SB Nation User Blog: psvirsky

Tinsley negotiating with the Grizzlies

psvirsky — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:53:40 -0000

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4654711

"The Grizzlies have begun serious negotiations with free agent Jamaal Tinsley, and could sign the veteran as early as Saturday, The Commercial Appeal of Memphis has reported."

""He's on the radar," Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace said Saturday in a text message to the Memphis newspaper."

Thoughts everyone? Personally, I'd like to see him playing again and since he'll be playing for a bad team, it's not like he will all of a sudden turn into a championship winning PG. I like the guy but I'm not ready to see him reach his potential with another team quite yet.

Ed Johnson released because of a "lack of production"

psvirsky — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 18:31:10 -0000

From Oesher

Indianapolis Colts DT Ed Johnson release because of a “lack of production,” Head Coach Jim Caldwell says

Indianapolis Colts Head Coach Jim Caldwell on the release Wednesday of DT Ed Johnson: “It was production. It was a lack thereof.”

More to follow.

Here's Phil B's article: http://www.indystar.com/article/20091014/SPORTS03/910140366/1004/SPORTS/Caldwell++DT+Johnson+not+performing

I'm curious about what else Caldwell might say. Is there something else behind this? If it's really just production, another team is likely to sign him I assume. This really is weird - all night yesterday we kept saying it has to be drugs b/c there's no way it's a production issue.

On the bright side, if it's true, than at least our defense shouldn't take a huge step back, right?

Nice short story about Peyton and a bad interview question

psvirsky — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:06:44 -0000

Nice short story about Peyton and a bad interview question

This blog has a short story about a very quick interview with Peyton a few years back. I always find it interesting to hear stories about him when he's off camera.

Important tip for NFL Sunday Ticket on Directv

psvirsky — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 11:46:06 -0000

I know that a lot of people on here do not live in the Indiana area, like myself, putting us at the mercy of the scheduling gods when it comes to watching Colts games. I also know that a lot of people here love the NFL and want to watch as much as possible. There are two things I want to tell you about NFL Sunday Ticket (this is not a paid ad, I'm just really excited to have ordered it myself).

First of all, you can almost certainly get it cheaper than the listed price (assuming you have Directv or whoever else offers it). Just call in and ask for a cheaper price. Seriously. The normal price is $300. I got it yesterday for $240. Sometimes the first person you call in won't help so just hang up and get a new rep on the phone. They can give you all sorts of deals. I've also read that if you had it the year before and call in saying you're going to cancel, they might give it to you for like $50, with Superfan included.

The other note on finances is to compare it to watching games in bars. So there's 16 games in a season. We usually have 5 or so games on primetime TV (Thursday, Saturday, Sunday/Monday night). And then we can usually get another 4 or 5 games on when there aren't any local competing games (out here I have to hope we don't play at the same time as the Pats). So there are probably somewhere between 4-6 games you can't watch at home. If you're like me, you'll find the nearest establishment to watch these games. Obviously you could be frugal and just order a coke while watching a 3 hour game. But in my case, I'll probably get lunch/dinner and several beers. At the all too high Boston prices, that's going to cost me at least $30-$40. Multiplied by 4-6 games and it's anywhere from $100 to $250. And when you can get Sunday Ticket for the same price, tada! It's worth it.

Or so I convinced my wife.....

Who here is Bubba from Beech Grove?

psvirsky — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 11:37:26 -0000

After a nice positive article from Kravitz the other day, he's back to business this morning. His article pans the Colts for not allowing media to blog or tweet while at the open practices. He continually harps on the fact that "Bubba from Beech Grove" can do it all he wants, but Kravitz can't. I have a few concerns

1 - Who is Bubba from Beech Grove? I don't think BBS is from BG, but I assume Kravitz has someone in mind. Anyone? (I know it's not really someone specific, but if I was new to SB, that would be a GREAT screen name)

2 - It's not totally clear why Bob cares. He keeps saying that he doesn't blog or use twitter, but he thinks the Colts should allow him to. What??

