Another update on the prospect rankings I’ve been doing each month. For many of these players this will be fairly close to their final ranking, as they will play in only a few more games. Others, especially players who have missed significant time due to injury, could improve or decline fairly dramatically. Right now the draft is shaping up as a fairly mediocre one. There are only a few players who I would call solid choices, in the sense that I’m pretty certain at this point that they’ll make a strong positive impact at the next level. There are also some talented freshmen and sophs who don’t appear to be great prospects at this point in their careers, but clearly have the tools and time to get to that point. I included small college players for the first time this month. Basically I added up their numbers like I would the major college players and deducted 10 points. I know, real scientific. I think it gives a good idea of where they stand though and I didn’t want to ignore these players completely. Next update will be after the tournament and will be followed by a complete draft analysis in June.
Transactions: 2/19-3/1
Atlanta Hawks
2/29 Sign Jeremy Richardson to second 10-day contract
A great return to Atlanta for Richardson. He scored a point a minute for each of his first two games, shooting 3-4 in 8 minutes each game. The Hawks should keep him around for the rest of the season at this point and he’ll have enough buzz to be taken seriously by an NBA team next training camp.
Quick Thoughts
1. Star Power: The state of the Western Conference is pretty astounding. The top nine teams are separated by only a few games in the standing. In fact, it seems almost certain that the eight seed in the West will break the wins record for an eight seed (currently held by the 2000-01 Minnesota Timberwolves at 47-35). The concentration of great teams and great players, particularly after Paul Gasol came to the Lakers, has some harkening back to the 1980s and those Celtic and Lakers squads that were chock full of Hall of Famers.
Transactions: 2/2-2/19
Atlanta Hawks
2/16 Acquire Mike Bibby from Sacramento in exchange for Shelden Williams, Lorenzen Wright, Anthony Johnson, Tyronn Lue and a 2008 second round draft pick
2/18 Sign Jeremy Richardson to a 10-day contract
A surprisingly inspired acquisition from a front office that has been in perpetual litigation for several years that has paralyzed it from making many moves. Bibby is a bit overrated and overpriced but Atlanta is weak at the point guard slot and Bibby is certain to be an improvement and the cost in players is virtually nothing. AJ and Lue were sharing the point and have been below average (if not as bad at the point situation for the Hawks than they were in 2006-07). Wright is ostensibly out of the NBA at this point. The only possible value given up in the deal is Shelden Williams, who was taken with the fourth overall pick in 2006. He’s not been very good as a pro but might have an Alan Henderson career path. Of this group, only Williams has a contract after the season (Williams’ rookie deal has $3.4 million next year, and a few team options that will probably be declined).
Quick Thoughts
1. Kidd Stuff: What initially seemed like a very interesting deal between the Nets and Mavericks now appears close to dead. The deal as originally constituted looks like this:
Nets Get:
Devin Harris (heart of the deal. Harris is locked into a long-term extension and is only 25).
Jerry Stackhouse (reportedly would be bought out immediately and would re-sign with Dallas–though David Stern doesn’t like that plan).
DeSagana Diop: (not a bad backup center but is more in the deal to create cap room because his contract expires at the end of the season).
Devean George: (similar to Diop, George’s $2.4 million expires at the end of the year).
Maurice Ager (Dallas’ late-first rounder has another year left on his deal at $1 million. He hasn’t played much and could be bench fodder or cut).
2008 and 2010 Maverick first-rounders
$3 million (presumably would cover the cost of buying out Stack’s contract, which has a pro-rated $6.75 million remaining this season).
A future Maverick second-rounder (just something in the future for Antoine Wright).
Mavericks Get:
Jason Kidd (with $21 million left on his deal next year and reportedly due an extension for another two years)
Malik Allen (contract expires at the end of the year and will serve as filler. Really, no worse than incumbent bench forward Juwan Howard)
Antoine Wright (contract expires at the end of the year and will also serve as filler because the Mavs’ bench would be depleted from the trade He can’t shoot/score very well but is a nice defender. See Buckner, Greg).
NBA Draft Update
This is an updating of the player rankings I did up at the end of January. A few quick notes on these rankings: There’s a maximum of 40 points in this system. The rankings are based entirely on statistics. The statistics used are different for each position. I don’t make any allowance for player ages, so freshmen and sophomores will have more room for improvement than juniors and seniors. The number isn’t meant to be a final ranking, just a reflection of how each player stands up statistically against successful prospects of the past.