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.

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=

Examining the 2008 Free Agent Class

Below is a look at the free agent class for 2008. There a handful of valuable restricted free agents, however, those players rarely end up with other teams. The remaining players are all fringe-NBA end-of-the-bench type players.

Here is a breakdown of the upcoming free agents:

Opt-out Stars (Early Termination Option)
Allen Iverson
Baron Davis
Elton Brand
Jermaine O'Neal
Ron Artest
Shawn Marion

Other Opt-out Players (Early Termination Option)
Corey Maggette
Kenny Thomas
Raef Lafrentz
Stephon Marbury

Unrestricted Starter
Antawn Jamison

Fringe Unrestricted Starters
Beno Udrih
Chris Webber
DeSagana Diop
Jason Williams

Veteran Role Players
Bonzi Wells
Bostjan Nachbar
Carlos Arroyo
Chris Duhon
Eddie House
Eduardo Najera
Flip Murray
Gerald Green
Ira Newble
Jamaal Magliore
Jarvis Hayes
Keyon Dooling
Kurt Thomas
Kwame Brown
Lindsey Hunter
Matt Barnes
Maurice Evans
Mickael Pietrus
Ricky Davis
Tyrone Lue

Player Options to Become Unrestricted Free Agent
Adonal Foyle
Calvin Booth
Chris Mihm
Eddie Jones
Grant Hill
Jacque Vaughn
James Jones
James Posey
Jannero Pargo
Jason Hart
Keith Bogans
Melvin Ely
Rasho Nesterovic
Smush Parker
Steve Francis
Stromile Swift
Trevor Ariza

Free Agents Likely to Retire
Alonzo Mourning
Brent Barry
Damon Stoudamire
Darrell Armstrong
Darrick Martin
Dikembe Mutombo
Eric Piatkowski
Juwan Howard
Kevin Ollie
Michael Finley
Robert Horry
Sam Cassell

Lakers & Magic Try to Add Final Piece, Kings Look to Dump Salary

With the Magic and Lakers getting ready for a push to the top of their respective conferences and the Sacramento Kings seeing their top young players develop, it is time for a three-way trade.

Lakers get:
Adonal Foyle, $1,219,590, 1 Year Remaining
Ron Artest, $7,400,000, 2 Years Remaining

Magic get:
Mike Bibby, $13,500,000, 2 Years Remaining
Justin Williams, $862,456, 1 Year Remaining

Kings get:
Pat Garrity, $3,818,750, 1 Year Remaining
Sasha Vujacic, $1,756,951, 1 Year Remaining
Chris Mihm, $2,500,000, 1 Year Remaining
J.J. Redick, $2,000,160, 2 Years Remaining
Trevor Ariza, $3,100,000, 1 Year Remaining
Carlos Arroyo, $4,000,000, 1 Year Remaining
James Augustine, $687,456, 1 Year Remaining
Orlando's 2008 First Round Pick

Let's go team-by-team to take a look at how this would benefit each team.

Lakers: The Lakers would get the final piece to the puzzle to make them the favorite to win the championship. With a starting lineup of Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Ron Artest, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and then Lamar Odom, Vladimir Radmanovic, Ronny Turiaf, Luke Walton, and Jordan Farmar off the bench, the Lakers would be loaded. Artest would be the perfect complement on the wing to Bryant and Odom's versatility off the bench would fit well. Adding Foyle in place of Mihm would be a slight downgrade, but Foyle does play strong defense in the post. The loss of Ariza would hurt, but he is simply a poor man's Artest. Vujacic has played well and is young, but to make this trade work, he would have to go.

Magic: Today, the Magic sit three games behind Detroit and seven games behind Boston in the East. More importantly, as currently constructed, Orlando most likely will not be able to beat either team in a seven game series. Orlando's biggest weakness thus far has been at the point guard spot. Both Jameer Nelson and Carlos Arroyo have been given a shot, but neither has excelled. With a handful of expiring contracts for players that are not significant on the roster, Orlando has a chance to add a major player. J.J. Redick is a guard who has not fit in with the team and it would be a good opportunity to move him. In this trade, Arroyo would be the only impact player they would need to move. However, adding Bibby would create a situation with an extra point guard, so he could be moved.

Kings: Although the Kings would be giving up two of their most talented players, it would give them an opportunity to get out of long-term contracts that they are locked into. Sacramento would be getting six players whose contracts would expire after this season. A few of the players the Kings would be getting in this trade would be waived immediately. The Kings would also get a terrific shooter in J.J. Redick at a small salary, plus a first round pick of Orlando's next season. With Bibby and Artest moved, it would give Beno Udrih, Quincy Douby, Kevin Martin, John Salmons, and Francisco Garcia more playing time to continue to develop.

