Coach: Randy Wittman 2006-2007 Record: 32-50 06-07 Expected Record: 30-52 Offensive Rating: 103.7 (25th in NBA, league average 106.5) Defensive Rating: 108.1 (21st in NBA, league average 106.5) eFG%: 49.0% (20th in NBA) Possessions per 48: 91.1 (17th in NBA)
Roster (You'll have to scroll to see it all. Red indicates new player, blue indicates rookie)
I like Randy Foye a lot, but I'm not sure if you want him as your point guard of the future. He's much more suited to the 2-guard spot. He can play point, but I think they'll want to pick someone else up to be their point of the future. Depending on how Gerald Green develops, Foye might end up being a great backup combo guard. He's a good shooter and was a very good slasher in college.
Al Jefferson is a stud. He had a real breakout year last year and established himself as one of the premier young posts in the game. A lot of people missed it because the Celts were so bad last year, but Jefferson really came into his own as a post scorer and rebounder, and he logged big minutes for the first time in his career. Now, I don't think he's going to be a perennial first team all-NBA like I think Dwight Howard will be, but he's going to be a perennial All-Star for years to come.
Ricky Davis once shot at his own basket in an attempt to get a triple-double. There is no way in any universe I would ever want him on my team. Ever.
You know, every year the same thing happens in the draft. A guy like Craig Smith would've gone in the top 15 if he'd been 2 inches taller, and instead he was a second round pick. I will never understand this. Smith is enormously strong, has long arms, has a great nose for the ball and great touch inside. He's gonna be a great role player at the PF spot for years. (btw, guys who qualify for this status this year include Glen Davis and Taurean Green)
Rashad McCants might make a decent backup shooting guard, but he's not a very smart ballplayer and is too streaky to be a reliable starter.
I'm not a believer in Bassy. The track record for 6 foot guards who can't shoot is, shall we say, not too good.
This rookie crop has the potential to be very good in time, but I think they'll struggle this year. Brewer has all the tools to be an all-star player, he can shoot, he can drive, he's a great defender, and he's a very instinctive player. However, I think he's gonna struggle thisyear since he's going from a dominating college team to a really bad NBA team, and because he might weigh as much as me if he's dripping wet. Once he bulks up a bit and polishes his game though, watch out. As for Richards, we don't really know all that much about him. He could very easily turn out to be a second round steal as a highly talented guy who got stuck behind 2 really good posts in college.
X-Factor: Gerald Green - Green has loads of talent and athletic ability, but last year he was,
to put it lightly, not very good. Heading into his 3rd season this year
on a team that is going to give him ample chance to succeed, this could
be a make or break year for Green. He's a good shooter, but he needs to improve his shot selection and add some strength so that he can improve at finishing through contact in the lane. He's not going to suddenly become a great defender or passer next year, but I think he could make a big improvement in his scoring.
Overview
Really, there's not a lot of good looking at last season for the Wolves, cause they're almost a completely different team now. After a second season of being really bad, Kevin McHale finally made the move to part with KG and rebuild, though he waited too long to do so and had to take a pretty mediocre package in return. So, the KG era came to a close in Minnesota after 12 mostly frustrating seasons for the Hall of Fame forward, and the Wolves enter a new chapter of rebuilding.
Prediction
The Wolves were 21st in the league in defense last year with one of the greatest defensive players of the last decade playing for them. Lets just say that they might not exactly be the Steel Curtain this year. Really, there are a ton of holes in this roster, even with all the young talent. They need to find someone who can run the point, and they really need to find a post player who can play defense. This year will be all about letting the young guys develop and chalking up a high lottery pick to hopefully address one of those two spots. After years of seeing one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history, Minnesota fans are going to have to be content with flashes of brilliance mixed into lots of inconsistency and mistakes. If Green establishes himself and Jefferson continues to improve, I think it's a good year for the Wolves.
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.
p>
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.
The long-awaited draft is over, so now its time to take a look at the results. It was actually a rather subdued draft until we got to the 18th pick or so, with the only real surprise being the Ray Allen trade. After that, things started going all kinds of crazy as Portland began to wheel and deal. Anyway, here's my team-by-team analysis of the draft. It's not grades, cause I don't like grades (btw, if we were to give teams a GPA based on their draft grades over time, what would Atlanta's be? 1.5? 2?). I'm going to give either a thumbs up, thumbs down, or on the fence for each team. So, starting with the Western Conference...
