InClement Weather: NBA Draft Rumblings & Grumblings

Tweet tweet, of course. Remember, live blogging HERE at PHSports and here at Twitter all Thursday night (aka NBA Draft night) long.

Update: Major draft implications with the recent Washington/Minnesota deal. Key players include Randy Foye, Mike Miller, and the 5th pick in this year's draft. READ HERE.

Here's Pay's most recent 2-round mock.

As well as a few of his thoughts...
* Pick 2 is most intriguing. Why would Thabeet sit out during a workout with Memphis? Would you take a player if he sat out? I'd take Rubio and trade him to whoever wants him.
My Comment: I couldn't agree more. Thabeet worries me a TON. More on that later...
* Totally feel like the Kings are going with Tyreke Evans.
My Comment: Evans is my man crush, sans the obvious (Maynor & Flynn), this year.
* Spurs scalped the Bucks and got RJ for declining talent. Even if they get 60 games out of him, that's still a huge coup. Each of the Spurs' big four will miss at least 10 games at one point next year.
My Comment: The injury comment could not be more dead on, including Jefferson. LA's Bill Plaschke (of Around the Horn "fame"), thinks this is as close to a Pau Gasol-deal as the Spurs could've made. They may be #2 in the West "Power Rankings". More on that later...
* T-Will is going in the teens
My Comment: I am seriously doubting if Earl Clark or Terrence Williams will be NBA contributors. Jay Bilas disagrees strongly. Good.
* NBADraft.net really hates Jrue Holiday
My Comment: VCU hates the guy too. He saved his best game for the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season.
* Maynor won't be a lottery pick unfortunately.
My Comment: A few weeks back, the trend had Maynor slipping to the late teens or even early 20s. The interesting threesome I see is Maynor, Lawson, and Teague. I think we know why Flynn came out, dude could go as high as 4 to Sac Town. Although I've seen him as low as 14 (NBADraft.net). I'm still ecstatic for Maynor and VCU and HOPE that 17 is where he lands, so I can see him play once in a while. I think he'd be a PERFECT fit for a pick-and-roll offense. Jay Bilas agrees. Uh oh.

As for today's weather report...

Rondo, seen here with his buddy Ice Cube, didn't react well to the trade rumors.
Credit: ClubTaurus.com

1) Danny Ainge knows the Celtics are getting old and standing pat for a championship run in 2010 may be too costly for the C's future, specifically with the summer of 2010 ("Free Agency Summer") approaching. Curiously though, perhaps the top young talent on the team (point guard Rajon "Triple Double" Rondo), was linked by Yahoo! Sports with a blockbuster deal with the Detroit Pistons.

In the "supposed" proposed deal, Detroit would've sent Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, and Rodney "50 Cent" Stuckey to Boston for Ray "He Got Game" Allen and Rajon Rondo. I might need to check out a few contracts; however, I'm shocked Rondo was paired in any deal, especially since Allen's expiring-next-season $20-million contract is easy to sell on its own. I knew immediately Stuckey would be involved, who's an intriguing point guard talent himself, although no Rondo (yet). Even more surprising, in the end, was Detroit potentially passing on the move, with Joe Dumars making mistake after mistake in recent trades and free agent signings (aka Kwame and AI).

Once talk of those Perfect Strangers reunion show die down, maybe Manu can focus on staying healthy on the court. Dance of JOY!!!

Credit: NBASportsMedia.com

2) San Antonio pulls the trigger, sending a trio of "role players" (Kurt Thomas, Fabricio Oberto, and Bruce "Trips" Bowen) for swingman Richard Jefferson. I hate to quote other articles, but this clearly sums up the thoughts of Milwaukee Bucks basketball as of late:

This is what happens, general managers and fans alike, when you shoot for 45 wins, and nothing higher. This is what happens when you overvalue talent. Like, perhaps, Luke Ridnour's talent. This is what happens when you pin your hopes on Richard Jefferson as a second go-to guy, even when he should be a third or fourth, while being paid as a first option. It's a lopsided deal, talent-wise, even taking into consideration the way people tend to overrate Jefferson. But it's a necessary deal, in Milwaukee's eyes, as Jefferson is due over $29 million over the next two seasons, on a team with little upside and no real reason to pay a luxury like Jefferson to stick around.

