SBNation.com User Blog: nbrans

Westphal Calls Out Tyreke Evans For Being "Sluggish"

nbrans — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 17:27:06 -0000

Westphal Calls Out Tyreke Evans For Being "Sluggish"

"I thought Tyreke looked sluggish and not ready to show how he can play," Westphal said. "I think he needs to pick up his pace play and he did a little bit in the second half. He needs to keep getting in better shape and play at a little faster speed and make better decisions with the ball. He killed the clock a few times and that's not the way we're going to play this year."

Related: The Paul Westphal School of "How to Lose Your Players By Needlessly Calling Them Out in the Media" is accepting applicants.

Two-Part BS Report w/Bill Simmons & Chad Ford

nbrans — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 00:44:23 -0000

Two-Part BS Report w/Bill Simmons & Chad Ford

Just wanted to endorse a listen of this two-part podcast, which had some really entertaining and insightful analysis by both Ford and Simmons. Lots of complimentary things to say about the Kings' draft (Ford at one point says that Whiteside is the only guy after 19 with superstar potential), lots of analysis of free agency and GM situations.... very very entertaining listen.

And I have to say - we all kind of love to hate Chad Ford, but his draft analysis has gotten better and better over the years and he comes across really well in this podcast.

NBA Players Mock Draft (Insider)

nbrans — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 17:29:29 -0000

NBA Players Mock Draft (Insider)

Pretty cool feature where ESPN got a player from each team to participate in a 1st Round Mock.

Top 4 went:
1. Wall (chosen by Andray Blatche)
2. Favors (chosen by Thad Young)
3. Turner (chosen by Devin Harris)
4. Johnson (chosen by Kevin Love)

And #5, chosen by Tyreke Evans: DeMarcus Cousins

"There's a lot of good guys out there at this spot in the draft. DeMarcus is big [6'11"] and built [292] and can run and rebound [9.9 a game last season]. Add him to our frontcourt, and we'll be ruling."

Where is Dalt?

nbrans — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 02:59:07 -0000

SACRAMENTO - Sacramento police have confirmed that a missing persons report has been filed for Dalt's Pre-Draft Analysis, which has gone missing in 2010.

"We don't normally send out APBs for web postings," Sacramento police chief Rick Braziel said in a statement. "But damn it, the draft is only four days away. I need to know if he likes DeMarcus Cousins or Greg Monroe."

Dalt99's pre-draft analysis has been one of the most highly-anticipated annual posts on Sactown Royalty, commanding very high Rec's and occasional front page placement. He uses regression analysis and a bunch of other complicated stuff that only he is smart enough to understand in order to create an unprecedentedly insightful ranking system that John Hollinger only wishes he had thought of first.

"Last year he liked Ty Lawson," Sactown Royalty's grand poobah Tom Ziller confirmed. "And according to advanced situational statistics and the fact that Voisin hates Lawson, I'd say that has really panned out."

His analysis has even won him fans among the supposed journalists at the Sacramento Bee.

"Yeah, I could do that," sportswriter Jason Jones acknowledged, sporting a "Kobe 4 Eva" tank top. "But who has that kind of time? MR. JONES, BABY!! Oh. I thought you asked what you should call me."

Dalt has promised in past threads that his post would be up soon, but Sactown Royatly loyalists are losing hope that the posts will come in time for Thursday's NBA Draft, one of the most exciting and hilarious days of the year for the site.

"If he doesn't have it up soon I seriously may lose it," Sactown Royalty's Pookeyguru said. "Wait, what were we talking about again?"

"I've got a Simpsons GIF ready to go," Section214 confirmed. "And it is going to blow your freaking mind."

And when asked if he was looking forward to Dalt's post and was dearly worried about its whereabouts, Sactown Royatly veteran Andy Sims simply nodded and said, "This."

SACRAMENTO - Sacramento police have confirmed that a missing persons report has been filed for Dalt's Pre-Draft Analysis, which has gone missing in 2010.

His analysis has even won him fans among the supposed journalists at the Sacramento Bee.

"Yeah, I could do that," sportswriter Jason Jones acknowledged, sporting a "Kobe 4 Eva" tank top. "But who has that kind of time? MR. JONES, BABY!! Oh. I thought you asked what you should call me."

"If he doesn't have it up soon I seriously may lose it," Sactown Royalty's Pookeyguru said. "Wait, what were we talking about again?"

"I've got a Simpsons GIF ready to go," Section214 confirmed. "And it is going to blow your freaking mind."

And when asked if he was looking forward to Dalt's post and was dearly worried about its whereabouts, Sactown Royatly veteran Andy Sims simply nodded and said, "This."

Monroe and Whiteside to work out for Kings again

nbrans — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 02:00:34 -0000

Monroe and Whiteside to work out for Kings again

"The Kings will take a second look at Georgetown sophomore Greg Monroe and Marshall freshman Hassan Whiteside in a pre-draft workout on Saturday...

I've heard the Kings like Monroe, but bringing Whiteside back is interesting. Whiteside isn't considered a top-5 prospect by most pundits, but who knows?

Maybe the Kings see something in him or they plan to trade down and select Whiteside."

Cousins and Favors won't be working out head to head

nbrans — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 00:03:25 -0000

Cousins and Favors won't be working out head to head

Favors-Cousins workout in Sactown not as good as it looks. They won't be competing head-to-head. Agents! -- Chad Ford via Twitter

2010 Positional Rankings, or How I'm Actually Kind of Excited About This Year's Draft (Plus STR Draft Board)

nbrans — Fri, 28 May 2010 01:00:40 -0000

(From the FanPosts. An annual favorite ... -- TZ)

Ah yes. It's time for the 2nd Annual Positional Rankings Post, wherein I predict the fortunes of the draft picks, and which provides great fodder for future arguments as you can always pull the name Jeff Teague out of the hat and make me crazy.

Watch, I can prove it: "Jeff Teague"

DAMN you. GIVE IT SOME TIME!!!!!

See how that works? But before you write my inner-Nostradamus off completely, here are last year's predictions so you can judge for yourself how I did. And in case you're wondering: After TEARING IT UP IN TURKEY, Josh Heytvelt is now playing for Brandon Jennings' old Italian team. Next stop: world domination.

But enough about last year! 2010 Positional Rankings after the jump.

(From the FanPosts. An annual favorite ... -- TZ)

Watch, I can prove it: "Jeff Teague"

DAMN you. GIVE IT SOME TIME!!!!!

But enough about last year! 2010 Positional Rankings after the jump.

Note that these rankings are based on who I think will have the best career, not necessarily in the order I think makes sense for the Kings. If I don't mention a player it's because I haven't seen them play and didn't find a good YouTube replacement video. Everyone else I've seen in at least several games unless otherwise mentioned.

My basic draft philosophy:

1.   Avoid guys who are underathletic and/or undersized but who pundits say "can just flat out play."
2.   Raw upside guys: a) must be athletic; b) SGs and SFs need to be able to shoot and have a handle; c) bigs must have good hands; d) point guards have to be very quick and either really good at scoring or really good at passing.
3.   Watch out for the unmotivated (and watch me ignore that hello DeMarcus Cousins my old friend!!)

Point Guard:

1.    John Wall – It’s become trendy in some parts to treat John Wall as something other than the best draft prospect in the draft by leaps and bounds, and some contrarians are busy whispering that Evan Turner or DeMarcus Cousins is actually a better prospect. This is insane. It’s not super exciting when the guy you thought would be #1 by a mile at the beginning of the season is #1 by a mile at the end of the season, but it doesn’t change the fact that he’s still #1 by a mile. Wall has freakish Reke/Wade-esque finishing ability, he's dynamite in transition, he's an elite athlete, and he has some great vision. If he develops more consistent outside shooting and gains experience he could be one of the top players in the entire league.
2.    Avery Bradley – Yes, indeed! It’s time for this year’s Jeff Teague, i.e. the player that I think is underrated but who will probably sit on a bench for a good team and we won’t know for a few years whether I should be merely chided or laughed straight off the website. Bradley is incredibly quick and athletic, he’s a tenacious defender, he has an unbelievably advanced midrange game for a freshman, and he’s a very creative passer. He needs to improve his shooting consistency, but make no mistake: Bradley can play PG and he is seriously talented. Think of him as a farther-along-at-the-same-age Russell Westbrook.
3.    Eric Bledsoe – Bledsoe is a tough prospect to read. He is wildly talented and athletic and is capable of acrobatic shots as well as some impressive (though streaky) outside shooting. On the other hand, he often plays out of control and seems very immature: early in the season he had to be taken out of a game 30 seconds in because he managed to get into a shouting match and no one could calm him down. The question with Bledsoe is whether he has the maturity and work ethic to capitalize on his gifts and obvious intensity. I don’t know the guy, so who knows.
4.    Armon Johnson – The dropoff from Bledsoe to Armon Johnson is steep. Johnson has good size, he’s pretty quick and can get into the lane, but his jumper is really weak. Since his point guard skills are also somewhat lacking you’re basically looking at a 6’3" shooting guard who can’t shoot.
5.    Ben Uzoh – This guy is a phenomenal athlete and streaky scorer who can play some D, but is really more of a SG. He may be destined for a Ronnie Price career trajectory, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he landed somewhere.

