You know, I’ve tried to write this post like 6 times, and every time I just stall at the beginning and give it up. Maybe I’ll actually get it written this time.

Anyway, we’ve hit the half way point of the NBA season. It’s time to look back at what we’ve learned, as well as look forward to what we can expect from the rest of the season. With that in mind, lets take a look at some of the teams that I really missed on.

Memphis Grizzlies
Wow, did I miss on these guys or what? Strangely enough, a lot of what I thought would happen with them did happen. Rudy #### really blossomed in his second year, becoming a potent scorer, J.C. Navarro has been one of the best rookies in the league and has had some truly spectacular shooting performances, and Mike Conley has played very well since returning from injury. They’re actually a decent offensive team. However, where I was wrong was thinking that they would be an improved defensive team. #### hasn’t been much of a defender, even though he has all the tools for it, Kyle Lowry isn’t having nearly as much impact as last year, and most importantly, Darko has been absolutely terrible. One reason I liked them so much was because an even slightly improved Darko would give them a much-needed shot-blocking presence in the back of their defense. Instead, Darko has, amazingly, been much, much worse than he was in Orlando last year. Of course, I also though 42 or 43 wins would get you into the playoffs out West, and that doesn’t appear to be the case at this point. Oh well, they’ll at least put themselves in good position to get Mike Beasley or DeAndre Jordan in the draft.

Chicago Bulls
I, like everyone else, have been pretty stunned by the poor performance of the Bulls. Now, to some extent we probably should’ve been able to see this coming. All the talk about a Kobe trade obviously had an effect on the young guys on this team. It was also painfully obvious that Ben Wallace was declining rapidly as a player. However, there’s no way that anyone could’ve predicted the inexplicably bad play of the Bulls’ young core players. To have one young guy regress when he should be improving is one thing, but for five guys under the age of 27? It’s absolutely incredible. Hinrich, Gordon, Deng, Duhon and Thomas are all having worse seasons than last year. We’re not just talking about slightly worse either, we’re talking about them being significantly less productive. 7 of the top 8 guys on the team (with Joe Smith as the exception) are shooting worse than they were last season. It’s absolutely mind-blowing how the young Bulls have regressed. I think we’re going to see the Bulls in the playoffs at the end of this season 1) because they’re in the East, and as bad as they’ve been they’re only a game behind the Pacers for the last playoff spot right now, but also because 2) it’s absolutely unheard of for a team full of young players to take a huge step backwards like this, and I think they’ll bounce back some and be respectable by season’s end.

Portland Trailblazers
I actually kind of thought Portland would be better than most people thought they would, but I never thought they’d have this kind of success. The biggest shocker to me has been the extraordinary play of Brandon Roy. I’ll be honest, I thought Roy was a really good player when Portland drafted him, and I thought he’d make a few All-Star teams and be a really good player, but I never thought he’d be this good, this fast. He has become the unquestioned leader of the team that has the best chemistry in the league. He does all the little things and he’s a big-time clutch player, making big shots, big defensive stops and getting big rebounds. I’d be hard-pressed to name a player with a better hesitation move than Roy, he reminds me a bit of Nash in the way that he always looks like he’s completely under control. Of course, the other big reason for the Blazers’ success has been the brilliant coaching of Nate McMillan. This Blazers team has great chemistry, they run their offensive sets really well, and they use zone defenses as well as any team in the league. That’s great coaching, McMillan has got this young team executing and believing in themselves.

Those are the teams that have really surprised this year, but we’ve also learned a lot this season about the league’s elite teams. With that in mind, I’m taking another look at my list of potential contenders and cutting it down to size a bit.

My list from the preseason looked like this (in no particular order): Spurs, Mavs, Rockets, Jazz, Celtics, Nuggets, Bulls, Suns

My list now (again, in no particular order): Spurs, Celtics, Pistons, Rockets, Nuggets, Lakers

So, why did I drop the teams I did?

Bulls are obvious, I’m not going to go over them

Jazz
They can’t defend the post at all, and I can’t bring myself to pick them in a conference with Duncan, STAT, Yao, Dirk, and now Bynum. You have to defend the post, and they can’t.

Mavs
Gone unnoticed by basically everyone is the fact that the Mavs’ defense has not been good this year. This team was 2nd in the league on offense and 5th on defense last year, this year they’re 2nd on offense and 18th on defense. Add that to their playoff failures the last two years and this team screams “paper tiger” to me.

Suns
Hardest drop from the list for me. I love Nash and I think this team is tremendously talented. However, they’re a worse defensive team than last year, and they aren’t going to win a title that way. Amare continues to be a weakness defensively in the post, and Brian Skinner brings defense, but he doesn’t have any offensive skills. Kurt Thomas was so great because he could both guard bigs and step out and hit the mid-range jumper, Skinner can’t do that. I hate it, but bad defensive teams don’t win titles.

