What follow is a look at the Spurs' drafts, as a corollary to the piece on the Blazers' picks. The main takeaway is this, I think: While the Spurs haven't had a high pick (I think #20 has been the highest), they haven't whiffed any of them (at least not yet--we'll see if James Anderson and Cory Joseph pan out). It's not that they've gotten great players, and there's often someone below that's better (there almost always is one or two second round gems), but they've hit value every single time late in the draft. Clearly they've got a really fine idea of what an NBA quality player is (and isn't). Obviously they're built around the great trio that came earlier, but they've kept nailing pieces to surround them. Now, truth be told, they've moved some of these pieces on quickly, but the initial picks are really quite impressive, I think, for drafting so late.

2002: John Salmons (26)/ Blazers took Qyntel Woods (22)

Better than: Nik Tskitshvili (5), Mel Ely, Marcus Haslip, Fred Jones, Bostjan Nachbar, Jiri Welsch, Juan Dixon, Curtis Borchardt (18); Ryan Humphrey (19), Ryan Humphrey, Kareem Rush, ), Casey Jacobsen, Frank Williams

Worse than: Carlos Boozer (35)

2003: Leandro Barbosa (28)/Blazers took Travis outlaw (23)

Better than: T. J. Ford (?), Mike Sweetney, Jarvis Hayes, Mickael Pietrus, Marcus Banks, Luke Ridnour (?), Reece Gaines, Troy Bell, Zarko Cabarkapa, Alek Pavlovic, Dahntay Jones (?), Brian Cook, Ndudi Ebi

Worse than: Josh Howard (at least at his best), Mo Williams

2004: Beno Udrih (28)/Blazers took Sebastian Telfair (13)/Sergei Monia (23)

Better than: Rafael Araujo, Luke Jackson, Robert Swift, Seb Telfair, Pavel Podkolzin, Victor Khyrapa, Serei Monia,

Worse than: Anderson Varejao, Trevor Ariza

2005: Ian Mahinmi (27)/Blazers took Martell Webster (6) and Linus Kleiza (27); Kleiza traded for J. Jack

Better than: Ike Diogu, Fran Vazquez, Y. Korolev, Sean May, Rashad McCants, Antoine Wright, Joey Graham, Julius Hodge, Luther Head, Johan Petro,

Worse than: David Lee, Brandon Bass, Ersan Ilyasova, Monta Ellis, Lou Williams, Marcin Gortat

2006: NONE/Blazers took Aldridge/Roy (after trades)

2007: Tiago Splitter (28)/Blazers took Oden (1)

Better than: Yi Jianlian, Acie Law IV, Julian Wright, Al Thornton, Sean Williams, Javaris Crittendon, Daequan Cook, Morris Almond

Worse than: Carl Landry, Glen Davis, Marc Gasol, Ramon Sessions

2008: George Hill (26); Blazers take Brandon Rush (13)/Darrell Arthur 27, trade for Bayless/Batum

Better than: Joe Alexander, D.J. Augustin (?), Brandon Rush, Anthony Randolph, Robin Lopez, Mareese Speights, Alexis Ajinca, Kosta Koufos

Worse than: Nik Pekovic (maybe), DeAndre Jordan (probably), Mario Chalmers (?), Goran Dragic (maybe--note that Spurs drafted him #45 but sent him to Phoenix)

2009: NONE

2010: James Anderson (20); Blazers take Luke Babbitt (16)

It's a little early to say; not clear that anyone after him is clearly better (probably Fields and Vasquez);

2011: Cory Joseph (29), trade George Hill for Kawhi Leonard (#15)

too early to say, but clearly Leonard is a player.

Let's face it: this has been a rough year. I wasn't sure we were a playoff team, but I had hopes of seeing Oden and LMA's hip hadn't entered into my vocabulary. Not to say that there hasn't been some great on court moments, and I'm taking a cotton to JJ Hickson. We've always needed a battering ram down low since Brian Grant left, and I love his articulate description of "the lob that didn't quite get there last night", acknowledging a great play by the athletic Brandan Wright (whom the Mavs should have been unleashing more this year) and acknowledging that while there was some contact you can't expect to get that call. Off of waivers, well, that's a Billy Beane snag. But the highlight for me is this line from Dirk Nowitzki last night:

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I'm pretty much an NBA guy these days--not enough time to watch the college game. So I don't have much to compare Royce White to. Kentucky's Davis seems to be that unusual defensive presence--like a young Marcus Camby---but far more agile on offense. But I was awfully impressed with Royce White, who struck me as an unusually shaped and gifted player.

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We shouldn't love Raymond because he's great, but because he's as good as it gets right now, and there ain't no other date for the dance in the foreseeable future. The below list suggests why.

I have neither the expertise or desire to break this down too far, but in tiers, at least, here's a stab:

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Okay, I wouldn't play Chris Johnson for very long, but this post is really about a different idea

I've always intuitively thought about team management in a different way than the norm, and being an outlier usually means that one is wrong, because over time a good strategy will migrate from outlier to norm, and the following idea really hasn't.

