SB Nation - Raef LaFrentz

10 YEARS OF STIFFDOM: A Decade Retrospective...

Andrew Feinstein — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 17:04:03 -0000

Who knew that at the beginning of the '00s - with none other than Dan Issel in charge - that the Nuggets would end up having a successful and often thrilling decade? Here's a look back at the last 10 years of Denver Nuggets basketball...

At the conclusion of the 1990s, the Nuggets were in utter disarray. As documented in detail here at Denver Stiffs, this once proud and respected franchise had been turned into an NBA laughingstock thanks to a lethal combination of ineptitude, incompetence, and ignorance. Between 1990 and 1999, the Nuggets made the playoffs just twice and Nuggets fans were forced to endure seasons with win totals under 40 games eight times (including the lockout shortened 1998-99 season in which the Nuggets would likely have "won" about 25 games had an 82-game season been played out). We witnessed five seasons in which the Nuggets won less than 24 games, and in 1997-98 the 11-win Nuggets won less games than the Broncos that year.

Making matters worse throughout the 1990s, the Nuggets never caught a break. Even though they participated in eight NBA Draft lotteries, twice sported the worst record in the NBA (1990-91 and again after that infamous 1997-98 campaign) and had a bottom-four record five total times, the highest pick they were ever rewarded was third (which Issel promptly screwed up by drafting Raef LaFrentz over Vince Carter, Paul Pierce, Dirk Nowitzki and Antawn Jamison). We missed out on all the game-changing draftees of the 1990s: Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Chris Webber and Tim Duncan. And a freak knee injury sustained by rising star LaPhonso Ellis in 1994 would prove to be the undoing of the Nuggets only good team of the decade: the 1993-94 squad that had just stunned the NBA world by beating the number-one seeded Seattle Supersonics in the playoffs before taking the Utah Jazz to seven in Round 2.

But make no mistake about it, the Nuggets problems throughout the 1990s were self-inflicted. Cartoonish figures such as Peter Bynoe, Bertram Lee, the Comsat "Corporation," Paul Westhead, Bernie Bickerstaff, Allan Bristow and finally, Issel, made every wrong/bad decision possible, leaving the Nuggets organization in tatters until Stanley E. Kroenke rescued the franchise in 2000 with his purchase of the team. Upon arrival, Kroenke made it clear that he wanted to win and win now, and thus set in motion a series of events that produced one of the better decades in franchise history...

2000-2001 (40-42, no playoffs)

In an increasingly tough Western Conference, the Nuggets remarkably won 40 games but were still seven games off the eighth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves. While a 40-win season would normally be a good thing having come off a 35-win season, team "president", "head coach" and dictator Dan Issel had already mortgaged the Nuggets future by sending away numerous first round picks in order to build that 40-win team.

Non-Stiff of the Year: Antonio McDyess

Coming off a gold-medal winning performance in the Sydney Olympics, McDyess was a stud in 2000-01. The quiet, dignified power forward averaged 20.8 ppg, 12.1 rpg and 1.5 bpg and even made the All-Star team.

Stiff of the Year: Dan Issel

The aforementioned Issel had previously (and foolishly) traded away the Nuggets own first round picks for 1999, 2000 and 2001 - all lottery picks, mind you - and after an assortment of complicated, even more stupid deals, for those picks he essentially brought back Tariq Abdul-Wahad, Kevin Willis (on the very wrong side of his career), Voshon Lenard and Tracy Murray. But that was just off-the-court. On-the-court, Issel was a tyrant with his players and the refs. At one point, his players were so fed up with the way he was treating Raef LaFrentz (a draft bust of Issel's own making) and others, that point guard Nick Van Exel led a player boycott of practice.

2001-02 (27-55, no playoffs)

After years of overpaying for mediocre players and parting with valuable first round picks in exchange for nothing, the wheels finally came off the Issel Administration and the Nuggets fell apart in 2001-02, precipitated by a major knee injury to McDyess that caused him to miss all but 10 games of the season. Prior to the season starting, Kroenke - either sensing that Issel had too much power, was too incompetent or both - astutely hired Kiki Vandeweghe as GM to a five-year contract.

Non-Stiff of the Year: Kiki Vandeweghe

After Issel "resigned" the day after Christmas (more on that shortly), Vandeweghe gutted out the roster and made a controversial move that would put the Nuggets on the path of success they still enjoy today. Knowing the Nuggets were going nowhere with the expensive roster he inherited, Vandeweghe boldly shipped out Van Exel, LaFrentz, Abdul-Wahad and Avery Johnson (another overpayee thanks to Issel) to Dallas in exchange for Juwan Howard, Tim Hardaway, Donnell Harvey and a future first round pick. When the Nuggets eventually met the Mavericks in the 2009 playoffs second round, I detailed how that major trade actually brought the two once dormant franchises together.

Stiff of the Year: Dan Issel

"Go drink another beer, you Mexican piece of shit!" Those nine words - uttered by Issel towards a heckling Hispanic Nuggets fan after a December 10th loss to the Charlotte Hornets - were exactly what Kroenke and Vandeweghe needed to kick Issel out the door. Issel, a Nuggets legend as a player, had built up so much great PR in the community (he still has some...note Woody Paige's ludicrous suggestion that the Nuggets bring Issel back to the organization last year) that he would have been tough to fire otherwise. After serving a four-game suspension, Issel "resigned" on December 26th, 2001 and unfortunately for Issel, things haven't exactly worked out for him since.

Stiff of the Year Runner-Up: Tim Hardaway

Unlike Howard who - knowing playing in Denver would be a brutal, losing situation - accepted the trade to the Nuggets and behaved like a total professional during his time here (it helps when you're getting paid $18.8 and then $20.1 million per season!), Hardaway was a petulant, angry brat who never got over leaving Dallas where he was hoping to gravy train his way into an NBA Championship. After starting 14 games for the Nuggets, Hardaway unleashed his anger on a TV monitor by throwing it onto the floor and getting himself suspended two games.

2002-03 (17-65, no playoffs)

Entering the 2002-03 NBA season, Vandeweghe purposefully compiled the worst roster in modern NBA history in hopes of tanking enough games to win the first pick in the draft (knowing that on the horizon was one of the better drafts in NBA history). The Nuggets starting back court of Vincent Yarbrough and Junior Harrington couldn't crack a 14-man roster the following season, and the rest of the roster was littered with names you already don't remember. Armed with two lottery picks - thanks to a great trade that sent McDyess to New York in exchange for Marcus Camby and the Knicks lottery pick - Vandeweghe drafted Nene and some skinny kid from Georgia, and I'm not talking about the university (more on him shortly).

Non-Stiff of the Year: Jeff Bzdelik

In spite of being dealt the worst hand ever dealt a coach in modern NBA history, rookie head coach Jeff Bzdelik refused to make excuses, worked his ass off and was able to get 17 wins out of our Nuggets. I'd argue that was 17 more wins than they should have had and Bzdelik should have gotten Coach of the Year consideration. The Nuggets were awful talent-wise, but they played harder than their opponent almost every night.

Stiff of the Year: Nikoloz Tskitishvili

Drafted fifth overall out of the Republic of Georgia, "Skita" has since gone down in history as the worst fifth overall pick of all time (and believe me, there have been some bad fifth overall picks). Given ample opportunity to succeed in his first season, Skita - listed at seven-feet tall - shot 29.3% from the field as a rookie. At a game in Los Angeles against the Lakers, I once saw Skita shoot a wide open shot in which the ball hit the shot clock first before getting anywhere near the backboard or rim.

2003-04 (43-39, 1-4 in the playoffs)

A full 10 years after upsetting the Sonics in the playoffs, the Nuggets finally got their act together and Coloradoans cared about basketball again. Unable to shake the Nuggets streak of bad luck with the Draft Lottery, Vandeweghe got lucky nonetheless thanks to Detroit GM Joe Dumars' stupidly drafting Darko Milicic (i.e. Skita 2.0), leaving Syracuse star/stud Carmelo Anthony available with the third overall pick. And with Howard's giant contract coming off the books, Vandeweghe was finally able to spend Kroenke's money. Free agent signees Andre Miller, Jon Barry and Earl Boykins joined Melo, Nene and a healthy Camby. Under Bzdelik's stewardship, the Nuggets won 43 games and put up a respectable fight against the Timberwolves in the playoffs first round. As fans, we were happy just to be in the playoffs!

Non-Stiff of the Year: Carmelo Anthony

For the first time since Alex English last donned a rainbow jersey, the Nuggets had a perennial All-Star caliber player in Melo. As a rookie, Melo averaged 21 ppg and 6.1 rpg while giving fellow rookie phenom LeBron James a run for the Rookie of the Year Award. But more importantly, Melo led the Nuggets back to the postseason in a hyper-competitive Western Conference, whereas LBJ couldn't do the same in Cleveland in the weakened Eastern Conference.

Stiff of the Year: Rodney White

Playing for his next contract after his rookie deal was due to expire in two seasons, White gave the Nuggets next-to-nothing in 2003-04 even though he appeared in 72 games and received 14 minutes of playing time per game. Just a few years removed from being the ninth overall pick to Detroit (ahem...Joe Dumars again), White would be out of the NBA completely after the 2004-05 campaign. But hey, at least he was nominated for the Denver Stiffs Hall of Fame!

