Chicago-Minnesota Trade Proposal

The Trade:

Chicago trades Joakim Noah, Kirk Hinrich, Thabo Sefolosha to Minnesota for Mike Miller and Jason Collins.

The Breakdown:

Joakim Noah
Salary: $2,295,480 Years Remaining: 2

Kirk Hinrich
Salary: $10,000,000 Years Remaining: 4

Thabo Sefolosha
Salary: $1,931,160 Years Remaining: 2

Jason Collins
Salary: $6,200,000 Years Remaining: 1

Mike Miller
Salary: $9,028,575 Years Remaining: 2

The Case for Minnesota:
Randy Foye has shown two things so far in his NBA career: he can score and he's not a point guard. The Timberwolves would benefit from moving Foye off the ball and starting Hinrich at the point guard spot. Both Sefolosha and Noah are young, developing players who would fit in with the group Minnesota is building.

The Case for Chicago:
The Bulls rid themselves of two players who have failed to develop in Chicago: Sefolosha and Noah. Hinrich was signed to a long-term extension before Derrick Rose was drafted by the Bulls. Now that the Bulls have Rose, there is no longer a need for Hinrich. Acquiring Miller would give them a big guard, who can shoot with the best of them to play alongside Rose. Collins would likely fill Noah's spot in the rotation and his contract expires at year's end. Miller's contract expires before the summer of 2010, allowing them to either extend him if he meets expectations or to depart and create cap space to persue one of the top free agents available.

Rose Among NBA's Elite

One month into the NBA season and Derrick Rose has already staked his claim as the top rookie selected this past June. Rose has clearly been the most consistent player on the Bulls, who finish this month with an 8-9 record, despite playing the last seven games on the road.

Coming into the league, it was obvious that Rose possesses great size and quickness along with a knack for finishing in traffic. His main knock coming out of the University of Memphis was that his jump shot is shaky. However, opponents have seen that Rose uses his speed while dribbling so well that when he accelerates and stops on a dime, his man is nowhere to be found. Rose can rise up and take a midrange jumper completely unguarded.

Rose’s next step in development will be to improve his shot off the catch and increase his range. These are both traits that fellow NBA star point guards, Chris Paul and Deron Williams, needed to develop to become what they are today. As analysts have tried to compare the Bulls rookie point guard these two guys are always the first mentioned. Taking Paul and Williams’ rookie season averages in comparison to Rose’s thus far, you see that Rose has them beat in many statistical categories:

Rose – 37.9 MPG, 48.7 FG%, 36.8 3P%, 85.2 FT%, 4.1 RPG,
6.0 APG, 1 SPG, 2.7 TO, 18.4 PPG

Paul – 36.0 MPG, 43.0 FG%, 28.2 3P%, 84.7 FT%, 5.1 RPG,
7.8 APG, 2.2 SPG, 2.3 TO, 16.1 PPG

Williams - 28.9 MPG, 42.1 FG%, 41.6 3P%, 70.4 FT%, 2.4 RPG,
4.5 APG, 0.8 SPG, 1.8 TO, 10.8 PPG

Some may argue that Rose’s assist numbers are not nearly as high as they should be for a true point guard. However, this is a reflection of his teammates around him. The Bulls are currently 25th in the NBA in field goal percentage, shooting 43.4% from the floor. Chicago does not have a big man averaging over 14 points per game, which also hurts Rose's ability to rack up assists. In fact, two of the Bulls top big men, Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomaas, are shooting only 40% and 33% respectively.

Since the ball tipped in the first game this season, Rose has not only been the most consistent player on the Bulls, but in the entire NBA. He has scored in double-digits every game, except on November 19 against Portland, where the Bulls lost 116-74 and Rose played just under 30 minutes. He also ranks 11th in the NBA in total minutes played and leads his team in assists.

Rose is one of only seven players to average more than 18 points per game, 4 rebounds per game and 5 assists per game.

1) Dwayne Wade – Heat, 28.2 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 7.6 APG
2) LeBron James – Cavs, 27.8 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 6.4 APG
3) Joe Johnson – Hawks, 22.7 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 5.4 APG
4) Stephen Jackson – Warriors, 21.4 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 6.4 APG
5) Brandon Roy – Blazers, 20.9 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 5.3 APG
6) Chris Paul – Hornets, 20.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 11.6 APG
7) Derrick Rose – Bulls, 18.4 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 6.0 APG

Most importantly, Rose has already gained respect from opposing players and coaches just 17 games into his professional career.

Warriors head coach Don Nelson said, “"We're big Rose fans here, love to watch him play, love to watch him as he gets better in games. Wow, second half, he put on a show, an incredibly talented point guard. He's right up there with the best of them, in a short period of time.”

Suns guard Raja Bell said, “He's obviously very explosive. He's a highlight reel waiting to happen,'' Bell said. "I'm excited to see where he goes from here. He's a really, really good player.''

Warriors forward Stephen Jackson said, "Rose is good, oh man. For a young guy to take over that game like that, regardless of who he's playing, that's real impressive. I'm definitely a Derrick Rose fan. I will have one of his jerseys up in my house."

Pacers head coach Jim O’Brien stated it best when he said, "That's a rookie that's going to blossom sooner than people think he is. He's going to be a great player, maybe as soon as the end of this year. When he's knocking down 3s, he's a very, very difficult guy to guard.''

Tyler Hansbrough/Mark Madsen

As we move along in November, I feel it is now the perfect time to remind people of the truth behind everyone's favorite Caucasian, power forward with multiple All-American awards. Described by many to play with "sharp intensity" and a "real winner", he certainly is a high motor guy, who plays with great strength and toughness. Unfortunately for his future, he possesses minimal ball-handling skills and lacks any type of lateral quickness. Despite being a 6'9" power forward, he has no go-to post move beyond a quick turnaround jumper and certainly has no counter move to this.

His stats? He has been nearly a double-double guy in each of his three college seasons and has shot above 52% from the field each year. His shot blocking numbers show a lack of ability to protect the basket - never averaging over 1 block per game. His teams' success? Despite winning 23 or more games in each of his college seasons, and playing with multiple NBA players, the team has lost in the final four once and been upset early in their other two tournament appearances.

Nicknamed for his passionate play, Mark "Mad Dog" Madsen parlayed his senior season of college into becoming the 29th pick in the 2000 draft.

In the name of Joakim Noah, Bobby Hurley, Adam Morrison, and of course, J.J. Redick, enjoy your senior season of college basketball, Tyler Hansbrough. This is the last year you will be an impact player on a basketball team.

2008's Top 25, Under 25

This year's top 25, under 25 sees two guys depart - Tony Parker and Gerald Wallace - because they have since turned 26. Additionally, Luol Deng, Andrea Bargnani, and Yi Jianlian have been removed from the list after disappointing seasons. In their place, rookies Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley have entered. Rudy Gay, Leandro Barbosa, and Devin Harris have all entered the list. Deron Williams certainly saw himself make a big leap into the top 7 as did Josh Smith, moving from 19 to 13. At this time next year, I certainly expect last years top picks - Kevin Durant and Greg Oden - to make a jump in the rankings.

1.) LeBron James
2.) Chris Paul
3.) Dwight Howard
4.) Dwyane Wade
5.) Carmelo Anthony
6.) Amare Stoudamire
7.) Deron Williams
8.) Al Jefferson
9.) Chris Bosh
10.) Kevin Durant
11.) Greg Oden
12.) Kevin Martin
13.) Brandon Roy
14.) Andrew Bynum
15.) Josh Smith
16.) Derrick Rose
17.) Danny Granger
18.) Monta Ellis
19.) LaMarcus Aldridge
20.) Devin Harris
21.) Al Horford
22.) Michael Beasley
23.) Andre Iguodala
24.) Rudy Gay
25.) Leandro Barbosa

Chris Paul Story

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=280212004
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=280212004

Larry Hughes

Larry Hughes
2008-09:
2009-10:

Kenyon Martin
Al Harrington
Darko Milicic
Bobby Simmons
Quentin Richardson
Joel Pryzbilla
Brad Miller
Kenny Thomas

Road to Redemption Episodes

http://www.nike.com/nikeos/p/nikebasketball/en_US/athletes/redemption?episode_name=episode_1

Free Throw Disparity, Lamar Odom and Vladimar Radmanovic the Difference for the Lakers in Boston

Sunday night, the Los Angeles Lakers dropped game two in Boston by six points. The Lakers now head back home without stealing a game at TD Banknorth Garden. If they lose tonight on their home floor, the series will essentially be over. So what do the Lakers need to do to in order to change the outcome of the game? Fixing the free throw disparity, getting Lamar Odom involved in the offense and changing the role of Vladimar Radmanovic should be the focus of the Lakers and their coaching staff.

The difference in free throw attempts between the teams in the first two games was staggering. After game two, all the Lakers - from the coaching staff to the players - complained about the officiating. In a few isolated incidents, the Lakers had something to gripe about. However, the real difference was the aggressiveness between the teams on the offensive end. The Celtics were forcing the action, while the Lakers offense was simply stagnant.

Game 1 FT
Lakers 21-28, 75%
Celtics 28-35, 80%

Game 2 FT
Lakers 10-10, 100%
Celtics 27-38, 71%

Total FT
Lakers 31-38, 81.6%
Celtics 55-73, 75.3%

To me, the problem starts with Kobe Bryant. In the first two games combined, Bryant shot 13 of 13 from the free throw line. In comparison, Bryant attempted nine free throws a game during the regular season and 9.3 free throws per game so far in the playoffs.

A share of the praise needs to go to Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and James Posey for their outstanding defense in Boston on Bryant. The other share should go to Celtics coaches Doc Rivers and Tom Thibodeau for stressing to the team the importance of crowding Bryant and then coming with an extra defender as he readies to square-up and shoot.

If the Lakers are going to comeback in this series, Kobe Bryant needs to become more aggressive, draw contact and get to the free throw line at a greater rate. Settling for fifteen to eighteen foot jump shots will not help to get the Celtics into the bonus and the Lakers onto the free throw line.

