SB Nation User Blog: Ridiculous Matt

2001 SBNation ReDraft: #12, Seattle Supersonics

Ridiculous Matt — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 05:22:52 -0000

Hey, after a short layover, we're back in business. We're redrafting the 2001 NBA Draft. We continue with the Seattle Supersonics. When they were still the Seattle Supersonics.

With the twelfth pick in the 2001 SBNBA ReDraft, the Seattle Supersonics select...

via clutch3.files.wordpress.com

Samuel Dalembert, C, Seton Hall

Best big man available, baby. Best big man available.

Original pick: Vlad Radmanovic

So far:

1. Wizards- Gilbert Arenas

2. Clippers- Pau Gasol

3. Memphis Grizzlies- Joe Johnson

4. Bulls- Tony Parker

5. Warriors- Jason Richardson

6. Grizzlies- Richard Jefferson

7.Nets- Shane Battier

8.Cavs- Tyson Chandler

9.Pistons- Zach Randolph

10. Celtics- Kwame Brown

11. Celtics- Mehmet Okur

12. Sonics- Samuel Dalembert

Poll: Testing the Waters

Ridiculous Matt — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 21:18:57 -0000

I like to see where we're at as the season goes along. After last week's hope-providing win and this week's soul-crushing loss, now is a good time to do that again.

Today's poll concerns what you think needs to happen right now. It's good for us to know how we feel. For instance, if the minority of us don't feel Herm needs to be fired right now, maybe we should stop saying it every fourteen seconds. Same with the quarterback, and blaming the players instead of the coaches.

So how do you feel? Vote, you people! Vote!

Poll

What's the biggest change that's needed RIGHT NOW?

I Overestimated Damon Huard

Ridiculous Matt — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 20:59:47 -0000

I'll now vomit back up that crow. Why do I go back and forth like this? Because I have no other choice and there is no good choice at quarterback.

I overestimated how much playing one of the worst passing defenses would mask Huard's numerous deficiencies. He played without poise and without the ability to even sling the ball forward, which is less than Croyle or Thigpen has shown this season. He missed the throws when he needed to and turned the ball over. That's the biggest key for this team. With some teams you can survive turnovers. Not this offense. It's part of the fundamental elements of the Herm philosophy. And it completely failed against the Panthers

He's obviously not a long term answer at 35 and yeah, he can't throw downfield. And it turns out it matters in this offense, because we need 1 to 2 big plays in the game just to keep pace. We're never going downfield anyway, but we need to at least be able to make the DBs back up a few steps. No one should start at quarterback, and we should go direct snap with Jamaal Charles.

Kill me. Where's the alcohol?

Trap Game

Ridiculous Matt — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 20:34:39 -0000

Okay, that was satisfying. Deeply, deeply satisfying. There really is nothing like crushing the team that is not your rival, who think that the way back to greatness is walk-ons and that we will "always be Missouri." Doing it by 42 (yeah, we're not counting that last touchdown, Bo, you ass) in their house makes it all the sweeter.

But we've had so much focus on this game, and so much anticipation for the Texas game, we seem to be forgetting.

Next week is the definition of a trap game.

We're up against a high powered offense from a team under the radar with the nation's top runner. Their defense is aggressive. And most of all, we're coming off a huge emotional win and with the biggest game of our season looming.

The good news is that this team is firing on all cylinders. For all the yards we gave up, we only surrendered 10 points. For all the holes in our zone, our front seven is still making plays and seems to surge as the game goes on. And our offense? There isn't a better one in football. There just isn't. The addition last night of long sustained drives proves that. We can hit you with the haymaker, and once you're reeling, we can bludgeon you in the midsection to wear you down. That increases the pressure on your offense to throw, which lets us bring pressure.

Their running game is the best we've faced. We've been terrific against the run, and we need to continue that. If we can make that offense one dimensional, we can force Robinson into mistakes.

We cannot overlook this game. This isn't any regular season. We've got very realistic championship goals and that means every game, every week, it's essential to execute.