2004-05 (49-33, 1-4 in the playoffs)

Wanting to build upon the Nuggets newly found success (and at Kroenke's alleged insistence), Vandeweghe spent the entire 2004 offseason shopping for a big name free agent to bring to Denver. After being turned down by Manu Ginobili and Brad Miller, Vandeweghe panicked and got duped into sending three number one picks to New Jersey for Kenyon Martin in a sign-and-trade deal. K-Mart's price tag? $90 million over seven seasons. Under immense pressure to win more games, Bzdelik and the Nuggets floundered out of the gate, starting out 13-15 before Bzdelik got sacked and replaced by a former WNBA coach (Michael Cooper) who went 4-10 as coach of the team.

Non-Stiff of the Year: George Karl

Inheriting a 17-25 team loaded with talent but without any direction and big egos to boot, Karl's no-nonsense, "my way or the highway" approach immediately turned the Nuggets fortunes around. With only 40 games to work with, Karl guided the Nuggets to a 32-8 record (the best in NBA history after a mid-season coaching switch) and had the Nuggets playing the best basketball in the NBA down the stretch of the regular season.

Stiff of the Year: Kiki Vandeweghe

By acquiring K-Mart, Vandeweghe essentially panicked while throwing away all of the salary cap flexibility he had worked so hard and smartly to cultivate. But worse than that, Vandeweghe was eerily silent while Bzdelik was left to twist in the wind as the Nuggets struggled early in the season. Vandeweghe never publicly defended the one man willing to coach the dreadful 2002-03 roster that Vandeweghe had assembled, and Kiki made matters worse by bringing in Cooper to take over as head coach. The Cooper hire cost the Nuggets a higher playoff seed.

Stiff of the Year Runner-Up: Carmelo Anthony

Melo couldn't stay out of trouble in 2004. First, he was cited for marijuana possession at DIA that his cousin conveniently took the blame for (the old "that wasn't my pot!" excuse). Second, he feuded with Olympic coach Larry Brown in Athens and found himself benched on the 2004 Team USA that embarrassingly finished with a bronze medal. Third - and perhaps the worst/dumbest - Melo was caught on a "Stop Snitching" DVD in which alleged drug dealers explain what happens to people who cooperate with the police. Melo didn't improve much on the floor, either, and found himself (rightfully) in Karl's doghouse early and often.

2005-06 (44-38, 1-4 in the playoffs)

Unable to build off the team's incredible run under Karl to conclude the previous season, injuries ravaged the Nuggets and they limped their way to a 44-38 record. K-Mart and Camby missed 26 games apiece and most tragically, Nene succumbed to the Nuggets power forward curse and was lost for the season with an ACL and MCL tear after just one game. At the time, the Nuggets marketing and PR team spun the season as as success under the guise of "Northwest Division Champs" and that the Nuggets were a three-seed entering the postseason. But this was before the NBA properly seeded division winners who have mediocre records. The Nuggets were such a weak three-seed, that the Clippers purposely tanked games to face them in the first round...and when they got their wish, the Clippers clocked the Nuggets in five games. Oh, and that was the Clippers only playoff series win since becoming the Clippers in 1978. Overall, the season was a mess from from the top down (as chronicled in detail at the time by the Denver Post's Thomas George). Vandeweghe would be let go at season's end and was replaced by Mark Warkentien (and eventually Rex Chapman, too). Dysfunction, egos and injuries had set the Nuggets back a few steps.

Non-Stiff of the Year: (tie) Carmelo Anthony and Andre Miller

Melo and Miller played in 80 and 82 games, respectively, and carried the Nuggets in 2005-06. Melo improved his scoring average by over six points per game and his field goal percentage went up, as well. Miller - the modern day NBA "iron man" even if he doesn't condition well in the offseason - was a steady hand as always, starting in all 82 games and dishing out over eight assists per game.

Stiff of the Year: Kenyon Martin

Recovering from microfracture surgery and frustrated by knee tendinitis, K-Mart was pretty surly for much of the season and was morphing into a locker room cancer. He allegedly didn't get along with coaches or teammates (according to George's article, K-Mart's teammates questioned his commitment to recovery and work ethic) and it all came to an ugly head during halftime of Game 2 at Los Angeles, when K-Mart went at it with Karl and several teammates. K-Mart was benched for the remainder of the game and eventually su spended for the duration of the series.

Stiff of the Year Runner-Up: Reggie Evans

As perhaps a microcosm of the dysfunction and lack of respect for the game that was taking over the Nuggets, "The Joker" grabbed Clippers center Chris Kaman's testicles while fighting for a rebound during Game 1 of the Clippers series.

2006-07 (45-37, 1-4 in the playoffs)

In spite of it being K-Mart's turn to succumb to the Nuggets power forward curse (he would play just two games all season) and losing their first three straight games by a total of five points, the Nuggets would win 12 of their first 21 games with Melo playing the best basketball of his career. That all changed abruptly on Saturday, December 16th, 2006. In New York facing the Knicks (who had embarrassingly beaten the Nuggets in Denver in Game 3 of the season), the Nuggets found themselves up 19 with 75 seconds to go. Karl - alleged by some to want to rub the victory in Knicks coach Isiah Thomas' face (Thomas had recently sandbagged Karl's good friend Larry Brown) - left his starters on the floor, prompting Thomas to send in his "goon squad" and make the Nuggets pay. What began as a hard, unnecessary, dangerous, around-the-neck foul on J.R. Smith by the Knicks' Mardy Collins erupted into a full-scale brawl...culminating with Melo's cheap shot punch on Collins. Melo would be suspended 15 games and Smith 10, prompting Nuggets management to attempt to salvage the season by bringing in super star guard Allen Iverson from Philadelphia in exchange for Miller, Joe Smith and two first round picks. Little did we know that the fun was just beginning.

Non-Stiff of the Year: Allen Iverson

Welcomed with open arms by Nuggets fans and his new teammates, Iverson made an immediate impact on the Nuggets (on and off the floor, in good ways and bad). But with Melo out 15 games, Iverson was able to keep the Nuggets afloat and competitive almost by himself. When Melo and Iverson finally got to play together for a long stretch, the Nuggets reeled off nine straight wins and 10 of 11 to finish out the season strong as the hottest team in the NBA.

Stiff of the Year: Isiah Thomas

In addition to sinking the Raptors as an incompetent vice president, sinking the CBA in a summer as an incompetent commissioner and sinking the Knicks as an incompetent president/coach/alleged sexual harrasser (hell, Isiah was an incompetent broadcaster, too), Isiah would sink the Nuggets season in one fell swoop by commandeering his players to take out the Nuggets starters in that game.

Stiff of the Year Runner-Up: (tie) Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith

Even though Isiah "started it," Melo and J.R. were unable to keep their heads cool and unnecessarily exacerbated an already ugly situation, ruining the Nuggets entire season as a result.

2007-08 (50-32, 0-4 in the playoffs)

Entering 2007-08, the Nuggets would finally have a training camp with their full roster participating from the get-go. With Melo and Iverson having ample time to play together, optimism in Denver was higher than it had been since entering the 2004-05 campaign. So high was the optimism, in fact, that Kroenke had over $83 million invested in the team's payroll (second or third highest in the league at the time) and Melo and K-Mart started floating out "60 wins" as a realistic goal. But even with Iverson appearing in all 82 games, Camby playing 79, Melo 77, K-Mart 71 and vast improvements seen in the games of bench players J.R. Smith and Linas Kleiza, the Nuggets weren't able to secure a playoff spot (an eighth seed no less) until the 79th game of the season with a big win at Golden State. As an eighth seed, the Nuggets got worked over by the Lakers in an embarrassing four-game sweep: a series which saw Melo bark at Karl "don't just sit there!" and the benching of Iverson early in Game 3 that didn't go over well. Prior to the Nuggets final regular season game, Melo would get arrested on suspicion of a DUI. It became evident that the A.I. experiment was an expensive failure.

Non-Stiff of the Year: Nene

After being diagnosed with testicular cancer and undergoing surgery to remove his right testicle, Nene remarkably returned to play again on March 27th against the Mavericks, giving the Nuggets a much needed emotional boost that helped them secure a playoff spot down the stretch.

Stiff of the Year: George Karl

Stuck in an admittedly tumultuous and difficult situation, Karl spent much of the 2007-08 sitting on his hands during games while the Nuggets unraveled on the court. While the Nuggets head coach got called for just one technical foul all season (second to last in the NBA), his players finished in the top two in personal fouls, technical fouls, flagrant fouls and ejections. The inmates were running the asylum as Karl's coaching record in Denver got extended to a paltry 3-16 over four years. Karl would later admit to SI.com that "...the last couple of years, I was confused." Watching Karl's Nuggets routinely take nights off that season, so were we.

