I’m better late than never; here’s your All-Second-Quarter Team for fantasy baseball weeks 7-12. Rankings are based on accumulated stats from May 12, 2008 through June 22, 2008 (For a statistics glossary, click here. In terms of K/BB, anything above .55 is acceptable. In terms of OPS, anything above .790 is adequate).
FIRST TEAM
C-- Brian McCann was the #1 catcher in the first quarter and #1 in the second quarter. The only catcher of the M+M+M+M boys that wasn’t kept in our league. Led all catchers with 8 homeruns and had an OPS of .965
1B—Adrian Gonzalez tied for first with 12 homeruns at the position and was second in RBIs with 36. His batting average, on-base and SLUG are still much better on the road then at home, but the run production is about the same and he’s more patient at home, in terms of BB/K, than on the road.
2B—Ian Kinsler and this shouldn’t be too much of a surprise. We all know Kinsler is good and it was just a matter of time that he would go on a tear like he did in the 2nd quarter. A .925 OPS and a BB/K of .73 made for a successful 2nd quarter. He also swiped 10 bags, as he tied for 2nd with Brian Roberts in that category.
SS—Jose Reyes climbed his way to the top spot in the position. Very familiar territory for this phenomenal offensive juggernaut as his .910 OPS, his 6 homeruns, 18 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases was the model of consistency at the position.
3B—Continuing the theme of players being in familiar territory at the #1 spot in their position, Alex Rodriguez’s 2nd quarter not only reminds people why he’s arguably the best 3B, but also the best player in MLB as well. A .83 BB/K, 10 homers (2nd), 30 RBIs (tied for 1st), 1.166 OPS, but the most surprising stat was his 8 stolen bases (1st). He’s pretty good.
LF—Jose Guillen walked the walk after telling his Royal teammates they were a bunch of babies. He walked once and struck out 25 times, but with a .360 batting average (kind of fluky if you consider his .04 BB/K ratio), and a .997 OPS, Guillen was literally hitting everything in sight. 41 league leading RBIs and 16 doubles (1st) solidified his spot at the top. His year-to-date numbers, however, show a mediocre player and this stretch could be as good as Guillen gets for the rest of the season. Don’t go near him!
CF—Carlos Beltran: .889 OPS with a 1.19 BB/K ratio to go along with 8 homers and 29 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. That’s why he gets paid the big bucks!
RF—J.D. Drew came up big with David Ortiz out for a huge chunk of the quarter. With an OPS of 1.225 and walking as much as he struck out, he was able to hit 11 homeruns and knock in 27. His patience also allowed him to hit .351.
DH—Grady Sizemore finally makes his way to one of my articles. OPS of .894 and a respectable K/BB ratio (.70) produced 11 homeruns and 21 RBIs and even stole 10 bases. Has the best chance to join the 30-30 club as far as OFs go.
SECOND TEAM
C-- Russell Martin and Joe Mauer were only a point away from each other so both players deserve a mention. Both will be making the All-Star game. Special note should be taken to Martin’s .888 OPS and his 3 stolen bases in the quarter (tied for 1st). Mauer walked a whopping 23 times to blow by the competition in that category and his BB/K ratio was a very impressive 2:1.
1B—Ryan Howard tied Gonzalez for the homerun lead at the position with 12 and led all 1B with 45 RBIs. His batting average probably made 5X5 leaguers crazy and he struck out a position high 53 times, but with a .936 OPS and the big time run production he achieved in the quarter, you can live with a “few” whiffs.
2B—Let’s take a quick glance into memory lane; “he is susceptible to long slumps just based on his alarming strikeout rate alone.” Well Dan Uggla’s strikeout totals are UGLY (BB/K of .40 is just bad and he’s on pace to strikeout 150+ times this season after whiffing 47 times in the 2nd quarter), but despite his “philosophy” on hitting (to paraphrase his most recent Sports Illustrated appearance of seeing ball and hitting it as hard as he can), 12 homeruns (#1 at the position) and 30 RBIs (#2) are similar numbers that Adrian Gonzalez attained. His .309 batting average is very surprising and clearly opposite of the prediction that I made for him in the 1st. Most impressive still was his OPS of 1.068. When a 2B is hitting like a big-time power corner infielder or outfielder, a few swing and misses is a small sacrifice you pay for the big reward of a homerun. Plus, I can see him finishing with a .285 batting average. .300+ is definitely wishful thinking.
SS—Jimmy Rollins didn’t do anything spectacular in the 2nd quarter. He wasn’t among the elite in terms of power numbers and his .795 OPS leaves an empty space in your stomach, but he did walk more than he K’d out and had position leading 15 stolen bases, WITHOUT GETTING CAUGHT ONCE!
3B—Ryan Braun, a.k.a. The Hebrew Hammer, might exclusively play LF, but he qualifies at the hot corner. League leading 13 homeruns, 30 RBIs, 28 runs, and 3 triples, along with a .959 OPS adds up to an impressive quarter. However, A-Rod basically took back what was his. Plus when a player has a K/BB of .27 like Braun did in the 2nd quarter, just the fact that he was #2 at the position points to his superior hitting ability. Now imagine how good he would be if he could take some pitches!
LF—Randy Winn only drove in half the runs that Guillen did in the quarter, but a .324 batting average, to go along with a .930 OPS, and a 1.38 BB/K ratio shows that Winn was the more steadier, better long-term selection than Guillen. However, I think Winn hit his peak during this stretch of the season, but can still be a serviceable OF for your fantasy team.
CF—Josh Hamilton had better power numbers than Carlos Beltran, but with a .34 BB/K ratio, he proves to the rest of us once again that he’s only human. He led all CFs with 12 homeruns and 37 RBIs, nevertheless. Not too shabby!
RF—Shane Victorino, qualifies at the position, the “Flying Hawaiian” was a top 2 CF for most of the 2nd quarter until Beltran went on a tear. Regardless, his patience at the plate (1.21 BB/K) and a .375 on-base% allowed him to score 34 runs (led all RFs.), and steal 12 bags (good for 3rd place behind Ellsbury and Ichiro).
DH—Milton Bradley has always had talent, but has had, to put it lightly, “issues” with authority, fans, and most importantly, injuries. Staying relatively healthy for the quarter, he registered an OPS of 1.23 and showed off his hitting eye with a .85 BB/K ratio. 10 homeruns and 28 RBIs is nothing to sneeze at either.
MISSING THE CUT
C—Geovany Soto made the second team last quarter at this position, but a meager .236 batting average and .713 OPS to go along with an embarrassing BB/K ratio add up to the miserable 2nd Quarter Soto had. Despite his struggles, he is your NL starter at catcher.
1B—Lance Berkman and Albert Pujols, as great as they are, couldn’t keep up the pace of their monster 1st Quarters. Berkman “only” hit 8 homeruns for the quarter, but he was the third best 1B in quarter #2. Pujols was battling a calf injury for most of June and only registered 90 at bats, but still hit 9 homeruns and had an OPS of 1.134! Imagine if he were able to reach 130+ at bats that most of the other players attained in the quarter. Should be interesting to see who comes out on top in Quarter #3.
2B—Chase Utley, what happened? Well, his OPS of .857 is still good, but not as good as the OPS posted by Kinsler and Uggla. He was only 4 points from taking the #2 spot from Uggla. Nevertheless, his .714 BB/K, 9 homers and position leading 35 RBIs has him in place to be back at the top spot at least by the time quarter #3 is over and done with.
SS—Hanley Ramirez got off to a hot start, but a BB/K of 1:2 and the lack of contact (resulting in a .255 batting average), and only 12 RBIs despite 8 homers led Rollins and Reyes to take over the top two spots. 42 K’s in the 2nd quarter (2nd in the position) and only 6 stolen bases let a few owners down, but 31 runs scored (2nd), and 8 homeruns (1st) foreshadows an even better 3rd quarter.
3B—Chipper Jones, despite his great batting eye (1.50 BB/K) and his wonderful OPS (1.084), and flirting with a .400 batting average (.385 for the 2nd quarter); he only finished as the #4 slot at the position. 6 homeruns and 17 RBIs was the low mark for this high-powered position and might have explained why he didn’t dominate like he did in the 1st. 30 BBs meant a higher on-base, but less chance that he could do damage with the bat.
