SB Nation User Blog: SethGrandpa

Pacers To Swap #13 To Bulls For Two 1st Rounders?

SethGrandpa — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 20:34:54 -0000

Possibly HUGE news. Once again via ESPN's Chad Ford, who'll probably sue me for using all his material shortly:

Chicago has talked to the Nets, Bobcats and Pacers about swapping No. 16 and No. 26 to get into the lottery. It sounds like the Bulls are down to one potential trade partner in the lottery.

The Nets are leaning strongly toward keeping their pick at No. 11. And if the Bobcats made a promise to Williams at No. 12, they're out, too. That leaves the Pacers at No. 13.

The Pacers have been one of the hardest teams to peg in the draft. DeJuan Blair, Tyler Hansbrough, Eric Maynor, Ty Lawson and Jeff Teague all are on their board right now. If the Bulls want any of those guys -- or the guys the Suns (No. 14) and Pistons (No. 15) are looking at -- they'll have to make the deal.

I can't understand who the Bulls would be targeting that's worth moving up 3 spots and losing a 1st rounder, but hey, this would be AWESOME.

A Simple, Logical Trade Idea

SethGrandpa — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 23:04:35 -0000

So I know rosterbation is silly, but in light of some recent subpar ideas, and becuse I'm bored, here's an idea that could work.

Pacers send Jamaal Tinsley and a their 2nd round pick in 2010 to the Grizzlies for Marko Jaric and the #27 pick in the 2009 draft.

It is not as one-sided as it may seem, just because we want to get rid of Tinsley. According to ESPN's Chad Ford, the Grizzlies are trying to unload the #27 pick. Marko Jaric is terrible, but his contract matches up with Tinsley, and the Grizzlies have had such bad PG play that they’d be willing to roll the dice on a player who is far better than Jaric. Additionally, the Grizzlies don't have to deal with the guaranteed contract 1st round players get, and I don't think they're making money in Memphis hand over fist. As for the Pacers, they have to deal with a bad player, but get to unload Tinsely and get a pick. It’s a win-win. (Ok well I think it's far better for us, but Chris Wallace is their GM people. He's horrible.)

As for the acquired pick, the Pacers could go a few different directions with it:

1. They could use it to draft a PG if they grab a big at 12. Patty Mills (!!!) and Darren Collison will probably both be available.

2. They could draft a big if they go PG at 12. There are a wide range of bigs who could possibly be had at 27 including DeJuan Summers, Taj Gibson, Josh Heytvelt, Jeff Pendergraph, Omri Casspi of Isreal, and Sweeden's Jonas Jerebko.

3. They could try and package it in a trade to move up and take a falling player (Jordan Hill?) whose stock is apparently falling to around the 10th pick.

Blair, Lawson, & Carroll Red-flagged For Injuries + Notes

SethGrandpa — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 10:45:22 -0000

According to ESPN's Chad Ford, it looks like bad times for some of the Pacer's potential draft targets.

Foremost among the troubles is many Indy Cornrows' members favorite target, DeJuan Blair. Apparently during combine medical testing both Blair's knees are so bad some have described it is "devastating," and at the mildest "troubling." He tore both ACLs in high school. The last notable big guy to have to knees red-flagged is probably Greg Oden. Yeah... Ty Lawson (toe) and Missouri's DeMarre Carroll (unspecified) have also been red-flagged.

In other disappointing news, Gonzaga PF/C Josh Heytvelt apparently looked "awful" and "disinterested" and fellow Zag (and current ESPN.com mock draft pick for Indy) Austin Daye has looked terrible in scrimmages (and weighed in at less than Lawson and Flynn; about 30 lbs. less than Durrant coming out.)

Oh and apparently we're looking at Tyler Hansbrough as a possiblity at 13 now because he had crazy athletic numbers at the combine. This of course is dumb because he NEVER looked athletic in-game and routinely got schooled anytime he had to face an elite big in college.

Gah...this draft is looking bleak.

(Full story for ESPN.com Insiders: http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft2009/insider/columns/story?columnist=ford_chad&page=DraftWatch-090604)

Harry Caray discusses Manny, Predator, and Pete Rose.

