SB Nation User Blog: Only_A_Lad

Trevor Ariza's Press Conference.

Only_A_Lad — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:02:07 -0000

Trevor Ariza's Press Conference.

It's official, and Ariza is a Houston Rocket.

Rockets Granted Disabled Player Exception, Use it on Ariza

Only_A_Lad — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 20:37:01 -0000

Rockets Granted Disabled Player Exception, Use it on Ariza

Basically, this means that Yao is almost definitely out for the season. The DPE gives the Rockets another MLE to work with, and that might mean they'll pursue one of the remaining centers on the market (Zaza, Nesterovic, etc.)

Hunter Pence, All-Star (For Reals!)

Only_A_Lad — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 18:25:00 -0000

The Astros won't have anyone starting this year's game in St. Louis, but Miguel Tejada and Hunter Pence will be on the bench.

Tejada's selection comes on the strength of a rebound season for him, and (despite his declining defense) Miggy is actually deserving of a spot this year. He's no longer the NL Batting Leader, but he leads the league in hits and doubles, and is currently batting .325/.365/.464. Hanley Ramirez will start for the National League.

I argued a while back that Pence deserved to start the NL's right field this year (of course, the NL doesn't have a starting right fielder, and Ryan Braun will probably try to handle the position for however long he stays in the game). Right now, Pence is in a massive slump, but he's still hitting .303/.373/.496, and his defense is as great as ever. The NL's outfield bench is made up entirely of right fielders, and he's joined there by Brad Hawpe and Justin Upton.

Poll

Which other Astro most deserved to be selected to the ASG?

Chris Wallace shows off his skills again.

Only_A_Lad — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:50:34 -0000

Chris Wallace shows off his skills again.

Zach Randolph for Quentin Richardson. Straight up.

So, let me get this straight: Randolph makes more money than Richardson. Randolph's contract lasts a year longer than Richardson's. And Randolph is awful. Just awful.

Yeah, the Grizzlies don't really have a PF, and they have a glut of players at the 2/3 positions. But does that really justify bringing Randolph into your organization? Surely Wallace could have found something better than Randolph for Richardson's expiring deal.

Memphis fans aren't happy. I'm sad for them, but I also hope the the NBA never moves them out of the SW Division. How much would it suck if the Durants were the fifth team?

Yao will have surgery.

Only_A_Lad — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:33:29 -0000

Yao will have surgery.

Yao has confirmed that he will undergo surgery (as you might remember, one of his options was simply to continue his current treatment).

However, Yao doesn't know what type of surgery he'll have. That decision will determine whether or not he's out for an entire year or simply a few months.

Boozer stays in Utah

Only_A_Lad — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 01:15:03 -0000

Boozer stays in Utah

hahahaha

The Rockets should find a way to sign Millsap just for the comedy.

Ricky Rubio's Negotiation

Only_A_Lad — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 08:25:03 -0000

No, this isn't another post about the (vague, ephemeral, unlikely, nonsensical) possibility of the Rockets trading for Rubio. This is about the game being played right now between the young Spanish guard and the Timberwolves: Rubio's open preference to not play in Minnesota (or OKC, Memphis, or any other non-Sacramento small market club) and desire to be traded.

Now, there is no reason to really go into the details of Rubio's contract situation. Suffice it to say that he'll have to pay his own buyout, but he'll probably be able to afford it now (thanks to an impending court decision), should he choose to go to the NBA, but he'll make more money right now in Europe than in the NBA thanks to the rookie salary scale. He's using this situation as leverage to force a trade to another team.

So, my question is this: What do you think of this strategy? Is it ethical? Do you like it? Do you have a problem with it?

My own opinion is that Rubio (like Steve Francis, Kobe, Eli Manning, John Elway, and countless baseball draftees) is doing something perfectly alright. In fact, I think it's great. The draft depresses what these players would be paid in an open market, and I think they have a right to get as much compensation for this as possible. In baseball, players can use the threat of returing (or entering) college or playing in the independent leagues to negotiate a larger signing bonus. In basketball, however, first-round picks are limited by the salary scale, and so forcing a trade to a more preferrable situation is all they can do. Yeah, this sucks for T-Wolves fans (just as it sucked for Grizzlies, Hornets, Chargers, and Colts fans when those other players did it), but Minnesota knew Rubio didn't want to play there when they drafted him.

Poll

Do you think drafted players forcing trades is alright?

The two newest Rockets with Genius-in-Chief Daryl Morey. Taylor chooses another Rockets'...

Only_A_Lad — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 22:52:53 -0000

The two newest Rockets with Genius-in-Chief Daryl Morey. Taylor chooses another Rockets' second-rounder's number, while Budinger goes for the V-Span look.

