    Celtics Waive Point Guard Pruitt
Lex Nihil Novi    Danny Uses the 'M' Word as the Door Closes on the Gabe Pruitt Era
Celtics Down Lakers at the Forum (81-82)
Warriors Defeat Celtics (81-82)
Celtics Down Blazers (81-82)
Orlando Sentinel    How does Matt Barnes fit into the Magic's plans?
Win a date with Dwight Howard? You won't see him eating vasoline
Clarion Ledger     NBA rising star Jefferson returns to Prentiss for free hoops camp Giving Back
Jefferson wows kids with basketball camp
Dimemag     An early look at the ‘09-10 Magic, and is "White Chocolate" back?
Top 10 centers of the ‘08-09 season
Detroit Free Press    Title ambitions spur Ratliff's move to San Antonio
North Station Sports    Larry Bird: The Sudden and Saddening Demise of a Basketball Legend.
Daily Sports Herald     The Formula for the 2010 NBA Championship
CT News    Powe: The toughest cut
Waco Trib    Former Baylor Bear Rogers signs with Greek basketball team
PBN     Summer power rankings
Hoopsworld     The Free Agent Update
State of the Cleveland Cavaliers
Pistons Nation    Coca-Cola as it pertains to the Pistons
Sports of Boston    Celtics Update: What’s Going On?
Inside Hoops    NBA Rumors -
JS Online     Warrick agrees to join Bucks
Hoop Doctors    10 Greatest NBA Champions: #7 - 2008 Boston Celtics
Cavalier Attitude    Windhorst: Cavs Could Add Another Big Man Soon
Sports Central   Ainge To Participate In Basketball Without Borders In Mexico City
Waiting for Next year    NBA Free Agency: Leon Powe Prefers Cleveland
NBA.com    Mid-summer mailbag: The readers strike back
DA's Dish: Knicks Interested in Sessions
CBS Sports   Knicks pursue Sessions; get rights to J-Will
LeBrowns Town   Would Leon Powe Erase Your Tribe Pains?
Indy Cornrows   Pacers Introduce Solomon Jones
WJTV     Al Jefferson Gives Gift Of Free Food In Prentiss Al Jefferson Gives Gift Of Free Food In Prentiss
Deal Book    Boston Globe Said to Draw 2 Early Bids -
FanHouse      NBA Twitter Mailbag: Shaq, Kevin Durant, and the Celtics Roster
Stephon Marbury Gets Into a Car Accident, Live on the Internet
Sporting News    Deconstructing the Starbury Car Crash Deconstructing the Starbury Car Crash
Lakers Nation     Lakers call Leon Powe?

Warrick in, Bowen/Stoudamire waived, Sessions waits

Frank Madden — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 02:14:02 -0000

No matter what you think of the Bucks' summer, don't call it boring. Sure, Ramon Sessions is still waiting for the Knicks to put us all out of our misery with an offer sheet, but the Bucks moves today make Sessions' exit seem a bit more imminent.

The Bucks signed Hakim Warrick to a one-year deal, reportedly in the $3 to $3.5 million range. The most important takeaway here is that the Bucks blew a huge chunk of their remaining dollars with this deal, seemingly begging the Knicks to make a move for Sessions. While Warrick's not going to fundamentally alter the course of the Bucks' future, he's a very useful guy who could start at PF...plus I like anyone who Kelly Dwyer approves of. Warrick's made a living putting up good numbers as a part-time starter for forgettable Grizzlies teams, so he'll probably perform similarly for a very young Bucks team. He's always been labeled a tweener and was kicked to the curb in Memphis, but his raw numbers last year were pretty encouraging: a 19.4/16.5 PER differential at PF as the Grizz were better offensively and defensively with him on the court. As the video above illustrates, he's at his best using his athleticism around the bucket and should enjoy playing with Brandon Jennings.

As of now the race to be the Bucks' opening night PF is wide open, with Warrick, Ersan Ilyasova and Amir Johnson each bringing something different to the table. Warrick is the athletic greyhound, Ilyasova the floor-spacer, and Johnson the athletic big man. Add to that Luc Mbah a Moute and Joe Alexander, and you've got an absolute ton of young, fairly athletic, and completely unproven talent at the forward spots. Something tells me
Bruce Bowen and Salim Stoudamire were both waived, saving the Bucks about $2.9 million. Bowen's $4.1 million became fully-guaranteed tomorrow, but the Bucks saved $2 million by cutting bait now. There had been a fair bit of trade talk surrounding him up until the last minute--involving Boston and perhaps the Knicks--but nothing ever came of it.