Lamar Odom has really flourished as the third scoring option since the trade for Pau Gasol. Odom is a versatile, left handed scorer who is a tough matchup for the opposition. The only true matchup for the Celtics on Odom is Kevin Garnett. However, Garnett is busy defending Gasol. Therefore, Odom should be free to dominate his matchup. Unfortunately, Odom has had minimal impact in the series thus far.

Game 1:
FGM 6
FTA 11
Reb 6
Assists 1
Plus/Minus -8
Points 14

Game 2:
FGM 5
FTA 11
Reb 8
Assists 2
Plus/Minus -13
Points 10

Odom’s strength is his ability to put pressure on the opposing defense and get the big men in foul trouble. Instead, he has mainly settled for mid-range jump shots in the two games against the Celtics. When Odom has gotten into the paint so far in the series, he has botched layups and even missed a dunk in the third quarter of game two.

When defended by anyone besides Kevin Garnett, Odom needs to be put in a position where he can face-up at the high post and drive the ball to the basket. Odom is also effective in this spot when he forces the opposition to double-team or help on him, then passes out on the perimeter to one of the many effective shooters on the Lakers.

Lastly, by my estimation, the Lakers need to change their defensive matchups. Pierce has been the motor behind the Celtics offense in the first two games of the series. He has been defended mainly by Vladimir Radmanovic, who struggles mightily to keep Pierce in front of him. I would move Bryant over to defend Pierce and limit Radmanovic’s minutes altogether. From the start of the game, Radmanovic should be assigned to shadowing Ray Allen. In other situations where Radmanovic is in the game, he should be defending Kevin Garnett, who has spent most of the series shooting jump shots from around the key. Sasha Vujicic should receive more playing time and be assigned the task of chasing Allen around the perimeter. Although Radmanovic has produced from the perimeter on the offensive end, the Lakers can afford to play him less.

If the Lakers plan to turn around this series, they need to reverse the free throw disparity, get Lamar Odom more involved on offense and change their defensive assignments around in order to slow down the Celtics offense. If the Lakers fail to make these key adjustments during the day layoff, then I expect this series to be over by the end of the weekend.

Tim Duncan Leads the Spurs Past the Hornets

A grueling seven game series between the New Orleans Hornets and the San Antonio Spurs wrapped up last Monday evening with a Spurs 91-82 win on the Hornets home floor. To me, the deciding factor of each game came down to how well the Hornets controlled ten time NBA All-Star, Tim Duncan.

Right from the start of game one, it was obvious that Hornets coach Byron Scott decided they were going to force the Spurs peripheral players to beat them. Every time Duncan caught the ball in the low post, he saw two Hornets defenders in his face. The Hornets wanted the Spurs to rely on Tony Parker's penetration into the paint and Manu Ginobili’s ability to knock down stand-still jumpers, rather than Duncan hitting turnaround jumpers. Not allowing the Spurs to get into any type of offensive flow was the goal. With some of the other Spurs players, such as Bruce Bowen, Michael Finley and Brent Barry, now past their prime, the Hornets wanted to force these guys to have to make shots for them to win.

In the three Spurs losses, they were really dominated by the Hornets in the paint. Duncan’s impact in the game was limited and the Hornets were able to come away with a victory.

Game # 1
Rebound Differential -8
Paint Points Differential -11
Duncan's Points 5

Game # 2
Rebound Differential -1
Paint Points Differential +15
Duncan's Points 18

Game # 5
Rebound Differential -9
Paint Points Differential -4
Duncan's Points 10

In the four San Antonio wins, Tim Duncan and the Spurs were able to really control the painted area. In the Spurs four wins, they held the Hornets to an average of 15.8 free throw attempts, compared to an average of 24 free throw attempts in games the Hornets won.

Game # 3
Rebound Differential +2
Paint Points Differential +16
Duncan's Points 16

Game # 4
Rebound Differential +9
Paint Points Differential +7
Duncan's Points 2

Game # 6
Rebound Differential +5
Paint Points Differential +2
Duncan's Points 20

Game # 7
Rebound Differential +9
Paint Points Differential -16
Duncan's Points 16

With Duncan double-teamed every time he touched the ball in the low post, the ability of the Spurs perimeter shooting became the true test in this series. He was forced to quickly pass out of the post and then his teammates would swing the ball to an open shooter on the perimeter. Therefore, the shooting ability of the Spurs from the perimeter became the key.

In the four games where the Spurs shot below 43% from the field, they went 1-3. Shooting above 43% meant the Spurs went undefeated. From the three point line, a similar trend occurred. In the four games the Spurs shot below 40% from the three point line, they went 1-3.

However, when the Spurs perimeter shooting was effective, the Hornets’ strategy was unsuccessful.

Game # 1
Spurs Lose, 82-101
SA FG%: 40.8%
SA 3PT%: 38.7%

Game #2
Spurs Lose, 84-102
SA FG%: 42.5%
SA 3PT%: 29.6%

Game #3
Spurs Win, 110-99
SA FG%: 48.2%
SA 3PT%: 44.0%

Game #4
Spurs Win, 100-80
SA FG%: 51.3%
SA 3PT%: 30.8%

Game #5
Spurs Lose, 79-101
SA FG%: 37.7%
SA 3PT%: 39.1%

Game #6
Spurs Win, 99-80
SA FG%: 49.4%
SA 3PT%: 52.4%

Game #7
Spurs Win, 91-82
SA FG%: 39.5%
SA 3PT%: 42.9%

Spurs coach, Gregg Popovich, was effective in moving Duncan around and using him in different ways after the first two games - both Hornets wins. Placing Duncan at the free throw line, rather than in the low post, gave the Spurs a different look. Using Duncan in handoff-and-roll situations with Tony Parker also worked well for the Spurs.

For the Hornets, they had a terrific season, but in the end, they were beaten by the more talented, deeper team. The Hornets strategy was to dare the other Spurs outside of Duncan to beat them and four times they did just that.

Who Deserves NBA MVP?

Since the 1955-56 season, the NBA has given out the Maurice Podoloff Trophy to the league’s Most Valuable Player. This year’s voting for the award will certainly be one of the closest ever. With LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul and Kevin Garnett all considered for the award, the voters will have to consider what their criteria are and who is most deserving.

For me, the NBA MVP this season is Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets. Paul joined the record books among the leagues greatest little guys. In the NBA’s history, only six times has someone played in at least 75 games, scored 20 points per game, handed out 10 assists per game, and had two steals per game.

Player
Team
Season
Games
PPG
APG
SPG
Chris Paul
NO
2007-08
80
21.1
11.6
2.7
Tim Hardaway
GS
1991-92
81
23.4
10.0
2.0
Kevin Johnson
Pho
1990-91
77
22.2
10.1
2.1
Isiah Thomas
Det
1985-86
77
20.9
10.8
2.2
Isiah Thomas
Det
1984-85
81
21.2
13.9
2.3
Isiah Thomas
Det
1983-84
82
21.3
11.1
2.5

Beyond just having a great offensive statistical season, Paul was the leader of this Hornets squad, who improved their record from 39-43 in 2006-07 to 56-26 this season. New Orleans had the second best record in the Western Conference, competing in the Southwest Division, which also featured three other 50 plus win teams - San Antonio, Houston and Dallas. Only the Lakers in the West and the Pistons and Celtics in the East won more games this season than New Orleans.

Paul also made those around him better. David West achieved career highs in points per game (20.6) and rebounds per game (8.9). Tyson Chandler reached a career high in points, averaging 11.8 per game. Peja Stojakovic shot a career best from behind the three point line (44.1%).
Paul didn’t just excel on the offensive side of the floor. He led the NBA in steals per game (2.7) and finished third in defensive rebounds per game amongst point guards (3.2). Upon trading point guard Bobby Jackson to the Houston Rockets on February 21, the Hornets played the rest of the season with no backup point guard to Paul. Playing with merely average defensive players in Morris Peterson and Stojakovic, Paul was forced to generally defend the other team’s best guard every night.

As a point guard, Paul also did an outstanding job taking care of the ball. Paul finished third in the league in assists to turnover ratio (4.60) and sixth in steals per turnover (1.08). Directing the Hornets offense, the team finished ninth in the NBA in fast break points with 13.6 per game and eighth in field goal attempts with 82.9 per game.

With a roster of players limited to scoring from the perimeter (Morris Peterson, Peja Stojakovic, Jannero Pargo) or from inside the paint (Tyson Chandler, Bonzi Wells, David West, Hilton Armstrong), Paul was really the only true playmaker on the squad.

Some telling statistics of Paul’s dominance and where he ranked within the NBA:

Category
Amount
NBA Rank
Double-Doubles
56
2
FTM/Game for Point Guards
4.2
2
Points+Assists+Rebounds/Game
36.6
3
3P% for Point Guards
36.9
13

Bottom line: Chris Paul really did it all this season. He excelled on the offensive side - scoring in all different ways, handling the ball and creating shots for his teammates. On defense, he created fast break opportunities and extra possessions by forcing steals. His team exceeded all expectations from the media and won seventeen more games than last season. Paul made his teammates better – evidenced by several of them having career years. The Hornets won the second most games in the Western Conference, and their point guard, Chris Paul, is the main reason for the teams’ success.

Thibodeau Top Candidate

With the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks and potentially others all looking for new head coaches this summer, Boston Celtics associate head coach, Tom Thibodeau should be at the top of teams’ lists.

Last summer, Thibodeau signed a one year agreement with the Celtics to work with Doc Rivers and his staff. As he finishes his eighteenth season in the NBA, Thibodeau has been a staple of success on NBA benches. This season with the Celtics will be the eleventh time he coaches in the postseason. Unlike his 1998-99 NBA Finals appearance with the Knicks, this time, Thibodeau hopes his Celtics squad ends the season as champions.

As you can see by the numbers, Thibodeau is seen around the league as a defensive mastermind, whose teams regularly finish in the top of the NBA in defensive field goal percentage and opponent’s points per game.