2008-09 (54-28, 10-6 in the playoffs)

Disappointed with his lack of return on investment, Kroenke gave an edict to management to slash payroll during the 2008 offseason. Camby would be shipped out to the Clippers in exchange for a trade exception, coach and fan favorite Eduardo Najera would not be re-signed, Iverson's contract wouldn't be extended and things were looking grim entering the 2008-09 campaign. But what loomed as a disaster instead became a season of reformation and rejuvenation. Karl came into training camp as "Fiery George" again, Melo won a gold medal with Team USA and learned a thing or two from Kobe Bryant on what an NBA work ethic really is and K-Mart, fully healthy, came into camp with an apology to his coach and teammates and a vow to work harder and play better. With former NBA castaways Chris "Birdman" Andersen and Dahntay Jones added for next-to-nothing (by NBA salary standards) and Nene in real basketball shape for the first time ever, the Nuggets were quietly confident that they had a special season on their hands.

The lone chink in the Nuggets newfound armor would be Iverson who, upset by not receiving a contract extension, showed up to camp out of shape and several steps slow. Remarkably, Nuggets management was able to pull off one of the great trades in Nuggets history by shipping Iverson to Detroit for Chauncey Billups. By adding Billups to a roster primed to take off, the Nuggets would shock the basketball world by tying a franchise record with 54 wins and going toe-to-toe with the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. Simply put, it was the greatest full season of Nuggets basketball since the 1984-85 Nuggets made it to the conference finals and hopefully a sign of more good things to come in the decade ahead.

Non-Stiff of the Year: Chauncey Billups

The Denver-born Billups - who had been cast off by Issel years earlier without ever given a fair hearing as a Nugget - immediately proved to be the perfect leader for the Nuggets. Coming off six consecutive conference finals appearances with the Pistons, Billups would make it seven when he led the Nuggets there.

Non-Stiff of the Year Runner-Up: (tie) Nuggets Management and George Karl

After years of placing talent over character, the Nuggets GM "troika" of Warkentien, Chapman and team adviser Bret Bearup had assembled a roster stocked with good character guys and also deserve credit for not panicking after the 2008 playoff debacle. Warkentien would be rewarded with the NBA's Executive of the Year Award, but it should have been shared by all three guys. Karl, meanwhile, turned in one of his finest performances as an NBA head coach while bridging whatever gap had existed between him and his mercurial stars Melo, J.R. and K-Mart.

Stiff of the Year: Allen Iverson

The NBA will soon be announcing their "All Decade Team" and it will be fascinating to see if A.I. makes the squad. One of the greatest players of the decade, Iverson ultimately proved to be a bad fit for the Nuggets and a bad influence on Melo and J.R. This became painfully clear when the Pistons imploded after bringing Iverson on board in exchange for Billups.

Overall, the '00s were a great decade for Nuggets basketball: six straight playoff appearances, two 50-plus win seasons, All-Star players and thrilling performances (how many game-tying and game-winning shots has Melo made?!). And while it would have been nice to see a few more playoff series victories prior to last season, the memories of the Bickerstaff and Issel Administrations are still prominent enough for me to appreciate what's been going on recently.

Fortunately for Nuggets fans, four of our best players - Melo, J.R., Nene and rookie Ty Lawson - still have many seasons ahead of them and hopefully will remain in a Nuggets uniform into the next decade. At the very least, we're guaranteed that the new decade starts out reasonably well and it will be fascinating to see where this franchise is standing in 2020.

Thanks for the memories and Go Nuggets!!

Photos courtesy of AP and NBAE/Getty Images

Lawrence Frank gets Bzdelik'd...

Andrew Feinstein — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 17:59:02 -0000

For his second franchise in a row, Kiki Vandeweghe has firebombed the roster, sacked a decent coach with the carnage and prayed for some luck with the draft and free agency. It worked for the Nuggets, but will it work for the Nets in New Jersey/Brooklyn?

Let's take a quick trip back to 2002. The Nuggets are floundering with a losing record, a coach/team president that calls a Hispanic fan a "Mexican piece of shit" and an expensive, relatively worthless roster featuring the likes of draft busts Raef LaFrentz and Tariq "Don't Call Me Olivier St. Jean" Abdul-Wahad, the mercurial Nick Van Exel and the grossly overpaid Avery Johnson. In comes Kiki Vandeweghe - a former Nuggets star who had been mentored by the Nelsons in the Mavericks front office - as the new G.M. Vandeweghe's first act, a bold and swift one, is to deal away LaFrentz, Abdul-Wahad, Van Exel and Johnson to his former team, take back some expiring contracts, suck for a season-and-a-half and hope for the best with free agency and the draft.

The huge - and in my opinion, unforgivable - misstep of drafting all-time bust (and Denver Stiffs Hall of Famer) Nikoloz Tskitishvili aside, Vandeweghe's gamble worked. As part of the plan, Vandeweghe brought in a young, hard-working coach in Jeff Bzdelik to change the culture on the floor and the Nuggets remarkably won 17 more games than they should have in the 2002-03 season. 17 wins was low enough, however, for the Nuggets to score Carmelo Anthony in the 2003 draft and by parting with those heavy contracts, the Nuggets had enough cap room to sign Voshon Lenard, Andre Miller and my all-time favorite one-season Nugget, Jon Barry.

Years later and in a new geographical location, Vandeweghe is doing very similar things in New Jersey under the tutelage of Rod Thorn (who in the ironies or ironies swindled Vandeweghe into trading three number one picks for Kenyon Martin in 2004). Hired in late 2007 as a "Special Assistant" to Thorn, Vandeweghe became the Nets G.M. in May of 2008.

During Vandeweghe's tenure with the Nets, the franchise has dealt the aging, overpaid Jason Kidd to Dallas for Devin Harris and several soon-to-be-expiring contracts including Trenton Hassell's, sent the overpaid Richard Jefferson to Milwaukee for Yi Jianlin and Bobby Simmons' soon-to-be-expiring contract and recently traded another max player, Vince Carter, to Orlando for the expiring contracts of Rafer Alston and Tony Battie.

Left in the wake of all these deals is the 26th lowest payroll in the NBA with the salaries of Simmons, Alston, Battie, Hassell, Keyon Dooling and Jarvis Hayes coming off the books in 2010. Plus, the Nets have one of the better young point guards in the NBA in Devin Harris, a solid center in Brook Lopez (even though my Uncle Marty claims he's a Stiff after watching him up close against the Nuggets last week), a good swingman in Chris Douglas-Roberts and even Yi was playing well before going down with another injury. Oh, and the Nets have their own lottery pick plus the Mavericks' first round pick in 2010.

But also left in the wake is a lost season that head coach Lawrence Frank - whom Vandeweghe inherited - is about to take the fall for. Saddled with a gutted-out, injury-riddled roster Frank is being Bzdelik'd. And it's not fair. Lest we forget that Frank won his first 13 games in a row when he took over the Nets for Byron Scott several seasons ago. But life's not fair (Frank does make - gasp - $4 million a year, so I don't feel that bad for him) and unlike Bzdelik's amazing performance in 2002-03, Frank's team is losing all the games they're supposed to lose.

Similar to the situation for Bzdelik in Denver, Vandeweghe won't stand up for Frank (even though this is clearly Vandeweghe's plan) and is just buying time before he can hire a big name coach to right the ship when LeBron James and/or other free agents and a top draft pick join the franchise next summer. Different from what happened in Denver, though, is that Vandeweghe is rumored to take over as head coach. I guess the bottom line is that when you lose your first 16 games (about to be 18), no matter how bad your roster/injury situation is your job isn't salvageable. Good bye, Lawrence Frank.

How's this for a far-fetched prediction moving forward? Vandeweghe takes over as coach for the remainder of the season and - a la Kevin McHale in Minnesota - the Nets beat up on some equally bad teams en route to winning about 15-18 games with a spirited effort on the floor. Then, the Nets score LeBron in the 2010 free agent sweepstakes (I really don't think LBJ is leaving Cleveland, but if he does it's to the Nets who have the best surrounding cast plus cap space to offer him) and none other than current Nuggets coach George Karl takes over as head coach when the Nuggets fail to offer Karl an extension. (On a side note, I used to think that Karl was imposed on Vandeweghe by Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke in 2005 but have since learned that Karl and Vandeweghe have a friendly relationship and get along great, so I'm just connecting the dots here.)

With Karl overseeing a roster featuring Harris at point guard, Courtney Lee or CDR at shooting guard, LBJ at small forward, (enter free agent here) at power forward and Lopez at center, the Nets move into their shiny, new Brooklyn confines in 2011 with the support of their Russian billionaire owner as a championship contender.

Frank might be getting Bzdelik'd right before our eyes, but sunny days are ahead for the Nets and Kiki knows it.

Photo courtesy of AP Photos: Bill Kostroun

Blog Season Preview

Ben. — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 20:33:14 -0000

More photos » by Rick Bowmer - AP

Hey there, I'm balling again. That's why Ben uses me for literally every post that needs a picture. Call me Giggles Oden.

Browse more photos »

Every year, Blazersedge participates in a national network of blog season previews. This year is no exception. For regular readers, there's not going to be a ton of new stuff in this preview, although I do make a win prediction at the end for your mocking and criticizing pleasure.