Stoudamire's minimum deal ($884k) would have become partially guaranteed if he made it to training camp, but he did nothing of note in Vegas before picking up yet another injury. His signing in April never made much sense to me, but fortunately the Bucks didn't commit any guaranteed 09/10 dollars to him. Essentially they gave him a couple weeks of minimum salary at the end of last season in order to have a right of first refusal on him this summer.
Sonny Weems and Walter Sharpe have officially been acquired along with cash from Denver for Malik Allen. This is old news, but it hadn't been officially announced by the teams until today. And don't get too excited, because neither Sharpe nor Weems figures to ever play for the Bucks. Both guys have expiring deals at the second year minimum ($736k), but Sharpe is out for the year with an ACL injury and Weems' deal is only guaranteed to the tune of $174k. Given the Bucks shipped out $1.3 million with Allen, that means they save about $390k on the contract differentials. The JS reported the Bucks will save about $500k through the move, so perhaps they're factoring in the cash as well. The last thing I wanted to see was Allen steal minutes from all the other better/more interesting bigs on the roster, so clearing his roster spot while saving some money is just gravy.
Ramon Sessions was expected by everyone to finally get his contract offer from the Knicks today...so of course it didn't happen. Marc Stein reports the Knicks will make an offer soon, and the Warrick deal should finally give them the assurances they need that the Bucks won't match a long-term offer sheet. Given the desirability of starting for Mike D'Antoni, Donnie Walsh knew Sessions would be willing to wait for a Knicks offer and essentially outwaited the Bucks, who had been keeping enough cash available under the tax to maintain a credible enough threat to re-sign their young point guard. But apparently the opportunity to sign Warrick was appealing enough to give up the charade. Even assuming Warrick comes in at $3 million even, the Bucks would have $67.583 million committed to 14 players, leaving just $2.337 million to re-sign Sessions while staying under the tax. Sure, the Bucks could match an offer and then try to wheel and deal to get under the tax by the end of the season, but the Bucks don't seem all that interested in Sessions now that Brandon Jennings is in town.

Denver Post: Malik Allen to Nuggets for Weems & Sharpe

Frank Madden — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 01:29:27 -0000

Sonny Weems is a Buck...for now at least

The Denver Post is confirming the Malik Allen/Sonny Weems deal we first mentioned last night, though now it appears that second-year forward Walter Sharpe will also be heading to Milwaukee. Weems is a hyper-athletic shooting guard whose most notable rookie accomplishment was helping Colorado to the D-League title, but perhaps just as importantly his $736k salary is only partially guaranteed. If the Bucks waive him by August 15 he'll be owed just $174k. Sharpe's expiring minimum deal is for a guaranteed $736k, but Gery Woelfel tweets that Sharpe is expected to miss all of 09/10 with an ACL tear. For the Nuggets' perspective, check out Pickaxe and Roll and Roundball Mining Co.

With Allen's $1.3 million deal heading out, that means the Bucks could save up to $390k by cutting Weems--about $700k less than I had hoped last night when Sharpe's guaranteed deal hadn't been mentioned. Keeping Weems along with Sharpe would add about $172k to their cap number. If the Bucks do want to match a Sessions offer sheet then every dollar of savings will help keep them under the tax threshold, but with Sharpe's dead weight included it would seem this was more about moving a useless veteran for an athletic youngster with some vague potential.

The 39th overall pick in 2008, Weems is kind of like a smaller Joe Alexander--immensely gifted physically, but as of yet unable to figure things out at the highest level. He played just 55 minutes total in Denver last season, but did average 20.5 ppg in the D-League, including 22.8 ppg as Colorado won the D-League title. Weems shot just 32.6% in Vegas last week, but did average 16.6 ppg and 6.6 rpg, including a 28 point/9 rebound effort in Denver's last game. My gut reaction is that he's kind of like David Noel, only without the three point range. Terrific. Cynicism aside, Jeremy's a bit more optimistic, and I can see the argument for acquiring young athletes who might eventually get it. I just don't want to be relying on Weems to provide real minutes this season.