You’ll notice a common theme on why I didn’t pick any of the previous teams. To put the importance of defense in perspective, there have only been 2 teams in the modern era who have won a title without a top 10 defense, and they were the ‘95 Rockets and the ’01 Lakers (who don’t even really count because they played great defense the year before and the year after and during the playoffs with essentially the same team, and obviously didn’t care about the regular season this year). Moral of the story is that defense is really important.

You may also be wondering why the Hornets didn’t make the list. Simply put, they don’t have a bench. I would take their starting five against any other starting unit in the league, but they don’t have the depth or the experience to make a deep run, especially not if anyone (read: Peja) gets hurt. I love the team, I love Chris Paul, they’re a great story, but I don’t think this is their year.

So, why the teams that I did pick?

I’m not going over the Spurs and Celtics, you all know why they’re on that list.

Nuggets
They have two possible starters who are out indefinitely with injury (Nene and Chucky Atkins), Carmelo’s production and efficiency is down significantly from his past two seasons, and they have a serious lack of three-point shooting. Still, they’re 25-16 and first in their division. The reason is because Allen Iverson has fully embraced being a co-star with Melo and is having the most efficient season of his career, and because Marcus Camby takes this team from being a very bad defensive team to being a very good defensive team. If Atkins comes back healthy or they can add one more shooter through a trade, I think this becomes a very dangerous offensive team as well as a good defensive team, and that makes them a contender.

Rockets
They’re the biggest stretch on the list and might not even make the playoffs. However, they’re an elite-level defensive team, and they still have half a season to try and get McGrady to buy into Adelman’s system. As I wrote back when I blogged the season-opener between LA and Houston, McGrady dominating the ball so much absolutely kills this offense, and they often look significantly better without him on the court. However, they’ve still got 40 games to work things out, and I think a McGrady easing his way back in after injury still has a chance to integrate himself into the offense. I think this team either takes off in the second half or they piddle along for a while before collapsing.

Pistons
I left them off in the preseason because I thought they were missing the tough, killer-instinct, underdog mentality that fueled their last title run. What I didn’t count on was the Celtics getting off to a historical start and really lighting a fire under the Pistons to prove that they were the best team in the East. I honestly think that Boston’s great start had a positive impact on the Pistons, that it lit a fire under them that they didn’t have last year when LeBron trampled all over them in the playoffs. They’re also getting fantastic bench production and they execute and exploit weak defenders as well as any team in the league. I still don’t think they could beat the Spurs, but I think they could beat another team from the West if San Antonio doesn’t make the finals

Lakers
This one comes with a caveat. I reserve the right to dismiss this if the post-injury Bynum we get isn’t the same as pre-injury Bynum. LA has been a MUCH better defensive team this year because Bynum has been on the floor more, has become far less foul-prone, and has rebounded a lot better than last year. The bench and the contributions of Derek Fisher have been great, but Bynum is the key. He isn’t an elite player yet by any means, but he has great hands and finishes well on offense, and he improves their defense exponentially. If he comes back playing as well as early on this season, the Lakers are a long-shot contender.

Well, this post has run on long enough, and I’m sure you’re all tired of my wordiness. The last thing I’ll leave you with is my MVP pick for the first half of the season.

MVP: LeBron James
 With all due respect to Kevin Garnett’s fantastic work in Boston and Kobe’s exceptional play and leadership (who ‘da thunk it?), this isn’t even close. Yes, I know about Boston’s 33-7 record and how KG has gotten everyone playing great defense. I repeat, the MVP race is NOT EVEN CLOSE. Lebron uses more of his team’s possessions than anyone outside of DWade, and his offensive rating this year is 12 points higher than Flash! He averages 30-8-7 with 2 steals and a block, and he shoots almost 50%. Lebron’s AST% (an estimate of the percentage of his teammates’ field goals his assists while on the court) is 6th in the league. 6th! He’s one percentage point behind Deron Williams! It’s not quite MJ numbers that we’re talking about here, but we’re getting close. LeBron is killing teams this year, and he’s dragging a really bad team to a top 4 seed in the playoffs. He’s the MVP, Period.

Alright, that’s it for me, I finally got this post cranked out. I’ll be sharing my opinions on the All-Star team next post, which should be pretty soon, so keep a look out for that.

Well, finally, after long hours of toil and research, my NBA Season Preview is finished. I sincerely apologize for not being able to finish all the teams in time for the season opener, it ended up being a much more time-consuming process than I thought it would be. Next year I'll know to start my preparations earlier. Anyway, I hope you appreciated the preview, I certainly had fun making it and debating on the merits of various teams. If there's something that could be improved on in the format or something that you think would improve it next time around, please let me know. I've already got some ideas for improvement, so hopefully next year's version will be much improved. Anyway, if you haven't been reading my previews and you would like to, you can check out my Eastern Conference Previews and my Western Conference Previews, you can link to each individual team's preview from there.

