NBA Player Rankings – Centers

It’s Friday and there is only one position left. That’s right the Centers of the NBA are getting their turn in my rankings. If you haven’t read this past week at all, I have ranked players on tiers. Within each tier where they are listed doesn’t matter. Here is the break down of the tiers.

Elite: These are the best players at their respective positions. The players you can build a franchise around

Stars: Great players but haven’t reached that best of position. Franchise guys but need some good compliments around them

Good Starter: A player who you’re not going to trade unless you’re packaging him to get an elite or star at their position.

Serviceable Starter: Not bad but looking to upgrade.

Role Player- Idealy should becoming off the bench

I’m not going to include any rookies in these rankings. With no NBA experience or summer league it’s too hard to judge them versus their new peers. Let’s start with the Point Guards and work our way to the Centers. I am only going to do starters. If there is a backup I feel should be starting I will mention it in the player’s blurb

Centers- This is by far the weakest position in the league. There are a bunch of guys playing out of position here and there is very little offensive talent.. There are only 9 good or better starters in the league. But a lot of the serviceable starters are young guys who could potentially develop into a good or better player.

Elite

Dwight Howard- Yes he is the only one in this category. The three time defensive player of the year is finally adding some post moves to his arsenal. After averaging a career high in points last year I expect his points per game to start averaging around 24, which would be two points higher than last year.

Stars

Joakim Noah- Dwight is the best defensive center, but Joakim is not far off from him. Noah will never average 15 ppg. That is not his style. He is a good rebounder, a great defender and an all out hustler. Most of his points come off of rebounds which isn’t bad at all

Al Horford- Atlanta has been so bad at the Center position that Horford has to play out of position too (Josh Smith also does because the lack of a center). Horford is ideally a PF and he would be a good one there too, but he holds down the center spot just fine. A good rebounder and a solid low post scorer. He doesn’t do one thing bad, on the flip side he doesn’t do one thing great either.

Al Jefferson- Sounds weird to put him here because it seems like he is always injured but in the last two years he has only missed 6 games AND he has played 76+ games three out of the last four years.  He is a great low post scorer, probably has the best post moves in the league at center. Let’s not forget he can rebound too. Funny thing is Utah is looking to trade him because of the drafting of Kanter. I think they would be dumb to do that.

Good Starters

Andrew Bynum- He would be in the stars if he could stay healthy. And when healthy he is the second best center in the league. Problem is he has only been healthy for one of  the last six years. Right now he has been playing 2/3’s of the season. That being said he is a very good rebounder and is very dangerous down low. What is scary, is that he is LA’s third option when he plays.

Andrew Bogut- Same reason as Bynum. If he could stay healthy he would be a star. Offensively he isn’t as good as Bynum but he is a better rebounder and defender.

Marc Gasol- Pau’s little bro is moving up this list fast. As a restricted FA he will command a nice contract this year. His rebounding numbers took a hit last year but as most of the Memphis team he had an outstanding playoffs last year.  Expect him to be a star by the end of this year.

Nene- He lead the league in FG% last year, he plays tough defense and he is a decent rebounder. Denver needs to resign him, badly. If they don’t someone is helping their team out immensely.

Tim Duncan- Yes Duncan is a center, He has been for a majority of his career.  He was a PF when he played with Robinson for his first couple of years. Ever since he was playing center and guarding centers. Spurs fans don’t deny this, you know it is true.

Serviceable Starters

Marreese Speights- This category has a lot of potential young guys who can move up. It’s actually more of a promising tier than the other positions. Speights is one of those guys. He should start this year and I think once he gets his shot, Philly will be a better team

Anderson Varejao-  He got injured last year. He isn’t  a terrible starter. He maybe better off the bench. But if you have a good PF he is a nice compliment at center.

Chris Kaman- He is just kind of there. He is a good offensive center but he is atrocious on defense. Kaman has one year left on his deal. If the Clippers trade for Howard or CP3, look for Kaman to be included.

Emeka Okefor- Good rebounder and defender. Doesn’t give you much more.

DeMarcus Cousins- He’s another young guy who just needs time. I think he will be one of the best offensive centers in a year or two. He’s very talented but he is very emotional, Cousins needs to control that. He also needs to get better on defense.

Tyson Chandler- Yes he led Dallas’ defense to a title. But he will always have injury concerns and offensively you don’t get much out of him. But being paired with Dirk was a good one.

Brook Lopez- Lopez fell off the map last year. Thought to be one of the league’s bright young centers. He refused to rebound or play defense. But he did manage to score.

Roy Hibbert- has come a long way since being drafted. If he continues to improve like he did last year he will also move up this list.

Greg Monroe- A very skilled passer which is always a big plus for a big. He just needs more court time to move up the rankings.

Marcin Gortat- He proved he can be a capable starter in the league in Phoenix.

Kendrick Perkins- Being listed here isn’t a knock on Perkins. He’s played on teams where he is the perfect 5th option. He still is. A tough player, grabbing boards and playing good defense.  He’s just pitiful on offense though.

JaVale McGee- He showed promise last year. He stepped up defensively. And had his best year on offense (thank John Wall for that). I think more time with Wall and McGee will continue to improve.

Role Players

Charlotte’s Centers- This where it starts to get ugly. They have Kwame Brown or the new young guy Biyombo. Biyombo should start if he has any talent.

Jermaine O’Neal- Yes he is still in the league and it’s not pretty. I didn’t know zombies could play basketball.

Miami’s Centers- Whether it be Joel Anthony or Eric Dampier they are better off playing with four guys,

Ronny Turiaf- I love Ronny’s game. That being said, he is perfect coming off the bench and it’s where he is most effective.

Andrea Bargnani- Can we just say he should be a PF or SF?

Chuck Hayes- He’s like Turiaf, just perfect for coming off the bench

Darko Milicic- He doesn’t need to criticized by anyone else, we all know how bad he is.

Marcus Camby- He needs to retire. Last year was embarrassing for him. Portland’s salary cap would thank him too.

Andris Biedrins- From 06 to 09 Biedrins was a good starter and showed promise. These last two years he must have gotten snatched up by aliens who then replaced him with Shawn Bradley’s talent level.

So that is my NBA Player Rankings. I am going to crunch numbers and breakdown how many of each type of starter each position has and what teams have what. Expect that either later today or Monday morning. As always leave a comment and let me know what you think of the rankings.

NBA Player Rankings- PF

Happy Thursday to all. Today I am covering the Power Forwards in the player rankings. The following is the ranking tiers and remember they are just listed, order is not relevant within the tier.

Elite: These are the best players at their respective positions. The players you can build a franchise around

Stars: Great players but haven’t reached that best of position. Franchise guys but need some good compliments around them

Good Starter: A player who you’re not going to trade unless you’re packaging him to get an elite or star at their position.

Serviceable Starter: Not bad but looking to upgrade.

Role Player- Idealy should becoming off the bench

I’m not going to include any rookies in these rankings. With no NBA experience or summer league it’s too hard to judge them versus their new peers. Let’s start with the Point Guards and work our way to the Centers. I am only going to do starters. If there is a backup I feel should be starting I will mention it in the player’s blurb

Power Forwards- Half the league has a good or better PF but the teams that don’t, need one bad. After the good tier it really drops off in the position. The weird thing is all the young PF’s that are good, are really good. So the ones who are young and not in those tiers seem to be even further back than other positions at the same lower tiers.

Elite

Blake Griffin- 22.5 ppg and 12.1 rpg as a rookie and he doesn’t even have a legit post move. He needs to work on his defense but he is already elite. I think his injured year helped more than hurt him. It was almost like a redshirt year that they use in college. He traveled with the team and really learned the ins and outs of NBA life, so when he finally got back on the court he wasn’t trying to figure that out. He was the one “rookie” last year that didn’t drift off towards the end of the year.

Amare Stoudemire- Last year he proved he didn’t need Nash to make him look good. Once he and Melo figure out playing with each other the Knicks will be legit contenders. Well and when they get a good PG.

Pau Gasol- Last year’s playoffs were an aberration. Pau Gasol is the most skilled big man in the game. He is an excellent passer and has 18 foot range. He is also a good rebounder and provides better defense than most give him credit for. I think he redeems himself this year.

Dirk Nowitzki- What do I need to say? Just watch his playoffs and tell me he isn’t the best PF in the league right now. He isn’t a traditional PF with his range but he won his way, no one can discount that.

Kevin Love- He is by far the best rebounder in the league. Once his guards become better shooters I think his assist numbers will go up too because he is a great passer like Pau Gasol. He can hit the three also. He is the PF that gets his points mostly off the boards.

Stars

Carlos Boozer- He had a terrible playoffs but I think he still had lingering injuries. I think another year with Derrick Rose his numbers will return to their career averages.

Zach Randolph- He is Memphis’ leader. He has finally matured and kept beasting. 20 and 10 are his norms. The one thing is his defense is suspect.

Josh Smith- He should really be playing SF, even at PF he is a force to be reckoned with. He a great defender. He still needs to develop a mid range game and stop shooting threes to be more effective on offense.  Smith is one of my absolute favorite players to watch in the league. He is just exciting to watch.

Luis Scola- He needs out of Houston or they need to get some talent around this guy. Scola is a vastly underrated player. He’s just a tough player, who gets tough points and plays tough defense. He gets a star rating because if he had decent players around him he could get them past the first round.

LaMarcus Aldridge- You could see from early on last year he was going to have a big year and he did. Problem is, in the playoffs he reverted to his old self of not playing down low and just staying in the midrange. Without Gerald Wallace he was playing tough ball and then Wallace was acquired and it was like he just let Wallace do it on his own. Aldridge needs to be tough with him.

Good Starters

Kevin Garnett- He is still a good starter even though he is a shell of himself. He helped Boston to a title a couple years ago and since then he has been injured. Not shocking Boston hasn’t won a title since KG has been injured. They relied on his great defense and leadership. Well the great defense isn’t there and the leadership has turned to acting like an ass on the court. He’s still better than 2/3’s of the PF’s out there though.

Chris Bosh- He isn’t a star. He is vastly overrated. The heat needed a tough low post player like a KG, but the got the softest guy in the league. But hey in July pre season celebrations he is a great screamer, so he has that going for him. Last year proved watch out for guys on bad teams with decent numbers. Some might say that about Kevin Love. If Love switched places with Gasol in LA, guess what LA would still be great. Why? because Love goes after boards and doesn’t need an offense to go through him. Bosh couldn’t handle that in Miami last year. If he figures out he is a glorified role player who is the third wheel in Miami, they will win the title.

David West- The knee injury really makes this ranking tough. When healthy he has been an all star. Well CP3 is so good he made him a two time all star. West still has a great midrange game and can score down low as well.

Paul Millsap- Ever since he filled in for an injured Boozer a couple of years ago, Millsap has shown he can be a good starter in this league. If he is your PF, you’re not doing to bad.

Serge Ibaka- He is on his way to the star tier. He will never be a big scorer. But at the age of 22 he maybe the second best defensive PF in the league (Josh Smith is #1). He came on the scene in the Lakers series his rookie year and hasn’t looked back. If he can become a little more consistent on offense, Serge becomes extremely dangerous. And he has an awesome name, that’s always a plus.

David Lee- Points and boards thats what David Lee does! Defense is not. If GSW can find a defensive big to pair with him, Lee will be way more effective. Until they do though he hurts them almost as much as he helps. I still like his hustle though.

Serviceable Starters

Elton Brand- Brand had a good year last year. He is one of the reasons why Philly made the playoffs. But I cannot put him in the good  tier after only one good year in the last four years.

Antawn Jamison- Bad player on mediocre teams his entire career. It is his fate it appears at this time. No way he could ever be higher on this list

JJ Hickson- He should be the starter in Sac-Town. He had decent numbers in Cleveland last year. Lets see what he can do with some talent around him. He didn’t get a shot when LBJ was a Cav.  He could move up a tier or two by the end of this year.

Tyler Hansbrough- He could easily move up a tier. He is a tough tough player and being paired with Hibbert seems to be working in Indy. But what if Indy signs a big like Nene or Chandler? Hansbrough with be excellent off the bench but as a starter he just needs more court time to show what he can do. Which is grab boards, play feisty defense and get garbage points. The league needs players like him

Dejaun Blair- He’s good but easily upgradeable.