This should allow the Bucks enough money to sign their lottery pick and potentially hang onto Ramon Sessions (do it!); however, they could go PG, bench Ridnour, and let Sessions bolt (mistake!).

What surprises me, for the better, is the Spurs making the move for Jefferson. A 3rd option, at best, who gets paid WAY TOO MUCH (shocker), Jefferson actually might fit in well with the Spurs...if he starts playing actual defense. The #2-spot in the West isn't exactly locked up, despite Denver's lift-oft post-Chauncey last season, and Tim Duncan will love having Jefferson - if healthy - ready to score; especially if Ginobli can stay healthy come playoff time. Duncan/Parker/Ginobli/Jefferson is a pretty solid four. The only concern is this doesn't allow the Spurs to be freed up next summer, although I didn't see them being able to add an elite superstar (Amare, Bosh, Wade) anyways.

Surprisingly, Caron "Clipse" Butler isn't part of this Washington Wizards' trade discussion.
Credit: HoopDoctors.com

3) ESPN.com's "trade rumors" (shocker, you don't have to pay for them) has the following "never-gonna-happen-in-a-million-years-trade-proposal". The question is: how dynamic might this be for all or some parties concerned? A LOT.

It would look like this: The Suns send Shaquille O'Neal to Cleveland and Amare Stoudemire to Washington. The Cavs send Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic to Phoenix and Zydrunas Ilgauskas to Washington. The Wizards send the No. 5 pick, Etan Thomas, Mike James and JaVale McGee to Phoenix and Antawn Jamison to Cleveland. Call me crazy, but isn't this the ideal deal for all three teams?

This can't be Vinsanity, can it? Can it!?!?
Credit: GotMilk.com

4) David Lee, Vince Carter, and Luol Deng will have their names bounced quite a bit the next 48-72 hours. Guess who's getting moved? NONE OF THEM!!!

Stephen Curry can borrow this suit come draft night. No need for the lawyer, though.
Credit: GossipBoulevard.com

5) A couple quick hits to end things...
-Tyreke Evans is going to be the best player, production-wise, out of this draft. I called it with Paul Pierce in 1998 and Danny Granger in 2005 (okay, CP3 and Deron Williams are better). Both Pierce and Granger slipped way too far, which Evans shouldn't, and ended up developing into dynamic NBA talents (check the numbers on Granger, folks). I'm calling it with Evans, too. Bring him to MSG for good!!!
-I'm nervous about Stephen Curry being a shooter on a team like Golden State (at #7). Very very nervous.
-(My boy) Eric Maynor turned down an invitation to MSG to stay at home with his family in Fayettville. Might waiting until 17 (Philly) be too long for one of the the top senior prospects in the draft?
-I'm always going to wonder how different Kentucky might've been next year with those recruits, Patterson, and Jodie Meeks. Wow.
-DeJuan Blair won't be an impact starter in the NBA or any professional league. That doesn't mean he can't be a valuable reserve...in 3-4 seasons.
-Hasheem Thabeet is a perfect #2 pick. He's as stiff as bigs come and doesn't have a basketball IQ I want anywhere near my starting 5 just yet.

When it comes to poor drafting, I know far too much pain.

Final Finals Thoughts: It’s Time for Some Changes…NOW!

As the NBA Finals end rather unceremoniously, with a borderline disgusting Spurs 4-0 sweep of the Cavs, it seems that everyone is spending the majority of their time beating up the current format of the NBA Finals; specifically, the ridiculous disparity in power between the Eastern and Western Conferences.

Unfortunately, balancing the power of each of the conferences is nearly impossible right now.

Especially since the top two picks in this year’s draft, likely to be future franchise cornerstones Oden & Durant, will both be transplanted into the Pacific Northwest (at least for the time being).