Go Tigers.

King of the Colony: An Interview With Mad Ants President Jeff Potter

Ridiculous Matt — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 04:16:36 -0000

Jeff Potter has gone viral.

No kidding. Sure, he's recognizable in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the owner of the Mad Ants, but he's getting to be well known around ye old internets as well. He's on Deadspin. His team is the most recognizable in the D-League, despite being an expansion team last year. He has a blog. His team featured Earl Calloway, who should be in the league, and Jeremy Richardson, who is. He's worked with the Pistons in their development, and will be the first D-League owner to juggle three affiliates in one season. Plus, he has the greatest mascot in the history of creation. So he's got that going for him.

When I gave Jeff a call the other day to talk to him about his franchise, the state of the league, and of course, Nightmare Ant, he caught me off guard with this straightforward approach, humility, and generosity. For a league that so often on the receiving end of ignorant ridicule based on false assumptions, Jeff Potter is another example of the class that is found so often in the D-League.

Our conversation after the jump.

RU: How did you become President of the Mad Ants?

JP: I started the team with my father-in-law, he was the CEO and Chairman of AT&T Wireless. He sold AT&T Wireless to Cingular. I was a prosecutor for Cook County in Chicago and my background is that I played for the University of Oregon, I played professionally, I want to law school, but it's hard to get that basketball out of your blood. So we met with the league and had some interest in this, and the next thing I know I'm moving out to Fort Wayne and starting a team.

RU: You're one of the highest attended D-League games. Can you talk about the community you've built with the Mad Ants?

JP: One of the reasons we came out here was because it has a history of supporting basketball. The Pistons were here. They did relatively well during their ten years here. They support a hockey team very well here, as well as a baseball team. It was voted the #1 minor league market, so it had a lot going for it. We've really focused on entertainment. It's basketball, but it can't just be a bunch of guys out there dunking. So we have a lot of entertainment stuff, we have great halftime shows. The minute you walk in we try and make you feel like you're at something. We'll bring a band in, we bring stuff out. And that's why we've had success. No one's ever walked away from a Mad Ants game saying "That was boring." People like dancing, so we try and have a really sharp looking dance team. You know, unique name, clever mascot.

RU: Can you tell me about the tryout process and what it means?

JP: Maybe you're not on the radar just yet, but you look at a kid like Ron Howard last year. He came to our tryout, actually showed up late. I almost didn't let him in. He ends up making our team. Does great, ends up starting and was one of our most reliable players. And he's in Bucks camp now.

RU: Do you plan on bringing in anyone from last season back in?

JP: Yeah, I mean, they're all invited. I can see Anthony Kyle coming back. Roy Howard, depending on what happens with the Bucks. I think we took our lumps with a young team, because I wanted to build a foundation where some of these guys would come back. You know, you take Eric Smith who was great at our tryout and showed some flashes. What can he do in year two? That's the kind of guy I can see coming back. Our problem last year was we didn't have a lot of consistency from our bigs. I was pretty happy with our guards and wings. All those guys are welcome to come back.

RU: Has there been any discussion about Samb coming back?

JP: A little bit. I'm heading up to talk to them in a few weeks. In my opinion? They may want to keep him up there. It's hard to find guys who are that long with that kind of shooting touch with that great a timing, blocking shots, and he's worked his head off all summer. He looks a lot bigger than he was when he was with us. I can see him getting some minutes up there this year.

RU: You've got three teams affiliated with you right now. I think for the D-League affiliate it's great. I blasted it a bit for possible complications. The Pacers haven't used it much. The Pistons have been very involved. How are you approaching handling three teams?