As for the overrated “Greek God of Walks,” Kevin Youkilis (or “You Kill Us”) finished with 5 homeruns, 17 RBIs (low for the position), 7 BBs (why even have that nickname in the first place?), a .23 BB/K (very un-God-like), and an .821 OPS, a far cry from his .996 OPS from the 1st quarter. It’s a shame that he was in the All-Star game this year and that is why that game shouldn’t decide who gets home-field advantage for the World Series.
LF—Matt Holliday spent a good portion of his 2nd quarter on the DL with a hamstring injury and only was credited with 94 official at bats. There is no doubt that Holliday would’ve been mentioned in the top 2 of the list had he stayed healthy as he was crushing the ball when he got off the DL in mid June. He should be back in his rightful spot by the end of the 3rd quarter.
Pat Burrell, his batting average dipped down to .244, but it wasn’t because of his strikeouts. A .93 BB/K rate is still pretty good and his .921 OPS was great. Burrell, is a run-producing slugger who didn’t knock in many runs last quarter (16 RBIs). When Burrell isn’t hitting homeruns or driving in runs, he’s not doing much of anything else. He doesn’t hit for much contact (13 singles in the 2nd), and only scored 18 runs. Burrell seems to be going through a stretch of bad luck, but his skill set is good to this author’s surprise. Continue to be patient with him.
CF—Nate McLouth had a decent BB/K ratio (.625), but a huge dip in the OPS (.828 in the 2nd quarter) is a big reason why he was only the 7th best CF in the fantasy world. Hopefully he won’t continue to dip any further.
RF—Xavier Nady saw his OPS dip all the way down to .822 and only drove in 15 RBIs, half of what he did in the 1st quarter. Carlos Quentin also saw his OPS drop all the way down to .857, but he managed to walk as much as struck out, proving once again he has one of the best hitting eyes in baseball. Plus he hit 8 homeruns and drove in 27, similar numbers he posted in the 1st. He’ll be fine.
DH—Derrek Lee had relatively ordinary numbers in the 2nd quarter. Starting with a .271 batting average, he saw his OPS drop to middle infielder levels at .762 while his BB/K ratio was at a very low .42. Conor Jackson, after getting many kudos in the 1st quarter disappointed once again in the 2nd. 2 homeruns and 10 RBIs is just not going to get it done. A .381 on-base% shows some hope and still has a good batting eye that just screams better numbers.
Next up, the pitchers....
As Written By,
Felipe Melecio
Thursday, July 31, 2008
2008 NBA Draft Diary - Part VII
By Felipe Melecio
2008 NBA Draft:
26th PICK—George Hill from IUPUI, who has a 6’9” wingspan. Stu: Hill can score, board, and dish (the Spurs got the next Jason Kidd?)
Bilas: Could be special player (at this point, anything coming out of Bilas’ mouth should be taken with a grain of salt).
Stu: Has 3% body fat (most of it on his wingspan).
Best of all, he has NO WEAKNESS. This guy could be the best guy selected so far! The Spurs did it again!
Interesting Fact: Joe Alexander was the only 20+ year-old player to be selected in the top 10. It’s like the NBA went from drafting high school players to selecting virtual 5th year Seniors—in high school.
Andy Katz: Kansas coach, Bill Self and the University itself said that Arthur tested fine medically at KU and the kidney should be a non-issue.
Well, if the NBA says it’s a problem, then it’s a problem. NBA wins.
27th PICK—Darrell Arthur, gets the pity selection. EVERYONE REJOICE! It took Arthur so long to get selected that there’s a kid who’s already sleeping at his table. Obviously, it was well past his bedtime.
Bilas: “Could really run” and “Move and slide his feet” (he can do the “running man,” “the electric” and “cha-cha slide” and can “moonwalk” with the best of them).
--“Can use both hands around the rim” (why not just say he’s ambidextrous?)
--Has a “little hook” that he uses around the rim and possesses with him the required “good turn around jump shot.”
WEAKNESS: None were mentioned—but we all know that when you have kidney issues, any other weaknesses are meaningless in comparison.
Cut to Stern giving Arthur a pity applause. That’s what this kid needs, huh?
The Hornets, who selected Arthur, don’t even want him as right away, it is reported that he’s being traded to Portland [but at this point, its all irrelevant because he ended up getting traded to Memphis, via Houston. Look it up].
In what could be Stephen A. Smith’s last interview of the night, he frankly asks Arthur what is going with his kidney. Arthur responds by saying that his medical tests came back fine, but NBA must not have gotten the results. Boo-yah, NBA! This kid is mad and has something to prove! (assuming his kidney holds up, of course).
28th PICK—Donte Green as he was projected by some mock drafts to be picked 14th overall. Maybe he has kidney problems too.
Stu: Green was born in Germany, lived in Japan, and now resides in Baltimore (geez, how many schools did he attend?).
Bilas: Not ready for the NBA (doh!) but he does have the tools, nay, lots of tools. However, he needs to find the key to the toolbox first.
It’s like I stopped watching the NBA draft and now I’m getting flashbacks of Home Improvement episodes rushing through my head.
29th PICK—What can the Pistons do to get past the Conference Finals?
Jax: The Pistons need a player that can post-up (that’s one opinion)
Jeff: With all those Eastern Conference finals, that’s a pretty good achievement that should be celebrated (I agree, but no one ever remembers the team that loses in the Conference Finals. And that is why Jeff is not coaching anymore).
Stu: Pistons need to get a little younger (well, it is the NBA draft. You can put a bunch of names on a dart board, blindfold yourself, and shoot three darts and you can unwittingly stumble upon three players who will lower your team’s average age. Stu Scott, a.k.a. “Mr. Obvious.”
D.J. White, your Big 10 player of the year
Stu: He’s full of intensity, huh Bilas?
Bilas: When White came out of high school, he reminded me of James Worthy (my mouth is agape. Interesting note, in September of 2006, http://nbadraft.net was comparing White to Wayne Simien. White was a sophomore by then. So he went from being Worthy to Simien. Sad, but true).
--He’s not the same athlete he used to be (again, he went from Worthy to Simien).
--“Nice turnaround jump shot” (THEY ALL DO!)
Stu just mentioned Isaiah Thomas (whether it was by accident or not is anyone’s guess) and the New York boo machine is rolling. To stop the boos, Stu responds, “Come on, don’t boo Isaiah.” I disagree; boo until your throat can’t boo any longer.
Stu: Do the Pistons trade any of their four best players (wow, how the mighty Pistons have fallen).
Jax: Joe Dumars’ phone is on the hook (because Dumars has trouble keeping the phone on the hook? Because Dumars doesn’t believe in telephones so he never has it on, but has it on now because his team needs to get to the Finals again?)
And now, it is time for the Champion Celtics to make their selection. While they’re on the clock, the fellows who have been broadcasting and analyzing the draft talk some Celtic basketball with the viewers at home.
Jeff: The Celtics must sign Posey. He has tenacity! (I didn’t realize that Posey was the unofficial third member of Tenacious D).
Bilas: The 30th pick is not about the player, but about gaining assets (you know, I’m trying to enjoy the draft without Bilas putting some economic spin to it).
Five minutes have been up. Please, Mr. Stern, announce the pick already!
Bilas: I’m shocked to see how young this draft is (he seriously didn’t see it coming?)
[At this point, 11 freshmen were selected; a new NBA draft record]
Here comes Stern and a lot of boos from the stands as the hated Celtics are comfortable with their selection.
30th PICK—J.R. Giddens, your 2008 Mountain West Conference Player of the Year. You know, many people thought that Chris Douglas-Roberts would be selected by the Celtics with the 30th pick. Perhaps the Celtics wanted a Senior classman on their team. I guess it does pay to stay in school!
Bilas: “Very talented player” and can hit “deep shots” (so the guy can drink, but what about his game?)
And that wraps up the 1st Round of the 2008 NBA draft. But I can’t finish this diary without mentioning Dickey V’s last appearance of the night. You’d think that it would be past his bedtime, but apparently it’s not. Quick highlights:
--Dickey V looks very mad as he goes into his “potential, potential, potential” rant.
--Wants more proven players selected (it’s an amateur draft!)
