Friday, June 29, 2007

The New York Knickerbockers


I thought the trade of nothing for Zach Randolph for nothing was very intriguing for the Knicks.

Hollinger (of J Holl Holl, as I call him) has some points that I verbally made when teh trade was going down, namely:

The combo of Randolph and Eddy Curry will be the worst defensive frontcourt in basketball, and meanwhile only one of them can post up at any given time. Yes, Randolph has a nice touch from outside, but that's not where the focus of his game should be. And the two of them both are poor passers from the low block, which means teammates won't benefit much from the double-teams they draw.

I don't fault Isiah for making this deal, because on talent alone it was probably too good to pass up, but I'm really interested to see whether he's going to keep Randolph. On the surface, it seems Randolph and Curry will diminish each other's production (not to mention the minutes of super-sub David Lee), and the gain will be far less than it appears on paper.


A couple of points:

David Lee was the perfect front court combo to Eddie Curry because Eddie Curry can't jump or try when he doesn't have the ball whereas David Lee doesn't really score, but does all things Curry sucks at. I hesitate, as the Knicks, to want to put David Lee on the bench for too long. Can about 30 minutes a piece for the 3 of them work, with unlimited low block scoring from the opponent when Lee is out of the game?

Anyway, I like David Lee and the Knicks just marginalized him. What could I be thinking right now? How about someone shitty with a bad contract from the Bucks for David Lee?

Bucks give up:
2008 first rounder and Dan Gadzuric
Knicks give up:
David Lee and a small bad contract?

I mean, he is not on the bench, right?

Can someone who is not stupid come up with a better way to squeeze David Lee of the Knicks (only if it is for the Bucks)?

Honestly, I think enough of Lee that I would give up Charlie V and a 2008 1st, but that might just be me. I love guys who don't need the ball who grab all of the rebounds that are possible.

ps - I got the David Lee picture from outsports.com
I will let you do with that what you will.

You've got to love Larry Harris

Some great LH quotes this morning.

From Charles Gardner's story in the JS:
"He's our property. He put his name in the draft and we took him. So we certainly plan on him being here and being in uniform next year."
From Gery Woelfel's article:
While some observers feel the Bucks are taking a major gamble on Yi, Krystkowiak strongly disagreed. “You tell me which player we should have drafted who wasn’t a gamble,” Krystkowiak said. “And then, I’ll be in agreement. This whole deal is a gamble. “I’ve been watching past drafts and all the experts talking about ‘can’t miss’ prospects who are now unemployed and all these mistakes who end up being great players. “So, it’s not a gamble in that we just flipped a coin and made a decision. We had a staff of people for months traveling to Asia and all over the place. We made what was an educated guess on what was available to us.“I think he has a tremendous upside.”

Jack McCallum on Yi

From Sports Illustrated:
He [Yi] looked shocked and saddened. He said he didn't know much about the Bucks because he hadn't seen a lot of them on television in Chinca. He said the Bucks hadn't even worked him out. Well, this isn't college. The NBA knows about you; there aren't a lot of secrets here. Teams don't have to come to your house, talk to your mother and father and ask you what you want to major in. He was the best player available, and the Bucks looked at it like a fortuitous thing that he was still there. They want to keep him.

In my mind the Bucks were the underachieving team of the NBA last season. I think they have a lot of talent. I really like their team, especially if they can re-sign point guard Mo Williams. Whether they're going to better, I don't know. But I just think he's going to a better team than he thinks he is.

It's the shoes

Chris Sheridan's chat today included an interesting bit of info on part of the reason why Yi's camp wanted him in a large market:

One aspect of the story that I feel may be impacting the whole Yi thing more than people realize thus far is the wishes of Nike, which has Yi under a shoe contract for several more years and pushes him as hard in Asia as they push LeBron over here. They wanted him in a big market as much as the Chinese Federation did.

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

The pick heard 'round the world

Is Larry Harris willing to stand up to the most populous country in the world? Regardless of whether it's the best pick or not (that's anyone's guess), the real issue regarding Yi is that Harris would show some real balls making that pick. He's on a one year contract, so if Yi holds out he's done. From what I've read the Bucks have long had contact with Yi, so maybe he's confident that he knows him, and this could get done. Much more exciting than Green anyhow.

One of our sources suggested, “maybe the Bucks think Yi’s desire to play in the NBA is so great, it will override the agents’ desires for a more prime market placement.”

My personal preferences in order: Horford, Conley, Wright, Yi. All signs point to a choice between Wright and Yi.

