SB Nation - Chris Mihm

Big 12 All Decade Team

Evan Pfaff — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:15:09 -0000

More photos » by Orlin Wagner - AP

With almost a full year yet to play, Kansas center Cole Aldrich muscled his way onto the Big12Hoops.com First Team All Big 12 Decade Team (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

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In the first full calendar decade of the Big 12 conference, one thing was apparent: there were two schools that produced a good majority of the talent. And while the best individual players may not have come from Kansas or Texas, a look at the Big12Hoops.com All Decade team reveals that a majority were either Jayhawks or Longhorns.

Don't see your favorite? The Honorable Mention list is after The Jump

First Team All Big 12

PG – Jamaal Tinsley, Iowa St
SG – Tony Allen, Oklahoma St
SF – Kevin Durant, Texas
PF – Blake Griffin, Oklahoma
C – Cole Aldrich, Kansas

Second Team All Big 12

PG – Kirk Hinrich, Kansas
SG – Acie Law, Texas A&M
SF – Michael Beasely, Kansas St
PF – Marcus Fizer, Iowa St
C – Chris Mihm, Texas

Third Team All Big 12

PG – TJ Ford, Texas
SG – Andre Emmett, Texas Tech
SF – PJ Tucker, Texas
PF – Drew Gooden, Kansas
C – Nick Collison, Kansas

[UPDATE: Lots of good suggestions and opinions in the comments section. Lemme give a little insight into how I compiled this list.

I started with a list of Big 12 Players of the Year. My rationale was that if someone was good enough to be the best in the league, even for one year, he warranted entry into this exclusive club. 9 of the 10 Big 12 Players of the Year made the top three teams. The only one who didn’t was Wayne Simien, and that is because he played a PF position that, if you look at the past decade, was just STACKED. Blake Griffin, Marcus Fizer, Drew Gooden. Really you could put Simien in there, but who gets bumped off?

As for PG, Tinsley over TJ Ford and Kirk Hinirich has also garnered a lot of attention. Tinsley’s place as the 2000-01 POY got him on the first team. But you really cant go wrong with any of them.

Lastly, there is this question on what to do with Durant and Beasley. Each only played one year, but they dominated the league (and the country). Durant was a Naismith winner as the best player in the country and Beasley was a finalist for the award. Both were league POYs. Because they didn’t play a full 4 years, they didn’t accumulate career stats that some others players did, but my list was based on selecting the best players, during their time in the Big 12, at each position.]

All Big 12 - Honorable Mention

Baylor Bears
LaceDarius Dunn
Lawrence Roberts

Colorado Buffaloes
Reggie Roby
David Harrison

Iowa St Cyclones
Craig Brackins

Kansas Jayhawks
Wayne Simien
Aaron Miles

Kansas St. Wildcats
Cartier Martin

Missouri Tigers
DeMarre Carroll
Clarence Gilbert
Arthur Johnson
Kareem Rush

Nebraska Cornhuskers
Aleks Maric

Oklahoma Sooners
Taj Gray
Hollis Price

Oklahoma St Cowboys
Byron Eaton
Joey Graham

Texas Longhorns
DJ Augustine
LaMarcus Aldridge

Texas Tech Red Raiders
Jarrius Jackson

Texas A&M Aggies
Bernard King

Q-Rich trade possibilties

Stop-n-Pop — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:00:17 -0000

I don't have much in the way of suggestions but I thought it would be helpful to those of our readers who do to put up a list of modest to decent sized trade exceptions from around the league in anticipation of a possible Richardson trade later this week (the really good ones are highlighted...below the fold):

Charlotte:

$1.2 mil for Jared Dudley, expires 12/10/09

Chicago:

$1.9 mil for Andres Nocioni, expires 2/19/10
$1.9 mil for Thabo Sefolosha, expires 2/19/10

Denver:

$2.1 mil for Chucky Atkins, expires 1/7/10
$9.7 mil for Allen Iverson, expires 11/3/09