--Winners of this year’s draft were the New Jersey Nets because they selected Ryan Anderson (guy who can score, but can’t play defense. Nice!) and Brook Lopez (a big man who CAN’T REBOUND!). He also thought the Suns were winners because they picked Robin with their 1st round pick (so Shaq can teach him how to pace himself in the regular season so he can be well rested in time for the NBA playoffs. Although, from a fantasy standpoint, if Shaq is injured all season long, Robin is too young to be injured for an extended period of time. Therefore, Robin becomes a fantasy basketball commodity because he’ll see some time at Center for the Suns. Eureka!).
--Dickey V is sick of kids going to college for one year. He was mad for many years because high school kids were by-passing college to go straight to the pros. Now that these same kids are going to college for one year, he’s still mad. There’s just no pleasing this man!
--How is it that Andre Jordan, Mario Chalmers, and Chris Douglas-Roberts are not drafted yet??? Dickey V is boiling! (by the way, if CDR’s people are smart, they would look for a nice endorsement deal from some CD-R company so he can be their spokesman. Where are my kudos?).
--One final note, Dickey V thinks UNC will be the #1 team in the nation for the upcoming college basketball season, much to the delight of one Stu Scott. Why am I not surprise that Dickey V is picking an ACC team for the #1 spot again?
As written by,
Felipe Melecio
Currently Thankful of: Donny Rodriguez for inviting me to watch the draft at his house. Check him out at http://www.myspace.com/woodsugars
Currently Digging: The band Between the Buried and Me (I swear, everything they touch turns into gold).
Currently Playing: Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift (already have logged in 24 hours game play—and counting!)
2008 NBA Draft:
26th PICK—George Hill from IUPUI, who has a 6’9” wingspan. Stu: Hill can score, board, and dish (the Spurs got the next Jason Kidd?)
Bilas: Could be special player (at this point, anything coming out of Bilas’ mouth should be taken with a grain of salt).
Stu: Has 3% body fat (most of it on his wingspan).
Best of all, he has NO WEAKNESS. This guy could be the best guy selected so far! The Spurs did it again!
Interesting Fact: Joe Alexander was the only 20+ year-old player to be selected in the top 10. It’s like the NBA went from drafting high school players to selecting virtual 5th year Seniors—in high school.
Andy Katz: Kansas coach, Bill Self and the University itself said that Arthur tested fine medically at KU and the kidney should be a non-issue.
Well, if the NBA says it’s a problem, then it’s a problem. NBA wins.
27th PICK—Darrell Arthur, gets the pity selection. EVERYONE REJOICE! It took Arthur so long to get selected that there’s a kid who’s already sleeping at his table. Obviously, it was well past his bedtime.
Bilas: “Could really run” and “Move and slide his feet” (he can do the “running man,” “the electric” and “cha-cha slide” and can “moonwalk” with the best of them).
--“Can use both hands around the rim” (why not just say he’s ambidextrous?)
--Has a “little hook” that he uses around the rim and possesses with him the required “good turn around jump shot.”
WEAKNESS: None were mentioned—but we all know that when you have kidney issues, any other weaknesses are meaningless in comparison.
Cut to Stern giving Arthur a pity applause. That’s what this kid needs, huh?
The Hornets, who selected Arthur, don’t even want him as right away, it is reported that he’s being traded to Portland [but at this point, its all irrelevant because he ended up getting traded to Memphis, via Houston. Look it up].
In what could be Stephen A. Smith’s last interview of the night, he frankly asks Arthur what is going with his kidney. Arthur responds by saying that his medical tests came back fine, but NBA must not have gotten the results. Boo-yah, NBA! This kid is mad and has something to prove! (assuming his kidney holds up, of course).
28th PICK—Donte Green as he was projected by some mock drafts to be picked 14th overall. Maybe he has kidney problems too.
Stu: Green was born in Germany, lived in Japan, and now resides in Baltimore (geez, how many schools did he attend?).
Bilas: Not ready for the NBA (doh!) but he does have the tools, nay, lots of tools. However, he needs to find the key to the toolbox first.
It’s like I stopped watching the NBA draft and now I’m getting flashbacks of Home Improvement episodes rushing through my head.
29th PICK—What can the Pistons do to get past the Conference Finals?
Jax: The Pistons need a player that can post-up (that’s one opinion)
Jeff: With all those Eastern Conference finals, that’s a pretty good achievement that should be celebrated (I agree, but no one ever remembers the team that loses in the Conference Finals. And that is why Jeff is not coaching anymore).
Stu: Pistons need to get a little younger (well, it is the NBA draft. You can put a bunch of names on a dart board, blindfold yourself, and shoot three darts and you can unwittingly stumble upon three players who will lower your team’s average age. Stu Scott, a.k.a. “Mr. Obvious.”
D.J. White, your Big 10 player of the year
Stu: He’s full of intensity, huh Bilas?
Bilas: When White came out of high school, he reminded me of James Worthy (my mouth is agape. Interesting note, in September of 2006, http://nbadraft.net was comparing White to Wayne Simien. White was a sophomore by then. So he went from being Worthy to Simien. Sad, but true).
--He’s not the same athlete he used to be (again, he went from Worthy to Simien).
--“Nice turnaround jump shot” (THEY ALL DO!)
Stu just mentioned Isaiah Thomas (whether it was by accident or not is anyone’s guess) and the New York boo machine is rolling. To stop the boos, Stu responds, “Come on, don’t boo Isaiah.” I disagree; boo until your throat can’t boo any longer.
Stu: Do the Pistons trade any of their four best players (wow, how the mighty Pistons have fallen).
Jax: Joe Dumars’ phone is on the hook (because Dumars has trouble keeping the phone on the hook? Because Dumars doesn’t believe in telephones so he never has it on, but has it on now because his team needs to get to the Finals again?)
And now, it is time for the Champion Celtics to make their selection. While they’re on the clock, the fellows who have been broadcasting and analyzing the draft talk some Celtic basketball with the viewers at home.
Jeff: The Celtics must sign Posey. He has tenacity! (I didn’t realize that Posey was the unofficial third member of Tenacious D).
Bilas: The 30th pick is not about the player, but about gaining assets (you know, I’m trying to enjoy the draft without Bilas putting some economic spin to it).
Five minutes have been up. Please, Mr. Stern, announce the pick already!
Bilas: I’m shocked to see how young this draft is (he seriously didn’t see it coming?)
[At this point, 11 freshmen were selected; a new NBA draft record]
Here comes Stern and a lot of boos from the stands as the hated Celtics are comfortable with their selection.
30th PICK—J.R. Giddens, your 2008 Mountain West Conference Player of the Year. You know, many people thought that Chris Douglas-Roberts would be selected by the Celtics with the 30th pick. Perhaps the Celtics wanted a Senior classman on their team. I guess it does pay to stay in school!
Bilas: “Very talented player” and can hit “deep shots” (so the guy can drink, but what about his game?)
And that wraps up the 1st Round of the 2008 NBA draft. But I can’t finish this diary without mentioning Dickey V’s last appearance of the night. You’d think that it would be past his bedtime, but apparently it’s not. Quick highlights:
--Dickey V looks very mad as he goes into his “potential, potential, potential” rant.
--Wants more proven players selected (it’s an amateur draft!)
--Winners of this year’s draft were the New Jersey Nets because they selected Ryan Anderson (guy who can score, but can’t play defense. Nice!) and Brook Lopez (a big man who CAN’T REBOUND!). He also thought the Suns were winners because they picked Robin with their 1st round pick (so Shaq can teach him how to pace himself in the regular season so he can be well rested in time for the NBA playoffs. Although, from a fantasy standpoint, if Shaq is injured all season long, Robin is too young to be injured for an extended period of time. Therefore, Robin becomes a fantasy basketball commodity because he’ll see some time at Center for the Suns. Eureka!).
--Dickey V is sick of kids going to college for one year. He was mad for many years because high school kids were by-passing college to go straight to the pros. Now that these same kids are going to college for one year, he’s still mad. There’s just no pleasing this man!
--How is it that Andre Jordan, Mario Chalmers, and Chris Douglas-Roberts are not drafted yet??? Dickey V is boiling! (by the way, if CDR’s people are smart, they would look for a nice endorsement deal from some CD-R company so he can be their spokesman. Where are my kudos?).
