...almost 2 years ago. He's a truck driver and stats wonk who looked at various things. He's like SnP, in that he's building his own stats to rate NCAA players. With some success. He likes a couple of guys in this draft class as potential surprises: Tony Mitchell of North Texas, and Jae Crowder at Marquette.

A short pull from the article:

" In May 2010, an unsung numbers hobbyist named Ed Weiland wrote a long-term forecast of Jeremy Lin for the basketball website Hoops Analyst. At the time, Lin was a lightly regarded, semi-known point guard who had completed his final season at Harvard. But Weiland saw NBA material. He emphasized how well Lin played in three nonconference games against big schools: Connecticut, Boston College and Georgetown. He noted how Lin's performance in two unsexy statistical categories—two-point field-goal percentage (a barometer of inside scoring ability) and RSB40 (rebounds, steals and blocks per 40 minutes) compared favorably with college numbers put up by marquee point guards.... Weiland concluded that Lin had to improve on his passing and leadership..., but argued that if he did, "Jeremy Lin is a good enough player to start in the NBA and possibly star.""

http://bleacherreport.com/tb/bf4FF?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=nba

I found this on the FanShots list.

Scold me sternly for violating sacrosanct policy, but this is such a well reasoned article that everyone should read it, especially our coaching staff and front office. It was about to be scrolled off the fanshots with no comment, so readership was probably low.

It discusses why New Orleans is the best defensive team in the NBA, with at most 3 “real athletes”, none of them high level defenders. They basically take the Shane Battier theory of defense and apply it on a team basis. It’s not about athleticism, it’s about figuring out where a player’s sweet spot is and developing coaching strategies that prevent him from getting there. It's also about a different defensive strategy for each team, it's not a system of defense so much as a philosophy that must be applied for each set of opposing players.

Interestingly, many players don’t realize where their sweet spot is and why they end up with a low shooting % after playing New Orleans — it’s just a bad shooting night.

This is must reading for coaches and players, IMHO, as well as Wolves fandom.

Have at it…

http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2011/1/25/1954651/chris-paul-new-orleans-hornets-defense

OK, another game went by without a recipe, and we lost. After a recipe post and a win in the previous game. I'm thinking if we had a recipe post on Monday, it might have tipped the balance, so here is another recipe.

This is for bean dip. It is primarily Mexican with maybe a bit of different flavor. Great with chips while watching a game. Also good as a leftover -- heat up some small flour tortillas, heat up the leftover bean dip in a microwave, smear on a tortilla and roll it up. If you add some chopped tomato and maybe some cheese, even better. If you have some leftover bacon, put it in the tortilla wrap, or some Chorizo sausage or even Jimmy Deans, helps too.

This is made from canned refried beans, and it tastes a lot less processed than the bean dip you buy in the chip section of the grocery store.

1 Can of refried beans -- can be any kind, including refried black beans.

1 Onion, chopped

1 packet of shredded cheese, I use a Mexican mix, but jack cheese or colby, cheddar, Swiss all works too.

1 chopped Jalapeno pepper, or maybe two depending on taste.

1 handful of raisins

Spices: Cumin, chile powder, cinnamon, add your favorites.

1 beer, partially consumed.

First, brown the onions in olive oil or butter. When they begin to show a bit of brown on the edges, toss in the raisins. Add half the chopped jalapenos

Spice up the onions while browning with cumin & chile powder.

Open the can of refried beans & dump in the pan.

When the refried beans begin to bubble (it will be slow, like mud letting off a bit of steam) add half the shredded cheese. Stir it up a bit so the cheese melts into the refried beans. 

When it bubbles again, add a few ounces of beer & stir some more. I consider beer to be a particularly fine version of vegetable broth, so up to this point, this is a vegetarian recipe, maybe even vegan :o)

If you want, prepare recipe beforehand to this point and do the rest at game time

When it bubbles again, put from pan into an oven dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese over top and slip into the oven. If you like hot spicing, add some chopped jalapeno on top of the cheese. It will melt down into the cheese layer in the oven. Oven can be a hot temperature or even broil if you are impatient, but a slower oven (350) if you are reheating.