Team Name: Portland Trail Blazers

Last Year’s Record: 54-28

Key Losses: Channing Frye, Channing Frye’s Blog, Shavlik Randolph, Shavlik Randolph’s Valued Blazersedge Contributions, Mike Ruffin, Mike Ruffin’s Minivan, Raef LaFrentz’s Expired Contract, Sergio Rodriguez

Key Additions: Andre Miller, Juwan Howard, A Healthy Martell Webster, Greg Oden’s Confidence, Dante Cunningham, Jeff Pendergraph, No Sergio Rodriguez

Click through for the rest!

-- Ben (benjamin.golliver@gmail.com)

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

It was a relatively quiet offseason for Kevin Pritchard, quieter than many fans had hoped for. No splashy draft day trades, unless you count the Sergio Rodriguez dump to Sacramento. The true excitement came in a trio of moves and non-moves: the failed courtship of Hedo Turkoglu, the cap-busting toxic offering of Paul Millsap, and the rebound relationship scoop up of Andre Miller.

Ironically, Miller, the team's third choice, addressed its biggest need – an upgrade over Steve Blake at the point guard position – better than either of the other two players. Optimists see this as fate intervening on Portland’s behalf. Pessimists might see this as Pritchard’s broken clock being right twice a day. Either way, Miller’s addition gives the Blazers one of the best 3 deep point guard rotations in the league and provides the team with another proven player who can create his own shots and help develop young, budding stars like LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden.

Everything besides Dre was peanuts. Juwan Howard might fight for the scraps of backup minutes behind LaMarcus Aldridge. The rookies might get some Developmental League burn. Portland-area zoologists probably miss Mike Ruffin's exotic animal collection. Rudy needs to find a new wingman when he hits Aura late night. That's about it.

It wasn’t the best offseason – perhaps not the offseason that Pritchard envisioned when he decided not to trade Raef LaFrentz’s Expiring Contract back in February – but the Blazers roster is better this October than last, without question.

2. What are the team’s biggest strengths?

Rebounding, offensive efficiency, depth, versatility, late-game execution. Take your pick, there’s a lot to like about this group, a squad that will run 15 quality players deep once the roster is finally set. The front line is anchored by centers Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla, who combine to own the boards like Crockett and Tubbs owned South Florida criminals. LaMarcus Aldridge’s 7 rebounds per game look soft by comparison and Travis Outlaw seems to gather roughly half of his rebounds by pulling them out of the arms of one of his centers. All those rebounds add up to extra possessions and second-chance points for the Blazers, who are loaded with solid shooters like Steve Blake, Rudy Fernandez, and Martell Webster.

But the Blazers also enjoy a strength that not many teams can match: a proven, reliable, consistent and intelligent late-game ball-handler, Brandon Roy, who draws fouls and gets into the lane better than all but a few NBA players. Roy’s penchant for late-game heroics – he claims with a straight face that he enjoys pressure – made for many memorable moments last year. A two-time All Star who inked a max extension this summer, Roy is playing for hardware from here on out. He knows that better than anyone.

3. What are the team’s biggest weaknesses?

Although it might sound surprising on a team with such little roster turnover from last year, the team’s biggest weakness through 2 weeks of the pre-season is cohesion. Adding a new big-minute point guard to the rotation has everyone adjusting. Greg Oden’s continued development has everyone from the coaching staff down re-thinking his role with the team. Are there enough touches? Who meshes best with whom? What’s the optimal number of guys – from 8 to 12 – to play on any given night? These are the core questions for Coach Nate McMillan.

Another weakness – which will likely continue to be a weakness for years to come given the personnel – is team defense. While McMillan has committed his team to hard-and-fast rules and a specific system, asking his players to play pick-and-roles in a consistent manner and to religiously close out on shooters in hopes of decreasing their opponent’s field goal percentage, it’s unclear whether this group – from the top down, including Brandon Roy – has fully bought in. Some nights they do, some nights they don’t. Some plays they do, other plays they don’t. It was a problem last year in the playoffs, as Aaron Brooks and Yao Ming were a lethal one-two punch, and Luis Scola looked all-world. The players claim that they took to heart the importance of defense from that series, but there hasn't been a ton of evidence to support that during the pre-season.

4. What are the goals for this team?

Anything short of a division title and the second round of the playoffs would be a disappointment. Management, coaches and players have all set the bar that high, and they’ve done so with a confidence that borders on cockiness. Management feels they have assembled the right personnel (and lots of it!), the coaches feel they’ve added experience and savvy to a talented group of youngsters, and the players feel like they have something to prove after getting booted out of the first round by a tougher, more determined Houston Rockets team.

Pretty simple, really.

There are other goals: Aldridge and Oden want to make the All star team, Roy wants to be all-defense, a few Blazers reserves could be in the running for 6th man of the year, but those awards and accolades aren't the focus.

5. What’s up with Greg Oden?

Greg Oden, a player who has been off the national radar for the past 2+ years, has consistently been the brightest spot during the team's lackluster pre-season. During multiples stretches of play, he’s been the best player on the court, something that was never said about him during the 60+ games he played last season. He’s confident again, trimmed down and well-balanced on his legs, finishing with authority, and trusting his off-season work, which included the development of a number of simple, go-to moves around the basket. His offensive game is less robotic and more diverse; his defense is less choppy and more instinctive. He’s altering more shots while committing less fouls, exactly what every single fan, no matter how intoxicated, wanted to see from him last season.

I have privately taken to calling him Giggles Oden, as he seems to crack up at every question or comment I make to him regardless of the setting: pre-game, post-game, after practice, or anywhere else. Maybe I just look funny or talk funny (definitely a possibility)? Or maybe Greg just has his mind right, after an up-and-down season spent, at times, sulking on the bench and consulting with a sports psychologist. What’s clear this fall is that Greg is back to enjoying the game. He still has work to do, there’s no question about that, but he’s back to being a player you can’t help but root for.

While top draft picks are expected to provide big time contributions, production from Greg Oden has been an added bonus rather than a staple necessity for the Blazers over the last few years. 2010 is shaping up to be the year that starts to change, with the potential to be the big, breakout season everyone has been waiting for.

6. Bottom Line

There are plenty of reasons to be bullish on the Blazers and it seems darn near every analyst is. They’re protected against injury better than almost every team, going at least two deep at every position. They’re built to execute well in the halfcourt but they can run a little bit when needed, thanks to Miller. They’ve got big guards and little guards, athletic wings and physical wings, long 4s and big 5s: thanks to this depth and versatility, they’re far more prone to creating mismatches than getting exploited by them. They’re coming off a 54 win season, didn’t lose a single major piece and are a year more experienced than they were last season.

But entering this season, things aren’t quite clicking yet. And it seems like it could take some time.

At this point, a little more than halfway through October, I’ll get on board with a playoff series victory (possibly 2): all the pieces are there. Although they started the summer as likely Division favorites, I’m not sure I see the Blazers emerging on top of what will surely be a heated 3-team chase for the Northwest Division title.

That said, last year’s Blazers surpassed my expectations by 5 wins; this year’s Blazers are certainly capable of doing the same (if not better).

A trade deadline move to find that still-missing piece and to cut loose some expiring salaries could be what this group needs to make the full, deep post-season push that it desires. Trade or no trade, the team’s offensive efficiency, rebounding prowess and the presence of Brandon Roy should make for an entertaining year.

Predicted Record: 52-30. 2^nd in Northwest Division. 4^th Overall.

-- Ben (benjamin.golliver@gmail.com)

(Cap) Space, The Final Frontier

Dave — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 06:56:41 -0000

As Ben foreshadowed in his piece below, in response to a training camp conversation we're going to update the Blazers' salary cap status and possibilities today. This is not to infer that a trade is any more or less likely than it was yesterday. But trading remains a possibility as the season starts so we want to cover it. As always in these matters we are indebted to our friend Storyteller and his excellent site.

As of this moment the Blazers have no salary cap space to speak of. Summer hasn't officially ended yet and during the summer months Portland's three Euro-prospects (Klaver, Koponen, and Freeland) create holds on the salary cap. With everybody else in place and Darius Miles a $9,000,000 albatross shadowing the Blazers' ship Portland's well is dry. Any trade made before the start of the season will have to conform to normal standards with no wiggle room.

However when the clock strikes twelve our European Cinderellas will flee the ball, leaving behind glass slippers and a cap space footprint of about $1.9 million. Theoretically the Blazers can preserve that much cap space to facilitate trades going into the season.

The only hitch in the giddy-up is the infamous 15^th roster spot. Right now the Blazers haven't committed to anybody filling that space so there's no cap imprint associated with it. As soon as Portland decides to carry that 15^th player his salary goes on the cap. The Blazers are looking at several players but the most likely two seem to be Ime Udoka and Jarron Collins. As BlazerFanSince1970 kindly pointed out in the comments below, veteran minimum contracts weigh against the cap at slightly above $800,000. That would put the Blazers down to $1.1 million in cap space. However any trade that potentially brings a team over the cap functions as an over-the-cap trade, invoking the 125%+100K rule we're all familiar with. Therefore if Portland ends up signing a 15th man the cap space will become superfluous in many situations. The 125%+100K will give more than $1.1 million in leeway unless Portland trades just a single player straight up and that player makes less than $4 million per year.