--One final note, Dickey V thinks UNC will be the #1 team in the nation for the upcoming college basketball season, much to the delight of one Stu Scott. Why am I not surprise that Dickey V is picking an ACC team for the #1 spot again?
As written by,
Felipe Melecio
Currently Thankful of: Donny Rodriguez for inviting me to watch the draft at his house. Check him out at http://www.myspace.com/woodsugars
Currently Digging: The band Between the Buried and Me (I swear, everything they touch turns into gold).
Currently Playing: Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift (already have logged in 24 hours game play—and counting!)
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
2008 NBA Draft Diary - Part VI
By Felipe Melecio
2008 NBA Draft:
21ST PICK—Ryan Anderson, who Bilas reminds everyone that he “Doesn’t move feet well on D” and he needs more strength (a guy who can’t play defense and is weak and soft? Another guy who’ll fit right in with his new team). Bilas did marvel at Anderson’s offensive game (so he’s another Adam Morrison, except Anderson is not a lottery pick). Bilas went on to compare him to Troy Murphy. Hey, Murphy, when healthy, could hold his own. And I saw a game where Anderson torched DePaul all game long. They couldn’t find an answer for the guy. This pick is not too shabby, except that he can’t play defense, but I think the Nets will give him ample opportunity to succeed.
Orlando is on the clock and Jeff wants to make a prediction; “Orlando needs a backup PG.” Nooooo! They need a PG who can play better than Jameer Nelson, but they’re not going to find anyone this late in the draft to do that. Nelson has been a sort of an enigma in our league as the last two owners who drafted this guy have been disappointed with his play and have been more than happy to trade him away.
22nd PICK—Courtney Lee, your Sun-Belt player of the year and the 2nd leading scorer of that conference.
BILAS: “Tough as nails” (whoa, don’t mess with him!).
--“Developed every year” (or was it the fact that the competition got worse?)
--“Solid player” (I’m thinking that when Bilas has run out of things to say, he just goes ahead and finishes with the very vague “solid”).
--“NBA ready” (yeah, we’ll see).
Jeff just swung and missed on a fat joke that was targeted at his brother, Stan. Jeff’s Joke-O-Meter is also at .000.
Kiki Vandeweghe, part of the Nets front office. is being interviewed. Kiki highlighted the following points:
--They needed a change (you think?)
--He is excited to have big men who can put the ball in the basket (but are soft on defense and have a hard time rebounding. Continue, please).
--He was happy that these same big men have mid- to long-range jumpers (So the plan was to get as many Vladimir Radmanovic-like players as possible?).
The Utah Jazz are on the clock and Jeff lets it be known that “No softies are allowed to play under [coach Jerry] Sloan. Only tough guys need apply.”
23rd PICK—Kosta Koufas as Bilas describes him as a “finesse center” with good hands and a “good turn-around jumper” (oh Bilas, I bet you say that about all the boys!). He’s not a great athlete.
NEEDS TO WORK ON: REBOUNDING, DEFENSE, AND PASSING. This guy is the antithesis of a “Jerry Sloan player.” Jeff, I thought only tough guys can play for Sloan?
24th PICK—Seattle has six picks in this draft, which means we get to see a lot of Kevin Durant. That’s always a good thing. In the meantime, to pass the time, the panelists discuss Seattle’s roster and Jax just made a Ricky Ricardo reference (“they got some ‘splaning’ to do”) that had everybody on the panel laughing (Jeff should hire Jax’s writer). Serge Ibaka from Congo was drafted.
Fraschilla: Likely to stay in Spain for 3-4 years. He’s very athletic.
MUST IMPROVE: EXPERIENCE (how does one improve on experience? And I wasn’t the only one perplexed as I can hear Jeff and Jax baffled on that “attribute.”
Stan Van Gundy is being interviewed and Jeff wants to know why his own brother didn’t tell Jeff that he would draft Courtney Lee. Stan pretty much told Jeff to stop his whining. I must say for a guy who usually looks very fat and bloated, Stan looks pretty thin in this interview. Stan also made a fat joke, about himself no less, which had everyone laughing. Jeff needs to hire his brother’s writer as Stan has been on camera for a few minutes and his Joke-O-Meter is already at 1.000!
The Houston Rockets are on the clock and Stu has something on his mind: How’s Yao’s recovery going?
Jeff: I think he’s healing well (Dr. Jeff?)
Stu: Isn’t he playing for China for the upcoming Olympics
Jeff: He will, healthy or not, because he has great pride in his country (I remember that when the Rockets and the Chinese Government were negotiating Yao’s contract, the Chinese made sure that Yao’s participation with the national team would be mandatory. So I don’t think it’s about pride as it is about obligation. Get it right, Jeff!).
25th PICK—Nicolas Batum, an All-Star in the French League (finally an International player with some credentials).
Fraschilla: He’s just not Athletic, but NBA athletic (insert your own punchline now).
--Doesn’t have great escape ability (last I checked, he’s not a QB and this isn’t the NFL draft. Get it right!)
--Needs to toughen up (surprise!)
--He’s super-duper athletic (I don’t think he mentioned that one before).
--He predicts that Batum will be in the NBA in 2 years. That’s actually better than the 3-4 year waiting period on the other International players. I’m actually starting to buy the hype on this player. Oh, oh.
It gets worse, Ric Buchner is back to slap me across the face: The reason Darrell Arthur is still in the green room and on his third pack of gum is because NBA teams are being scared away by possible kidney problems. WOW, Buchner does it again! My face is numb.
Meanwhile, D’Antoni is now being interviewed as he now has to defend the Gallinari pick:
--“Most talented player”
--“He’ll be tough”
--“Was picked because of talent” and not because of any family affiliations
I don’t think Knick fans are buying it
Next: 26-30
2008 NBA Draft:
21ST PICK—Ryan Anderson, who Bilas reminds everyone that he “Doesn’t move feet well on D” and he needs more strength (a guy who can’t play defense and is weak and soft? Another guy who’ll fit right in with his new team). Bilas did marvel at Anderson’s offensive game (so he’s another Adam Morrison, except Anderson is not a lottery pick). Bilas went on to compare him to Troy Murphy. Hey, Murphy, when healthy, could hold his own. And I saw a game where Anderson torched DePaul all game long. They couldn’t find an answer for the guy. This pick is not too shabby, except that he can’t play defense, but I think the Nets will give him ample opportunity to succeed.
Orlando is on the clock and Jeff wants to make a prediction; “Orlando needs a backup PG.” Nooooo! They need a PG who can play better than Jameer Nelson, but they’re not going to find anyone this late in the draft to do that. Nelson has been a sort of an enigma in our league as the last two owners who drafted this guy have been disappointed with his play and have been more than happy to trade him away.
22nd PICK—Courtney Lee, your Sun-Belt player of the year and the 2nd leading scorer of that conference.
BILAS: “Tough as nails” (whoa, don’t mess with him!).
--“Developed every year” (or was it the fact that the competition got worse?)
--“Solid player” (I’m thinking that when Bilas has run out of things to say, he just goes ahead and finishes with the very vague “solid”).
--“NBA ready” (yeah, we’ll see).
Jeff just swung and missed on a fat joke that was targeted at his brother, Stan. Jeff’s Joke-O-Meter is also at .000.
Kiki Vandeweghe, part of the Nets front office. is being interviewed. Kiki highlighted the following points:
--They needed a change (you think?)
--He is excited to have big men who can put the ball in the basket (but are soft on defense and have a hard time rebounding. Continue, please).
--He was happy that these same big men have mid- to long-range jumpers (So the plan was to get as many Vladimir Radmanovic-like players as possible?).
The Utah Jazz are on the clock and Jeff lets it be known that “No softies are allowed to play under [coach Jerry] Sloan. Only tough guys need apply.”
23rd PICK—Kosta Koufas as Bilas describes him as a “finesse center” with good hands and a “good turn-around jumper” (oh Bilas, I bet you say that about all the boys!). He’s not a great athlete.
NEEDS TO WORK ON: REBOUNDING, DEFENSE, AND PASSING. This guy is the antithesis of a “Jerry Sloan player.” Jeff, I thought only tough guys can play for Sloan?
24th PICK—Seattle has six picks in this draft, which means we get to see a lot of Kevin Durant. That’s always a good thing. In the meantime, to pass the time, the panelists discuss Seattle’s roster and Jax just made a Ricky Ricardo reference (“they got some ‘splaning’ to do”) that had everybody on the panel laughing (Jeff should hire Jax’s writer). Serge Ibaka from Congo was drafted.