Now, I understand that Dallas didn't have a lot to work with here, but they didn't exactly make the most of it. I'll give them the last two, cause there's not that much talent that late, but they took Fazekas, who is quite possibly the worst athlete in the draft, in front of Glen Davis and Josh McRoberts, both much better talents. I don't see Fazekas being any kind of player in the NBA, he's just too slow, and slow big guys whose trademark is their shooting don't have a great track record.
Big thumbs up to the Warriors, who had my second favorite draft (behind Portland's masterpiece). Not only did they manage to grab some fantastic talent, but they got rid of Jason Richardson's contract too. I questioned their selection of Bellinelli instead of Jason Smith, but it makes sense with the acquisition of Wright. Take note that there's still a possibility that Yi will end up here for a package including Wright, though Milwaukee looks like they want to keep him. Wright is a perfect player for them. He has very little range to his game, but he's money near the hoop and he's a very good shot-blocker. At worst, he's a much more talented and athletic version of Andris Biedrins. Bellinelli is a dynamic 2-guard who has great range and can slash, but he's streaky (which should mean he fits in perfectly here). Lasme was one of my favorite second round guys, and I can see him contributing immediately as an energy/defense guy for the Warriors. Very good draft.
I really don't get their draft. They had McRoberts and Davis staring them in the face at both 26 and 31, and they passed them both times for inferior players. Brooks was a solid sleeper, but that's only a good pick if you don't reach for it, and they reached big-time for him. What's more puzzling is that they didn't even reach for a need, they've already got Mike James and Rafer Alston at the point and a gaping hole at PF. Landry is a gritty player, but he's undersized and can't rebound. McRoberts would've been perfect here, I'm really puzzled that they passed on him.
L.A. Clippers - Thumbs Up
Picks - Al Thornton (14), Jared Jordan (45)
The Clippers basically just sat back and took the best value that was available, and they ended up with 2 really good players who are both good fits. Thornton allows them to put the disgruntled Corey Maggette on the trading block. He's a terrific athlete, and I've been saying all along he's the second coming of Shawn Marion. He was easily the best value available for them. Jordan is a pure point who should be able to back up Sam Cassell right away. His ceiling as a player isn't very high, but he's a smart guy who should be able to carve out a niche in the league. I would've gone with Taurean Green there, but I can't fault them for taking Jordan.
L.A. Lakers - Thumbs Down
Picks - Javaris Crittenton (19), Sun Yue (40), Marc Gasol (48)
This rating is contingent on them keeping Kobe Bryant, which they have repeatedly said that they want to do. Were the Lakers set on building for the future, I would be ok with the Crittenton pick. He's the ultimate high-reward point guard prospect, with a good shooting touch, suberb athleticism, and a 6'5 frame. However, he's at least 2 years away from being able to run a team, and I doubt he'll contribute much next year. I'm not sold on Yue. From what I saw of him, he's not a great athlete and he didn't really impress me that much. They did get a steal in Gasol, who most mocks had up at the top of the second round.
Memphis Grizzlies - Thumbs Up
Picks - Mike Conley (4)
Not much to say about this. They took Conley, who was the best point guard in the draft and, in my opinion, the best player on the board at #4. He got better and better as the year went on last year, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him be a big contributor this year for Memphis. He's impossibly quick and has tremendous floor vision. Absolutely the right pick for the Griz.
Minnesota Timberwolves - On The Fence
Picks - Corey Brewer (7), Chris Richard (41)
As far as their draft goes, I think they made the right moves. Brewer was the obvious pick when he fell into their laps at #7, and Richard is a great value in the second round, he would be a first rounder if he'd played anywhere but Florida. However, I can't help but feel like the Timberwolves wasted their best chance to rebuild by not getting a KG deal done. They were adamant about what they wanted in return for him, and as a result of that they miss the chance to grab draft picks in the deepest draft in recent memory. I'm fine with the picks they made, but what they didn't do with KG devalues this for me.
New Orleans Hornets - Thumbs Up
Picks - Julian Wright (13), Adam Haluska (43)
They get a thumbs up because Wright at #13 is an absolute steal. He could've easily gone 6 picks higher than that. He doesn't fit a need quite as well as Nick Young would've, but there's no question that he was the best talent left on the board. On potential alone, he's probably the 3rd best guy in the draft. He had games at Kansas where he absolutely destroyed the opposing team. If the Hornets can get some consistency out of him, this is a great pick. Haluska was a surprise, as he wasn't really on anyone's radar. Really though, once you get into the last 20 picks, everything is a stretch.