But leaving aside that bit of confusion, the Blazers will basically have between $1.1 million and $1.9 million in cap space to trade with when the season begins. This amount can be added to a player's salary to facilitate a (slightly) lopsided deal.

It would be impossible to detail all of the trade possibilities that would fit under these parameters so we'll contain ourselves to the most likely. Without prejudice against them as players or people, it seems clear that Steve Blake, Travis Outlaw, and Jerryd Bayless are the most obvious candidates to move. Blake and Outlaw have expiring contracts. Bayless is talented, jammed up, and probably unhappy. Here are the salaries in question:

Blake $4.0 million
Outlaw $3.6 million
Bayless $2.1 million

From this we can derive a range of possibilities. The minimum--just trading Bayless plus using the minimum cap space available--yields a figure of $3.2 million. (Though obviously figures below $2 million are also a possibility utilizing just the Bayless contract. The Blazers aren't required to use the extra space.) The maximum practical figure--combining Blake and Outlaw with the most potential space available--gives us $9.5 million. As you can see, that's quite a gap. And the $9.5 million isn't far-fetched either. A team taking Blake, Outlaw, and the cap space would see the entire amount come off of its cap at the end of the season.

Several of the players rumored to be available at last year's trade deadline fall within these parameters. Note that we're strictly talking salary here, not equitable talent exchange or desirability for the Blazers. Charlotte's Gerald Wallace makes $9.5 million as does Chicago's Kirk Hinrich. Golden State's Stephen Jackson makes $7.7 million. Only Al Jefferson on Minnesota lies outside this range. We could get Hedo Turkoglu back, as he makes $9 million. Utah's Carlos Boozer lies outside the range unless you throw in significant extra players. Obviously far less famous (and probably more suitable) names are also possibilities. This list just reinforces the impression that not all was lost with the expiring of Raef LaFrentz's Expiring Contract.

So what will the Blazers be doing with this money? Likely nothing at first. The smart move here is to watch for teams that hoped to excel but instead fall flat. At least one or two teams around the league will see their fortunes change in the first months of the season and will begin to think about rebuilding instead of playing expensive, losing hands. That's where Portland can come in with the offer of a little bit of young talent (more than a little if you want to consider some other players on the roster as available) or a lot of salary relief. Those deals don't always go through but the possibility is there.

The Blazers' roster is closer than ever to its settled form but it's not quite there yet. We're not through the trade window and the Blazers have reasonably strong cards left to play. We'll see what happens.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

Breaking Down the Udoka Invitation

Dave — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 06:20:05 -0000

More photos » by Layne Murdoch - NBAE/Getty Images

Blazer fans were abuzz about the possibilities of getting one of the guys in this photo this summer. Which name ended up in Kevin Pritchard's briefcase? (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)

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The mailbox is full of questions regarding the Ime Udoka signing and its significance. The responses range from mystified to excited to concerned. So let's clear it up and break it down.

First of all, this is a training camp invite. The contract is non-guaranteed, meaning the Blazers and Ime can part ways at any time the team chooses. Technically it's not different than any of the other invitations the Blazers have issued. Kevin Pritchard will be visiting a few guys between now and mid-October to let them know he appreciates them, respects them, and could they please clean out their locker now. Ime may well be among those.

Second of all, this is a competition for what ends up being the 15^th roster spot and no higher than the 13^th spot in the rotation. Only 12 guys suit up on a given night. You're not exactly looking for a franchise-altering move here. And this isn't one. Ime averaged a respectable 15.4 minutes per game in 67 games for the Spurs last year but his production slipped significantly from his prior seasons. His shooting, free throw shooting, and most importantly three-point shooting percentages tanked. ~~His defensive rating went down as soon as he left Portland.~~ (Edit: Never mind that. I was BRILLIANTLY going by the wrong data. Aplogies to you and Ime. --Dave) Basically he played half the minutes you remember from his tenure with the Blazers and didn't play them nearly as well. He's wading onto a roster stocked with players at his position, meaning he either really, really loves his hometown and is willing to risk an opportunity to stay in the league and any salary raise he could get playing more minutes elsewhere for a long-shot chance here OR he didn't get any decent offers. This should color expectations somewhat. He really is in the lower roster now if he makes the team and his chances of rising above that are slim.

I can already hear the choruses of, "That's what people said LAST time he signed with the Blazers!!!" so let me cut you off at the pass. This 2009-10 Blazer team is far different than the 2006-07 team that Ime contributed so much to. Outlaw and Webster were younger and even less tempered than they are now. Aldridge and Roy were rookies. The old-timers on the team were Jamaal Magloire, Raef LaFrentz, Juan Dixon, Fred Jones and Dan Dickau and the main guy was Zach Randolph. Udoka played the 4^th most minutes of anybody on the team that year because there existed both opportunity and desperate need for his steadiness, his defense, and his three-point shooting. Nobody was solidly in front of him at small forward. Nobody in the starting lineup or really anywhere in the upper rotation knew how to sell out on defense or how to play hard while being a contributory player instead of a main focus. Half the team was too young and the other half just didn't sport that kind of player. The differences between the names listed above and a mature Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge, Andre Miller and Steve Blake, Nicolas Batum and Rudy Fernandez should be obvious.

Ime is like that really nice pizza you had as a kid. (Mine was the now-defunct Manhattan's Pizza...one in the Hollywood District and one up on Palatine Hill as I recall.) It was delicious and you loved it for good reason. But then you moved to Chicago or New York and started sampling pizza and while none of them held the place in your heart that the childhood favorite did, slowly you got attuned to a different style and quality. Then you return home and you find that while your childhood pizza is still good, maybe your memory or experience gave it a fonder spot than it strictly merited. You loved it as much for what it did for you and meant to you as its inherent quality. The latter made it decent, the former made it special. You still like it, but you wouldn't replace any of your new favorite pizzas with it.

So what does this training camp invitation mean? There are three possibilities. After chewing the fat with some people who usually know what they're talking about I'm going to list them in order from least likely to most.

There's a small, small chance this really is a significant event heralding the next Blazer move which is to trade away a small forward or two. Perhaps Ime did have significant offers elsewhere but somebody telegraphed to him (or he cleverly intuited) that the Blazer offer was the one to take. In this case Ime becomes a lower rotation player and the move makes wonderful, magical, and exciting sense.

There's a somewhat larger chance, but still not huge, that the Blazers don't have complete faith in Martell Webster's foot yet. In that case the choices at backup small forward range from Outlaw to Fernandez to Roy, none of whom are completely suited for the job. Ime would be an acceptable insurance policy in that instance, though one wonders what he gives you (besides experience) that Batum doesn't.

The overwhelmingly likely explanation is that this is just what it appears to be. Ime worked out in Portland this summer. He has positive history with people in this organization. He didn't get any good offers to go elsewhere. There's no harm in the Blazers bringing him into training camp under those circumstances nor is there harm in him accepting. This is the right percentage move for both parties. Udoka probably doesn't make the team but he might attract notice elsewhere. If he does make the team he's waiting for an injury or a trade to play.

We'll have to see how it works out. I have as much fondness for Udoka as the next guy and I'd not be sad to see him make the squad. He's another one of those players that you'd never regret having on your team. But I'm not expecting miraculous, or even steady, contributions even if that happens.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

Spoiler Alert: Dallas Mavericks Preview

djturtleface — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:25:16 -0000

More photos » by Tony Dejak - AP

Heads up Mark, you've got work to do if the Mavericks are ever going to get Dirk his championship. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

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It's times like these that I wish I could write season previews the day after the trade deadline. The Dallas Mavericks' roster doesn't make much sense right now; it's solid, but it just doesn't make sense. That little tidbit, in and of itself, doesn't necessarily mean that the Mavericks will make a move. Lots of teams go into seasons with glaring needs and don't always make a move to improve.

But don't be foolish enough to think that Mark Cuban will just sit back and count out the dollars he's paying Erick Dampier to play like, well, Erick Dampier. With that in mind, follow me over the jump so that I can completely ruin your excitement over the upcoming season.

Season Preview

In some ways this offseason was marked by disappointment more than accomplishment. Despite encouraging fans to email the Polish center to court him at the stroke of midnight, the Rockets were barely even on Marcin Gortat's mind. David Lee and Nate Robinson can't find multi-year deals, and Ramon Sessions had to settle for very little pay in an undesirable situation. The Trailblazers were burned by Hedo Turkoglu. And Grizzlies fans, myself included, had to scream, kick, and throw remotes while we watched David Stern announce that Hasheem Thabeet was all we got with a number two pick.

But no team was disappointed quite like the Mavericks. Otis Smith rope n' dope'd the Mavericks into giving away Brandon Bass, at a very reasonable salary, while also preventing them from signing Dampier's replacement Marcin Gortat. In the place of these two very effective players, the Mavs could only get Drew Gooden, who did little to nothing for the Spurs last season.

