“This is not helping the kid’s career,” Carroll proclaimed. “It’s unfortunate for the kid and the Raiders have come up with a tremendous quarterback situation without (Russell) by getting Daunte (Culpepper).”
Carroll has a couple of dogs in this fight. Kiffin is his guy. So too is Mark Jackson, the Raiders' director of football development who worked with Carroll both at USC and when Carroll was head coach of the Patriots from 1997-99.
Quarterbacks (2 or 3)
# Locks: Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers.
# On the bubble: Ingle Martin, Paul Thompson.
Running backs (5 or 6)
# Locks: RB Brandon Jackson, RB Vernand Morency, FB Korey Hall.
# On the bubble: RB Noah Herron, RB-FB Corey White, FB Brandon Miree, RB DeShawn Wynn.
# Long shots: RB P.J. Pope, FB Erryn Cobb, FB Ryan Powdrell.
Receivers (5 or 6)
# Locks: Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, James Jones, Ruvell Martin.
# Good bet: Carlyle Holiday.
# On the bubble: David Clowney.
# Long shots: Chris Francies, Shaun Bodiford, Calvin Russell, Carlton Brewster.
Tight end (3 or 4)
# Lock: Donald Lee, Bubba Franks.
# On the bubble: Zac Alcorn, Clark Harris.
# Long shot: Joe Werner.
Offensive line (9 or 10)
# Locks: T Chad Clifton, G Daryn Colledge, C Scott Wells, G Jason Spitz, T Mark Tauscher, G Allen Barbre.
# Good bets: G-T Junius Coston, T Tony Moll.
# On the bubble: C-T Tyson Walter, C-G Tony Palmer.
# Long shots: G-T Adam Stenavich, C C.J. Blomvall, G Pat Murray, G-T Travis Leffew, T Orrin Thompson.
Defensive line (9 or 10)
# Locks: DE Aaron Kampman, DT Ryan Pickett, DT Justin Harrell, DE Cullen Jenkins, DT Corey Williams, DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila.
# Good bets: DT Colin Cole, DT Johnny Jolly.
# On the bubble: DE Michael Montgomery, DE Jason Hunter, DE Larry Birdine.
# Long shots: DT Daniel Muir, DE DeVon Hicks.
Linebackers (5 or 6)
# Locks: WLB A.J. Hawk, MLB Nick Barnett, SLB Brady Poppinga.
# On the bubble: SLB Spencer Havner, WLB Tracy White, MLB Abdul Hodge, MLB Desmond Bishop, WLB Rory Johnson.
# Long shots: WLB Tim Goodwell, SLB Juwan Simpson.
Defensive backs (9 or 10)
# Locks: CB Charles Woodson, CB Al Harris, S Nick Collins, S Atari Bigby, CB Jarrett Bush, S Aaron Rouse, CB Will Blackmon.
# On the bubble: S Marquand Manuel, S Charlie Peprah, S Tyrone Culver, CB Patrick Dendy, CB Frank Walker, CB Tramon Williams.
# Long shots: S Alvin Nnabuife, CB Antonio Malone.
Specialists (3)
# Locks: P Jon Ryan, LS Rob Davis.
# On the bubble: K Dave Rayner, K Mason Crosby.
# Long shot: P Ryan Dougherty.
The Journal Sentinel reported in July that Clay had failed to meet the NCAA's initial eligibility requirements to play as a freshman.
However, in order to become eligible Clay attended summer school in Racine and then had to be cleared by the NCAA Clearinghouse.
"It actually happened a lot faster than I thought," Bielema said. "For the first time I'll give kudos to the Clearinghouse."
In order for Clay to join the team before the first day of classes at UW (Sept. 4), it was necessary for a player to voluntarily leave the program.
That player, according to Bielema, was freshman defensive back Tony Megna, a walk-on from Oak Creek High School.
"A year ago, Tony suffered a knee injury," Bielema said. "He is going to take some time away from the program, start school and hopefully at some point come back."
With a scrimmage set for today, the players worked out in shoulder pads, helmets and shorts Friday night.
Clay participated in individual work with the other running backs at the beginning of practice, worked on his footwork with staring tailback P.J. Hill and got in briefly against the scout-team defense.
Around 5 p.m., about 90 minutes before the team took the field for its final night practice of the summer, Ferguson was informed by coach Mike McCarthy that an attempt was being made to trade him to another team. If a trade can't be made, then he will in all likelihood be released.
"Robert will no longer be a Packer," McCarthy said after the night practice. "We're going to go in another direction. We're just moving on with the other guys and that's where it stands right now. I'll have more definitive information for you tomorrow."