JP: I see your point. For us, I think it's fantastic. The more the merrier. On the business side, I'm affiliated with three NBA teams, which no one else in this league can say. So as I'm trying to convince people this is the highest level of basketball Fort Wayne has ever seen. People are really excited about it. Especially because the Bucks have used the D-League. I mean, Sessions came in here last year in his first game and killed us. We'd love to get Sessions back. Cheikh needed to play last year, and he did. I don't think they're concerned about complications. They just want their guys to get minutes which they will. They sent down a guy, Ryan Hoover, to watch over things and make sure things are going right, and he was pleased with everything. I think it helps the D-League to have these teams involved, as well as us.

RU: It's been less than a month since they announced the Bucks affiliation change. Have you spoken to anyone in the Bucks organization?

JP: A little bit. I know John Hammond from the Pistons last year. He was who I would talk to concerning Cheikh. We're going to make sure we get up there and meet with their staff. We have some familiarity with John, and we just want to reiterate what we do well and find out from his feedback what we need to improve, which is important. We'll do the same with the Pacers. What can we do to make using Fort Wayne more attractive? All those things are important to us.

RU: One guy that I think might get time in Fort Wayne is Luc Richard Mbah A Moute. He's classic D-League, a big man unrefined. A lot of talent, but needs more bulk and needs playing time. Have the Bucks mentioned him at all to you?

JP: No, not yet. And I watched him in Milwaukee and I'm almost halfway convinced that they might keep him up there. He reminds me a lot of Afflalo in Detroit. Smart, tough as nails, can go in and play D, he just looks like the Scott Skiles type of player. Down here he can improve his offensive game I think. He's somewhere he can do that and also get used to the speed of the game. It's a faster game in the pros. Like, with Earl Calloway, it took him some time to adjust to it. When I played overseas and I had some buddies that were in the NBA, I felt like I improved so much because I realized, "I'm playing 40 minutes a game. I'm being depended on to get 20 and 10 and to win games." You improve more that way than just working in practice playing 2 on 2 and being on the bench. That's why this league is so useful. We hope we get him and we're doing our best to convince them that's what they should do.

RU: I have to keep hammering this point. I wanted to get your perspective as an executive. The biggest challenge that the league faces, I think is salaries. The league tells me that it's complicated. The biggest problem is turnover. Rosters just turnover so quickly. Honestly, Earl Calloway should be on an NBA roster. The fact that he's not blows my mind. And part of the reason he's in Europe is salary. What can the league do to make the salaries competitive with Europe. It doesn't have to be equal to Europe, but it needs to be enough so that combined with the prospect of being close to the league, it's enough to keep them here. What can the league do to improve that?

JP: That's the toughest thing. Because if you try and come up much more, none of these teams are going to survive. It's tough. The biggest thing they have to sell this on is that unless the big teams want to invest their own money into players. There are a ton of ideas. It's such a mess to think about what you'd have to do there with collective bargaining in that situation. Like, with Earl, making as much as he is in Europe, why would he come back for a second year? It's the same thing when I decided to pay a lot of money to go to law school. "You make an investment in yourself." If you do what you need to in the D-League, for one, you're going to improve your value overseas so much. Sure you can go over to a small team and make money. But those jobs are going to be there. If you go to the D-League, you're going to make more money. You're going to be open to Italy, to Russia, the places that are paying so much. If I was running it, I'd say "Guys, invest in yourselves here. Invest in the opportunity to increase your value with NBA teams." It's about being seen. How many Euro scouts were at the Showcase last year? There's only way into the league now. It's through the D-League. That's why players still come here. They want to play for the very best. You're right. It's tough to deal with. If we pay $50,000, if we double their salary, are they going to suddenly turn down $200,000 in Italy? That's a tough sell for me. Unless we start paying $300,000, you have to sell what you have.

To your point about Calloway, you're right. .A guy that does the right things, you'd like to see him be rewarded. Because then my spiel will make a lot more sense and agents will then be able to convince their players to make that investment.

RU: Can you tell me about how the blog started?

JP: The blog is something I thought would be a good idea to do, to talk about starting a team. It helps to give insight into the process. Hey, it may be completely boring. I think I get more attention talking about Britney Spears and whatever. But it's fun. It's fun to read blogs like yours and read your name out there occasionally. The Nightmare Ant thing is big, obviously. Hopefully I can give some info on guys like Calloway, like Wilmont, to keep people interested. Something to avoid people forgetting about us between May and November.