Ironically, the Bucks had Sharpe in last year for the same predraft workout as Joe Alexander and Luc Mbah a Moute, but if he's out for the year then odds are he never wears a Bucks jersey. A combo forward, Sharpe was a somewhat surprising 32nd overall selection by the Pistons a year ago--ahead of Mbah a Moute and Mario Chalmers--but played just 20 minutes all year before being shipped to Denver just last week along with Aron Afflalo in a cost-cutting move. At 6'9" and 245 pounds, he was solid at UAB when he was on the court, but he missed most of his final season due to academic issues and similar problems got him booted from Mississippi State before that. So yeah, maybe not the best choice to send to those "stay in school" speeches that NBA players get forced to do from time to time. I won't act like I know much about his game, but the consensus seems to be that he's a physically gifted guy who neither defends nor has much feel for the game. Do with that what you will.

Sharpe might never wear a Bucks uni, but here he is at UAB

Having previously played for Scott Skiles in Chicago, Allen reprised his role last year as the mediocre veteran who stole minutes from more talented players--Charlie Villanueva and Luc Mbah a Moute being the "victims" last year. His on court/off court splits were actually pretty good and his opponent PF stats were actually excellent, so we might have been a bit harsh to him, though at the end of the day he's an end-of-bench type and little more. Especially given the presence of young guys like Johnson, Ilyasova, Mbah a Moute and Alexander all looking for burn at PF, there's no need to have Allen eating up minutes. Given how far Weems and Sharpe are from being NBA contributors, it's not likely that this deal ever provides clear benefits, but it certainly won't hurt the new-look Bucks either.

Tuesday Notes: Clips and Knicks interested in Sessions, Jennings vs. Jennings, Allen headed to Denver?

Frank Madden — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 03:50:20 -0000

Woelfel: Clippers, Knicks in hot pursuit of Sessions
Gery Woelfel again chimes in with news on the Ramon Sessions front, now reporting that the Clips have joined the Knicks and a mystery team (possibly OKC) as parties willing to throw MLE deals at Sessions. The Clippers already have Baron Davis locked in at the starting point position, so the Knicks would appear to be a far more preferable destination. L.A. also traded for Bassy Telfair today, so while he's certainly not as good as Sessions it might indicate their own doubts about being able to get Ramon in a Clipper uniform.

It is believed James "Chubby’’ Wells, Sessions’ agent, is looking for a five-year deal that would be worth approximately $34.5 million. Both the Knicks and Clippers apparently are amenable to that request.
It'll be interesting to see how this plays out since pretty much all the information in the press is coming from Sessions' agent (he's also the basis of a JS story today). Naturally he'll be asking for a max MLE deal since that's the most he can get, and it's reasonable to think at least one time is willing to give him a deal starting at the MLE. The better question might be whether it's going to be a five year deal like Wells wants or something shorter.

Posting and Toasting: Knicks meet with Miller
Over at Knicks blog Posting and Toasting, it appears the current priority is with Andre Miller, who visited NYC today but has yet to agree to a deal.

Miller's not that old, commands respect from his teammates (and not just "Hey, weren't you in NBA Hangtime!?" respect), and has played in all 82 games his last two years. He'd also serve as an able mentor for Toney Douglas, whose already shown signs that he might one day be a serious point guard with some tutelage. A Duhon-for-Miller swap might make some sense, too. Duhon's got an expiring contract, and he'd likely be the odd man out if sandwiched between the more proficient Miller and the upstart Douglas. Keep an eye out for an actual offer, and don't be surprised if Ramon Sessions is next in line.

It's quite possible the Knicks prefer Sessions, but as an unrestricted free agent Miller is simply less of a hassle to sign. I'm hoping the simplicity factor wins out, but that might be wishful thinking.

Nova Fantasy Sports: Allen to Nuggets for Weems?
Nova Fantasy Sports is reporting that the Bucks are on the verge of trading Malik Allen and his $1.3 million expiring contract to Denver for second-year guard Sonny Weems, who would be owed just $175k if waived immediately.

I hadn't heard of this site before but a) there's no reason a sane person would fabricate a Malik Allen trade rumor and b) some reputable posters at RealGM are corroborating that this could very well go down. If it does it would be a no-brainer for the Bucks, as Allen doesn't provide anything of value at this point and the Bucks would be able to save a little over $1.1 million by converting Allen's contract into a smaller, partially guaranteed deal.

I'd probably do this deal regardless of the Sessions situation, but it's worth noting that this move alone would clear enough room to re-sign Sessions for the MLE without going over the 09/10 tax. That begs the question of whether the Bucks really are preparing themselves financially so they can match an MLE deal for Sessions, or whether they're simply trying to scare other teams off by showing they've got the cash to do a deal. In an ideal world other teams wouldn't even bother trying to go after Sessions because they figured the Bucks would match anything, but it doesn't look like that's the case.