I think the defense will be solid, especially with the depth on the line. That will take pressure off the secondary, which probably has the weakest link at safety. Marquand Manuel needs to improve over his performance in 2006. A nickel cornerback also must emerge to solidify the unit. I fully expect to watch a lot of 13-10 games this season. The offense's job will be to simply not make any killer mistakes, and get within Mason Crosby's field goal range (55 yards and in). If Brett Favre can hold up his end of the bargain, maybe the defense can carry the Packers to the playoffs this season.
BY GERY WOELFEL
BadgerNation can only wait.
Johnny Clay, the University of Wisconsin’s blue-chip football recruit from Racine, has completed his summer school work and will find out fairly soon whether he’ll be eligible to play for the Badgers this fall.
Clay, a 6-foot-2, 222-pound running back from Park High School, took two English classes this summer at Horlick High School with the hopes of gaining his eligibility.
While neither Wisconsin nor Park officials would discuss Clay’s situation, it was believed Clay needed an "A’’ and a "B’’ in those courses to be eligible at Wisconsin.
I’ve been told Clay attained those aforementioned grades and that Park officials have since forwarded his grades to the NCAA’s Clearinghouse.
It’s unknown how long it’ll take Clearinghouse officials to make a final determination on Clay’s status, although there is speculation it’ll be within two weeks.
Even if Clay is cleared to play, it’s still highly unlikely he’d be ready to play in the Badgers’ season opener Sept. 1 against Washington State.
Clay would, however, likely be ready to play in the Badgers’ Big Ten opener Sept. 22 against Iowa at Camp Randall in Madison.
While Clay hasn’t been able to work out with the Badgers and hasn’t been assigned a playbook, he has been working out religiously.
Clay, who intends on majoring in business at Wisconsin, was one of the most sought-after recruits in the country. He rushed for 5,005 yards and scored 58 touchdowns during his decorated high school career, which included being a three-time all-state first-team selection.
Clay was recruited by a "Who’s Who’’ of the country’s top football programs and opted for Wisconsin over Iowa.
First-round pick Justin Harrell has been unimpressive during his first week and a half of camp, especially in one-on-one pass-rushing drills. Harrell doesn't seem to have many moves and he's regularly stopped by the likes of Adam Stenavich, Travis Leffew and Tony Palmer. During the night practice he managed to bull rush Swedish import C.J. Blomvall, but that was about it. It's gotten to a point where the coaches don't even put him up against Daryn Colledge, Jason Spitz or Scott Wells. They're probably worried about crushing his confidence. But it's hard to imagine he'll get a lot better not working against comparable athletes. If Harrell's going to play this year, he's going to have to face starting talent at some point.
"When we talk about the blueprint of the Green Bay Packers we talk about the offensive and defensive lines," McCarthy said. "That's where we put our emphasis. The transactions we've made for our football team reflect that. It all starts up front."
Said Thompson: "We've talked from the get-go that the lines are the engines that run the thing. You can have as good a secondary as you can possibly have but if you don't have a defensive line that can control the run and pressure the passer, in this day and age it makes it unbelievably difficult to be successful."
But what if The Man made the same comparison?Brett Favre was the latest player to lavish praise on Rotoworld's favorite keeper league rookie sleeper James Jones, who he compared to Sterling Sharpe …
Newly signed tight end Joe Werner, who hasn't played football since high school, had a rough time in the night practice. The former UW-La Crosse basketball star was stripped in a routine ball-security drill, dropped three consecutive balls from a Jugs machine and couldn't handle an Aaron Rodgers pass during a rare appearance in a team drill. …
Night practice ended with a spirited place-kicking session. McCarthy cut it short because players were dumping too much water on Dave Rayner and Mason Crosby.
Two great catches by rookie receiver James Jones. First, he elevated over Patrick Dendy for a ball from Aaron Rodgers in the front right corner of the end zone. Then, he fully extended to haul in a high Paul Thompson pass near the back of the end zone.
As a teen with an average academic record, Donaghy had a ringer take the SAT for him so he could gain admittance to prestigious Villanova University, which he attended for free because his mom worked there, according to a source at Donaghy's alma mater, Cardinal O'Hara HS in Springfield, Pa.
The ref puffed up his official NBA résumé with fibs - and was shunned by other league officials after punching out fellow whistleblower Joey Crawford three years ago, several sources said.
"When Tim didn't get his way, he'd act like an out-of-control child,"
...
But when it came to getting an elite job as an NBA official, Donaghy didn't have to resort to lying or cheating - he had help on his way up.
...