Don't let that make you think that the Mavericks didn't make changes this offseason though, because they were very active. Jason Kidd is sticking around on a three-year extension. A couple goofballs named Tim Thomas and the previously mentioned Drew Gooden were added to shore up the front-court losses. And Shawn Marion is also coming to Dallas, which could be an enormous acquisition if Kidd keeps running.

"Clearly Dallas police also suspect Kidd's defense will be ugly this season"

Of course the trio of Josh Howard, Jason Terry, and Dirk Nowitzki will continue to be dangerous, providing scoring at tip-off, during the downtime, and crunch-time, respectively. Kidd will probably continue his revival, though I suspect his defense will become even more suspect. And Erick Dampier is going to be Erick Dampier, at least as long as he's on the team.

Dampier has to play a certain number of minutes this season, a number he won't exceed, for his monstrous contract to be guaranteed next season. In other words he is the honorary 'Raef LaFrentz' expiring contract of the year. So who could the Mavs move Dampier for? Andris Biedrins and Andrew Bogut seem like possibilities, though I suspect the Mavs would have to really sweeten the pot for either team to consider. If the Pacers are out of contention, Troy Murphy also seems like a plausible target, though his skill set is duplicated by Dirk to a degree. But, in my esteemed opinion, Samuel Dalembert seems like the most likely candidate.

Don't get me wrong, the Mavs have pulled together a solid team that's definitely ready to win now, but they're nowhere near competing in the West without making an impact trade. Fortunately if anyone is willing to pay for success, it's got to be Mark Cuban.

Fantasy Preview

Breakout Player- Shawn Marion- With Kidd leading the break and the opportunity to bang on the boards as a power forward again, which he'll likely play during the fourth quarter while Dirk is a stretch center, I like Shawn Marion's chances to return to relevancy again this season. He'll never be a consensus top-ten player again, but take a flyer on his upside in the sixth or seventh round (ESPN has him ranked at 81). Look for something like 16 points, 8 boards, and something like the coveted 1-1-1 combo of threes, steals, and blocks, with a little more emphasis on the defensive stats and an outside shot at averaging one three a game.

Bust- Jason Terry- Terry won't be a bust in the purest sense, but if you expect him to finish 32nd on the player rater again this season then you're in for trouble. I'd be happy to find Terry in the sixth or seventh round, but he's just not a true top-50 player. As a sixth-man who relies on shooting, Terry is very inconsistent, and is coming off a career year, which should always be a red-flag at his age. Remember what happened to Hedo Turkoglu last season, when everyone told you to expect a drop in production? Terry falls under the same corollary.

"It's all mathematics."

Draftability Guide- Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Howard, and Jason Kidd: Like the Celtics 'Old Three,' these guys are fantasy stalwarts. Dirk Nowitzki is a borderline first-rounder, though I don't know I would take him until the early second. Josh Howard is the prototypical small-forward for fantasy, and is a safe 5th to 7th rounder when healthy. Finally Kidd is coming off a top ten season that I can't see him repeating. You've got to give him a look in the late 2nd or early 3rd, but chances are you'll find something more enticing. Kidd is one of those guys that the auto-drafters always end up with, even though he almost always fulfills his ranking.

Predictions

My Prediction: 48-34 (ESPN: 50-32)

ESPN picked the Mavericks to repeat last season's record. I'm not so generous. Jason Terry and Jason Kidd look to regress some this season, and Brandon Bass was an enormous loss. Is this team dangerous? Of course. But until they figure out the situation in the front-court, they're not an elite team. And this year the West seems to be packed with at least four elite teams, which is going to make life difficult for the Mavs.

The Mavericks should be facing either the Nuggets or Trail Blazers in the playoffs this season, and unless they can trade Dampier for a true impact player--not Samuel Dalembert--they won't sneak by either of these two squads. Dallas is going to have another solid year, but their core is definitely on the way down, and Shawn Marion isn't nearly enough to reverse the trend.

Check out Mavs Moneyball for more Dallas Mavericks.

Poll

How many games will the Mavericks win this season?

Over 48 wins.

59 votes

Under 48 wins.

21 votes

80 votes | Poll has closed

Brian Scalabrine Is Whatever You Want Him To Be

Jeff Clark — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 10:19:55 -0000

Brian Scalabrine has been loved and hated; valued and vilified; counted on and counted out.

He was brought in to be a veteran role playing leader. He became a punchline and a scapegoat. He was named on lists of "worst contracts." At one point fans started to give him the old Bronx cheer (cheering in jest).

Then somewhere along the line he became useful again. The cheers became genuine. People actually started counting on him. Now he's back to being a veteran role playing leader. His contract is actually an asset now because it is expiring this year.

The funny thing is, I don't think Brian Scalabrine has changed all that much. He's been poorly fit into an ever changing landscape during his tenure as a Celtic.

In the early years the starting lineup consisted of Paul Pierce, Ricky Davis, Marcus Banks, Raef LaFrentz, and Mark Blount. That lineup plus Gary Payton and Antoine Walker won 45 games and made the playoffs the year before Scal arrived. But Pierce had just pulled his jersey waving, head wrapped in bandages routine and the team was in serious need of some maturity. Scal was a key role player on some successful Nets teams. He was never supposed to be a go to guy, but he was supposed to fill in and be that steady hand off the bench.

Unfortunately that didn't work out. Whatever maturity he brought to the locker room was far outweighed by the strong personalities on that team. The squad quickly imploded and was rightly torn apart by Ainge as he shifted focus to a youth movement. On a team of early-twentysomethings, Scalabrine was once again a bad fit.

I'm not trying to make excuses for Scal, mind you. There were times when he played like he was trying to force it. Like he was trying to justify his contract. The losing and the fan reaction had to weigh on him and I think his play suffered from it. But every single person that's been around the team will tell you what a class guy he is. He never took it out on anyone, he just did his job.

So when the team got good again, he was able to step in and provide some valuable backup minutes at both of the forward positions. He even started for a few games in KG's absence 2 years ago (which allowed Doc to maintain most of his rotations). When the team added PJ Brown, Scal didn't complain when he was put on the inactive list. In fact, he delivered one of the funniest Finals post game interviews I can remember (pushing Kobe back a few minutes).

He was just getting rolling last year when multiple concussions derailed his season. It is a shame too, because a fully healthy Scal could have played the role of a poor man's Posey. In fact, I think that is one of the elements that Ainge was counting on last summer (along with Tony Allen's progression) that didn't play out as he had hoped.

So where does that leave us today? That depends. What do you want from Brian Scalabrine?

Do you want him to be a valuable backup forward? He can backup Pierce and also give us added depth at power forward. Do you want him to step aside and give more time to Bill Walker? Scal will happily tutor the young lad and wave a towel on the bench. Do you want to use his expiring contract to pick up a player at the trade deadline? Pair him with Tony Allen and you can swipe a $7M player away from a team hemorrhaging money (call it the Redhead Bailout Plan). Want him to play some point guard? Well, everyone has their limits.

I think Scal will help this team in a number of ways this year. He's also the kind of guy I'd like to see get into coaching when his career is over (like Sam Cassell). Here's hoping that he gets one more shot at that podium after the Finals.

In Which I Try to Explain My Apathy Regarding the Orlando Magic's Signing of Jason Williams

Ben Q Rock — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 14:18:18 -0000

Indulge me, if you will, in a few moments of navel-gazing regarding the Orlando Magic's signing of Jason Williams. Eddy will cover the news conference today, and we'll have more analysis (I'm sure) in the immediate future.

So let me start by saying that Williams was one of my favorite players when I was a middle-schooler during the early years of the Magic's Tracy McGrady Era. I wrote WHITEBOY across my knuckles in Sharpie, in emulation of/appreciation for his infamous tattoo. I wrote JDUB55 (his nickname and jersey number with the Sacramento Kings) on my backpack in Wite-Out. And once or twice, I even practiced basketball while wearing thick gloves, as Williams did as a youngster, which helped him develop the slick handle on display in videos like this one Eddy posted yesterday.

Yet now, in 2009, I can hardly muster any excitement for seeing Williams in pinstripes. The key phrase is "in 2009," because were this signing to take place 7 years ago, were a 26-year-old Williams joining a 25-year-old Vince Carter and a 23-year-old Rashard Lewis in Orlando (while 16-year-old Dwight Howard honed his craft at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy), the media and fans would tout the as one of the most dynamic young teams in the league.

We can't overlook time and age when assessing this signing, is what I'm trying to convey here. Some sportswriters--Tim Povtak might have been the first--have suggested that Williams could push Jameer Nelson for the Magic's starting point guard job, or at least play more crunch-time minutes than Nelson. Nevermind the fact that Williams wouldn't have pushed Nelson two seasons ago, in Williams' last NBA go-'round and Nelson's first under Stan Van Gundy. A far more realistic outcome is Williams supplanting Anthony Johnson as the team's second-stringer, pushing Johnson to the fringe of the rotation.

Try to think of the story in this way. Instead of asking, "Will Jason Williams move Jameer Nelson to the bench?" ask, "Will Jason Williams move Anthony Johnson further down the bench?" That story just lost quite a bit of its appeal.