Others:

Sherron Collins and Jerome Randle: Sub-6’0" point guards have a really tough time in the NBA when they’re not blindingly fast. Collins and Randle are quick, but I’m not sure that they’re quick enough.

Shooting Guard:

1.    Evan Turner – He may well be the best SG in this draft, but I’m not really a fan. Much like our own Tyreke Evans, Turner is a crafty ballhandler and scorer who can change directions, get his own shot, passes decently, and is a subpar outside shooter. But here’s the problem: Turner is not as athletic as Evans (or Brandon Roy for that matter). He’s not nearly as quick, he’s not explosive, and he doesn’t have the same uncanny finishing ability. He also is an almost unparalleled turnover machine: his 4.4 turnovers a game represent half a turnover more than Wall, who is often knocked for being turnover-prone. Turner has to dominate the ball to be effective, but is he really good enough, efficient enough, and athletic enough to justify that in the NBA? And if he’s playing off the ball how is he going to contribute? He definitely has enough shot-creation and finishing ability inside 15 feet to be a solid player, but I don’t see a star.
2.    James Anderson – Anderson is a versatile scorer with deep range both catching and shooting and off the dribble. Unfortunately, while he's a fairly good leaper, he is not very quick and is not the greatest ballhandler, so against good defenses he struggles to create his own shot. Still, he’s a very solid all-around player and his ultimate potential probably comes down to how well he adapts to the NBA three-point line.
3.    Xavier Henry – An underwhelming athlete whose only offensive skill is catching and shooting. So: Jason Kapono. Or Kyle Korver. Or Martell Webster. You get the idea.
4.    Jordan Crawford – Crawford had a pretty stellar end of season run, but I’m still not totally convinced of his NBA potential. He’s only 6’4", and while he’s fearless at the end of games, he’s also fearless about launching ill-advised shots and forcing drives. He’s pretty athletic and we all know he dunked on LeBron James in a summer camp, but I don’t know if he’s quite athletic enough or quite talented enough to make up for his lack of size. Basically: I worry that he's more Rashad McCants than Eric Gordon (or Marcus Thornton for that matter).
5.    Terico White – White is another guy who can get up off the floor and is capable of some spectacular dunks, but he’s not that great creating his own shot. He is also slightly undersized for a SG at 6’5", but he’s a pretty good shooter and can handle the ball.

Others:

Elliot Williams – Very similar to Gerald Henderson in terms of size, athleticism, and game. And no, that isn’t exactly an endorsement.
Quincy Pondexter – He’s definitely athletic and had a strong season, but since he’s not a good shooter and not a great ballhandler I don’t really see what he’s going to do in the NBA.
Willie Warren – Just…. no.
Lance Stephenson – Somewhat crafty scorer, but really not that quick.
Greivis Vasquez – The poor man’s Francisco Garcia.

Small Forward:

1.    Wesley Johnson – There is always a place in the NBA for athletic guys who can shoot. Johnson already projects as a JR Smith type of player who runs the floor and shoots 3s. But like Smith, Johnson doesn’t really have a versatile offensive game. He’s not effective taking the ball to the hoop or getting to the line, and he’s not good pulling up off the dribble. With his athleticism and shooting ability he seems like he could step in and be a solid contributor relatively quickly, but he won’t be a star unless he can learn to put the ball on the floor and vary his offensive game.
2.    Paul George – George looks the part of an NBA small forward. He’s got the athleticism, size (6’9"), he’s a pretty good ballhandler, and he can shoot from outside. The problem is that he plays and acts like he’s already convinced of his own greatness. He takes horrible shots, shoots for a very poor percentage, coasts on defense, is careless with the ball, and is the type of guy who will make an awkward fast break layup and then yell at the opposing bench like he’s LeBron James. Dude. Come on. You played in Fresno. George has a whole lot of potential, but he needs a whole lot of polish.
3.    Stanley Robinson – There is also always a place in the NBA for 6’8" freakish athletes with crazy hustle who can play lockdown defense and knock down open jumpers. Robinson could be an ideal glue guy/bench energizer on a team where he’s not counted on to score points, especially alongside a passing PG who can get him alley-oops. But his success is going to depend a lot on landing in the right situation.
4.    Damion James – Good but not great at pretty much everything: good but not great athleticism, good but not great size, good but not great shooting, good but not great handle. He had four good but not great years at Texas during which he never really seemed to get all that much better. Despite all that, he may just be good but not great enough to be a solid bench player in the NBA.
5.    Al-Farouq Aminu – So why do I rank Stanley Robinson and Damion James ahead of Aminu? It’s all about the jump shot: Aminu doesn’t really have one. You have to be unbelievably good at other facets of the game to stay on the floor in the NBA when you’re a small forward who can’t shoot. While he’s a pretty good rebounder, offensively Aminu is both clumsy and has terrible fundamentals. Look at how Darius Miles’ and Hakeem Warrick’s athletic gifts never really translated because they couldn’t put the ball on the floor and they couldn’t shoot. If Aminu learns some offense he could be a force. But he’s so uncoordinated I just don’t see it happening. A bust in the making.

Others:

Devin Ebanks – The quintessential smooth 6’9" small forward who can dribble, pass, run the floor, looks like a great prospect…. Only he can’t shoot. And that just never works. Billy Owens. Julian Wright. Earl Clark…. Devin Ebanks.
Gordon Hayward – When a player’s best case scenario is Mike Dunleavy Jr. that should really tell you all you need to know.
Luke Babbitt – A good shooter and able to score in a variety of ways. The problem is that he's so slow he makes Adam Morrison look like Carl Lewis.

Power Forward:

1.    Greg Monroe – Here is the paradox that is Greg Monroe: 1) When it’s all said and done I think he’s going to be the best power forward in this draft. 2) The idea of drafting him makes me crazy. Monroe is extremely skilled, he's 6’11", he can shoot, dribble, run the floor, he is quick for his size, and he will be one of the elite passers in the NBA the second he steps on the floor. He is one of the most multi-talented offensive bigs to come into the league in a long long time. The problem is that despite his better rebounding this season he is earthbound, soft, he was a key player on two Georgetown teams that wildly underachieved, and he is a rather terrible defender, of which the Kings already have too many. All that said: Petrie will draft him. He just will. They've probably already sewn the jersey.
2.    Craig Brackins – You know how Bonzi Wells realized he screwed up by not accepting the Kings’ offer and he signed with the Rockets but was never the same again? That was kind of the season Brackins had. After making the headslapping decision to return to Iowa St., Brackins struggled through a disappointing year during which he mainly was content to launch threes and contested long twos. He showed some signs life at the end, but this bad season obscures what a uniquely talented player Brackins really is: how many athletic 6’10" power forwards are comfortable putting the ball on the floor like a guard, pulling up from midrange, posting up, and shooting well from outside? This is still the guy who dropped 42 points on Cole Aldrich. If he rediscovers his heart he could be a serious sleeper.
3.    Derrick Favors -- Other than Favors' admittedly very impressive reverse alley-oop against Clemson, this is what happens way too much when you go looking for Georgia Tech highlights: Oh wow! Oh wait, that was Lawal. Oh wow! Oh wait, that was Lawal. Oh wow! Oh wait, that was Lawal. One of the biggest questions I ask myself when thinking about pro potential is: What can this guy do in the NBA? Well, I don’t think Favors is skilled enough to consistently score on the block, and while I’ve seen him hit the (very) occasional 15 footer and he has a soft touch around the rim, he really doesn’t have much of an offensive game. Barring rapid improvement on offense you’re looking at him mainly as a rebounding/shotblocking/hustle guy. Only: he doesn’t really hustle, he’s a disappointing shotblocker given his athleticism, he's slow running the floor, he never showed aggressiveness, and he wasn’t even the best rebounder at Georgia Tech (again, that would be Lawal). Favors has lots and lots of potential: it’s not hard to squint and imagine him becoming the next Amare. But he was just so underwhelming in college that I can’t shake the feeling he’s going to end up being someone everyone would have been thrilled with if they drafted him at #15, but not so much at #2 or #3.
4.    Ekpe Udoh – Udoh can do a little bit of everything offensively. He can score inside with either hand and he can shoot from outside. He’s not a great shot creator and he needs to add strength, but because he's both a good shooter from 15' and a good passer, he could be pretty deadly operating out of the high post. He needs to add strength if he's going to be a good rebounder, but he has some real shotblocking potential.
5.    Patrick Patterson – Patterson diversified his game this season and added a consistent outside jumper to the mix. At 6’9" and not freakishly strong he’s somewhat undersized for PF, but because he is quick and has that outside jumper he could be a Udonis Haslem type, with an outside chance at Carl Landry territory. I’m not really a fan of undersized power forwards, but Patterson has the offensive and athletic gifts, as well as the hustle, to be one of the exceptions.