Andray Blatche- has been in the league for 6 years and has been relevant for maybe half of last year. There seems to be a sentiment out there that he could help a good team. If Washington can trade him for a little something, I think they should. I don’t see him ever being higher than this tier.

Role Players

Tyrus Thomas- He needs to find somewhere, where he can be the sixth man and play 25 minutes off the bench. That would be perfect for him. Or be the 5th option on a team where he can sit back and just play defense and rebound.

Milwaukee’s PFs- Whom ever they start, they are a role player.

Brandon Bass- Should have stayed in Dallas and come off the bench. Why? because you would have a ring.

Kris Humphries- He’s had one decent year. If he keeps it up maybe he moves up but I doubt it.

Danilo Gallinari- He is more of a SF and I think 20-25 minutes off the bench is perfect for him. Plus I think Denver starts Kenneth Faried at PF this year. Especially if they keep Nene. Faired is a pure rebounder and a good defender.

Detroit’s PF’s- See Milwaukee.

Amir Johnson- Toronto just start Ed Davis. At worst Davis is Amir Johnson. But the kid has more talent then Johnson, so most likely you’ll get a decent starter out of him. Instead they trot out Johnson, yikes.

Phoenix’s PF’s- See Detroit.

Tomorrow I cover the Center’s. It should be interesting because center is by far the worst position in the league.

NBA Player Rankings – SF

It’s Wednesday and today the small forward rankings are what I am covering. If you haven’t read the last two blogs. My ranking system is based on tiers of players not numerical rankings. Here is the break down of the tiers and the rankings.

Elite: These are the best players at their respective positions. The players you can build a franchise around

Stars: Great players but haven’t reached that best of position. Franchise guys but need some good compliments around them

Good Starter: A player who you’re not going to trade unless you’re packaging him to get an elite or star at their position.

Serviceable Starter: Not bad but looking to upgrade.

Role Player- Idealy should becoming off the bench

I’m not going to include any rookies in these rankings. With no NBA experience or summer league it’s too hard to judge them versus their new peers. Let’s start with the Point Guards and work our way to the Centers. I am only going to do starters. If there is a backup I feel should be starting I will mention it in the player’s blurb

Small Forward- The position has many different play styles. A SF/SG or SF/PF or just as SF. 15 of the 30 teams have a good or serviceable starter so half the league is looking to upgrade. And there 7 Stars and elite players at the SF position. There is a lot of talent at the position it just seems most of the players are inconsistent.

Elite

LeBron James- Duh. He is the most talented player in the NBA, but talent doesn’t always mean best player. The fact he doesn’t have a post up game is the biggest shame in basketball. If he were to play out of the high post he would be the most unstoppable player, maybe ever. But yet he doesn’t.

Carmelo Anthony- Some will say he doesn’t play enough defense. Did you watch the year Denver went to the Western Conference Finals? He played defense that year. And let’s not forget Carmelo is the best scorer of the basketball in the entire league. He does it all. He has a midrange jumper,  can hit the three, take you off the dribble, spot up shoot and he has a marvelous post up game.

Kevin Durant- He’s amazing on offense and he plays better defense than most think. Lets not forget his passion for the game and how great of a teammate he is.

Stars

Paul Pierce- He’s the heart and sole of the celtics. He’s never been an elite guy but always a high quality star. He plays tough defense and makes tough shots. Even since he’s gotten older he still gets to his spots and makes his shots.

Rudy Gay- Even though Memphis made that playoff run without him (acquiring Battier helped a ton) Gay is still a star. Not to mention he is still only 25.  He can flat out play. He’ll be like Pierce, always at the star level but a good one.

Danny Granger- I like Granger. He is on the lower end of this tier though. He’s better than just being a good starter but he isn’t quite a complete star. I don’t know what it is about his game, it just seems like there is something missing.

Gerald Wallace- He is the do it all man. When he was younger he was just a high flyer and good defender. Now he is that and he is decent on offense and he is a great rebounder at the SF position. Portland fleeced Charlotte for him. There had to be a better deal for him out there but some how Cho pulled it off and Portland fired Cho and he’s in Charlotte. Thats what I call irony.

Good Starters

Thaddeus Young- He turned it on in last years playoffs. He showed how good he can be and he can be damn good.

Loul Deng- He finally stayed healthy and had a career year. He is one of the better defensive SF out there.

Shawn Marion- With Butler a FA, I wouldn’t be shocked if Marion stays the starter. He had a good playoffs and fits the team well. His game fits the up tempo style perfectly.

Wilson Chandler- Can we give this guy his due? Seriously he was good in NY and when he got traded for Anthony, he was good in Denver. He’s an all around player. Good at everything not elite in any one area but that is fine.

Dorell Wright- If He continues from he left off last year, yes he is a good starter. Wright had a great year in GS. But since it was the Warriors no one really noticed.

Grant Hill- I don’t care if he is 39 years old. He has resurrected his career in Phoenix. Before his injuries in Orlando he was LeBron before LeBron. He averaged 22 ppg 7.5 rpg and 6 apg. Now he is the ultimate “I don’t make a mistake because I’m a crafty veteran guy”.

Serviceable Starters

Corey Maggette- He’s just there. He is a capable starter but if he is your starter, you are usually looking for a guy to replace him.

Carlos Delfino- Milwaukee has a few guys who rotate here but Delfino is usually  the starter when healthy. Tobias Harris is a nice prospect and CDR shows flashes of being a good starter but isn’t consistent. Delfino is a glue guy and that makes him serviceable but there are other glue guys that are better, Shane Battier for example.

Al-Farouq Aminu- He’s young at this point I think he can be a Thaddeus Young type player but he has to get better to get there. His shooting %’s are terrible.

Trevor Ariza- A starter on a title team. That makes him valuable. I like his game but he isn’t a good starter but he’s the perfect 4th/5th guy.

Metta World Peace aka Ron Artest- He is good in limited action. But his contract is terrible for LA. I like Artest a lot but he has his weaknesses like the ability to kill a run with horrendous shots for example

Hedo Turkoglu- Can we just say he had one good year, that year Orlando went to the finals and that netted him a 55 million dollar contract… I just threw up.

Tayshaun Prince- He would be a good starter if he got out of Detroit. He still has plenty to offer a contending team.

Terrence Williams- Can someone just give the kid a legit shot to be a starter? I know he is out there personality wise but I think he can be a good starter.

Michael Beasley- B- Easy is a complete enigma. He has the talent to be elite but the head of a role player.

Role Players

Joey Graham- looking at Cleveland’s roster he has the best shot at landing the starting spot. That’s not a good thing

Marvin Williams- When he came off the bench he was perfect. With Crawford most likely out the door Marvin will probably start. He isn’t suited to start

CJ Miles/ Gordon Hayward- All sorts of no here.

Kings SF spot- I could see them starting Tyreke here and Marcus Thornton at the two. thats what I would do. if thats the case they have a good starter here.

Travis Outlaw- there are 35 million reasons why he is starting.

Linus Kleiza- Remember when he was in Denver and he scored 40 off the bench… He should still come off the bench

Richard Jefferson- Yikes this list keeps getting uglier. The Kawhi Leonard trade was nice. He could start by the end of the year.  Popovich doesn’t usually start rooks though

Rashard Lewis- since the busted HGH test he has been terrible. Coincidence? nope.

Tomorrow I tackle the Power Forwards. Like I said before, agree or disagree leave a comment and let me know.

NBA Player Rankings – SG

Today I am ranking the Shooting Guards in the league. Remember it is in no particular order in the tiers. Here is a breakdown of the ranking tiers.

Elite: These are the best players at their respective positions. The players you can build a franchise around

Stars: Great players but haven’t reached that best of position. Franchise guys but need some good compliments around them

Good Starter: A player who you’re not going to trade unless you’re packaging him to get an elite or star at their position.

Serviceable Starter: Not bad but looking to upgrade.

Role Player- Idealy should becoming off the bench

I’m not going to include any rookies in these rankings. With no NBA experience or summer league it’s too hard to judge them versus their new peers. Let’s start with the Point Guards and work our way to the Centers. I am only going to do starters. If there is a backup I feel should be starting I will mention it in the player’s blurb

Shooting Guards
At the top of the position there is some great talent, but then it takes a turn for the worse. Only 11 good or better starters and in the serviceable starter tier I play some if games. So basically 2/3’s of the league needs a SG. That’s not good.

Elite

Kobe Bryant- Even at 33 and playing in the league since he was 18, Kobe is still an elite player. I personally think he is the best player in the league. Does he have the most skill at his age? No, but being the best player isn’t about just skill. Mentally there is no one tougher in the league and if reports are true about his knee surgery this off season, it sounds like he is going to look like a younger version of himself.

Dwayne Wade- He’s the leader in Miami. He had the best shooting year in his career last year. Look for that to FG% stay up there again this year.

Stars

Eric Gordon- Some people may say, who? But he is overlooked in Clipperland. As good as Blake Griffin is, when healthy Gordon helps form one of the best 1-2 punches in the league. I don’t know if he ever breaks into the elite category but as long as he is healthy he’s a star.

Joe Johnson- Contract wise he isn’t a star, Yikes. But Joe Johnson can fill it up. Even though he had his worst year in Atlanta last year he is still a star. At age 30 though is how long before he is on the decline?

Manu Ginobli- As much as I don’t like the guy, I respect his game. He plays with a reckless abandon which some young guys could learn from. He is an ultimate competitor.  He doesn’t have eye popping numbers at all but he will go off if ever given the chance.

Good Starters

Andre Iguodala- “Iggy” is one guy on this list who should be a star, but he is way too inconsistent. His teammate Thaddeus Young out played him in the playoffs this year. Plus with Evan Turner behind him on the depth chart, it makes him dispensable for Philly. Especially since he had his worst year since his rookie year last year. That being said, He is a good starter.

Ray Allen- He isn’t a star for the fact he doesn’t really play defense. He is by far the best shooter in the league and it’s not close. He was the one player in this Good Starters category that I feel is a tweener because his one strength is maybe better than anyone else’s best strength in the league. His age also factors in here.

Tyreke Evans- His 40% FG% last year scares me. But athletically he is superior to most at his position. He has a great knack for getting to the hole when he wants too.

Jason Terry- I know he doesn’t start but he plays the majority of the minutes and is their crunch time SG. He’s unafraid of a big shot and is a pretty clutch player. If he started for a non playoff team he wouldn’t be here but the fact he is a key contributor on a title winning team he has to be here.

James Harden- He is another because the team he plays on guy. I don’t know if he could take on a major scorer’s role, but for OKC he is a perfect third option. Not to mention he is one of the most dangerous third options in the league.

Monta Ellis- I almost put him in the stars tier but the my shear love for Monta would shine through. I know he doesn’t play great defense but he did average over two steals the last two years. He shot 45% last year and is a career 47% shooter which is good for a guard. Does he have a consistent three ball? No. But he keeps GSW in games. He is a true scorer and that is a rare find these days. As most guys here, Monta is inconsistent and an undersized player. If you don’t have to rely on him being a good defender he could be in the star category, but he is the team’s best player and isn’t really suited for that.

Serviceable Starter

Stephen Jackson- Capt. Jax is a good leader, as crazy as that sounds the guy doesn’t back down in a tight game. His problem is does he care enough if he is on a bad team. We will find out in Milwaukee.

OJ Mayo- He had a good playoff run. But for the entire season Memphis was trying to trade him and did to Indy but the paper work wasn’t filed on time or something like that. It doesn’t help he is a bit of a ball hog and the dip to 40% shooting isn’t helping his case either.

Landry Fields- He could be considered a good starter but really he is a good fit in NY. Why because he doesn’t have to score and he is a good perimeter defender. He is a do it all player but he doesn’t have one defining great skill. Which is ok, the league needs players like him. But he is good enough to be like Shane Battier but at the SG. His stats won’t be impressive but he is an integral part of winning team.