Year

Year Team Wins Losses FG% Rank PPG Rank
1992 San Antonio 49 33 4 9
1993 San Antonio 55 27 4 2
1994 Philadelphia 24 58 16 10
1995 Philadelphia 18 64 27 26
1996 New York 57 25 1 5
1997 New York 43 39 2 2
1998 New York 27 23 2 4
1999 New York 50 32 3 2
2000 New York 48 34 1 1
2001 New York 30 52 13 14
2002 New York 37 45 26 20
2003 Houston 45 37 2 5
2004 Houston 51 31 2 3
2005 Houston 34 48 2 4
2006 Houston 52 30 1 3
2007 Boston 66 16 1 2 2

Thibodeau stresses the importance of slowing opponents’ offensive transition and defending the post. This season, the Celtics led the league in defensive fast break points, allowing only 9.1 per game. Challenging opponents shots and team rebounding are other points that Thibodeau has been known to place great importance on. The Celtics finished second in the NBA this year in opponents rebounds, giving up 38.9 per game.

Player development is another area Thibodeau has received praise. During his career as an NBA assistant coach, Thibodeau has been credited with helping to incorporate Dennis Rodman into the Spurs team, being Jeff Van Gundy’s righthand man in New York and developing Yao Ming in Houston.

This season, he has received recognition for his work with rookie big man Glen Davis and second-year point guard Rajon Rondo. Davis and Rondo have been capable in pick-and-roll defense situations, as well as, their ability to limit their opponent’s offensive effectives. Because of this, both players are expected to play major roles in the Celtics championship run this season.

For teams looking for an accomplished coach to help improve team defense and skill development for their young players, Tom Thibodeau would be an excellent selection as a head coach. Rather than recycling a guys who have already had a chance in the league - such as Terry Porter, Scott Skiles, Rick Carlisle, or Larry Brown – Thibodeau is the one that should get the chance at the top jobs this summer.

port trade

http://hoopshype.com/salaries/new_jersey.htm

http://www.nba.com/blazers/roster/

Lafrentz-13 fa, Frye-3, Sergio Rodriguez-1 for either wing scorer or veteran pg

wing
VC, g wallace, stack, melo, marion, redd

pg
billups, hinrich, andre miller

NBA Prospects Thoughts

Perennial All-Stars:
Derrick Rose
O.J. Mayo

Fringe All-Stars:
Michael Beasley

Starters on Champions:
Jerryd Bayless
Kevin Love
Danilo Gallinari
Anthony Randolph
Darrell Arthur
Brook Lopez
Brandon Rush
Mario Chalmers

Rotation Guys:
Russell Westbrook
Eric Gordon
Joe Alexander
Kosta Koufos
Donta Greene
Chris Douglas-Roberts
DJ White

Short Career:
Roy Hibbert
Robin Lopez
Marreese Speights
Joey Dorsey
JaVale McGee

"Russian Revolution"

Posted: Tuesday April 22, 2008 8:21AM; Updated: Thursday April 24, 2008 5:26PM
Ian Thomsen

"Russian Revolution"

The home of Stalin, Putin and Langdon -- Langdon? -- is trying to embrace American-style (read: capitalist) basketball . . . with a little Elvis thrown in.

The world's most elegant cheerleaders take the court like a troupe of ballerinas, dressed simply in lilac tops and low-rise black pants for their role as arm candy to the star of this brief show. The iconic main attraction is decked out in the telltale white body suit and has the familiar upswept hair. During his brief time on earth, the original Elvis Presley typified the Western entertainment that was banned by the Soviet Union as "tumors on the social organism." But in this incarnation he is belting out bastardized Russian-and-English lyrics to the tune of Blue Suede Shoes as the twirling ladies encircle him. "Come on, SESS-ka!" sings Elvis, leaning into the crook of his glittering elbow.

SESS-ka refers to CSKA, or Central Sports Army Club, the home team for this February basketball game in Moscow. The celebrated organization dates to the Soviet days of Stalin and Khrushchev and Brezhnev, who ruled the army generals and also, by chain of command, the gold medalists competing for CSKA. The Red Army athletes were the most intimidating of competitors: fundamentally disciplined basketball stars, ice hockey players and figure skaters who tormented the U.S. in the Olympic Games every fourth winter and summer.

Then in 1989 the Berlin Wall fell, and soon the Soviet system collapsed. But the teams of CSKA Moscow have continued to thrive, though they bear little more than symbolic allegiance to the military. Instead, they answer to a former disc jockey.

It's true: CSKA is run by a deejay named Sergey Kushchenko, a genial, outgoing 46-year-old who was spinning LPs of the Beatles and bootlegging cassettes of the Rolling Stones even as Soviet coach Alexander Gomelsky and five CSKA players were leading the U.S.S.R. to an 82-76 win over the U.S. at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. That Sergey the deejay happened also to fall in love with basketball has resulted in his spectacularly unpredictable rise to president of CSKA. Sitting courtside in a dark suit and tie -- uncomfortable attire during his deejay days -- he watches the team that he has reinvented to become the best in the world outside the NBA.

Two decades ago Soviet stars such as Arvydas Sabonis and Sarunas Marciulionis earned disposable income by selling athletic gear and black-market caviar out of their hotel rooms during international road trips. Now, the high-end clubs of the Russian Superleague have more money to spend than most of their European rivals. Russia's vast natural resources and the ambitions of president Vladimir Putin (who will move to the prime minister's office on May 7) have recast basketball as a metric of the nation's new identity -- even if that identity is often cast by foreigners. The coach of what is still commonly referred to as the Red Army team is Ettore Messina, an Italian. He yells at his three American players, two Greeks, a Slovenian, a Lithuanian, a Belgian, an Australian and a half-dozen Russians in English -- English! -- proof that the new Russia is competing for talent on a global scale.

Sergey the deejay is driving this revolutionary trend in Russian basketball. He is striving to create an open-market environment for the American-born sport within an old-world government of Russian secrecy (in which investigative journalists are routinely found murdered) and strong-arm politics (as manipulated by Putin, who prolonged his influence by handpicking his presidential successor in a March election that was free of viable opposition candidates). The NBA has recognized the ambitions of Kushchenko, and over the last three years he has patiently negotiated a unique relationship between his progressive club and the NBA. Commissioner David Stern usually prefers to marry himself to international federations or leagues, but so important is CSKA to all of basketball in Russia, and so visionary is Kushchenko, that in February the NBA was ready to sign a deal with CSKA that would open the Russian frontier to opportunities benefiting both sides.

On this afternoon the Superleague meeting between CSKA and visiting Khimki is tight into the fourth quarter as CSKA's cheerleaders return yet again to the court. Their elegance is part of Sergey the deejay's larger vision for basketball in the CSKA Universal Sports Hall, a steeply tiered arena of 5,500 seats built for the 1980 Moscow Olympics. As the young women sweep gracefully onto the floor, they are met by dozens of colored lights spinning and strobing from the ceiling, another of Kushchenko's innovations. "Like disco," he explains.

An and-one drive by the visitors cuts CSKA's lead to 65-64 with 25 seconds remaining. Trajan Langdon, the former All-America guard at Duke who is one of CSKA's go-to scorers, responds with a free throw. Another drive by Khimki fails and CSKA seizes a 68-64 victory, one of 23 it will earn (against just one loss) domestically this season to claim first place in the Superleague.

Basketball is important to Russia because, in the beginning, it was important to the U.S. The Soviets embraced basketball after World War II for no other reason than to try to prove they could beat the U.S. at its own game, to demonstrate that their collective approach could overcome superior talent. They started by dominating the sport in the old world, dividing the first six European Champions Cups among ASK Riga, the army team of Latvia (winner of the first three titles, all coached by the legendary Gomelsky); Dinamo Tbilisi, the police-sponsored team from the Soviet republic of Georgia; and, of course, CSKA Moscow.

Today there are at least 1,500 Americans playing basketball professionally around the world, but this trend began in Europe when they were imported like mercenaries to repel the Soviets. In 1962 Real Madrid became the first Western European club to break into the finals of the Champions Cup (known today as the Euroleague) after its Hall of Fame coach, Pedro Ferràndiz, had traveled to Philadelphia to recruit 6' 8" power forward Wayne Hightower, an African-American who had left Kansas a year before he was eligible for the NBA draft. Europe had never seen an athlete like Hightower, and though he would return home to spend 11 years in the NBA and ABA, his one season in Europe created demand for more Americans to stand up to the Soviets.

The U.S.S.R. ratcheted up the standards of international competition by turning games into metaphorical life-and-death struggles with the free world. The common denominator for many of the nation's significant basketball victories was Gomelsky, who began an 11-year term as CSKA's coach in 1969 and later served as the team's president while guiding the Soviet national team on and off over three decades. "He was a wily little guy, politically shrewd, considered one of the 100 most powerful men in Russia, disliked by many, connected with higher-ups in the Politburo," says Dan Peterson, the expatriate American who coached in Italy during the Gomelsky era. "A ruthless winner, a brilliant guy."

Gomelsky's most important -- and final -- triumph was the 82-76 semifinal win over coach John Thompson's collegians in the '88 Games, which prompted USA Basketball to assemble the original Dream Team four years later. That last Soviet team, like the U.S.S.R. itself, was on the verge of splintering amid ethnic quarrels and demands for freedom, but Gomelsky achieved temporary unification in his locker room, according to Peterson, by persuading Mikhail Gorbachev to allow the players to sign with clubs outside the country provided they won the gold medal.

After the 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union, most of its famed basketball generation scattered throughout Europe and the NBA, for in the first tortured decade of independence there was little money for Russian hoops. The proud clubs of the former empire were unable to pay their bills -- CSKA included, though that did not stop the team from winning nine straight Superleague titles. Gomelsky's search for his eventual replacement as team president, someone capable of responding to the problems and opportunities of the new millennium, led him to the isolated Russian city of Perm, a former Soviet weapons-manufacturing base 800 miles east of Moscow that was closed to foreigners until 1989. Perm was home to a small start-up club known as Ural Great, which had dethroned CSKA to win the 2001 Russian championship and which was owned and operated by none other than Sergey Kushchenko. "I visited Perm in 2001," recalls Roy Kirkdorffer, an American financial adviser based in the south of France who represents European basketball players. "And I had breakfast with Gomelsky, who said of Kushchenko, 'He's our bright young hope.' "

Three things that illustrate the paradox of Russian basketball:

1. It is not run as a business. While the NBA exists to make money, there is no tradition for profitability throughout European basketball. The major clubs are funded by private financiers or parent sports clubs and exist simply to win games for their city, region and country -- red ink be damned.