Others:
Ed Davis – Looks the part of an elite power forward and is a talented rebounder, only he has shaky hands and not much touch around the basket. He could be a pretty good rebounding/shotblocking PF, just don’t count on him for offense.
Gani Lawal – Relentless hustler, incredibly strong, improved his skills a lot this season. If you need toughness and rebounding, he’s your guy. Outshone Favors most of the season.
Donatas Motiejunas – What I know about him is mainly limited to YouTube videos, and from what I’ve seen he looks and plays a lot like Andrea Bargnani. With all of its attendant pros and cons.
Jarvis Varnado – Athletic and long-armed, which translates to some very good shotblocking. He’s not very polished on offense after four years at Miss. St., but he has the skills, as well as the cool name, to be the next Bo Outlaw.
Larry Sanders – The question about Sanders is whether he will ever be strong enough to be a good rebounder and post defender in the NBA. He needs to be, because shotblocking alone isn’t enough to keep him on the floor.
Trevor Booker – You have to love the ferocity that Booker plays with. You’d love it even more if he were taller.

Center:

1.    DeMarcus Cousins – At this point the only person in America who has had their sanity questioned more often than DeMarcus Cousins is Lindsay Lohan. Cousins has real serious 20/10 potential - he's strong, he has great footwork, terrific hands, and is solid offensively both with his back to the basket (with an unstoppable jump hook) and facing up out to 15'. However, IN CASE YOU HAVEN’T HEARD, question marks abound about his conditioning, maturity, and heart problems of the motivational variety. Will he be Kenyon Martin, threatening to put his hands on someone when they prank him but otherwise able to keep it together? Or is he Eddy Curry, never sufficiently motivated to capitalize on his talents? His future (and the franchise that drafts him) hangs in the balance.
2.    Hassan Whiteside – Unfortunately I was never able to watch Marshall play this season, so this rating is based solely on some grainy YouTube videos. Which naturally make him look pretty awesome. Long, extremely athletic, able to hit outside shots, incredible shotblocker. People compare him to Marcus Camby. What’s not to like? Well, there’s a reason YouTube is YouTube. They don’t show weaknesses.
3.    Cole Aldrich – Notable for being quite possibly the least exciting draft prospect in the last ten years. You know he’s solid. You know he has a place in the NBA. And the idea of drafting him makes you want to fall asleep. Don’t worry. It can’t be helped. An entire fanbase is going to groan when his name is called and then promptly talk themselves into the pick the next day.
4.    Daniel Orton – Um. Who knows? He’s big and athletic, but this season he basically just served as a foul machine. Your guess is as good as mine.
5.    Solomon Alabi – He’s tall

Others:
Jerome Jordan – If you like your centers skinny and weak, Jordan is your guy.
Brian Zoubek – If the Collins twins could have long NBA careers why not Brian Zoubek?

My personal Kings draft board, balancing need and BPA (according to my own twisted logic):
1.    Wall
2.    Cousins
3.    Bradley
4.    Monroe
5.    Favors
6.   Johnson
7.    Turner
8.    Brackins
9.    Udoh
10.    Davis
11.    Whiteside
12.    Lawal
13.    Bledsoe
14.    Patterson
15.    Anderson

Let the Teague jokes commence.

Chad Ford Drinks the Combine Kool-Aid (insider)

nbrans — Fri, 28 May 2010 18:04:12 -0000

Chad Ford Drinks the Combine Kool-Aid (insider)

Had to share this for this quote alone:

"Babbitt measured around 6-9 in shoes with an 8-9 standing reach. That doesn't blow you away. However, he had an impressive 6-11 wingspan and essentially measures up with Griffin (6-10 in shoes, an 8-9 standing reach and a 6-11 wingspan).

But Griffin is way more athletic, you say? Not according to the combine numbers."

Oh, Chad. Chad Chad Chad.....

Full Draft Measurements Posted (Insider)

nbrans — Thu, 27 May 2010 16:46:41 -0000

Full Draft Measurements Posted (Insider)

Verticals: John Wall 39", Turner: 34.5", Favors: 35.5", Cousins: 27.5", Johnson: 37", Aminu: 33.5"

Craig Brackins Has a 40" Vertical

nbrans — Fri, 14 May 2010 18:37:43 -0000

Craig Brackins Has a 40" Vertical

(link to ESPN Insider)

So let's see. 6'10", 40" vertical, NBA range on his three, handles the ball like a guard..... projected to go second round? How is that possible?

Early '10 Draft Preview: John Wall and... uh... yeah.

nbrans — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 04:51:45 -0000

(From the FanPosts. -- TZ)

With the Kings currently enduring a seventeen thousand game losing streak and looking like the team we thought they were before they went and got our damn hopes up, I'm sure many an eye has been wandering over to DraftExpress and Chad "Maciej Lampe" Ford's sad and yet often hilarious corner of the Internet to see what's doing with the '10 draft.

Well, I'll tell you what's doing: John Wall is awesome.

Other than Wall? Yeah. About that.

(From the FanPosts. -- TZ)

Well, I'll tell you what's doing: John Wall is awesome.

Other than Wall? Yeah. About that.

But first!

A quick look back at my previous draft posts from '09. In the first one I laid out my draft philosophy, which gives you some perspective on where I'm coming from.

Essentially: PGs must be very quick and either score extremely well or pass extremely well (or both); Wings need to be athletic, handle the ball, and shoot well from outside (on the grounds that you can always find an athletic defender off the D-League scrap heap); Bigs need to have good hands; and most importantly, always always beware the unathletic and/or undersized guys about whom pundits say negative negative negative but they can just flat out play. (Adam Morrison gives much love to his homies in draft bust heaven.)

My second post was a pre-draft ranking, which I will defend to the death. Except for the parts where I was wrong. And before you say it: Jeff Teague. I know. We all know. Let's give it a few years and then we can talk. The rest of the post stands, although I underestimated the ability of Eric Maynor to not only dominate our universe, but also the universes that only he has the power to create.

But enough about '09!! Let's look at '10.

There is one sure thing in this draft. And his name is John Wall. It's not even close. The question isn't whether he's the best prospect in this class, the question is whether he's the best prospect since LeBron. Wall has otherworldly (read: Tyreke-esque) finishing ability, he's a terrific passer, he's got outstanding athleticism, and at 6'4" he creates all sorts of matchup problems at PG. He's dynamite in transition, he is a very good shooter from outside, and he's got quick hands on defense. He's got it all. If there's any knock I could possibly make against Wall it's that I would characterize his first step as "extremely" rather than "lightning" quick (though don't get me wrong, he's plenty quick), he's a bit turnover prone, and he's a bit inconsistent from outside.

But if the Kings get the #1: pick him and don't look back.

Other than that.... lots and lots of question marks. Some definite talent! But question marks abound. ?????? Hear that? ?????????????? Question marks.

Right now, admittedly, it's very early. It's worth mentioning that at this time last year Tyreke Evans looked more like he was auditioning for the And-One team than a future NBA star, so don't take these rankings too seriously. Early early early. Here follows a rough ranking of who I see as the top 21 - ranked by how good a prospect I think they are rather than how well they'd fit with the Kings. Oh, and I haven't seen any of the Euros play so they're not on here. Everyone else I've seen at least twice.

And yes - it's basically arbitrary at this point.