Jason Richardson- Well when he isn’t sleeping with a teammate’s wife, he is a pretty good SG. He has transformed from a high flyer to a three ball shooter. He is a good defender but there are other players that always seem like upgrades. He is another guy like Fields. Not as a do it all guy but he is a player a lot of team need on their team to be a good team.

Kevin Martin- I’m not much of a fan of Kevin Martin. No defense and is the typical good numbers on a bad team guy. Until I see him lead a team or be the number two on a winning team. Let’s also mention he is injury prone as well.

Vince Carter- … Done laughing? This comes with a stipulation. If he cares ,he is still a good player. But that’s a big if.

Wes Johnson- He needs to just grow as a player. I see his ceiling as a high end good starter. He just needs to find his way in the league. Which I think he will do.

Brandon Roy- I highly doubt Portland keeps him. I don’t see how you can play him only 25 minutes a game and pay him 15+ million a year. If he gets amnestied and goes to a place like Chicago where he can be the number two or three but still be a leader while playing 25 minutes (max) a game he would be a good starter. And if Roy is out in Portland I think Wes Matthews is a good starter, especially on that team. (yes I know Matthews started last year but that was because Roy got injured.)

Nick Young- Yeah he barely made it here. He scored last year because Wall got him the ball but Young isn’t that good If he is your third option you’re in trouble. But as a fourth or fifth guy? he isn’t too bad.

Demar DeRozen- a typical slashing SG. He literally shot 9% from the 3 point line. He only shot 52 but only making 5? Yikes. He is getting better on defense. But I think he is a decent NBA starter. Has some upside to be a good starter.

Role Player

Gerald Henderson- There’s all sorts of mess in Charlotte. Henderson is a bench guy. He started 30 games last year but I think they may start Augustin at SG, which is mind boggling.

Chicago’s SG situation- They need Portland to release Roy in the worst way. I think they have to sign Roy if he becomes available. Brewer is a good sixth man and Bogans just can’t be a starter. It’s a glaring weakness on that team.

Anthony Parker- Do I need to really explain this one?

Willie Green- The fact CP3 got NOLA to the playoffs with a player like Green as a starter, just shows how great CP3 is.

Raja Bell- I see Alec Burks being the starter. Bell is a good off the bench guy too old for major minutes as a starter.

The New Jersey Conundrum- Vujacic isn’t a starter, neither is Anthony Morrow. I think rookie Marshon Brooks should win the starting spot. He filled it up in college and he has an NBA game. The kid can be a good starter.

JR Smith/ Arron Afflalo- I think both players need to be played in limited minutes. JR will literally shoot you out of games which is why he got moved to the bench but Smith has the ability to go off. Afflalo is a good defender. It’s a position of need for Denver, lets just say that.

Dahntay Jones/ Brandon Rush- Maybe Paul George or George Hill should start over either guy. Neither is starting material.

The void that is the Detroit SG- Rip Hamilton just wants out and is playing like it. Ben Gordon is over paid to be a streaky shooter and T-Mac is irrelevant. This season is going to be ugly in Detroit.

Tomorrow is the position of Small Forward and remember drop a comment on what you think of the rankings.

I’m Baaaack!!!

It has been too long since I did a regular NBA blog. With the lockout over, presumably. I am going to start up my blog once again. I’m going start and do positional player rankings. Instead of a numbered list. I am going to use a tiered system. These are in no particular order. The following tiers are;

Elite: These are the best players at their respective positions. The players you can build a franchise around

Stars: Great players but haven’t reached that best of position. Franchise guys but need some good compliments around them

Good Starter: A player who you’re not going to trade unless you’re packaging him to get an elite or star at their position.

Serviceable Starter: Not bad but looking to upgrade.

Role Player- Idealy should becoming off the bench

I’m not going to include any rookies in these rankings. With no NBA experience or summer league it’s too hard to judge them versus their new peers. Let’s start with the Point Guards and work our way to the Centers. I am only going to do starters. If there is a backup I feel should be starting I will mention it in the starter’s blurb.

Point Guards- Maybe the deepest position in the league. There are 15 good starters and above on this list and 9 more included as serviceable starters. So 2/3’s of the league has a pretty good PG situation. I believe we are in a “Golden” era for point guards. There have never been this many good young PG’s in the league at one time.

Elite
Chris Paul – easily the best pure PG in the league. Doesn’t have to score to make his impact in any game.

Derrick Rose- The reigning MVP moved up to this status last year with his outstanding play.

Stars
Rajon Rondo- Probably the best defensive PG in the league, if Paul isn’t. Too inconsistent of a shooter to be considered elite

Russell Westbrook- Great player but the playoffs leave us with some questions. Will he take a back seat to KD? Needs to work on his midrange shot.

Deron Williams- Can we just end the whose better CP3 or D-Will argument? CP3 is by far better but Williams isn’t a slouch.

Good Starters
John Wall- He will be in the star category but he needs to work on his jump shot and being consistent. That comes with age.

Steph Curry- Great offense, no defense.

Steve Nash- read Steph Curry but add way better passer and better shooter if that’s possible.

Jrue Holiday- Had a very good sophomore year. He needs to become a better passer but is a very good defender.

Brandon Jennings- Shows flashes of brilliance then plays like crap not to mention he makes Rondo look like a lights out shooter.

Mike Conely- He took a big step in last year’s playoffs. He’s a good distributor.

Ty Lawson- Lightning quick, pass first PG and a good shooter, 40% from 3 point land.

Darren Collison- Needs to look to pass a little more but is a good fit in Indy.

Tony Parker- I think SA would love to try and upgrade from him but he is a good PG basically their only asset to trade that has some youth. He is a good playoff player we know this, but if he and say Mike Conely switched teams would Memphis have beat SA last year? I don’t think they do. Conely tore him up. That said you don’t actively look to upgrade his spot unless you’re getting younger.

Raymond Felton- He is one of the most overlooked guys in the league, What he did in NY last year wasn’t a fluke. He is a good distributing PG, who is good on D, plus is a nice shooter.

Serviceable Starter

Chauncey Billups- He’s old, NY would love to re-do the Melo trade and keep Felton. I believe that big time. And let’s please eliminate his nickname of “Big Shot”. He’s made one big shot in the playoffs, other than that in he’s been pretty terrible in series elimination games or series clinchers.

Mo Williams- LBJ made the guy and AS after 10 guys get injured. His is an ok fit in LA but I see Bledsoe pushing him for PT this year.

Baron Davis- He will probably be released with the amnesty clause but He was tough to judge. If he stays in Cleveland he won’t be good at all. If he gets released and plays for a contender I see him being motivated and being a good starter.

Devin Harris- He’s a very good player. These last 2 years were out of no where. I hope to see him turn it around but if he doesn’t, Utah will want to try and upgrade.

Kyle Lowry- He’s a good player, but I think he’s on the wrong team. If he was the PG on a team with more talent and was a fourth or fifth option he would be a good starter.

Jason Kidd- I know the Mavs just won the title with him but you don’t think they would love to get younger? Age is the only reason why he is this low, oh and his shooting, quickness and defensive woes.

Jeff Teague- He is a good young PG. He really came on against the Bulls in the playoffs. His first full year as a starter should move him up a tier.

Role Players
DJ Augustin- Kemba will start in front of him. If he can’t then that’s a troubling sign for Charlotte

Mario Chalmers- Now he should have started over Bibby once Miami acquired Bibby, but that’s not saying much at all. The heat don’t have a legit starting PG on the roster.

Derek Fisher/Steve Blake- At this point Fisher has to come off the bench. Problem is if Steve Blake is your backup you don’t have a starting PG on the roster. If Baron Davis becomes available I think the Lakers make a hard push for him and sadly it would be a massive upgrade at the position.

Gilbert Arenas/Jameer Nelson- Gil has lost all quickness from his Washington days. Jameer Nelson’s play has proved he’s an excellent backup.

Rodney Stuckey- Welcome to the Brandon Knight era Piston fans.

Jose Calderon- had a bounce back year last year but at this point he needs to come off the bench. 25 minutes is perfect for him.

Luke Ridnour- All I had to do was type his name, That should be enough right? We all know Rubio will start this year.

Kings PG- N/A Udrih is in Milwaukee coming off the bench, this is where he would have been and it’s Jimmer time in Sac-Town… I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing.

Tomorrow I will cover the Shooting Guards. If you have anything to say, agree or disagree drop me a comment.

NBA Draft grades and Draft week Review

What a crazy week and Free Agency hasn’t yet begun. With the economy and some teams trying to get under the luxury tax and some trying to win titles, this off season will be active.

Last night’s draft was just bizarre. Grades will be based on a combo of the pick, how good the player is for that pick, if the team made trades and if the trade was good for them. Lets get to the grades!

Atlanta Hawks

19th (19th) Jeff Teague PG Wake Forest

19th (49th) Sergiy Gladyr SG Ukraine

I like the pick of Jeff Teague. He has a great first step and can score at any time. He has a lot of upside and can grow. I would have liked to see VCU’s Eric Maynor here. He is a distributor first. I think he would have helped the team a little more. And with aquiring Jamal Crawford from the Warriors they don’t need more scoring. The second round pick will stash in Europe.

Grade: B+

Boston Celtics

28th (58th) Lester Hudson SG Tenn. Martin

I don’t know a whole lot about Hudson. I know he can score and I know he probably won’t be making this team. Unless Eddie House isn’t returning and the Celtics feel charitable. Though they don’t have a 1st rounder because of the Garnett trade. So they still get a good grade because well they won a title and stole KG away

Grade: A

Charlotte Bobcats

12th (12th) Gerald Henderson SG Duke

10th (40th) Derrick Brown PF Xavier

24th (54th) Robert Vaden SG UAB- Sending pick to OKC

I don’t like their draft what so ever. Henderson is maybe the worst pick in the lottery. He is not that good of an athlete for the NBA. Look how he did against UNC with true athletic guards. He couldn’t handle them. He can’t shoot and is an alright defender. Brown is a nice pick. He can play both the 3 and 4 but he isn’t developed. He should have stayed in school. I would like to see them pick outside the ACC. Earl Clarke from Louisville should have been the pick.

Grade: C

Chicago Bulls

16th (16th) James Johnson PF Wake Forest

26th (26th) Taj Gibson PF USC

I like the Bulls draft. Johnson is a stud. He has a motor and a lot of energy. He is super athletic too. I like the Gibson pick too. But I would have liked to see DeJuan Blair here. He would have added the toughness the bulls need

Grade: B+

Cleveland Cavaliers

30th (30th) Christian Eyenga SF Congo

16th (46th) Danny Green SF North Carolina

I like the Danny Green pick a lot. Another wing to hit outside jumpers. I hate the Eyenga pick. Your going to hear this a lot from me. Why didn’t they pick Blair? seriously. The need a PF Varejeo may leave. Then there is the Shaq trade. IT WAS A BAD MOVE. Yes I said it in caps. Shaq only played half the year last year and so did Big Z. They will not get any better. Heck the Cavs are worse. Howard didn’t beat them. Lewis and the outside shooters did. Cleveland didn’t add a wing precense to close out or counter. There must be more for the Cavs to be good.

Grade: C-

Dallas Mavericks

24th (24th) B.J. Mullens C Ohio State- going to OKC for R.Beaubois

26th (56th) Ahmad Nivins PF St. Joseph’s

The also aquired Nick Calathes, who will stash away in europe next year. Beaubois will too, but some say he as quick as the Spur’s Tony Parker. I like the Nivins pick a lot. He is one of those under the radar bigs that the Mavs seem to find (Think Diop, i know he wasn’t drafted by DAL but he was a cheap FA). Nivins can rebound and get garbage points that you need to win. Look for him to make the team. Not a bad draft.

Grade: B

Denver Nuggets

4th (34th) Sergio Llull PG Spain – traded to HOU for cash.

They traded Llull to the Nuggets after they traded a future 1st round pick to Minnesota for Ty Lawson. I love what Denver did. The got a legit backup PG. I love Lawson, I think he can be a really good PG in the league and he gets to learn from Chauncey Billups. Lawson’s speed and quickness is unmatched in this year’s PG class.

Grade: A

Detroit Pistons

15th (15th) Austin Daye SF Gonzaga

5th (35th) DaJuan Summers SF Georgetown

9th (39th) Jonas Jerebko SF Sweden

14th (44th) Chase Budinger SG Arizona traded to HOU for cash.