Phoenix Suns - Thumbs Down
Picks - Alando Tucker (29), D. J. Strawberry (59)
Is there anything more depressing than seeing your team trade away a first round pick for cash? Yeah, the Suns have done that 4 straight times. Not only that, but they then took Tucker at 29, who is a PF in a SF's body. Oh yeah, he can't really shoot either. They had McRoberts and Gabe Pruitt sitting there at 29, and they took Alando Tucker instead. Ugh. The Suns have really made some disappointing moves in the last 2-3 years, and it's a shame cause I think their window for winning is closing. They had the chance here to either take players or trade for players who could bolster a championship level team, and they blew it. I do like the D.J. Strawberry pick at 59 though. He'll carve out a spot in the league as a lock-down defender.
Not only did the Blazers make an absolute killing with their picks but they also managed to bring another piece over in the Zach Randolph trade, Channing Frye. This is the best draft I've ever seen a team have. They drafted a franchise center in Oden, they got rid of head-case Randolph and his monster contract and brought in another good young big in Frye, they drafted two lottery-level talents in Fernandez and Koponen who will continue to mature overseas (something they had to do with all the guys they were bringing in with this draft), they got the steal of the draft in McRoberts at 37 (who is a perfect complementary post guy and also a good friend of Oden's), and they picked up Green about 20 spots later than most people had him ranked. That, my friends, is one heck of a draft. Here's the really scary thing about this team. By trading Randolph's contract for Francis's shorter deal, the Blazers made sure that they will be well under the cap in 2 years when guys like Aldridge and Roy start signing extensions. They've done so well building with young talent, and it's entirely possible that they will be able to keep all of it. Can anybody in the league match the young talent on their frontline with Oden, Aldridge, Frye, and McRoberts? This team is ridiculously scary.
Sacramento Kings - Thumbs Down
Picks - Spencer Hawes (10)
It's not that I don't think Hawes is a bad player. He's probably more-or-less the next Brad Miller, and Miller has had a very solid career with a few All-Star games tossed in there. However, with all the rebuilding that Sacramento has to do, they needed a high-ceiling kind of guy, and Hawes isn't it. Julian Wright would've been the much better pick here.
San Antonio Spurs - Thumbs Up
Picks - Tiago Splitter (28), Marcus Williams (33), Giorgos Printezis (58)
It's just not fair sometimes. The best team in the league adds a lottery-level talent who will wait a year before coming over. Splitter was a perfect fit for them, and they'll be reaping the benefits in two years. Williams is a great prospect with a ton of potential, but he never put it together in college. I was a little surprised that they didn't go with Derrik Byars, but if anyone can get Williams to put things together, it's the Spurs.
Seattle Supersonics - Thumbs Up
Picks - Kevin Durant (2), Jeff Green (5)
Big props to Seattle for being gutsy with their moves. Trading Ray Allen wasn't even something I was thinking about, but it makes a lot of sense. The word from Seattle is that they want to try and resign Rashard Lewis and be able to throw Green, Durant, and Lewis out there all at once. It's a remarkable idea, and I think that they could pull it off. There are very few players in the league versatile and athletic enough to run the 2,3,and 4 spots, but these guys could do it. Can you imagine trying to match up with that? Anyway, even if they don't bring Lewis back, Green is a great compliment to Durant. Overlooked in the Allen for Green deal is that they also brought in Delonte West, who is a solid player and should be the starter at the point for them next year.
Utah Jazz - Thumbs Up
Picks - Morris Almond (25), Kyrylo Fesenko (38)
I have no opinion on Fesenko, but Almond was a great pick at 25. He was obviously the best talent left on the board, and he fills the Jazz's need for a perimeter shooter. Considering where they were picking, the Jazz did a solid job.
Just as a final note, is anyone else as excited as I am that Ray Allen and Allen Ray are on the same team? I've been waiting for this since I learned that Villanova was bringing in a freshman named Allen Ray. It's fate, it had to happen, the basketball gods brought it about.
The monster 4-team deal that would have brought KG to LA has apparently fallen through, and reports are that Phoenix is still very much in the running for KG. There are two deals on the table that might bring the Big Ticket to the Suns. The first deal is one that we've been hearing about for a while, where KG goes to Phoenix, Marion goes to Boston, and a package of picks, young players, and expiring contracts goes to Minnesota. The two big hitches in this trade are that Marion doesn't want to go to Boston, and that Boston is refusing to part with Al Jefferson unless they're the team that is getting KG.
