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Early, Rough Look at 2004 Draft
Honor Roll 2002-03
Top 5 Point Guards:
Jason KiddSam CassellSteve NashJohn StocktonGary Payton
Top 5 Shooting Guards:
Tracy McGradyKobe BryantPaul PierceVince CarterRay Allen
Top 5 Small Forwards:
Dirk NowitzkiGrant HillShawn MarionAndrei KirilenkoPeja Stojakovic
Top 5 Power Forwards:
Kevin GarnettTim DuncanChris WebberElton BrandKarl Malone
Top 5 Centers:
Shaquille O'NealJermaine O'NealArvydas SabonisYao MingPau Gasol
NBA Efficiency Ratings
NBA 82 Gamers
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01/30/04 ...The All-Star starters were announced, and two players made the teams by fan vote that did not deserve to make it this season. Steve Francis, and Allen Iverson will be West and East guards respectively. Both are struggling through subpar seasons but no one doubts their ability. What sucks is that two worthy players will be left out. If I am a coach and I get to submit my reserve list with two guards, two forwards, one center, and two players regardless of position, I would go like this: West - Guards. Sam Cassell, Andre Miller. Forwards: Andrei Kirilenko, Elton Brand. Center: Brad Miller. Two players at large: Shaquille O'Neal, Pau Gasol. ...East - Guards. Jason Kidd, Michael Redd. Forwards: Paul Pierce, Shareef Abdur-Rahim. Center: Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Two players at large: Carlos Boozer, Donyell Marshall.
Vince Carter rocks new uniform.
...You know that I like Walt Frazier, right? "Clyde" is an individual in the time of mass media cloning of sports personalities.
Treat yourself sometime to his stylistic analysis on the New York Knicks broadcasts. Although I was born too late to witness Frazier in his prime as a point guard for the Knicks, it is easy to understand why he was good. The 59 year old Frazier is cool behind the mic. Mad cool. He doesn't get ruffled about anything but you always know where he stands by the fluctuations in his voice. He'll criticize calmly, never personally. He lets the play-by-play guy do his thing, and spices his color commentary with words like "omnipresent", "exquisite", or "flamboyant". I often wonder if Outkast's Andre 3000's
(he's one part of the rap duo that has the #1, and #2 pop songs in America) current style was influenced by the dapper Frazier.
01/29/04 ...What's crackin'? Jim O'Brien resigned as Head Coach of the Boston Celtics. I really have no strong feelings one way or the other about this one. Coaches come and go. I am numb to it. Symbolically it looked like O'Brien was saying, "You coach these dudes!" to Celtics shit stirrer, Danny Ainge. The C's really are doing fine considering they are playing without Raef LaFrentz. Mark Blount (.460 EFR) has been more than adequate as a Center, and Jeri Welsch (.376 EFR) has far surpassed expectations. Paul Pierce (.545 EFR) is a legitimate star in the League, and Chris Mihm (.533 EFR) continues to perform well when given some time to play. After a horrid start, Mike James (.421) has settled into his role rather nicely and is playing solid ball. Rookie Marcus Banks (.313 EFR) still needs seasoning at the controls of an NBA team but should have to marinate in practice. Banks hurts the Celtics when he is on the floor right now. Walter McCarty (.359 EFR), we have long said, should be buried on the end of a bench. NBDL's Terence Morris is a better version of the same type of player. Morris passes the ball, blocks shots and rebounds.
...I like the fact that the NBA has Director of Officiating, Ronnie Nunn doing regular stints on NBA TV Insiders.
...Time for our biweekly look at the players worthy of being an NBA All-Star this season. BasslineSpin.com charts the worthy All-Stars through February, leading up to the game. After 13 weeks of NBA play, here are the best of the best. It's getting interesting in the West. Certainly, Corey Maggette is not going to be named by the coaches but if you look at his numbers versus other Two's and Three's in the NBA, he stacks right up. The real tough choice is at point guard. Cassell stands out, and Andre Miller is next but Mike Bibby, Bobby Jackson, and Steve Nash are all right there. Gary Payton? He too could be the guy.
Player Position EFR Kobe Bryant G. .547 Sam Cassell G. .597 Andre Miller G. .539 Corey Maggette G. .531 Peja Stojakovic F. .600 Elton Brand F. .725 Dirk Nowitzki F. .598 Andre Kirilenko F. .604 Kevin Garnett F. .820 Brad Miller C. .628 Tim Duncan C. .709 Yao Ming C. .629 EAST:
Player Position EFR Stephon Marbury G. .496 Jason Kidd G.
