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September 17, 2009 ...Desmond Mason plays defense, and he can finish. By all accounts he is a good guy—and he is a willing passer that has slightly more assists than turnovers for his career. But I can’t agree with the Kings bringing him in based on his historical in-efficiency. He ranked 82nd as a Shooting Guard last season with an EFR of .269. Here is how I see it. He comes in—works hard. His athleticism and defensive prowess will win praise from the coaches and fans for about two months. But then sometime around Christmas—you will check out the Mason numbers and find a guy that is giving you virtually zero on the offensive end.  He rarely gets to the free throw line anymore and when he does get there—he has struggled the last three seasons—including a career-low 54% last year. In the last five seasons - he has made only two three-point shots (in 17 attempts) - so a defense stretcher he is not. Most likely—his impact is very little. But if Kevin Martin—the starter at Shooting Guard were to go down - then you could be looking at a lot of Mason. Also - it says here that Tyreke Evans is not a real Point Guard - so at some point that may have to be considered. I say this about Evans based on historical data. His assist-to-turnover ratio just does not meet up with the criteria for an effective NBA floor leader.  I LOVE the kid—I think he CAN play. I’m just saying—let’s temper the “Evans as the answer at PG” talk. Winning games at the Point in Conference USA is a far cry from winning in the Association. In the end—I think he will go down as a versatile guy that plays the bulk of his NBA minutes as a Shooting Guard.  ...4 players that I like way more than the universal love they are getting: 1. Leandro Barbosa - Speedy Suns guard is not to be slept upon. His EFR last season was higher than Vince Carter’s. 2. J.R. Smith - The Nugget scorer is overshadowed by Carmelo Anthony but Smith - if he can keep his head right - could be a legit top-ten scorer in the NBA. 3. Ronnie Brewer - The 24 year-old Utah swingman defends, yet also has enough offense to be a threat. And he is getting better every season. 4. Andris Biedrins - He is so overlooked. To me—Biedrins is the kind of player every NBA team needs. He defends, and rebounds at NBA speed, and rarely takes a bad shot. As much as so many guys like to jack shots - you need a cat like Biedrins to mop up.  5. Joakim Noah - He did a solid job last year and redeemed himself in the eyes of many for his effectiveness in the Boston series. Much like Biedrins - Noah is the kind of big man that gets it done on the glass. 6. Roy Hibbert - If Indiana gives him a chance at minutes I think he will foul out quite often. But his production per minute cannot be ignored. 7. Rajon Rondo - He is in my estimation one of the ten best PG’s in the NBA. 8. T.J. Ford - I know he has been hurt. But Ford is a REAL NBA Point Guard. Now that Jarrett Jack is in Toronto—look for TJ to breakout as an elite assist-man. 9. Will Bynum - I never ever thought I would say this but Will Bynum convinced me last year with his play in Detroit. 10. Kevin Love - What a joy to watch play! 11. Anthony Randolph - The Warriors youngster can be a future All-Star IMO. 12. Antonio McDyess - One of my favorite vets could be a big part of the Spurs success this year. 13. Danny Granger - Outside of Indy not too many are hip to this guy’s scoring skills. 14. Kevin Durant - He hasn’t been an All-Star yet –and I’m already making plans for his Hall of Fame induction. 15. Renaldo Balkman - Possibly my favorite NBA player. The epitome of hustle.

 

August 5, 2009 ...The NBA schedule came out yesterday—and GUESS WHAT? Each team will play 82 games. 41 as the home team and 41 as the visitor. ...U smell the cynicism? I just trip off all the stories about the schedule. People have theories about starting on the road and about how many back-to-backs a team may be scheduled for. But come on people - the schedule is basically the same for each team. ...If you work in the NBA - you are going to check out what your team is doing at holiday time. Yes—I do agree that teams who have to play overseas in the preseason are worthy of a story and some bitching. But what really counts and is newsworthy about the schedule is the date of the first game (Tuesday October 27th), and perhaps when your favorite team plays its first road and home games.  Not much more.

 

August 4, 2009 ...I am seeing hints of the term “comp” being part of the basketball scouting lexicon. Please stop it now. Basketball players are not like real estate properties. I have long tried to avoid comparing players. It is an insult to both the prospect and the established player when your say “this guy is that guy (with a jump shot!)”. ...All players are unique. The Lopez twins really aren’t much alike at all as ballers. The Grant twins had different games. The bullshit usually starts with nothing more than a physical resemblance. Marcus Hatten looked like Allen Iverson and was thus compared to him. Stop it. I’m okay with someone explaining that Bobby Simmons has heavy feet like Lionel Simmons did. That draws a comparison to ONE aspect of their game.  But to try to group a prospect into a comparable group of established players seems like a less specific, and lazy way to scout.

 

July 25, 2009 ...Andre Miller signing with the Blazers for two years guaranteed and a team option on year three—makes the Philadelphia 76er’s look silly.  The Sixers get nothing for Miller. Couldn’t they have traded him before the deadline if they knew they did not want to make a “long-term” offer to him? As it turns out - Portland gets the man that rated 13th in the NBA at his position last season, and a man that presently has the longest consecutive games played streak. Miller’s defensive liabilities in guarding opposing PG’s is also not such an issue in Portland where they have Joel Pryzbilla, and Greg Oden to clean up mistakes. They get all the quality Miller brings to the party for two years and $14 million. In so doing - I see Portland elevating to a legit second tier Western Conference team. ...(The first tier is Lakers, and Spurs IMO. Other second tier teams in the West: Denver, Utah, Dallas.) The reason this benefits the Blazers so much is that previous starter Steve Blake is really an NBA back-up. Portland just gained over .100 efficiency points to their starting lineup—which may not mean anything to you—but to me that is a significant addition. ...Philadelphia meanwhile will turn the reigns over to Lou Williams it appears. I like him - and I think he will do well - but I do not think he is the same caliber player yet that Andre Miller is. I see the Sixers taking a huge tumble this season - along with Houston, New Jersey, and Detroit as the four teams that are headed for the Lottery sooner than the Playoffs.

 

July 22, 2009 ...Anthony Roberson was waived by the Chicago Bulls after underwhelming at the Las Vegas Summer League. That means I was wrong about Roberson. I thought he would find a niche in the way Jannero Pargo has but alas I’ll be the first to admit - I would have cut him too. He was signed by New York last year during Summer League and then acquired by Chicago in February.  ...The Kings gave Quincy Douby opportunities and he was never efficient. However—when he was waived by the Kings—I thought it should have been someone else getting the ax. Cedric Simmons comes to mind. Anywho… Douby looked great in the LVSL and I still think that he will be heard from in the Association. ...The Kings signing of Sean May would have been applauded loudly had it come before his micro fracture surgery. A one year deal for the NBA minimum is not much of a gamble by NBA standards so if it does not work the damage should be small. I actually was one of May’s biggest supporters once upon a time. The whole deal for him will be whether he can stay active and focused enough to keep his weight down.  In three NBA seasons, May has played in exactly 82 games (or the equivalent of ONE regular season).  He has skill. He was a McDonald’s All-America high school player, and he was the Most Outstanding Player in the 2005 NCAA Championship.