Save the leftovers, if there are any, for tortilla rollups with reheated bean dip. Excellent.

Optional: If you crave meat, chop up 2 - 4 slices of bacon, and fry up the bacon bits before starting the onion. Let the onion cook in the bacon fat. 

If anyone asks you if this recipe is any good, tell them you will give them a REPORT in the morning.

I have this strong feeling that we win more games if there is s recipe posted that not. So I am doing my duty as a fan to post a recipe. This is for a guy-friendly meal that could be eaten during game time. We call it London Tacos, for a specific reason.

A bit over 30 years ago, I moved with my wife & two school age kids to London on a job assignment. At first, the kids were not happy about it and complained about whatever they could find that made London not as good as Mpls. One of those things: no tacos. Later the kids adapted & and loved life there, but at 1st it was a bit of a challenge.

At that time, to find taco shells in London was a major trip, and a packet of taco seasoning was pretty much non-existant. But there were all these cool shops in neighborhoods where Greek or Turkish families sold sandwiches -- typically sausages or gyro meat or shishkabobs in pita bread. Delicious. They looked close enough to a taco to me, so we started calling them London tacos, and we made them at home with ground beef cooked up sorta like taco meat. Here's how:

1 lb ground beef (or ground pork, turkey...)

Packet of pita bread

1 large onion chopped

Chopped tomato

Chopped lettuce

handful of raisins (a London innovation inspired by middle eastern cooking)

Spices: Salt, pepper, cumin, chile powder, cinnamon, oregano, maybe some red pepper flakes

Grated cheese

Maybe some chopped jalapeno

Yogurt or sour cream or salsa

Start by putting chopped onion in a frying pan in some oil that is already heated - olive oil with a pat of butter works great.

I always like to cook the onion down until it is gently browned, this takes awhile.

After the onion turns transparent, start spicing the onion: Salt & pepper, tablespoon or two of cumin & chile powder, a couple of pinches of oregano, and let the onion start absorbing the flavors of the cpices.

At this point, toss in a handful of raisins, this cuts the hotness a tad, adds a bit of sweetness to the savory flavors. 

Continue cooking the onions for 5-10 minutes. Add another round of spices as above. Then push the onions aside and put in the ground meat.

Brown the ground meat in the center of the pan, sorta chopping it up to get more meat exposed to the heat at the bottom. Spice the meat with Salt & pepper, cumin, oregano, chile powder a bit more cinnamon.

Keep on browning the meat for awhile. You may need to add more oil to the pan. If things start sticking to the bottom of the pan, add some beer & scrape the flavorful bits up while it simmers. WIne works too.

Meanwhile, cut the pitas into half & toast the halves. 

When the meat looks done, put some grated cheese in the bottom of the pita half, then scoop some meat mixture on top of it. Then top with a glop of yogurt & add chopped tomato & lettuce, and maybe some jalapenos.

Eat -- and be careful of the juice running down your forearms and dripping off your elbows if your girlfriend or wife is around.

Goes great with beer or wine, or whatever.

Go Timberwolves!

Talk about overpaying. This is from an email from NBA.com:

BREAKING NEWS: Stoudemire verbally agrees with the Knicks The New York Knicks finally got a return on their two years of self-induced misery on Monday, finishing up the final touches on a five-year contract for Phoenix Suns free agent forward Amar'e Stoudemire that is expected to be worth around $100 million. A source indicates a formal announcement from Stoudemire should be forthcoming within the hour at Madison Square Garden. 

quote

BREAKING NEWS: Stoudemire verbally agrees with the Knicks The New York Knicks finally got a return on their two years of self-induced misery on Monday, finishing up the final touches on a five-year contract for Phoenix Suns free agent forward Amar'e Stoudemire that is expected to be worth around $100 million. A source indicates a formal announcement from Stoudemire should be forthcoming within the hour at Madison Square Garden.

end quote

This is an interesteing summation from blazersedge.com on Webster. Look at where he makes his shots, and where he misses his shots. he's got good 3pt shooting, but spotty. And good 2pt shooting, but spotty. We should be able to improve his shooting percentages via focus and training. 