Now, with that said, some thoughts on the beginning of the season.

I knew Dwight Howard was going to be really good this year, but I didn't think he would be quite this good. Honestly, if you were going to give out the MVP award right now, it would go to Howard. He's been absolutely unstoppable on both ends of the floor. As J-Dizzle, Dusty and I were discussing in another post, Howard needs a good nickname, cause we can't just go around calling him D-####, it just doesn't work. My suggestion is Dwight "The Hammer" Howard. It has a nice ring to it, and it fits his game to a tee. Thoughts?

The Celtics are the best team in the East if the big three stay healthy. I've thought this from the beginning, and their start was extremely impressive. It wasn't just that they've been beating teams, it's that they've been KILLING teams, with a margin of victory in the mid-teens. That's simply obscene.

In retrospect, we probably should've seen this coming with the Bulls. They're a young team, and all the Kobe talk has obviously been detrimental to them. I still think they'll be alright. They're too talented a squad to miss the playoffs.

Stop trying to use Orlando's hot start to justify the Rashard Lewis signing. The issue was never about whether he was a good fit with the team. The issue was that they could have signed him for way less money, and they're going to be regretting this when he's 33 and they're paying him $24 mil.

Why can't Walter Herrmann get minutes for the Bobcats? This baffles me. Sam Vincent apparently prefers playing Primoz Brezec and Ryan Hollins 27 minutes a night instead of giving Walter some burn. After the way he tore it up last year, you've got to give the guy a chance out on the floor.

Indiana is going to be better than I thought. I didn't factor in the acquisition of Jim O'Brien as coach, which will help this team a ton. His style plays right into their strengths, namely 3-PT shooting. He's made a decent player out of Mike Dunleavy, and that's pretty good. They aren't a playoff team, but they can get hot from behind the line and beat people, so they'll most likely end up higher than I thought.

It's been years since the league has had a collection of sixth men as good as this. Manu, Terry, and Barbosa are all legit all-star talents.

Quick look at college basketball, next year's draft is going to be ridiculously deep. Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, Eric Gordon, Kevin Love, J.J. Hickson, Kosta Koufos, O.J. Mayo, and DeAndre Jordan are all guys who have been impressive early and are legit top-shelf prospects, and that's just the freshmen.

Have A Happy Turkey Day All!!

Stats Explanation, Eastern Conference Overview

Chicago Bulls

Coach: Scott Skiles
2006-2007 Record: 49-33
06-07 Expected Record: 52-30
Offensive Rating: 105.2 (20th in NBA, league average 106.5)
Defensive Rating: 99.4 (1st in NBA, league average 106.5)
eFG%: 49.3% (17th in NBA)
Possessions per 48: 93.6 (6th in NBA)

Roster
(You'll have to scroll to see it all. Red indicates new player, blue indicates rookie)

 

Hinrich is a great example of how a hard-working player can make the most out of his talent. He doesn't have extraordinary physical tools, but he's made himself into a very good defender with his tenacity and smarts. He can defend both guard positions, though he usually guards the opposing shooting guard mask Ben Gordon's defensive deficiencies. Offensively, he's not really a pure point guard, his assist ratio is significantly lower than most top point guards. However, he is a really excellent shooter, especially from long range.

Ben Gordon is a pretty one-dimensional player, but his one dimension is pretty darn strong. He's an excellent shooter both from long-range and off the mid-range pull-up. He's  also one of the league's best young clutch players, he's shown he has ice in his blood every since his days at UCONN.

Luol Deng is really good, and he's going to get even better. Right now he's primarily a mid-range player, which he's very effective at, but he doesn't do a good job getting to the line and he doesn't really have a post-up game yet. He's a hard worker who started learning the game late, so you know he's going to improve on that. If he continues to develop as an offensive player, he could be a mid-20s scorer. Defensively, he's the kind of long-armed athlete that can make a difference all over the floor. Right now, he's a very good man defender, but he's still learning how to be a help defender. He could easily post 2 steals and 2 blocks a game eventually.

Joe Smith was a decent veteran pickup, but I'm not sure he's much of an upgrade at all over the other guys they have. He's a mediocre player who isn't going to give them the post presence that they need.

Ben Wallace is still a very good defensive player, but he's not the elite defender and rebounder that he used to be, and he's way overpaid since he's such a terrible offensive player. Effectively, they've got an older, less effective version of Tyson Chandler for 5 million more a year. You think they'd like that deal back?

I hated the Noah pick. He can end up being a decent defender and rebounder, but he's an absolutely terrible offensive player. No way he ever becomes anything more than a slightly better version of Anderson Varejao. The last thing the Bulls need is an offensively deficient energy guy.