But the biggest local referee was Jake O'Donnell, a legendary NBA official who hails from nearby Clifton and helped others from the area break into the league - including current officials Crawford and two Cardinal O'Hara alums, Mike "Duke" Callahan and Ed Malloy.
That trio became a tight-knit group.
"You never met three better people," Coach Gardler said.
Soon joining their ranks was Donaghy, who worked just five years in the minor-league CBA before moving up, partly due to O'Donnell's help, to a league that paid him six figures, sources who know the group said.
Donaghy often joined the others to hang out after games or have beers together when they weren't working, the sources said.
Q.Favre has never come across as a shrewd judge of personnel, but in his mind he saw Moss doing damage in Green Bay with Donald Driver and Greg Jennings. He wanted Moss and said Moss would have done the same reduced deal that he took in New England. Given the circumstances, why didn't you obtain Moss?
A. Randy Moss is a member of the New England Patriots now. That's the way it is. It's inappropriate for me to be discussing a player that's on another team.
Q.Ron Wolf and Bob Harlan almost always explained themselves to fans when given the opportunity in similar forums. Don't fans in this state deserve an explanation from the general manager three months after the fact?
A. Right. I still think it's inappropriate to talk about a player that's on another team.
Q.I don't recall Ron Wolf getting in trouble with the league office when he talked about players on other teams. Why aren't you more forthcoming?
A. I just don't do that.
Q.You're well into the third year of a five-year contract. No matter what you inherited, the team is 12-20 during your watch. Do you worry that your tenure might be short-lived if the team doesn't start winning this season?
A. Well, we would like to win this season. I've said that publicly and privately, saying we expect to win. I don't worry about things like, "Am I going to be here after this year?" That never enters my mind.
People should stop jumping to conclusions on this. The Bucks hold ALL the bargaining chips here: Yi wants to play in the NBA, he needs to play next year to get ready for the Olympics, and if he does play in China they continue to hold his rights. The Bucks aren't rushing this.When asked "What choice should Yi make if the Bucks insist on no trading?" Chen thought for a moment before answering, "the only way out is negotiation. As for final decision, I really have no answer."
However, Chen suggested the media should not oppose Yi's agent team against the Bucks and denied he's in bad relationship with the Bucks.
"The National Basketball Association is a sort of business where people negotiate on set platform with set rules," Chen said. "There's no opposition between us and we respect each other. "Now it's the phase in which everybody express opinions, not like what some people think."
I'm not really sure why exactly the Bucks wouldn't be suitable for his growth, and hopefully this is just more posturing. Larry Harris is planning to visit China soon, so stay tuned.The Milwaukee Bucks' campaign to secure the services of reluctant power forward Yi Jianlian has suffered a blow after the player's Chinese club said it would block his move to the United States.
Yi, taken by Milwaukee with the sixth selection in the NBA draft last month, would "definitely not" play for Milwaukee, Tuesday's Beijing News quoted Guangdong Tigers chief, Chen Haitao, as saying.
"This is not -- as media reports have said -- because Milwaukee, as a city with very few Chinese people, is not good for Yi's commercial development," Chen said.
"Rather we want to find a team suitable for Yi's growth. That's the root of the problem," he added.
I've had nothing to do with baseball, and no interest at all, ever since the strike a decade ago completely screwed my fantasy league. I haven't been able to conceive of anything that would lead to changing this...until now.
"Fegan will hamper Yi's future," former national team coach Qian Chenghai was quoted as saying in Tuesday's edition of the state-run China Daily newspaper. "I don't think Yi refused to join the Bucks, it is Fegan who doesn't want him to join.
"We don't want to see Yi destroy his reputation in the NBA and return to the Chinese Basketball Association. That's horrible," the coach said.
Results of an online poll published in China Daily showed 68 percent of 9,000 respondents want Yi to play for the Bucks.
"Yi, stand up and speak for yourself," China Daily said, citing an article in the Beijing Evening Post. "Don't hesitate anymore and don't let anybody control your life."