Gardner: Skiles liking what he sees in Jennings
Charles Gardner provides a great read today on the budding Skiles/Jennings relationship.

"I thought he proved what we thought we knew, that he's a pure point guard," Skiles said. "He had this rap against him, that he's more of a scorer and not a point guard.
"His first thought is to facilitate the offense. In my opinion, he was the best guard out there (in summer league). He shot over 40% from three and just really did a nice job."

TrueHoop: Jennings talks about...talking
Kevin Arnovitz has some interesting video from Vegas on Jennings and his work with communications guru Steve Shenbaum, who has been working with Jennings for the past year on his speaking skills.

Identifying Potential Late Season Pickups

JakeTheSnake — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:00:40 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

Though he didn't help them to a championship, Joe Smith was a great late season addition for the Cavs last season after having his contract bought out with the Thunder.

Browse more photos »

If you're looking for an evidence to support your claim that the NBA is a league where the rich get richer, look no further than the trend of veteran players signing with elite contenders after having their contracts bought out. Just last year we saw as Joe Smith, Drew Gooden, Stephon Marbury and Mikki Moore among others sign with contenders after their cellar-dwelling teams bought out the end of their contracts.

With the cap going down and plenty of free agents hitting the open market, it's safe to assume that several teams will be looking to negotiate buyouts with players. Obviously, there won't be as many players available in the late-season market as there are right now, but there's a good chance that there will be some better talent available to sign for the veteran's minimum in February than there is right now to sign to the low level exemption. Of course, signing someone is contingent on being a contender before they sign. Otherwise, they'll just sign with a team that has a better chance of getting a ring.

After the jump, we'll narrow down the options and see what players could hit the open market later this season.

Beofre we begin, here's a list of all the free agents for the 2010. This is where the pool for our buyout candidates will come from, since there probably won't be any owners looking to buyout more than the last half of a season off of any player's contract. Just to be safe, we'll exclude restricted free agents and players who have options on their contracts. We'll also exclude guards and wings who might be nice additions, but don't address any critical needs in what's already a very deep backcourt.

Now that we've taken care of all the disclaimers, let's start paring down who's left to see what's available.

Step 1: Eliminate anyone on a contending team

Players already on contenders are already doing enough to make their teams good which gives the team no reason to want to get rid of him and the player no reason to hop ship for a team with a shot of winning it all. I'm only including Boston, Cleveland, Orlando, the Lakers, San Antonio, and Denver as true contenders at this point, though other teams could always insert their name into the discussion as the season goes along.

This eliminates: Brian Scalabrine, Shaquille O'Neal, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Steven Hunter, Brian Cook, Chuck Hayes, DJ Mbenga, Josh Powell, and Matt Bonner.

Step 2: Eliminate anyone who wouldn't be desirable even if they become available

Needless to say, there would probably be some venom spewed if these players were brough in as the final piece of the puzzle.

This eliminates: Randolph Morris, Jerome James, Mark Blount, Francisco Elson, Malik Allen, Brian Cardinal, Mark Madsen, Etan Thomas, Mouhamed Sene, Kenny Thomas, Patrick O'Bryant

Step 3: Eliminate anyone who won't be bought out because they're just too good

Even if the player has a 100% chance of walking away in free agency, the negative PR backlash of buying out these players would just be too much to bear.

This eliminates: Carlos Boozer

Step 4: Eliminate all young players

You won't see any of these players bought out because their age still makes them valuable. Besides, do you think the veterans already on the team want to deal with another young player after last year's debacle?

This eliminates: Craig Smith, Amir Johnson, Louis Amundson

So who's left?

A mish-mash of veterans who can give the team something if they think the Wizards have a shot of giving them what they want: a championship. First, let's take a look at the guys with an outside chance of being buyout material if their respective team's find themselves in an unexpectedly down year.

Brad Miller
Kwame Brown (not that he'd come to D.C., but I had to throw it out there...)
Udonis Haslem
Jermaine O'Neal
Al Harrington
Darko Milicic

The chances of seeing any of these fine men bought out are extremely, extremely low. They'd have to be out of the playoff hunt very early and more than likely burn a few bridges with their current team. But in uncertain times, anything is possible so it would be premature to eliminate any of these possibilites.

Then there are the respectable players stuck on floundering teams who have the best shot of being buyout material. Since they have the most realistic shot of winding up on a contender, they deserve the most focus. So after a few hundred words of talking about who won't be bought out, let's take a look at the players with the best shots of being contributors to a contender one by one.