X-Factor: Tyrus Thomas - He's the one guy on this team who could become a legitimate post scoring threat. He's already a really good shotblocker, and he's such a freakish athlete that he elevate over anyone in the post. If he can improve his short jumpshot and start developing some post moves, he could make this team really good.

Overview

This was the best defensive team in the league last year. They forced a lot of bad shots and caused a whole bunch of turnovers (2nd in the league in TO rate). Offensively, they were pretty darn bad. They turned the ball over a bunch, and they were bad at getting to the free throw line (22nd in the league). Their defense was good enough to lead them through the regular season and net them the 3rd seed in the East, but their limited offense was held to less than 90 points in each of their 4 playoff losses to Detroit. Even a great defense can't make up for offense like that.

Prediction

Even though the team is a year older and they added a solid veteran in Smith, their essential problem remains the same. All of their offense is dependent on perimeter shooting, and they don't have anyone who can consistently get to the rim and finish or draw the foul. It's not just that they don't have a post scorer, it's that, good as Gordon and Hinrich are, they don't have that dynamic slasher who can grind out tough points. Still, they've got tons of depth and talent, and the development of Thomas and Deng could fix a lot of their problems. The other thing that you have to consider that the Bulls have more opportunity to make a big trade than anyone else. Any deal for Kobe probably won't until later in the year, once Nocioni and Hinrich's deals become tradeable for their full value. The Lakers were asking for Deng, Gordon, Thomas and Noah for Kobe, but they just don't have the leverage to get that much back for him unless other teams get involved. Reportedly, they're now asking for something based around Gordon, Nocioni, Thomas, and Duhon. If the Bulls pulled that off and got Kobe while keeping Nocioni, they immediately become one the favorites for the title (that deal would have to take place later in the year). The other player the Bulls might be able to make a move for would be Jermaine O'Neal, who would give them a decent post scorer who also plays excellent defense. As currently constructed, the Bulls are a strong team, but they also have more potential than anyone to improve dramatically during the season.

2nd in the East - Championship Contenders

 

Ugh, I just finished writing this whole thing, then had a problem with my PC and lost it all. Alas. Such is my dedication to bringing you people all the latest and greatest NBA news that I will tirelessly type it all up again...or I'm just really bored right now and need something to do.

You know what I love about the NBA summer league? It isn't seeing how all the highly drafted rookies do. No, it's seeing all the guys who I remember from their college days, but who dropped off the face of the planet after failing to make it big in the pros. Guys like Josh Powell (who ruined a promising college career by leaving too early, not that I'm bitter), Brandon Bass (ditto), Von Wafer (seeing a trend?), my boy Julius Hodge (please Jules, do something this year so I have a State player to cheer for), and D'Or Fischer (anybody else remember him leading the nation in blocks?). Heck, we've even had a Mateen Cleaves sighting. Can't beat the NBA summer league for seeing those former college stars...well, except for maybe the NBDL.

So, sifting through the worthlessness that is most of the summer league, what are the few things that we can take from what we've seen so far?

• Tyrus Thomas has apparently developed a solid mid-range jumpshot, which is big trouble for the rest of the league. Thomas might be the quickest big in the game, and if defenders can't lay off him from 15 feet, we might be seeing a whole lot more highlight reel dunks next year.
• Marco Bellinelli has no conscience. Through 3 games, he's taken 56 shots at a rate of a shot every 2 minutes. Even in the notoriously foul-heavy summer league, Bellinelli has taken almost twice as many 3-pointers as free throws. The phrase "quick trigger" does not do the man justice. In other words, he'll be perfect for Nellieball.
• Outside of 1 quarter against Cleveland, Yi has been thoroughly unimpressive. He's shooting a terrible percentage and most of his points have come from the line, which is deceptive because of the increased amount of fouls called in the summer league. Well, at least he's got a pretty free-throw stroke.
• Is it just me, or is Desagana Diop morphing into a poor man's Dikembe Mutumbo? They even kind of look alike.

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• J.J. Redick has been on fire at the Orlando summer league so far, though on one play he saw there was too much traffic in the lane and promptly pulled a U-turn to get away. Sorry, that was a low blow. J.J., if I hurt your feelings, I can send some tissues.

Other than summer league play, the other big NBA news is that the salary cap was announced today ($56.6 mil), meaning that free agent deals can officially be finalized.

• Apparently, the Magic have worked out a sign and trade with Seattle where they send a second rounder to the Sonics in order to get Bird rights to Rashard Lewis so they can sign him for 6 years instead of 5. Lewis' deal will start at around $16 mil (max for a 9-year veteran) and end up at around $25 mil in his last year. Yeah, have fun with that one Magic fans.
  