Ironically, following the last game of the 2006-07 season, I’m not even summarizing the impressive sweep the Spurs just completed against the Cavs. Far from it, in fact. Just as the Spurs seem to want it; here I am analyzing what went wrong with the playoffs (again).
In fact, ambiguity may be the best term for symbolizing what the Spurs have done over the past nine seasons (which includes a total of four NBA titles). While I won’t spend much time on the topic, it has to be said – at least once in this post – that the Spurs have in fact molded themselves into a modern-day dynasty. Comparisons to teams like the Patriots, of the NFL, are both realistic and accurate.

While I’ll always be bitter about the Horry hip-check, I won’t be a Spurs hater. Not today at least.

So, as I veer off onto another route with tonight’s post, perhaps one being traveled just as much in recent days throughout the media, the question I can’t escape continues to linger right in front of me: where should we, and we meaning as in the office of the NBA commissioner (you know, that Stern-dude), begin to attempt to tinker with the mess that seems to be the NBA, specifically its playoff system, as of late?

Should we, we now describing the legion of loyal fans, just blame David Stern? Or should we instead blame the networks (ESPN & TNT) for having a dreary stranglehold on the schedule (remember, the Playoffs have to take nearly five months)? Should we consider the recently popular notion of re-seeding? Can we just go 1-16, in order, and worry about things like travel plans and division champions (i.e. hosting games) later?

Is there a possibility to mold the NBA Playoffs into a sort of May to June-Madness?

In all likelihood, none of these questions will be seriously addressed by the Commissioner. Not while profits are high and he continues to fret more about the league’s image, via marketing more than any other facet, 24/7.

While Stern would never directly listen to me, I’d still like to join the ever-growing rallying cry of everyone from experts to novice fans currently pleading with him to DO SOMETHING!

Can I also mention, even if it’s a completely off-the-wall note, that NBC’s coverage back in the day only helped things. Just allow yourself, if you remember of course, to reflect back to the glory days of NBA television coverage. Back to Bob Costas or Marv Albert giving a stirring introduction in the opening moments of the telecast. Whether they were in New York City, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, San Antonio, or Salt Lake City…you felt right next to them.

They were the voices, or perhaps even the catalysts, behind those
unforgettable moments during NBC’s coverage (spanning from 1990 to 2002): who can forget Jordan torturing everyone imaginable (with Ahmad “Little Mike” Rashad dry-humping him throughout the telecasts), the great five-year Suns/Sonics rivalry (from Barkley vs. Kemp to the shot from Rex Chapman), watching Shaq tear down rims and grow before our eyes from Orlando to Los Angeles, or the countless brawl-scenes from the Heat and Knicks (with instant laughter when you remember Zo and LJ flailing their arms at each other as Van Gundy bites at Mourning’s ankles).

Then, perhaps most recognizable, was the unforgettable music “Roundball Rock” (thanks John Tesh) that electrified you before another stacked double or even triple-header began.

Next was the in-studio team. Hannah Storm just plain rocked it. Peter Vecsey always had “insider information”, from his sources, which nobody ever believed. Steve "Snapper" Jones and Bill Walton were ready to choke each other out at any moment. Jim Gray was on the sidelines acting as arrogant as possible. Isiah and Magic were train wrecks, wherever they were. Matt Goukas and Dan Issel were always unexpectedly great #2 analysts. Even when Costas soaked everything out of the moment,
“This may be the last time Michael Jordan sweats on the sidelines of an NBA court while taking a break during his team’s final timeout,”…you ate up every second of it.

Ahhhh, fond memories from the NBA on NBC.

Now we get nauseating amounts of ESPN/ABC-fueled coverage of “The Association”. Where guys like Stephen A. Smith (get over yourself), Tim Legler (read more), Tom Tolbert (admittedly, he was a huge mistake started by NBC), and even Stuart Scott (tool tool tool) get WAY too much camera exposure.