The other trade being discussed right now is a 3 team trade featuring Atlanta instead of Boston. The big news with this one is that it would involve the Suns parting with Amare Stoudamire, who has previously been untouchable in trade talks.The trade would probably look something like this.
Phoenix gets Kevin Garnett Atlanta gets Stoudamire Minnesota gets Kurt Thomas, Lorenzen Wright, Anthony Johnson, Josh Childress and Atlanta's #3 and #11 picks.
I can't exactly work out the salaries because Stoudamire's BYC throws things all out of whack, but that's the bare bones of the deal. KG, Stoudamire, expiring contracts, and Atlanta's 2 picks. Now, the funniest thing about this is that Atlanta would again be devoid of a point guard, which would be high comedy. Honestly, I really like this deal for everybody, and the more I look at it the more I love it. Obviously Phoenix would love to keep Amare and pair he and KG together, but I think they've got to pull the trigger on this. Not only would they have a starting 5 of Nash, Bell, Marion, Diaw, and KG, but they also would still have 2 first-rounders to work with in order to trade up and grab someone else. Imagine if they could trade up and grab a guy like Julian Wright in the late lottery, or Jason Smith a little later. If they did that and picked up a guy like Matt Barnes or even Grant Hill with their mid-level, this team would be downright scary. Check out this lineup.
Starters - Nash, Bell, Marion, Diaw, KG Bench - Leandro Barbosa, James Jones, Jason Smith, Grant Hill
Tell me you wouldn't be predicting that team to win the title next year. Scary thought? They could dangle Atlanta's unprotected pick next year to get another lottery pick this year. Yi? Noah? Thornton? Depending on who bites on it, they could get one of those guys also. If I'm Phoenix, I pull the trigger on this one.
PG - Randy Foye, Troy Hudson, Marko Jaric SG - Ricky Davis, Trenton Hassell, Rashad McCants SF - PF - Kevin Garnett, Craig Smith, Juwan Howard, Eddie Griffin, Mark Madsen C - Mark Blount
Picks
1 - 7 (7 overall) 2 - 11 (41 overall)
You know, I knew Kevin McHale was a terrible GM, but I hadn't quite realized the depths of his ineptitude until I looked at the Wolves' roster. This is, quite possibly, the most poorly assembled team I've ever seen. Just look at some of the terrible contracts on this team. Juwan Howard makes $7 mil a year for the next 2 years. Mark Blount makes $7 mil for the next 3 years, ditto for Troy Hudson. Marko Yaric makes $7 mil a year for the next 4 years. Marko Yaric! By comparison, Trenton Hassell's 3 years at $4 mil a pop seems like an absolute deal. Amazingly enough, the team isn't even that far away from being in decent position to rebuild, it's just that McHale is demanding more than he's going to get for Garnett. Word is that the Wolves are the ones who backed out of the 4-team trade I mentioned a few posts ago, refusing to go through with it unless Boston included Al Jefferson. If McHale knew what he was doing, he'd unload the contracts of KG and Yaric and get some draft picks out of it. As far as who they should be looking at with their picks, they've got enough holes that basically anyone fits. Foye, McCants, and Smith are the only real decent young players they've got, so they should pretty much be taking whoever is the best player on their board. Conley, Brewer, Green, Yi, and Wright are all guys who would be decent picks at that spot, though apparently Yi doesn't want to go to Minnesota, so you might cross him off the list.
What They Should Do: Make the bloody trade! If Indiana wants to be dumb enough to facilitate that trade, go ahead and pull the freaking trigger on it. You get to dump contracts, get a young guy in Green, and get two first rounders. That's as good a package as is going to come for KG. Take Conley if he's available at 5, then take Green or Brewer at 7. At 19, they could take a chance on Tiago Splitter or Sean Williams, or they could look at Jason Smith if he's still there. In the second round, they could look at Nick Fazekas, Marc Gasol, Rayshawn Terry, Alando Tucker, or Dominic McGuire.
What They Will Do: They'll hold on to KG and continue to waste the prime years of an all-time great. Since they've got 5 PFs, they'll probably draft Brandan Wright. Gotta love Kevin McHale.