SethGrandpa — Mon, 18 May 2009 03:58:23 -0000

Harry Caray discusses Manny, Predator, and Pete Rose.

Sleeper QB To Watch

SethGrandpa — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 05:20:45 -0000

Mike Reilly
6'3" 214 lbs
Central Washington

via images.townnews.com

This kid has has the potential to be a diamond in the rough. He's projected as a 5-7 round pick mainly because of the level of competition he faced.

Now it's true, Reilly did play on the DII level, but he was originally a Washington State recruit before transfering after his redshirt freshman year. He went on to become one of the best players in DII history, winning their equivalent of the Heisman last season.

I became aware of this guy after seeing him play against the Montana Grizzlies last season. He made some of the best throws I've ever seen, one's that translate no matter what the level.

For some video evidence, scroll down and check out the highlights or that game.

http://www.montanagrizzlies.com/pages/media_item.aspx?n=7076&m=18

Since it's a complete highlight package I'll pick the best moments out for you:

2:37 - Reilly completes a pinpoint throw to the back of the endzone where only his man can catch it.

3:41 - An amazing job scrabling away from mulitiple defenders and keeping his balance, then throwing it right between the defenders down the sideline for a big gain.

6:04 - This is the most amazing throw I've ever seen in person. A split second before getting hit he completes a bomb to a WR who catches it perfectly in stride. I could watch this throw on repeat, for a day and not get tired of it. Keep in mind that this is with 4:00 left in the game, trailing by 2 scores against a Top 5 I-AA team (they'd later go on to score again and take the lead, only to have Montana score in the final seconds).

Personally, I believe that if McDaniels thinks he's God's gift to QB development he should prove it. Reilly clearly has the talent, so maybe we can see if he can get coached up.

Dennison's Real Interview

SethGrandpa — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:45:33 -0000

As you all know Rick Dennison interviewed for the head coaching opening today. I think it's safe to assume he's not going to get the job. So why even bring him in for an interview? Good faith? To have an internal candidate? Why?

My most likely theory is this...he was interviewing to keep his current job.

If you're anything like me, you see that bringing in an offensive head coach would be entirely absurd. To overhaul an offense that finished 2nd in the NFL is crazy. Sure, they were not as efficient scoring as they should have been, but the offense is also full of young players and couldn't keep a RB healthy.

Why bring in a coach from a less successful offense? Have the Broncos not learned anything from the failure of other coaches from the Pats family in places like Cleveland and Notre Dame? Are the Broncos really going to look at a coach from Dallas who is less qualified than Bates and couldn't even keep his offensive players' egos in check?

What is needed is a defensive overall starting at the top, all while keeping people like Dennison and Bates in place. That's where Dennison's interview comes in.

If he's a realist he knows that he's not the frontrunner for the job. What his goal should be is to make a case that the offense is fine and if he's not going to be the head coach then the Broncos should go with a defensive coach.

Is it traditional to lobby for candidates other than yourself? No. But again, an offensive head coach means that he the current offense staff are out of a job. Is it wrong to sell out part of your team and it's coaches? Not in this case, because the defensive coaches are going to be history regardless of what goes down. Dennison can only look after himself.

So that's that. While media outlets will write, "Dennison interviews for Broncos HC job," what it really should read is, "Dennison interviews to keep Broncos offensive staff in tact."

I really hope you did well Rick. I really hope you did well.

Top 10 Lists For 2008

SethGrandpa — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 00:58:15 -0000

It's that time of the year again. I'm surprised one of these posts hasn't been up already. I really love seeing what other LLers tastes are, so let's get to it. What are your Top 10s (or 5s) for the year in things like music, movies, ect.