1. John Wall (PG, Kentucky) - We've discussed.

2. Derrick Favors (PF, Georgia Tech) - I know. He's the guy you want the Kings to get. The athleticism! The dunkage! The potential Jerry-isms! Favors is big and can get way up off the floor, and he actually reminds me a whole lot of Blake Griffin as a freshman. Much like early Griffin, his offense mainly consists of getting the ball and trying to dunk it (preferably while destroying the rim in the process), and also like Griffin, he's a disappointment in the shotblocking department considering his size and athleticism. Unfortunately, while he shows some nascent shooting and passing ability, he doesn't exactly have Griffin's relentless motor and kind of tends to drift at times. Also: I'd like him better if he were a little taller. Some definite positives, some definite question marks, and in this draft he'll probably end up #2.

3. Avery Bradley (PG, Texas) - Prepare yourself to hear seven million times over the next six months that Bradley isn't really a point guard and is really an undersized shooting guard and blah blah blah. Don't listen to them. Yes, he's a scoring point with some serious quickness, an impressive pull-up jumper, and good finishing ability. He's also capable of some jaw-dropping passes. Is he a pure point guard? No. Does it matter? No. His job at Texas is to score. He does it well. I think he'll be moving up draft boards before you know it.

4. Evan Turner (SG, Ohio State) - Here's where I feel like the thinness of this draft begins to show. Turner is a very good ball-handler, a good passer, and he's pretty creative getting to the hoop and finishing. He's also an underwhelming athlete and has the lineiest line-drive jump shot since Shareef Abdur-Rahim. I don't really get the hype with Turner, but he's basically the only swingman in this draft who can create his own shot, so............ yeah. I guess that means he's a top 5 prospect in this draft. Also: quickest return ever after breaking his back?

5. Wesley Johnson (SF, Syracuse) - I feel like people are a litttttttle too excited about this guy. On the one hand: Yes, holy crap! New guy bursting onto the scene in Syracuse! On the other hand: Um. You know he's older than Donté Greene, right? Johnson is a very good athlete and has good size for a SF. He's also a good shooter with a high release, and when you combine athlete + good shooter it usually translates to some sort of a role in the NBA. The problem is that he's not very good at creating his own shot and who knows what kind of defense he plays because Syracuse zones. At 22 he's obviously still young enough to get better, but let's not lose our minds here. Carmelo he ain't.

6. DeMarcus Cousins (PF, Kentucky) - When you look at Cousins you'd think he'd be the last person to show up on a "bigs who play like smalls" list. He's huge!! But Cousins is a bit allergic to contact, he'd rather step outside to shoot a jumpshot than bang in the paint, and his athleticism, hustling, and defense leave quite a lot to be desired. I reserve the right to still get excited about Cousins, but he's the type of offensively-minded middling-defending big that currently has us banging our heads against the wall.

7. Ed Davis (PF, North Carolina) - Call me a Davis skeptic. You'll hear a lot of Chris Bosh comparisons with Davis, and I get that. Sort of. Okay, not really. I mean, he's 6'10" and skinny, a pretty fluid athlete, and, uh, he plays in the ACC? Unfortunately he's nowhere near as talented offensively as a sophomore as Bosh was as a freshman, his hands are a little shaky, he doesn't have great touch around the rim, and he's been wildly underwhelming when playing against other good bigs. Is he really that much better than Hilton Armstrong? (ducks)

8. Cole Aldrich (C, Kansas) - A shorter Joel Przybilla with a jump shot. That's basically all you need to know. Well, that, and Mark Cuban has already committed to paying him $80 million in 2018.

9. Patrick Patterson (PF, Kentucky) - I was really skeptical of Patterson last season on the grounds that 6'8" power forwards have a really hard time making it in the NBA. And while Patterson is strong, he still gets muscled around by big power forwards. This season, however, he has done a lot to improve his game. He has really worked on his jumper and can now reliably hit three pointers, in addition to his already-strong post game. This is important, because he can now stretch defenses and go inside/outside on power forwards. He's still a bit of a tweener and might struggle defensively in the NBA, but with the outside jumper he could potentially be a Udonis Haslem-type guy.

10a. Craig Brackins (PF, Iowa State) - Brackins surprised a lot of people last year with such feats as dropping 42 points on Kansas, but this year he looks like he's playing out the remainder of a prison term. The thing about Brackins is that he's got some of the best inside/outside offensive talent in all of college. He can back guys down and score creatively in the post, he can shoot from outside (over 40% from 3), and he can even take guys off the dribble. He's got very good size and athleticism. But this season he's been hanging out on the perimeter, every time he touches the ball he's double or triple teamed because his teammates suck, and he looks like he'd rather die than fail to make the NIT again. And hey, guess I don't blame him there. The skill is still there even though the effort isn't, and even though he's already 22 and his superduper upside potential might be limited, I'm calling draft sleeper.

10b. Ekpe Udoh (PF, Baylor) - One of two transfers that people are a little too excited about (Wes Johnson being the other). Like Brackins, Udoh is already 22 years old, he's 6'10" and athletic and can handle the ball and shoot from outside. He's much skinnier than Brackins and a better shotblocker, but Brackins is more skilled offensively. Both of these guys are pretty good, but age and potential NBA softness will probably push them down into the middle of the first round.

12. Scotty Hopson (SG, Tennessee) - Flying under the radar. Last season Hopson was kind of indistinguishable among Tennessee's seventeen 6'7" guys, but this season he's really putting together his mutli-faceted skills. He's a great ball-handler, he's got good moves to the hoop, he can shoot from outside, and he's extremely athletic. He still lacks some polish, but he's got skills and athleticism in spades. Now that Tyler Smith finally got caught by Sheriff Rosco, look for Hopson to be The Guy at Tennessee and more attention to follow.

13. Greg Monroe (PF, Georgetown) - Monroe has silenced two or three doubters by raising his rebounding numbers this year, but everyone else is busy debating whether he is paper tissue soft or more like down pillow soft. He's reasonably quick and mobile, he's a really good passer, and he has a good midrange game. But he's allergic to contact, he's earthbound, and I still want DNA proof that he's not related to Spencer Hawes.

14. Stanley Robinson (SF, Connecticut) - The athleticism is undeniable, and do my eyes deceive me or can Stanely Robinson now shoot the three? He's still tremendously awkward offensively and he doesn't block as many shots as you think he does (1.4). But with the three point shooting and his athleticism he may now be the defense-and-3 SF roleplayer that every championship team seems to have.

15. Al-Farouq Aminu (SF, Wake Forest) - The good news is that Al-Farouq looks a little more comfortable with the ball than he did last year, meaning he doesn't dribble the ball off his foot or drop passes nearly every posession. But he's still very very far away from having anything resembling an offensive game, he's not strong enough to play the 4 in the NBA, and he has none of the skills you'd want out of a small forward. Other than the whole jumping out of the gym thing.

16. Devin Ebanks (SF, West Virginia) -The latest graduate from the Billy Owens Memorial School of small forwards who can do everything except shoot (notable recent graduates include Julian Wright and Earl Clark). Ebanks has great size at 6'9", he can handle the ball, he can pass, he's pretty unselfish, he's a fluid athlete. But he can't shoot. And I'm sorry, scouts always love these guys, but show me where the Billy Owens "do everything but shoot" mold works. (It doesn't.)

17. Gani Lawal (PF, Georgia Tech) - He's probably 6'7" or 6'8" but holy crap is this guy tough. He can rebound extremely well, he hustles relentlessly, and he has clearly worked on his free throw shooting, which is still ugly but goes in more often. He doesn't have enough offensive talent to be anything but serve as a banging roleplayer, but he should do that job pretty well.

18. Soloman Alabi (C, Florida State) - He's tall. And... did I mention he's tall?

19. Xavier Henry (SG, Kansas) - Wildly overrated. Not a very good athlete, and he has precisely one offensive move: catch and shoot. And he hasn't even been doing that particularly well lately.

20. Willie Warren (SG, Oklahoma) - Not a fan. The athletic gifts are there. The size, brains, and shooting ability are not.

21. Larry Sanders (PF, VCU) - A beanpole shotblocker who has still managed to play well even without the universe-altering powers of Eric Maynor to give him strength. It's hard to imagine how Sanders will make it as a big in the NBA because he's so damn skinny. But 6'10" athletic guys with freakishly long arms don't grow on trees. They just look like they do.

Flame away, fellow draft nerds.

NBA League Pass Customer Service Update

nbrans — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 19:52:54 -0000

When we last left off, I had been accused of online harassment and possible vandalism by an NBA League pass customer service representative for pressing them for a partial refund for the several incorrect feeds over the course of the season. Needless to say, I was not thrilled and took the fight to the streets, er, Sactown Royalty

Today I got an e-mail from the VP of Business Operations at NBA League Pass and we spent about 15 minutes talking about the exciting adventure that was my customer service experience (coming soon to theaters near you!)