TNT might have a fun studio team, if Charles Barkley wasn’t hoarse twenty minutes into every show. Not to mention Dick Stockton, somehow still breathing, can’t pronounce a single name that isn’t Smith/Jones/Williams/Jackson correctly.

While you could rant about the television aspect as much as you want; perhaps PTI’s Michael Wilbon said it best, “Why on Earth is Phoenix playing San Antonio, with their records, in the second round of the Western Conference Playoffs?”

I guess everyone wants Suns & Spurs in the Finals. And they’re going to whine and moan until they figure out a way they could get it. Assuming both teams could’ve gotten there. However, I still wonder how either team would’ve matched up with the Mavericks. Were the Warriors their only kryptonite in these playoffs for Dirk and Dallas?

Other questions still linger...

-Would the playoffs have looked more appetizing, and shown up more on the ratings radar, with a 1-16 pairing?
-Would we have had Golden State unforgettable upset of Dallas?
-Would J-Kidd have had as many triple-doubles? Or more possibly?
-Would Washington still have been as helpless?
-Would Deron Williams have risen to prominence?
-Would Carmelo and AI have potentially built real momentum following a potential first-round victory?
-Would LeBron have grown before our eyes in the Eastern Conference Finals?
-Would we know who “Boobie” Gibson was?
-Would Tony Parker have become a Finals MVP? {As if Eva wasn’t enough already.]

Or would the new memories be even better???

It’s interesting to ponder, if nothing else.

Just like these issues…

-NBA All-Star Game switches to International versus the USA? [Why not try it, once?]
-Changing the lottery system completely. [Punish teams who tank it.]
-Re-seed the playoffs. [At least explore ideas out loud.]
-Punish instigators more. [A new Robert Horry Rule sounds great.]
-Give out the MVP award after the post-season. [Tim Duncan and LeBron James just might agree with that.]
-Stop starting Finals games at 9:15 pm. [Forget the West Coast; you’re losing the biggest East Coast markets right off the bat with that start time.]
-Never allow the Pussycat Dolls to do a musical promo for the Playoffs. [Just let them dance to someone else’s music.]
-Make a rule, i.e. foul call, against flopping. Make it a foul. It’ll cut it in half. [PLEASE. Call if the F-Duke Rule.]
-Dump this stupid 2-3-2 format immediately. [No explanation needed honestly.]
-Make officials more accountable. [Sorry if it’s tough work, but the quality is slipping big time. Imagine if D-Wade didn’t get fourteen calls in Games 3 through 6 last Finals. Imagine!]
-Give more press for USA Basketball rosters and encourage more debates on TV about them. [It’s much more interesting than you think. Get a guy like Arenas to talk about it more and you’ll see how some players truly feel about it.]

I suppose most of this is all hot-air, but it’s still a hot-button issue…especially at the end of the season.

Fortunately, the NBA Draft is barely two weeks away. While that could end up disappointing, as last years clearly did, mainly due to a complete lack of interesting trades…at least it’s something to look forward to before a long off-season really begins.

After this NBA Finals, even for the purists who can survive by eating up the accomplishments and dominance witnessed during this post-season run by the Spurs…everyone deserves something a little more infotaining.

Until next time…

Note: Credits for photos found in comments section.

NBA Finals Predictions

PHSports always previews the biggest games, and series, the sporting world has to offer.

So why wouldn't we have some fun with the NBA Finals, which begin tonight at 9pm on ABC.

Only one more week of RIGHT NOW!
Credit: NBA.com

A few of the reglar staff writers have included their picks for the 2006-2007 champions, as well as their NBA Finals MVP and their NBA Finals MOP. Don't be fooled into thinking we're talking NCAA-esque Most Outstanding Player. We can't show that much love.

Instead, we're talking about the Most Overrated Player. As in who, while many expect they should, will not be able to make the type of positive impact their team is expecting.

And we're not talking elbow-shots from Big Shot Rob either.

Without further adieu...