Marcus Camby: Camby is on tap to make nearly $10 million this season from one of the more tight-fisted owners in the league in Donald Sterling. On top of that, his presence (together with Chris Kaman's) creates a logjam in the low post where Blake Griffin and Deandre Jordan need minutes to develop. He'll be beneficial at the start of the year as he helps the young guys to understand the league better, but the reality is that the team likely isn't going to go anywhere this season and Griffin & Jordan have to be given the chance to sprout their wings at some point.

The Spurs nearly made a deal for Camby at the deadline last season and it wouldn't be the least bit surprising to see teams inquire about making a trade for him this season as well. The Clippers will probably do all they can to boost his trade value in order to get something useful in return, but it's hard to see anyone giving up a prospect and swallowing the rest of Camby's contract for what amounts to a rental. If Camby doesn't get traded, it probably won't take long for both sides to start talking about a buyout.

Kurt Thomas: San Antonio saved Kurt from lottery land in 2008 when they traded Brent Barry's expiring contract to Seattle for his services. Of course, Barry ended up having the rest of his contract bought out and he returned to San Antonio just in time for their final push last year. Now Thomas finds himself on the other side of the deal, sent to Milwaukee as part of the Richard Jefferson deal. His contract isn't terrible, (he's due to make $3.8 million) which makes it much easier for Milwaukee for the Bucks to work out a buyout without breaking the bank, but it also makes him much easier to trade for than Camby.

Tony Battie: Like Thomas, Tony Battie went from a great situation with a contender to finding himself on a lottery team after being included as part of the Vince Carter deal. He'll be a nice addition to a shallow frontcourt, but I don't think anyone is kidding themselves into thinking that they'll be contenders next season or that the 33 year old Battie has any kind of long-term future with the team. As is the case with Camby and Thomas, I wouldn't be shocked to see the Nets do everything they can to boost his value and get prospect for a late season rental, but in this market, I don't see many teams looking to buy at Battie's price (just over $6 million). Of the thee players listed, Battie probably has the most buyout potential

It will be interesting to see if these players do get bought out where they will land. Camby seems like a natural fit for San Antonio and the Spurs have a knack of getting the players they want. If he hits the open market, I don't think it will take long at all for him to end up in the Alamo, but you never know who might make a push to sign him. Thomas and Battie are much more interesting. If the Spurs do end up getting Camby, his presence along with the addition of Antonio McDyess would eat up most, if not all of his minutes. Likewise, it would be hard to see Battie returning to Orlando now that they have Ryan Anderson, Brandon Bass at their disposal, and they still have Marcin Gortat.

If the Wizards can stay healthy and show that they're an elite Eastern Conference squad next season like they think they can be, it might make sense to wait and see who has their contract bought out after the trade deadline. Not only will the players available at that point likely be better than the ones available for the LLE right now, but they'll come at a cheaper price.

2000 NBA Draft Second Round Re-draft Part 1

Jon L — Fri, 29 May 2009 14:00:25 -0000

Michael Redd is well known for being a second-round steal from the 2000 draft.

View full size photo »

So it's come to this. The 2000 NBA Draft. The Kenyon Martin draft. The Kenyon Martin-Stromile Swift-Darius Miles-Marcus Fizer draft. Internet expert Wick E. Pedia calls it "the worst draft since the 1986 NBA Draft." FreeDarko wrote about what a black hole this draft was in their Macrophenomenal Almanac. For some reason, unless I hear otherwise, this will be our final look at past second rounds. Remember, this exercise is to try and demonstrate that even "weak" drafts have quality players in them later on, when the deputy commissioner is calling the names. Part 1 is after the jump, but I warn you: don't look directly at it. I recommend one of these.

30. Los Angeles Clippers (original pick - Marko Jaric)

First of all, congratulations to Jaric and his hot wife on their first child. Unfortunately, Jaric won't get to celebrate by being our first pick. Instead, that honor goes to Michael Redd, one of three All-Stars to come out of this draft. The other two are Kenyon Martin and Jamaal Magloire. Let's move on.

31. Dallas Mavericks (original pick - Dan Langhi)

Langhi was traded for Houston's second-round pick, Eduardo Najera. Najera had a few decent years in Dallas and in Denver, so we'll take him here since the Mavericks apparently wanted him so much.

32. Chicago Bulls (original pick - A.J. Guyton)

This was back when playing basketball at Indiana meant something, namely being overrated by NBA front offices. Chicago has three straight picks in this draft (they obviously wanted to get in on all the talent available), so to a certain extent looking for positional fit doesn't matter. Eddie House has become a solid rotation player with the Celtics, even though he's a point guard who can't handle the ball, he's still turned out better than Guyton.