Houston:

$2.3 for Steve Francis, expires 12/23/09
$1.4 for Rafer Alston, expires 2/19/10

Lakers:

$2.5 for Chris Mihm, expires 2/9/10

Miami:

$4.2 for Marcus Banks, expires 2/13/09

New Jersey:

$3.7 for Vince Carter, expires July 10

Orlando:

$6.8 mil for Hedo, expires July 10

I think that about does it. If you see any errors or omissions, please point them out in the comments. Just remember, if Q is moved, he can't be moved in combination with another player from the Wolves. For instance, Q to Denver for the trade exception followed by a sign and trade with Memphis for Rudy Gay in return for, say, Pekovic + the Denver draft pick works while including Corey Brewer in the deal does not.

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.

Open Thread II: 2009 NBA Draft Lottery- Welcome to the 2009 Playoffs Warriors fans!

Atma Brother ONE — Tue, 19 May 2009 07:15:10 -0000

UPDATE (4:06 pm): Originally posted on May 19, 2009 12:15 AM PDT. Bumped up for the big show, but you better believe it's going back down if the Warriors fall to #10. Whether the Warriors land the #1 pick or slip 3 spots- remember GSoM is a family show!

----------------

How's this for dedication? We had an open thread up for today's big event TWO whole months in advance!

It's playoff time in the Bay! It's time for our annual installment of the NBA Lottery.

Photo: Warriors.com

After the jump a look at the 7 different possible scenarios for the Warriors this afternoon and how they've worked out the past 10 years for the teams drafting in those respective slots.

Odds via Wikipedia

#1 PICK (4.3% chance): A dream come true.

Hey you know GSoM did win the 2009 NBA Blogger Draft lottery, so maybe our luck will continue. Blake Griffin is the consensus #1 overall pick and I doubt the Warriors deviate from the norm here. Griffin would be a god-send and looks like a real deal franchise player.

Here's the last 10 #1 overall picks:

2008: Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls)
2007: Greg Oden (Portland TrailBlazers)
2006: Andrea Bargnani (Toronto Raptors)
2005: Andrew Bogut (Milwaukee Bucks)
2004: Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic)
2003: LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers)
2002: Yao Ming (Houston Rockets)
2001: Kwame Brown (Washington Wizards)- BUST
2000: Kenyon Martin (New Jersey Nets)
1999: Elton Brand (Chicago Bulls)

#2 PICK (4.9% chance): So close, but not close enough.

The pundits seem to be picking Ricky Rubio to go #2, but is he really that much better than the next point guard on the board Brandon Jennings who is "mocked" to go as low as 7? I don't know.

#2's since 1999:

2008: Michael Beasley (Miami Heat)
2007: Kevin Durant (Seattle SuperSonics)
2006: LaMarcus Aldridge (Chicago Bulls)
2005: Marvin Williams (Atlanta Hawks)
2004: Emeka Okafor (Charlotte Bobcats)
2003: Darko Miicic (Detroit Pistons)- BUST
2002: Jay Williams (Chicago Bulls)- BUST
2001: Tyson Chandler (LA Clippers)
2000: Stromile Swift (Vancouver Grizzlies)- BUST
1999: Steve Francis (Vancouver Grizzlies)

#3 PICK (5.8% chance): In any other year this would be a real blessing.

But this year? Not too exciting, but who knows?

2008: O.J. Mayo (Minnesota Timberwolves)

2007: Al Horford (Atlanta Hawks)

2006: Adam Morrison (Charlotte Bobcats)- BUST

2005: Deron WIlliams (Utah Jazz)

2004: Ben Gordon (Chicago Bulls)

2003: Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets)

2002: Mike Dunleavy (Golden State Warriors)- BUST

2001: Pau Gasol (Vancouver Grizzlies)

2000: Darius Miles (LA Clippers)- BUST

1999: Baron Davis (Charlotte Hornets)

#7 PICK (60.0% chance): We tanked it for this one.