I'd be really interested in what others think about his shooting map, and any deeper meaning we can derive from it. Also, the top post at blazersedge is about the draft & Pritchard. It has a bit on the Webster/Babbit trade, which is not negative on Webster or the Wolves trade. If you go there, check it out.

Here is the link to the post on Webster from May 2010:

http://www.blazersedge.com/2010/5/12/1470185/2009-10-season-review-martell

As said in my first comment a few hours ago below and by Dave in his post, one big problem going forward with that is Martell gets more consistent with more minutes. He’s not so much instant offense when coming off the bench, especially coming in with a weaker lineup and asked to carry that. And if he developed into a one-dimensional player on offense, that would make it easier to defend him with players just staying home in front of him. He should at least try to develop his mid-range shooting and dribbling, since when he gets close to the rim he’s dangerous again with his athleticism. It’s more or less the area in between where he has trouble getting his scores.

As also said below I like the strides he has made this season on defense and his overall game. And his contract is fair if he continues to produce like that. Just his future role on the team is a bit a point of discussion with that inconsistency Dave pointed out especially when the minutes could go increasingly to Nic. It might become a case of “he’s more valuable to you than he is to us”, pretty much the exact opposite to where e.g. Oden stands.

by Norsktroll on May 13, 2010 8:35 AM PDT up actions   1 recs

Simmons latest column is about Mikhail Prokhorov, the 6'7" Russian owner of the Nets. It's a fun read, link here.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/100521&sportCat=nba

Simmons likes the guy, says a lot of good things about him. He calls Prokhorov "Mutant Russian Mark Cuban" or MRMC for short. Here are a couple of quotes, and then my comments after:

quote

"MRMC on his vision for the Nets: "[We'll] be the first really global team in the NBA. For me, being the first foreign owner, I want to do my best to invite all the fans for the team all over the world. I think the NBA is worldwide. But other teams [possess a] more local mentality. We are going to create and to build a global franchise to sell all around the world. I think I have a competitive advantage compared to other owners.""

Another quote, with Simmons predictions:

"For the first season, I see MRMC making two or three much-ballyhooed in-season trips -- maybe a week per pop, during which he catches a few home games, works the media, gets a few standing O's at games, then heads back to Russia -- and every time he gives an interview, he will push the whole "we're turning the Nets into a global team" mantra. Like this week, when he said, "I think the great metropolitan [area] of New York is a great place for the players. You are part of the global world. If you [want a] good climate, you can play in Miami, but you are not a global player -- even if you have a flat on Fisher Island."

Still, allow me two making-a-splash predictions for this summer. The first: MRMC pounces on Phil Jackson with an absolutely unfathomable offer. How unfathomable? Five years, $85 million. Yeah. That's what I mean. Prokhorov is already on record as saying that he wants an NBA coach. Why not overpay to get one of the greatest ever? How could the Lakers possibly come close to matching that commitment? And why would Jackson say no to finishing his career in the New York area for the most lucrative coaching deal ever, BY FAR? I say the Godfather offer gets made, and I say Jackson takes it.

Second, instead of chewing up Jersey's cap space with overpaid free agents, I bet Prokhorov trades for Andrei Kirilenko -- his former CSKA star, as well as an expiring 2011 contract of $17.82 million -- in a deal that won't cost Jersey anything because Utah (struggling to find money for Carlos Boozer) could easily replace Kirilenko with its lottery pick (No. 8 overall) and a second trade. For the Nets, even if they just rented Kirilenko and picked Georgia Tech's Derrick Favors (the draft's best power forward) at No. 3, that's an intriguing short-term front line (Favors, Kirilenko and Brook Lopez) and they'd maintain flexibility for a run at Carmelo in 2011 and/or have Kirilenko's expiring deal to shop this February. And it would go over big back home for Prokhorov. Win, win and win."

end quote

It is clear that Prokhorov (or Mike, as he introduced himself to NBA owners), wants the Nets to be a global team. I think the Wolves have two assets he would really like -- Rubio and Pekovic. Maybe we can use those assets to further our team goals, or maybe not. I'll bet that Mike sould take #4 and Pek for #3 however. But maybe that's too much. Simmons thinks that Mike wants either Favors or Cousins with his #3 pick.