33. Chicago Bulls (original pick - Jake Voskuhl)

Apparently the Bulls front office that year only scouted the NCAA tournament and thought they were done. We know better, though, and will draft Ime Udoka. Even though Udoka's a late bloomer, to say the least (I hadn't realized he's 32 years old), he's developed into a solid wing defender with the Spurs.

34. Chicago Bulls (original pick - Khalid El-Amin)

See what I mean about scouting the NCAA tournament? Also, I'm sure Guyton had a lot of confidence after his competition was drafted two spots after him. We'll do pretty much the same thing to House, though, and draft Eddie Gill. Gill was actually a shooting guard originally, but as we've seen in the D-League, his offense-running skills are better than his three-point shooting, and he'll complement House well.

35. Washington Wizards (original pick - Mike Smith)

Fun fact time! The Wizards already had a player on their roster named Michael Smith. This Wizards roster was a mess. The team had recently traded Chris Webber to the Kings for Mitch Richmond, who was pretty much done (it still hurts to type that). Also featuring Richard Hamiton, Hubert Davis, Cherokee Parks, Christian Laettner, Calvin Booth, and Tyrone Nesby. Chris Whitney! Jahidi White! Popeye Jones! Laron Profit! Basically, WizzNutzz couldn't have existed without this roster. Let's face it, though, anyone we pick here would likely be traded eventually for not doing what Michael Jordan wanted. Point guard is a slight need, so we'll go with Jason Hart, who had a decent year or two with Sacramento.

36. New Jersey Nets (original pick - Soumaila Samake)

Center was a huge need for this team, what with Jim McIlvaine, Jamie Feick, Vladimir Stepania, and Evan Eschmeyer all getting at least a handful of starts. There are only five centers available, though, and unfortunately they don't get much better than Samake. Maybe we can trick the Nets into thinking they drafted Samaki Walker.

37. Miami Heat (original pick - Eddie House)

This is a roster without a completely obvious need. I guess they could've used a backup power forward better than Cedric Ceballos. I'm not sure Dan Langhi is better, but he's available, and he had a solid college career.

38. Houston Rockets (original pick - Eduardo Najera)

Well Najera's gone, as is the guy they traded him for, Langhi. This team definitely could have used some better forwards, and while he's not much of an offensive option, Yakhouba Diawara has become a solid defender.

39. New York Knicks (original pick - Lavor Postell)

This team made the playoffs, and it's a solid roster, though Marcus Camby was their starting center, with Luc Longley and Travis Knight as the backups. Given Camby's injury problems, we'll sigh a deep sigh and draft Jake Voskuhl here.

40. Atlanta Hawks (original pick - Hanno Mottola)

Same deal as Houston, they need an upgrade over Chris Crawford, Roshown McLeod and Cal Bowdler. Mottola wasn't it. And, much like what happened with the Rockets pick, we'll take defense-first Malik Allen.

41. San Antonio Spurs (original pick - Chris Carrawell)

I'll be honest with you, I had no idea who Chris Carrawell was. Apparently he played on the same high school team as Jahidi White and Loren Woods, so...yeah. The Spurs lost in the Western Conference Finals this year, but they were still pretty set for awhile. Igor Rakocevic was/is an intriguing European prospect, though the Spurs did acquire him at one point then released him. Still, he was the Euroleague's leading scorer in 2006-2007, which should count for something.

42. Seattle SuperSonics (original pick - Olumide Oyedeji)

How unsuccessful was Oyedeji? His Youtube mix doesn't even contain video, it's just still pictures. This was a top-heavy Seattle roster with a pretty much uniformly mediocre bench. Into the void steps Marko Jaric. He's not great, but he's an average player who's shown some staying power, and he's pretty much the best available, better than several players we've drafted so far.

43. Milwaukee Bucks (original pick - Michael Redd)

A great pick for the Bucks, obviously, but our job is tougher. A guard was even somewhat of a luxury for them, as they already had Sam Cassell and Ray Allen, plus Rafer Alston. Like Jaric, Brian Cardinal is better than some of the other guys we've drafted so far, so the Bucks will take him.

44. Detroit Pistons (original pick - Brian Cardinal)

It took me a while to figure out the difference between Cardinal and Brian Scalabrine. Cardinal became a frequent trade throw-in, but Detroit already has a lot of forwards. I'm not sure Richie Frahm would've stuck either, but he's become a solid shooter in Europe and the D-League.