.569 Michael Redd G. .486 Vince Carter G. .465 Paul Pierce F. .545 Tracy McGrady F. .590 Donyell Marshall F. .551 Shareef Abdur-Rahim F. .604 Kenyon Martin F. .572 Carlos Boozer F. .600 Zydrunas Ilgauskas C. .554 Jermaine O'Neal C. .612 Who was an All-Star after week 11, but not after week 13? Ben Wallace, Shaquille O'Neal, Mike Bibby, Pau Gasol.
01/26/04 ...Tierre Brown, who we have long said deserves to be in the NBA, will be given a shot by the New Orleans Hornets. ...More good commercials: Guinness Beer. The "brilliant" ads with cutout men can almost make you forget what a nasty tasting product they are pushing. Also, the "way too much cologne wearer" spots are good for a giggle. The worst? The NBA on ABC commercials with Justin Timberlake. Those are embarrassing to watch.
...Jeremy Schaap's feature Sunday Conversation on ESPN with Joe Namath was excellent. ...Did you notice how the NBA.com web site didn't use FIRED in it's headline regarding Byron Scott. "Nets Make Coaching Change" is much softer. Could it be because the New Jersey based NBA Entertainment is close enough to Scott to have a heart? The more harsh terminology is routinely used in other cases. The Nets are 22-20, canning the man that led them to the last two Eastern Conference championships. I don't know the details of the everyday atmosphere in Nets-land but I am qualified to comment on their players. Richard Jefferson is underperforming. He is roughly 50 efficiency points behind last season. Alonzo Mourning didn't work out. Jason Kidd is still the best point guard in the East but he too is off of last year's MVP type campaign. Kidd is shooting just 38% from the field. Kenyon Martin is playing at an All-Star level but Kerry Kittles is looking more like an NBA backup than a guy that should have 1400 minutes logged. Jason Collins has been horrible. His .329 efficiency is abysmal for a seven footer. It is very hard to figure that Collins who was so effective at Stanford could be so woeful in the third year of his pro career.
...LA Lakers: Derek Fisher is not playing well.
...Hats off to Erick Dampier who has made himself into one of the best Centers in the NBA. "Damp" has exceeded what I felt he would be able to achieve. ...College hoops: Texas coach Rick Barnes deserves credit for coaching the Longhorns into overtime vs. Texas Tech. Down three points with 3.7 seconds, and the full length of the court to go, Barnes drew a quick hit play to simply put the ball in better position on the floor. They threw from the end baseline to just beyond half court and called time-out. Now with 2.6 seconds they inbound from the side and work a three pointer that went in to force OT. In the overtime, Texas won 62-61.
01/25/04 ...The beauty of the spin is that you can go in any direction. ...With the Super Bowl looming, commercials get better on television. A few of the current best in our eyes are ESPN spots. The ESP series for ESPN magazine kills me each time I see it. Either Steve Francis with the Phillie Fanatic in his cereal or Bill Bradley talking about unitards. The concepts just hit my funny bone. Another fave is the ESPN cafeteria spot where the referee makes the lentil soup announcement. ...
01/23/04 ...Kudos in the highest regard to new Sac State President Alexander Gonzalez who unveiled plans for redevelopment of the Sacramento campus. California State University Sacramento was old and outdated when I graduated in 1993. Eleven years later, not much has changed. Finally, the announcement comes that the Hornets will have an 8,000 seat arena for basketball on campus. Gonzalez is obviously a man with vision (imagine that at Sac State!) that understands that alumni donations will poor in if you give the alumnus something he can be proud of. Athletic recruiting to Sacramento is tough. There is zero tradition in Division One, and the facilities are lackluster on a quiet commuter campus. The current "Hornet Gym" is just that. Not far removed from a high-school gymnasium. The campus itself is naturally beautiful, lined with trees, and nestled next to the American River. What it lacks is any sense that a college atmosphere exists. That will be easier to overcome with a new place to hoop in 2007, and plans for 5,000 students to live on campus by 2010. My only complaint is that the parking structure (the largest of all the new buildings they plan to put up) isn't named after me. It should be with all the CSUS parking tickets I received in my epic six and a half year college experience.