Ultimately, GM Otis Smith got his third point guard, one who happens to be a reasonably reliable veteran (a Pure Point Rating of 6.0 in his last NBA season) and a household name (because he threw passes off his elbow a decade ago). That second point, though, is what's making this story bigger than it should be.

The Four Best Words in Sacramento

Exhibit G — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 04:00:14 -0000

Right now I think the 4 best words out there are "Kenny Thomas' Expiring Contract". Congrats Kenny! You've moved into the lexicon with legends such as P.J. Brown, Penny Hardaway and Raef LaFrentz!

Kenny Thomas is slated to make a little over $8.7 million this season. A staggering number considering his production. But he might be the best asset on the team this season. He either provides us cap relief towards next summer's storied free agent class of 2010, or he could be traded to a team looking for cap relief. Either way, we'll be in a better situation.

I've always wondered what it would feel like to be known only for the fact that I represented upcoming cap space. The idea that you are so worthless and overpaid that someone would trade for you simply because they wouldn't have you around the following season. It astounds me. As a professional athlete, one would think that you'd have a certain level of pride. Players are derailed for a variety of reasons, obviously. Hardaway and LaFrentz were betrayed by their bodies, P.J. was just getting old. Hell, Brown was still a valuable asset beyond just his expiring contract.

That brings me back to the case of Kenny Thomas. His downfall in Sacramento has been due to not meshing with the coaching staff(s), not trying, or both. Since he's been in Sacramento through several coaches, it probably is not a reach to assume that his downfall is due more to a lack of effort than a coaching style clash.

But imagine if he cared again. There was a time when Thomas was a serviceable player, and a pretty good rebounder. How tempting might he be to a team seeking cap relief next summer, and also seeing Thomas as a guy who needs a change of scenery? I don't know that anyone is out there who might think that. There's little evidence to support such an idea. But how about this, what if someone wants to capitalize on a player who once showed some ability, represents cap space in the summer of 2010, and is in a contract year and has shown motivation only when working towards a new contract? Suddenly, Kenny Thomas could be very appealing.

And even if the Kings don't get any quality players in a trade, they can hold Thomas for another season and have cap space next summer. After all we've been through, what's one more season with Kenny Thomas on the bench?

For once, having Thomas on the roster is a win-win situation.

The Shopping List

atthehive — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:03:53 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

Ike Diogu is one of the 50 front court options NBA teams have this summer.

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I took a look at our budget last post (1-2 million dollars to sign one player). Now, let's assess what people are going to cost.

I've tried to include every front court free agents (UFA and RFA) that I could find here, but if I missed any, let me know. Big thanks to this list from Depressed Fan and to ESPN player pages. Quick explanation of the table: Restricted refers to UFA/RFA status, competitors refers to projected number of teams that want the player, Salary projection is my estimation of the player's market value, and target refers to whether New Orleans can reasonably target the player (in parantheses is an explanation of why (expensive, etc)).

The full 50 player table after the jump.

Player	Restricted?	Last Salary	Competitors	Projection ($)	Target?
Rasheed Wallace	No	20.1M	3+	10-15	No ($)
Malik Rose	No	11.5M	0	Minimum	No (sucks)
Drew Gooden	No	3.0M	1-2	2-4	Yes ($)
Chris Wilcox	No	10.1M	1-2	2-5	Yes ($)
Stromile Swift	No	0.83M	0-1	Minimum	Yes
Shawn Marion	No	20.1M	3+	12-18	No ($)
Ike Diogu	Yes	8.8M	0-1	2-4	Yes ($)
Lamar Odom	No	20.1M	3+	15-20	No ($)
Paul Millsap	Yes	1.6M	3+	unknown, but $$$	No ($)
Charlie Villanueva	Yes	10.3M	1-2	8-15	No ($)
Joe Smith	No	2.4M	1-2	2-4	Yes ($)
Shelden Williams	No	4.1M	0-1	Minimum	Yes
Maceo Baston	No	4.5M	0-1	1-2	Yes
Cedric Simmons	No	2.7M	0	Minimum	No (sucks)
Marcin Gortat	Yes	0.83M	0	Minimum	No (sucks)
Chris Andersen	No	0.83M	2-3	2-4	Yes (DEN)
Channing Frye	Yes	9.5M	0-1	2-4	No ($, sucks)
Hakim Warrick	Yes	6.4M	1-2	4-8	Yes ($)
David Lee	Yes	6.1M	3+	unknown, but $$$	No ($)
Steve Novak	No	1.0M	0-1	min-3	Yes
Donyell Marshall	No	0.83M	0-1	Minimum	Yes (old)
Ryan Bowen	No	0.83M	0	Minimum	Yes
Michael Ruffin	No	0.83M	0	Minimum	Yes
Shavlik Randolph	No	0.83M	0-1	Minimum	Yes
Leon Powe	Yes	0.83M	3+	Unknown, but $$	No ($)
Glen Davis	Yes	1.0M	2-3	3-7	Yes (BOS)
Raef LaFrentz	No	19.1M	0	Negative	No (sucks)
Rasho Nesterovic	No	12.6M	1-2	3-5	Yes ($)
Jason Collins	No	9.3M	0	Minimum	No (sucks)
Zaza Pachulia	No	8.0M	2-3	4-5	No ($)
Robert Swift	No	7.2M	0	Minimum	Yes
Aaron Gray	Yes	0.83M	0-1	Minimum	Yes
Chris Mihm	No	5.0M	0-1	2-3	Yes
Saer Sene	No	0.83M	0	Minimum	Yes
Jarron Collins	see Jason	4.1M	see Jason	see Jason	see Jason
DJ Mbenga	No	0.96M	0	Minimum	No (sucks)
Calvin Booth	No	2.7M	0	Minimum	No (sucks)
Melvin Ely	No	0.83M	0	Minimum	Yes (sucks)
Ryan Hollins	No	0.83M	0-1	1-2	Yes
Lorenzen Wright	No	0.83M	0	Minimum	Yes (old)
Adonal Foyle	No	0.83M	0	Minimum	Yes (old)
Jamaal Magloire	No	0.83M	0-1	Minimum	Yes (old)
Sean Marks	No	0.83M	0	Minimum	Yes (old)
Theo Ratliff	No	0.83M	0-1	Minimum	Yes (old)
Johan Petro	Yes	5.9M	0-1	2-3	Yes
Jake Voskuhl	No	0.83M	0-1	Minimum	No (sucks)
Marvin Williams	Yes	14.1M	3+	10-15	No ($)
James Singleton	No	0.83M	0-1	Minimum	Yes (DAL)
Walter Herrmann	No	4.0M	0-1	2-4	Yes

So out of the 50 UFA/RFA big men of 2009, the Hornets can put 30 of them on their radar.

As you can see, there are a ton of guys out there. Not all of these guys (or even half these guys, I suspect) are going to find homes next season. Yes, there is a good deal of variance, but the supply is definitely greater than the demand.

There are four tiers the 30 players can be split into.

"Uh Oh, Everybody's Gone And/Or (Probably And) We're Broke."

Among the 30 potential signees, we can probably classify some of them as last gasp options due to suckage, old age, or some combination of the two. Of all the players I gave a 'yes' in the far right column, here are the ones I'd categorize as last resorts:

Steve Novak: The Hornets have gaping holes in their frontcourt, but specifically they need to target rebounders. When David West and Tyson Chandler hit the bench, Byron Scott won't appreciate a big man that spends 99.999% of his time between three point arcs. Novak's rebound rate is barely half of Hilton Armstrong's. Yeah. Consider this the last last resort.
Donyell Marshall- DMarsh is another three point specialist, but he's been a stellar defensive rebounder throughout his career. The issues clearly are that he's 36 years old, and he's nearing retirement. Toss in a recent comment about how he'd want to come in and mentor guys if he joined a new team (nothing on actually playing), and you don't have a great combination.
Michael Ruffin- He's undersized but a fantastic rebounder on offense and defense. The question with him is playing time. He only got 11 games last year, 46 the year before, and 30 before that. Nobody knows how he'd hold up over 82, especially now that he's on the wrong side of 30.
Ryan Bowen- Great hustle, but I don't think I need to elaborate much here.
Shavlik Randolph- Randolph only got in 89 games in his first 4 years in the league. But he's shown some serious potential on the boards. The risk is that if we pin our one rebounding hope on the 25 year old and he blows up, well, we won't be in great shape.
Robert Swift- Showed lots of potential, once upon a time. He's the madly tattooed, infinitely riskier Shavlik Randolph.
Saer Sene- 47 games in three years. He'll be mad cheap, but he's 7'0" and weighs 220 pounds. You tell me how that's gonna end up.
Melvin Ely- Yeah.
Ryan Hollins- I rank Hollins somewhere between Last Resorts and the next category. He's a great shot blocker with good timing, and while he isn't the most impressive defensive boarder, his offensive figures are nice. He brings great energy to both sides of the floor. With Eric Dampier rumored to be on his way out of Dallas, I wonder how much the Mavs will spend to keep him. My feeling is they like him a good bit... and Hollins is only worth it if he comes cheap.
Lorenzen Wright- With age, his offensive boarding figures have slipped badly. And last year, not one, not two, but three teams (ATL, SAC, CLE) tossed him in the their respective trash cans. He brings size (6'11), if not bulk (225), and he has a career full of good defensive rebounding. One of the better Last Resort picks, though it wouldn't be a flashy signing at all.
Adonal Foyle- And if you thought Lorenzen was the antithesis of all things stylish, well, apparently, you've never seen this guy. Most famous for clanging an open 7 footer off the side of the backboard, Foyle's actually a decent option. The problem here is that he spent most of last year injured. Not sure the Hornets are willing to gamble on a 34 year old's health.
Sean Marks- I think Marks is a last resort, not because of his play necessarily, but because it wouldn't go over well with the fans. Most Hornets' supporters are looking for a front court overhaul. The truth is, Marks' 9/18/13.5 rebounding split from last year wasn't shabby at all. An understatedly decent last resort option
Theo Ratliff- Ratliff hasn't been discussed in a basketball context ever since he legally changed his name to The Expiring Contract of Theo Ratliff some time in 2004. Though the dude is older than my pet rock, he provided Philadelphia some boards and some blocks last year. Overall, he's way too old to be considered a good signing.
Johan Petro- I'd rank the Denver center higher (his rebounding numbers are terrific) but he seemingly never plays, and he is straight up horrible at basketball. A center with a 43% true shooting percentage? Unbelievably atrocious.
Stromile Swift- From 2000-2008, SS was a serviceable player. Great rebounder, good shot blocker, coudl even put the ball in the bucket unassisted, once a month. Suddenly everybody forgot about him, and he played nineteen of the most anonymous games in NBA history with NJN and PHO last season. One of those guys where if he goes to the Knicks, everyone will rag on them for getting another overpaid bust, and if he goes to the Spurs, everyone will praise them for getting another underpaid overachiever. If he goes to New Orleans? Who knows.
Walter Herrmann- Imagine Hilton Armstrong with range. (If you can actually do this, I have just one question: are you on drugs?)

"Yeah If We Got Him, Sweet... But We're Not Getting Him"

Glen Davis- Boston is going to keep him. Danny Ainge will re-sign him. Kevin Garnett will continue to make him cry. I don't see many ways around this. Plus, his rebounding is mediocre, his offensive abilities are vastly overrated on the strength of one or two jumpers he made in the playoffs, and he really isn't that great at anything else. So "If we got him, sweet" would probably not be an accurate description of Glen Davis, now that I think about it.
Joe Beast- aka Joe Smith to those unacquainted with his hip hop skills. Smith is kind of like Davis in that his team is probably going to keep him (I can't see Cleveland performing a single action that does not directly contribute towards the appeasement of the Great One). Smith is also kind of not like Davis in that he's actually good at basketball.
Antonio McDyess- Dice is likely out of the Pistons' price range this summer, though they have said they want to keep him. He made 6 million+ last year. I know there's always the chance he takes a pay cut to join a contender... but who really considers the Hornets a contender now any way?
Chris Andersen- The league leader in block rate will be getting some sort of financial upgrade, and probably one from Denver. If not, there will be plenty of teams just salivating at the thought of overpaying the 31 year old.
Hakim Warrick- Warrick is another guy in line for an upgrade on his 1.5 million a year salary. He's not the most efficient scorer, but I'd say he's the most underrated foul drawer in the entire league (6.6 FTA/36, which would be 0.3 more than Chris Paul, without the aid of superstar calls). He's a decent rebounder too. If Memphis doesn't realize what they have on their hands, plenty of others will do the realizing for them.
Marcin Gortat- If recent rumors are to be believed, the Magic are in hot pursuit of Rasheed Wallace and/or Brandon Bass. It sure sounds like they're gearing up to lose their backup power forward. The Gortat situation is a tricky one to read. On the one hand, he made under a million dollars last year. On the other hand, he had a great postseason and pretty much the entire NBA now knows about him. Positives: beastly rebounder, very efficient scorer, brings terrific energy. Downside: fouls a lot, but who really cares. But all this misses a crucial point- several teams have already reportedly discussed offering Gortat a large part of their midlevel exceptions (five million plus).

"Maybe They'll Forgive Us For Not Taking Blair Now"

Radoslav Nesterovic- aka Rasho to those unacquainted with Slovenian. Nesterovic is one of the few 30+ options I wouldn't mind. He has size (7'), bulk (250), and the career rebounding split (10/17/13) to warrant a serious look. The biggest issue would be salary. He made 7 million+ last year alone, and he hasn't earned below 2.5 mil since 2002-2003. If he agreed to take a pay cut with us, that'd be terrific.
Aaron Gray- It's universally agreed that Aaron Gray sucks, but he could help us out big time in the rebounding department. With a 14/22/18 split last year, he would bring rebounding figures that very few free agent bigs could match. He should be dirt cheap (making less than half a million last year on a second rounder contract). With a lot of teams looking at the flashier names, we're likely to receive less competition to sign him. And of course, the kicker is that he's a big from the University of Pittsburgh, something a lot of people seemed to want around these parts.
Shelden Williams- I've always loved Williams. Seemingly not in possession of a neck, he'd be the perfect complement to Hilton "The Ostrich" Armstrong. He posted super awesome terrific rebounding figures with ATL his rookie year before they moved him to Sacramento. He finished last year in Minnesota. He seems universally unwanted, but he'd be a tremendous bargain for the Hornets.
Maceo Baston- Baston's first salary was 20,000 with the Chicago Bulls in 1999. So I'm thinking he might be down to make a couple million with us next year. Last year with Toronto, he posted an 11/15/13 rebounding split in 27 games. He draws fouls at a decent rate and has a nice offensive game. He can also block a few shots here and there. The biggest problem is his size- 6'9" and 215 pounds; I don't know how long he can hold up.
Chris Mihm- Mihm has posted very, very nice rebounding numbers throughout his career. (a career 11/19/14 split). I thought we'd seen the last of him after his sparring session with D.J. Mbenga, but who knows. Could be an attractive option, given the lack of competition and low price.
Jamaal Magloire- 14/24/19 rebounding split last year. That's all you gotta know about the Big Cat. He will rebound the hell out of that ball.
James Singleton- Thanks to reader Scott for e-mailing to me about Singleton. Personally, this would be one of my favorite signings if it happened. Singleton, who broke into the League as a swingman, has seriously bulked up in recent years. He posted a 12/21/16 rebounding split with Dallas last year, terrific numbers for any player, let alone one making the minimum. He was also very efficient at putting the ball in the bucket (the most efficient out of any of the 30 on this list). Want more? He didn't turn the ball over, and Dallas put a fair bit of responsibility on him when he was in the game. And, oh yeah, he has three point range. Unfortunately, it appears we have compeition. Both my Dallas contacts confirmed that the Mavs have definite interest in bringing him back next season, and Singleton seems to like his situation there too. Don't know if it will happen, but Singleton would be an amazing, cheap add.

"The Heavens Have Smiled Upon Us"

Chris Wilcox- Wilcox parlayed a terrific contract year with the Clips into an overpaid two year stint with the SuperThunder. This summer, he's likely to return to his rightful tax bracket, and if so, the Hornets stand to benefit. At a career 9/20/14 rebounding split, Melvin Ely's twin would make Melvin himself a distant memory. Wilcox can also jump out the gym, so Chris Paul could still have an alley-oop partner when he's on the floor with the bench and Tyson's off. Wilcox's defense has been questioned repeatedly... but dude's trying to make the New Orleans Hornets' bench, not the All Defense team. I'd take him in a heartbeat, providing he agrees to slash his salary to the 2 million range.
Ike Diogu- Enter Mr. Diogu. I like Ike, and you should too. He never really got a chance with the GSW, or the IND, or the POR. Finally, he got some minutes with SAC last year, and they were predictably glorious. In the last two games, he dropped 32 on Denver, and 28 on Minnesota (oh, what's that you say about Denver resting its starters and Al Jefferson being injured? I can't really hear you, you're going to have to speak louder). He can rebound, and he draws fouls like a maniac. While he's kind of foul-prone, he doesn't turn the ball over. The kicker? His full name is Ikechukwa Somotochukwa Diogu. Pau Gasol is already recoiling in fear.
Drew Gooden- For a while there, it appeared Gooden's basketball ability had taken a back seat to him cultivating that ridiculous beard. But now all is well. Ever since he left the company of the Great Shining Internationally Renowned Supreme Basketball Talent, Gooden's been looking on the up and up. Rebounding last year? Try 10.4/22.6/16.6. 52.6% true shooting. 11.7% turnovers. 4.0 FTA/36 minutes. The one flaw is that he's lost all ability to put the ball in the bucket from the floor... but I can excuse that. Another downside: Signing the 27 year old Gooden would probably cement Jeff Bower's place as the Greatest GM in the History of Western Civilization.

So there you have it.

50 options -> 30 reasonable options -> 25 actually reasonable options -> 9 actually reasonable and good options -> 3 actually reasonable and very good options. Happy shopping.