I would think only Orlando would have to consider not making this trade. They may not consider Bibby a great enough upgrade from Arroyo or Jameer Nelson to make this trade and take on a big salary for the 2008-09 season. I would think in an opportunity to dump both Bibby and Artest in one trade would be something they couldn't pass on. For the Lakers, to have an opportunity to add another major talent to their team would be a move they would make. Although they would be digging themselves even deeper into a luxury tax position, I would think they would make it for the chance to seriously contend for the title.

Reaction from Bill Simmons' Annual Trade Value Column

Here is the link for the column:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/071218

Some parts I really liked:

-When you strike the jackpot with a first-round pick in the 20s, it's like a double jackpot because you're locking up a young contributor at an obscenely low price. To wit: Rondo (No. 21 in 2006) and David Lee (No. 27 in 2005) make a combined $11 million total over the next three seasons.

This is a great point. Just looking at this years draft - Jeff Green was the fifth pick and Alando Tucker was the twenty-ninth pick. Green is scheduled to make $3,058,200 this year and more than fourteen million dollars over the first four years of his deal. Tucker stands to make $931,920 this year and less than six million dollars in the first four years of his deal. If Tucker becomes a significant player in their rotation, they are getting a guy who is wrapped up in a long-term deal for basically minimal money. Most likely, Green will play at or near contract level, but if he's a bust, then they are locked up in a long-term deal that could hamper their franchise. With Tucker, if he's bad, it makes a minor impact on the franchise.

-Andre Iguodala: This summer's Gerald Wallace, a quality supporting guy forced to become "The Guy" on a lottery team -- with bad results, of course -- who now wants to be overpaid because he was miscast for a few months as "The Guy." But wait, what would you have done without me. I carried us to 26 wins! Love that logic.

This is one point I often make when in discussions about players. If Andre Iguodala/Ron Artest/Luol Deng/Michael Redd/Gerald Wallace is your best player, you're probably not going to be a good team. Now of course, the exception is that you have a lot of players with equal talent level. However, this rule is generally correct.

Nevertheless, the point Simmons makes here is when a teams best player is looking for an extension and they are coming off a bad team, more logic needs to be used. Josh Smith in Atlanta, Luol Deng and Ben Gordon in Chicago, and Iguodala in Philadelphia are all up for extensions after this season. Each one of these four could be considered the best player on a potential non-playoff team. It'll be interesting to see how each general manager deals with the dilemma.

-25. Al Horford
His ceiling: Elton Brand with a better low-post game. I loved how he was traumatized by his inadvertent role in T.J. Ford's latest injury and spent most of the night with Ford at the hospital to make sure he was
24. Greg Oden
His ceiling: Patrick Ewing, only if Ewing had major wrist surgery and microfracture knee surgery before even playing an NBA game.
23. Josh Smith
His ceiling: Andrei Kirilenko with a better everything. Although the sourpuss worries me. Would you want to pay someone $75 million this summer when he always looks like he just finished watching that infamous Internet video that involves more than one girl and a cup?
22. Andrew Bynum
His ceiling: The NBA's best center not named "Dwight Howard" or "Yao Ming."
21. Al Jefferson
His ceiling: The next Kevin McHale, only if McHale couldn't guard anyone. Hey, did you enjoy how I broke the "don't compare white guys with black guys" media rule twice in the same section? I couldn't be prouder.

This is the main way I like to look at the NBA Draft. For a team like the Bulls who appeared to be ready to make a run for the championship, I was able to rationalize selecting a player with a low ceiling like Joakim Noah this year. They just needed to fill in some bench spots, so they selected a guy who would be ready immediately. The type of move I have a problem with is the type of decision Minnesota made in the 2005 draft.

Rather than selecting a guy with a higher ceiling like Danny Granger or Gerald Green, the Timberwolves chose Rashad McCants. McCants was an impact college player, who is clearly undersized and unable to standout in the NBA at the shooting position. He struggles to defend, had shown some selfishness, and isn't a great distributer.

The same arguement is there for the Hawks selection of Shelden Williams in the 2006 draft. Coming out of Duke, Williams was seen as a great rebounder, who worked hard. Most people though saw him to have a low ceiling because of a lack of athleticism and a knack for giving up big games to talented post players. He doesn't have a great deal of post moves and has passing ability had been questioned. The Hawks passed on two players with much higher ceilings - Rudy Gay and Brandon Roy. Both posses great size and athleticism and would fit well at the shooting guard or small forward spots in Atlanta.

Kobe-Bulls Update

Reports out of Chicago are saying that a three-team trade is on the table for Kobe Bryant to approve within the next 48 hours. The trade includes the Bulls and Lakers and now also the Sacramento Kings. With Kings point guard Mike Bibby out six to ten weeks with a left thumb ligament injury and a roster of players either past their prime or vastly inexperienced, the Kings most likely are looking to shake up their roster.