Ranking the 2009 Draft Prospects

Only_A_Lad — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 01:24:36 -0000

Ranking the 2009 Draft Prospects

Basketball Prospectus' Bradford Doolittle has a system (dubbed ATH) designed to translate college and Euroleague stats to the NBA. This is apparently the first year it's being used, however, and so it's something of a test-run for the system.

ATH thinks DeJuan Blair has the best translation of any player in the draft, followed by Stephen Curry and then Blake Griffin. That doesn't mean that Doolittle thinks Blair or Curry is going to be better than Griffin, just that he has a more translatable game.

So how did the Rockets' acquisitions do in ATH?

Jermaine Taylor ranks as the system's 11th-best prospect. Chase Budinger comes in at #49, while Sergio Lllull is ranked #64 (it should be noted that Llull looks a lot better in Keven Pelton's system designed specifically for Euroleague players. There he's described as being a "potential steal" and as comparable to Deron Williams, Tony Parker, Delonte West, and Ray Allen. Weird).

Anyways, take all of that with a big heaping serving of salt. But it's still interesting stuff.

2009 NBA Draft Thread

Only_A_Lad — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:01:49 -0000

Didn't see this posted yet, and the draft's about to start. So I guess I'll get one started.

To get this to the necessary length, here's Draft Express' mock:

	Blake Griffin PF/C 20 years old; 6'10"; 251 lbs. Oklahoma, Sophomore
2	Grizzlies	Hasheem Thabeet C 22 years old; 7'3"; 265 lbs. Connecticut, Junior
3	Thunder	Ricky Rubio PG 18 years old; 6'4"; 180 lbs. DKV Joventut, International
4	Kings	Tyreke Evans PG/SG 19 years old; 6'5"; 195 lbs. Memphis, Freshman
5	Timberwolves From Wizards	James Harden SG 19 years old; 6'5"; 218 lbs. Arizona State, Sophomore
6	Timberwolves	Jonny Flynn PG 20 years old; 6'0"; 172 lbs. Syracuse, Sophomore
7	Warriors	Jordan Hill PF 21 years old; 6'10"; 235 lbs. Arizona, Junior
8	Knicks	Stephen Curry PG/SG 21 years old; 6'3"; 185 lbs. Davidson, Junior
9	Raptors	Demar DeRozan SG/SF 19 years old; 6'7"; 207 lbs. USC, Freshman
10	Bucks	Jrue Holiday PG/SG 19 years old; 6'3"; 185 lbs. UCLA, Freshman
11	Nets	Terrence Williams SG/SF 21 years old; 6'6"; 220 lbs. Louisville, Senior
12	Bobcats	Gerald Henderson SG 21 years old; 6'5"; 215 lbs. Duke, Junior
13	Pacers	Ty Lawson PG 21 years old; 6'0"; 195 lbs. North Carolina, Junior
14	Suns	Earl Clark SF/PF 21 years old; 6'9"; 220 lbs. Louisville, Junior
15	Pistons	B.J. Mullens C 20 years old; 7'0"; 260 lbs. Ohio State, Freshman
16	Bulls	James Johnson SF/PF 22 years old; 6'8"; 235 lbs. Wake Forest, Sophomore
17	76ers	Brandon Jennings PG 19 years old; 6'1"; 170 lbs. Lottomatica Roma, International
18	Timberwolves From Heat	Sam Young SF/PF 24 years old; 6'6"; 210 lbs. Pittsburgh, Senior
19	Hawks	Eric Maynor PG 22 years old; 6'2"; 175 lbs. VCU, Senior
20	Jazz	DeJuan Blair PF/C 20 years old; 6'7"; 265 lbs. Pittsburgh, Sophomore
21	Hornets	Jeff Teague PG/SG 21 years old; 6'2"; 180 lbs. Wake Forest, Sophomore
22	Trailblazers From Mavericks	Tyler Hansbrough PF 23 years old; 6'9"; 230 lbs. North Carolina, Senior
23	Kings From Rockets	Omri Casspi SF/PF 21 years old; 6'8"; 220 lbs. Maccabi Tel Aviv, International
24	Mavericks From Trailblazers	Nick Calathes PG/SG 20 years old; 6'5"; 185 lbs. Florida, Sophomore
25	Thunder From Spurs	Austin Daye SF/PF 21 years old; 6'10"; 190 lbs. Gonzaga, Sophomore
26	Bulls From Nuggets	Taj Gibson PF 24 years old; 6'9"; 210 lbs. USC, Junior
27	Grizzlies From Magic	DeMarre Carroll SF/PF 22 years old; 6'8"; 225 lbs. Missouri, Senior
28	Timberwolves From Celtics	Jonas Jerebko SF/PF 22 years old; 6'9"; 210 lbs. Angelico Biella, International
29	Knicks From Lakers	Jack McClinton PG/SG 24 years old; 6'1"; 185 lbs. Miami, FL, Senior
30	Cavaliers	Rodrigue Beaubois PG 21 years old; 6'2"; 182 lbs. Cholet, International