3 - Is this just a little man syndrome type deal where he always has to find something to complain about?

Just want to add, I'm not usually one to harp on the MSM and I think SB is oftentimes too hard on them. They fill a different role in the sports world than blogs do and we have to understand that. ESPN has to make as much money as it can and it does so by reaching out to the lowest common denominator. They don't need to attract the super football fans. But this article was a bit much even for me.

http://www.indystar.com/article/20090805/SPORTS15/908050337/1004/SPORTS/Colts+need+to+join+21st+century+on+media+rule

Poll

Who is Bubba from Beech Grove?

BBS

4 votes

MRW

1 votes

DZ

4 votes

Shake

4 votes

Oesher

5 votes

the field

13 votes

31 votes | Poll has closed

Jamario Moon to the Cavs

psvirsky — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 17:30:05 -0000

And another swingman that has been discussed around here is going to the Cavs...

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4339432

After discussing Anthony Parker for a few days and seeing him get signed there, now the Cavs are going after a sort of similar player that we had discussed. They are really loading up on the swingman. I assume they're looking for guys to guard VC and Rashard Lewis (and Paul Pierce for that matter).

Now that we have Watson and Jones, it seemed less likely that we would get him. Oh well

CJ Watson anyone?

psvirsky — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:37:22 -0000

Not a guy I know too much about, but I read an interesting comment on him and decided to do a little research. He would be a cheaper replacement for Jack. Here's what I found:

This is what piqued my interest, from basketball prospectus' analysis of the free agent PG's (and this is in comparing him to Jack):

"Though he's without Jack's pedigree, Watson has carved out a nice career in Golden State as an undrafted free agent; he brings a similar skill set and had superior numbers last season. With the Warriors dealing for Acie Law and drafting Stephen Curry, Watson would seem to be very available."

Hmm, interesting. Here's some quotes from his profile on draftexpress.com, most of which is about a year old:

"He did a great job moving the ball up the floor on the break and making things happen. He has nice quickness and great speed, allowing him to beat his man to the where he earned numerous trips to the foul line. Watson shows a tremendous motor, always in attack mode"

"His assist numbers weren’t great, but he set the tempo and sparked quite a few easy baskets. His shooting touch looked solid, and considering the amount of time he spent with the ball in his hands, he didn’t turn the ball over all that much."

"Defensively, Watson was an absolute nuisance. He has incredibly quick hands and took advantage of some shoddy ball handling by Dallas’s starters."

Realistically, he doesn't sound like he fits into JOB's system as much if he holds on to the ball that much, but hey, I'm ready to let JOB go after this season anyways. While they don't seem overly excited about his shooting, his percentages are really good: 40% from 3 and 87% from the line.

Here's a quote from his profile before getting drafted that looks promising:

"One of the most steady and more under-appreciated floor generals in this tournament, CJ Watson is exactly the type of player most coaches would love to have running their team. Nothing he does really jumps out at you, but at the end of the day he just gets the job done, to the tune of 15 points a game with a near 2/1 assist to turnover ratio and superb percentages from the field (47% FG, 43% 3P, 87% FT). He's smart, opportunistic, unselfish, and plays both ends of the floor. "

So, like I said, I don't really know his game that well and if anyone knows better, definitely chime in. He just sounds like a really solid backup PG who can shoot really well, plays good fundamental D and doesn't make many mistakes. Thoughts everyone?

Patty Mills - the Australian Sensation

psvirsky — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 20:07:22 -0000

[Note by Cornrows, 04/21/09 6:45 PM EDT - From the FanPosts, psvirsky puts point guard prospect, Patty Mills up consideration.]

We've had a few people mention Patty Mills in the comments so it seems like a good time to talk about him. First of all, he is currently projected at the beginning of the second round. That means we would have to trade either up or down and our current picks aren't likely to net him. Nonetheless, he is an intriguing prospect at PG. He is 6'0, 175 lb - just a bit small but not bad at all.