I kind of like Detroit’s draft. Daye does have upside but he should have stayed in school. He is a twig. But he does play tough defense and he has range on offense. He needs to refine his game. He could also bust here too. DaJaun Summers is a great pick. He can play the 3 and 4. He can shoot too. I wonder if Tayshaun Prince is on the trading block. Daye and Summers play close to Prince and they are younger and cheaper. I think Detroit moves Prince before the season starts. He is making 9.5 million next year and more the next two years. I have no credible sources but look at their moves. I think Prince is gone, maybe a sign and trade to Utah? Boozer is high on Detroit’s list.

Grade: B+

Golden State Warriors

7th (7th) Stephen Curry PG Davidson

I love this pick, for their team or to parlay into Amare Stoudemire. The Rumor is that Curry, Andris Biedrins, Brandon Wright and maybe Marco Bellinelli to Phoenix for Amare SStoudemire. If they keep Curry I would love to see the Monta Ellis/Curry backcourt. Defensivly they will get killed but offensively they compliment each other nicely. Ellis can slash to the hole and Curry can be the spot up shooter to kick out to. Regardless Golden State will be my West darkhorse to make the playoffs.

Grade: A

Houston Rockets

Aquired- SG Jermaine Taylor from Washington for cash

Aquired- PG Sergio Llull from Denver for Cash

Aquired- SF Chase Budinger from Detroit for Cash

Houston had zero picks in this draft. Yet they spend six million on aquisitions of 3 players who will all eventually be on their team. Exoect Taylor and Budinger to make the roster and Llull will go play in europe for another year or two. I like Taylor a lot, this kid can shoot. He is a sleeper of this draft. he can score, handle the ball and rebound good for a guard, Don’t forget he is 6’5″ and 207 lbs. great NBA body for a guard. He needs to improve his defense. Budinger is an enigma. He can score also, he has great range and can get a shot off at anytime. I don’t think in the NBA he will be a good rebounder he needs to get better and I don’t think he has ever played defense. But I like the pick ups both players can contribute next year.

Grade: B+

Indiana Pacers

13th (13th) Tyler Hansbrough PF North Carolina

22nd (52nd) A.J. Price PG Connecticut

I hate the Pacers draft. First they draft a player who will never be that good.  Tyler Hansbrough is Chris Anderson without the tattoos. And to spend a lottery pick on that is a bad pick, especially when they passed on a PG they desperately need. So they draft Uconn’s AJ Price in the second round. Don’t they already have a PG on the roster with character issues? Indiana you already have Jeff Foster on the roster why did you draft him again? Heck Hansbrough won’t be any better than Eric Montross. And with Price around in Indy don’t leave your laptops out

Grade: F

LOs Angeles Clippers

1st (1st) Blake Griffin PF Oklahoma

They are only getting a B. Why? well it was a no brainer pick. Griffin is a good talent and will be good, but I think this is the only team he can’t impact right away. They are loaded at the 4/5 position and they have to play Zach Randolph because of his expensive contract. Kaman or Camby has to be on the block. I imagine teams are going to want Camby for his contract expiring next year.

Grade: B

Los Angeles Lakers

29th (29th) Toney Douglas SG Florida State- traded to NYK for cash

12th (42nd) Patrick Beverley PG Ukraine- traded to MIA for cash

29th (59th) Chinemelu Elonu PF Texas A&M

Here’s my issue with the Laker’s draft. They could have had DeJaun Blair, I think Blair would bring toughness to the frontline and he is better than DJ Mbenga and Josh Powell. Yes they got 3 million from New York to spend signing Ariza and Odom back, but They are going to be over the luxury tax regardless if they sign both of those guys back. Why not get a good young player who can help your team for atleast 3 years? I don’t get it. Now their biggest threat lands him. The second round pick they didn’t trade will never make the team he will be cut after camp, heck maybe before. But they get a C for not hurting themselves but not improving either.

Grade: C

Memphis Grizzlies

2nd (2nd) Hasheem Thabeet C Connecticut

27th (27th) DeMarre Carroll PF Missouri

6th (36th) Sam Young SF Pittsburgh

Surprisingly I like the Grizzlies draft. I don’t like the Thabeet pick, especially when there is better talent at the board and a center is not what they need. If they were not going to pick Rubio pick Flynn or Curry here. I DeMarre Carroll pick. He is an energy guy, who can get rebounds and play defense. He will be a great asset off the bench. Sam Young will play major minutes for Memphis. He is ready to play now. Young is old, 24 to be exact. But Sam Young is versitile, he can play more than one position, he can rebound and he runs the floor nice.

Grade: B+

Miami Heat

13th (43rd) Marcus Thornton SG LSU – traded to NOLA for cash

30th (60th) Robert Dozier SF Memphis

Yes Miami did aquire Beverley from the Lakers. I doubt he ever gets into the league. He will be stashed in europe for a couple of years. They should have kept Thornton. He is a very good offensive player. He can get the ball in the hole from inside or outside. He doesn’t play that bad of defense either. Dozier might make this team. Dozier really doesn’t have a position though. He is a little small for the PF and isn’t much of a shooter or ball handler for the SF position. But he has raw abilities and good defensive skills that may make it in the league.

Grade: D

Milwaukee Bucks

10th (10th) Brandon Jennings PG Italy

11th (41st) Jodie Meeks SG Kentucky

I like the Bucks’ draft is nice. I like Jennings for a gamble. He has a lot to prove. He has an NBA game. They may have drafted their next second round steal in Meeks. He can score and any way he wants. I like This draft. They drafted need and players who can play next year. Good Draft Milwaukee. Unfortunatley they got raped in the Jefferson trade. I don’t see them anywhere near the playoffs this next year

Grade: B+

Minnesota Timberwolves

5th (5th) Ricky Rubio PG Spain

6th (6th) Jonny Flynn PG Syracuse

18th (18th) Ty Lawson PG North Carolina- traded to DEN for Future 1st rd pick

28th (28th) Wayne Ellington SG North Carolina

15th (45th) Nick Calathes PG Florida- traded to DAL for Future 2nd Rd pick

17th (47th) Henk Norel PF Netherlands

‘Sota you’re in a pickle. Your drafted 4 PG’s and traded two of them. If you take Rubio, why take Flynn? Take Curry or Jordan Hill. Curry compliments Rubio and I don’t think Rubio would have got so mad if Minnesota picked Curry. Now they have to trade Rubio and they won’t get a high return on him. I do like the pick of Ellington. Good shooter can play with Flynn or Rubio and will come of the bench. Norel is a stash pick.

Grade: D+

New Jersey

11th (11th) Terrence Williams SG Louisville

I love this kid! He maybe inconsistant shooting the ball, But he is athletic, he can play the 2 or the 3, he can handle the ball, great rebounder and plays tough defense. He is a little “out there” though. He is known to wear spongebob pajama pants and carry a barbie back pack around the Louisville campus. He will be fun to watch with Courtney Lee and Devin Harris. I understand why they traded Vince Carter and heck they got a good young SG in return. I still like their draft.

Grade: B

New Orleans Hornets

21st (21st) Darren Collison PG UCLA

They also aquired Marcus Thornton which is a nice pick up. But drafting Collison? Why? What is the logical explanation here? They want a good back up PG? They can sign a one for the vet minimum. They could have drafted DeJuan Blair here. They need front court help desperately. Terrible draft New Orleans, I dont think they make the playoffs next year.

Grade: F

New York Knicks

8th (8th) Jordan Hill PF Arizona

And they aquired Toney Douglas from the Lakers for cash. I love the Knicks draft. Hill and Douglas will play this year and help them a lot. Both can play in D’Antoni’s system. The Knicks also traded Quentin Richardson for Darko “The Human Cigar” Milicic. I think they traded Richardson to try and break away from the Zeke days in New York. Darko actually gives them a big guy who can stretch the floor. This is Milicic’s last stop though.’

Grade: A

Oklahoma City Thunder

3rd (3rd) James Harden SG Arizona State

25th (25th) Rodrigue Beaubois PG France – Traded to DAL for BJ Mullens

I like Harden’s game. I don’t know if I like his attitude. I saw him play a lot this year. He gives me the feeling of having the “I’m not always going to show up” attitude. Look at the pac 10 tournament or the NCAA tournament. He was a non factor. Early in the year he was playing great. Harden does fit in with this team really well. Mullens I doubt will do anything in the league. Heck he couldn’t start at Ohio State. I would have kept Beaubois.

Grade: B-

Orlando Magic

No picks

I love their draft week. The Vince Carter trade will help them a lot. Why did the lose to LA? 2 reasons. 1. They could not guard LA’s bigger guards and 2. They could not create their own shot in the half court shot. Orlando missed a lot of pull up and spot up shots. Vince will create his own shot when he needs to for the team. Giving up Lee isn’t bad when you get better. They also traded Rafer Alston. We saw how he handles Jameer Nelson playing more. It would have been ugly next year. The get an Incomplete though because they didn’t draft anyone.

Grade: INC.

Philadelphia 76ers

17th (17th) Jrue Holiday PG UCLA

Not a bad pick but they could have got a more “sure thing” pick. Holiday is a great athlete. There were reports of him being intimedated at the Pac 10 level. What will this do to his confidence? I would have liked to see Erc Maynor go to Philly. He would have fit perfectly in there. That why they get a mid grade. Not bad but could have done better.

Grade: C+

Phoenix Suns

14th (14th) Earl Clark SF Louisville

18th (48th) Taylor Griffin PF Oklahoma

27th (57th) Emir Preldzic SF Slovenia- Traded to CLE

I love the pick of Earl Clark. He is the next coming of Lamar Odom. Heck he has the head too. If he can figure it out this is a money pick. Griffin won’t play in the league. He is not that good at all. this is name recognition.

Grade: B-

Portland Trailblazers

22nd (22nd) Victor Claver SF Spain

3rd (33rd) Dante Cunningham PF Villanova

8th (38th) Jon Brockman PF Washington- traded to SAC for Jeff Pendergraph

25th (55th) Patrick Mills PG St. Mary’s (CA)

I like the Claver pick for the reason of they can stash him for a few years. Cunningham won’t every play for Portland. I like the aquisition of Pendergraph. He may make the 12th man spot. But he can add toughness to this frontline that needs it bad. I love Patrick Mills’ game. I don’t know if he will make Portland’s roster but he will play next year. Mills is so good, I cannot believe he fell this low. The Blazers don’t get a high grade for the same reason the Lakers did, They didn’t help or hurt themselves

Grade: C

Sacramento Kings

4th (4th) Tyreke Evans SG Memphis

23rd (23rd) Omri Casspi SF Israel

1st (31st) Jeff Pendergraph PF Arizona State- Traded to POR for Serio Rodriguez

I like the Kings draft. I would have kept Pendergraph. He’s better than Brockman and they already have a bad foreign PG. I like Tyreke Evans but he is a SG not a PG in the NBA. Cassipi should be playing over here this year. His game is limited. He can get to the hole but doesn’t shoot to well. But he maybe the toughest foreign player to come into the league. The Kings made a good leap forward in the draft to becoming a better team.

San Antonio Spurs

7th (37th) DeJuan Blair PF Pittsburgh

21st (51st) Jack McClinton SG Miami

23rd (53rd) Nando De Colo PG France

I am not a fan of the Spurs at all. But what they did this week is why they are so good year in year out. The pick of DeJuan Blair is by far the best value for pick there was in the draft. He fills the tough guy low post player that they lost when Kurt Thomas was traded. But then a very sneaky pick in SG Jack McClinton. He has the “Bowen Corner 3” down pat. He can shoot. But he can also slash to the hole too. He is a scorer. San Antonio will need to teach him good defense but he can come off their bench and be an instant asset. De Colo is suppose to be another diamond in the rough. They will stash and develop him. Lets now get to the Jefferson trade. WOW is all I can stay. They are going to be in the championship mode. They got a player in Jefferson who will know what to do in the playoffs. I respect the Spurs a lot and I absolutely love what they did this week to make their team a legit title contender again. They win the draft and in my mind it is not close

Grade: A+

Toronto Raptors

9th (9th) DeMar DeRozan SG USC

DeRozan is the draft’s biggest enigma. I think he is a young Vince Carter, which Toronto is familar with. He can shoot but it’s very inconsistent. He is an athlete, dunker and a decent defensive player when he sets his mind to it. If he pans out this is a great pick, if he doesn’t well it won’t shock anyone

Grade: B+

Utah Jazz

20th (20th) Eric Maynor PG VA Commonwealth

20th (50th) Goran Suton C Michigan State

The Maynor pick came as a shocker. But it is a good pick. I liked Maynor for Philly and Atlanta. They both passed, now the Jazz have a great situation at PG. WIth Williams starting Maynor can come off the bench and there will be little drop off. Maynor is a pass first PG, he can also score and in bunches. He does need to add some size but he plays good defense. Suton probably won’t ever play for Utah, he will probably get stashed in Europe to play.