Thanks to that marvelous extra tanking by Nellie and crew this is where the Warriors are currently slotted. If the Warriors don't move up to one of the top 3 spots and none of the teams below them move up they'll be drafting here.

Just for reference here are the last 10 players drafted at the #7 spot:

2008: Eric Gordon (LA Clippers)
2007: Corey Brewer (Minnesota Timberwolves)
2006: Randy Foye (Minnesota Timberwolves)- BUST
2005: Charlie Villanueva (Toronto Raptors)
2004: Luol Deng (Phoenix Suns)
2003: Kirk Hinrich (Chicago Bulls)
2002: Nene Hilario (Denver Nuggets)
2001: Eddie Griffin (New Jersey Nets)- BUST
2000: Chris Mihm (Chicago Bulls)- BUST
1999: Richard Hamilton (Washington Wizards)

#8 PICK (23.2% chance): Moving down...

2008: Joe Alexander (Milwaukee Bucks)

2007: Brandan Wright (Charlotte Bobcats)

2006: Rudy Gay (Houston Rockets)

2005: Channing Frye (New York Knicks)

2004: Rafael Araujo (Toronto Raptors)- BUST

2003: T.J. Ford (Milwaukee Bucks)

2002: Chris WIlcox (LA Clippers)

2001: DeSagana Diop (Cleveland Cavaliers)

2000: Jamal Crawford (Cleveland Cavaliers)

1999: Andre Miller (Cleveland Cavaliers)

#9 PICK (1.8% chance): 2 teams leap-frogged the Warriors.

2008: D.J. Augustin (Charlotte Bobcats)

2007: Joakim Noah (Chicago Bulls)

2006: Patrick O'Bryant (Golden State Warriors)- BUST

2005: Ike Diogu (Golden State Warriors)- BUST

2004: Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers)

2003: Michael Sweetney (New York Knicks)- BUST

2002: Amare Stoudemire (Phoenix Suns)

2001: Rodney White (Detroit Pistons)- BUST

2000: Joel Przybilla (Houston Rockets)

1999: Shawn Marion (Phoenix Suns)

#10 PICK (less than 0.01% chance): God is not a Warriors fan

This would mean THREE teams with better records this past season and consequently worse lottery odds for a top 3 pick moved up ahead of the Warriors. This would mean the 2009 NBA Draft Lottery went something like this: 1) New York Knicks, 2) Phoenix Suns, and 3) Charlotte Bobcats. Looks funny huh?

Here's the last 10 #10 picks:

2008: Brook Lopez (New Jersey Nets)

2007: Spencer Hawes (Sacramento Kings)

2006: Mouhamed Sene (Seattle SuperSonics)- BUST

2005: Andrew Bynum (LA Lakers)

2004: Luke Jackson (Cleveland Cavaliers)- BUST

2003: Jarvis Hayes (Washington Wizards)

2002: Caron Butler (Miami Heat)

2001: Joe Johnson (Boston Celtics)

2000: Kenyon Dooling (Orlando Magic)- BUST

1999: Jason Terry (Atlanta Hawks)

On a side note, it's too bad the Golden State Warriors unlike the NY Times didn't pay attention to Polling GSoM. We wanted Thunder to rep the Dubs in Secaucus, NJ, but it looks like new GM Larry Riley will be manning the ship. I would've loved to see Thunder, but I wish Riley the best.

Still...

It's PLAYOFF TIME in the Bay!

Poll

Where will the Golden State Warriors be drafting in the 2009 NBA Draft?

#7- They'll stay in the same spot

195 votes

#1- Hello Blake Griffin!

166 votes

#2- Ricky Rubio?