As I've posted before (and I'll say again), I think the Wiz might take Cousins, which would upset things nicely. The Sixers, with Iggy, would then take Wall or Favors, and we could then talk to the Nets about what to do next.

Prokhorov clearly has a different idea about internationalizing the NBA, and I'll bet Stern supports him. 

It's a great article, given our international assets. And Mike's wealth -- Simmons does a great job of talking about how Mike got so rich, too, and about how he loves women and food and ski-dooing and so forth. A great read...

The Wall Street Journal this weekend has a story about Mikhail Prokhorov the Russian owner of the NJ Nets -- With pictures -- the guy looks more like a Swede than a Russian. The story is mostly about the Russian biathlon team, which Prokhorov bought and rebuilt. But it gives a great idea about the man and gives some indications of how he will manage the Nets.

At the conclusion, I give my take on how he might affect the draft, with my personal guarantee of how it will work out. Please consult the list of exclusions printed on the inside of the boxtop.

Continue reading this post »

OK, I've read of several trade ideas that are worthy of getting Mr. Kahn fired if he even whispered them to himself while sitting on the john. So with the bar so low, I reckon I can submit an idea too.

I'm gonna be brave & reckless, and propose a trade of Ricky Rubio. Please don't dump on me until you read about it.

Background: There is one team we could trade with that is so gobsmackingly obvious that I'm surprised no one has mentioned it -- Miami Heat. Miami has the biggest Hispanic population in the USA, English is practically the 2nd language. It is also a major tourist destination in the USA for people from Spain, Germany, Scandiland, Italy & Greece. If I'm Stern, and I want to build the NBA brand in Europe, I want Ricky to play in Miami.

So here is a trade proposal that would be good for both teams:

To Miami:

Ricky Rubio plus Spare Parts (any 2 or 3 of Etan Thomas, Smith, Pecherov, Cardinal, Gomes). Maybe the Pekovic pick if they are nice enough to take a bunch of our guys and send a pick back.

To the Wolves:

Michael Beasley, plus a bad contract not named Mark Blount, plus a pick

Why Miami does it:

Rubio is perfect for Miami, he can play with Wade, and also be the next Wade as Duane fades. Riley would love a banger like Thomas for a year or two, he'd appreciate a smart vet like Cardinal, he could find a role for a 7 foot popper like Pecherov, and he might even like the idea of bringing Pekovic over -- with a virtual certainty (according to me) that Pekovic would sign with Miami. Another reason: Beasley was mildly disappointing in his rookie year, and does not seem like a Riley type player. There was a lot of hesitation over the pick in 2008, and it seemed like Riley wanted Rose or Mayo instead. If he gets Ricky, he turns Beasley into the kind of player he wanted last year.

From a business standpoint, Miami would sell tickets like crazy and create a great identity for the team with Ricky. Miami would be the go-to place for euro hoops fans on vacation -- beaches, babes, ball and Ricky.

Why Minnesota does it:

Relieves the PG situation, establishes Flynn as heir apparent, with good backup in Bassy. More important, we use Beasley as a long 3, turning a big weakness into a big strength. With a front court of Al, Love & Beasley, who needs a center? Al plays in the block, Love at the top and Beasley at the wing and as a spacer & runner, plus we'd be dominant rebounders -- an awesome team. With Corey as a defender/runner, and WEllington as a shooter and spacer, we'd be cool. Flynn would work really well with the three bigs as targets.

Summary:

This might seem unbalanced in favor of Minnesota, but I'm thinking it can be done. Rubio has bigger star power and upside than Beasley, arguably. And in terms of giving the Heat an identity in the biggest Hispanic market and Euro travel destination, it would have to be considered.

Ok there it is. Please, be gentle with me...