Paymon says...
Spurs in 6. [If only to be different, as Pay clearly targets 5 like somebody else who follows.]
MVP: Tim Duncan
MOP: Larry Hughes

Armin says...
Cavs take it in 7.
MVP: LeBron "King" James
MOP: Bruce Bowen

Sum says...
Cavs epic upset in 7.
MVP: LeBron James
MOP: Tony Parker

Clement says...
Spurs win in 5.
MVP: Tim Duncan
MOP: Daniel "Boobie" Gibson

Let's hear YOUR picks [before Game 1 please] to see if you can do it better.

We'll have plenty of analysis, throughout the series, whether it goes 4,5,6, or even 7.

Despite the NBA experts and Vegas all banking on an easy Spurs victory (which would be their fourth title in nine years), some of us are holding out, even with idle wishing, that we may have a better Finals than expected.

Until next time...

Big Shot Rob…Strikes Again

Rather than by nailing a clutch 3-pointer to doom the fate of the Phoenix Suns in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals, Robert Horry struck a potentially more damaging blow by elbowing Steve Nash into the scorer’s table with 18 seconds to go in Game 4. [A game in which Phoenix withstood everything San Antonio had and secured a pivotal road victory evening up the series at 2-2.]

Just imagine the size of the suspension if one of the NBA bad boys had done this to Nash.
Credit: Yahoo! Sports

It should’ve left all of us eager viewers with an already stellar series, chippy or not, with three drama-packed games remaining and plenty of drama in the tank.

Instead, Horry’s elbow left a much more ominous fallout.

Amare Stoudemire, despite irrational pleas that he was checking in (not a chance, bro), and key backup Boris Diaw were both suspended for Game 5 on Tuesday evening.

Horry got 2 games himself. One for the elbow to Nash and one to loudmouth Raja Bell in a mini-altercation. Swift justice from the NBA as usual.

Nevermind that Horry started the entire thing. Even an idiot can tell that without Horry’s cheap shot, which he loaded up before delivering, nothing happens and no suspensions are needed. Now of course, this doesn’t mean anything that happens after a first incident doesn’t matter. But we’re not arguing such a simplistic ideal. This isn’t the time for a philosophical debate.

Instead, we have real-life video and real-life assessments that need to be made.

Mere seconds after it occurred, just about anyone who knows a thing about the NBA realized that after Stoudemire and Diaw left the bench, entering no more than 24 inches onto the court itself, the two young Sun playmakers had all but instantly drawn automatic suspensions from NBA resident sheriff Stu Jackson. There’s precedent written all over the books for this exact scenario which Jackson can easily fall back on too (hello Knick-fans and Patrick Ewing…thanks PJ Brown, by the way).

Unfortunately for the Suns, this leaves them sans Stoudemire and Diaw for Game 5, in a series in which they are tied 2-2 with home court advantage. Sure the Spurs lose Horry for Games 5 and 6, but they’d make the trade any day of the week. Grabbing the Suns leading scorer, rebounder, and impact player is plenty. Throwing in Diaw, Stoudemire’s immediate replacement, and a key bench performing (on a scale higher than Horry’s no less) is a king’s ransom.

Now let’s get the obvious out of the way: Amare and Diaw shouldn’t have left the bench. Period.

However, this speaks to two incredibly important questions:
1^st) Did Amare or Boris have any direct contact or even eye contact with Horry or a Spur following the play? The answer is a definitive NO. Video tape clearly shows them almost instantly retreating from on the court; instead, it is other Phoenix players, specifically Raja Bell (to nobody’s surprise) who defended Nash on the court against Horry.
2^nd) What is the need for clinging to a precedent which automatically suspends and leave no real room for appropriate discretion? Horry’s actions were deemed worthy of a 2-game suspension. Nevermind his malicious attempt to hurt Nash. I suppose if Nash had been bloodied again or perhaps had seriously injured himself (laying it on thick, ala Tony Parker in Game 1), then more games might’ve been tacked on.