Grade: B+

Washington Wizards

2nd (32nd) Jermaine Taylor SG Central Florida- Traded to HOU for Cash

They get an Incomplete for trading away Taylor. They are set at guard. Especially since they got Foye and Miller for the 5 pick and bad contracts. I like how they look this year and may make a run at the eastern conference crown.

Grade. INC

Edit: check out the podcast now. I started with the draft grades http://b2th3myth.podbean.com/admin/post.php

What a crazy week and Free Agency hasn’t yet begun. With the economy and some teams trying to get under the luxury tax and some trying to win titles, this off season will be active.

Last night’s draft was just bizarre. Grades will be based on a combo of the pick, how good the player is for that pick, if the team made trades and if the trade was good for them. Lets get to the grades!

Atlanta Hawks

19th (19th) Jeff Teague PG Wake Forest

19th (49th) Sergiy Gladyr SG Ukraine

I like the pick of Jeff Teague. He has a great first step and can score at any time. He has a lot of upside and can grow. I would have liked to see VCU’s Eric Maynor here. He is a distributor first. I think he would have helped the team a little more. And with aquiring Jamal Crawford from the Warriors they don’t need more scoring. The second round pick will stash in Europe.

Grade: B+

Boston Celtics

28th (58th) Lester Hudson SG Tenn. Martin

I don’t know a whole lot about Hudson. I know he can score and I know he probably won’t be making this team. Unless Eddie House isn’t returning and the Celtics feel charitable. Though they don’t have a 1st rounder because of the Garnett trade. So they still get a good grade because well they won a title and stole KG away

Grade: A

Charlotte Bobcats

12th (12th) Gerald Henderson SG Duke

10th (40th) Derrick Brown PF Xavier

24th (54th) Robert Vaden SG UAB- Sending pick to OKC

I don’t like their draft what so ever. Henderson is maybe the worst pick in the lottery. He is not that good of an athlete for the NBA. Look how he did against UNC with true athletic guards. He couldn’t handle them. He can’t shoot and is an alright defender. Brown is a nice pick. He can play both the 3 and 4 but he isn’t developed. He should have stayed in school. I would like to see them pick outside the ACC. Earl Clarke from Louisville should have been the pick.

Grade: C

Chicago Bulls

16th (16th) James Johnson PF Wake Forest

26th (26th) Taj Gibson PF USC

I like the Bulls draft. Johnson is a stud. He has a motor and a lot of energy. He is super athletic too. I like the Gibson pick too. But I would have liked to see DeJuan Blair here. He would have added the toughness the bulls need

Grade: B+

Cleveland Cavaliers

30th (30th) Christian Eyenga SF Congo

16th (46th) Danny Green SF North Carolina

I like the Danny Green pick a lot. Another wing to hit outside jumpers. I hate the Eyenga pick. Your going to hear this a lot from me. Why didn’t they pick Blair? seriously. The need a PF Varejeo may leave. Then there is the Shaq trade. IT WAS A BAD MOVE. Yes I said it in caps. Shaq only played half the year last year and so did Big Z. They will not get any better. Heck the Cavs are worse. Howard didn’t beat them. Lewis and the outside shooters did. Cleveland didn’t add a wing precense to close out or counter. There must be more for the Cavs to be good.

Grade: C-

Dallas Mavericks

24th (24th) B.J. Mullens C Ohio State- going to OKC for R.Beaubois

26th (56th) Ahmad Nivins PF St. Joseph’s

The also aquired Nick Calathes, who will stash away in europe next year. Beaubois will too, but some say he as quick as the Spur’s Tony Parker. I like the Nivins pick a lot. He is one of those under the radar bigs that the Mavs seem to find (Think Diop, i know he wasn’t drafted by DAL but he was a cheap FA). Nivins can rebound and get garbage points that you need to win. Look for him to make the team. Not a bad draft.

Grade: B

Denver Nuggets

4th (34th) Sergio Llull PG Spain – traded to HOU for cash.

They traded Llull to the Nuggets after they traded a future 1st round pick to Minnesota for Ty Lawson. I love what Denver did. The got a legit backup PG. I love Lawson, I think he can be a really good PG in the league and he gets to learn from Chauncey Billups. Lawson’s speed and quickness is unmatched in this year’s PG class.

Grade: A

Detroit Pistons

15th (15th) Austin Daye SF Gonzaga

5th (35th) DaJuan Summers SF Georgetown

9th (39th) Jonas Jerebko SF Sweden

14th (44th) Chase Budinger SG Arizona traded to HOU for cash.

I kind of like Detroit’s draft. Daye does have upside but he should have stayed in school. He is a twig. But he does play tough defense and he has range on offense. He needs to refine his game. He could also bust here too. DaJaun Summers is a great pick. He can play the 3 and 4. He can shoot too. I wonder if Tayshaun Prince is on the trading block. Daye and Summers play close to Prince and they are younger and cheaper. I think Detroit moves Prince before the season starts. He is making 9.5 million next year and more the next two years. I have no credible sources but look at their moves. I think Prince is gone, maybe a sign and trade to Utah? Boozer is high on Detroit’s list.

Grade: B+

Golden State Warriors

7th (7th) Stephen Curry PG Davidson

I love this pick, for their team or to parlay into Amare Stoudemire. The Rumor is that Curry, Andris Biedrins, Brandon Wright and maybe Marco Bellinelli to Phoenix for Amare SStoudemire. If they keep Curry I would love to see the Monta Ellis/Curry backcourt. Defensivly they will get killed but offensively they compliment each other nicely. Ellis can slash to the hole and Curry can be the spot up shooter to kick out to. Regardless Golden State will be my West darkhorse to make the playoffs.

Grade: A

Houston Rockets

Aquired- SG Jermaine Taylor from Washington for cash

Aquired- PG Sergio Llull from Denver for Cash

Aquired- SF Chase Budinger from Detroit for Cash

Houston had zero picks in this draft. Yet they spend six million on aquisitions of 3 players who will all eventually be on their team. Exoect Taylor and Budinger to make the roster and Llull will go play in europe for another year or two. I like Taylor a lot, this kid can shoot. He is a sleeper of this draft. he can score, handle the ball and rebound good for a guard, Don’t forget he is 6’5″ and 207 lbs. great NBA body for a guard. He needs to improve his defense. Budinger is an enigma. He can score also, he has great range and can get a shot off at anytime. I don’t think in the NBA he will be a good rebounder he needs to get better and I don’t think he has ever played defense. But I like the pick ups both players can contribute next year.

Grade: B+

Indiana Pacers

13th (13th) Tyler Hansbrough PF North Carolina

22nd (52nd) A.J. Price PG Connecticut

I hate the Pacers draft. First they draft a player who will never be that good.  Tyler Hansbrough is Chris Anderson without the tattoos. And to spend a lottery pick on that is a bad pick, especially when they passed on a PG they desperately need. So they draft Uconn’s AJ Price in the second round. Don’t they already have a PG on the roster with character issues? Indiana you already have Jeff Foster on the roster why did you draft him again? Heck Hansbrough won’t be any better than Eric Montross. And with Price around in Indy don’t leave your laptops out

Grade: F

Los Angeles Clippers

1st (1st) Blake Griffin PF Oklahoma

They are only getting a B. Why? well it was a no brainer pick. Griffin is a good talent and will be good, but I think this is the only team he can’t impact right away. They are loaded at the 4/5 position and they have to play Zach Randolph because of his expensive contract. Kaman or Camby has to be on the block. I imagine teams are going to want Camby for his contract expiring next year.

Grade: B

Los Angeles Lakers

29th (29th) Toney Douglas SG Florida State- traded to NYK for cash

12th (42nd) Patrick Beverley PG Ukraine- traded to MIA for cash

29th (59th) Chinemelu Elonu PF Texas A&M

Here’s my issue with the Laker’s draft. They could have had DeJaun Blair, I think Blair would bring toughness to the frontline and he is better than DJ Mbenga and Josh Powell. Yes they got 3 million from New York to spend signing Ariza and Odom back, but They are going to be over the luxury tax regardless if they sign both of those guys back. Why not get a good young player who can help your team for atleast 3 years? I don’t get it. Now their biggest threat lands him. The second round pick they didn’t trade will never make the team he will be cut after camp, heck maybe before. But they get a C for not hurting themselves but not improving either.

Grade: C

Memphis Grizzlies

2nd (2nd) Hasheem Thabeet C Connecticut

27th (27th) DeMarre Carroll PF Missouri

6th (36th) Sam Young SF Pittsburgh

Surprisingly I like the Grizzlies draft. I don’t like the Thabeet pick, especially when there is better talent at the board and a center is not what they need. If they were not going to pick Rubio pick Flynn or Curry here. I DeMarre Carroll pick. He is an energy guy, who can get rebounds and play defense. He will be a great asset off the bench. Sam Young will play major minutes for Memphis. He is ready to play now. Young is old, 24 to be exact. But Sam Young is versitile, he can play more than one position, he can rebound and he runs the floor nice.

Grade: B+

Miami Heat

13th (43rd) Marcus Thornton SG LSU – traded to NOLA for cash

30th (60th) Robert Dozier SF Memphis

Yes Miami did aquire Beverley from the Lakers. I doubt he ever gets into the league. He will be stashed in europe for a couple of years. They should have kept Thornton. He is a very good offensive player. He can get the ball in the hole from inside or outside. He doesn’t play that bad of defense either. Dozier might make this team. Dozier really doesn’t have a position though. He is a little small for the PF and isn’t much of a shooter or ball handler for the SF position. But he has raw abilities and good defensive skills that may make it in the league.

Grade: D

Milwaukee Bucks

10th (10th) Brandon Jennings PG Italy

11th (41st) Jodie Meeks SG Kentucky

I like the Bucks’ draft is nice. I like Jennings for a gamble. He has a lot to prove. He has an NBA game. They may have drafted their next second round steal in Meeks. He can score and any way he wants. I like This draft. They drafted need and players who can play next year. Good Draft Milwaukee. Unfortunatley they got raped in the Jefferson trade. I don’t see them anywhere near the playoffs this next year

Grade: B+

Minnesota Timberwolves

5th (5th) Ricky Rubio PG Spain

6th (6th) Jonny Flynn PG Syracuse

18th (18th) Ty Lawson PG North Carolina- traded to DEN for Future 1st rd pick

28th (28th) Wayne Ellington SG North Carolina

15th (45th) Nick Calathes PG Florida- traded to DAL for Future 2nd Rd pick

17th (47th) Henk Norel PF Netherlands

‘Sota you’re in a pickle. Your drafted 4 PG’s and traded two of them. If you take Rubio, why take Flynn? Take Curry or Jordan Hill. Curry compliments Rubio and I don’t think Rubio would have got so mad if Minnesota picked Curry. Now they have to trade Rubio and they won’t get a high return on him. I do like the pick of Ellington. Good shooter can play with Flynn or Rubio and will come of the bench. Norel is a stash pick.

Grade: D+

New Jersey

11th (11th) Terrence Williams SG Louisville

I love this kid! He maybe inconsistant shooting the ball, But he is athletic, he can play the 2 or the 3, he can handle the ball, great rebounder and plays tough defense. He is a little “out there” though. He is known to wear spongebob pajama pants and carry a barbie back pack around the Louisville campus. He will be fun to watch with Courtney Lee and Devin Harris. I understand why they traded Vince Carter and heck they got a good young SG in return. I still like their draft.