RU: The Nightmare Ant thing has obviously blown up. I have to tell you, you need to just change the name to Nightmare Ant. If you do that, the Blogosphere will love you for it.

JP: I know, but I have to balance that. I've got all these kids that already cry if they see him. If I call it Nightmare Ant, no little kid will ever want to get near it. I'm trying to work a balance with his alter-ego.

RU: Can you tell me who came up with the mascot design? It's fascinating. You need to bring him out to the All-Star game this year.

JP: The guy who did it, I had this name. And I thought "What am I going to name this thing? The Mad Ants? What kind of mascot am I going to have? A lot of the time you get a little bubbly mascot. I didn't want that. This guy came in, a former basketball player in Fort Wayne. He came in and he had the logo, the colors, the design, everything. And that crystallized it in my mind. He's fantastic, man. He really worked long and hard on making it marketable. I don't know why everyone isn't calling this guy to do their work. He's so sharp and talented. I don't think there's a better mascot than the Mad Ant. He's buff, too. He might be on roids, though.

RU: You've got Jaren Jackson coming in. What's the direction the team's going to take under him?

JP: Jaren learned under some great coaches. Bill Fitz, obviously Popovich during his Championship run. I think you'll see a focus on defense. I think that was one thing he tried to implement in the middle of the season. People are in their grooves and rhythms by that point, but I think this year you'll see better shooting. Last year our three point shooting was abysmal. I think you'll see a team a year older. There are challenges being an expansion team. A lot of the guys who we have returning have a year under their belt. They can learn from some of the things that worked and didn't work last year to help us improve in year 2. Jaren is incredibly prepared, incredibly smart, he studies his stuff and he's knowledgeable. He's got those things, and we're headed in the right direction.

RU: I assume you left Earl Calloway vulnerable in the expansion draft?

JP: No, I didn't. Sure, he’s over there. But what if it doesn't work out? What if he doesn't like it over there? What if he comes back? He's Mr. Mad Ant. A great player, a great person, a great asset. Even if the odds were one in a million, I wanted to make sure we'd have him if he came back.

RU: What are your thoughts on expansion?

JP: Love expansion. I would love for them to expand more teams to the Midwest so we can travel less. You'll find players, if dilution of talent is the concern. What are they concerned about?

RU: The Western teams are worried about longer road trips, I think.

JP: Cry me a river. Listen, the more the merrier. The more teams, the better. The more people wanting a franchise, which helps pay for the salaries. The more national face it gets. The more value to your franchise. Those Triple-A Baseball teams sell for tens of millions of dollars. You get those one on one relationships with the big clubs. I get three, but if that relationship is more intimate, all the better. Hopefully you'll start to see reduced travel if they can add some of these old CBA markets. It's the fastest growing league out there. It's got a buzz about it. I'd hate to take a step back from that by not building. But what do I know? Hell, I've only been doing this for a year.

RU: Last question. Even with the loss of Earl and the players going overseas, are you excited for next season?

JP: Am I? Oh, yeah. You're sitting here all summer, doing nothing, just selling tickets. When we opened last year, I couldn't believe we had ten people, much less 7,000. Honestly, if all those people hadn't come to our games it wouldn't be where it is. I've been all over the world. But this is the best basketball league you're going to find outside of the NBA. It's an exciting brand of basketball and I hope people come out for it. I'm not looking forward to all the work I gotta do, but I'm looking forward for the season.

Cavs' Darnell Jackson Could Spend Time In Erie

Ridiculous Matt — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 17:02:56 -0000

GoErie.com has a story today on Darnell Jackson, who could end up being Erie's first assignee.

Erie is going to have a huge leg up on fellow expansion team Reno unless Reno lands a bigtime UFA.