New Jersey Nets
Roster For 07-08
PG - Jason Kidd, Marcus Williams SG - Vince Carter, Antoine Wright, Bernard Robinson SF - Richard Jefferson, Bostjan Nochbar, Hassan Adams PF - Josh Boone, Clifford Robinson C - Jason Collins, Nenad Krstic, Mile Ilic
Picks
1 - 17 (17 overall)
I'm counting Carter on here because reports are that he's staying with the Nets, whether that means picking up his player option or signing a new deal with the team. The Nets are in an interesting place right now, with Kidd and Carter on the downhill side of their career, but with a strong group of young guys behind them. Once they sign Carter, they don't have any space to pursue other free agents, and I don't think particularly need a trade. I don't think they should be trying to keep Carter, but that appears to be the direction they're heading. Since that's the case, the three guys I would be looking at would be Rodney Stuckey (if he falls past Detroit), Morris Almond, and Sean Williams.
What They Should Do: Don't sign Carter long term because he's rapidly declining and wasn't ever a championship winning star anyway. Reports are that the team is a little wary on Williams after his workout with them, so I would take Stuckey if he's there, and Almond if he's not. They need a backup guard, and Almond's shooting touch would be great on the recieving end of Jason Kidd's passes.
What They Will Do: They'll probably sign Carter for way too much and for far too long. They're apparently looking at Jason Smith right now, and I don't really see that as being a great fit.
New Orleans Hornets
Roster For 07-08
PG - Chris Paul, Jannero Pargo SG - Bobby Jackson SF - Peja Stojakovic, Rasual Butler PF - David West, Cedric Simmons C - Tyson Chandler, Hilton Armstrong
Picks
1 - 13 (13 overall) 2 - 13 (43 overall)
This might be the easiest analysis I write. I love the way this Hornets team is built. They've got a great core of Paul, West, and Chandler (getting him for P.J. Brown was a great move last year), and that gets even better if Simmons or Armstrong (both high-ceiling young big men) develop into productive players. If Jackson and Stojakovic stay healthy (big if, I realize) this is a playoff team. Anyway, the pick here is easy. Nick Young from USC is the obvious fit, he should be available at 13 and fits their biggest need.
What They Should Do: Take Young and wrap Stojakovic in bubble wrap for the rest of the offseason.
What They Will Do: Just take Young. Please.
New York Knicks
Roster for 07-08
PG - Stephon Marbury, Steve Francis, Nate Robinson, Mardy Collins, Jamal Crawford SG - Quentin Richardson SF - Renaldo Balkman, Jared Jeffries PF - David Lee, Jerome James, Malik Rose C - Eddy Curry, Channing Frye, Randolph Morris
Picks
1 - 23 (23 overall)
Ah, the Knicks. Can I just take a pass on this one? So, what does the worst-run franchise in professional sports need to do to improve? Well, they have somehow collected an unbelievable amount of point guards without actually having a true point. They're losing $50 mil off their cap this year, and yet are still $35 mil over. So how do they fix it? Well, they aren't going to be able to do it this year. Their best bet is to wait for next year when they can move the expiring contracts of Starbury and Franchise for another big money star, like a sign and trade package for KG or Arenas. As far as this year goes, they need to aim for a shooter in the draft. Morris Almond or Marco Bellinelli are the two best options where they pick.
What They Should Do: Get rid of Marbury or Francis if they can. Draft Almond if he's there, and Bellinelli if he's not. Fire Isaiah Thomas tomorrow.
What They Will Do: Rumor is that they may have given Wilson Chandler a guarantee, which would be a terrible idea. They've also shown interest in Daequan Cook, who is about as high-risk as prospects come in this draft.
Yikes, 10 teams to go and only one day between now and the draft. I might have to quicken these previews up a little bit.
Reports have come out that the Lakers and TWolves are discussing a trade that would send KG to the lakers to pair with Kobe Bryant. This deal involves LA, Minnesota, Indiana, and probably Boston. The bare bones of the trade is this:
LA gets KG and Marko Yaric
Indiana gets Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom
Boston get Jermaine O'Neal
Minnesota gets Theo Ratliff, Gerald Green, Sebastion Telfair, Boston's #5 and LA's #19
My thoughts on this trade? Well, obviously this deal makes a ton of sense for LA. They get KG for bargain basement price of Bynum, Odom, and the #19 pick. Boston trades a decent prospect in Green plus the #5 pick in order to get a very strong post in O'Neal. Minnesota gets cap relief, a good prospect, and 2 draft picks, a pretty good return considering the circumstances. The only thing I don't get is why Indiana would want to make this trade. They give up a second-tier star (not superstar, but a notch below) in order to get a decent prospect in Bynum and a lazy role player in Odom. Bynum is a decent prospect, but he's certainly not worth O'Neal. Odom is overpaid, lazy, and just blocks the progress of Indiana's young guys like Danny Granger and Ike Diogu. I'm usually a proponent of being willing to part with your stars, but I fail to see what the Pacers would be gaining here. I would want at least a first rounder along with Bynum if I were giving up O'Neal. Maybe I'm undervaluing Bynum, but I just don't see the benefit for the Pacers.