2. Kushchenko wants to run it as a business. Kushchenko, who took over CSKA's basketball team in 2002, talks of creating a market for basketball, of eventually developing sources of revenue that will equal or exceed his club's budget of more than $40 million, which makes it among the richest in Europe. (The average NBA team's budget is more than $100 million.) Over the last three years he has made several trips to the U.S. with his CSKA employees, and together they have studied everything from the marketing to the merchandising to the administration of the NBA website in hopes of acquiring the perspectives of an organization that is built for profit. As foreign as this may be to his Russian colleagues, Kushchenko sees no other future for basketball in his country.

3. There is no compelling need to run it as a business. CSKA is funded by a billionaire oligarch, Mikhail Prokhorov, 42, who made his initial fortune in the 1980s by selling stone-washed jeans in the U.S.S.R. When the state-owned industries were privatized in the '90s by Boris Yeltsin, Prokhorov leveraged his chairmanship of a bank to acquire Norilsk Nickel, the world's leading producer of nickel and palladium. He has since relinquished his stake in Norilsk, though he retains control of sister company Polyus Gold, the largest gold producer in Russia.

Despite standing 6' 9" and having played basketball in grade school, Prokhorov has shown minimal interest in the team. It appears to Western observers that he is involved with CSKA because Putin has instructed billionaire oligarchs to invest heavily in basketball and other sports to raise Russia's profile around the world. As it is, Prokhorov, the 24th-richest person in the world according to Forbes (net worth: $19.5 billion), rarely attends hoops games, and he tends to be impressed neither by the spectacle nor by the American need to profit from the sport. During the NBA Europe Live exhibitions in Moscow in 2006, where the carnival of NBA sideshows was on display during timeouts, he turned to a few international guests and said, "This is all bulls---."

Prokhorov's passive interest has not prevented the team he bankrolls from becoming the most talented outside the NBA. CSKA has reached the Euroleague Final Four a record six consecutive times, and next week in Madrid the Russian power is favored to win the title for the second time in three seasons.

The leading scorer throughout the season (at just 13.4 points per game, befitting the club's balance) is 6' 11" center David Andersen, a 27-year-old Australian who plays on a Danish passport and is considering a move to the NBA next season. (The Atlanta Hawks drafted him in the second round in 2002.)

The point guard is a surprisingly talented player from Bucknell named J.R. Holden, 31. In his six years with CSKA he has become, according to coach Messina, the best point guard in Europe. The 6' 1" Holden's skills are so highly valued by the Russians that he was naturalized in 2003 -- despite not having met residency requirements -- so he could play for the national team. (A former national team general manager, Kushchenko helped persuade the government to grant Holden an exemption.) Last September, Holden hit a contested jump shot with 2.1 seconds left to give Russia a shocking 60-59 victory over Spain in the European championships, a victory that promised to maintain political interest and money in Russian basketball for years to come.

The CSKA roster is overloaded with renowned Europeans such as Theodoros Papaloukas, 30, recently named one of the 35 greatest players in the 50-year history of the Euroleague; his fellow Greek guard Nikos Zisis, 24; and Lithuanian forward Ramunas Siskauskas, 29, who chose to leave Euroleague champion Panathinaikos to move to Moscow this season. The 6' 8" forward Marcus Goree, who grew up playing with Denver Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin in Dallas, is a 30-year-old who, according to Messina, "could be the European Ben Wallace." Messina himself was named one of the top 10 coaches in Euroleague history, and he views his team leaders as Holden and Langdon, who last season was the only American to make first-team all-Euroleague.

The man who put CSKA together, the open and sincere Kushchenko, is in every way the opposite of the stern, cold authoritarian whom one would expect to be presiding over the Red Army club. It helps that he doesn't particularly need basketball. He and some friends from Perm also cashed in on the privatization boom of the 1990s, and their ownership of Kam Kabel -- a manufacturer of electronic cables with 5,000 employees -- has made a millionaire of him. Today he lives with his wife, Svetlana, and their three children in a gated community outside Moscow, in a modern, four-story house with heated floors, a skylit penthouse and fixtures designed by Italian architects.

In 2006 Kushchenko was rewarded with a promotion to the presidency of all of CSKA and its 41 sports, which is a far more political position than simply managing the daily affairs of the basketball club. At All-Star weekend in New Orleans, he was welcomed by the NBA to finalize their long-sought partnership. The agreement appeared to be in place: CSKA would put up close to $10 million to serve as host of NBA events in Moscow, including the charitable youth event Basketball Without Borders and preseason exhibitions involving NBA teams. NBA and CSKA officials would work side by side in Moscow, enabling the Americans to grow their league in Russia while providing CSKA with expertise in transforming basketball into a market-based business. CSKA games would be broadcast in the U.S. on NBA TV. Left unsaid was the eventual possibility that CSKA might become an NBA franchise during the league's planned expansion to Europe over the decades ahead.

The meetings in New Orleans were expected to be a formality -- sign the papers, shake hands, bring in Stern for group photographs -- but Kushchenko unexpectedly revealed that he was unable to agree to the terms. He also was unable to explain why. He grabbed the arm of NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver and whispered, "Don't worry. We'll get that done."

The NBA isn't giving up on Kushchenko. "Russia remains an important market for the NBA," says Silver. "We are encouraged by the discussions we've had with Sergey and his colleagues. We remain hopeful that we're going to work out a long-term deal with him."

But something had changed, in spite of all of Kushchenko's successes in moving basketball forward in Russia. Was he unable to persuade the politicians to run the sport as a business? Were they, in spite of their reliance on foreign basketball talent, unwilling to form a partnership with the Americans? The story of Sergey the deejay, though it is not yet finished, is that Russia, for all of the promise of its new frontier, is still mired in its old ways.

Find this article at: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/ian_thomsen/04/22/russian.revolution0428

2007-08
38-33
reg season + playoffs without Arenas

Antawn Jamison
Caron Butler
DeShawn Stevenson
Brendan Haywood
Roger Mason
Andray Blatche
Antonio Daniels
Nick Young
Darius Songalia
Oleksiy Pecherov

U-FA Jamison, Mason
R-FA Arenas
Etan Thomas returning

Either bring back Arenas with a true pg and play Arenas at the 2
Or
Let Arenas go


-they were starting Arenas at pg and Stevenson at sg

"The Lakers' film star"

Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Smith column: The Lakers' film star

Chris Bodaken spends hours of time in the video room, helping to prepare the Lakers for their next opponent.

MARCIA C. SMITH
Register columnist
masmith@ocregister.com

TBD – to be determined – is like a curse phrase. It's the ugly, unnerving unknown and quite possibly the worst three letters anyone can tell Chris Bodaken.

As a Lakers scout and director of video services, Bodaken has to think ahead. He's the guy who sizes up the next opponent, considers the next contest, writes statistics-loaded scouting reports, strings together highlight footage for each player and coach and anticipates each one-on-one matchup, game situation and crunch-time scenario.

And with "TBD" as the Lakers first-round opponent in NBA playoffs for much of the last frenzied week in the wild, wild Western Conference, Bodaken has had to fight a panic that strikes like a medicine ball to the kidney.

"It's a crazy time, not knowing," said Bodaken, a 1990 USC grad who latched onto the Lakers 15 seasons ago as an intern. "The uncertainty of the playoffs is hard. When this happens at the end of season, I have to ask myself, 'Can I be a gambler? Can I wait until the last minute and pull an all-nighter?' "

A week ago, the Lakers' playoff picture was scrambled. As games played out and teams flip-flopped positions, there were four possible opponents, then three, and after the Lakers locked up the top seed with Tuesday night's regular-season-finale victory over Sacramento, two.

Bodaken had to wait until the final buzzer of the league's regular season sounded Wednesday night for the Lakers' first-round foe – TBD – to turn into either the Denver Nuggets or the Dallas Mavericks.

Denver or Dallas? Denver or Dallas? Denver or Dallas? The teams rattled in Bodaken's head and twisted his stomach for days.

He's the gambler he was a decade ago when he would wait to know the opponent, get the coffee pot going on a constant drip and spend 24 tense hours scanning through boxes of videotape.
He doesn't want that work stress anymore. He's 40 now. He has children.

So by Tuesday morning, Bodaken and his assistant, Patrick O'Keefe, had prepared for both the Nuggets and the Mavericks, knowing all along that they would ultimately have to chuck half their work into the trash.

"I'm afraid to guess how many days and hours of watching film it takes to get ready for the playoffs," said Bodaken, of Pasadena. "It's probably a scary number."

Bodaken and O'Keefe can pace themselves and even get ahead during the regular season because the next game and the next opponent are on the schedule. Playoffs usually kick their work into fast-forward.
Their workplaces at Staples Center and at the Lakers' practice facility in El Segundo are cramped, chilly climate-controlled quarters with just enough room for two chairs, a video editing station, 10 TV screens, four TiVos, a couple VCRs, a DVD recorder, walls lined with thousands of hours of archived NBA footage, stacks of blank DVDs and a clock.

There are no windows. Only a timepiece tells Bodaken whether it's day or night in these rooms where it's always gametime.

"It's like a Vegas casino in here," he said. "You keep going, watching, working, not knowing what's happening outside."

Getting ready for the Nuggets and the Mavericks began with poring over the Lakers' games against both teams and meeting with the Lakers assistant coach assigned to study that team throughout the season.

The Lakers went 3-0 against the Nuggets, but they haven't faced Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony since a 116-99 victory on Jan. 21. So Bodaken had to pull footage from the Nuggets' more recent games to see how they're playing now against other teams.

The Lakers went 3-1 against the Mavericks in close contests with an average score of 107-106. Fortunately for Bodaken, the Lakers played the Mavericks on April 4 and won, 112-108.

Bodaken and O'Keefe also retrieved the fourth-quarter action of every close game the Nuggets and Mavericks played this season to see what the teams did in critical situations. They watched the game both teams played this week, checked injury reports and analyzed statistics from the minutes the star players played to the team's free-throw shooting percentage.

"About 98 percent of NBA games are on DirecTV, so it was just a matter of going back and finding the game," he said. "It was a lot harder before the days of digital TV and the Internet."

For each Lakers coach, Bodaken and O'Keefe made highlight DVDs – or in the case of some less tech-savvy assistants, VHS tapes – of game footage featuring both teams.