Grade: B

New Orleans Hornets

21st (21st) Darren Collison PG UCLA

They also aquired Marcus Thornton which is a nice pick up. But drafting Collison? Why? What is the logical explanation here? They want a good back up PG? They can sign a one for the vet minimum. They could have drafted DeJuan Blair here. They need front court help desperately. Terrible draft New Orleans, I dont think they make the playoffs next year.

Grade: F

New York Knicks

8th (8th) Jordan Hill PF Arizona

And they aquired Toney Douglas from the Lakers for cash. I love the Knicks draft. Hill and Douglas will play this year and help them a lot. Both can play in D’Antoni’s system. The Knicks also traded Quentin Richardson for Darko “The Human Cigar” Milicic. I think they traded Richardson to try and break away from the Zeke days in New York. Darko actually gives them a big guy who can stretch the floor. This is Milicic’s last stop though.’

Grade: A

Oklahoma City Thunder

3rd (3rd) James Harden SG Arizona State

25th (25th) Rodrigue Beaubois PG France – Traded to DAL for BJ Mullens

I like Harden’s game. I don’t know if I like his attitude. I saw him play a lot this year. He gives me the feeling of having the “I’m not always going to show up” attitude. Look at the pac 10 tournament or the NCAA tournament. He was a non factor. Early in the year he was playing great. Harden does fit in with this team really well. Mullens I doubt will do anything in the league. Heck he couldn’t start at Ohio State. I would have kept Beaubois.

Grade: B-

Orlando Magic

No picks

I love their draft week. The Vince Carter trade will help them a lot. Why did the lose to LA? 2 reasons. 1. They could not guard LA’s bigger guards and 2. They could not create their own shot in the half court shot. Orlando missed a lot of pull up and spot up shots. Vince will create his own shot when he needs to for the team. Giving up Lee isn’t bad when you get better. They also traded Rafer Alston. We saw how he handles Jameer Nelson playing more. It would have been ugly next year. The get an Incomplete though because they didn’t draft anyone.

Grade: INC.

Philadelphia 76ers

17th (17th) Jrue Holiday PG UCLA

Not a bad pick but they could have got a more “sure thing” pick. Holiday is a great athlete. There were reports of him being intimedated at the Pac 10 level. What will this do to his confidence? I would have liked to see Erc Maynor go to Philly. He would have fit perfectly in there. That why they get a mid grade. Not bad but could have done better.

Grade: C+

Phoenix Suns

14th (14th) Earl Clark SF Louisville

18th (48th) Taylor Griffin PF Oklahoma

27th (57th) Emir Preldzic SF Slovenia- Traded to CLE

I love the pick of Earl Clark. He is the next coming of Lamar Odom. Heck he has the head too. If he can figure it out this is a money pick. Griffin won’t play in the league. He is not that good at all. this is name recognition.

Grade: B-

Portland Trailblazers

22nd (22nd) Victor Claver SF Spain

3rd (33rd) Dante Cunningham PF Villanova

8th (38th) Jon Brockman PF Washington- traded to SAC for Jeff Pendergraph

25th (55th) Patrick Mills PG St. Mary’s (CA)

I like the Claver pick for the reason of they can stash him for a few years. Cunningham won’t every play for Portland. I like the aquisition of Pendergraph. He may make the 12th man spot. But he can add toughness to this frontline that needs it bad. I love Patrick Mills’ game. I don’t know if he will make Portland’s roster but he will play next year. Mills is so good, I cannot believe he fell this low. The Blazers don’t get a high grade for the same reason the Lakers did, They didn’t help or hurt themselves

Grade: C

Sacramento Kings

4th (4th) Tyreke Evans SG Memphis

23rd (23rd) Omri Casspi SF Israel

1st (31st) Jeff Pendergraph PF Arizona State- Traded to POR for Serio Rodriguez

I like the Kings draft. I would have kept Pendergraph. He’s better than Brockman and they already have a bad foreign PG. I like Tyreke Evans but he is a SG not a PG in the NBA. Cassipi should be playing over here this year. His game is limited. He can get to the hole but doesn’t shoot to well. But he maybe the toughest foreign player to come into the league. The Kings made a good leap forward in the draft to becoming a better team.

San Antonio Spurs

7th (37th) DeJuan Blair PF Pittsburgh

21st (51st) Jack McClinton SG Miami

23rd (53rd) Nando De Colo PG France

I am not a fan of the Spurs at all. But what they did this week is why they are so good year in year out. The pick of DeJuan Blair is by far the best value for pick there was in the draft. He fills the tough guy low post player that they lost when Kurt Thomas was traded. But then a very sneaky pick in SG Jack McClinton. He has the “Bowen Corner 3” down pat. He can shoot. But he can also slash to the hole too. He is a scorer. San Antonio will need to teach him good defense but he can come off their bench and be an instant asset. De Colo is suppose to be another diamond in the rough. They will stash and develop him. Lets now get to the Jefferson trade. WOW is all I can stay. They are going to be in the championship mode. They got a player in Jefferson who will know what to do in the playoffs. I respect the Spurs a lot and I absolutely love what they did this week to make their team a legit title contender again. They win the draft and in my mind it is not close

Grade: A+

Toronto Raptors

9th (9th) DeMar DeRozan SG USC

DeRozan is the draft’s biggest enigma. I think he is a young Vince Carter, which Toronto is familar with. He can shoot but it’s very inconsistent. He is an athlete, dunker and a decent defensive player when he sets his mind to it. If he pans out this is a great pick, if he doesn’t well it won’t shock anyone

Grade: B+

Utah Jazz

20th (20th) Eric Maynor PG VA Commonwealth

20th (50th) Goran Suton C Michigan State

The Maynor pick came as a shocker. But it is a good pick. I liked Maynor for Philly and Atlanta. They both passed, now the Jazz have a great situation at PG. WIth Williams starting Maynor can come off the bench and there will be little drop off. Maynor is a pass first PG, he can also score and in bunches. He does need to add some size but he plays good defense. Suton probably won’t ever play for Utah, he will probably get stashed in Europe to play.

Grade: B+

Washington Wizards

2nd (32nd) Jermaine Taylor SG Central Florida- Traded to HOU for Cash

They get an Incomplete for trading away Taylor. They are set at guard. Especially since they got Foye and Miller for the 5 pick and bad contracts. I like how they look this year and may make a run at the eastern conference crown.

Grade. INC

This draft wasn’t top heavy, But the second round was loaded with talent that should play next year.  We probably see a Kevin Durant in this class but there are a lot of players who will eventually start and there are several who will be contributing role players for years to come.

Deadline and Oscar’s

I have had a few people ask what I am waiting for to do my trade deadline review. Well I wanted to wait for the Oscars to finish. Why? Well it gave me a great theme for this deadline. So let’s dip into this review.

 

With all the buzz of the Amare Stoudemire deal that never happened and all the pure hype of this trade deadline, it became a dud. There was a lot of talk but a little walk. The first category is the losers of the deadline. These teams either didn’t make a deal to make their team better, made a deal to hurt their team or didn’t make one to clear up cap space for the future.

 

Portland Trailblazers

They have a huge piece with Raef Lafrentz’s contract. What did they do? Nothing. Maybe Kevin Pritchard isn’t a genius but a con artist. How the heck does he have the audacity to ask for Ramon Sessions with Richard Jefferson when he is only offering LaFrentz, Outlaw and Sergio Rodriguez? Honestly Richard Jefferson would have had made this team very dangerous this year. But Pritchard must think Outlaw and Sergio are gold to ask for Sessions. Sessions since Ridnour was injured is playing among the best point guards in the East. Portland got greedy and may have hurt their chances of ever winning a title. Remember Chicago a couple of years ago? They over valued their young players and now they haven’t gone anywhere, they could have had Kobe Bryant and they didn’t do the deal. I’m not saying Jefferson is Kobe but he would help put this team over the top. He would have helped make them a legit contender next year.

 

Washington Wizards

They aren’t going anywhere even when they are healthy. Why not trade Jamison or Butler? Arenas’ contract is immovable and he is injured. They had takers for Jamison and Butler and wouldn’t do it to free up cap space. I am shocked in how good their management thinks they are. Even when healthy they are a second round and done playoff team. Why not get some draft picks, young players and cap room?

 

The team that shall not be spoken

You rescind the Tyson Chandler trade? Why? Turf Toe? So instead you get Thabo Sefolosha and Malik Rose? They managed to get worse. I like Sefolosha but why trade Wilcox for Rose? Wilcox can contribute now and Rose hasn’t done anything in five years. The team managed to get worse. That’s hard to do.

 

The next category is for the teams that didn’t make a huge impact but helped themselves one way or the other. This category is kind of like the action movie blockbusters. They are going to make a ton of money but they will never win best picture.

 

Sacramento Kings

They go rid of a lot. Why not? They are already the worst team in the league and they weren’t going anywhere. So they unloaded a lot of contracts so they can basically get under the cap and start over. They have some good young pieces in Jason Thompson and Kevin Martin. I’m not a fan of Martin’s but you can’t knock his production. Now if they can convince someone Beno Udrih is worth that god awful contract.

 

Chicago Bulls

They got Miller and Salmons from Sacramento. But then they traded Larry Hughes, which wasn’t bad but they took Jerome James contract on.  I think they make the playoffs for sure now. With a pretty good center and a good rotation, the Bulls can make some noise this year.

 

Miami Heat

You traded Marion which was huge, but it was for Jermaine O’Neal. Who gives them a legit big man but did they get better? Not really. They need some depth. The plus is they go rid of Marcus Banks and got another starter in Jamario Moon. But they didn’t get much better. Wade needs some more help around him.

 

Toronto Raptors

You got Marion for a half of year, What if you stayed healthy and O’Neal panned out? This franchise is falling fast. Expect the Raptors to trade Bosh in  the summer. Bosh is as good as gone. They need to figure out how to keep stars. McGrady, Carter and now Bosh are all going to be gone. Yet they haven’t brought any impact players in.

 

Orlando Magic

Jameer Nelson is hurt and they knew Tyronne Lue and Anthony Johnson weren’t the answer. So they made a small deal to bring in Rafer “Skip to my Lou” Alston. He can score when they need him too and he has experience playing with a good big man. Though this one he is with now is better and can stay healthy. Good move for Orlando but they still aren’t contenders.

 

Best picture went to a relatively unknown film name “Slumdog Millionaire”. I highly recommend the movie it is a great movie. This next team isn’t really an unknown team but their moves were unknown and impacted the team big time. They cleared space and yet made the team good enough for the playoffs. My deadline winner is…

 

New York Knicks

The days of Isiah Thomas are over. Donnie Walsh some how got Chicago to take Jerome James contract in the Larry Hughes deal. Then they flip Malik Rose for a very underrated Chris Wilcox. Wilcox and Hughes should be fine in D’Antoni’s system. I really like what the Knicks did. They cleared another contract for 2010.  They made room this year to sign David Lee this summer. I don’t think Lebron is coming to New York in the 2010 summer, but I do think a player like D-Wade or Chris Bosh will, maybe both or maybe Amare? Whatever it is the Knicks positioned themselves for this year and next.

 

If you are a movie fan you need to catch “Slumdog Millionaire” it is a great movie. Also the other movies I enjoyed from this year were “Gran Torino”, “Defiance”, “Frost Nixon” and “Milk”.  Of course there always are they comedies and action movies that are fun to watch but those four movies were all great. This was a special trade deadline and Oscar’s day. I hope you enjoyed and have a great week.

Welcome to today’s dish. What an amazing weekend. Today I will recap it and share my thoughts overall on the week. Let’s get to it.

 

It all started off with the Rookie-Sophomore game. This game was a good one. It kicked off the weekend in great fashion. Both teams came out and competed hard. A lot of times in these games, especially this one, players want to get noticed by throwing flashy passes and ally oops. The Rookies controlled the game for about two thirds of it. The Kevin Durant decided he wasn’t going to lose. Kevin Durant had 46 points and most of them were from beyond the arc. This wouldn’t be the last of Mr. Durant. The rookies started turnover the ball and then missing shots. You can’t do that in this atmosphere. In a very good game the sophomores extend the streak to seven straight years.