• Mo Williams is seriously considering signing with Miami, and I'm puzzled as to why. I mean, that team is going downhill fast, and you can get twice as much money from Milwaukee, which is a young, quickly improving team where you're one of the leaders. It really wouldn't surprise me at all if the Bucks were better than the Heat next year if Williams comes back. Again, I don't understand the motivation.
• Trey Johnson on Williams' decision, "It's hard to tell where he's leaning. I just told him it would be lovely if he comes to Miami and I make the roster, too." Lovely, Trey? What are you, an 80-year-old woman? Weird quote.
• The big free agent mystery now? Darko's final destination. With Charlotte reportedly close to inking Gerald Wallace, Darko is the biggest catch still available. However, there aren't many teams that can offer him the $8-9 mil a year that he wants. Memphis is apparently interested, and Milwaukee would probably make a move pending the Darko and Williams situations. The other option is Charlotte, who would still have enough cap space to offer him what he wants if they sign Gerald Wallace to a $12-13 mil deal.
• Well, KG and Kobe trade talks have settled down, and it appears that we'll spend another season with 2 of the league's biggest stars toiling away in futility on bad teams. Sigh. NBA GMs have no spine. Seriously guys, we know you don't like to trade your superstars, but you've got to know when to cut bait and rebuild. Really, you can actually hear KG's trade value plummeting if you listen hard enough.
  

That's it for now, your daily (and by "daily", I mean "whenever-the-heck-I-feel-like-it") NBA update. I'll leave you with my trivia question of the day, and the imaginary prize goes to the first person who can answer it.

Q: There are 3 players in NCAA history with over 1000 assists on their career. They all played in the ACC. List them in order (most assists to least) and name the school they played for.

Atlanta Hawks - Thumbs Up

Picks - Al Horford (3), Acie Law (11)

Start stockpiling provisions, the apocalypse is coming. The Hawks actually made the right move in this draft by taking the best player on the board and the best point guard on the board. The Hawks now have a scary core group of Law, Johnson, M. Williams, Childress, Smith, Horford, S. Williams, and Pachulia that could contend in the east for the next decade. Of course, this is the Hawks, and Billy Knight is still in charge, so that probably won't happen, but it's a very promising young group.

Boston Celtics - Thumbs Up

Picks - Gabe Pruitt (32), Glen Davis (35)

Well, it's hard to argue with basically trading the #5 pick for Ray Allen. Regardless of what happens with Allen's foot surgery and how his game will hold up with age, that's an incredibly cheap price for a guy with his talent. Their two draft picks, Pruitt and Davis, were both great values who went about 10 picks later than they should have. Pruitt should immediately help as a point guard with a jumpshot, and Davis was a great value who could turn out to be a star if he keeps his weight down. Few players in the draft were as adept post scorers as Davis; he's reminiscent of Zach Randolph without the off-the-court problems.

Charlotte Bobcats - On The Fence

Picks - Jared Dudley (22), Jermareo Davidson (36)

I was a huge fan of the Dudley pick when it happened, but I don't like it as much after the trade. Charlotte desperately needs more post players, especially with Okafor and May's health issues. Once they traded Wright, they didn't have that help coming in. I think they probably would've been better off with Tiago Splitter or Josh McRoberts there. I liked the trade, and there is the possibility that they could pick up another post in free agency, but that's a bit of a risk, as there aren't many good low post guys out there (Milicic and Varejao are really the headliners). Still, they did some good things and I like the way the franchise is heading in general.

Chicago Bulls - Thumbs Down

Picks - Joakim Noah (9), Aaron Gray (49), JamesOn Curry (51)

I hate the Noah pick, absolutely hate it. He's an inferior player to Tyrus Thomas and Ben Wallace in almost every way. The Bulls are a legitimate post scorer away from being a championship contender, and they had Spencer Hawes on the board. Not only did they pass on Hawes, but they also didn't make a move on Zach Randolph. I still think they should pursue a deal for Jermaine O'Neal (Thomas, Noah, Thabo Sefolosha and sign & trade P.J. Brown), but they don't seem interested in that either. For a team so close to contending, the Bulls seem very hesitant to make an aggressive move, and that would scare me if I were a Bulls fan.

Detroit Pistons - Thumbs Down

Picks - Rodney Stuckey (15), Arron Afflalo (27) , Sammy Mejia (57)

We've known for a while that Stuckey was their man, but I think they missed an opportunity when Nick Young fell to them. Stuckey is kind of a poor man's Randy Foye, and should be a decent combo guard in the league. However, Young has all-star level talent on the same level as Corey Brewer. Affalo is a Detroit-type player, but they don't really have a need at SG after taking Stuckey, and they had Marcus Williams, Glen Davis and Josh McRobert all available, who are better talents and need positions.

Indiana Pacers - ???