Actually it was all very polite.

First, from a technical standpoint with the incorrect feed, apparently they had been experimenting with some more automation behind the scenes, and that obviously went awry. The night that the Kings/Spurs was messed up was a "cluster" and prompted all sorts of meetings and changes in procedure. Long story short, the people running the show behind the scenes will now be better able to correct things when they go wrong so it hopefully won't happen again, or if it does, it will be corrected quickly.

On the, uh, interesting customer service experience I had, the VP explained that like many companies they have a third party customer service company, and the experience I had was obviously not what they had intended. No attempts made to defend it. The person who sent me the threatening e-mails has been put on probation and has had their other customer service exchanges looked into. Frankly I'm very glad the guy/woman wasn't fired because the last thing I need is the karma of an unemployed person in India or wherever they're based hanging over my head.

For the partial refund, he explained the challenge of having 500+ people simultaneously demanding a refund or partial refund, and I also understand that if word gets out that there's free money all of a sudden there's going to be a bumrush on League Pass. At the same time, I feel like there could be some sort of credit for next year in deference to the fact that the service is so expensive, if not obviously for everyone then at least for the people who submit tickets while the outage is going on. He's going to think about some options, so we'll see.

Lastly, because my customer service experience was particularly egregious, they're going to upgrade me to full access for the season, though he made it clear that they couldn't grant upgrades or credits merely for messed up feeds.

Ultimately I think this is a fair resolution and I appreciate the time he took, though I still think they should have a procedure in place to compensate people who submit a ticket when the service is badly messed up for an entire game. We talked about the costs involved and they kind of have to charge what they charge for the League Pass service, but I also think there's a perception of value when you're paying $100, and they're going to run into this problem again down the line if there's not an appropriate remedy. Still, I understand that business is business.

Hopefully this is the end of this story.

Adventures in NBA Customer Service (or rather the complete lack thereof)

nbrans — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 23:42:38 -0000

As you may have seen complained about in the Kings/Spurs game thread, the NBA League Pass Broadband feed was incorrectly showing the Cavs/Rockets the other night. This wasn't fixed the entire game. Since this isn't the first time this has happened and because the service costs a hefty $100 for the entire season (and this is just for the privilege of watching seven teams), I thought a partial refund was in order.

So. I submitted a ticket to fix the problem and requested a partial refund. Not unreasonable right? I would have been happy with a $5 credit for one of those foam finger things. It's about the principle. Charge $100 for something it should work. How hard could it be to fix a feed at some point over the course of two and a half hours?

Here are the e-mails they send me. Bear in mind that at no point did I ever use any threatening or inappropriate language.

E-mail #1:

Dear Customer,

While we do understand your frustration with this and apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused you. Unfortunately they are no partial credits being offered. The games are correct in the archive section. Again we do apologize about the delay and the technical issues that occurred the other night. If you need any further assistance please let us know.

Well, actually I do require further assistance, and I write back that I don't feel this is a satisfactory resolution. It's not the first time it's happened, etc. etc. I also point out that pirated feeds are always available (and they work!) but that I wanted to do the right thing and support the NBA.

Email #2:

Dear Customer,

While we do understand your frustration with this and apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused you. Unfortunately they are no partial credits being offered. The games are correct in the archive section. Again we do apologize about the delay and the technical issues that occurred the other night. If you need any further assistance please let us know.

Where have I heard this before? Oh yeah. It's the exact same e-mail. I still need further assistance and let them know that I still want a partial refund.

E-mail #3:

Dear Customer,
Your concerns will be documented and will be handled internally.

I write back, yes, I do agree that it should be handled internally, but I still want a refund. I also ask why they have such terrible customer service and point out, again, that if you are going to charge $100 for a service it had better work and that the right thing to do to rectify the situation is to grant a partial refund or credit.

E-mail #4:

Dear Customer,

As you have already been informed that a partial refund will not be available, all responses ignoring this statement can be potentially intepreted as online harassment, and your account could be flagged for vandalism. If you have any issues not related to a partial refund request, you are free to reply to state them. Otherwise, your concerns have been addressed, and no further interaction is required at this point.

ONLINE HARASSMENT!! FLAGGED FOR VANDALISM! You gotta be kidding me. Let me repeat: at no point did I threaten anyone (what was I going to do from behind a computer screen) or use any inappropriate language.

NBA League Pass, at the risk of having my account flagged for vandalism (ZOMG):

You suck.

UPDATE:

Understandably still not feeling like this has been resolved properly, I sent the following (I thought extremely polite e-mail):

I can honestly say that this is the most absurd e-mail I have ever received from a company, particularly from their ostensible customer service department. I am not harassing anyone and have not made any threatening remarks or inappropriate comments. All I have asked is that the NBA League Pass grant me a partial refund or credit, which they should have done in the first place, and is the absolute right thing to do. And for that I get a threatening e-mail in response?

You should know that I shared this chain of e-mails with a large sports message board, and you have successfully alienated a dedicated community of NBA fans. NBA League Pass is an expensive service and if it is going to charge a high fee its customers are going to expect a high level of service. When that service breaks down repeatedly, it is perfectly reasonable to assume that NBA League Pass would make appropriate amends.

I would like to speak with a real customer service representative about this horrible experience, both with the feed and with these rude e-mails. My phone number is XXX-XXX-XXXX and I look forward to hearing from you at your convenience.

Here's what I got back:

customer has continued to ignore replies addressing his concerns (was told twice partial refunds are not available) and is badgering our agents with veiled threats and defensive posturing (Accusations that our replies are rude, "horrible" and somehow threatening, reported attempts to defame our customer service). Account should be monitored for further disruptive behaviour. Closing ticket.

Right now it appears that Oklahoma City is leaning towards picking Rubio and keeping him as a...

nbrans — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:48:01 -0000

Right now it appears that Oklahoma City is leaning towards picking Rubio and keeping him as a trading chip to potentially use this summer. A few sources we spoke with mentioned that they still expect Rubio to end up in New York when it’s all said and done.

Oklahoma City is also active in trade talk with Phoenix, with their main target appearing to be Robin Lopez. They are reportedly offering Phoenix their 2010 unprotected pick back in return for Lopez, but that seems like a very high price for the Suns to pay.

Sacramento seems to be leaning towards Tyreke Evans from what we’re hearing, and may have even told him as much.

DraftExpress

Sacramento has reportedly offered Detroit the #23 and #31 picks in exchange for the #15. The Kings...

nbrans — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 02:46:07 -0000

Sacramento has reportedly offered Detroit the #23 and #31 picks in exchange for the #15. The Kings may target DeJuan Blair at 15 if he’s available, while the Pistons like Toney Douglas and possibly DaJuan Summers.

Draft Express

Hollinger on Rubio

nbrans — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 20:01:31 -0000

Hollinger on Rubio

"OK, it's time to shine a harsher light here. There's one thing working hugely against Rubio's status as an A-list prospect that nobody seems to want to mention, so let me put it out there: There's very little evidence he can score at anything approaching an acceptable rate for an NBA point guard.

We have very little recent Euroleague data to work with from Rubio -- just a 66-minute sample from this year and a larger sample from two years earlier -- but both sets translate to scoring about five points per 40 minutes and shooting in the low 30s. Ugh. Rubio shot better in the Spanish ACB league this season, including 25-of-62 on 3-pointers, but he also shot only 39 percent on 2s against a lower level of competition.

Same goes for his alleged breakout in the Olympics -- as heralded as he was for his play, he made nine baskets in eight games and shot 28.1 percent for the tournament. And while one of those games was against a team full of U.S. All-Stars, he wasn't bedazzling the Germans or Angolans either. Obviously he's a Jason Kidd-like rarity in that he can have a heavy impact on the game without scoring, but if his shooting numbers don't improve, he'll make Kidd look like Rick Barry."

Chad Ford: Not a sure thing the Kings would take Rubio #4

nbrans — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 19:18:20 -0000

Chad Ford: Not a sure thing the Kings would take Rubio #4

"Rubio has been pretty adamant that he doesn't want to play in Memphis. Although he doesn't have the same objection to Oklahoma City, it sounds as though the Thunder are leaning toward drafting either James Harden or Stephen Curry. So, if neither team makes a trade, Rubio would be there at No. 4.

But sources in Sacramento say that the Kings have reservations about Rubio and that it's far from a done deal that they will take him if he is on the board."