The reports only mention Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon, Kobe Bryant, and Ron Artest as the primary members. So, I spent some time looking at possible three-way trades and here is the best that I could come up with:

Chicago gets: Kobe Bryant ($19,490,625) and Jordan Farmar ($1,009,560)
Sacramento gets: Ben Gordon ($4,881,669), Joakim Noah ($2,135,400), Viktor Khryapa ($1,928,598)
Los Angeles gets: Kirk Hinrich ($11,250,000), Ron Artest ($7,400,000), Adrian Griffin ($1,593,000), Chicago future first round pick.

With this trade the Bulls would automatically become a contender to win the championship. They would maintain a core of Luol Deng, Ben Wallace, Andres Nocioni, and add in Kobe Bryant. Role players such as Thabo Sefolosha and Joe Smith would also play a critical role. Although the Bulls currently constructed are a nice team that may compete for the Eastern conference title, this team post-Kobe trade would compete for the title. And as I always stress, each year your goal is exactly that -to compete for the championship.

In Sacramento and Los Angeles, this trade allows both teams to rebuild their roster without falling too hard. Sacramento gets another scorer to play next to Kevin Martin, another young big man in Noah, and cap flexiblity next season when Khryapa's contract expires. The Lakers acquire two starters and some flexibility for the future. Hinrich and Artest would team with Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom to create a nice core for the Lakers to build around.

Western Conference Power Rankings

With six Western Conference teams kicking off their season tonight, I wanted to share my power rankings as of today:

Contenders
1.) San Antonio Spurs - The Spurs bring back their core from last season's championship team, so why wouldn't they be on the top spot?

2.) Phoenix Suns - A full year with Nash, Marion, and Stoudamire should help the Suns once again compete for the title. Another year of development from Leandro Barbosa and Marcus Banks and the additions of D.J. Strawberry, Alando Tucker, and Grant Hill should be beneficial.

3.) Dallas Mavericks - Like the Spurs, the Mavericks essentially bring back the same roster. Like the Suns, the Mavericks are hoping another year of development from Devin Harris and DeSagana Diop along with the additions of Eddie Jones and Trenton Hassell will help them advance further this year in the playoffs.


Near Contenders
4.) Houston Rockets - The Rockets certainly had the best offseason in the Western Conference adding a handful of rotation players. However, Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady still have not won a single playoff series. Houston is most likely one year away from really contending.

5.) Utah Jazz - The Jazz had an uneventful offseason with their only significant additions being signing Jason Hart and drafting Morris Almond. Andrei Kirilenko's ability to play in Jerry Sloan's system and the development of Ronnie Brewer will be keys to Utah's success. I expect the Jazz to win the Northwest division once again this season.

6.) Denver Nuggets - The Nuggets will benefit from a full season with Kenyon Martin, however, I do not think they have enough to beat out the Jazz in the Northwest. The overall talent level of the Nuggets roster is still unbalanced and lack scoring off the bench. The Nuggets will get three-fourths of their scoring from Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, and Nene Hilario.


Potentially Frisky
7.) New Orleans Hornets - Another year of the David West-Peja Stojakovic-Chris Paul-Tyson Chandler core playing together will be beneficial towards their success. The Hornets hope that one of their young big men - Hilton Armstrong, Melvin Ely, or Julian Wright - can be a significant contributor to the team. If so, the Hornets will play hard and be competitive each night against the league's best.

8.) Golden State Warriors - The Warriors have put together a nice, young group of players though I think this year they will take a step back. Brandan Wright, Patrick O'Bryant, Mickael Pietrus, Monta Ellis, and Marco Belinelli is a great young core, but they will not be ready to seriously compete for the Western Conference title. The Warriors will most likely get as much from Andris Biedrins, Baron Davis, and Stephen Jackson as they did last season.


Playoff Contenders
9.) Los Angeles Lakers - With other teams around them improving, I do not expect the Lakers to perform much better than they did last season. The Lakers will hope to avoid the injuries that plagued them last year, but certainly do not have enough talent to jump into the top six in the Western Conference and maybe not even enough to make the playoffs this season.

10.) Sacramento Kings - The Kings will continue to struggle as long as both Mike Bibby and Ron Artest are on the same roster. Both players have shown an inability to play with one another and they are still relying on too many unknown commodities. Although some of these guys (Fransisco Garcia, Quincy Douby) have shown potential, they cannot provide enough each night for the Kings to make the playoffs this season.