My friend Steve Fiffer has created a bracketed competition on his blog among all the ESPN "heads" to crown the top personality on the network (we all know who the winner will be, don't we Satchmo?) You can find the competition here. Here are the bracketed matchups for the first round:Keith Olbermann Bracket
1. Stephen A. Smith vs. 2.Neal Everett
3.Chris Berman vs. 4. Jay Crawford
5.Linda Cohn vs. 6. Mike Golic
7.Dick Vitale vs. 8.Stacey Dales
Melissa Stark Bracket
9.Suzy Kolber vs. 10.Jim Rome
11.Dan Patrick vs. 12.Joe Morgan
13.Erin Andrews vs. 14. Stuart Scott
15.Michelle Tafoya vs. 16.John Kruk
Craig Kilborn Bracket
17.Mel Kiper jr. vs, 18. John Saunders
19.Peter Gammons vs. 20.Tony Reali
21.Mike Greenberg vs. 22.Skip Bayless
23.Sage Steele vs. 24.Tony Kornheiser
Joe Theismann Bracket
25.Brent Musburger vs. 26.Chris McKendry
27. Kenny Mayne vs. 28.Mike Tirico
29.Michael Wilbon vs. 30.Pedro Gomez
31.Dana Jacobson vs. 32.Barry Melrose
The numbers are merely for identification. Not seeding.
"The consensus among GMs seemed to be that Yi would end up in Milwaukee since both sides had too much at stake for any other outcome. The NBA has an obvious interest in protecting smaller-market teams from being shunned by draft picks. The Chinese government needs their young star in the NBA so that he's more ready to help his national team compete at the '08 Beijing Olympics."
Riley Courts Williams
Jul 8 - Heat coach Pat Riley made a late-night recruiting pitch Saturday -- wining and dining free agent Mo Williams -- in an attempt to land the most coveted point guard remaining on the market.
Williams' agent, Mark Bartelstein, confirmed Saturday night his client was in Miami and was "very interested" in an opportunity to play for a title contender.
Milwaukee, one of the few teams with cap space to offer a hefty contract, has reportedly floated Williams a five- or six-year deal worth about $40 million. Barring a sign-and-trade, the most the Heat could offer Williams is a five-year contract worth about $30 million. --
You don't need to talk to someone from the Milwaukee Bucks to discover there is confusion when it comes to their first-round draft pick, Yi Jianlian.
There's confusion about his intent to play for the Bucks. There's confusion about how to pronounce his name. There's even confusion about how old he is.
Some reports list his birth date as Oct. 27, 1987, which is said to be the date listed on his passport. That would make him 19.
But other reports have called that date into question.
A reader last week sent an e-mail to some Journal Sentinel staffers saying Yi's "true age" could be verified by checking the listing for him at the Guangdong Social Insurance Administration. The reader provided the Web link to the site.
Guangdong is the province where the city of Shenzhen is located, where Yi was born.
According to the data for Yi that appears to be provided by that site, Yi was born Oct. 27, 1984.
If that's accurate, he is 22.
But this doesn't end the debate about Yi's age.
It only means this government site appears to list the age for a Yi Jianlian as Oct. 27, 1984. It appears to be the Bucks' Yi and not some other Yi.
Yi meets with Harris, Krystkowiak
Las Vegas - Chinese power forward Yi Jianlian had his first direct meeting with Milwaukee Bucks officials yesterday when he spoke with Bucks general manager Larry Harris and coach Larry Krystkowiak at the team's hotel.
The Bucks' first-round draft choice is playing in the NBA Summer League with Team China, which opens its schedule tonight against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Sources indicated today that Yi spent about an hour meeting with Harris and Krystkowiak. The only other people present were Yi's interpreter and an interpreter used by the Bucks officials. The meeting was characterized as positive.
According to sources, Harris told Yi the Bucks have no intent to trade him and will give him a major opportunity to fit into the team's young frontcourt, which includes Andrew Bogut and Charlie Villanueva.
Harris hand-delivered a letter written by Bucks owner and Sen. Herb Kohl, asking the Guangdong Tigers player to visit Milwaukee. No date has yet been established for such a visit.
The Bucks picked Yi with the sixth overall selection in the June 28 draft, but Yi's representatives have sought a trade to a larger NBA market and one with a larger Asian-American population.
Yi and the Chinese national team will compete against NBA teams in the expanded summer league, which includes 21 league clubs. No. 1 overall pick Greg Oden of the Portland Trail Blazers and No. 2 selection Kevin Durant of the Seattle SuperSonics also will be playing in the summer league. Seven of the top eight lottery picks are participating.
Bucks officials have made plans to watch Yi in three games this weekend in Las Vegas. The Bucks summer league entry, including point guard Lynn Greer and forward David Noel, will open play on Sunday against a Los Angeles Lakers squad.
Could there be a backlash from the mainland?Yi will play in Milwaukee. He will create a national outrage in China if he does not. The Chinese media has launched an offensive targeting Yi's agent Dan Fegan as a selfish greedy man and sort of sparing Yi at this moment. But based on fan opinions on sports forums in China, they are all on Milwaukee's side and many
fans have officially announced their resignation as a Yi fan because they think Yi is being an embarrassment for the Chinese people.