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First off, I'm a Blazer Lover, not a hater, and no, the sky certainly isn't falling. But 3 points that have been apparent to me really crystallized in Phoenix.

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The ability of Batum to hassle Nowitzki on the defensive switches was critical to the Blazers's success (and MavMelt [TM]).  At times he had Terry or Kidd and when the switch came, he ended up with Dirk and really made it hard for him to operate.  So much of what the Mavs have been running is basic Pick and Rolls, with an eye toward getting Dirk's first defender off of him. Likewise, with Batum quick enough to guard the perimeter guys, he could handle that as well if he came off Dirk. Nic's value is always going to be a bit invisible, but his ability to rotate onto practically anyone is huge.  Hence, a new nickname to add to his menagerie:  Masterswitch!

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We've got a real quickness problem on the perimeter, especially with the second unit, particularly if Patty isn't out there (not that I'm necessarily advocating that he get out there more), we must must must compensate by posting Brandon, Andre, Wesley on Terry and Barea.  It seems that Nate's finally demanding that we take the guards down low.  Hallelujah!

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Without Andre, no way we win the game last night.  Well, actually, the Magic were horrible, and we might have, but Miller was golden.  He was calm, his passes crisp, his defense passable, and he was in position to make key fouls that sent Howard to the line rather than dunking the ball.  It was a pleasure to see the ball in the hands of someone who really delivered the ball to the right people at the right time.  The other thing that stuck out was his ability to finish at the rim.  Whereas Bayless drove the lane, head down at full speed, with everyone knowing where he was going (and ultimately the shot being deterred by Gortat or Dwight), Miller has mastered (much like Roy) the art of deception.  He's not going that fast, leaving defenders hanging, and then he's got the quick final burst and lays the ball in off the lowest part of the backboard.  Dwight actually did block him once, later in the game, in an incredible play, but Miller just looked great.  Do want to note that Bayless did dish once, albeit a bit wildly, to one of our guys for a jam, so it wasn't a total bust.  I'm not a Bayless hater, but he would do well to develop more than two gears (barely moving and full out blast) and also develop a floater (Rudy and Jameer had nice ones last night.)


Blake was entirely ineffective early.  The Magic closed the gap with their second team, with Jason Williams really outplaying Blake, but then Blake got very hot in the second half and made a big difference in crushing the meager spirit of the Magic.  Still, it just seems entirely clear to me that Miller is a far better point guard than any alternative. Maybe we stagger the rotation so that Blake and Roy get some time together, but Miller needs to get the majority of minutes at PG, in my opinion.

Everyone, with the exception of Bayless (just not his night), played very well.  Martell was huge, sinking threes, pretending to get fouled when he missed and sinking three free throws, and again working his tail off on defense and the boards.  Juwan essentially fouled Howard on every trip but managed not to get called for it much at all, and took Dwight out of his game. Between him and Miller, our "wily veteran" quotient was way, way up.   Pendergraph was very tough--he takes no %$#* from anyone.  Speaking of such, at the end of the first half, in the faux Blake-Howard brouhaha, Vince Carter decided that he was going to follow Blake toward the Blazers lockeroom.  As he was approaching, Dante put his hand in Vince's chest and gently but firmly stopped him.  Vince then realized that he really didn't want any part of the kid and that there was no way to redeem his exceptionally poor night (he had zero points at that stage, I think.)  Rudy was definitely high energy and effective off the bench, and LMA really played a fine game.  He made several tough baskets, worked hard to get close to the basket, and looked like he was on the edge of being an All-Star. It was a great performance by the team.

It must be said that the Magic looked terrible.  They were wholly uninspired, Nelson was highly ineffective (they were really better with Williams on the floor), and they flat out could not shoot the ball.  I think they had 28 points with about 3 minutes to go in the 2nd period.  If they don't turn something around pretty quickly, something's going to change there.  I would happily take Marcin Gortat if they're unloading him.

We're learning a lot about Martell, seeing him play a bunch down this stretch, like every minute of the first three quarters against the Lakers.  I'm not sure exactly what kind of an answer he is, as he continues to be something of an enigmatic player, but there have definitely been some positives in my mind. He certainly deserves the love for his work last night.

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Yeah, I know about small sample size and the paucity of BA as a meaningful statistic.  But I gotta say, here in the 8th inning tonight, I'm digging the top of the order:

.300

.346

.346

.333

.217

.381

It's just so tasty and...unusual (in the A's Box, anyway.)  I can't help but enjoy it.  We keep getting more hits than the other team.  It's all very disorienting, but fun.