132 votes

#3- They'll move up 4 spots for the right to overpay someone

67 votes

#8- The Bricks, Craptors, Bucked, Net Loss, BETcats, Posers, or Sunny Delight will move up to the top 3

49 votes

#9- Ike Diogu, Patrick O'Bryant, and ??? (2 teams with better records than the Warriors will move up)

20 votes

#10- "Unstoppable Baby!" (THREE teams with better records than the Warriors will move up)

69 votes

698 votes | Poll has closed

Woelfel: Villanueva/Lue trades being discussed, Landry among possible targets

Frank Madden — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 05:26:56 -0000

OK, here's what we were waiting for. Gery Woelfel writes what we kind of expected--that Damon Jones re-entering the fold could just be the first of a number of moves:

While Bell and Ridnour have health and injury issues, Tyronn Lue doesn't have either. But Lue's status appears to be up in the air as well. It is believed the Bucks have an offer on the table from the Los Angeles Lakers for Lue, with the Bucks receiving veteran big man Chris Mihm in return.
There have also been rumors that Lue could be dealt to Oklahoma City, perhaps as part of a package deal with teammate Charlie Villanueva. The Bucks are looking to solidify their power forward position and the Thunder have three power forwards that may interest the Bucks: Nick Collison, Chris Wilcox and [Joe] Smith.

All those guys would be of use, which is why I had hoped the Bucks might end up with one of them when the Mo Williams trade happened. Still, it'd swapping dynamism for consistency: none is as explosive or talented as Villanueva, who's still affordable this year ($3.4 million) but will be a RFA this summer.

Collison brings nice versatility as he can play both big positions and can do the dirty work up front, but his deal ($19.55 million over three years) is too long to stomach in my mind given the Bucks' luxury tax concerns next year. Wilcox's $6.75 million deal is expiring this summer, but he carries a rep for being a poor defender and he's having a poor season to boot--why would Skiles even bother? The 33-year old Smith is still a solid veteran who could help the Bucks a good deal, but it would seem that he'd be available for less than Villanueva.

Of more interest in my opinion is a possible deal with Houston involving hyper-efficient power forward (and Milwaukee native) Carl Landry.

There has also been scuttlebutt Villanueva could be involved in a multi-player trade that would send him to Houston.
In return, the Bucks would possibly receive reserve forward Carl Landy, who was a prep star at Milwaukee Vincent High School.

I hadn't heard anything about the OKC thing, while the Landry rumor started to my knowledge a day or two ago. Wichmae/GAD at RealGM have now posted the Landry deal as being close. It would start with sending Lue to the Lakers and Villanueva to the Rockets. The Bucks get Landry (signed to an extremely luxury tax friendly three year, $9 million deal) and either Luther Head or Brent Barry. The Rockets would also get Chris Mihm from the Lakers.

Villanueva has done a nice job thus far, but as a restricted free agent next summer the Bucks have to figure out what to do with him--and I don't see them wanting to commit long-term dollars to a player who has lacked consistency and a defensive motor for most of his career. Adding Landry would kill two birds with one stone: a) give the Bucks' added flexibility next summer when they will need to re-sign Ramon Sessions without hitting the luxury tax and b) give Scott Skiles a young PF who better fits his system. My only concern would be Landry's health, which was the major factor in why he dropped to the 31st overall pick in 2007. He had reconstructive knee surgery while at Purdue and missed time last year as well. But if Landry stays healthy it would seem to be an excellent all-around move from the Bucks' perspective.

Will one of these deals actually go down? As I said, I don't know anything about the OKC proposal other than what Woelfel has written. In asking around, I've heard conflicting things about the Landry deal. First, I heard that there had actually not been any discussion of a three-way deal, though there had been discussions with both teams individually. So that is a blow to the notion of a three-team deal, but the deal could go down in separate pieces. The Rockets need a backup big man--hence the persistent Dikembe Mutombo talk--so them getting Mihm (expiring $2.5 million) makes sense. But it's possible the Bucks could separately send Lue to L.A. for Mihm and then flip Villanueva and, say, Elson for Landry and Barry/Head (I think that still works). That would actually be preferable to the three-way for the Bucks, since Mihm is expiring and Elson is not.