Picks - Stanko Barac (39)

I have no opinion. He's a face-the-basket 7-footer, and that rarely works out, but whatever.

Miami Heat - Thumbs Down

Picks - Daequan Cook (21)

Memo to Pat Riley: your team is aging quickly and you need to win now. Of all the gaps the Heat desperately need to fill, I don't think "inexperienced shooting guard with attitude problems" was one of them. If the Heat really wanted a shooter, Morris Almond was a much better pick there. Really, anyone was a better pick there. Kudos for bluffing Philly into giving up a second rounder to switch spots with you, but Cook is a terrible pick.

Milwaukee Bucks - On The Fence

Picks - Yi Jianlian (6), Ramon Sessions (56)

The decision on the Bucks' draft will be made sometime in the next few days as the Yi situation is fleshed out. If it turns out Yi isn't so averse to going to Milwaukee or if the Bucks trade him (Golden State is the likely candidate), then taking a chance on the best available talent was worth it. If not and Yi either doesn't show up or skulks through the season, then the Bucks made a terrible mistake. Time will tell on this one. Sessions was a great pick up that late though. He was a guy who people were talking about as a possible low first rounder after he had some impressive camps. Landing him at 56 was a great pick for the Bucks at a need position.

New Jersey Nets - Thumbs Up

Picks - Sean Williams (17)

I've wavered on this quite a bit, but in the end I think it was the right pick for the Nets. This is a franchise in limbo, and they need something big to happen. If Williams is able to display the kind of play that he showed at the beginning of the season for Boston College, this pick is a steal. It's a huge risk, but it's obvious that the Nets really thought this one out.

New York Knicks - Thumbs Down

Picks - Wilson Chandler (23), Demetris Nichols (53)

What will it take to get Isaiah Thomas fired? Check my last post if you want a detailed explanation of why the Zach Randolph trade was terrible for New York. Outside of that disaster, the Knicks reached on Wilson Chandler after they made a promise to him, they could've gotten him 10 picks later. I don't care if Isaiah knows talent, he's a crappy executive in every other facet.

Orlando Magic - Who Cares

Picks - Milovan Rakovic (60)

...Moving on.

Philadelphia 76ers - Thumbs Up

Picks - Thaddeus Young (12), Jason Smith (20), Derrick Byars (42), Herbert Hill (55)

I love almost everything about the Sixers' draft. Smith is a great pick for their PF need, Byars was an amazing value at 42, as was Hill at 55. However, I don't particularly like Young at 12, since I think Thornton and Wright were were better picks there. Also, they basically traded their 30th pick for the 42nd pick (cash considerations always bug me). All in all though, they had a very solid draft.

Toronto Raptors - Again, I Don't Care

Picks - Giorgos Printezis (58)

Darn this European influx. Again, I know nothing about this guy.

Washington Wizards - Thumbs Up

Picks - Nick Young (16), Dominic McGuire (47)

The Wizards got two steals where they were drafting. Young is a stud player who could've gone as high as #8 to Charlotte. McGuire is a great athlete who is a strong defender. For a pick that late, he's a great value.

Well, that's it for NBA stuff for a while. I'll post some on various deals that may happen in the offseason, but probably no more large NBA posts until I preview the next season.

Well, there's a week left before the NBA draft, so it's time to take a look at what each team need to be doing with their picks. I'll be doing 4-5 teams a day to get through all 30 by draft day.

Atlanta Hawks

Lineup for 07-08
PG - Speedy Claxton, Tyronne Lue
SG - Joe Johnson, Salim Stoudemire
SF - Josh Smith, Josh Childress, Marvin Williams
PF - Shelden Williams
C - Zaza Pachulia, Lorenzen Wright

Picks
1 - 3 (3 overall)
1 - 11 (11 overall)

Ah, the Hawks. What a great way to start a draft preview, with possibly the most inept drafters of the last few years. The Hawks hold the key to the draft at the number 3 pick, since we all know who picks 1 and 2 are going to be. The Hawks need a frontline player who is better than Williams at that 4 spot, and they have the perfect player available in Al Horford, who the third best prospect on most everyone's list. However, complicating the situation is the fact that Atlanta also desperately needs a point guard, and the fact that they passed on both Chris Paul and Deron Williams makes it very hard to not take Mike Conley, the draft's premier point guard. The other option that seems like an outside possibility here is Brendan Wright, given Atlanta's penchant for drafting athletic swing forwards.