Gani WithdraLawals From the Draft

nbrans — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 19:17:51 -0000

Gani WithdraLawals From the Draft

"I'm going back to school," Lawal said. "I sat down with my family and after going through this positive experience, where I learned a lot and got a lot of exposure, I realized the best thing for me to do was to go back."

Positional Rankings, or How I Still Fear This Year's Draft

nbrans — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 23:58:27 -0000

It’s been some time since my last foray into the world of Sactown Royalty Fanposts. My last entry was about How to Avoid a Draft Bust, and I tagged it with the ominous subtitle "how I learned to fear this year’s draft."

Well, that was January. A lot has changed since then and… actually not much has changed. I still fear this draft. I still think James Harden is a future NBA roleplayer and Rubio’s lack of athleticism scares me to death. But hey – the guy can just flat out play, right? Um….. Right?

In order for that joke to make sense and to explain where I’m coming from with the rankings, here is a brief rundown of my drafting philosophy as expressed more extensively in that old post:

1.   Avoid guys who are underathletic and/or undersized but who pundits say “can just flat out play."
2.   Raw upside guys: a) must be athletic; b) SGs and SFs need to be able to shoot and have a handle; c) bigs must have good hands; d) point guards have to be very quick and either really good at scoring or really good at passing.
3.   Watch out for the unmotivated

In the hopes that posterity will either remember me as an anonymous basketball savant or, much more likely, as an unadulterated idiot, I thought I would provide some draft capsules on this year’s crop of players for everyone to argue over.

Positional rankings, point guard to center. Here they come...

Point Guard.

1.    Jeff Teague. Yeah. I said it! Jeff. Teague. Not Rubio, not Jennings. Jeff "1/1 assist to turnover ratio" Teague. Here’s what you need to know about Jeff Teague. The guy is one of the quickest, most athletic point guard prospects that has come into the league in the last few years. He’s got great size for the PG position. He can get into the lane and shoot floaters or dunk over people. He’s also a deadeye shooter. WHEN HAS THAT NOT WORKED? Ask Monta Ellis how that worked out. Then tell him that scooters are for girls.
2.    Ricky Rubio. Why is he not #1? I’m sorry, he’s just not that quick, and this is an era when NBA point guards are faster than ever. In the absolute bestest of best scenarios, Ricky Rubio is an athletically limited, great-passing, decent defending point guard who you can’t really count on to score. Which, okay, hello Mark Jackson or post-prime Jason Kidd. Is that worth trading up to #2 or praying that Rubio doesn’t pull a Fran Vasquez for the next two years? In the meantime, it remains to be seen if he can keep up with NBA point guards, he turns the ball over too much, and he can't shoot unless completely set and wide open. He's got a long way to go in the best case scenario. Stop Photoshopping Ricky desktop images: Rubio skeptics unite! You have nothing to lose but your man crush.
3.    Stephen Curry. The most surprising thing about Stephen Curry isn’t that the NBA could actually have a girlier looking player than Tyronn Lue. Nope. If you watched Davidson this season you know what I’m talking about: Stephen Curry is actually a pretty amazing passer. The quickness deficit remains. But with that passing mixed with his scoring ability, Curry could “just flat out play” himself into a pretty incredible pick & roll point guard. And then give up ten thousand points on the other end. This guy is destined to play for Mike D’Antoni or Don Nelson. Or, uh, Geoff Petrie.
4.    Brandon Jennings. Have you seen the TV show version of Friday Night Lights? There’s this character in the first season called Voodoo Tatum who is a Katrina refugee and he interviews potential coaches in a hotel rooms where they pledge to give his family houses and money if he’ll play for their team. Then he screws over the Dillon High team and bolts. Brandon Jennings may be a talented, athletic, raw point guard prospect. I can’t shake the image of Voodoo Tatum.
5.    Jonny Flynn. I really want to like Flynn more than I do. On paper everything checks out. He’s 6’0”, he’s tough, he’s quick, he showed some clutchness late in the season. But he’s not that great of a shooter, not that great of a passer, not that great of a scorer, and he has a bit of Jason Williams in him when it comes to his decisionmaking. It’s really tough to make it as a point guard in the NBA, and there’s something about Flynn's inability to really stand out in any one or two facets of the game that makes me feel like he’s destined to disappoint relative to where he'll be chosen.

Others:
Darren Collison. You know what you’re getting with Collison. Good quickness, good passing, good defense, good floor leadership. Nothing special. Probably destined to be a career backup. That’s not a bad thing at #23.
Ty Lawson. I liked him better when he was more talented and his name was Ray Felton.
Eric Maynor. Sean Singletary wants his career trajectory back.
Patty Mills. Quick quick quick. Streaky streaky streaky. Let someone else draft him let someone else draft him let someone else draft him. TJ Ford or Marcus Banks. Flip a coin.
Jrue Holiday. I want this guy’s publicist. He showed absolutely nothing at UCLA to justify a 1st Round Pick, let alone lottery consideration. It makes no sense whatsoever. Let's move on.

Shooting Guard.

1. Tyreke Evans. If you can imagine a spectrum of John Salmons to Brandon Roy… Evans is somewhere in there. He’s similar to those guys in that he needs to have the ball to be effective. But is he more Salmons, needing to pound the ball and somewhat limited athletically but really crafty penetrating? Or can he be Roy, deadly crunch time player and a killer passer? Tough to say. He doesn't have great size, but Evans has some serious talent with the ball, he's got crazy long arms, and he's athletic enough that I think he's got the best chance at stardom out of this class of shooting guards. I also really don't think he's a point guard.
2. James Harden. In the annals of NBA Draft combine history, the nugget that James Harden scored a higher vertical leap than Dwyane Wade surely does more than anything else to invalidate the entire exercise. Harden has some definite strengths: he's a surprisingly good finisher, he's got good all-around skill, he's a solid passer, and very few bearded players in NBA history have been busts. However, his weaknesses are also manifold: he's undersized, he's not that quick, he can't go right, he's not a great leaper (sorry combine), he's not great at creating his own shot, he doesn't have great elevation on his jumper, and he has an unfortunate last name. Ultimately, when I add up the strengths and subtract the minuses, I'm left with one conclusion: NBA roleplayer. How many undersized AND underathletic guards are stars in the NBA? Honestly. He'll give you some good minutes, but you're going to be crying in a few years if you think he's going to be a star.
3. DeMar DeRozan. DeMar DeRozan is the type of player who can jump out of the gym in a combine test but you might go an entire game without seeing evidence of freakish athleticism. He's definitely athletic, but he's not a Gerald Wallace type player who shows it constantly on the floor. Instead he's more of a midrange player with a shaky handle and is streaky from outside. DeRozan has both outsized talent and outsized bust potential.
4. Jodie Meeks. Let's talk about this for a moment. Of the undersized SGs left on the board, does anyone really think that Gerald Henderson and Wayne Ellington are better than Jodie Meeks? If so, please find a tape of Meeks against Tennessee when he exploded for 50+ points, and, oh yeah, also had 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Or maybe the one against Arkansas where he had 45/7. Meeks might not make it as a pro because he's undersized, but take Henderson and Ellington out of the state of North Carolina and we wouldn't even be talking about them. Meeks can score from everywhere. He was basically Kentucky's entire offense and he still scored like crazy. He's got some limitations, but he's the best candidate in the draft to be the next Anthony Morrow. Which would be totally fine relative to where he'll be drafted.
5. Terrence Williams. I like Terrence Williams a lot. He's tough, he's athletic, he can rebound, he has a lot of skills. Unfortunately, scoring the basketball is not one of those skills. You have to be REALLY awesome as a glue guy to stay on the floor as an NBA guard if you can't score, and no one has any idea what kind of man defense Williams plays because Lousiville zones. Williams seems like he'd be perfect on a contender as a do-everything hustle guy, but he needs the right situation for his skills to shine. He also strikes me as thoroughly insane.

Others: Chase Budinger. I mean, come on now. Really? Budinger? He's not quick, his game comes and goes, and if it weren't for his random 40" vertical he'd probably be on a beach somewhere trying to decide if he should hang ten or hit on your girlfriend again.
Gerald Henderson and Wayne Ellington. Henderson is athletic but can't shoot. Ellington can shoot but isn't athletic. They're both undersized shooting guards who can't create their own shot and whose stock was inflated by playing in the state of North Carolina. They should totally get married and have lots of babies together, one of whom might be a good NBA player.
Dionte Christmas. He can shoot and score. He's not a terrific athlete but he is a very good candidate for some instant offense off the bench. His last name would also probably give Jerry Reynolds a punnerific anyeurism.
Nick Calathes. Enh. That's all I have to say. Enh.