Sweet little piece from our old pal Milton Bradley.  I guess there's some mixed feelings about him here, though it seemed like people were pretty gung-ho on him for the most part.  The part about the hug from Ron Washington is one of the more poignant things I've read recently, certainly on the sports page.  Good to see him doing well (as long as the Rangers keep pitching like the Rangers, that is.)

http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/07/milton-bradley-what-have-i-done-now/index.html?hp

I've long theorized that part--not all, but a part--of the A's success over the past decade has been an intangible:  a good clubhouse vibe.  Obviously the construct can be attacked historically:  note the success of the Bronx Zoo teams of the 70s, for example.  Massive talent can overcome chemistry issues in baseball and other sports (Kobe/Shaq being another), but when you can't overwhelm opponents with a talent discrepancy, I think the vibe does come into play, in two ways.

First, the good clubhouse vibe carries teams through some of the bad days instead of having them implode when the going gets rough.  Compare the Yanks of the late 90s, with a young Jeter and Tino/O'Neill/Bernie in his prime, with the ego-celebs of today (A-Rod and OldJeter.)  As much as I despise the Sox, Varitek, Damon, and the Cowboys or whatever the hell their names were--they clearly had some good mojo there.  They held it together when a lesser team would have folded.  When the press, the fans, and of course let's now add the blogs are down on you, you've only got your teammates, and with a bunch of young guys in their 20s and early 30s, it's hard to believe that this doesn't make a difference.

Secondly, I've just always sensed that the A's seem less stressed than some of their opponents.  Maybe that comes from not having too many big contracts that become psychological albatrosses as players fail to live up to them, maybe ironically it's the small crowds, maybe it's the weather, which during baseball season is pretty sweet for a player (if a bit chilly some nights for a fan), maybe it's living in one of the coolest places in America if you've got $ in your pocket, maybe it's just the assortment of guys that have been there (clearly Giambi and Swish were pretty fun-loving guys.)  I don't know.  But on the whole, when I look at the people who've moved through Oakland's roster, I sense that most of them look back pretty fondly on it.  And when you like the guys you play with, I'd guess it's worth a few wins.  It can't mask a pitiful team, but it can carry a solid one a little further than otherwise.

That said, hats off to Sweeney, who personally could have much to lose from Frank's arrival, of whom he said:  “Frank Thomas is a great player—one of the best players to ever play this game.”  Sweeney's a class act.  Here's to the good vibe continuing!

Last year Murphy had 6 HRs in 118 ABs with the A's.  In the minors he hit low double digits each year from 2004-2006.

H2N3A3 has never, at any level, hit close to the 1HR/20AB that Murphy achieved last year .  Granted, he's had a higher OBP than Murphy.

On the other hand, Hannahan is 3 years older, and Murphy is at an age where he appears be able to add some muscle au natural to his frame. 

Hannahan  is on pace for a 30-error season or something like that as well.

Obviously we're in small sample land, but I've just never taken Murphy very seriously (something about the "Donnie" makes him seem a little like "Opie," perhaps.)  But I'm curious about the pop that he's shown (and that Hannahan hasn't.)  Given that we've got Barton at 1st, Suzuki at C, etc., we're going to need all the pop we can get, and maybe this is one place that there's an upgrade.  Maybe.

The Gamer was everything we could have hoped when he came over for Ethier.  Unintimidated, confident, executing, he was the guy who tried to put us on his back and carry us across.  The guy who the opposing teams hate, who gets into the heads of the pitchers.  Of course I'm disappointed--Frank without a hit?--but the Gamer showed that he has the personality and talent to be a real star.  I hope he can stay happy enough and healthy enough to capitalize on this performance.

Thanks for a great season, everyone.  This community made it my favorite baseball season ever.

Peace, Peter

I started getting antsy when I saw Kendall and JPay moving into the .290s.  Last night, JPay ends up at .300, and part way through today's game, Kendall's there.  Takes away some of our charm, I think.  What happened to the 5 hits, 6 runs, no errors by-line?

Get the Rangers out of town, quick!

In Frank We Trust!

Can anyone describe what our MVP looked like on his run?  Did he slide?  How long did it take him to get up?  Did Mirabelli poop in his pants at the sight of the Big Hurt that he (and probably Frank too) was about to get?  And then he works the count and gets the possible insurance run, except that Kotsay gets nailed at the plate.  Man, I haven't felt like the A's have had a hitter like this since Giambi.  Dont' get me wrong, I LOVED Tejada, but Thomas seems to be able to get into others' heads when the pressure is on.  It always seemed like Miggy got out whenever people shouted "MVP".  Frank is just one dangerous dude with mystery rebar. Holy Toledo, I love this guy!

All season, glancing across the .220s-270s, with the occasional .280 hitter.  Funniest damn line-up, really.  Suddenly, or I guess gradually, in truth, JPay and Kendall, pushing .300.  It will be so strange, so assymetrical (unless we have Perez out there with the
.090).  Wow......

Hey, anyone else notice how Kotsay always seems to get one hit a game, but rarely more?  Can anyone run a stat sheet on how often he has had 0, 1, 2, and 3 hits a game?