But weeks ago Chad Ford tabbed Yi as the 3rd best player in the draft. As Woelfel wrote, "Babock estimates the Bucks have seen Yi play about 20 times over the last four years." The Bucks don't need some individual workout to figure out if the guy can play.

So if you agree, make the damned pick! Shock the world (literally).

SWO UPDATE:
Rotoworld has: ESPN's Andy Katz is reporting that Yi Jianlian told him that he will play in the NBA next season, even if he's taken with the No. 6 pick by the Milwaukee Bucks.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

MUST READ

Run, don't walk: http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft2007/insider/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&page=ProRater

According to Hollinger's system, the top 7 players are:
  1. Durant
  2. Oden
  3. Conley
  4. Thaddeus Young
  5. Brandan Wright
  6. Al Horford
  7. Nick Fazekas

with Young, Wright, Horford and Fazekas tightly clumped together.

Joakim Noah #11, Glen Davis #12, Jeff Green #14 and Corey Brewer #24! (right after Alando Tucker)

Chad Ford is Magic

Two tidbits from the masterrumormonger:
This is pure speculation on the part of the executive, but it does make some sense. The Suns send Shawn Marion to the Bucks for the draft rights to No. 6, Charlie
Villanueva
and Earl Boykins. The deal saves a ton of money for the Suns because the Bucks can go roughly $10 million under the cap on July 1 to absorb the salary.
However, a source in Milwaukee says the Bucks haven't had any meaningful discussions with the Suns.

That would be an amazing trade, but too good to be true.

How's our friend Brandan Wright doing? Not so good?
Milwaukee would consider him [Brandan Wright]at No. 6, but it looks like Conley, Yi and Green are ahead of him on the draft board.

It's curious how much is out there about the Bucks still being interested in Yi, despite the unrequitedness of it all. Wouldn't it be ironic if they traded Yi to Don Nelson, just like they did with Dirk? But who would play the part of the Tractor?

Jeff Green vs. Brandan Wright

What a crazy, fluctuating market. I think with the multitude of web reporters this year, that people are so desperate to get SOMETHING, any new tidbit of "news," that it's becoming silly. I'd hate to have to rely on this for my living.

Case in point: Jeff Green was ranked around #12 a week ago, and Brandan Wright was the solid #3. As the draft nears their value appears to be flipping, with Wright dropping like Brady Quinn, and Green creeping into the first half dozen. Keeping that in mind, along with rumors that the Bucks like Green, this article in the NYTimes provides an interesting opinion about both players, from a guy who played against them in college:
BRANDAN WRIGHT, forward, North Carolina — Forecasting Wright’s career is a tough call. Brandan has the talent to be good. When I guarded him in the Dean Dome he displayed great touch around the basket and an effective spin move, and he dropped in hook shots like a kid tossing pennies in a wishing well. Here’s the catch: People are rating him the third best player in the draft, but when we played North Carolina we considered him the third biggest threat on the team. We were more worried about Ty Lawson and Tyler Hansbrough. Wright is an awful shooter and ball-handler. We didn’t bother to chase him outside of eight feet, choosing instead to allow his defender to play off him and sag into the lane. It’s not that I don’t think he’ll be a contributor down the road for somebody, it’s just that in this draft a top-five pick has to be better than a complementary player.

JEFF GREEN, forward, Georgetown — In the mold of a Scottie Pippen or Lamar Odom, Jeff Green can do it all. Almost. In the Georgetown summer league this past year I found myself facing Jeff in a tip to start the game. Knowing he would almost certainly win a fair jump, I leaned against his hip with my left forearm on the way up. The result was he flailed wildly at the ball, and I calmly tipped it back to my point guard. The game later went to overtime. As we stepped up for the second tip Jeff looked at the ref and said, “Watch Steve, he cheats on the tip.” The ref looked at him incredulously and I quipped back, “Maybe I’m just more athletic than you, Jeff.” I won that tip too. A guy with his passing ability should be fine as long as he has some talent around him, and this past year at Georgetown he showed signs of turning into a player who wanted to take big shots down the stretch. If he turns into that guy, watch out. Either way, he makes you better with his versatility.
So maybe Green isn't all that bad of a choice? Who knows? Woeful thinks they may end up trading the pick.

Monday, June 25, 2007

A plan for the Bucks

The Bucks have one cornerstone piece in Michael Redd, meaning they have SG or SF covered. They have a lot of assets including: cap room, Charlie V, Bogut, the #6 pick, a 2008 1st rounder, etc.