 

The H-O-R-S-E competition was fun to watch. It’s an idea that has needed to be in the All Star weekend for a long time. Now I can’t argue the three players that were chosen (OJ Mayo, Joe Johnson and Kevin Durant). I think they need to have either a really old vet say… Sam Cassell, someone who has been in the league from 10-15 years, where they don’t have the youth and athleticism that they used too. Or use a legendary player like Dr. J or someone like that. We just need someone who has to use their creativity to win. Someone who can rely on through the leg lay-ins. Someone who need to shoot the shot off the top of the backboard and in. With that said, the competition was fun to watch. Durant started out really cold, getting 4 letters before the other two got one. But then Durant heated up. He didn’t go into the stands like OJ Mayo or sit down at a computer and shoot like Joe Johnson. What did Durant do? He shot deep three pointers and drained them. Nothin’ but net like in the Jordan and Bird commercials. Once Joe Johnson was eliminated, Mayo had a “G” to Durant’s  “G-E-I-C”, It took Durant five shots (because he missed one) to take Mayo down. It was impressive and so far it had been Kevin Durant’s weekend.

 

All Star Saturday night is one of the best nights in sports. It is the best skills night of any all star weekend.  In years past this night was the talk of the weekend, the theatrics of the night are remembered until the next year. This year was no different. The night started off with the Playstation Skills Challenge.  I had predicted a Derrick Rose- Devin Harris finals, I had predicted right. But I chose Harris to win because of his superior shot. Well young Derrick Rose proved us wrong. Winning the competition because he hit his shot quicker than Harris did. Harris missed about six shots form the top of the key before he could make one, costing him too much time. Rose hit the same shot, only taking two shots then finishing the course with a fanatic dunk. The next event was the shooting stars competition. This event is always the bore of the night. They need to replace it with H-O-R-S-E.  Detroit won the event because the Phoenix team couldn’t hit the half court shot with 45 seconds left to beat Detroit.  The 3 point competition had some hype with Toronto’s Jason Kapono going for the three-peat. My early pick was Roger Mason from San Antonio. Boy was I wrong, he only made seven shots. Miami’s Daequan Cook, Jason Kapono and Orlando’s Rashard Lewis made it to the finals. Kapono started off with a 13 in the final round. Lewis came in with a 14. As Cook got to the third rack it looked like Lewis was going to win. Cook need his last four shots to fall to tie Lewis, he did just that. The finals came down to a shootout. Lewis put up a measly 7 and Daequan Cook passed that in the second round becoming the new three point king.

 

The main event of the night was up next. All I could think of was what is going to happen tonight? I could only wonder what we would see, how would we be amazed? What would Dwight Howard do? My initial pick was Nate Robinson to win. I foolishly took the late replacement in JR Smith. He didn’t have time to properly prepare. But his first dunk was nice, he caught a lob off two bounces and then did a thunderous windmill. I think going first was a disadvantage. Rudy was up next, he did a marginal behind the back off the backboard one handed slam. Nate came up with a lob and a full windmill. Mr. Howard came out with a lob from behind the backboard, and jumped from one side of the basket caught the ball and slammed it home. The second set of dunks is where the competition became a two man show. Every player has to use another NBA player. This rule use to be teammate. But apparently Rudy Fernandez doesn’t like his Portland teammates. He used fellow Spaniard Pau Gasol of the LA Lakers. While everyone else used an actual teammate Rudy did not. Rudy‘s dunk was nice a pass off the backboard and he finished the reverse.  He originally wanted to do a 180 and finish it but he can’t jump high enough to do it and settled for the dunk he did. JR Smith’s was a failed attempted just ended up having his teammate throw it from the stands. Nate brought out a teammate and  literally jumped off his back. But the most impressive dunk of the round was done by Dwight Superman Howard. He brought out a 12 foot hoop and then went into a phone booth and changed into “superman”. Nelson threw the passed off the backboard and Howard slammed it home on a 12 foot hoop with ease. The finals were set and when they started Nate Robinson came out in all green and became “KrypotNate” His first dunk was a lob, he went up and got the ball, pulled it down and threw it down. An explosive dunk for how small he is he showed off his power. But Dwight threw his first dunk off the side of the backboard and jumped from outside the key calked back the ball and slammed it down. It was very impressive from where he had to catch the ball and then throw it down. Nate had to do something big and he did. With Dwight Howard’s participation “Kryptonate” literally jumped over superman. He brought down the building. The competition was over. Dwight jumped from just inside the free throw line but it was too little too late. The fan’s voted KrytoNate the winner and the right choice it was. But the big announcement for now is that LeBron James wants to be apart of the 2010 contest,

 

Here is a video recap of the entire contest. In case you missed it.

 

 

Now to the actual game itself, if you remember I predicted a West victory with Kobe garnering the MVP. Well the west won and Kobe got the split MVP with Shaq, who did deserve the Co-MVP. From the dance below to the give and go through Dwight Howard’s legs to Chris Paul then Paul back to Shaq for a huge dunk.

 

 

Kobe came out shooting and he was on fire from deep the entire game. This game was competitive from the go, But the addition of Mo Williams killed the east. When you have Rashard Lewis guarding Shaq, you don’t have much of a chance at winning. The game became a blowout for the reason of the West’s bigs were too big for the East’s.  It was a great show and the NBA needs to realize how great their product is right now. People care about this All Star game because the players care and want to win it.  

 

Now we do have some news. Terry Porter has been fired from the Suns and Alvin Gentry will take over. Gentry reportedly said he will run Mike D’Antoni’s offense. The seven seconds or less offense is back in Phoenix. Now the question is, do the Suns move Amare Stoudemire now? Only time will tell.

 

That’s today’s Dish. Hope you enjoyed the recap. Wednesday’s dish will address all the rumors and break down any of the trades that happen if they do.

NBA Dish ‘N Swish All Star Weekend Preview

Welcome to the dish today. We are officially at the All Star break. Today is my All Star weekend preview. So let’s get started.

 

The rookie-sophomore game is first up. This is actually one of my favorite events. Why? Well it gives the young players something to strive for in the first two years of their career and it gives them a taste of the All Star weekend. Since they started the game back up the rookies have won twice, 2000 and 2002. The sophomores have won six straight. But there is a lot of hype around this draft class. Some are saying it’s the best ever. I disagree with that. (a) It is too early to tell that and (b) They are still young. I think this class has a chance to be one of the best though. Here is a blog by my friend and basketball cohort talking about why it’s ludicrous to say the rooks are already the best class.  Here are the rosters for the game on Friday night.

 

 

Rookies

Michael Beasley- Miami

Rudy Fernandez- Portland

Marc Gasol- Memphis

Eric Gordon- LA Clippers

Brook Lopez- New Jersey

OJ Mayo- Memphis

Greg Oden- Portland

Derrick Rose- Chicago

Russell Westbrook- The team that shall not be spoke of.

 

Sophomores:

Aaron Brooks- Houston

Wilson Chandler- New York

Kevin Durant- The team that shall not be spoke of.

Jeff Green- The team that shall not be spoke of.

Al Horford- Atlanta

Luis Scola- Houston

Al Thornton- LA Clippers

Rodney Stuckey- Detroit

Thaddeus Young- Philadelphia

 

Prediction:

I’m taking the rookies. I think they are better. Especially up in the front court where I imagine the rooks will start Beasley, Lopez and Oden with Rose and Mayo in the backcourt. The sophs should roll out Stuckey, Chandler, Durant, Scola and Horford.

Two things other than Horford and Durant none of the other Sophs could be on the Rookie roster and the sophs are going to get killed at the guard position. Gordon, Mayo, Rose and Westbrook.?  Unstoppable with the roster the Sophs have. I think the Rookies win 132-107. Game MVP OJ Mayo with a stat  line that looks something like this 25-30 points, 3-7 assists , 0-5 rebounds and 2 -4 steals. It should be a fun game to watch

 

 

H.O.R.S.E competition

 

OJ Mayo- Memphis

Kevin Durant- The team that shall not be spoke of.

Joe Johnson- Atlanta

 

I am absolutely pumped for this contest. Now I wish they had it during the actual All Star Saturday night broadcast but it is early starting at 5pm Eastern. I am picking Joe Johnson. Why? Well both Mayo and Durant are playing the night before in the Rookie-Sophomore game. Then probably go party afterwards. They will be tired. It’s starting around 2 pm on the west coast. Joe Johnson has the natural advantage here. OJ Mayo will be the most creative I think, while Durant I think will pull the toughest shots something really only someone his size can make and Johnson is a good mix of the two anyway he will hit some shots that look impossible. I’m calling it now!

 

 

Shooting Stars Competition

 

Team San Antonio- Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Becky Hammon

Team Detroit- Arron Afflalo, Bill Lambeer, Katie Smith

Team Lakers- Derek Fisher, Michael Cooper, Lisa Leslie

Team Phoenix- Leandro Barbosa, Dan Majerle, Tangela Smith

 

San Antonio is the defending champs. They are the odds on favorite. The key in this is usually for the WNBA player to hit her shot.  That’s where San Antonio won last year. Hammon hit her shots and one of the half court shots. I like Team Phoenix’s shot to challenge San Antonio in the finals. Any team with “Thunder” Dan Majerle gets a rooting interest from me. Having Barbosa helps too. I don’t know about Phoenix’s WNBA player never heard of her before. But my pick is San Antonio. Duncan has range, so does Robinson. But the key is Hammon’s, if she hits her two shots its over.

 

 

Skills Challenge Competition

 

Devin Harris- New Jersey

Tony Parker- San Antonio

Derrick Rose- Chicago

Mo Williams- Cleveland

 

I have loved the addition of this event, since they started it in 2003. It seems like all the top guards usually want to be in it. The four guys in it this year are all having good years. I think Tony Parker maybe people’s favorite. But he has struggle with the passing in this event. Rose may win it as a rookie and he would be the first rookie to win it. Mo Williams is filling in for Jameer Nelson. I think Williams finishes last. He is the slowest of the 4 and the worst passer. I am taking Devin Harris. I have a man crush on him. He is the best passer, can hit every shot on the court, he maybe the fastest and he has the best handles of all of them too. I say a Harris- Rose Finals. With Harris winning because Rose’s outside shot is shaky.

 

 

3 Point Shootout

 

Mike Bibby- Atlanta

Daequen Cook- Miami

Danny Granger- Indiana

Jason Kapono- Toronto

Rashard Lewis- Orlando

Roger Mason Jr- San Antonio

 

Kapono is made for this event; he is by far the hands down favorite.  He has a quick release and a great pure shooter. But karma is going to play a factor in this event. Kapono said this week he is the greatest shooter ever on The Dan Patrick Show. He isn’t even in the top 10, heck top 20 or even maybe 30. I’m taking Roger Mason. The kid is on fire this year. He is shooting 45% on 229 shots attempted this year. That’s a great percentage. Bibby is shooting 40% this year but so is Portland’s Steve Blake. Bibby doesn’t belong there. I’m not sure Cook does either. A Mason- Kapono finals and I have Mason winning but 2 points.