Secondly, Landry played tonight which doesn't make sense if a deal was actually imminent. Because his offer sheet was matched on 9/25, he only became trade eligible on Christmas day and also retains to right to veto any trades until 9/25/09. So if a deal was imminent then Landry would have had to approve it, in which case I don't see a scenario where he'd still suit up for the Rockets tonight.

On the surface, coming home would seem to be a very good career move. Aside from being a MIlwaukee native, Landry would have every opportunity to win the Bucks' starting PF position, as Skiles has stated a preference for Luc Mbah a Moute coming off the bench. Lastly, Landry has butted heads with Daryl Morey and the Rockets' front office each of the last two summers, so that might also make him more willing to head home.

Will the Bucks' roster have changed by tomorrow night against Detroit? Difficult to say for sure right now, but it certainly doesn't seem as though Jones' return was meant as a one-off move. Stay tuned.

Q & A with the LA Times Lakers Blog

Jeremy — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 23:12:03 -0000

Once again we turn our attention to the Los Angeles Lakers, not because we like them, but because they are kind of a bid deal in the Western Conference.

I was fortunate enough to have some interaction with Brian Kamenetzky, a man whose name is even more difficult to spell than it looks, from the LA Times Lakers blog. My answers to his questions on topics like how much better the Nuggets need to get on defense and whether the Allen Iverson/Carmelo Anthony combo will deliver any significant wins are posted here.

Jeremy: Lakers fans could not have been more confident entering the playoffs last season. How shocking was not only the fact LA lost to the Celtics, but how badly they were knocked out in game 6?

Brian: The psychology of Game 6 was pretty tough on Lakers fans. It wasn’t simply that LA lost, but got run off the floor from the opening tip. Had they lost that game by 14, but at least stayed in contention for most of the night the reaction would have been different. As a result, I think the sour taste made some forget that overall, the season was a tremendous success and the Lakers played excellent basketball to get where they were. Additionally, it left the perception that the Finals were a crush job throughout. Clearly the Celtics were the better team (I want to make that abundantly clear- I was wrong, wrong, wrong in all my pre-series predictions), but the Lakers certainly had their shots.

The collapse in Game 4 was a bigger killer, in my opinion. If the Lakers hold that lead, it’s probably a seven game series.

Jeremy: What team will be the biggest challenger to the Lakers for supremacy in the Western Conference?

Brian: Two answers here. On paper, it’s hard not to like the Rockets. T-Mac, Yao, Artest, Battier, Landry, Scola, etc. Come playoff time, this group will be ridiculously tough to score against… assuming everyone stays healthy. And that, of course, is a huge assumption. Yao is coming off an injury AND played in the Olympics AND hasn’t played more than 57 games since ’04-’05. McGrady has played 70+ games only once in the last three seasons. Artest played in only 57 games, though lack of interest might have been an issue there.

The odds of them making it through the season unscathed? Pretty low, I’d say. But if they’re all together and working well come playoff time, nobody will want to play them. The interesting thing with Houston is they’re the only Artestination that didn’t necessarily need Ron-Ron for his defense. Instead, he’ll give them a much needed scoring outlet. Go figure.

I’m also a huge fan of the Hornets, and see no reason why they can’t repeat their excellent season of a year ago. Losing Jennaro Pargo will hurt and they don’t have a ton of bench depth, but assuming they stay healthy the combination of Paul, Chandler, West, and Peja will be outstanding. There’s no reason to believe CP3 isn’t still improving, scary as that seems. Utah, assuming Williams is sound, will also be just as tough as they were last year. They took the Lakers to six, and had their openings as well.

I think those are the three best teams outside of LA.

Jeremy: Kobe Bryant left the game Tuesday night with a knee injury. Paint a picture of how this team would fair sans Kobe. With Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom and Phil Jackson still involved are they in the mix for a playoff birth?