Their needs are:
1) If they keep Bogut, they need a defensive minded 4.
2) They need to settle their PG situation. If they keep Mo Williams, adding a distributing 3 would be very helpful.

So, plan A to make the Bucks a better TEAM right now:
-Offer up Bogut and a 2008 first rounder for Pau Gasol. (Thanks Bill Simmons).
-Move Gadzuric into the starting lineup (this only works with Gasol's scoring in the front court), but limit him to 20-25 minutes (call this the big lineup).
-Re-sign Mo Williams to a contract that is not totally unreasonable.
-Draft Corey Brewer with the 6th pick.
-Re-sign Bell

Big Lineup:
Gadzuric, Gasol, Brewer, Redd, Mo

Little Lineup:
Gasol, Charlie V, Brewer, Redd, Mo

2nd Team:
Gadzuric, Charlie V, Simmons, Ersan, Bell

I think that is a much improved Bucks team.
Alternatives include:

-Offer up Charlie V for a mid-teens pick and draft Sean Williams (BC) to be the interior shot blocker that Bucks could really use.
-Draft Mike Conley and use the cap room to go after a guy like Gerald Wallace.
-Trade 2008 1st rounder, Gadzuric and Simmons to Utah for Kirilenko. This move does not help the Jazz a ton as far as cap room and length of remaining contract, but they pick up a first rounder and they split that max deal into 2 different deals they can love to move in other trades. The Bucks could actually afford to pay max to a guy who cannot score because he could play the 4 small and help out Bogut defending the paint. He also does not need the ball in his hands which helps when all of the other Bucks players do.

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Now THIS is a cool Kobe trade idea

Congrats to Chris Mannix for the best Kobe trade idea yet (other than that amazing bench-clearing Bulls trade idea):
Finally, I'd like to propose a trade scenario: The Lakers deal Bryant and the 19th pick to Portland for a package including Zach Randolph and the first pick. Think about it.
Okay, I did think about it, and what I think is that both teams would have to be tempted. The Lakers get the "center of the future" and Kobe teams up with Aldridge and Roy. Hm.


[One slight hitch: no way Kobe will agree to play in Portland.]

OUCH!

KG to the Celtics?

From ESPN and KG's agent Andy Miller:

"The Boston trade isn't happening," Miller told Sheridan on Thursday. "If a trade were to happen, that's not a destination that we're interested in pursuing."


The C's might as well blow it up because if KG ain't coming, they ain't winning.

Best Kobe Trade Ever

Check out the good work I have done on the trade machine:
Kobe, Evans and RadMan for
Every Bulls player other than Ben Wallace.

It would be sooo awesome! The Bulls would have Kobe, Ben Wallace and no one else at all. They would have to sign a buncha low priced guys, it would be classic.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

The results keep rolling in

Two new mocks today, SI and Bill Simmons. You've gotta check out Simmons', including his ridiculously complex 3-way trade for the Bulls to get Kobe.


The Bucks now have the momentum: 3 straight projections of Brandan Wright slipping right into their hands. Here's Simmons:

6. Milwaukee Bucks
Here's the Eastern team that could make a quantum leap next season: The Bucks only have to re-sign Mo Williams, get Bobby Simmons healthy and use this sixth pick on Brandan Wright and they're good to go. Stick those three with Charlie Villanueva, Andrew Bogut and Michael Redd and that's a pretty sweet nucleus on paper, although they definitely need to sign a crazy Australian 12th man who calls everyone "Mate" and gives Bogut someone to drink with. I'm not a huge Wright fan, but he's a shifty inside scorer with deceivingly long arms (well, when he's trying) and the Bucks desperately need inside scoring, as well as someone who won't make Villanueva feel so bad for mailing in every fourth game. Also, Wright is so damned long that Jay Bilas might start flogging himself in delight during the draft. Man, is Brandan Wright long. That is one long dude.

The VP's verdict: Take Wright, re-sign Williams and pursue Gasol for Bogut and a 2008 No. 1.

Could the guy who's been the consensus #3 for months suddenly fall into their laps at 6? Wow. This draft is getting more and more interesting with each day.