The interesting thing about him is that people got pretty excited about him before the season based on how he played with the Australian national team, but he was injured for a majority of this past season so his stock didn't really move much. His biggest attribute is definitely his speed. The guy is just really quick and can turn the corner on anyone. His quickness is also helpful on defense in that he gets a ton of steals. He's a great free throw shooter and a decent 3-point shooter ("textbook jump shot"). As far as PG skills go, he's got a decent handle although he's not the most amazing passer.

It seems that his biggest weakness is sort of an overall inefficency thing. He can get to the hole well but is only an okay finisher. While he's a decent shooter, he takes way more than 3's than he should. In a way, he still plays more like a combo guard and because of his size he needs to be able play the 1. He's not a floor general yet although there's potential there. He also couldn't play defense at the 2 so it's important that he really become a solid 1.

Ultimately, the impression I get is that the guy definiitely has the potential to become the next Tony Parker. The quickness and shooting are very similar. His weaknesses are more about growing up and becoming a true point guard. He has to make better decisions overall and especially near the basket. It does seem like all his flaws are fixable though and aren't major. My guess is that people are more worried about him because he just didn't improve as much as expected this year. Maybe he's maxed out his potential (in which case he wouldn't be worth drafting) but maybe he's on his way to becoming the next Parker.

Plus, I assume he has a cool accent, so we have to take that into account as well.

Deja Vu - Pacers look at Ty Lawson?

psvirsky — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 20:49:16 -0000

[Note by Cornrows, 04/14/09 9:14 AM EDT - From the FanPosts, Ty Lawson is up for initial consideration. Good timing coming of a game which saw T.J. Ford and Jarrett Jack combine for 7 assists and 8 turnovers.]

As we all know, the Pacers were awfully close to getting Lawson last year. Were it not for an ill-timed indiscretion with the law, the Pacers would have too many PG's and the Tar Heels probably don't win the championship. I've been looking at a wider variety of mock drafts lately and over the past week or two we've ended up with Lawson more than any other player. I imagine most everyone has a decent idea of what Lawson is like so I'll try to keep this one shorter than the others.

First off, Lawson is a bit short at 5'11 but is definitely stout enough at 195 to hold his own. His two main attributes are speed and passing. The guy is fast as hell and he can drive by pretty much anyone. His assist numbers are as good as anyone in college. This year he was at 6.6 assists a game with less than 2 TO's a game all while still finding his own shot for 16.6 points a game. He also shot nearly 50% from 3 and had a pair of steals a game. The guy can definitely play and be a big time point guard.

Some negatives. His shot isn't great, despite his 3 point percentage. Most or all of his 3's are spot-up jumpers and he doesn't shoot as well when on the move. He also doesn't have much of a mid-range game. While he plays great up-tempo ball, he is definitely less effective in the half-court game. His size could be a bit of a liability on defense (albeit not too much). Also, as great as he's been in distributing the ball, he had some pretty good guys around him to pass the ball to. I'm sure there are a number of other college PG's who would have similar assist/TO rates with that NC team.

I'll go ahead and leave it at that. Here's his draftexpress page: http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Ty-Lawson-485/. Personally, I definitely like the guy and think he can be successful, especially in a JOB offense. My only real concern is that if we draft a PG, we will need to do something with the guys we have as 5 PG's is too many (including Tinsley and Deiner).

Quick note on his character, since the Pacers will shy away from these kinds of problems. His DWI last year, while unfortunate, is probably not an indicator of a bad kid. He was 20 years old and was under the legal limit (if he was 4 months older, he would have been fine). It was a mistake but not a huge one. Having read stories about his family, he seems to have a good background (military father) and appears unlikely to have off-court distractions.

DeJuan Blair - the Beast

psvirsky — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 02:36:49 -0000

[Note by Cornrows, 04/10/09 7:24 AM EDT From the FanPosts, psvirsky pumps up DeJuan Blair as a glass-eating post presence for the Pacers.]