01/20/04 ...Had Portland lost the game I attended tonight, Mo Cheeks might have needed the straight jacket and a self-mutilation watch. Portland led by ten, 91-81 with 2:16 remaining in the 4th quarter. The Trail Blazers were up by nine points with 51 seconds left in regulation. The result? Kings and Blazers in OT miraculously Tuesday night at ARCO. Coming into the contest the Blazers were the worst NBA road team, and the Kings the best NBA home squad. Just to prove that solid statistics are sometimes rendered meaningless, the Portlanders prevailed 109-104. So how do you figure Portland dominating the whole game only to see the Kings make a furious run with Brad Miller's three pointer forcing overtime? Even when the Kings took an early lead in the extra period, and Rasheed Wallace fouled out and then received a technical foul, the Blazers still managed to win. Credit to Derek Anderson. He tied an ARCO Arena record with 12 overtime points (most in Bobby Jackson's face, some in Mike Bibby's) while super defender Doug Christie watched from the bench. Eventually Christie got a face full too as Anderson dropped jumpers and free throws to lead the Blazers to the rare road "W", and save Cheeks from going postal. ...I like the Kings lineup better when the rotation is deeper. I understand the size of Dale Davis, Zach Randolph, Vladimir Stepania, and Rasheed Wallace makes the Blazers tough to match up with. However, I felt like the Kings, in a second game of a back to back, could have used the energy that Darius Songaila (.470 EFR), and perhaps Gerald Wallace bring. Tony Massenburg (.401 EFR) did grab 9 boards but he just doesn't pose an offensive threat (1-5 FG). Anthony Peeler? Did he play? 10 minutes, 0-1 FG, 1 assist. Vlade Divac also continued to show lethargy in a back-to-back situation. Anyone who thinks the Kings are better without Chris Webber needs only to watch this Kings / Blazers game without him to see how much the Kings need him. Just imagine all of Massenburg's minutes with Webber in his place. And, of course, Chris will play more than that.
A season high 29 points and 10 rebounds are great, and I am a huge Bobby Jackson fan. But, ...my man is a whole lot more two guard these days than he is a point guard. To the point that I think it hurts the Kings.
"They have the 2nd best record in the league! What are you talking about?"
I'm talking about one assist. That was Jackson's total for tonight's loss. I just think he shoots too quickly, and would be better served to serve it to his teammates more. At least wait for the whole team, including the rebounders that are the last up the floor, to get into position. The hard part for a combo guard is to slow down yet remain aggressive. I know Jackson will stay aggressive but he needs to just decline a couple quick shot J's, and remember that the Kings need him to set the table.
- ..."And one! Motherfuckas!" yelled the angry Rasheed Wallace to the Kings bench end of the arena.
- Parking at ARCO is $8.
- The Kings could use shuttles like Disneyland to get fans from their cars in the deep lot to the front gates.
01/17/03 ...Kings - Lakers at ARCO on Friday night. It should have been a barn-burner but bad breaks for the Lake forced them to play without Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, and Karl Malone. The Kings didn't really play smartly, jacking up outside shots despite the lack of inside LA presence. Jamal Sampson, Brian Cook and Slava Medvedenko were the LA big men, which made the hoop available at any time. When Sac did go straight to the hole at the start of the 3rd quarter, they blew the game open and ended up winning by 20. ...I couldn't help but think as I watched Sampson play, that the Lakers could be better. The 20 year-old fell for every fake Vlade Divac and Brad Miller threw at him. He would be a junior at Cal had he stayed in school. True that Samspon has an NBA body, and he rebounds well. Outside of that he didn't show much. Ditto for Cook who did what he did in the Big Ten; take stand still perimeter jump shots. It is Cook's shot, the 10-12 foot face-up but on this night Cook didn't have it. His flat shot buried the Lakers deeper. Medvendenko is skilled enough but his big frame is hardly light afoot. He rumbles up and the down the floor. When the Lakers are healthy, I have them as the pick to win it all but injuries are a part of the game and LA must improve their depth to even be able to compete right now. Mikki Moore would not have made the difference last night but don't tell me he couldn't do a better job than Cook. Since the Nets took on Eddie Griffin, Moore is a free agent again.
01/16/03 ...Time for our biweekly look at the players worthy of being an NBA All-Star this season. BasslineSpin.com charts the worthy All-Stars through February, leading up to the game. After eleven weeks of NBA play, here are the best of the best.