Fraschilla: Likely to stay in Spain for 3-4 years. He’s very athletic.
MUST IMPROVE: EXPERIENCE (how does one improve on experience? And I wasn’t the only one perplexed as I can hear Jeff and Jax baffled on that “attribute.”
Stan Van Gundy is being interviewed and Jeff wants to know why his own brother didn’t tell Jeff that he would draft Courtney Lee. Stan pretty much told Jeff to stop his whining. I must say for a guy who usually looks very fat and bloated, Stan looks pretty thin in this interview. Stan also made a fat joke, about himself no less, which had everyone laughing. Jeff needs to hire his brother’s writer as Stan has been on camera for a few minutes and his Joke-O-Meter is already at 1.000!
The Houston Rockets are on the clock and Stu has something on his mind: How’s Yao’s recovery going?
Jeff: I think he’s healing well (Dr. Jeff?)
Stu: Isn’t he playing for China for the upcoming Olympics
Jeff: He will, healthy or not, because he has great pride in his country (I remember that when the Rockets and the Chinese Government were negotiating Yao’s contract, the Chinese made sure that Yao’s participation with the national team would be mandatory. So I don’t think it’s about pride as it is about obligation. Get it right, Jeff!).
25th PICK—Nicolas Batum, an All-Star in the French League (finally an International player with some credentials).
Fraschilla: He’s just not Athletic, but NBA athletic (insert your own punchline now).
--Doesn’t have great escape ability (last I checked, he’s not a QB and this isn’t the NFL draft. Get it right!)
--Needs to toughen up (surprise!)
--He’s super-duper athletic (I don’t think he mentioned that one before).
--He predicts that Batum will be in the NBA in 2 years. That’s actually better than the 3-4 year waiting period on the other International players. I’m actually starting to buy the hype on this player. Oh, oh.
It gets worse, Ric Buchner is back to slap me across the face: The reason Darrell Arthur is still in the green room and on his third pack of gum is because NBA teams are being scared away by possible kidney problems. WOW, Buchner does it again! My face is numb.
Meanwhile, D’Antoni is now being interviewed as he now has to defend the Gallinari pick:
--“Most talented player”
--“He’ll be tough”
--“Was picked because of talent” and not because of any family affiliations
I don’t think Knick fans are buying it
Next: 26-30
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
2008 NBA Draft Diary - Part V
By Felipe Melecio
2008 NBA Draft:
16th PICK—Marreese Speights as for a second, I thought the 76ers were selecting Maurice Cheeks. At 6’10” 245 lbs. Gabe decides to give his two cents; “this guy should be playing football.” Thank you, Gabe.
Bilas: “Good post moves” but MUST IMPROVE: CONDITIONING as Bilas is left to wonder “what kind of motor does he have?” Not much of one if he’s fat is what I think. No one is too excited for this pick I noticed.
17th PICK—Roy Hibbert as Stern proclaims that “Roy is not here.” I’m thinking had Hibbert declared for the NBA draft last season, he would’ve been invited to go to New York and would’ve been taken in the top 10. You see what happens when you stay in school, kids?
Stu: “He’s a BIG man!” Wow, Stu is on fire! Boo-yah! (Kill me!).
Bilas: “Little turn around jump shot in the paint” (probably the only thing that can be considered “little” on this guy. I’m starting to think that if you can spin and shoot without falling on your butt, you can easily impress Bilas).
--“Can’t change hands” (I’m sure Hibbert likes his hands just the way they are).
--Come on Bilas, finish strong! “He’s really, really solid.” I think Hibbert should’ve really, really left school after last season.
Stu: “Nicknamed ‘Big Stiff’ when he first arrived at Georgetown.” So is that what the ladies called him at Georgetown? I’m jealous...
Cut to Brook Lopez being WIRED for ESPN’s draft telecast as he lets it be known that the draft is “so boring.” Someone remind him that he’s in the right kind of draft, please!
While the Wizards decide how they’ll ruin that franchise, Stu is interviewing Phoenix Suns’ coach Terry Porter. How can newly drafted Robin Lopez benefit in Phoenix? Porter replies, “He’ll learn a lot from Shaq.” Is that a good thing?
18th PICK: JaVale McGee out of Nevada, the same school that Nick Fazekas went to. Donny and I weren’t too interested that him and his mom become the first WNBA, NBA mother-son tandem. This is me celebrating—hip, hip, hoorah! (no CAPS needed). At 7 feet, 237 lbs. the Wizards decided that having two big stiffs like Brendan Haywood and Etan Thomas wasn’t enough. A third big stiff was needed on the roster and Hibbert was already gone.
Ric Buchner chimes in (always happy to hear from Ric because every time he has breaking news, its usually something crazy that makes you feel like you have just been slapped across the face). There’s a big trade involving the Pacers and the Blazers as Ike Diogu and Jerryd Bayless (along with Josh McRoberts. Hold for laughter), have been traded from the Pacers for Jarrett Jack and Brandon Rush. WOW, I feel like someone just slapped me across the face (see? I told you!)
And now we have Darrell Arthur, still waiting in the green room for a team to select him, anxiously chomping on a piece of gum. I’m embarrassed for him. Bilas doesn’t understand. He says he “has a good turnaround jumper” (dammit, according to Bilas, everyone has a “good turnaround jumper!”). Jax, a former 18th overall draft pick thinks he best qualifies to talk to Arthur, but I’m betting Arthur doesn’t want to hear from him at this moment. Jax’s best advise “get a new piece of gum and enjoy it.” Again, Jax makes it sound easy, but he forgets how few people in this world are as tough as Jax, much less a young 20 year-old whose ability is being questioned. Calm down, Jax!
19th PICK—J.J. Hickson as Bilas tells us that he “has an NBA body” and “can overpower opponents down low.” Ok, but I bet he will find it very hard to “overpower” in the NBA. MUST WORK ON: WORK-ETHIC. I’m done with this pick.
20th PICK—Michael Jordan has another 1st round pick in this year’s draft and I’m left wondering how he’ll further ruin this team. Remember, in order to get this pick from Denver, they had to give up a “future protected 1st round pick.” Here’s what our experts think:
Jax: They have to go big!
Bilas: (not one to be one-upped) They have to go Center-big (hahahahaha!)
David Stern: Alexis Ajinca, Center from France
Bilas:--“Big AND long... makes basketball look like a Nerf ball.” NEEDS: Strength and weight (of course!)
Fran Fraschilla: Not productive in French league (at least The Rooster was productive in Triple-A Italy last season). There’s also a concern that since the Euro is stronger than the dollar, he might never play with the Bobcats. So Michael picked a guy who might not play in the NBA because he makes too much money in Europe. Sounds like Ajinca has Jordan’s business savvy, but not even a single-digit percentage of Michael’s desire. Do I hear the toilet flush for this franchise? Oh, it’s just Gabe getting out of the bathroom.
Andy Katz interview with Bayless as Katz asks him when did he find out about the trade. Bayless should’ve said, “When Ric Buchner reported it earlier. I was so shocked! Its as if someone had slapped me across the face.”
The New Jersey Nets are on the clock with the 21st pick. Any thoughts, gentlemen?
Jax: “Team is trying to get better” (as opposed to getting worse? Oh wait; I remember when a certain team got worse when they traded away Elton Brand to the Clippers. I don’t want to talk about it).
Stu: How close are they to the elite in the East? (my thoughts? Not very).
Jax: Maybe not an elite team in the East, but they could make the playoffs (shoot, that’s true about any team in the East. Even the Knicks have a chance to make the playoffs out of the East with a losing record).
Stu: The Nets are younger and bigger with Lopez (yes, but apparently they’re still a mediocre team).
Next: 21-25
2008 NBA Draft:
16th PICK—Marreese Speights as for a second, I thought the 76ers were selecting Maurice Cheeks. At 6’10” 245 lbs. Gabe decides to give his two cents; “this guy should be playing football.” Thank you, Gabe.
Bilas: “Good post moves” but MUST IMPROVE: CONDITIONING as Bilas is left to wonder “what kind of motor does he have?” Not much of one if he’s fat is what I think. No one is too excited for this pick I noticed.