And for those who question Nash's flying into the side of the scorer's table, check the stat sheet. Nash is 6’3 and 195 lbs. while Horry clocks in at just under 6-10 and 240 lbs. If you’ddoubt such a distortion, especially when Nash is running up-court trying to avoid being fouled...I’d be glad to deliver a forearm-shiver from my 250 lbs. frame to anyone at anytime for demonstration.

Earlier this season, Carmelo Anthony punches a player, in the face, and gets fifteen games. Why is Horry’s forearm-shiver, purposely meant to hurt Nash (frustration or not, an action like that means nothing else) barely worth 1/8^th of that penalty?

This reeks of the rather wimpy penalty dished out to Ben Wallace, who instigated the Malice at the Palace, which put Ron Artest onto the bad-boy map now and forever.

Jackson briefly commented that Horry’s additional elbow to Raja Bell warranted another game. Is this meaning that Horry’s first shot to Nash was worthy of 1 game? Only 1? So if he had stepped on Nash aftewards and elbowed D'Antoni before exiting, would it have been only 4? Stu?

Honestly, I have to ask: how come Horry doesn’t, at the very least, receive a 3 game suspension? Even though one can only predict if the series will go 2 or 3 more games, why on earth should Horry be allowed to play another game in this series? Especially if it’s Game 7. While he didn’t force Stoudemire and Diaw off the bench directly, without his action…their reactions, tame if you ask most people, would've have even been fathomed.

That has to matter at least somewhat. Doesn’t it?

In fact, could you imagine the impact if he were to hit yet another memorable shot to doom another contender into pretender status? Anarchy and chaos would reign supreme in Phoenix.

In a side note: Steve Kerr, reporting on behalf of Yahoo! Sports, mentioned during an earlier incident in the game, that Spurs Tim Duncan and Bruce Bowen briefly “left the bench” much in the same manner that Amare and Boris did. While I didn’t see said play described in the article, it seems to be long fogotten by now. At least from any meaningful NBA executive offices.

While Stu Jackson could’ve easily slapped Amare and Boris with major fines, and potentially lessened Horry’s suspension to a single game in return for not suspending the Suns-duo, it’s obvious he followed precedent without considering the circumstances fully.

If I'm Phoenix management, I take a page from the Warriors and print out t-shirts for all the fans to wear. I can see it now. It's a black and silver shirt that says DIRTY. And it has Horry's forearm to Nash on the back. Why not paint your crowd with the rival colors to prove a point? Sure you'd be fined. But it'd be worth it.

So the now Spurs head to Phoenix, tied 2-2, and see an opponent missing its two legitimate post-options. Good luck to Kurt Thomas, who might need to somehow play 48-minutes on Wednesday night. Remembering to not get into any foul trouble either in what should be an incredibly tightly-called game no less. Ditto for the likes of…wait, who else do the Suns have on their roster who can even attempt to post up with 2-time MVP Tim Duncan? Hmmm. Ironically, it appears Jalen Rose or even, ugh, Pat Burke may see their first playoff minutes. Either that or Shawn Marion better gain 35 lbs. overnight.

This entire ordeal, which is now officially even more befuddling than an episode of Lost, has left me asking a completely different question as I type: how little will this incident tarnish the image of Robert Horry?

While countless other players are seemingly never forgiven for even a minor transgression, it is barely known that Big Shot Rob once threw a towel in the face of his then head coach, in Phoenix, Danny Ainge. During a game. His punishment then? A trade to the Lakers and the opportunity to win more rings. Now, it seems he may be even a step closer to his seventh ring. What a warm story.

In the end, Horry’s actions only validated what Amare Stoudemire illuminated, criticism suddenly silent against him, earlier in the week. It was another dirty play from a dirty team.

See if you can find a pattern here.
Whether it’s been Bowen kneeing Nash in the groin, Bowen faking an injury from a supposed elbow down the court, Bowen kicking the achilles of Amare, or Tim Duncan whining about each and every call throughout the game…the once classy Spurs have the Suns right where they want them.

Thanks Robert for another series-changing shot.

Yes, even you commit a foul or two Timmy.
Credit: Sports Opinions Blog