Small Forward

1. No One. This group of small forwards is so bad no one deserves to be listed #1.
2. Earl Clark. I mean, I guess. He is a really athletic 6’10” small forward who can handle the ball, run the floor, and looks like an NBA player. One problem. He. Can’t. Shoot. He can’t shoot. He can't shoot from inside, he can't shoot from outside. And NBA small forwards need to be able to shoot.
3. Omri Casspi. Remember about 10 years ago how there were all those articles about that red headed kid they were calling the Jewish Jordan and he didn’t play on the Sabbath? Whatever happened to that guy? Huh. All of this is to say, I know nothing about Omri Casspi except that he’s from Israel and he's supposed to be tough and reasonably athletic. Let’s hope he turns out better than the last Jewish Jordan.
4. Victor Claver. Super-athletic, 6'10", skinny, and a turnover machine. He can finish strong and shoot from outside. Nothing in between.
5. Sam Young. A pretty solid all-around player, could be a Courtney Lee-type who plays tough defense and doesn't screw up too much at everything else. The drawback is that he's already 24, so probably not as much superduper upside potential as the other players.

Others:
Danny Green. There's always a place in the NBA for okay athletes who can play okay D and knock down open jumpers but can't be counted on to score. That place is the bench.
DaJuan Summers. What in the heck happened to this guy? At the beginning of the season he looked pretty good -- he lacks any semblance of a midrange game, but he's very athletic and can shoot from outside. Then his game (and the whole Georgetown team) fell off a cliff and he was last seen on a milk carton.
Damion James. My basic philosophy is that in order to be a good NBA small forward you need to be able to handle the ball, shoot from outside, and preferably create your own shot. Barring that, you need to be a top athlete and a really good defender. James has precisely none of those qualities.
Tyler Smith. If Tyler Smith and Damion James changed jerseys at a workout and pretended to be the other person do you think anyone would notice? Me neither.

Power forwards

1. Blake Griffin. Well, the pre-draft measurements solved the mystery of the ages: Griffin really is 6'10" in shoes. He also has the arms of a T-Rex. If Griffin can perfect some type of a fall away jumper he can probably be a pretty deadly player offensively, and as David Lee demonstrates, simply being motivated can get you 15 rebounds a game. Unfortunately, Griffin is also destined to be the worst defending power forward since Vin Baker.
2. Jordan Hill. Yawn. In my experience the Hill camp is divided between people who watched him play all three years at Arizona and saw a middling power forward who got slightly less middling, and those who saw him just his junior year when he looked "halfway decent" to "pretty good" and extrapolated from that that he's got a lot of NBA potential. Hill is fine. He's got NBA size and athleticism. He'll provide a perfectly respectable 20 minutes off the bench. He's just not anything special, and anyone who is drafting him for more than just a placeholder big is going to be disappointed.
3. Josh Heytvelt. You read right, folks! #3 power forward. Heytvelt is my pick for sleeper big in this draft. He's an extremely skilled, tough, surprisingly athletic big who has quite the slew of red flags: namely that he's already 23 and was suspended a substantial length of time because he was caught with shrooms. Provided he doesn't ditch training camp for the next Phish reunion I think Heytvelt could be a really good big in the NBA. Sort of like Brad Miller's more-athletic, even-more-stoned younger brother.
4. James Johnson. There's some debate over whether Johnson projects as a small forward as a power forward. Unfortunately he's not really quick enough to be a small forward and not really big and strong enough to be a power forward. He's the ultimate tweener. As Carl Landry and Brandon Bass go to show, the undersized but skilled power forward thing works in the right situation. Johnson is going to need the right situation if he's going to avoid Kenny Thomas disease.
5. Gani Lawal. Ladies and gentlemen, the next Reggie Evans. Lawal might be the strongest guy in this entire draft besides Griffin. He's tough, he's got a nose for the ball, he's got decent hops. He's also a tad undersized and, although perfectly decent, won't wow you athletically. Is that worth the #23? You betcha. Would Petrie touch Lawal with a ten foot pole? Only if he was carrying a Marcel Proust novel.

Others: DeJuan Blair. The red flags abound. He's short. He can't jump. Word is his knees are shot. So... Who wants an earthbound 6'6" power forward with bad knees? Anyone? Anyone? Oh. Someone raised their hand. What's that? "He can just flat out play" you say? Yeah. Exactly. You can put your hand down now.
Tyler Hansbrough. He's better than Mark Madsen. Not that much better. But better enough that his buggy eyes will be around to annoy us all for years to come.
Taj Gibson. This guy is soon to be 24, so it's unlikely he's going to get a whole lot better. The good news for the team that drafts him is that he's already pretty good. He's skilled around the hoop, has good hands, and he learned 7,234 different defenses under Tim Floyd at USC.
Jeff Pendergraph. The oop to James Harden's alley, Pendergraph is a very athletic PF who excels at catching and finishing and not much else.

Centers

1. Hasheem Thabeet. Silenced a lot of doubters with a strong NCAA tournament and looks like he'll go #2 or #3 as a result. Here's something that remains underrated about Thabeet: I've never seen this guy fall for a pump fake. Do you know how hard that is? Everyone falls for pump fakes! Thabeet never, ever leaves his feet except when someone actually shoots. He hardly ever fouls. It's the reason why he's such a great shotblocker. (That and he's 7'2".) I can't believe people hate on this guy.
2. B.J. Mullens. Why is this guy so low on draft boards? I'll tell you why: Thad Matta stuck him on the bench and led a whisper campaign about his work ethic in order to hurt his draft stock so that Mullens would be forced to return for his sophomore year, nevermind that Ohio St. would have been a lot better if he had just sucked it up and played Mullens. Thad Matta? I salute your idiocy. Anyway, at age 19 Mullens is already as good as Jeff Foster and has the tools to be even better. What is it with 7'0" athletic bigs falling in the draft these past couple years (no, really, Javale McGee wants to know)?

Others: there aren't any others. At least none that I know anything about.

Annnnnd there you have it. Flame away.

This has been a Jeff Teague public service announcement. This is only a test.

nbrans — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 06:23:54 -0000

This has been a Jeff Teague public service announcement. This is only a test.

Newsday: Kings interested in Marbury, Maloofs lost hundreds of millions to Madoff?

nbrans — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 04:45:02 -0000

Newsday: Kings interested in Marbury, Maloofs lost hundreds of millions to Madoff?

"One team that is believed to have asked about Marbury is the Sacramento Kings, a franchise believed to be in serious financial distress because its owners, the Maloof family, lost hundreds of millions in the alleged Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme."

How to Avoid a Draft Bust (Or How I Learned to Fear this Year's Draft)

nbrans — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 03:52:43 -0000

(Enjoy this great draft analysis from nbrans. -- TZ)

NBA drafts are a heady mixture of science, art, luck, dice rolling, gut feelings, expertise, and luck. It is the place where otherwise rational people talk themselves into things like, "Yeah, Adam Morrison is slow, diabetic, and cried at a crucial moment in the NCAA tournament, but the guy can just flat out play!" and "I'm not sure if Rafael Araujo can beat a tortoise down the floor, but the guy can just flat out play!" And most importantly, it's a place where Chad Ford can ponder in his draft grades why Miami would have drafted Dwyane Wade over Maciej Lampe.

Fortunately, we have history as a guide, and history doesn't lie. As we avert our gaze from this trainwreck of a season to the happier thought of a lottery pick in June, I'm here to tell you that except for careers derailed by injuries, lottery busts fall into three categories:

(Enjoy this great draft analysis from nbrans. -- TZ)

Bust Category #1 (Duke Alumni Memorial): Guys who are undersized and/or unathletic, but who pundits say "can just flat out play."
Notable examples since 2000: Adam Morrison, Acie Law, JJ Redick, Shelden Williams, Ike Diogu, Sean May, Rafael Araujo, Nickoloz Tskitishvili, Jarvis Hayes, Mike Dunleavy, Marcus Fizer

Yes, a player can overcome a lack of size for their position with extraordinary athleticism and very good skills (Paul Millsap, Dwyane Wade, Nate Robinson). A player can also overcome a lack of athleticism with good size and extraordinary skills (Peja Stojakovic and shooting, Paul Pierce and midrange game, Sam Cassell and testicle dancing).

However, particularly if you are a guard or a small forward, you simply cannot overcome a lack of both athleticism and size and be a star, I don't care how skilled you are. Sorry James Harden, future NBA roleplayer.

