NBA Draft 2010: Prospect Update

Right now I would rank the 2010 class as below-average. The potential at this point would rank somewhere between weak and slightly above-average at this point. I could see as many as 9 impact players in this group. But none is a sure thing and if they all come up short, as is the case more often than not, it will be a very weak draft. The strength of this draft will be the forwards, be they power, combo or small. They’re a strong group that could get stronger if some emerging players keep their current pace. The perimeter players are a weak group. There’s no depth at PG behind Wall. There are a few intriguing SGs behind Turner, but most are the usual upperclassmen suspects. 

These rankings are for at this point in the season and should be considered fluid. Think of these rankings like a marathon at the 15-mile mark. There is a group of 4 packed tightly at the front. DeMarcus Cousins has a slight lead and will probably toss a forearm shiver at anyone who tries to pass him. Wall had an early lead, but the others have caught him. Now they’re wondering if he has another sprint in him. The 3 others are surprised to find Turner running with them, but the longer he keeps up, the more obvious it is that he belongs. Aldrich could win the race by default if the top 4 all fade. Greg Monroe has found his stride. I think you get the idea. What I’m trying to say with this stupid marathon metaphor is don’t consider these anything close to a final ranking. Continue reading NBA Draft 2010: Prospect Update…

Transactions: 12/13-2/2

Atlanta Hawks 

1/5    Waived Othello Hunter

1/12   Signed Mario West to a 10-day contract

1/22   Signed Mario West to a  second 10-day contract

2/1     Signed Mario West for the rest of the season 

West hasn’t done much this season for the Hawks to remedy their short bench but he is a good athlete and a local guy.  The Hawks have also used West to fill out the bench the last few years too.  West’s stats in college and in the pros show no indication that he’s really pro level (his career high in college is only 5.2 ppg).  Atlanta can likely get a little more upside in its bench but is content with a name they know. Continue reading Transactions: 12/13-2/2…

Franchise Best Non-All-Stars

Last time, we looked at some the best players players never to make an All-Star game.  At the request of friend of the site and overall nice guy Aitan Spring, we are going to take a look at each team’s best player never to make an All-Star game. A few guidelines for our review:

-We choose players based upon their accomplishment solely with one franchise. For example, Rod Strickland is possibly the best non-All-Star ever but he had several cameos for franchises where he wasn’t great, which don’t count in my book.

-If the player made an All-Star ever even if with another team, he is exempted from this list. This may seem a bit inconsistent with the first guideline but the fact that a player ever made the All-Star game changes things to me. A future (or past) All-Star appearance takes the sting off–that same sting which we’re trying to capture here.

-If the choices are close, we will weight our pick more towards players with longer tenures with the franchise. This seems more appropriate for what we are looking for. Continue reading Franchise Best Non-All-Stars…

All-Star Thoughts

I typically do not watch or pay much attention to the NBA All-Star but I do get somewhat interested in who gets elected and chosen.  This year was particularly interesting.  According to ESPN.com, the starters are:

East

-G: Allen Iverson

-G: Dwyane Wade

-F: LeBron James

-F: Kevin Garnett

-C: Dwight Howard 

West

-G: Steve Nash

-G: Kobe Bryant

-F: Carmelo Anthony

-F: Tim Duncan

-C: Amare Stoudemire Continue reading All-Star Thoughts…

Quick Thoughts

1.    Memphis Surge Reviewed:    One of the more interesting stories of the season is the unexpected improvement of the Grizz, who are now 20-18 after going 24-58 all of last year.  Well, it’s not that improvement was unexpected it’s just that the extent of improvement is the surprising part.  When the Grizz grabbed Zach Randolph for nothing, we kind of figured there would be some improvement but the team is a fringe playoff team.  What’s going on here?  Well, the Grizz of 2008-09 were one of the worst offensive teams we’ve seen for a while.  Let’s take a look at the basic stats for the Grizz the last two years:

                                                        2008-09            2009-10

-Offensive Rating:         103.5 (28th)         110.2 (7th)

-Defensive Rating:        109.5 (21st)         110.5 (27th)

-PPG:                               93.9 (29th)         104.0 (4th)

-OPPG:                            99.3 (14th)         104.2 (25th)

-Pace Factor                    90.1 (20th)            93.6 (10th)

-Attendance Per Game:  12,680 (30th)      12,685 (30th)

The Grizz have changed their style drastically.  The putrid offense of 2008-09, which involved O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay chucking has become faster and more efficient (though the chucking hasn’t exactly stopped).  There has been sacrifice of in defense (from bad to terrible) but this is easily counter-balanced by the offensive improvement.  Mayo and Gay are both improved a little bit (though Mike Conley hasn’t been much better).  The real improvement has come from Marc Gasol (who went from good to very good) and newly acquired Zach Randolph, who is playing as well as any time since 2006-07 and is huge upgrade over Darko Milicic and Hakim Warrick. Continue reading Quick Thoughts…

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