And how about the idea of Bogut and next year's #1 for Gasol? With that team (Gasol, Redd, Wright, Mo, etc.) the pick shouldn't be worth all that much.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Brewer and Horford work out

Charles Garnder has an early report on Horford and Brewer's tryouts for the Bucks this afternoon. Dave Babcock, as always, talks a whole lot. Not sure how much of what he says you can believe, but he's sure no Ted Thompson. Some interesting bits:


"The workout is just a small piece of the puzzle for us," said Bucks director of player personnel Dave Babcock. "It would have been a better workout to have four guys and doing 2 on 2. But believe me, it did nothing to diminish our interest in Al Horford."


The Bucks long have been keenly interested in Horford, who they could plug in at power forward next to third-year center Andrew Bogut. If Milwaukee had stayed in the third position, it likely would have had the option to select the 6-foot-10 Horford in the June 28 draft.


But now Atlanta, Memphis and Boston are drafting ahead of the Bucks, who dropped to the sixth spot, thanks to the bouncing pingpong balls on draft lottery night.


"He's got a man's body," Babcock said of Horford. "Physically, he's probably the most ready to play in the NBA out of anybody, including (Greg) Oden and (Kevin) Durant."


It's possible the Bucks could trade up for Horford, but that might prove to be a difficult task."I would say the prospects for that happening are slim," Babcock said. "I don't think anyone is interested in talking, as of right now. You never know, but I wouldn't bet money on it."


Brewer showed the defensive skills that make him an appealing choice, even though he struggled with his shooting. It was his seventh and final workout for NBA teams, and in all of them he has battled 1-on-1 against other players.


"I feel like defensively I can make an immediate impact," the 6-8 shooting guard said. "I can bring a lot of energy and make some things happen."Offensively, I've got to work on a lot, creating my shot off the dribble. In transition, I can get my shot off athleticism, but I've got to learn to put it on the floor and create my own shot."

Wright to slip to 6??

Chad Ford's newest mockery has Brandon Wright falling from #3 down to #6. As much as I like Horford's fit with the Bucks' needs, Wright has the most potential after the Big 2. Here's his top 6:
  1. Oden
  2. Durant
  3. Horford
  4. Conley
  5. Brewer
  6. Wright

I've now settled down to being happy with any of those four (Horford, Conley, Brewer or Wright), so of course they'll now trade down with Golden State.

Monday, June 18, 2007

The Tiers of a Ford

Chad Ford interviewed the Association, and came up with this list of players considered to be in the second tier (after the obvious big 2):
TIER 2
Corey Brewer
Mike Conley
Jeff Green
Al Horford
Yi Jianlian
Brandan Wright

Note: One team expanded this tier to include all of Tier 3, essentially making Tier 2 the third through 12th picks, but most everyone else made a cut right before the players in Tier 3. I'd also note that there was near consensus that Horford is the third-best player in the draft.

Looks like Noah's slipped down a notch or 3, and Jeff Green inches up.

Saturday, June 16, 2007

Doesn't Jerry Buss look like Frank Costanza?

Geez, I thought this story was dead. Maybe it is, and the only reason it's sticking around is because we have 2 weeks to kill before the draft. But here's the kindling for the fire:

Buss wanted to appeal to the nine-time All-Star, reminding him that trades take time to develop and that winning remains the focus of the organization, but Bryant voiced concerns about the direction of the franchise and reiterated his demand to be traded, said a source with knowledge of the situation.

BOTH Chad Ford and Chris Sheridan write new articles about where Kobe could go, and Ford's actually sounds somewhat possible.

He's figured out a 3-way with LA, the Bulls and either Boston or the Bullets. LA would get either Pierce or Arenas, Chicago would get Kobe and give up Tyrus Thomas, PJ, Gordon and the #9 pick.

I still hate Skiles, and don't believe that Paxson is really interested in any big deals. But maybe they could also throw in Skiles and get Phil back??

Why the Bucks will take Conley

Again, who am I to judge who has the most talent among the top draft prospects? What I can judge, however, is which prospect is the most boring. Barring someone like Jeff Green, the pick that most depresses me is Conley, only in that it doesn't do much to progress the team.

So why do I get the feeling that he's the guy? It's the scenario that best fits if Herb is thinking about selling. It's the best pick for keeping the bottom line as low as possible. They won't catch any flack for not re-signing Mo, because Conley will be their PG of the future. So they get a bargain exchange.

I could be wrong, and this could be a setup for taking that same money and paying Gerald Wallace (a player who Charlotte won't be letting go, but why not dream?), but they don't give the appearance of a franchise about to make a big push.