I remember reading an article in Sports Illustrated in 2001 that was all about the new generation of players that was changing the face of the playoffs. The group of Vince Carter, Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, Tracy Mcgrady, Baron Davis, Kevin Garnett and the rest were entering the peak of their career and promising to give us compelling matchups for the rest of the decade. This was the dynamic group of players who would fill the void left by the Jordan generation, who were all either retired or soon to retire (Barkley, Stockton, Malone, Hardaway, Reggie, Pippen). Fast forward to now. We're on the other side of most of these players' prime years, and between injuries, dissappointing performances, and managerial incompetence, that generation has left us mostly dissappointed. The decade has been dominated by Shaq, the Pistons' team-oriented style, and the one star of this generation who has lived up to his billing, Tim Duncan. As the torch seems to be passing to the next wave of stars (Lebron, Wade, Melo, Parker, Bosh), its time to take a look at where there players stand in the grand scheme of things. What is the historical legacy of this group, which popularized jumping to the pros after 1 year or just straight out of high school.
In 1996, the NBA came out with a list of the 50 greatest players in its history. That was when most of these guys were just starting their careers. Of those 50, only Shaq is still an active player. So, the question is, who from this generation of players deserves a spot on that list? Keep in mind, we're not just talking about who's going to be in the Hall of Fame. We're talking about the best of the best, the guys who you're going to look back on in 20 years and be proud to tell your kids/grandkids, "yeah, I saw him play". The guys we choose have to be good enough to knock one of the guys on that list off. How will this generation be remembered? Who deserves to be called "the greatest"?
There should be absolutely no doubt about this one. He'll go down in history as the best power forward ever, and he's one of the two most dominant players of the decade. He's unarguably one of the top 50, and you can certainly make a case for him being top 10.
Along with Duncan, I think he's the only unarguable inclusion on this list. When taking into account the era that Wilt played in, Kobe might be the greatest pure scorer of all time. Whether you love him or hate him (there seems to be no middle ground), you have to be in awe of his brilliance. The most talented player in the league, bar none.
He will always be remembered for breaking open the HS to pro floodgates and for his landmark contract with the Wolves. The verdict is still out as to whether he will always be remembered as the guy who couldn't quite get it done. Regardless of whether or not Garnett ever does get his ring, he's still proven to be a remarkable basketball player. I'm willing to overlook his playoff struggles in light of his being the most versatile player ever to play the game. He's been stuck on a bad team for the past few years, but it wasn't long ago that we were debating whether he or Duncan was the better player.
I went back and forth on this one because I find it very hard to look at AI's career objectively. He's one of the most prolific scorers of all time, but he's certainly not the most efficient scorer ever to play. He's been criticized for his attitude towards practice and he's been criticized for the amount of shots he takes. However, he's one of the most competitive players in the game and plays completely without fear. To watch Iverson is to watch heart triumph over stature. At the end of the day, his amazing ability to score at a mere 6 feet tall and his playoff run where he nearly single-handedly carried the Sixers to the finals are enough for him to make the list.
On the Brink (likely Hall of Famers, but not top 50)
Paul Pierce, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, Steve Nash
Dirk Nowitzki
Nowitzki deserves a special note because I think that more than anyone, he has the potential to jump up this list. He's really just entered his prime as a player and has hit a turning point in his career after the first round loss to the Warriors this year. His place in history will be determined by how he responds to the accusations that he's a weak player.
meone else up to be their point of the future. Depending on how Gerald Green develops, Foye might end up being a great backup combo guard. He's a good shooter and was a very good slasher in college.
shot at his own basket in an attempt to get a triple-double. There is no way in any universe I would ever want him on my team. Ever.
year since he's going from a dominating college team to a really bad NBA team, and because he might weigh as much as me if he's dripping wet. Once he bulks up a bit and polishes his game though, watch out. As for Richards, we don't really know all that much about him. He could very easily turn out to be a second round steal as a highly talented guy who got stuck behind 2 really good posts in college.