What Should They Do: Initially I was in the "draft Conley" camp, but after thinking about it some, I've changed my mind. The Hawks are in much the same position that the Detroit Lions were in with the NFL Draft. They've been burned for passing on point guards and overdrafting forwards, but, much like Calvin Johnson was for the Lions, Horford is pretty clearly the best player available, and it is a need position for the Hawks. So, what is Atlanta to do? There are two solutions that make sense. The first is to try and trade down with someone in the 5-7 range to take Conley and pick up an extra draft pick in the process. They could then look to take Spencer Hawes or Jo Noah at 11 if they're still around. If neither of them are around, they can try to trade down into the range of Sean Williams or Tiago Splitter, who are lottery talents but significant risks. The other option is to simply take Horford at 3 and address the point guard problem with Acie Law at 11. Either way, they should make a run on Steve Blake as a free agent to shore up the point guard spot until either Conley or Law develop. The Hawks have the potential to be a playoff team next year in a weak eastern conference, and they have the picks to shore up their weaknesses.

What They Will Do: Reports are that the Hawks are looking at Horford with their 3rd pick and that they like Javaris Crittenton with the 11th pick. Well, at least they'll get 1 out of 2 right. Crittenton is an intriquing prospect because he's got great size and handles the ball well for being 6'5". However, he's really raw and needs to learn how to manage a team, and he's probably at least 3 years away from being a real starting caliber point, and that's if he ever develops quality decision making. This being the Hawks though, they'll take the potential over the known winner in Law and continue you to be a disappointing franchise.

Boston Celtics

Lineup for 07-08

PG - Sebastian Telfair, Rajon Rondo
SG - Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West, Gerald Green, Tony Allen, Allen Ray
SF - Paul Pierce, Ryan Gomes
PF - Al Jefferson, Brian Scalabrine, Leon Powe
C - Kendrick Perkins, Theo Ratliff

Picks

1 - 5 (5 overall)
2 - 2 (32 overall)

Well, I think it's safe to say the Celtics won't be aiming for a shooting guard. The word on the street is that Danny Ainge wants to bring in some veteran help for Paul Pierce. Honestly, I don't know what to do with this roster. There's a good bit of young talent, but there's also a lot of dead weight. They've tried to get KG, and agreed to a deal in principle, but KG didn't want to go to Boston. If Ainge wants to make a move for a veteran, a trade that makes sense is to bring Shawn Marion in as part of a 3-way deal that sends KG to Phoenix (Marion to Boston, KG to Phoenix, Ratliff, Kurt Thomas, Celtics #5, Phoenix #24 and Gerald Green to Minnesota is the bare bones of that one). Between Marion, Pierce, and Jefferson, the Celtics could make a decent run in the East. If they keep the big, they're probably looking at either Mike Conley or Corey Brewer. The verdict is still out on Rajon Rondo, and Conley is a stud at the point. If they're keeping the pick, it probably means they'll be in the business of moving Pierce, which means Brewer is the best value at that pick.

What They Should Do: I'm actually pretty torn on this one. I'm usually of the opinion that if you're not contending for a championship, you should be building towards it. I don't think a core of Pierce, Marion, and Jefferson can win a title with what Boston has around them. However, I also think Boston has a lot of bad contracts and dead weight that are hurting them on the rebuilding front. If they can get Marion or another strong veteran without giving up Jefferson, than they're probably best off doing that and having some playoff success as they rebuild. If not, take Brewer and rebuild.

What They Will Do: Eh, who knows, it's Danny Ainge.

Charlotte

Roster for 07-08

PG - Raymond Felton, Brevin Knight
SG -
SF - Walter Hermann, Adam Morrison
PF - Sean May, Emeka Okafor, Othella Harrington
C - Jake Voskuhl, Primo Brezec

Picks

1 - 8 (8 overall)
1 - 22 (22 overall)

Well, bit of a sparse roster there. The Cats are depressingly sparse on the wing, and they need rebounding and toughness in the post. Luckily, help awaits in free agency. Chances are that either Rashard Lewis will be coming to Charlotte, or Gerald Wallace won't be leaving. If they can also keep Matt Carroll around (and they should), that helps a lot with those weaknesses. They'd love to grab a shooting guard at the 8th pick, but nobody really fits there unless Corey Brewer drops like a rock. If they could trade down a few picks to get Nick Young or Rodney Stuckey it would be a much better fit. With the 22nd pick, they can address their need in the post with Sean Williams or Tiago Splitter, lottery talents who will slip because of the significant risk involved in drafting them.

What They Should Do: Trade down a few spots if they can, but draft Nick Young even if they can't. He's a great talent who is on par with Brewer if he can get his head on straight. At 22, they should be able to grab Splitter, Williams or Jason Smith to help in the post.

What They Will Do: They'll probably draft Jo Noah, who is my least favorite player in the draft, just to spite me. I'm prepared for this to happen, but I don't have to like it.