17th PICK—Roy Hibbert as Stern proclaims that “Roy is not here.” I’m thinking had Hibbert declared for the NBA draft last season, he would’ve been invited to go to New York and would’ve been taken in the top 10. You see what happens when you stay in school, kids?
Stu: “He’s a BIG man!” Wow, Stu is on fire! Boo-yah! (Kill me!).
Bilas: “Little turn around jump shot in the paint” (probably the only thing that can be considered “little” on this guy. I’m starting to think that if you can spin and shoot without falling on your butt, you can easily impress Bilas).
--“Can’t change hands” (I’m sure Hibbert likes his hands just the way they are).
--Come on Bilas, finish strong! “He’s really, really solid.” I think Hibbert should’ve really, really left school after last season.
Stu: “Nicknamed ‘Big Stiff’ when he first arrived at Georgetown.” So is that what the ladies called him at Georgetown? I’m jealous...
Cut to Brook Lopez being WIRED for ESPN’s draft telecast as he lets it be known that the draft is “so boring.” Someone remind him that he’s in the right kind of draft, please!
While the Wizards decide how they’ll ruin that franchise, Stu is interviewing Phoenix Suns’ coach Terry Porter. How can newly drafted Robin Lopez benefit in Phoenix? Porter replies, “He’ll learn a lot from Shaq.” Is that a good thing?
18th PICK: JaVale McGee out of Nevada, the same school that Nick Fazekas went to. Donny and I weren’t too interested that him and his mom become the first WNBA, NBA mother-son tandem. This is me celebrating—hip, hip, hoorah! (no CAPS needed). At 7 feet, 237 lbs. the Wizards decided that having two big stiffs like Brendan Haywood and Etan Thomas wasn’t enough. A third big stiff was needed on the roster and Hibbert was already gone.
Ric Buchner chimes in (always happy to hear from Ric because every time he has breaking news, its usually something crazy that makes you feel like you have just been slapped across the face). There’s a big trade involving the Pacers and the Blazers as Ike Diogu and Jerryd Bayless (along with Josh McRoberts. Hold for laughter), have been traded from the Pacers for Jarrett Jack and Brandon Rush. WOW, I feel like someone just slapped me across the face (see? I told you!)
And now we have Darrell Arthur, still waiting in the green room for a team to select him, anxiously chomping on a piece of gum. I’m embarrassed for him. Bilas doesn’t understand. He says he “has a good turnaround jumper” (dammit, according to Bilas, everyone has a “good turnaround jumper!”). Jax, a former 18th overall draft pick thinks he best qualifies to talk to Arthur, but I’m betting Arthur doesn’t want to hear from him at this moment. Jax’s best advise “get a new piece of gum and enjoy it.” Again, Jax makes it sound easy, but he forgets how few people in this world are as tough as Jax, much less a young 20 year-old whose ability is being questioned. Calm down, Jax!
19th PICK—J.J. Hickson as Bilas tells us that he “has an NBA body” and “can overpower opponents down low.” Ok, but I bet he will find it very hard to “overpower” in the NBA. MUST WORK ON: WORK-ETHIC. I’m done with this pick.
20th PICK—Michael Jordan has another 1st round pick in this year’s draft and I’m left wondering how he’ll further ruin this team. Remember, in order to get this pick from Denver, they had to give up a “future protected 1st round pick.” Here’s what our experts think:
Jax: They have to go big!
Bilas: (not one to be one-upped) They have to go Center-big (hahahahaha!)
David Stern: Alexis Ajinca, Center from France
Bilas:--“Big AND long... makes basketball look like a Nerf ball.” NEEDS: Strength and weight (of course!)
Fran Fraschilla: Not productive in French league (at least The Rooster was productive in Triple-A Italy last season). There’s also a concern that since the Euro is stronger than the dollar, he might never play with the Bobcats. So Michael picked a guy who might not play in the NBA because he makes too much money in Europe. Sounds like Ajinca has Jordan’s business savvy, but not even a single-digit percentage of Michael’s desire. Do I hear the toilet flush for this franchise? Oh, it’s just Gabe getting out of the bathroom.
Andy Katz interview with Bayless as Katz asks him when did he find out about the trade. Bayless should’ve said, “When Ric Buchner reported it earlier. I was so shocked! Its as if someone had slapped me across the face.”
The New Jersey Nets are on the clock with the 21st pick. Any thoughts, gentlemen?
Jax: “Team is trying to get better” (as opposed to getting worse? Oh wait; I remember when a certain team got worse when they traded away Elton Brand to the Clippers. I don’t want to talk about it).
Stu: How close are they to the elite in the East? (my thoughts? Not very).
Jax: Maybe not an elite team in the East, but they could make the playoffs (shoot, that’s true about any team in the East. Even the Knicks have a chance to make the playoffs out of the East with a losing record).
Stu: The Nets are younger and bigger with Lopez (yes, but apparently they’re still a mediocre team).
Next: 21-25
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Taking On The Challenge: RotoBowl '08!
Welcome Ultimate Fantasy Sports Fans!
EJ Fulbright here, letting you know that I'll be bringing you a new running diary about my newest fantasy experience.
The Ultimate Fantasy Sports Site has been invited to take up the challenge of RotoBowl '08!
Thanks so much to Matthew Falkow over at RotoBowl (http://www.rotobowl.com/).
If you're not familiar with the RotoBowl tournament, here's the rundown:
Rotobowl is a huge fantasy football tournament that starts off each year with some amazing live draft parties (currently in Atlantic City, NJ and Baltimore, MD, but coming soon to a major city near you!). I'm not going to have the pleasure of attending one of these amazing draft parties, but if you get the opportunity, I highly recommend it. These parties are a blast! Live drafts are held at these parties (in addition to bikini contests, after parties, and lots of food, drinks and fun!), and if you can't make a live draft party (like me), you can participate in an online draft. There are groups of 12 teams and you have to win your league then win the championship tournament in order to win the $20,000 grand prize. (entry fees for the tournament are $250 each)
Of course, yours truly is gunning to win (because, why play if you're not playing to win, right?). This will be an interesting journey, and I'll let you guys know what my thought process is as I prepare for the draft and go through each week competing in the tournament. Hopefully, with all my skill (and an INSANE amount of luck ;) The Ultimate Fantasy Site can go down in history as the 2008 Rotobowl Champion!
The draft is scheduled for early September. Look out competitors . . . you better believe The Ultimate Fantasy Site will be ready!
If you have questions about the tournament and want to find out how to participate, go to http://www.rotobowl.com/ and check out Matthew's site.
Enjoy!
EJ Fulbright
Editor-in-Chief, The Ultimate Fantasy Site
C0-Host, The Ultimate Fantasy Sports Show Live!
EJ Fulbright here, letting you know that I'll be bringing you a new running diary about my newest fantasy experience.
The Ultimate Fantasy Sports Site has been invited to take up the challenge of RotoBowl '08!
Thanks so much to Matthew Falkow over at RotoBowl (http://www.rotobowl.com/).
If you're not familiar with the RotoBowl tournament, here's the rundown:
Rotobowl is a huge fantasy football tournament that starts off each year with some amazing live draft parties (currently in Atlantic City, NJ and Baltimore, MD, but coming soon to a major city near you!). I'm not going to have the pleasure of attending one of these amazing draft parties, but if you get the opportunity, I highly recommend it. These parties are a blast! Live drafts are held at these parties (in addition to bikini contests, after parties, and lots of food, drinks and fun!), and if you can't make a live draft party (like me), you can participate in an online draft. There are groups of 12 teams and you have to win your league then win the championship tournament in order to win the $20,000 grand prize. (entry fees for the tournament are $250 each)
Of course, yours truly is gunning to win (because, why play if you're not playing to win, right?). This will be an interesting journey, and I'll let you guys know what my thought process is as I prepare for the draft and go through each week competing in the tournament. Hopefully, with all my skill (and an INSANE amount of luck ;) The Ultimate Fantasy Site can go down in history as the 2008 Rotobowl Champion!
The draft is scheduled for early September. Look out competitors . . . you better believe The Ultimate Fantasy Site will be ready!
If you have questions about the tournament and want to find out how to participate, go to http://www.rotobowl.com/ and check out Matthew's site.
Enjoy!