Does it matter? If the Bulls could actually pull off a trade for Kobe, I might be able to put aside my hatred for all things Skiles.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

How to get Horford

Option #1) Don't screw up the lotto.

Option #2) Trade up with Atlanta. How? Here's Chad Ford in his blog today:

I'd say that everyone seems to be trying to get their hands on Al Horford ... but with Memphis almost a lock to take him at No. 4, that means they have to deal with Atlanta at No. 3. The Bucks, Bulls and Sixers would all love to move up and get him.

I could see a scenario where they (Atlanta) trade down a few spots (to a team like the Bucks for example) pick up an asset and get Conley there. Probably would cost them (Milwaukee) Charlie Villanueva ... or maybe Mo Williams in a sign-and-trade?

I'm torn on him (Brendan Wright). Love the physical tools ... not thrilled about his energy and skill level. I don't know why someone would take him over Al Horford. Both are roughly the same size, length and athleticism ... but Horford has 40 pounds on him and is more skilled.


Yovani Gallardo


OMG, OMG, OMG!

The Brewers are going to summon Gallardo and there is a good chance he will start Monday against the Giants. I *think* that this is the beginning of the end for Claudio Vargas in the rotation. Once Capuano comes off of the DL, I think the rotation will be aligned such that Sheets, Gallardo, Cappy, Suppan and Bush will be the starters and Villanueva will continue to move up the bullpen pecking order. Vargas will become what Villanueva was, a long reliever and emergency 6th starter, then finally Elmer Dessens will likely be DFA.

This plan can be knocked off track if the Brewers need to use Gallardo in relief this weekend, which is plausible. Villanueva is not useable this weekend and the bullpen was taxed yesterday, so hopefully they can get nice long starts from their starters starting with Sheets today.

Anyway, get excited for a mid 90's fastball and a killer curveball.

Matt LaPorta


Meet the new Brewers prospect (and immediately one of their top prospects once the call up of Gallardo completely drains teh pool) Matt LaPorta. Or, more like meet Matt LaPorta's swing (scroll down to pick 7):

This guy thinks that he is going to be one of the best hitters to come out of the draft. That being said, if the Brewers can somehow get him to play a passable left field, they may be looking at a 2009 lineup:
C - unknown
1B - Prince
2B - Weeks
3B - Braun
SS - Hardy
LF - LaPorta
CF - Hall
RF - Hart
SP - Gallardo

That is a lineup with a lot of power potential. Every single one of those players could probably be projected to hit 20+ dingers, with Prince and Braun looking at 30+.

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Clowney vs. Jones

Here's a couple interesting tidbits from Mike Vandermause's chat Monday:

Do you see WR Clowney getting a chance to start over WR Jones that was taken in the 2nd round?

MIKE VANDERMAUSE: No. Clowney looks too small. Jones looks the part.

and

As for the receivers, Ferguson is as good as gone, in my opinion. Driver, Jennings and Jones will make up the top 3, and Holiday, Bodiford and Ruvell Martin will make strong bids for the 4 and 5 spots.

NBA Mock Draft


1 - Portland - Greg Oden - This is too easy. I actually think that Portland is a very good fit for Oden because they have a lot of young guys to grow together, there is a changing, positive attitude in the organization and the city seems like a good fit because it is somewhat out of the spotlight and will have less pressure.

2 - Seattle - Kevin Durant - I am good at this. Anyone who is wondering about Durant's bad workout, I say this: Seattle would trade this pick for Kobe, Wade, LeBron and maybe Duncan. This is it. No workout will have any impact on that. This kid isn't even close to realizing his potential and he was ridiculous last year.

3 - Atlanta - Mike Conley Jr. - I have heard rumors they are looking at Brandon Wright, I just don't believe it. There is no way they can pass up a PG again, is there? I also don't think that Acie Law IV is there man. He is not as much as distributer and seems more like a college guy to me. If they were looking at taking a PG at 11, I would think Javaris Crittenton would be there man because he is more of a passer and they already have a roster filled with scorers. This pick of either Conley or Wright has a profound impact on the rest of the draft.

4 - Memphis - Brandon Wright - Memphis becomes the all upside team with another young player that could make this team look really good in a year or two.

5 - Celtics - Corey Brewer - A guy who can step in right away and contribute on the defensive end. If they cannot trade this pick, this would fit their modus operandi perfectly - they would be taking a guy who would help right now, but probably not enough to get them over the hump, thus not committing to go all out to win right now, nor blowing the team up for the future.