It's good to see Ferry's starting to come around on the D-League. The D provides a perfect opportunity for the Cavs. A team with veteran talent that's competing for a title now, who need somewhere to develop young talent. This is perfect for them. They should send Hickson down, too, in my opinion. With Erie as close to Cleveland as it is, it could be a great opportunity to set up a true farm system.

D-League Notes: 9.30.08: WEE! TRAINING CAMP! LET'S ALL GET PAID! Edition

Ridiculous Matt — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 20:40:50 -0000

This is the best year for a D-League fan. You get about three weeks to entertain the notion that your favorite guy can actually stick with a club, before the inevitable crushing blow as he's released and goes overseas.

But there's no time for such disappointment now! Now is the time for possibilities! Weee! Training camp!

We knew it would only be a matter of time, and sure enough, previously interviewed Elton Brown landed himself on a roster. Brown could be a great complement to the Bulls. He's not the hyper-athletic rail-thin type, nor is he in the Drew Gooden model. He's just big, brawny, and mean. Ten bucks says him and Noah or Noc get into it at some point. Brown's not going to be able to run like Vinny D wants, though. He's neither quick enough, nor does he have the weight control. He's the size of a house though, even though he's relatively shorter than most power forwards. You can take Drew Gooden and Elton Brown and have them both shoot the pivot step to the paint fadeaway jumpers and they will look identical, but Brown will make more of them. His baseline J is not as hot, though. But if you want a guy who will give you 100% on the floor and as opposed to Noc, will not look absolutely ridiculous doing it, and will do it for a million a year? Elton Brown's your guy. It's a huge gamble on his part, going into a camp with established big men prospects AND Noc AND Drew Gooden, but who knows.
Nice article from the D about Brian Hamilton's road to the NBA, which has it's latest stop in New Jersey.
Blake Ahearn is in Minny as expected. If you're looking for something to watch out for, a Blake Ahearn versus Mike Miller H-O-R-S-E contest would be epic. Ahearn's big problems are turnovers and penetrating. But you can put him at any spot on the floor and he'll drain it. If the Wolves use Ahearn as a shooter and not as a point, he could end up sticking and he could be valuable. He's got killer work ethic and high basketball IQ. But he's got an uphill battle with the athleto-guards on roster.
Aw, the Grizzlies invited Brent Petway! That's really nice of them! Would have been nice if they were inviting D-League players to camp LAST YEAR. I love Brent. He's a really nice guy, and he's got killer athleticism. But there's no way he sticks. Defensively, he just makes too many mistakes. He drifts too far from his man looking for the block. He doesn't defend the pick and roll well. He doesn't have a reliable jumper. He has no touch around the basket. He will be good for at least one high profile dunk in a scrimmage though. He's going to posterize someone. Book it.
And another Ridiculous Upside favorite, Marcus Williams (the other Marcus Williams, this one out of Arizona), is in with the Bobcats. Hmm... young, immature player + Larry Brown + 17 players on roster = FAIL.
Here's the complete list of D-Leaguers in camp.

We'll have the interview with Mad Ants owner Jeff Potter tonight, and a review from Toros tryouts this weekend. There were unsuccesful attempts to get me to actually tryout by the D-League PR Office. Thanks, but if I wanted to be ridiculed and embarrassed I'd go see family.

Ridiculous Upside 2001 ReDraft: #11, Boston Celtics

Ridiculous Matt — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:03:24 -0000

This is the season of our inactivity. We are doomed by September to a life of boredom and pre-training camps. So we rounded up the rest of the SBNation homeys and some others, and we're ReDrafting the 2001 NBA Draft. Up next? The Boston Celtics.