"Phil (Jackson) likes to see the flow of the game, so he won't get quick cuts but segments of action," said Bodaken of the Lakers coach's viewing preferences. "He watches more video than any coach I know."

For each Laker, they put together 15-20 minute DVDs featuring about 60 game scenes of the Nugget or Maverick player or players whom the Laker will be defending.

"It's all about finding the tendencies of the other player in the matchup, things like whether a guy dribbles twice to his left before pulling up and shooting," said Bodaken. "Knowing the details, especially for a student of the game like Kobe Bryant, really helps them get ready."

His eyes have burned from all the watching, scanning in fast-forward and focusing frame-by-frame in slow-motion. But Bodaken is at ease knowing he will be ready to hand the Lakers their customized DVDs and written scouting reports when they leave their first practice in preparation of the playoffs.

His job will be done – until the next gametime, when he will log Sunday's action live from his Staples Center workroom. His day could last 15 hours. His eyes could be tired. His hands could cramp, his back ache.

But Bodaken knows that the Lakers depend on him to leave as little as possible to TBD.

More on Tom Thibodeau

Outside of two seasons, the teams that Tom Thibodeau has been an assistant coach for have been very successful on the defensive side of the ball - thirteen times finish in the top ten in defensive points per game in the league.

Another Quick Mock Draft

1.) Miami: Michael Beasley
2.) Seattle: Derrick Rose
3.) Memphis: Brook Lopez
4.) Minnesota: O.J. Mayo
5.) New York: Eric Gordon
6.) LA Clippers: Danilo Gallinari
7.) Milwaukee: Blake Griffin
8.) Charlotte: D.J. Augustin
9.) Chicago: Anthony Randolph
10.) Indiana: Jerryd Bayless
11.) New Jersey: Kevin Love
12.) Sacramento: Russell Westbrook
13.) Portland: Darren Collison

"Policies ensure futures"

Policies ensure futures
Insurance protects top college athletes

Robbi Pickeral, Staff Writer
CHARLOTTE - North Carolina forward Tyler Hansbrough doesn't worry about his NBA future despite being bruised, nicked, bloodied -- and sometimes broken -- by his aggressive style of play.

"I think it does concern my parents at times, though,'' he said.

Which is why the All-America is one of three Tar Heels starters, along with point guard Ty Lawson and shooting guard Wayne Ellington, who has a special insurance policy that protects him in the case of a career-ending injury.

"I don't even want to think about, talk about, the possibility of him getting seriously hurt,'' said Gene Hansbrough, who first took out a policy on his son when Tyler was a senior in high school. "But it does give him some level of protection to fall back on, just in case."

The investment is expensive. Once they leave school, players get bills for premiums usually in the range of $20,000, although they can top $50,000. And the protection rarely pays off, mostly because of medical advances and the limited instances of devastating injuries.

Still, the insurance has become as standard as autograph requests and ESPN highlights for elite college athletes who stand to make millions in the pros.

Hansbrough, a junior, originally was insured by Lloyd's of London, but he switched to an NCAA-sponsored program during his freshman season, his father said. His policy is worth close to $4.4 million, the NCAA's current maximum for men's basketball players. Ellington and Lawson, both sophomores, also became eligible and signed up for policies through the NCAA during their freshman seasons. Their parents declined to disclose the amounts of their policies, but even players projected to be chosen near the bottom of the first round of the NBA Draft are eligible for $500,000 policies.

Eventually, UNC forwards Deon Thompson and Danny Green could be candidates. On top 10 teams, it's not unusual for multiple players to be insured, said Keith Lerner, an insurance underwriter and CEO of Total Planning in Gainesville, Fla.

"There won't be a player drafted in the first round this year that doesn't have insurance," predicted Lerner, who has been in business 20 years. "... These are guys who are going to be making millions in the NBA. So it makes business sense to protect that. ... The cost will come out of their first paycheck."

A variety of reasons

Insurance policies have been available through private underwriters for decades.
The NCAA launched its Exceptional Student-Athlete Disability Insurance program in 1990 for men's basketball and football players. Baseball was added in 1991, hockey in 1993 and women's basketball in 1998.

The reason for the program isn't to protect student-athletes' pro careers but to safeguard their college ones, said Juanita Sheely, the NCAA's manager of travel and insurance.

"Back in its original inception, the idea was to help get agents out of the mix," Sheely said.
"Agents would promise, 'I will get you this insurance coverage if you sign with me.' And immediately, if there was any kind of agreement there, the student-athlete lost his eligibility."

One company, HCC Specialty Underwriters of Wakefield, Mass., is the administrator of the program and also handles other insurance needs for the NCAA, including protecting its signature event of the year -- the men's basketball tournament -- in the case of disruptions, cancellations or other trouble.

Roughly 100 to 150 athletes per year have the insurance at any one time, Sheely said. And at certain points in the year, as many as 40 basketball players can be in the program, said Jeff Stanley, senior sports underwriter at HCC.

Eligibility and the amount of coverage are based on projected draft status.

Football players are eligible for up to $3 million of insurance if they are projected to go in the first three rounds. Men's basketball players can get up to $4.4 million if they have top-five potential.
Which players are eligible and for how much is determined in large part by several confidential scouting services.

"We try to base our coverage on 50 to 60 percent of their after-tax salary on their contract, only for the first two years,'' Sheely said. "We can't include any bonuses or endorsements, because we don't know exactly what those will be."

Projecting when, or whether, athletes will be drafted is not an exact science, however. UNC coach Roy Williams said that in September 2004, the school applied to get the insurance for center Sean May. The junior, who went on to become MVP of the Final Four, was denied.

"They wouldn't approve it because they weren't comfortable saying he was going to be a first-round draft choice,'' Williams said. "And then 10 months later, he was the [13th] pick in the draft. So it's also a deal where everyone's not perfect."

Security at a price

For those who are approved, NCAA premiums cost about $6,000 per year (plus interest), per $1 million of coverage.

UNC encourages Tar Heels who want insurance to go with the NCAA program, UNC senior associate athletic director Larry Gallo said, to make sure the players stay in compliance with NCAA rules. But it isn't required.

Players who choose to go with private insurance companies and banks outside the NCAA program must still check in with their school's compliance office to make sure their interest rates and payment schedules are within the rules. But there are benefits.

Through Lerner's company, Lloyd's of London offers policies worth up to $12.5 million for projected top NBA draft picks, almost three times more than the NCAA allows for basketball players. Those premiums cost more -- usually $8,000 to $10,000 per year for every $1 million of coverage. But for about double that bill, a rider can be added to the policy that also protects an athlete's draft status -- meaning that if he falls from his projected draft status because of injury, he still could be paid.

The NCAA's policy pays out only if an injury is so catastrophic it ends the athlete's chances at any pro career.

Either way, payouts are rare. Stanley, of HCC, estimated that only about five claims had been paid under the ESDI program in the past seven or eight years. Lerner's company has paid twice, to a football player and to a hockey player.

Buying peace of mind

But business is still booming. Only about 10 percent of Lerner's policy-holders are basketball players, but he said hoops interest has increased since the NBA passed the 19-and-under rule, eliminating almost all prep players from jumping straight to the NBA.

"I've gotten a lot more calls from parents, because they anticipate their son only being in college a year -- and they want him to be protected,'' said Lerner, who insures athletes throughout the ACC, SEC and Big East.

"There are even kids in high school [taking out policies],'' he added. "Those are still few and far between, ... but it's happening more than it used to."

Hansbrough was one of those kids who qualified for a private policy when he was a McDonald's All American at Poplar Bluff (Mo.) High.

Seeing the aggressive way he played and anticipating a possible pro future, his father had no qualms about insuring him then -- or now -- despite the expense.

Lawson's mother, Jackie, did not want to comment on her son's involvement in the insurance program. But Ellington's dad, Wayne Sr., lauded the opportunity to buy insurance as "a good business decision."

"It does help take the pressure off kids to come out early, or think that they should come out early, because they're scared that they may get hurt ... especially the kids with no financial pressures,'' he said.

Wayne Ellington Sr. said his son will evaluate all his options after this season. Meanwhile, Gene Hansbrough said he doesn't anticipate that having the policy will affect whether his son leaves school early for the NBA. Tyler Hansbrough has said the biggest factor will be whether UNC wins a national title.

To that end, No. 1 seed UNC will play fourth-seeded Washington State in the NCAA's round of 16 tonight.

"For Tyler, playing is not about the money,'' Gene Hansbrough said. "He's a pretty frugal guy; the most he spends on is food. He just wants to win.

"But it [the insurance] gives me a little bit of piece of mind. I love the way he plays, I love how hard he plays. But every time he goes down, I hold my breath till he gets back up."

http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/unc/story/1014707.html

Hot Spots

http://www.nba.com/hotspots/

Basketball Thoughts

-Thursday, I watched the first half of the Kansas-Portland State blowout. I have always liked Brandon Rush, and he really shined in this game early on. Rush has always been very consistent in his three years with Kansas and can do a lot of things well. Rush finished with eighteen points in thirty minutes along with six rebounds. Rush also shot four for nine from behind the three point line. In terms of pro potential, I think Rush is a sleeper, similarly to what Tayshaun Prince's stock was like coming out of college. Both players were very consistent in their college career, played for big time universities, and had NBA bodies. Likewise, people wondered if they reached their ceiling early, and would not have much room to get better in the NBA. I love Rush's pro potential and think he can be a strong contributor. Along with great size and strength, he has a large wingspan and runs the floor well. Rush does a lot of things well, including rebounding efficiently for a guard, shooting range, and playing terrific perimeter defense. Rush's biggest weakness seems to be his ball handling, but I would assume this is a skill he will work on prior to individual team workouts.

-I've also spent some time watching Kevin Love of UCLA over the last few weeks. Love is an interesting prospect because he does not have the super athleticism that many young big men do today. He is more of a polished player, who does a lot of things well. For a pro team, if you are drafting him to be a top player within a franchise, I think you are making a mistake. However, if a team is looking for him to be their fifth player, I think he is a great fit.