Player Position EFR Kobe Bryant G. .548 Sam Cassell G. .586 Andre Miller G. .526 Mike Bibby G. .506 Peja Stojakovic F. .585 Pau Gasol F. .583 Andre Kirilenko F. .595 Kevin Garnett F. .850 Brad Miller C. .642 Tim Duncan C. .732 Marcus Camby C. .600 Shaquille O'Neal C. .673 EAST:
Player Position EFR Baron Davis G. .507 Jason Kidd G.
.596 Tracy McGrady G. .574 Michael Redd G. .493 Paul Pierce F. .583 Donyell Marshall F. .534 Shareef Abdur-Rahim F. .617 Kenyon Martin F. .578 Carlos Boozer F. .563 Ben Wallace C. .545 Zydrunas Ilgauskas C. .558 Jermaine O'Neal C. .594 Falling off. Who was an All-Star after week 9, but not after week 11? Zach Randolph
01/13/04 ...Jamal Magliore is down about 100 efficiency points this year to rank among our NBA players underperforming. Rasheed Wallace is also on that list. ...I cannot overstate how big the Charlie Ward signing was for San Antonio. Just when it looked, at the start of the season, like the Spurs were in trouble with Anthony Carter as backup to Tony Parker, they now are set. The heady signing of Jason Hart helped but the acquisition of Ward gives them the NBA veteran depth needed to make another push. Ward plays defense, and he has made himself among the league's top 15 point guards by efficiency (based on 2002-03 final rankings). My only gripe with Ward is that he needs to go to the hole more. It is a given that the Spurs miss David Robinson, and I do not like them to win it all. I simply feel that they now go much further than they would have gone. Again, while on the Spurs, I have to reset how much I like Devin Brown, their 11th, or 12th man. He is a player waiting for minutes.
01/12/04 ...I am continually shocked when I do my bi-weekly efficiency charting and come across Caron Butler's name. Caron who started the season hurt and behind, is at an anemic .195 EFR. ...Similarly, Gilbert Arenas, is at an all-time efficency low. He is now headed back to the IL. ...I look at the Utah Jazz like a college team where you are not limited to 4 years of eligibility. If you are drafted the Jazz, you should rejoice. They will give you time to develop no matter how much you might stink. Only a few exceptions (Quincy Lewis). It's because according to Utah's brass, Head Coach Jerry Sloan does not plea for personnel moves the way other coaches do. I'm sure he makes his cases. In many instances, NBA coaches get sick of a player too quickly when their competitive personailites clash. In Utah, you will have a chance to do your thing as long as you show up on time, and compete. Look at Greg Ostertag. DeShawn Stevenson. Jarron Collins.
Read about a Boulder News story about David Thompson's past struggles here.
01/11/04 ...The college basketball Saturday brought us eye an opening performance by Chris Taft, a Pittsburgh freshman, and another great game for the Stanford Cardinal. At Arizona, Stanford moved the ball, and won convincingly. Justin Davis isn't much of a shooter but his overall ability is NBA worthy. ...Morehead State (Kentucky) was on TV, and we caught Ricky Minard. He is listed as one of our top picks in the 2004 NBA draft. Coached by former college hoops sharp shooter Kyle Macy, Minard is a 6'4" Senior shooting guard from Mansfield, Ohio that can also play some spot Point Guard. He did not have a great game vs. Tennessee Martin but Minard showed his ability to use either hand around the hoop to finish. He passed well, and was enthusiastic with his teammates. He encouraged them. Minard is a guy that gets 20 points per game, and dishes 4 and a half assists per game. He shoots above 80% from the FT line, and shows an understanding for offense. He's in the right place at the right time.
01/06/04 ...Ray Allen was nuts last night in the Sonics / Blazers game that went into OT. 16-27 FG, 42 points for Jesus Shuttlesworth. ...We watched the great game between Texas, and Providence last night. The finish was decided on a OT lay-up with literally 00.0 on the clock. But there was still a hundredth of a second left when freshman P.J. Tucker dropped in the game winner for the Longhorns. ...Providence's Ryan Gomes is a personal favorite college player of ours. He has poise, and inside/outside game. ...Played out terms: "The New York Football Giants", "Bling Bling",
01/05/04 ...Antione Wright, a Texas A&M sophomore, is overrated currently. ...Here we go. Isiah Thomas is a trading fester. Now 'Zeke' has brought one of the seven best point guards in the world to New York, giving up solid pro Charlie Ward, and Antonio McDyess, plus draft picks to acquire Stephon Marbury. The Knicks will also receive Penny Hardaway, and Cezary Trybanski. The Suns will also get Maciej Lampe ("magic lamp"), Howard Eisley, and Milos Vujanic. Good Move by Isiah. Quality point guards are so hard to come by, and McDyess has been injured so this was a no-brainer on the Knicks end. The Suns are obviously throwing in the towel on this season and dreaming of a Kobe Bryant signing with all the salary cap space they are saving. We love a healthy McDyess, and Charlie Ward can still play. We are not sure why is being disrespected so. Ward D's up, and has improved his offenses enough to help. The rumor is that the Suns will waive him. If so, teams should be lining up to sign Ward who IS good enough to start in the NBA. He would be a perfect tough backup PG for a playoff bound team. It would be smart for a good team to try and trade a pick for Ward before he hits waivers where a team with a lesser record will get first dibs.
