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BasslineSpin.com January 25. 2008 ...My latest
NBA Draft 2008 list is here. ...One of the ‘mystery men’ in the
draft is John Riek from
the Sudan.
Here
is a quick look at his body and length. ...Arizona handled Washington State
in Tucson last night. Normally that would not even be noteworthy but the last
two years - Washington State has been among the best in the Pac-10. Arizona
is playing well right now. Jordan Hill was
perhaps the biggest riser in my latest draft update. The big guy’s game
reminds me a bit of Mikki Moore’s game.
Hill is a better shot blocker than Moore. Wildcats freshman Jerryd Bayliss is the real deal. He has emerged so
far as my highest rated guard among the more publicized group of Eric Gordon, O.J. Mayo, and Derrick Rose. ...I am looking forward to zoning
in more this weekend on Florida’s Marreese Speights,
Vanderbilt’s A.J. Ogilvy, and
LSU’s Anthony Randolph. January 23, 2008 ...The
Kings scored their most lopsided win last night at home vs. the New Jersey
Nets. The performance by the Nets was the worst I’ve seen this basketball
season by a Kings opponent. They looked like they just didn’t give a rat’s
behind. I was shocked to see how much Richard Jefferson has
lost in pure athleticism. The former high flying forward was slow and barely
able to finish at the rim. In one case -
that would have been a highlight dunk three years ago - he DID NOT
finish at all. ...It was the sixth straight loss for New Jersey. I don’t like
the back half of their roster at all. I don’t believe Antoine Wright, or Jason Collins should ever play NBA minutes. Malik Allen is doing nothing for you unless he is
hitting his face up 17’ shot. Enthusiasm is an issue for the Nets as well. If
Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, Jefferson, Josh Boone, Sean Williams, Marcus Williams, and Bostjan Nachbar were backed by some guys who were
hungry and eager maybe that would help. ...The most overused hot term in
sports broadcasting today is “punched in the mouth”. I am tired of it. ...My
guy Spencer Nelson (Utah
State 2005) who I think should be in
the NBA was the 2007 Italian National Cup Final MVP. ...My guy Mike (Michael) Harris (Rice) took his hustle game to China
after being a final cut of the Houston Rockets. Harris should be in the NBA.
He is playing now for DongGuan in the Chinese Basketball Association. In his
fourth game in the league—he had a game of 46 points (17-23 FG, 12-15 FT),
and 18 rebounds in 33 minutes! January 22, 2008 ...The
game of the night last night for me was Syracuse @ Georgetown. The Hoyas won
in an overtime period where the two squads combined for six points. The `Cuse
only scored two points in OT. Needless to say - that won’t get it done. Their offense is horrible. I do like Orange
freshman Donte Greene. He
is a 6’10 forward that can play facing the basket. He needs to improve his
ball handling, and understanding of shot selection but he is an excellent
rebounder, and scorer, and he blocks shots as a bonus. Greene was the MVP of
the Jordan Classic high-school all-star game last Spring. ...The Kings played
well on their latest road trip. They beat Detroit and Indiana while losing to
Toronto. ...Wifey says Ron Artest is an
offense killer. ...Hopefully John Salmons will
find a way to be effective with Kevin Martin, Mike Bibby, and Artest back in the lineup.
...The Kings host the Nets later today. Jason Kidd limped
off the court the other night at Phoenix vs. the Suns. He had stretched funny
trying to defend, and he may have pulled a groin. He did not return for the
final four minutes of action with the Nets down big-time. ...The Nets would
be a good team to play a zone against. Their lack of shooting touch is the
only thing I can figure that keeps them from winning consistently. Their BIGS
are non-shooters but they do defend well. They run the floor with speed and
precision. Rookie Sean Williams is a
keeper for sure. January 16, 2008 ...I
had a big race that I worked in Tulsa all last week that kept me from
blogging about hoop. I never stopped watching and reading though. Once home I
did a stat audit of the NBA and here’s what I found… Amare Stoudemire has surpassed Kevin Garnett as the most efficient player in the
NBA. The top three at each position are. Point guards: 1. Chris Paul .720, 2. Steve Nash .698, 3. Jose Calderon .601. Shooting guards: 1. Kobe Bryant .677, 2. Manu Ginobili .639, 3. Allen Iverson .575. Small forwards: Lebron James .745, 2. Caron Butler .593, 3. Carmelo Anthony .590. Power forwards: 1. Garnett
.758, 2. Carlos Boozer .757,
3. Tim Duncan .713.
Centers: 1. Stoudemire .818, 2. Dwight Howard .758,
3. Andrew Bynum .754.
...The NBA All-Star fan voting has ended in arenas and the online voting will
be done in four days. Here is our latest look at who we think is worthy of
being a reserve (the fans vote in the starters). EAST: Guards: Fans say Dwyane Wade, and Jason Kidd. We add Calderon (this will not
happen), Chauncey Billups, and Vince Carter. Forwards: Fans say Garnett, and
James. We add Butler, Antawn Jamison, and Chris Bosh. Centers: Fans say Howard. We would
add Zydrunas Ilgauskas.
WEST: Guards: Fans say Bryant and Tracy McGrady (not
deserving). We would add Paul, Nash, and Ginobili. Forwards: Fans say Duncan,
and Anthony. We add Boozer, and Dirk Nowitzki.
Centers: Fans want Yao Ming. We
add Stoudemire, and Marcus Camby. ...In Kings-land I saw a great game Monday
when Sacramento beat Dallas in a well played contest that came down to John Salmons hitting a wild runner with about two
seconds left to win it for Sac. When Mike Bibby returns
the Kings will be dramatically more efficient at backup point guard. Bibby’s
return should send Quincy Douby to the
bench. Likewise when Ron Artest comes
back the Kings can take another step toward being better with a reduced role for Mikki Moore. January 4, 2008 ...Recent
thoughts: UCLA is good but I’m not sure if they are as good as they have been
in recent years. Kevin Love looked
great earlier this year but at Stanford Thursday night he looked slow and un-athletic. I see
promise in the game of Russell Westbrook. ...If I could buy stock in Lakers’ big man Andrew Bynum, I would. ...Can I get an Air Slamson appearance at a Kings home game? …Kyle Korver is
younger and better than Gordan Giricek.
...The Knicks stink because they have no shot blocker or defensive force in
the middle. Zach Randolph and Eddy Curry together is kind of like Wayman Tisdale, and Antoine Carr together. ...Last week I saw Lou Williams’ speed in person as the Sixers beat
Sacramento. What people may not realize is that Williams owns an assist to
turnover ratio of better than two-to-one. ...MVP at this juncture? I would go
with Kevin Garnett. He
is the best player on the best team. ...Notre Dame’s Luke Harangody can play. ...David Lee lost a bit of his explosion. Just my
observation. ...I feel silly for
doubting last year that the John Salmons signing
was a good one for the Kings. Salmons is a baller. ...Wifey is a fan of Josh Shipp - the
UCLA guard. ...Brandon Roy’s voice
sounds like Richard Jefferson’s. |