6 - Milwaukee - Al Horford - Milwaukee runs instead of walks up to the podium to get this pick in. Horford is exactly what the Bucks need to make the pieces they have right now work better. Bogut's main deficiency is defense and he is not an elite rebounder. Horford should be able to step in and immediately help out on the defensive and rebounding ends. He is also a guy who is not going to demand the ball, which will help a team that will likely start 4 other guys who perform with the ball in their hands: Bogut, Villanueva/Simmons, Redd, Williams.

If the Bucks added Horford and Gerald Wallace in free agency, they would dramatically upgrade their ability to play defense, along with creating a strong 2nd unit with guys like Villanueva at the 4 and Simmons at the 3.

7 - Minnesota - Joakim Noah - KG could use some frontline help and another guy with the right type of hunger to win. Noah would fit that mold perfectly. After this pick, they could move some pieces to get another scorer.

8 - Charlotte - Yi Jianlian - Easy pick for Charlotte because they can market him to China and he becomes another young, developmental prospect type of player. It also makes it easier for them to let Gerald Wallace go.

9 - Chicago - Spencer Hawes - Allegedly a low post scorer, Hawes goes here because it is literally the Bulls only need. Wouldn't be surprised to see the Bulls try to make a play for the 5th pick if Horford is still there.

10 - Kings - Jeff Green - "Glue guy" who represents the opposite mentality as Ron Artest.

11 - Atlanta - Jason Smith - Who, you may ask? Athletic 7' PF/C who can get up and down the floor. Picture in your head for a moment, Mike Conley Jr. running up the court with Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams/Josh Childress and an athletic 7' scorer. Seriously, that would have to be much better than whatever the Hawks were doing last year.

12 - Philly - Al Thornton - A beast of a man who can play the 3/4 would help the team on the glass, can get up and down the court, and can hit a jumper.

13 - NO - Julian Wright - NO would be pretty obligated to take him here because he is clearly the best available player left.

14 - Clippers - Javaris Crittenton - Shaun Livingston's knee is not right (don't youtube "Shaun Livingston and knee") and Cassell is very old, so this gives the Clip Show a PG option that could develop well.

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

Mike Conley

Chad Ford's new mock draft (Insider) has Atlanta selecting Brandan Wright, bucking the conventional wisdom that they need to take the best PG since they passed the past 2 years (missing out on both Chris Paul and Deron Williams). This leaves the Bucks as the logical place for Mike Conley.

I'm not going to comment on how good Conley may be, since that's all speculation. But I think that in the short run this would be among the least advantageous results. If they pick a PG they obviously let Mo leave in free agency. So how much do their playoff chances go up from last year? Trading a proven, yet non-traditional, PG for a rookie, how much does it improve the team? It's doubtful this will help their defense, which is the biggest need.

This is the dark results of their lottery luck. Instead of having their pick of the bigs, especially Brandon Wright and Tito Jr., they now will likely be picking from the riskier selections. In Ford's projection, I prefer a player like Noah who's been devalued but could be a major sleeper. He provides the type of defensive specialist who could improve the team immediately off the bench.

Then again, the workouts haven't even started. I'm sure there'll be some major shuffling in the coming weeks.

Monday, June 4, 2007

Billy Donovan


Re: Billy Donovan trying to get out of his signed contract with Orlando
We try to keep it family here, but I just have to say it:

What a dong.

To borrow from an Uncle of mine, show some personal responsibility and honor your commitment. He took a job which immediately caused excitement about the team, extra season ticket sales, etc. If he was not sure or having second thoughts, why did he take the job in the first place?

This just doesn't make any sense to me. If I were Orlando, I would allow him three options:
1) Work for the Magic and love it.
2) Take 5 years of unpaid vacation (the duration of the contract) and then he can go work for the Gators.
3) Get a sandwich board with "I'm sorry I'm an idiot on it" and walk around Orlando for a few days.

Ugh...I hate how once they become well regarded they are so coddled...(see: Saban, Nick)

Sunday, June 3, 2007

Finals dreaming

With the Pistons out, at least the NBA avoided the most boring playoff matchup since Spurs-Jazz. But I can't help but imagine how exciting it would be right now if the Suns had pulled it off and were facing LeBron next week. That series would have been just the jolt that the NBA needs (although the King's historic performance will have long-lasting effects).

As it is, I can't imagine the Cavs making much of a dent against the Spurs. LeBron might be great, but so is Nash, and he had a better supporting cast. This series won't go past 5, and very well could be a sweep.