01/04/04 ...Dan Gadzuric in Milwaukee is getting it done. The former UCLA big man boasts a .610 EFR in over 500 minutes. Like Stromile Swift, a young Big that will breakout with extended minutes. ...Do not underestimate the effect Marcus Camby has had on the Denver Nuggets. While Earl Boykins, and Andre Miller were undoubtedly big additions, a healthy Camby has been just as important. Hats off to Kiki Vandeweghe for making Denver a winner even after the Tskitishvili selection. ...Kobe Bryant is working with a .503 EFR, which is the lowest Efficiency number for him in as long as I can remember. ...Time for our look at the players worthy of being an NBA All-Star this season. If you are new to this site, BasslineSpin.com charts the worthy All-Stars through February, leading up to the game. After nine weeks of NBA play, here are the best of the best.
WEST
Player Position EFR Corey Maggette G. .560 Sam Cassell G. .594 Andre Miller G. .540 Mike Bibby G. .506 Peja Stojakovic F. .584 Zach Randolph F. .630 Andre Kirilenko F. .621 Kevin Garnett F. .842 Brad Miller C. .646 Tim Duncan C. .756 Marcus Camby C. .587 Shaquille O'Neal C. .675 EAST:
Player Position EFR Baron Davis G. .513 Tracy McGrady G. .569 Michael Redd G. .500 Jason Kidd G.
.561 Paul Pierce F. .596 Kenyon Martin F. .596 Carlos Boozer F. .574 Donyell Marshall F. .552 Shareef Abdur-Rahim F. .632 Ben Wallace C. .521 Zydrunas Ilgauskas C. .553 Jermaine O'Neal C. .594 Who was an All-Star after week 7, but not after week 9? Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone, Pau Gasol, Vince Carter.
...We were treated to the broadcast tandem of Kevin Calabro, and Billy McKinney tonight on the Sonics-Kings telecast. Doing a simulcast, the duo were enjoyable throughout a lopsided game favoring the Kings. We say again that Calabro is as good an NBA announcer as you will hear. His style is urban, and uptempo. He has fun, and praises good play even when it is not being achieved by the team he is covering. McKinney brought insight, and humor to the contest. His knowledge of NBA personnel is unquestioned. It is refreshing to hear announcers show enthusiasm for good basketball. Too many time when the other team is balling, the homer announcer gripes about what "his" team must do to stop the other team. Here is how Calabro and McKinney handled such a situation. When Peja Stojakovic hit the fifth of his six three point shots in the game, they made a joke about the Sonics players not having DirecTV. The meaning, obviously, that they should know Peja hits bombs, and get a hand in his face. The way the irritating announcers handle it is to give no love to the player who is balling but to instead chastise the homer defense. They might say in a pouty voice, "Another three by Gerould. Good. The Cougars have got to a better job of covering that guy. That is unbelievable, don't they know he is the premier shooter in the NBA? That is just awful defense."
See the difference?
Also - Bill Laimbeer cannot go unchecked for saying "ballgame" when the Pistons went up 14 over Golden State with 5 minutes and change left in regulation last night. Apparently, Bill didn't see Jason Williams of Duke dismantle Maryland in the final 54 seconds of an ACC game a couple years back. Down 10, with 54 seconds left, Duke came back and won. Since then, I have new rules regarding saying the game is over.
Laimbeer then sweats out a furious Warriors run of 15-0, to put the G.S.Dub in front by one. Eventually, the Mike Woodson led Pistons survived. I said, "Good for Woody", but my wife said, "Too bad The W's could not pull off the stunner to prove Laimbeer wrong."