Some interesting videos of Love:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TQkWr8tQ3Q
http://youtube.com/watch?v=JoVpjgj6GAo
http://youtube.com/watch?v=1dGLwJaayL0
http://youtube.com/watch?v=wykfvQFtCkc

-I'm still concerned about the Celtics making it through the Eastern Conference in the playoffs. Boston beat the Pistons two-out-of-three in the regular season, but the Pistons guards have played excellent in the matchup. Down the stretch of games, if Doc Rivers feels the need to play Sam Cassell over Rajon Rondo because of the experience, I see Cassell as a huge liability on defense. Cassell cannot keep up with Richard Hamilton running off screens and will not be able to stay with Chauncey Billups' physical play. In a matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers, I would again be concerned with their defense on LeBron James. Boston split their four matchups with Cleveland this season and James scored 38, 33, DNP, and 26. I don't see Pierce being able to matchup with James for most of a playoff game and still able to produce at a high level on offense. James Posey appears to not have much left in his tank and Tony Allen is not big enough to defend James. The main benefit the Celtics do have on their side in a big defensive matchup is Kevin Garnett defending the basket and Tom Thibodeau creating defensive game plans.

Will Tom Thibodeau Get a Shot at the Bulls Head Coaching Job?

Below are some notes on another great candidate to be the Chicago Bulls' next head coach:
-Currently serves as the Celtics associate head coach.
-Specializes in the establishment of Boston's team defense.
-Previously coached seventeen seasons in the NBA with Houston, New York, Philadelphia, San Antonio, Seattle and Minnesota.
-During those seventeen seasons, his teams have finished among the top ten in fewer points allowed fourteen times.
-In 2000-01, the Knicks set an NBA record by holding opponents to fewer than 100 points in 33 consecutive games.
-In his first year in Houston, Thibodeau helped the Rockets set franchise records in scoring defense and field goal percentage defense.
-From New Britain, Connecticut.
-Graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree and a then a Master’s in Counseling from Salem State College. He lettered in four seasons at Salem State.
-Has worked under notable coaches such as: Bill Musselman, Jerry Tarkanian, John Lucas, Jeff Van Gundy, Don Chaney
-Coming into this season, he has coached in 87 career NBA playoff games, including New York’s appearance in the 1999 NBA Finals.
-Worked closely with Yao ming in 2005-06.
-Has gone to China the past two summers to work with Yao on his individual skills.
-Before taking the Celtics job, Thibodeau interviewed for several head coaching jobs and agreed with Washington to be an assistant for the Wizards. He worked several days with the Wizards and then had a change of heart and didn’t sign the contract. Reports are that he was promised the head assistant position and then wasn’t given it and that is why he backed away from working with the Wizards.
-Signed a one year deal with the Celtics.

Articles about Thibodeau:
http://www.nba.com/celtics/roster/coaches/tom-thibodeau.html
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-28-299/Talking-to-Celtic-Assistant-Coach-Tom-Thibodeau.html
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2998331
http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2007/11/01/thibodeau_is_celtics_minister_of_defense/?page=full

Dribble Drive Motion Diagrams

Terry Porter: Next Bulls Coach?

Some notes on Terry Porter, who I hope gets a shot at becoming the Bulls head coach this summer:
-45 years old
-Born in Milwaukee and played college basketball at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
-Played seventeen years in the NBA, mainly with Portland, and then Minnesota, Miami, and San Antonio.
-Played in two NBA All-Star games (90-91 & 92-93).
-Played in college for Dick Bennett, who later became the head coach at University of Wisconsin and later Washington State University.
-Named an NAIA First-Team All-American
-Holds a degree in communications and was awarded a Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1999.
-Drafted with the 24th pick.
-Won the 1993 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award.
-Has played for five the the top 36 coaches (games won) in NBA history.
-2002-03 season was an assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings.
-2003-04 head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks (41-41 record and made the playoffs).
-Offseason of 2004, Bucks traded Tim Thomas to New York and chose not to resign Brian Skinner, who signed with Philadelphia. TJ Ford also missed the entire 2004-05 season with an injury.
-2004-05 season coached the Milwaukee Bucks (30-52) and then was fired after the season ended.
-Current Detroit Pistons assistant coach.

Articles about Tery Porter:
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-31-17/The-Playbook--Pistons-Assistant-Terry-Porter.html
http://hoopshype.com/interviews/porter_woelfel.htm
http://espn.go.com/nba/columns/stein_marc/1590459.html http://www.accessnorthga.com/detail.php?n=132386
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-1-84/Terry-Porter.html
http://www.portlandtribune.com/sports/print_story.php?story_id=31223

Random Thoughts from the Week

-The Bulls continue to run screen-and-roll with Ben Gordon at the top of the key at the end of games. For the last year of so, teams realize that the play off that is to double Gordon and trap him, so he cannot attack the basket. Often times, due to a lack of height, Gordon ends up getting trapped near the half court line and the Bulls do not get a shot up. The especially frutstrating part about this is that they use a non-perimeter player to set the screen, so he is not a threat when the opposition doubles the ball.

-Like Kobe Bryant does for the Lakers and Chris Paul does for the Hornets, during the Rockets twenty-two game winning streak, the entire offense ran through Tracy McGrady. Outside of an increase in points per game, by looking at the statistics, you can not see the impact McGrady truly made during the eleven games the Rockets won during Yao Ming's absence. However, by running their offense through McGrady, he was able to involve guys like Luis Scola, Carl Landry, Chuck Hayes, Bobby Jackson, and even Mike Harris to infuse the winning streak. Allowing Alston to play more off the ball and utilize his improved three point shooting is ideal for the Rockets. During the twenty-two game winning streak, Alston shot nearly fourty percent from behind the three point line, including three games where he hit four or more threes.

-In last night's game, Boston chose to put all their efforts into minimizing McGrady's impact. Paul Pierce, Tony Allen, and James Posey all took shots at defending McGrady, but it was really a team effort that forced the ball out of his hands. McGrady shot four for eleven from the field and only scored eight points. Although he still ended up having eight assists, McGrady's plus/minus ended at -27, and he basically sat out the entire fourth quarter after the Rockets were outscored 32 to 16 in the third.

-I'm guessing after last night's embarrassing loss to the Detroit Pistons, 136-120, the Nuggets are now really regretting not making a trade for Ron Artest. The Nuggets stand today one-and-a-half games out of the playoffs and average 109 points per game given up - third worst in the NBA. At this point, I do not think the Nuggets will make the playoffs. Their only capable defensive player appears to be Marcus Camby, but he cannot do it alone. Even if they do sneak into the playoffs, I would expect a very short stay.

Raptors suit against Spanish federation could top $14 million

TheStar.com - Sports

Raptors suit against Spanish federation could top $14 million

LISA HORNAK/REUTERS

Raptors rookie Jorge Garbajosa broke his leg during a game in Boston on March 26, 2007.
March 17, 2008

RICK MATSUMOTO

Sports Reporter

The Toronto Raptors are suing the Spanish basketball federation for what could amount to more than $14 million (Canadian) the team says it is owed on an insurance claim involving injured forward Jorge Garbajosa.

The Raptors' parent company, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd., filed a statement of claim against the Federacion Espanola de Baloncesto in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice last Friday.

In the 19-page document, MLSE seeks 6 million Euros ($9,440,000 Canadian) in damages for breach of contract, negligent misrepresentation and negligence if Garbajosa has suffered permanent disability or 1.5 million Euros ($2,517,000 Canadian) for temporary disability.

Garbajosa, who earned $3,416,667 (U.S.) last season, is to earn $3,666,667 for the current NBA season and $3,916,666 for 2008-09.

"He was a hard-working player and a solid defender and his absence from the starting lineup is a significant loss to the team," the Raptors stated in their claim.

MLSE is also asking for $5 million (Canadian) in punitive damages.

Garbajosa injured his left leg last March that caused him to miss the final 12 games of the season as well as the playoffs. The Raptors wanted him to concentrate on rehabilitation rather than playing for Spain in last summer's European championships.

But when the Spanish Federation persisted in its request that the Raptors allow him to play, the team agreed only after the Spaniards took out a $1 million (U.S.) insurance policy against further injury to Garbajosa's leg, the claim states.

The suit states that the Federation advised the Raptors it had obtained permanent disability coverage in the amount of 6 million Euros and 1.6 million Euros for temporary disability. While the policy was written in Spanish, the Federation agreed to provide an accurate and certified translation, according to the Raptors' allegations that have yet to be proven in a court of law.
While Garbajosa did not seem to re-injure his leg in the tournament, it was apparent he was having difficulty with it as the current NBA season began in November. In December, tests showed the fracture had not completely healed and he was also suffering from avascular necrosis of the left tibia, a potentially career-ending injury, according to doctors.

He underwent further surgery and has not returned to the Raptors' lineup, although he has started to work out with the team in practice.

The Raptors made a claim under the terms of the insurance policy, but it was denied by the insurance company.

In their suit, the Raptors say the translation of the Spanish insurance policy was inaccurate and incomplete and are now without coverage for the disability of Garbajosa.

"The Federation knew or ought to have known that it was of crucial importance that the translation be complete and accurate and that the Raptors would rely on the Federation's representation with respect to the certification exclusively," according to the claim.

"The Raptors have suffered significant damages as a result of the Federation's actions," the document goes on to state. The team is contractually bound to pay Garbajosa's salary, even if he never plays again, which is a distinct possibility.

"The defendant's action ... amounted to wanton and intentional disregard for the interests of the Raptors for its own benefit."

Raptors' general manager Bryan Colangelo is on a European scouting trip and he was expected to meet with Spanish Federation officials to discuss the lawsuit.

Inside the Front Office

Inside the Front Office
http://www.nba.com/celtics/news/blog/inside-front-office.html

March 12 - How Trades Happen

This is the first in a regular series of articles answering fans' questions for the front office. If you have a question for the front office, send it to us here at Celtics.com. Our web staff will pick one question each month or so to forward to Mike Zarren, the team's Assistant Executive Director of Basketball Operations. We reserve the right to select whichever questions we feel like asking...

This month's question: What actually happens when a team wants to make a trade? How does it work?-Dorothy, Swampscott, MA

MZ: Trades are more complicated than most people think. In addition to finding players that each team wants to exchange, there are many things that each team must evaluate besides the players' performance on the court. As a result, each NBA trade requires a number of steps that fans at home don't often consider. I'll list most of them here, but keep in mind that during an actual trade, these things are often happening simultaneously.