Here are mine:

Albums:

1. Delayer - The Heavenly States
2. Everything Is Borrowed - The Streets
3. Natural Selection -1090 Club
4. Day and Age - The Killers
5. Walk It Off - Tapes 'n Tapes
6. Narrow Stairs - Death Cab For Cutie
7. Stay Positive - The Hold Steady
8. Vister - The Dodos
9. Flight of the Conchords - Flight of the Conchords
10. Rabbit Habits - Man Man

Songs:

1. "Stay Positive" - The Hold Steady
2. "Don't Trust Me" - 3OH!3
3. "After Hours" - We Are Scientists
4. "Losing Touch" - The Killers
5. "Morning Exercise" - The Heavenly States
6. "Cath" - Death Cab For Cutie
7. "Random Hearts" - Tom Gabel
8. "Calling All Skeletons" - Alkaline Trio
9. "Horse To Water" - R.E.M.
10. "Things Inside" - 1090 Club

Live Sets:

1. The Flaming Lips @ Sasquatch!
2. The Hives @ Sasquatch!
3. Against Me! @ The Warped Tour in Denver
4. David Bazan @ The Empyrean in Spokane
5. Beirut @ Sasquatch!
6. Weezer @ Key Arena
7. Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks @ Sasquatch!
8. Tegan & Sara @ Sasquatch!
9. The Hold Steady @ The Railyard in Billings, MT
10. Straylight Run @ The Service Station in Spokane

(Small shameless plug: Full write ups on these at Long Live The Album with the album wrap up to come tomorrow.)

I haven't seen enough movies this year and was mostly disapointed with everything except The Dark Knight and Iron Man. As for video games, I'm really enjoying Fallout 3.

Your Earliest Broncos Draft Preview

SethGrandpa — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 04:26:53 -0000

Oh how flawed a team the Broncos are. Between anything the defense does, the dropped passes, and the missed kicks, it's clear that this team cannot wait until Draft Day. As bad as the loss to the Chargers was, let's all be honest, the Broncos can really use the higher draft picks the loss results in.

The question becomes which defensive player will the Broncos take in the 1st round? And yes, they'll draft defense. If you really think Shanny will give up on this whole "slew of productive RBs that are dirt cheap" thing then you're crazy (or he is). That's not to say that they might not pick up a RB in the 2nd or 3rd (which they hopefully won't), but I'd wager anything on defense #1. Below I've provided some possible targets for the Broncos.

1st Round Targets:

S, MLB, DT

Taylor Mays, FS, USC

A great safety on a great defense. Almost a mortal lock to shine at the combine. He's large and quick (try 6-4, 225 who runs a 4.3). Combines the big hitting and the athletic ability to cover guys. Main downside is that he can miss tackles by going for the big play, however figuring the Broncos safteies made a combined total of zero plays this year, anything is an upgrade.

James Laurinaitis, MLB, Ohio St.

A tackling machine who decided to come back for his senior year despite possibly being a Top 10 pick. Since then his stock has slipped a bit due to no fault of his own. Critics will say he's not the most superstar athlete, but if this year's Broncos team has thought us anything it's that the simple plays not being made are the ones that really cost you.

Rey Maualuga, MLB, USC

Another fantastic MLB prospect that flurishes on the tough USC D. He's essentially the inverse of Laurinatis: tremendous upside but misses easy plays at times. Might be better suited as a ILB in a 3-4, but has a tremendous blend of size and agressiveness.

William Moore, S, Missouri

Fantastic cover safety. He can play either saftey postion in the pros. Had 7 INTs his junior year and then had 83 tackles this year. Can really do it all, but lacking the amazing upside of Mays.

SenDerrick Marks, DT, Auburn
Terrence Cody, DT, Alabama
B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College
Peria Jerry, DT, Ole Miss

They're all top notch DTs. The team can't stop the run. You do the math. Maybe the Broncos will even luck into one of these guys in round 2.

Out of all these guys I'm hoping for either Laurinaitis or Mays. Both would be starters from day one and greatly improve the defense's toughness and tackling. That and none of the high ranking DTs wow me.

I'm slightly partial to Laurinaitis just because I believe he'd make a greater impact from the very beginning, similar to how his former teammate A.J. Hawk ignited the Packers defense a few years back. Also, it's easier to be good with a terrible saftey than a terrible MLB.