Chicago Bulls

Roster for 07-08

PG - Kirk Hinrich, Chris Duhon
SG - Ben Gordon, Thabo Sefolosha
SF - Luol Deng, Victor Khryapa, Adrian Griffin
PF - Tyrus Thomas, Mike Sweetney
C - Ben Wallace

Picks

1 - 9 (9 overall)
2 - 19 (49 overall)
2 - 21 (51 overall)

It's a good time to be a Bulls fan. They've got an amazing young core of players and they've got a mid lottery pick to work with. There's two things the Bulls can do with this pick. The first is to keep it and take either Spencer Hawes or Yi Jianlian to complement their other young guys. Hawes would be my preference since he's a polished post scorer who could contribute immediately in an area that the Bulls are desperately lacking. Apparently the Bulls are real high on Yi though, who could provide a versatile scorer at the 4 spot. The other option is to trade the pick for help in the post. My favorite trade idea is Zach Randolph for the #9 pick and Chris Duhon. The Bulls don't give up that much, and they get a proven post scorer who would instantly make them a title contender. The later picks are harder to forcast since second round picks typically end up just being the best value available at the spot, but I wouldn't be surprised to see them pick up someone like Herbert Hill, Kyle Visser, or Jermareo Davidson to groom in the center spot. Another guy I think they'd grab if he fell to them is Jared Jordan, who can contribute immediately, and is a better pure point than Hinrich.

What They Should Do: Trade for Randolph and proceed to dominate the East with a deeper and more balanced lineup than anyone.

What They Will Do: Just because it doesn't make sense, they'll probably try to trade up and make sure they get Yi, and if that fails they'll draft Noah ahead of Hawes because GMs have no common sense.

My blog so far has been all about the NBA, but I promise, that will change. It just happens that there's nothing else exciting to blog about in the sports world right now. Anyway, with the season wrapped up, here are some final thoughts.

Cavs fans - Stop whining about officiating. Stop whining about how the league rigged things for the Spurs to win. You have absolutely no case. Everybody knew going in that you were going to lose, and you did. The only team that has a legitimate beef with the league is Phoenix, who got #### by a stupid rule. Just be happy you got to the finals and that you get to watch Lebron every night for the next 3 years.

Barring injury, the Spurs will be the prohibitive favorite again next year. It doesn't look like Phoenix is going to make a big move to improve since they're looking to cut costs, and the Mavericks are looking for all the world like a broken team in need of a change. The Spurs? They've got their big 3 locked up for 3 more years, and the only significant players they may lose this year are Oberto and Finley if they opt out of their deals (Finley won't, Oberto probably will). Parker and Ginobili continue to get better, Duncan is always brilliant, and they've got a few young players who have a lot of potential (James White, Jackie Butler).

I love the idea of this trade.

Z. Randolph to Chicago

#9 pick, sign&trade P.J. Brown, Chris Duhon to Portland.

Everybody wins here. Randolph immediately makes the Bulls the East favorite, as they add a legit 20-10 guy without giving up any of their talented young core. Ben Wallace is the perfect complement for Randolph becasue he covers his weaknesses, and the Bulls would have an actual low-post scoring threat. They'd be a legit title contender. Portland moves Randolph's huge contract and character problems, gets a pick they can use on a small forward to fill that hole (I love Thornton here) or Conley if he's still there. Brown is a good veteran mentor for Oden & Aldridge and Duhon is a solid backup at the point.

I love the way Portland has built through the draft, they're my team to watch over the offseason. If they made that trade, their young core could look like this.

PG - J. Jack
SG - B. Roy
SF - A. Thornton
PF - L. Aldridge
C - Oden
Bench - M. Webster, C. Duhon, F. Jones, S. Rodriguez

That's a frighteningly good young core of players, especially on the defensive end. Jack is one of the league's better defenders at PG, Roy is no slouch, Thornton is the second coming of Shawn Marion, and Aldridge and Oden are both exceptional shot blockers. Not only that, but the LaFrentz deal comes off the books before any of those starters are up for resigning, and the Miles deal one year later. They could potentially have the cap room to keep this together for years. So keep an eye on Portland.

I know it's been said a lot already, but it's time for Detroit to rebuild. They're not going to win any more titles with that crew, and at best they're probably the 3rd best team in the conference next year. Don't prolong it Joe D., the early you start rebuilding, the faster you'll be cometitive again.

A team I like to surprise people next year is Milwaukee. They got hit hard with injuries last year, but there's a lot of talent on that team, certainly enough to contend in the East.

I know it won't happen, but how awesome would it be if Seattle resigned Lewis and just built the team as a run and gun, high-scoring offense revolving around Allen, Lewis, and Durant. I would love to see that team play, they'd be absolutely unguardable.

If Cleveland can't find a shooter this offseason to play with Lebron, it will be an absolute travesty.

If K.C. Jones is in the Hall of Fame, Robert Horry has to get in.

I think Duncan and Lebron battle it out as the frontrunners for the MVP trophy next year.