EJ Fulbright
Editor-in-Chief, The Ultimate Fantasy Site
C0-Host, The Ultimate Fantasy Sports Show Live!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
2008 NBA Draft Diary - Part IV
By Felipe Melecio
2008 NBA Draft:
12th PICK—Stern comes out and we’ve noticed that he’s stumbling and stammering a lot in this draft. He’s getting too old. Jason Thompson, 6’11” and 250 lbs. Bilas just describes him as “solid.” There’s real trouble brewing when Bilas can’t muster the energy to hype a player up. MUST IMPROVE ON: POST-DEFENSE. Again, just another player that will fit in with his new team (in this case, the Kings).
Stu wants to talk now: Brings up the fact that Thompson wants to be a broadcaster one day and joked that he will be helping out ESPN’s telecast starting in the 2nd round. Talk about a room getting very quiet. That brings Stu’s Joke-O-Meter to .000.
13th PICK—Donny’s guy Brandon Rush gets picked. At 6’6” how’s that for a real “tall guard?” Finally, after all the Combo Guard hype, a real shooting guard is taken. I don’t know how he’ll fit in Portland because they have plenty of guys just like him (Outlaw, Webster, Roy, etc.), but whether Rush is better than most is all for naught at this point [and not just because he’ll get traded soon]. At any rate, for a draft that was supposed to be “deep” a lot of teams are opting to pick up backups. That’s my take so far at least.
Bilas: “A really good prospect. Has smoothness to his game.” Oooh, smoothness, eh? There’s more: “Can guard multiple positions.” Wow, tell me more! NEEDS TO WORK ON: ASSERTIVENESS. Huh? That’s an attribute? I know of “Aggressiveness” in hockey, but I don’t think the NBA wants players to be fighting. There’s no 5 minute majors in basketball. Notch this up to Bilas reaching for criticism here. I turned to Donny, “this guy might be the best player right now.” Donny, of course, agreed.
14th PICK—Anthony Randolph gets selected as Stu was given the green light to say the following: “Golden State goes big and young!” (Brigham Young?). Bilas: In his last 9 games, he averaged 20.1 PPG (that’s a heck of a resume). Oh, but the following is where Bilas shines. Please, read on:
--Has great “Linear Extent in Space.” (He’s either trying to be the next Bill James for aspiring NBA draft gurus or he’s really pulling out terms out of his butt. I’m thinking more of the latter than the former. I’m not impressed).
--Talented young prospect (aren’t they all?)
--Can rebound, can block, he can play (holy moley, he’s Tyrus Thomas, but with some offensive game. I know Randolph has game because he was able to prove it in NINE GAMES!)
--Needs to hit the weights (of course) and learn how to play in the NBA
Ok, I’m confused with that last statement, but there’s no time for me to mull it over because DICKEY V is on the air. Awesome, baby!
Vitale: YOU DON’T NEED A DR. IN HOOPOLOGY TO COME OUT OF HARVARD (I’m sorry?)
--Seattle might regret not getting Love (echoing Donny’s sentiments from earlier in the night)
--Just compared the Knicks selection of The Rooster as being the same incident that the Pistons were a part of when selecting Darko Milicic.
--Surprise Pick: Jason Thompson and demands that Reggie Theus gets a contract extension because of it (is he serious or did Dickey V just pull out the sarcasm on us?).
--Finally, what I was able to decipher from Dickey V. was that he was getting upset because most, if not all, of these picks were purely based on “Potential, potential, potential!” Someone please explain to Vitale what an amateur draft is, please!
Bilas just announced his best available list for the 15th pick as being “mostly big guys.” Thanks for the update, Bilas.
15TH PICK—Robin Lopez. I guess he didn’t have to wait too long. He’s now attempting to find his brother as he really doesn’t like being separated from him for too long.
BILAS: He’s defensive-oriented, has BIG hands, and is learning how to use his left-hand (I turn to Donny and Gabe and tell them “so am I.” That got a nice chuckle going in the room. I must say, I’m proud of my achievement).
Bilas is still talking?: Will bring energy (that’s good because with these gas prices...), will get better, has a chance to improve on offensive end.
That’s some big time hype for a player selected 15th overall. Come on, Bilas! Finish this off right! Bilas: “He’s solid.” That’s it? All that for a “solid” player?
Stu: How will he play without his brother? (Why even ask that, anyway? Who cares?)
Robin’s turn to sit on the hot seat across the Little Man Who Met His Waterloo A Long Time Ago, Stephen A. Smith: THIS MAN IS BOLD as Smith points to Robin. No Stevie A., you’re bold!
Cut to the Lopez mom being interviewed and she’s a pretty tall woman. I turn to Donny and Gabe and proclaim that “the Lopez bros. came out of the womb 7 feet tall!” That got the biggest laugh of the night. It’s pretty much all downhill from here. Cut to a bathroom break.
Next: 16-20
2008 NBA Draft:
12th PICK—Stern comes out and we’ve noticed that he’s stumbling and stammering a lot in this draft. He’s getting too old. Jason Thompson, 6’11” and 250 lbs. Bilas just describes him as “solid.” There’s real trouble brewing when Bilas can’t muster the energy to hype a player up. MUST IMPROVE ON: POST-DEFENSE. Again, just another player that will fit in with his new team (in this case, the Kings).
Stu wants to talk now: Brings up the fact that Thompson wants to be a broadcaster one day and joked that he will be helping out ESPN’s telecast starting in the 2nd round. Talk about a room getting very quiet. That brings Stu’s Joke-O-Meter to .000.
13th PICK—Donny’s guy Brandon Rush gets picked. At 6’6” how’s that for a real “tall guard?” Finally, after all the Combo Guard hype, a real shooting guard is taken. I don’t know how he’ll fit in Portland because they have plenty of guys just like him (Outlaw, Webster, Roy, etc.), but whether Rush is better than most is all for naught at this point [and not just because he’ll get traded soon]. At any rate, for a draft that was supposed to be “deep” a lot of teams are opting to pick up backups. That’s my take so far at least.
Bilas: “A really good prospect. Has smoothness to his game.” Oooh, smoothness, eh? There’s more: “Can guard multiple positions.” Wow, tell me more! NEEDS TO WORK ON: ASSERTIVENESS. Huh? That’s an attribute? I know of “Aggressiveness” in hockey, but I don’t think the NBA wants players to be fighting. There’s no 5 minute majors in basketball. Notch this up to Bilas reaching for criticism here. I turned to Donny, “this guy might be the best player right now.” Donny, of course, agreed.
14th PICK—Anthony Randolph gets selected as Stu was given the green light to say the following: “Golden State goes big and young!” (Brigham Young?). Bilas: In his last 9 games, he averaged 20.1 PPG (that’s a heck of a resume). Oh, but the following is where Bilas shines. Please, read on:
--Has great “Linear Extent in Space.” (He’s either trying to be the next Bill James for aspiring NBA draft gurus or he’s really pulling out terms out of his butt. I’m thinking more of the latter than the former. I’m not impressed).
--Talented young prospect (aren’t they all?)
--Can rebound, can block, he can play (holy moley, he’s Tyrus Thomas, but with some offensive game. I know Randolph has game because he was able to prove it in NINE GAMES!)
--Needs to hit the weights (of course) and learn how to play in the NBA
Ok, I’m confused with that last statement, but there’s no time for me to mull it over because DICKEY V is on the air. Awesome, baby!
Vitale: YOU DON’T NEED A DR. IN HOOPOLOGY TO COME OUT OF HARVARD (I’m sorry?)
--Seattle might regret not getting Love (echoing Donny’s sentiments from earlier in the night)
--Just compared the Knicks selection of The Rooster as being the same incident that the Pistons were a part of when selecting Darko Milicic.
--Surprise Pick: Jason Thompson and demands that Reggie Theus gets a contract extension because of it (is he serious or did Dickey V just pull out the sarcasm on us?).
--Finally, what I was able to decipher from Dickey V. was that he was getting upset because most, if not all, of these picks were purely based on “Potential, potential, potential!” Someone please explain to Vitale what an amateur draft is, please!
Bilas just announced his best available list for the 15th pick as being “mostly big guys.” Thanks for the update, Bilas.
15TH PICK—Robin Lopez. I guess he didn’t have to wait too long. He’s now attempting to find his brother as he really doesn’t like being separated from him for too long.