1. Salary Cap Calculations. Most teams can't just exchange any players they want, due to the collectively-bargained salary cap rules. These rules are too complicated to explain here; you can find decent, though not necessarily always complete or correct, descriptions at the ESPN Trade Machine and Larry Coon's CBA FAQ. Each team must calculate (a) whether the trade works under the rules, and (b) how the trade will affect the team's future player salary and luxury tax plans. Further complications in these calculations may arise from factors such as trade bonuses (contractually required to be paid to certain players in the event of a trade).

2. Exchange of Medical Information. Each team is required to disclose in writing all medical information held by the team that might in any way relate to the relevant players' abilities to play basketball. (Yes, HIPAA lawyers, the players have validly consented to this.) Each team then scrutinizes this information, usually before agreeing to the deal. In addition to reading written descriptions of players' conditions, team doctors often examine MRIs, X-rays, EKGs, or other test results as part of this step.

3. Exchange of Insurance Information. Each team also must disclose any insurance policies that cover the relevant players' salaries. The receiving team for each player must then determine if it wishes to assume any such policies, and, if it's a mid-season trade, the teams must also agree on what portion of the policy premiums will be paid by each team. This step sometimes involves detailed consultation between teams' finance departments.

4. Bonus-Assumption Decisions. In mid-season trades, the teams must also agree on what portion each team will pay of any player's incentive bonuses if the player ends up qualifying (under the terms of his individual contract language) for bonus payments at the end of the year. A team acquiring a player in February might not want to pay all of a player's bonus when the player earned more than half of the bonus while playing for another team!

5. No-Trade Clauses / Trade-Bonus Reductions. In rare situations, a player may have the right to refuse a trade. In other situations, the trade might not work under the salary cap rules unless a player agrees to reduce a trade bonus that the acquiring team would owe him. If a player's consent is required (either to execute the trade or to reduce the trade bonus), the general manager of the player's current team often will hold lengthy discussions with the player's agent. In these cases, however, neither the sending nor the receiving team is allowed to offer a player any additional incentive for his consent -- the player is free to consent or not consent as he pleases.

6. Draft Considerations. If draft pick rights are part of the trade, the teams must specify exactly which picks are being exchanged. In some cases, it's as simple as "Boston's 2006 second round pick," or "The 2nd round pick Boston previously received from Phoenix in the Walter McCarty trade." However, in other cases the teams include "protection" against a pick being high in the draft, or they determine that Team A will not receive the draft pick of Team B until Team B receives or sends another, previously-traded, pick to or from Team C. Writing the language that governs exactly which pick(s) will be traded will often involve team and league legal counsel -- in the case of one heavily-protected pick traded from Minnesota to Boston in the Ricky Davis / Wally Szczerbiak trade, the language covered most of a page. (Amusingly, this pick was later traded back to Minnesota in the Kevin Garnett deal, and none of the language on the page -- which we spent several hours crafting -- ever took effect.)

7. Sign-and-Trade / Extend-and-Trade Deals. In some cases, one team will have the right to sign a player to a new contract of a certain size, but another team (which wants to acquire that player) will not have this right. The two teams can then agree to a trade in which the first team signs the player to a new contract that contains a clause saying the contract is only effective if the player is traded to the second team within 48 hours. This is called a "sign-and-trade" deal; in these deals, the first team grants the second team the right to talk to the relevant player. If the player and the second team agree to new contract terms, the first team signs the contract with the player and then trades him to the second team. These trades can take longer to complete: not only must the two teams negotiate the terms of a deal, but one of the teams also must make a deal with the player (involving even more salary calculations). Also, because new contracts can also have legal and tax consequences for both the team and the player, a player's lawyer or tax counsel may be involved, in addition to the player's agent, while payment schedules and other terms are discussed. The Kevin Garnett trade was the NBA's first "extend-and-trade," deal: KG signed a contract extension (that we had negotiated with him) with Minnesota, and then was immediately traded to Boston. (The extension contained a clause providing that the extension only took effect if the trade to Boston was completed.) Because it was the first deal of its kind, the collective bargaining agreement clauses governing this type of deal had never before been relevant to an actual transaction. Application of these rules by the league and the players' association for the first time added even more complexity to the deal.

8. The Trade Call. Once all of the things listed above have been considered and agreed upon for a particular trade, the teams draft an email detailing the terms of the trade, which each GM must then send to the league. And all this must be done before the trade deadline! Then representatives of each team, along with league lawyers, participate in a recorded conference call during which the terms of each player's contract, along with all other terms of the deal (including all of the details described above), are read aloud and agreed to by each team's representatives. Each team must also certify that there are no side deals or additional agreements, either between the teams or with any player, that were not disclosed in the trade email or on the trade call. Assuming that this all goes smoothly, the teams then agree upon a timeline for announcing the trade and holding press conferences. Sometimes, this timeline is short -- we completed a trade call with Seattle about 20 minutes after they selected Glen Davis at #35 in this past year's draft, and within 30 minutes of the trade call we held a press conference to announce the acquisitions of Davis and Ray Allen. Other times, teams want more time to draft press releases, etc., and the trade will not be announced for several hours or until the next day.

9. Reporting and Physicals. One final topic that's discussed on the trade call is how long each player has to report to his new team, and whether the trade will be dependent on each player passing a physical. The collective bargaining agreement gives players several days to report to their new team, but the teams may agree to provide even more time, especially over the summer. In any event, the trade is not officially complete, and no player may suit up for his new team in a game or practice, until all players report to their new teams and pass a physical exam. (Sometimes the teams agree to waive the physical exam requirement.) In addition, players near the ends of their contracts and those players' agents are required to sign forms certifying that there are no undisclosed "side deals" involving new contracts as part of the trade. As a result of the reporting deadlines and required physicals and certifications, a trade usually doesn't become "official" until long after it is announced at a press conference. For example, this past summer we traded for Kevin Garnett on July 31st. The trade call ended just before 1PM that afternoon, and Garnett immediately flew into town for a press conference that evening with Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. However, the trade was not officially complete until nearly a week later, on August 7th, at 6:00 PM, when the league informed both teams that all conditions (including physicals and certifications) had been met.

So that's how a trade happens. Of course, in addition to all this stuff, there are the negotiations involved in setting up a deal. Each team is also constantly having internal discussions between owners, the GM, finance people, lawyers, coaches, scouts, and (sometimes) players about the players involved in any potential deal. Plus, we'll often be seeking information about players by contacting their former coaches and teammates, in addition to conducting detailed statistical and video-based analyses of how the addition or subtraction of any particular player might help (or hurt) our team. As you can see, trades are not always simple, and we have to take many of these steps even for potential trades that don't end up actually happening -- that's why the week of the trade deadline is often one of the busiest of the year.

Mike Zarren is the Celtics' Assistant Executive Director of Basketball Operations.

Telling Player Stats

Today, I am taking a look at five players and stats for them that are truely telling.

Brian Randle
-In his senior season at Illinois, Brian Randle was expected to be one of the leaders this year. Standing at 6'8" and 220 pounds, Randle needed to have his best season in order for the Illini to have success.

Randle fouled out in 7 games this season, going into today's Big Ten tournament. In the seven games he fouled out, five of them were big games against likely NCAA Tournament teams (Arizona, Wisconsin, at Purdue, vs Purdue, Indiana). Illinois' record in these seven games 1-6, with the only win coming by one point against the Missouri Tigers.

Randle's four year numbers to date:
2003-04 32 GP, 9 GS, 11.1 MPG, 2.3 RPG, 2.7 PPG
2004-05 Out for Season with Injury
2005-06 32 GP, 32 GS, 26.7 MPG, 5.4 RPG, 8.5 PPG
2006-07 24 GP, 23 GS, 25.7 MPG, 5 RPG, 7.4 PPG
2007-08 29 GP, 28 GS, 24.6 MPG, 5.6 RPG, 9.2 PPG

Roy Hibbert
-Standing at 7'2" and 275 pounds, Roy Hibbert returned for his senior season expecting to contend for Player of the Year honors. With fellow star Jeff Green now in the NBA, Hibbert was expected to put up bigger numbers for the Hoyas.

This has not been the case for Hibbert. In only four games this season, Hibbert has pulled down double digit rebounds - at Old Dominion (10), at DePaul (11), at Pittsburgh (10), and at West Virginia.

Equally as troubling for Hibbert has been an inability to improve measurably over his last three years at Georgetown. His numbers:
2005-06 11.6 PPG 6.9 RPG 72.3 FT%
2006-07 12.9 PPG 6.9 RPG 68.6 FT%
2007-08 13.6 PPG 6.4 RPG 65.9 FT%

D.J. White
-One player who has come through in a big way this season has been Indiana power forward D.J. White. White clearly has improved his conditioning and off-the-ball defense, but most impressive has been his work on the boards. White has pulled down double-digit rebound totals in 20 of Indiana's 31 games this season. He currently stands seventeeth in the country in rebounds and first in the Big Ten in total rebounds and offensive rebounds. Earlier in the season, White even pulled down ten or more rebounds twelve times in a thirteen game stretch.

Excluding the 2005-06 season in which White only played in five games due to an injury, a steady increase in numbers can be seen in White's production.
2004-05: 28.1 MPG 13.3 PPG 4.9 RPG
2006-07: 31.8 MPG 13.8 PPG 7.3 RPG
2007-08: 33.2 MPG 17.1 PPG 10.3 RPG

Hedo Turkoglu
-If you take a look at the guys who are averaging 19 points per game or more and 6 rebounds a game or more this season in the NBA, you will see many names you would expect - LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Yao Ming, and Tim Duncan among others. Seventeen guys this year have reached this feat, but one that you would not have expected is Hedo Turkoglu.

In fact, if you limit this benchmark to Eastern Conference players, only five guys make this list, with Turkoglu being one of them. After several shaky seasons to start his career in Sacramento and then San Antonio, Turkoglu has really found his niche in Orlando. As someone who because of his size is able to create matchup problems, Turkoglu is able to beat slower defenders to the basket and shoot over shorter defenders from the perimeter.