 

 

Slam Dunk Contest

 

Dwight Howard- Orlando

Nate Robinson- New York

J.R. Smith- Denver

Rudy Fernandez- Portland

 

Howard is the favorite. But he is going to have to top the “Superman” dunk which maybe to hard to impossible to do. People are expecting something they have never seen before with Howard, that’s a huge disadvantage. Before Gay got injured Robinson was my pick. He was the champion of the worst dunk contest championship round ever between him and Chris “Birdman” Anderson. I think Robinson learned from that. He had some great dunks in the prior rounds in that contest. But the addition of JR Smith is dangerous. Smith is my new pick, he is so creative, athletic, agile and he can jump out of the gym.  Fernandez doesn’t belong here. See the fans screwed something else up. I wanted Russell Westbrook here. He is nasty. But that is my pick the late entry JR Smith

 

 

The All Star Game

 

East All Stars

 

Starters

G- Allen Iverson- Detroit

G- Dwayne Wade- Miami

F- LeBron James- Cleveland

F- Kevin Garnett- Boston

C- Dwight Howard- Orlando

 

Bench

Joe Johnson- Atlanta

Ray Allen- Boston – Filled in for Jameer Nelson

Danny Granger- Indiana

Paul Pierce- Boston

Mo Williams- Cleveland- Filled in for Chris Bosh

Devin Harris- New Jersey

Rashard Lewis- Orlando

 

 

West All Stars

 

Starters

G- Chris Paul- New Orleans

G- Kobe Bryant- LA Lakers

F- Amare Stoudemire- Phoenix

F- Tim Duncan- San Antonio

C- Yao Ming- Houston

 

Bench

Dirk Nowitzki- Dallas

Brandon Roy- Portland

Chauncey Billups- Denver

Pau Gasol- LA Lakers

David West- New Orleans

Tony Parker- San Antonio

 

This game will be very interest due to one thing. The East has no backup bigs. Garnett and Howard are the only two true bigs  on the East and the West doesn’t have a true small forward on the roster. David West should be taken off and put Carmelo Anthony in there.  But I think the West wins for the big man mismatch all game. I think it will be a close game but I am taking the West. Any team with Kobe should be the favorite. He gets real competitive in these games. He is my favorite for Game MVP. Either Kobe or Chris Paul, if the West wins. If the East wins it will be on the shoulders of Wade and Lebron expect them to either one to get MVP.

 

So that is my 2009 All Star weekend Preview and Predictions. The NBA by far has the best All Star event out of all the sports. This weekend should be a great one and a great way to start the stretch run of the season. What is great about this All Star event is all the stars want to be here. They want to play in the game.  The league showcases its younger talent in a great way too. Monday I will have my thoughts and video links to my favorite dunks and moments of the weekend. Next week I will also address the trade deadline and all the rumor. There maybe up to five posts just for rumors and potential trade ideas next week. Enjoy the festivities and have a great weekend, that is today’s dish.

NBA Dish ‘N Swish 2-11-9

Welcome to today’s Dish N Swish. Today is the “At the Break” Special. I’m going to do a “State of the League”, 1-30 Power rankings and the top 10 rookies update. We have a lot on our plate today.

 

“State of the League” Address-

The NBA has fully come in to a resurgence. Let’s face 9 years ago this league was hurting. Hurting for stars and hurting for good competitive teams.  Look at the All Star game roster from 2000. The West is stacked. But look at the east. Stackhouse, Glenn Robinson and Dale Davis, really? Those guys aren’t all stars. Heck Stockton and Finley really didn’t deserve much either. Stockton was a shell of himself and was in on name alone. We should be thankful for 2000 for one thing and that is Vince Carter’s magical Saturday night performance that over shadowed the actual game itself. Now lets fast forward to now. We have 4 legit contenders. Two from each conference, the west has 9 teams with winning records. Coming off a year where all 8 playoff teams from the year before had 50 wins. The east is on a bounce back too. They have 7 teams with winning records and I think all 8 teams in the east may have winning records to get in the playoffs. Right now though we have some great teams and some big stars. Led by Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. There are other legit headliners though, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, Dwayne Wade and Carmelo Anthony come to mind right off the top of my head. The golden age of the NBA was the 80’s. You had Magic, Bird , Jordan and Dominique, along with teams like Boston, LA. Atlanta, Detroit, Portland, Houston and Chicago. The 90’s hit and as great as Jordan was the competition wasn’t the greatest. Don’t believe me? Look at the draft classes from ’93 through ’98.  Outside of ’96 those classes aren’t that good. There are some good players but there are a lot of mediocre players. Really not until the summer of 2003 is when the league hit started hitting upside and really since 2005 the league has been at its best since the run of from 1984-1988. Starting with the 2005 playoffs. The first two rounds were amazing. Each year and that year’s playoffs have progressed since.  Right now we are hitting arguably the best time in the NBA easily the second best time in the league’s history. I like the fact that I can watch almost  any game on league pass and see a good game. No one wants to see two bad teams play like Washington and the Clippers, but ever era had bottom feeders. This year I think is going to be the best year in the league in the last 20 years.  The height of competitiveness has been unmatched so far (at least in the last 15 years).  The NBA needs to be happy, we are seeing great players, teams and match ups every night. Right now the league is riding high and its been a great ride so far this year. I can’t wait to see how it’s going to finish.

 

Power Rankings

 

1. LA Lakers- 42-9 – The 6-0 road trip was nice. But the injury to Andrew Bynum does raise some questions, But this is the same team to make it to the finals last year and now they are showing some toughness. Watch out for them

 

2. San Antonio- 35-15- The Win in Boston showed SA is alive and well. They added some youth in Mason and the rookie George Hill.  But it’s the big 3 doing big things again.

 

3. Boston- 42-11- Tough losses at home to LA and SA. The Celtics are slipping defensively. I think they are maybe pushing to hard for the regular season.  Take a page out of SA’s book do what you need to do to secure home court in the first round and your good. Boston is old. They need to rest their big 3 more.

 

4. Cleveland- 39-11- The injuries are adding up. Rumors are Sasha Pavlovic is out up to 6 weeks. With Delonte West already injured they are running out of quality guards to play. Big Z returning does help a lot.

 

5. Denver 35-17- With a now Healthy Billups and Melo the nuggets are clicking. This team is becoming more dangerous. In my book Chauncey Billups is 3^rd in MVP voting right now. Under his leadership they are going to be an extremely tough out in the playoffs.

 

6. Orlando- 38-12- Jameer’s injury is the reason to #6. I just want to see them in 3-5 weeks to see how much they miss him. They have the shooters. But can Tyronne Lue and Anthony Johnson really run the show?

 

7. Atlanta- 30-21- Horford is healthy. They maybe the most over looked team in the NBA. Not only does JJ get looked over as a star but no one realizes what Josh Smith can do.

 

8. Portland- 31-19- They are winning. But lets face it., they beat NOLA when CP3 got injured and folded. It took a last second up and under lay-in thing from Roy to beat the Knicks and they lost to OKC in a stinker last Friday.

 

9. New Orleans- 30-19- I think they are better than the blazers, but injuries are killing them. Rumors are they are binging in Marion for Chandler, that may hurt them way to much. I like the team they have. They just need to get healthy.

 

10. Dallas- 31-20- Is there a more up and down team than Dallas? They have either been blown out lately or blowin teams out. They need to make a move to become real contenders again.

 

11. Houston- 31-21 They are getting healthy. They have some good role players. But McGrady and Artest’s heads maybe to much for them to over come. You never know if McGrady is caring much or if Artest is going to go crazy.

 

12. Utah- 29-23- D. Will is averaging 33.5 pts and 7.8 assists in his last 5 games. They are on 3-2 in those games. This team needs to put a 6 or 7 game win streak together. If they do, their pre season expectations can be expected again.

 

13. Miami- 27-24- Yes right now they are better than Detroit. Miami is one of those teams that can compete with anyone in the league but loses to most top dogs because of depth. If they have to give up Beasley to get Amare, I say no go on that trade.

 

14. Detroit- 27-23- Another week another week wondering why they traded Billups this year.  They could be contenders with Billups. Now they are a one and done. So sad to see this team’s management throw this year out the window.

 

15. Phoenix- 28-22- Really this is about as high as I can have them right now. At the end of next week this team will be blown up. I still think the Shaq trade was dumb.  Again another team taking themselves out of contention of a bad trade,

 

16. Philadelphia- 26-24- This team is better without Elton Brand. Hopefully next year Brand can learn to play with the team and vice versa they can be good. Right now its best for their playoff hopes that he doesn’t play.

 

17. New Jersey- 24-29 I really hope to see this team make a good run and make the playoffs. With Milwaukee’s injury woes the door is open for this surprise Nets team. Harris got the All Star nod now he needs to prove everyone right by coming out after the break and leading this team to the playoffs

 

18- Milwaukee- 25-29- Michael Redd, Luke Ridnour and Andrew Bogut all injured for a while. Ridnour’s injury may have been a blessing in disguise. Ramon Sessions has played great all year and really is stepping it up. They still have some talent on the roster, just not a lot of depth. If they make the playoffs you may have to give Scott Skiles the Coach of the year.

 

19. Chicago- 23-29- A big win over Detroit. They are major players in this year trade deadline rumors. As I hear they are front runners for Amare Stoudemire. If they don’t give up Deng or Rose for him which likely they won’t. They will make the playoffs

 

20. New York- 21-30- Even though we know they don’t play defense. They did just give up 144 to GS. They have 21 wins. Look at that roster. 21 wins with that roster? They are over achievers.

 

21. Indiana- 21-32- Nice win over Cleveland. Granger didn’t foul Lebron. They deserved that win, I am glad to see them get the call on the other end. They are another sleeper team. So many here in the east.

 

22. Charlotte- 20-31- They are making trade. All be it small but they have improved Boris Diaw has looked great. I think they miss Shannon Brown though with that trade with the Lakers. I don’t think they make it.

 

23. Golden State- 18-35- 144 points in one game? They are getting healthy. Well besides Biedrins getting injured now. They will have an affect on the Playoffs. They will beat playoff teams and affect the seeding.

 

24. Toronto- 20-34- They just lost to Minny without Big Al. Maybe they looked past them? Heck maybe they looked past this season when I predicted them in the finals as my super upset scenario

 

25. Minnesota- 17-34- Losing Big Al hurts… A lot! Expect Kevin Love to get more minutes. Expect the wins to come more sparingly now too. Maybe they can make a deadline deal, now that McHale isn’t the GM

 

26. Memphis- 15-36- Is there a more exciting team that is so bad? I love watching OJ Mayo and Rudy Gay when he is healthy. Mayo is going to be a dominate player in this league.

 

27. The team in which we shall not speak of- 13-39- Nice win over the Blazers? That was an ugly game. I have not seen an uglier game in a long time. At least Durant and Westbrook are lookin good.

 

28. LA Clippers- 12-40- When the positive is they have the tools to make a trade to be good next year, you know your in trouble. Last time I checked they were the Clippers and look they are still bad.

 

29. Sacramento- 11-42- The sad thing is they aren’t heavily injured. The good thing is that they have Brad Miller to trade and some good young players. Well a good young player in Jason Thompson. They need to trade Kevin Martin while people still think he can play.

 

30. Washington- 11-41- They are so injured. They have 6 injuries to rotation players. Its like the NBA has a JV team playing. Honestly they have to be #30 because they are so injured they could barely compete in the NBDL.

 

 

Top Rookies

 

1. Derrick Rose- Chicago- I know he cried on Friday but the C-Webb impersonation of the tin man from “The Wiz” alone puts him at the top. But he has the most responsibilities of any rookie. That’s why he get my top spot

 

2. OJ Mayo- Memphis- I love watching OJ Mayo. Especially without Gay in the lineup he doesn’t have much to work with. He can shoot it from outside or take you off the dribble. He doesn’t mind playing defense either

 

3. Brook Lopez- New Jersey- I love him. He is what a big man should be, a good rebounder, a defensive presence, able to consistently run an offense through him and hit a 10 foot jumper.

 

4. Russel Westbrook- The team in which we shall not speak of- He’s playing great. He is one of the reason’s KD is getting the looks he is getting.

 

5. Eric Gordon- LA Clippers- This kid can shoot! I wish he played on another team so I could stand watching his team play.

 

6. Marreese Speights- Philadelphia- Is it a scary thought that he has out performed their $84 million dollar free agent? I think it is.

 

7. Marc Gasol- Memphis- I love him too. He is the first overly aggressive foreign big man. He is a good big man

 

8. George Hill- San Antonio- He is gaining Coach Pop’s respect and trust. He maybe seeing more minutes here late to keep Parker-Longoria fresher

 

9. Mario Chalmers- Miami- He gets overlooked in the guards with Hill, Rose, Mayo and Westbrook but Chalmers is setting up an MVP candidate and makin him look good.

 

10. Rudy Fernandez / Jerryd Bayless- Portland- Since Blake has been injured, Bayless has broken out. Fernandez has helped with that load too. I couldn’t decide between the two. Both are playing great.

 

That is today’s Dish enjoy. What rookies are on your list? Who are your top teams?