Thanks to Henry Abbott for foraging out this bit of info about the Collective Bargaining Agreement: since Yi is currently under contract to a non-NBA team (the Guangdong Tigers), he's already ineligible to go back into next year's draft. He'd have to spend a year without the Tigers contract first, and it's too late to do that for next year.Several NBA officials and agents believe the Bucks have offered Williams a contract for about $40 million over five years.
Several other teams are believed to be interested in Williams, including Indiana, Miami and the Los Angeles Lakers. However, those teams can only offer Williams the mid-level exception of $5.8 million per year. The aforementioned teams could also try to acquire Williams in a sign-and-trade deal, but none of those teams has a point guard the Bucks certainly would want in return.
However, Roger Montgomery, the agent for former Bucks forward Desmond Mason who played last two seasons for the New Orleans Hornets, confirmed Harris had called him Sunday morning. While Williams is unquestionably Harris’ priority signing in free agency, he has a keen interest in bringing Mason back to the Bucks.
The Associated Press also reported the Bucks had contacted forward Gerald Wallace of the Charlotte Hornets. The Bucks are reportedly one of eight teams pursuing Wallace.
Yi Jianlian had 15 points and eight rebounds in China's 91-75 loss to the United States' 19-and-under national team Sunday.
Yi scored 11 points in the fourth quarter after the U.S. team had stretched its lead to 20 points. He played 23 minutes, going 3-of-8 from the field and 8-of-12 on free throws. When asked if he'd had any contact with the Bucks, Yi said, "I don't want to talk about that." It's possible that these 15 points are more than he will ever score for the Bucks. In case you've been out of the loop, Yi was drafted by Milwaukee on Thursday, but doesn't appear to have any interest in playing in Wisconsin.
Milwaukee Bucks owner Herb Kohl has written a letter to the team's first-round draft pick, Yi Jianlian, requesting a meeting with the 7-foot power forward.
"Our agent team had meetings to study this case immediately after the draft," Yi's Chinese agent, Zhao Gang, told SportsTicker. "Yi's selection at six has proved his capabilities and his value.
"However, we feel that the Bucks are not the best fit for Yi Jianlian. Our team will make contact with other teams who have watched Yi's training and games to see if there is any possibility of a trade."
"Though the final result of the negotiations and communications are uncertain, I can guarantee that whatever the outcome is, it could not be so bad that Yi will be back to play in the CBA (Chinese Basketball Association)," said Liu HongJiang, deputy general manager of the Guangdong Hongyuan Basketball Club.
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.
"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.”
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.
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.
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.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)
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.
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.
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.So maybe Green isn't all that bad of a choice? Who knows? Woeful thinks they may end up trading the pick.
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.
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.
"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."
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.
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.
"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."
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.
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.
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.
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.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.
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.
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.
In his final column for the L.A. Times, J.A. Adande makes a call as to how this will all shake out:
"My prediction: He's here for another year, then there's another frustrated outburst when they don't improve, and the Lakers trade him rather than have him walk as a free agent. For now, the Lakers can't -- can't -- send him anywhere in the Western Conference, even though that's where most of the talent is. The one Eastern team with an abundance of good young players -- Chicago -- needs a low-post player more than a guard. And Bryant will come to realize that if you're going to be on a rebuilding team, it's much better to be in L.A. than some place like Milwaukee."
Damn, I was planning on doing this myself, but NBA.com beat me to it. They have what the call a Consensus Mock Draft, in which they collect the mock drafts from media around the web. http://www.nba.com/features/draft2007_consensus.htmlUPDATE: Today they added in rankings from MSNBC and FOX, resulting in this new top 8:
I talked to a scout at a Phillies game who told me that Yovani Gallardo is better than any starter the Brewers have right now.
Henry (NY): What do you think of Sean Williams to the Nets at 17? He seems like a good fit with Krstic.
SportsNation Chad Ford: (12:53 PM ET ) That's where I have him in the mock draft. The kid had some trouble with smoking pot in college ... but honestly, so many NBA players smoke I'm not sure how big of an issue that's going to be for NBA teams. He's the best shotblocker in the draft and a very good fit in NJ. Had he stayed with Boston College all year, he would've been a lottery pick.
What would I do if I was the Hawks GM? Immediately get on the phone to Seattle. I’d offer them the 3 and the 11 and Seattle native Marvin Williams for the 2 slot. The Hawks were the youngest team in the NBA last season and the last thing we need are two more teenagers. Offer up that bounty to Seattle and see if they’ll bite. They could add three really good players. And after all, Lenny’s in charge — who knows what will happen?