Brian: I think they would. Obviously not a top seed, but given their depth, they still have a playoff caliber roster even if Bryant were to miss time. Obviously that would put more pressure on Gasol and Bynum up front, and LO at… wherever Jackson ends up putting him, but these are three very good players, as good a top three as many teams in the W.C. and with their depth they wouldn’t fall off the map. There would definitely be a culture shift, since despite Kobe’s more all-inclusive approach over the last two seasons, he’s still the guy they turn to in a pinch.

Two other reasons I think they’d still be playoff caliber: Ball movement and rebounding. With Gasol and Bynum up front, LA’s glass issues ought to be corrected, and when you put in Odom it becomes that much more difficult to get a board. Beyond that, almost every member of the rotation passes the ball well, so they’ll still be able to generate quality looks at the basket. Gasol, Bynum, Odom, and Chris Mihm are all good-to-excellent passers, Jordan Farmar looks like he’s grown by leaps and bounds over the summer, Fish is Fish, Luke Walton moves the rock, and so on.

That sort of ball distribution will come in handy should Kobe miss time. That said, if he were to miss the playoffs, they’d be hard pressed to advance very far.

Jeremy: Here is a completely hypothetical situation for you. The Lakers are third in the west five games behind Utah and New Orleans at the All-Star break do they call the Nuggets about making a deal for Allen Iverson to put them over the top? Would the Lakers have any interest in AI as an unrestricted free agent next offseason?

Brian: No, and no. He’s not a good fit with how they run the offense. To integrate him at the deadline would do more damage than it would bring relief. As for the offseason, the Lakers are so far over the luxury tax threshold already that a signing like Iverson just won’t work. They’ll have enough trouble fitting role players like Trevor Ariza into the ’09-’10 salary structure.

I’m a huge Iverson fan, but he’s a terrible fit with LA.

Note from Jeremy: That is what I was afraid of.

Jeremy: Nuggets fans have followed the trials and tribulations Kobe Karl has gone through the eyes of his father and regardless what some of them think about his dad as coach, I think everyone is pulling for Kobe to make a name for himself in the NBA. Do you see him as eventually becoming a rotation player or is he destined to be an end of the bench or international player?

Brian: Hard to say. He played much better tonight (Thursday) against Charlotte, which probably had something to do with the fact that the Lakers had cut the roster down to 15, including second round pick Joe Crawford, seen as the primary competition for the last spot. Jackson said that another cut could be coming, but with Sasha Vujacic nursing a tender ankle, they wanted to keep Karl around for his shooting ability.

He could make the team, he could still get cut.

Long term, I think he’ll be able to carve out a career, but it’s hard to say how long or how prosperous. It depends a great deal on how deadeye a shooter he becomes. He’s got good length and a great work ethic, but if he doesn’t knock down jumpers from outside, he won’t stick. Stability will help Karl for sure. It’s hard to play under control when you think every missed shot might land you on the street.

I don’t think he’ll ever be a star, but with some maturity and growth, Karl could be a rotation guy. The Lakers like him, and patience with a shooter who struggled to shoot paid off when Vujacic finally blew up last season.

Jeremy: Aside from the potential battle for the top seed amongst the Lakers, Jazz and Hornets I think the most interesting battle in the west will be between Denver and Portland. Do you believe Portland is going to surpass the Nuggets this season?

Not trying to rain on the parade, but I’m not sure Denver is the 9^th best team in the conference. They probably should be, given the talent level on the roster, but I’m pretty down on the Nuggets. There’s such an incredible lack of discipline on both ends of the floor. They’ll have to improve defensively (sorry John Hollinger, the Nuggets weren’t good there last year), which means health and reliability from Nene and K-Mart, and a little more dedication around the perimeter.

I know there are people in Denver who felt Camby was an overrated defender, but even if that’s true I can’t believe losing him will improve the Nuggets in that area, and losing Najera won’t help, either, though Balkman was a nice pickup.

On nights when they’re on, the Nuggets will make teams, even good ones, look bad. Unfortunately, they’ll look terrible nearly as often. I don’t think the Nuggets are a playoff team this season.