BILAS: He’s defensive-oriented, has BIG hands, and is learning how to use his left-hand (I turn to Donny and Gabe and tell them “so am I.” That got a nice chuckle going in the room. I must say, I’m proud of my achievement).
Bilas is still talking?: Will bring energy (that’s good because with these gas prices...), will get better, has a chance to improve on offensive end.
That’s some big time hype for a player selected 15th overall. Come on, Bilas! Finish this off right! Bilas: “He’s solid.” That’s it? All that for a “solid” player?
Stu: How will he play without his brother? (Why even ask that, anyway? Who cares?)
Robin’s turn to sit on the hot seat across the Little Man Who Met His Waterloo A Long Time Ago, Stephen A. Smith: THIS MAN IS BOLD as Smith points to Robin. No Stevie A., you’re bold!
Cut to the Lopez mom being interviewed and she’s a pretty tall woman. I turn to Donny and Gabe and proclaim that “the Lopez bros. came out of the womb 7 feet tall!” That got the biggest laugh of the night. It’s pretty much all downhill from here. Cut to a bathroom break.
Next: 16-20
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
2008 NBA Draft Diary - Part III
By Felipe Melcio
2008 NBA Draft:
8th PICK—Turns out Joe Alexander was born in Taiwan and can speak Mandarin. Remember in last year’s draft when Yi Jianlian didn’t want to be part of the Bucks’ organization because the Asian population wasn’t as big as it was in L.A., N.Y.C., or Hong Kong? You’d think Yi would’ve felt better about Milwaukee with Alexander on board, but alas, he was shipped to New Jersey before the draft.
Cut to a shot of Alexander in college, SLAMMING IT DOWN. Wow, talk about white men jumping! Cut to the NBA draft audience and there’s a guy holding up a “Vanilla Sky” poster, an obvious reference to Alexander. If it wasn’t for Gallinari’s nickname of The Rooster, Alexander would be ahead in the “best rookie nickname pool.” Cut to another shot of Alexander showing a pretty mediocre turn around jumper, which Bilas points out is, “a nice turnaround shot.” In college it WAS “a nice turnaround shot,” but in the NBA, that shot is going to get blocked every time. At least the dude can jump.
9th PICK—D.J. Augustine is 5’11”. There’s so many things that are wrong with this selection that I don’t even know where to start. You think, I’m confused and upset, you should’ve seen Brook Lopez’s face when Augustine was selected and not him. First of all, Augustine is 5’11”. Not a concern? Ok, how about the fact that the Bobcats already have a “franchise” PG in Raymond Felton. I think Bilas just mentioned that Augustine will make a good back up to Felton. WHAT? Since when do teams start selecting backup players in the top 10 of the NBA draft? Seriously, what is going on here?
10th PICK—Brook Lopez gets selected as Robin looks sad that his brother leaves the family table to get to the podium with Stern. Twins are a mysterious bunch, aren’t they? Here’s some more Bilas facts on Brook:
--Brook “ plays bigger than he really is” (apparently Brook can play as if he were 8 feet tall. The NBA could use another clumsy giant to their roster of players).
--His draft stock dropped because he didn’t test well in the Orlando workouts (as a former Stanford student that was probably the only test he failed all year).
--Needs to work on REBOUNDING (a guy who plays like he’s 8’ can’t board? Breathe-in, breathe-out...)
Quick interview with Robin where he tells the TV audience that he can’t wait for his name to get called. Keep waiting. Stevie A. is now interviewing Brook and I swear, both of these guys sound like cavemen. Absolutely deep grunting noises come out of their mouths when they try to talk.
Jax wants to chime in (let him!): The Nets, a weak team that was soft in the middle last year just fixed their problem by picking Brook. Yep, getting a tall and clumsy center who CAN’T REBOUND fixed the Nets’ problems alright. Although, the Nets did have problems rebounding so Brook will fit right in.
11th PICK—Jerryd Bayless is picked up by the Pacers which is very strange seeing that the Pacers, before the draft, received T.J. Ford in a trade. They also have Jamaal Tinsley, but I figure if the Pacers are as frustrated with Tinsley as his fantasy basketball owners, he’s probably long gone. I figure Indiana have themselves an insurance policy if Ford isn’t healthy for the season. Or maybe the Pacers want Bayless and Ford in the same backcourt. Interesting.
Bilas: “Great work ethic and he really wants to be good” (doesn’t everybody?).
Jax mentions that Bayless can score, and score in bunches (again, a glorified Ben Gordon).
NEEDS TO WORK ON: PASSING. How can a PG/Combo guard have trouble PASSING THE BALL. Are they just reaching for criticism here or is he really this bad? Oh wait, he’s just another Ben Gordon. I guess it makes sense.
Next: 12-15
2008 NBA Draft:
8th PICK—Turns out Joe Alexander was born in Taiwan and can speak Mandarin. Remember in last year’s draft when Yi Jianlian didn’t want to be part of the Bucks’ organization because the Asian population wasn’t as big as it was in L.A., N.Y.C., or Hong Kong? You’d think Yi would’ve felt better about Milwaukee with Alexander on board, but alas, he was shipped to New Jersey before the draft.
Cut to a shot of Alexander in college, SLAMMING IT DOWN. Wow, talk about white men jumping! Cut to the NBA draft audience and there’s a guy holding up a “Vanilla Sky” poster, an obvious reference to Alexander. If it wasn’t for Gallinari’s nickname of The Rooster, Alexander would be ahead in the “best rookie nickname pool.” Cut to another shot of Alexander showing a pretty mediocre turn around jumper, which Bilas points out is, “a nice turnaround shot.” In college it WAS “a nice turnaround shot,” but in the NBA, that shot is going to get blocked every time. At least the dude can jump.
9th PICK—D.J. Augustine is 5’11”. There’s so many things that are wrong with this selection that I don’t even know where to start. You think, I’m confused and upset, you should’ve seen Brook Lopez’s face when Augustine was selected and not him. First of all, Augustine is 5’11”. Not a concern? Ok, how about the fact that the Bobcats already have a “franchise” PG in Raymond Felton. I think Bilas just mentioned that Augustine will make a good back up to Felton. WHAT? Since when do teams start selecting backup players in the top 10 of the NBA draft? Seriously, what is going on here?
10th PICK—Brook Lopez gets selected as Robin looks sad that his brother leaves the family table to get to the podium with Stern. Twins are a mysterious bunch, aren’t they? Here’s some more Bilas facts on Brook:
--Brook “ plays bigger than he really is” (apparently Brook can play as if he were 8 feet tall. The NBA could use another clumsy giant to their roster of players).
--His draft stock dropped because he didn’t test well in the Orlando workouts (as a former Stanford student that was probably the only test he failed all year).
--Needs to work on REBOUNDING (a guy who plays like he’s 8’ can’t board? Breathe-in, breathe-out...)
Quick interview with Robin where he tells the TV audience that he can’t wait for his name to get called. Keep waiting. Stevie A. is now interviewing Brook and I swear, both of these guys sound like cavemen. Absolutely deep grunting noises come out of their mouths when they try to talk.
Jax wants to chime in (let him!): The Nets, a weak team that was soft in the middle last year just fixed their problem by picking Brook. Yep, getting a tall and clumsy center who CAN’T REBOUND fixed the Nets’ problems alright. Although, the Nets did have problems rebounding so Brook will fit right in.
11th PICK—Jerryd Bayless is picked up by the Pacers which is very strange seeing that the Pacers, before the draft, received T.J. Ford in a trade. They also have Jamaal Tinsley, but I figure if the Pacers are as frustrated with Tinsley as his fantasy basketball owners, he’s probably long gone. I figure Indiana have themselves an insurance policy if Ford isn’t healthy for the season. Or maybe the Pacers want Bayless and Ford in the same backcourt. Interesting.
Bilas: “Great work ethic and he really wants to be good” (doesn’t everybody?).
Jax mentions that Bayless can score, and score in bunches (again, a glorified Ben Gordon).
NEEDS TO WORK ON: PASSING. How can a PG/Combo guard have trouble PASSING THE BALL. Are they just reaching for criticism here or is he really this bad? Oh wait, he’s just another Ben Gordon. I guess it makes sense.
Next: 12-15
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