With the 11th pick in the 2001 SBNBBA ReDraft, the Boston Celtics, represented by Green Bandwagon select...

via www.basketbolig.com

Mehmet Okur, Power-Forward/Center, Turkey

Green Bandwagon says: In hindsight it would be great if the Celtics did not have to actually make this pick. If I remember this correctly, and there is an excellent chance that I do not, the Celtics received the 11th pick from the Denver Nuggets. Boston could have held off until any of the next 3 drafts. Of course there were some protections in place for in 2002 (top 3) and 2003 (top 1) and the 2004 pick (#20) was significantly lower. Furthermore, the Nuggets completely fell apart and I don't believe that was expected. But I'm going to ignore all that and point out that the C's could have had a shot at Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, or Dwyane Wade. And to be fair Nickoloz Tskitishvili. Since that would require an outrageous amount of foresight and good luck, it's safe to assume the Celtics would end up with this pick.

Enter Mehmet Okur. Granted he probably won't join the team for the 2002 season. But it's hard to pass on a big that will score, rebound, and step outside to knock down a three as well. Although I chose to do just that with Troy Murphy because he's more of a power forward, struggles on defense and would have to deal with the rantings of an illogical fan base that unfairly dubbed him the next Larry Bird. Furthermore, Okur will have an easier time breaking into Boston's front line than he did in Detroit due to depth concerns and his aforementioned 3-point shooting ability. He will also bring his formidable pick-and-pop ability to Boston and hopefully develop with Brown to solidify the center position.

Original Pick: Kedrick Brown

I Underestimated Damon Huard

Ridiculous Matt — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 20:12:57 -0000

I'll have the crow, hold the mayo.

I underestimated how much simple confidence counts in this league. He played with competence, which is more than Croyle or Thigpen has shown this season. He made the throws when he needed to and didn't turn the ball over. That's the biggest key for this team. With some teams you can survive turnovers. Not this offense. It's part of the fundamental elements of the Herm philosophy.

He's obviously not a long term answer at 35 and yeah, he can't throw downfield. But I don't know why it matters in this offense. We're never going downfield anyway. So why not let Damon just manage the team.

I was wrong. Damon should start, even when Brodie comes back.

Until next week. :)

Ridiculous Upside 2001 ReDraft: #10 Boston Celtics

Ridiculous Matt — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 22:41:32 -0000

With the 10th pick in the 2001 SBNBA ReDraft, the Boston Celtics, represented by Green Bandwagon, select...

Kwame Brown, Power Forward, Glynn Academy (HS)

Green Bandwagon says: Though the success of the 2008 Boston Celtics has relegated some aspects of the last 20+ years to "water under the bridge status", Celtics fans don't like acknowledging the 2001 draft. The franchise walked away with Joe Johnson, Kedrick Brown and Joseph Forte. They compounded that error by trading the best of the three, Johnson, midway through his rookie season in a deal that brought Tony Delk and Rodney Rodgers to town. Somehow Paul Pierce, Antoine Walker and company shockingly advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. Unfortunately the ceiling for those 3-point gunning Celtics was not "NBA Champion" and the decline over the next several years was difficult to watch.

Therefore the goal here is to draft someone who would remain with the team beyond the 2003 season. I thought long and hard about Gerald Wallace. At 6-7, 220 pounds his measurements are eerily similar to Kedrick Brown's. Wallace is also an impressive athlete. More importantly he can play basketball, albeit at a reckless pace. And while he initially went to a deep, talented Sacramento team, it would be easier to get Wallace minutes in Boston, even with Paul Pierce at small forward. Still I did want to bring some realism to this activity and in the end went with Kwame Brown. I wouldn't want to make him the #1 pick in the draft, give him $8 million over 2 years, or celebrate a birthday in his vicinity. However, I without the pressure and prestige of going #1 overall and Michael Jordan frequently berating him, Brown would be set up for more success. And he could do it all over again he would benefit greatly from lowered expectations. On top of that 18 year old 7-footers who can play defense and aren't complete stiffs simply don't drop too low. Look who went 10th last spring. In closing consider this the first step in solidifying the center position that Tony Battie was holding down for Boston at the time. Now if the Celtics can only get Clifford Ray into the fold sooner and find a place for Brown in Jim O'Brien's bombs away style of play.

Original Pick: Joe Johnson