Beware the guy that pundits love despite his lack of athleticism. These are the players about whom commentators say things like "(Negative negative negative) but the guy can just flat out play." This is the basketball equivalent of sentences that begin, "I'm not racist, but..." No matter what comes after the "but," you're absolutely a racist.

Bust Category #2 (Kwame Brown Memorial): Raw "upside" guys who don't pan out
Notable examples since 2000: Patrick O'Bryant, Saer Sene, Yaroslav Koralev, Robert Swift, Sebastian Telfair, Rodney White, Kedrick Brown, Stromile Swift, Jerome Moiso, Kwame Brown, Keyon Dooling.

This category is admittedly very difficult to parse out. How does one separate one's Joe Johnsons and Andrew Bynums from one's Kedrick Browns and Saer Senes? How does one separate his "unlimited upside potentials" from his "raw uncordinated unskilleds?"

Here are some of my basic rules of thumb.

1) Wings need to be able to shoot and dribble. You can always, always, always find athletic but unskilled 6'7" roleplayer guys who can come in off the scrap heap or the D-League and be a good defender. (No, really, Ruben Patterson's agent is standing by.) Want to draft a wing with the potential of being a star? Better make sure he can shoot and has a handle (sorry Earl Clark and Damion James).

2) Even properly sized and athletic bigs need to have good hands. This is very, very simple. Find me a successful big who doesn't have good hands. (I'll wait). Now look at the bigs on the above bust list. Notice anything?

3) Point guards and combo guards need to be very quick and have a terrific handle (mandatory) and either be able to score extremely well (Devin Harris), pass extremely well (TJ Ford), or both (Chris Paul). Can't score or pass? Your name might be Sebastian Telfair.

Bust category #3 (Michael Olowokandi Memorial): Knuckleheads and heart problems (of the motivation variety)
Notable examples since 2000: Fran Vazquez, Darko Miliciic, Mike Sweetney, Kwame Brown, Eddie Griffin

Also a tough category, because when faced with the prospect of making millions, even the most knucklesome of knuckleheads can discover their inner Rosie the Riveter. Thus, it is only the truly, epically insane and unmotivated who manage to bust because their insanity/lack of any motivation whatsoever. Note that Ron Artest has had a mainly productive career, so you actually have to be more insane than him. These heartless/insane players rarely announce themselves ahead of time, although this week I learned that Brandon Jennings is friends with noted laptop thief Marcus Williams, which raises as many red flags for me as three microfracture surgeries.

So what does this all mean for this draft halfway through a college basketball season that I am totally not obsessing over while watching every tangentially related game and in which we badly, badly need to avoid a bust?

Frankly, this draft sucks. Unlike the last few years, there is not a single prospect projected to go Top 10 this year who does not have some unsettling bust potential due to being possibly too small, possibly too unathletic, or possibly too raw. Yay.

Blake Griffin - It all comes down to height with him. Is he 6'10" (unlikely), 6'9" (maybe), 6'8" (probably) or 6'7" (hopefully not)? His bust potential increases exponentially every inch under 6'10". He's athletic, sure, and skilled, sure, and he gets his points and rebounds in bunches even if he's basically indifferent on the defensive end save for the occasional block. His game reminds me of a slightly less explosive, nonshotblocking Kenyon Martin (down to the ugly jumper that sometimes goes in) or a more skilled David Lee. Is that worth a #1 pick to you? Well, get used to it, because in this draft "slightly better than David Lee" might actually be worth a #1 pick.

Ricky Rubio - The real question with Ricky Rubio is this: if the Kings drafted him, how long would it take Ailene Voisin to write a double-entendre filled ode to his wizard-like skills? (answer: 17 minutes). The other question: is he the second coming of Jason Kidd or the second coming of Sean Livingston? Rubio is not that athletic. No, stop. It's ok to admit it. I don't care how good he is for his age. He's not that quick. Just come to terms with it and move on. Compare early Kidd videos to Rubio highlights and tell me what you see. Told you. So then the question is: do you like the idea of having the 2009 version of Jason Kidd on your roster, i.e. a good passer, yes, but a defensive liability who can't shoot? How is that working out for Dallas, and is that worth the #2 pick? (I know he's supposed to be a good defender but look: he's not exactly guarding Chris Paul over in Spain). Here's a test: go onto a message board and say "Ricky Rubio is not that athletic, I'm concerned." What will you hear? "But the guy can just flat out play." And there's your bright and shiny red flag. Maybe, maybe Rubio is enough of a basketball genius or just athletic enough to be like vintage Jason Kidd. We'll see.

Greg Monroe - The second coming of Chris Webber, or rather the second coming of Chris Webber after he blew out his knee and was never the same again. Monroe is a reasonably quick but earthbound power forward who is more comfortable taking the ball to the hoop, dropping incredible dimes, and shooting 15 footers than he is banging in the post. Sound familiar? Only, unlike even post-injury Webber he's allergic to rebounds and can be pushed around by any power forward with a hint of muscle definition. If you still want Monroe after that description, don't worry, we already have his long lost twin on our roster: his name is Spencer Hawes.

James Harden - You've heard he's like Brandon Roy, right? Well, he's not. Harden's not nearly as quick and is built like Mitch Richmond, which would be great if it were 1995, but things have changed just a tad since then, not least of which it's no longer permissible to hand check a dude to stop him from blowing by you into the lane. Harden has great all-around skills and is a very deft passer (provided he is dribbling to his left), but he's not that quick, not that tall, and I personally watched him struggle against Landry Fields to the point that Harden forearmed him in the face out of frustration. Who is Landry Fields? EXACTLY. Let's just say that when Harden is guarded by someone either bigger or more athletic than him (which would be, you know, every night in the NBA), he really really struggles.

Jrue Holiday - Oh, Jrue. Jrue, Jrue, Jrue. Where to start? Jrue has the potential to be a good defender. And that's about it for the positives. Oh, he can shoot. Sometimes. But don't believe what you've been told: he's a shaky, shaky ballhandler, and he has a very slow first step. He simply cannot create a shot for himself. Not even an embarrassing airball! He literally can't get a shot off. Jrue is very young and might get better someday, perhaps even this season. Until that time, he's all hype, no results.

Jordan Hill - What's not to like, right? 6'10", averaging 18/11, big and strong, looks like an NBA power forward... so why am I not more excited about him? Mainly because I feel like Hill is the guy who does just enough to tantalize you with his skills and potential so you end up getting excited, only in the end he doesn't quite deliver and you wind up even more disappointed than if he had shown nothing to begin with. Hill isn't a great shotblocker and he doesn't do the little things. He gets his points and rebounds because he's a big and strong college power forward, but it all adds up to less than the sum of the parts. He's not a Chris Wilcox-level athlete, and while he's reasonably coordinated around the hoop, he doesn't really have much of an offensive game. Think: Etan Thomas without the poetry.

Brandon Jennings - I haven't seen The Expat play and don't know much about him, other than that he's athletic and is friends with Marcus Williams. So basically 50% good, 50% horrifying.

Al-Farouq Aminu - As you drool over his high-flying highlight reels, repeat after me: "I will not draft an awkward small forward who can't shoot... I will not draft an awkward small forward who can't shoot..."

Stephen Curry - No player has had the "Negative negative negative, but he can just flat out play" tag applied more than Curry. He might be the next Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf. More likely he's the next Steve Kerr.

Hasheem Thabeet - I know. You've probably seen him and thought, "Holy crap this guy sucks." I think that too from time to time. But here's the thing: he's 7'3" and he has hops! He can run the floor, he can jump, and most importantly, he has good hands. He catches tough passes, he gets tough rebounds, he is an extremely skilled and quick shotblocker. Yes, he has his weaknesses, mainly that he occasionally looks like they pulled him off the street just before tipoff and told him to put on a uniform, he struggles against quick players, he gets muscled around from time to time, and he has a disconcerting tendency to disappear in big games. But guys: 7'3". Hops. Hands. Shotblocking. Rebounding. Count me as a fan.

And finally, the guy I want the Kings to draft, at least until I change my mind again: Jeff Teague - Dude. Is. Athletic. Very very quick, killer crossover, easily creates separation, good ballhandler, crazy hops, has the makings of a good defender. Sure he shoots from his shoulder like he's in 6th grade but hey, it goes in. Unfortunately, he's really a 6'2" shooting guard and boasts a horrendous 1/1 assist to turnover ratio. Think of him as a more athletic Ben Gordon or possibly another Gilbert Arenas. For better and worse. But his combination of blinding quickness and solid shooting doesn't come along every day.

And sometimes, after obsessing about the draft all year round, you just have to stop overthinking it.