All that said, the combine changes everything. Interviews change everything. Everything will change. Honestly, I just want to get my mind off the actual team and their play down the stretch for a while. I figured you might need to as well.

Dye ----> Reds: Bailey ----> White Sox

SethGrandpa — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 05:09:01 -0000

Via the Dayton Daily News:

http://www.daytondailynews.com/s/content/oh/story/sports/pro/reds/2008/12/07/ddn120808spredsweb.html

Well Ken Williams apparently wants an all new team.

Homer Bailey was a stud prospect before stinking up the joint last year to the tune of 0-6 with a 7.93 ERA in eight starts with the Reds and a record of 4-7 with a 4.77 ERA at Class AAA Louisville. I know ERA and W-L aren't great stats, but when you're terrible it shows. Plus I don't feel like looking up better data.

Jermaine Dye meanwhile is the same guy he's always been and gets to go to another hitter friendly park. Plus he's only got one year left on his current contract (with a mutal option for 2010) so don't be suprised if he gets flipped at the deadline for prospects or gets held onto for pick compensation next winter.

Seems like a decent deal for the Reds if they consider Dye as tradebait/pickbait and are not looking at him as the missing piece to a condending ballclub next year.

The Common Thread In The Losses

SethGrandpa — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 05:44:54 -0000

The Broncos lost the game versus the Raiders when Hillis fumbled inside the 10 on the first drive. That sounds stupid, but hear me out...

If you look at at 4 of the 5 game the Broncos have lost, they had a turnover on the first series of the game via fumble or INT. Usually they are moving the ball with ease when the turnover occurred. The one exception was the Jacksonville game, where they waited until the 2nd series to turn it over. All but one time (today) the opponent scored on the following possession. In all of these games they've just looked out of sync after said turnover.

Did I use some semblance of the phrase "turnover" enough?

Let's go to the "tape":

Week 4 vs KC: After KC drove down and got a FG on the first drive, Denver received the ball. On the 2nd play of the drive Culter hit Royal for a 20 yard gain, but Royal got hit and fumbled. KC recovered the fumble and advanced it to the DEN 26 where they were able to get a FG and take a 6-0 lead. The Broncos offense never got clicking after being amazing for the first 3 weeks.

Week 6 vs Jax: The exception. Denver scored with extreme ease on their first drive to take a 7-0 lead. However, on the first play of the 2nd series Cutler scrambled and fumbled the ball. Jacksonville recovered and got a FG. While the Broncos were leading 7-3 their offensnse lacked rythem from that point on. The Jags rolled off 17 straight points and Denver didn't reach the endzone again until the 4th quarter.

Week 7 vs NE: Well first off, Cutler hurt his finger on the first play of the game, banging it off the helmet of a NE defender which didn't help. But Andre Hall was the real problem for the Broncos. He fumbled on the first 2 series, both when Denver was in FG range, and both lead to early NE FGs. 6-0 Patriots, only to get much, MUCH worse in time.

Week 9 vs Mia: 3rd offensive play of the game, Cutler throws an INT leading to a Miami FG. Oh yeah, then Cutler threw a TD to the other team 2 drives later. Cutler did his best Jake Plummer impression and the Broncos lost 26-17.

Week 12 vs Oak: Broncos are moving the ball up the field in what looks like the start of a blowout at home when Hillis, lined up at FB instead of RB, seems to be startled by being too close to Jay and never gets the handoff that hits him straight in the chest. Throw in some shanks by Mr. Prater and instead of essential winning the AFC West today, the Broncos drop their second inexcusable game to a terrible division opponent.

Gah...it's so very, very frustarting. This team's offense seems to be the most momentem driven group I've ever seen, and when they screw up early it sets the tone.

Of course, KC is #2 in turnovers and turnover differential and still is horrific, which is really where the rules of logic are violated.

Luckily for the Broncos, Chargers really suck. I really wish the national media would pick up on this. If they keep on talking about their playoff chances they really need to talk about Oakland's chances figuring they are only 1 game back of SD at this point.

That said, if the Broncos turnover the ball early they seem to be screwed.