Thank you Brian for the insight. Make sure you check out the LA Times Lakers Blog as Brian and his brother Andrew do a great job covering the Lakers as well as the NBA as a whole.

Talkin' Trades: Hedo Turkoglu to the Lakers

Ben Q Rock — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 17:44:13 -0000

Hedo Turkoglu attempts a reverse layup against the Miami Heat last season.

File photo by Phelan M. Ebenhack, the Associated Press

Speaking objectively, it makes a ton of sense for the Orlando Magic to trade Hedo Turkoglu. His stock has never been higher, he's in his prime, and it's unlikely they'll have the money to re-sign him when he opts out of his contract next summer.Speaking subjectively, it makes no sense for them to trade him, because he's the team's second-best overall player, best playmaker, and key offensive weapon.

But subjectivity needs to yield to objectivity if the Magic are going to make the jump from "pretty damn good" to "elite." And the blogosphere is alive with proposed trades that, perhaps unfortunately, will never happen in real life.

Last week, the Trade Journal proposed a three-team trade between the Magic, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Portland Trail Blazers in which the Magic parted with Turkoglu, among other players, and received center Zydrunas Ilgauskas and point guard Steve Blake. Readers of this site didn't much care for that deal.

Before we continue, I need to add some context: on June 24th, I emailed Kurt of the Lakers blog Forum Blue and Gold to get his thoughts on a trade which would send Turkoglu, Tony Battie, and either J.J. Redick or Keith Bogans to the Los Angeles Lakers for Lamar Odom and a lottery-protected first-round draft pick. The idea came to me when I read this rundown of the Lakers' probable 2008/2009 roster in which Kurt addressed some Lakers fans' concerns with Odom's play. I intended to use his responses in an eventual Talkin' Trades post (like this one) for this site. And although he provided wonderfully thorough responses, the idea slipped my mind, and I didn't think a heckuva lot of it until last week.

Last Friday, Magic beat reporter John Denton proposed the Magic send Turkoglu and Battie to the Los Angeles Lakers for swing forward Lamar Odom:

Losing Tukoglu's playmaking skills AND Battie's size would damage the Magic's firepower and depth, but Odom would give the Magic some nuch-needed size and rebounding at power forward. And such a move would allow Lewis to move back to his natural position of small forward.

Today, Trade Journal reader (and Poor Man's GM author) jaceman proposed a deal which sends Turkoglu, Redick, and Brian Cook to L.A. for Odom:

If the Magic are going to try some more unconventional matchups for the forwards, then you might as well get one that rebounds as well as Odom does. As much as Odom's offensive game plays like a 3, his game is actually best utilized when he's playing at the 4 position, I think. That being said, you'd replace for Orlando at the 3 a Rashard Lewis clone with, well Rashard Lewis.

Greg Broome, who runs The Trade Journal, thinks the deal "works" if the Magic are willing to re-sign Odom this summer.

That makes three well-informed NBA writers who have argued in the past week that trading Turkoglu for Odom makes sense for all parties involved. Due to the upswing in interest of a trade based on those two marquee players, I've decided to post excerpts from my aforementioned conversation with Laker blogger Kurt to round out the various reasons why such a trade works. Read it after the jump.

From my initial email to Kurt, which I sent on June 24th:

You wrote [about Odom], "He can rebound, he can lead the break, his is a good ballhandler and his hoops IQ is good. The questions are how well he can defend opposing small forwards and can he be a good enough shooter to spread the floor."

Well, the Magic have a guy who can do all those things: Hedo Turkoglu. He's younger than Odom is, and cheaper to boot. He'd also make the Lakers a nightmare to defend in late-game situations, paired with Kobe Bryant; you can't guard both of them.