Here comes one of my favorite guys so I'm just going to jump right in. Blair is the sort of player that you can describe very well with about 5 simple traits. 1 - He's one of the best offensive rebouners college has had in a long while (http://www.basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=580). 2 - He's only 6'7 but he's got a 7'3 wing span and weighs 265 lb (pure muscle). 3 - He plays with a mean streak and knows how to use his body down low. 4 - As impressive as he is, he's not necessarily uber-athletic. 5 - He's very competitive and one of the toughest players out there (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5R_k0Sw8nc throwing Hasheem Thabeet on to the ground).

I'll be honest though, he's got some serious flaws. He's projected at 22 for a reason. He plays PF but he's only 6'7 and not a huge jumper or anything. Offensively, he'll get most of his points off of put-backs or broken plays because he doesn't have a jumper yet. As for his post moves, he has some instinct but no go-to moves yet. He's a bad free throw shooter.

However, he is one of those players who just does certain things really really great. His offensive rebound and total rebounding numbers are off the charts. He's second in the country in rebounds per 40/minutes and did so in the Big East against some taller guys. He is a tough, competitive, make energy-plays kind of guy and a player who doesn't need plays run for him to get his points. His hands are unbelievable - he corrals everything near him. The dude is pure muscle. For what it's worth, he's about to turn 20 in a couple weeks.

Ultimately, I understand there are decent arguments against him, and unless things change, picking him up at 12 or so would be way too early. Maybe his stock will go up and we'll need that pick, but maybe we'd be better of trading back to get him. The thing about him is that of all the first rounders, he would fit on to this Pacers team better than anyone else. If he could be a starter that just brings toughness and rebounding, he could change the spirit of the team. I think Roy looks tougher next to him. His offensive rebounds would lead to more 2nd chance shots (he happens to be a decent passer out of the post too). I'll leave you with some quotes:

- DeJuan Blair’s statistical output this season has been nothing short of spectacular. He ranks #1 in PER with an astounding 38.9, which is due in large part to his efficiency offensively and the high value placed on offensive rebounding – an area where Blair excels at averaging 8.1 per-40 minutes, which is first in the nation by a wide margin, and also the most amongst all players in our database in the last eight years.

- Blair resembles more of a linebacker than a power forward, and because of his low center of gravity, standing at a modest 6’7, and his wide frame, weighing in 260 pounds, Blair is able to take up a lot of room in the painted area. In addition, his frame helps him and his teammates, seeing that he sets some of the best screens in the country. Furthermore, his freakishly long wingspan makes up for his lack of height and his incredibly soft hands enable him to wrestle boards away from the opposition.

- he has a tendency to go about his business quietly and refrain from putting his stamp on the game. The fact that he can potentially do more speaks volumes as to the player that he really is.

- he is extremely efficient, finishing 59% of his 2-point shots, which ranks him 11th in that category. He uses his body to his advantage inside and in the post, as he finds different ways to get his defender on his back – making it easier for him to finish. He certainly plays below the rim however and his lack of leaping ability has made him susceptible to blocked shots, although he has improved in utilizing crafty moves to get shots off. There is a distinct concern that at the NBA level he will struggle much more to score around the basket, though, considering his lack of size and explosiveness.

- Blair also does an excellent job at establishing deep position in the post. He’s also deceptively quick down there, often using the baseline and reversing on the other side of the rim to shield his defender – putting them in “jail”. He doesn’t have any type of face-up game at this point and lacks consistency with his shot

- His free throw percentage actually declined this year, going from 62.4% to 60.5%.

- One of his better qualities is his patience, as he doesn’t really force anything and does a good job at kicking the ball out to open shooters

- He lacks great lateral quickness to stay with anyone who drags him out and away from the basket. This is evident in isolations and pick and roll situations, where he’s forced to switch or hold a hedge for an extra second.

What does everyone think? My opinion is too biased at this point.