Turkoglu currently ranks at thirty-eighth in the NBA in three point shooting percentage and sixth in the league in three pointers made.

Danny Granger
-Another guy I really like is Danny Granger. Although the Indiana Pacers are having another disappointing season, Granger has been a brightspot. He is a do-it-all type of wing player who has great length. On a true contender, I think Granger could be a team's second scorer and can defend multiple positions.

In his second season playing big-time minutes in the NBA, Granger has seen in increase in numbers in virtually every category. Getting to the free throw consistently is the one area Granger needs to improve on. In fourteen games where Granger has attempted at least seven free throws the Pacers have a 7-7 record, a far cry from their current 25-39 record. Granger currently stands at thirty-ninth in the league in free throws attempted, one spot behind teammate Mike Dunleavy.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1848196

Dan Gilbert Takes on Larger Payroll to Add Talent

Excerpt from Brian Windhorst's column:

Gilbert doesn't speak with the media often, but he did before Sunday's game to explain his thinking about giving the green light to expand his payroll and luxury tax bill to bring aboard the four new players, including Wally Szczerbiak and Ben Wallace, who make a combined $27 million this season.

''I thought it was pretty important to do something,'' Gilbert said. ''We got to the Finals with this team, but the competition got harder and it was going to be a bigger challenge than last year.''
Gilbert said that he's not spending as much as people think. Because the Cavs are just responsible for paying the new players for the final 27 games of the season, he's only actually paying about $1.2 million more in the prorated salaries than he would have before the trade.

However, the Cavs will have to pay luxury tax on the entire additional $4.7 million added to their total payroll and that is a dollar-for-dollar penalty. The Cavs payroll is currently about $80.85 million — third in the NBA. The NBA's ''soft'' salary cap is $57.63 million and the luxury tax threshold is $67.865 million. That puts the current tax bill, the first-ever in franchise history, at a shade under $13 million.

''We are trying to build something here,'' Gilbert said. ''You pay $375 million for a franchise and then break even for a couple years. You can't start getting cheap now. It's a big commitment, but before we even look at money, we look at what is right basketball-wise first. If you do it money first, you may start getting (the front office) gun-shy even thinking of ideas.''

Dribble Drive Motion

Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl article on the offense: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/grant_wahl/02/12/memphis0218/

The Sporting News' Mike DeCourcey:
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/22718226/
http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=258992

CoachingBetterBall.com:
http://coachingbetterbball.blogspot.com/2007/10/small-ball-revolution-memphis-attack.html
http://coachingbetterbball.blogspot.com/2008/01/derrick-rose-fits-memphis-dribble-drive.html
http://coachingbetterbball.blogspot.com/2008/01/allen-iverson-fits-perfectly-in-nuggets.html
http://coachingbetterbball.blogspot.com/2008/02/celtics-dribble-drive-motion-offense.html

The Denver Post's Robert Sanchez:
http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_4574626

"The Vance Walberg Nation":
http://thevancewalbergnation.blogspot.com/

CBSsports.com's Gary Parrish:
http://wccsports.cstv.com/genrel/081406aaa.html

Quick Mock Draft

1.) Miami PF Michael Beasley
2.) Minnesota C Brooke Lopez
3.) Seattle PG Derrick Rose
4.) Memphis C DeAndre Jordan
5.) New York PG OJ Mayo
6.) LA Clippers SG Eric Gordon
7.) Charlotte C DeAndre Jordan
8.) Milwaukee SG Nicolas Batum
9.) Indiana PF Darrell Arthur
10.) Chicago SF Donta Green
11.) Phoenix C Hasheem Thabeet
12.) Sacramento PG Jerryd Bayless
13.) Portland PG Darren Collison

Mitch Kupchak Makes the Lakers a Contender

"Put up or shut up, Kobe"
February 5, 2008
Stan McNeal

Mitch Kupchak is too dignified to gloat. But when the Lakers became legitimate title contenders in one stunning move last week, no one would have blamed Kupchak if he'd dialed up Kobe Bryant and said, "OK, hotshot. Now it's your turn."

After all of his whining and trade demands, Kobe finally has what he has wanted for years: the chance to be the main man on a championship team. For that, he can thank Kupchak. As productive as Kobe has been on the court, the Lakers' general manager has been more valuable to the franchise off of it. Consider what he has done in the past year or so:

•He refused to trade Andrew Bynum before and after Kobe was caught saying, in a profanity-laced rant, the Lakers should ship the young center out.

•He found a way to bring back starting point guard and team stabilizer Derek Fisher.

•He assembled one of the best benches in the league, a unit comprised mainly of late first- round and second-round picks.

For his crowning achievement, Kupchak traded for 7-foot forward Pau Gasol last week. To get Gasol, a one-time All-Star who averaged 18.9 points for the Grizzlies this season, Kupchak did not have to give up a single one of the Lakers' top 10 players.

League execs from coast to coast were shaking their heads in amazement. "That came out of nowhere. Absolutely makes the Lakers a championship contender," said one. "What is Memphis thinking?" wondered another.

Although the defending champion Spurs still have to be considered the favorites, the Lakers are settling into the Western Conference high-rent district previously limited to the Spurs, Mavericks and Suns. The Lakers will do it their way, too.

At a time when the league is trending toward small ball, the Lakers are going tall. When Bynum returns from a knee injury next month, the Lakers will be able to start two 7-footers and 6-10 Lamar Odom.

Gasol and Bynum should complement each other, scouts say. Gasol is a finesse scorer who likes to operate from 15 feet and in. Bynum is a true center who prefers the low block and relies on power and size. The move should play well into the future, too: Bynum turned 20 in October, Gasol is 27, and Kobe is 29.

Give Kobe credit for appreciating the opportunity he has been given. Talking to reporters about the Gasol deal, Kobe praised Kupchak and owner Jerry Buss for showing "a great deal of commitment." Then Bryant added, "Now it's time to walk the walk."

Kupchak has to agree, regardless of whether he says so.

http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=347466

Sam Presti Pulls Off a Coup

This past offseason, Sam Presti decided to allow the Orlando Magic to overpay Rashard Lewis. To do so, Seattle and Orlando agreed to a sign-and-trade deal that allowed them to gain an eight million dollar trade exception. Rather than holding onto that extra money, Presti did a masterful job of converting it into a handful of extra assets.

The first move, was to acquire veteran forward Kurt Thomas and the Phoenix Suns' first round draft choices in 2008 and 2010 for a conditional second round draft choice. Phoenix needed to clear Thomas from their payroll and Seattle was able to leverage their trade exception into multiple assets.

Then on Wednesday night, the Sonics traded Thomas to the Spurs for guard Brent Barry, center Francisco Elson, and a 2009 first round draft pick. Both Barry and Elson are in their last year of their contracts and will fall off the payroll this summer.

Presti said after making the trade with the Spurs, "looking at the first-round pick, in combination with our other future picks, we have great flexibility to add to our core or acquire another impact player in the future. At the same time, Kurt is a tremendous person and player, and I appreciate his contributions this season and wish him success."

Seattle has 13 draft picks over the next three years, including six in the first round - two each season. After next season, Luke Ridnour, Earl Watson, Nick Collison, Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Damien Wilkins, and Johan Petro are the only SuperSonics currently under contract. Presti has plenty of flexiblity and some intriguing young players to be big time players within the next few years.

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?players=285~788~885~2992~1711~356~512~601~3030~831~2422&teams=25~5~5~4~4~4~25~25~4~5~5&te=&cash=

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3257159

Trade Deadline Day: My Top Ten Deals

Indiana trades Jermaine O'Neal, David Harrison, and Jamaal Tinsley to Miami for Jason Williams, Ricky Davis, Alonzo Mourning, Udonis Haslem, and Smush Parker.
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?players=2383~615~1024~193~2184~580~1823~933&teams=14~14~14~11~11~11~11~11&te=&cash=

Milwaukee trades Charlie Villanueva and Royal Ivey to Golden State for Patrick O'Bryant and Austin Croshere.
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?players=167~3019~2387~2792&teams=15~15~9~9&te=&cash=

Cleveland trades Mike Miller and Brian Cardinal to Cleveland for Eric Snow, Donyell Marshall, Shannon Brown, and Devin Brown.
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?players=130~558~1858~2992~512~796&teams=5~5~29~29~29~29&te=&cash=

Charlotte trades Othella Harrington, Jermareo Davidson, Jason Richardson, and Ryan Hollins to New Jersey for Vince Carter.
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?players=136~3199~307~3008~1018&teams=30~17~17~17~17&te=&cash=

Lakers get Mikki Moore, Ricky Davis, and Ron Artest; Sacramento gets Jason Williams, Trevor Ariza, and Smush Parker; Miami gets Lamar Odom.
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?players=2426~617~25~575~193~1823~933&teams=23~14~13~13~13~23~23&te=&cash=

Sacramento trades Mikki Moore and Ron Artest to Cleveland for Ira Newble, Shannon Brown, Drew Gooden, and Devin Brown.
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?players=25~575~1858~2992~1711~601&teams=5~5~23~23~23~23&te=&cash=

Golden State trades Patrick O'Bryant, Mickael Pietrus, Austin Croshere, and $9,999,999 Jason Richardson Trade Exception to Golden State for Sam Cassell and Corey Maggette.
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?players=167~3019~2173~138&teams=12~12~12~9&te=497:9-1018&cash=

Sacramento gets Mickael Gelabale, Eduardo Najera, Linas Kleiza, and Denver's First Round Pick; Seattle gets Von Waker, Yakhouba Diawara, J.R. Smith; Denver gets Mouhamed Sene, Ron Artest, and Delonte West.
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?players=25~2756~3029~2422~3048~2770~591~2444~2793&teams=7~23~7~7~25~23~23~25~25&te=&cash=

Phoenix trades Eric Piatkowski to Los Angeles Clippers for Dan Dickau and Quinton Ross.
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?players=1706~2188~660&teams=21~21~12&te=&cash=

Seattle trades Chris Wilcox and Delonte West to Orlando for Pat Garrity, Adonal Foyle, Carlos Arroyo, and James Augustine.
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?players=2422~1731~1055~2985~254~264&teams=19~19~25~25~25~25&te=&cash=