The full proposal is Turkoglu, Tony Battie, and J.J. Redick for Lamar Odom and a future, lottery-protected first-round pick. Battie gives the Lakers a competent backup F/C who can act as Chris Mihm Insurance. Redick's dead-eye three-point shooting would allow the Lakers to let Sasha Vujacic walk should another team present him with a too-high offer sheet. Alternatively, the Magic could send Keith Bogans (worse shooter, MUCH better defender), and I believe the salaries work in that deal also.

Odom's presence gives the Magic a true PF who can take some pressure off Dwight Howard in the post with his rebounding. It also allows Rashard Lewis to move back to SF. David Thorpe was right when he wrote, in that post I mentioned, that Odom was at his best as a PF in Stan Van Gundy's offense. His per-48 minute scoring and rebounding numbers in Miami best all those of his Lakers career (thanks, 82games.com) and his assist totals are comparable.

From Kurt's response:

I think this would be an interesting proposal the Lakers would have to seriously consider. In the end I'm hesitant because it may be more of a lateral move for the Lakers than a step forward, but you'd have to think about it.

[....]

As for the offer, I think Odom would be a good fit for you guys alongside Howard. His slasher style game would play well off Howard and Lewis and would give you guys a very long front line defensively. The key with Odom is to get him the ball in the post or out isolated on the wing and get him to penetrate (almost always driving to his left) - he is not a great jumpshooter and he doesn't fear taking threes even though he should. He has to go to the rim. Plus, there are nights he will simply not show up mentally. You have to accept that with LO or he will drive you nuts.

From the Lakers perspective, the question really is defense. On offense Hedo's game seemed to mature - a year ago I would have said "we already have [Vladimir] Radmanovic for that role" but Hedo has stepped up his ability to create his own shot and do it in pressure situations. He certainly would stretch the floor at the three, play some at the four (a key for us to keep a flexible roster for matchups) and he seems less prone to the mental vacations that make Radmanovic a space cadet. But, he is not the ballhandler that Odom is nor can he do something Odom can - grab the rebound then lead the fast break the other way. Like I said before, Hedo's game would fit the Lakers, but how much of an upgrade would it be?

The challenge for Hedo would be on the defensive end - his defensive statistics this year against opposing threes are great, but how much of that is because Howard was patrolling the paint behind him? Yes, the Lakers have [Andrew] Bynum who can alter shots and protect the rim, but he is no Howard (nobody is). I honestly have not seen enough of Hedo's defense to say for sure one way or the other if he could be the kind of defender we need there (as evidenced in the finals). The Laker team defense should (and needs to) improve next year and the question I have would be "can Hedo be a part of that?"

[....]

But it is an interesting idea that, if it were proposed to the Laker front office, they would have to have serious talks about. The Laker front office is very patient, they may want to see what an Odom/[Pau] Gasol/Bynum front line would do before making any moves, but this offer at the least would have to make them stop and rethink that.

In reviewing my conversation with Kurt, I've concluded that swapping Turkoglu for Odom is a medium-risk, high-reward situation for the Magic. Odom's a fantastic player who throve in Stan Van Gundy's offense in Miami, and his presence would let Rashard Lewis bloom at his natural small forward position. Committing to Odom next summer is key: the deal becomes a zero-sum proposition if the Magic don't win a championship with Odom this year and then watch him walk in free-agency. But it makes more sense to pay Odom, a proven player with more than one stellar season on his resume, than to pay Turkoglu, whose fantastic 2007/2008 season, his finest, may have been a fluke.

I'm in favor of this deal because I believe Otis Smith is wise enough to know that locking-up a starting five of Jameer Nelson, Mickael Pietrus, Lewis, Odom, and Howard makes his team title contenders for the next five seasons. He'd be moving his best perimeter player to L.A. (not to mention his chips to the center of the table) but ultimately, it'd be worth it.

But that's just my opinion. So, Magic fans, given the reasons these various bloggers have listed that support the idea of a Hedo-Turkoglu-for-Lamar-Odom trade, what say you? If the Magic had the opportunity to pull the trigger on a deal featuring these players (they couldn't be traded straight-up for one another because their salaries don't match), should they?