Up-and-Coming
11.) Memphis Grizzlies - The Grizzlies are certainly a nice, young team who at this point next year will be competing for a playoff spot. However, at this point, they are building for that time. They have the groundwork laid with a fantastic young point guard (Mike Conley), a versatile wing scorer (Rudy Gay), a scoring power forward (Darko Milicic), and an all-star caliber big man (Pau Gasol). They also have a nice array of bench players who can contribute. However, in a loaded Western Conference, they will fall short of reaching the playoffs.

12.) Portland Trail Blazers - Without Greg Oden, Portland is still one man short of being a contender this season. Travis Outlaw and LaMarcus Aldridge will be expected to fill the missing numbers from the Zach Randolph trade. Sorting out a group of point guards (Sergio Rodriguez, Jarrett Jack, Steve Blake) will also be interesting to watch.


Not Ready Yet
13.) Seattle SuperSonics - Seattle rebuilt their roster this summer and now features two talented rookies: Kevin Durant and Jeff Green. They will continue to slowly build a roster that will eventually compete for the championship, but at this point they are not at that level just yet.

14.) Minnesota Timberwolves - Minnesota has begun to put together the blueprint to quickly rebuild their roster after trading Kevin Garnett. Corey Brewer, Randy Foye, Gerald Green, Al Jefferson, and Sebastian Telfair are all expected to be apart of Minnesota's long-range plans. However, outside of Jefferson, the Timberwolves will struggle to get consistency each night and will be one of the league's worse teams this season.

Falling Hard
15.) Los Angeles Clippers - With Elton Brand and Shaun Livingston expected to miss the entire season, the Clippers may be one of the league's worse teams this season. A once promising team, now lacks focus and a plan to make its way back to the playoffs.

Camp lures NBA clientele

OFFSEASON INVESTMENT: Camp lures NBA clientele

Garnett, Billups, others get custom workouts at local Abunassar center

By TODD DEWEY
REVIEW-JOURNAL
Take a summer basketball camp and replace the usual wannabes with about 50 actual NBA players, sprinkling in a handful of stars.

Add some high-tech exercise equipment and innovative training techniques tailored to each athlete.

Arm the coaching staff with certified trainers and physical therapists, and have nutritionists on hand to create customized workout recovery shakes and meals for each player.

Turn the intensity level and music on high, and the finished product is Abunassar Impact Basketball.

Former NBA Most Valuable Player Kevin Garnett and former NBA Finals MVP Chauncey Billups led a parade of 47 players who worked out up to six hours per day, six days per week during the offseason at AIB, located near Palace Station.

Other players who participated included Ron Artest, Al Harrington, Antoine Walker, Cuttino Mobley and Tayshaun Prince.

Previous camp alumni include Andrei Kirilenko, Vince Carter, Baron Davis, Chris Bosh and Paul Pierce.

Joe Abunassar, a former student assistant at Indiana under Bobby Knight and assistant coach at Wyoming, founded AIB, which costs $25,000 per year for NBA players.

The program is apparently well worth it, because Detroit Pistons guard Billups and others say Abunassar has played a key role in making them better players.

"Coming into the league, my skills were good, but they needed a lot of honing," Billups said last month. "(Abunassar) took me from jumping around the league the first couple years to climbing that mountain to being where I got to today."

Abunassar trained five of this year's top 11 NBA Draft picks -- including No. 7 choice Corey Brewer, No. 9 Joakim Noah and No. 11 Acie Law -- and 20 of the 60 overall picks.

"We can change their body composition and we can change their game in six weeks," said Abunassar, who has built an impressive clientele mostly through word of mouth. "(The NBA) is such a big difference from college basketball."

Prince of the Pistons said the camp provides the perfect situation for players trying to make the transition from college to the NBA.

"You get good individual instruction on and off the court, and you're going against guys at your position who are just as good or even more talented than you are," he said. "It gives you the opportunity to get better and, at the same time, to stay healthy."

A typical daily regimen at the camp consists of 90 minutes of performance training, or strength training and conditioning, and 90 minutes of on-court skills drills in the morning.

A specialized lunch precedes afternoon 5-on-5 scrimmages that are arguably the best pickup basketball games in the world.

"We compete at a very high level, whether it's one-on-one drills, individual work or 5-on-5," Billups said. "We're here mostly all day, and when we go home we're pretty tired and burnt out."

Abunassar has created basketball-specific drills to mirror each player's movements in an actual game.

In a dribbling drill, for example, Billups is connected to a Bungee cord with resistance behind him, forcing him to stay low and in control as he brings the ball up the court.

In another exercise designed for big men, Garnett wears a belt tied to a Bungee cord and tries to maintain his post position and keep the ball under control. All the while, one coach pulls the cord in different directions to try to knock him off balance and another tries to steal the ball.

Players also can experience high altitude training in a glass-enclosed chamber simulating conditions at 9,000 feet.


http://www.lvrj.com/sports/10597212.html

Oct. 17, 2007
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