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June 12, 2008
Modern media, Kevin Love, etc.
Stray thoughts on the Finals and the draft:
- Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers made a great point Wednesday about modern media; that some of the same people who accused Paul Pierce of faking an injury, when he came up lame in Game 1, would lend credibility to the accusations made by ex-referee Tim Donaghy. Rivers' point: If you're so cynical about Pierce, then why would you be so gullible about the motives of a felon looking to reduce his sentence?
- Some of you have emailed me, wondering how Kevin Love would fit into the Charlotte Bobcats' lineup. I suspect Love will be gone -- perhaps long gone -- before the Bobcats' ninth pick. He cancelled a workout with the Nets at No. 10. There's chatter among scouts that Love could go as high as No. 3, with Minnesota using him as a complement, offensively, to Al Jefferson.
- Don't be surprised if DeAndre Jordan is available at No. 9 and maybe beyond. Jordan has the size and athleticism to be an NBA big man, but there's widespread concern about how competitive he is. He didn't show, in that one season at Texas A&M, a great passion to dominate. What happens, then, after he signs for guaranteed millions as a lottery pick?
- The Bobcats obviously need another point guard. It would be interesting if Texas' D.J. Augustin and UCLA's Russell Westbrook are both available, because they'd be such a contrast at the position. Augustin understands the position already on a sophisticated level. But he's small (6-foot, and that might be generous) and you might be using a top-10 pick on a career backup. Russell has size (6-3) and will be that fine defender that's increasingly important along the perimeter, with the NBA calling more touch fouls. But he's still learning how to play the point.
Posted by Observer Sports on June 12, 2008 at 12:24 PM | Permalink
Comments
Rick...I saw on Draft Express that Darrell Arthur of Kansas worked out for us on the 5th. Was this a closed workout? Just curious why we havent heard anything. Also didnt we host workouts yesterday? Just curious who was in...
Posted by: eleaf14 | Jun 12, 2008 12:46:11 PM
Hey, we're starting a career backup-quality PG right now, and he was drafted 5th. Why would we worry about getting one at 9?
Posted by: Michael Procton | Jun 12, 2008 1:45:29 PM
Hey, we're starting a career backup-quality PG right now, and he was drafted 5th. Why would we worry about getting one at 9?
Posted by: Michael Procton | Jun 12, 2008 1:45:54 PM
Thats one of the dumbest comments you have ever made Procton and that is saying something.
Rick, do the Bobcats really want to move Okafor to the 4 next season? If so, are they planning on starting Nazr or drafting one of the 7 footers in this draft?
Posted by: Mason | Jun 12, 2008 1:51:02 PM
We need depth at PF and PG. Get the best one available at #9 and then see if anyone is enough of a sucker to take our current tub-o-lard bench PF off our hands.
Posted by: apauldds | Jun 12, 2008 2:16:02 PM
ap, how dare you? We're counting on Sean May. That's why we didn't take the Nets offer of the #17 pick last year, when we could have had Josh Boone. I mean, I would have taken 8 and 7 from a 6-10 kid with some athleticism, but we should trust in Jordan's personnel moves. He's had nothing but success as an NBA executive.
Posted by: Michael Procton | Jun 12, 2008 2:18:52 PM
procton,
I see you stayed away from the other threads when people actually had numbers and facts to prove you wrong. I guessed you showed up here early to play with other cynical ABCers who seem to have never watched a bcats game or understand the workings of the NBA today. Glad to have you back.
Posted by: Bonnell = Procton | Jun 12, 2008 2:24:23 PM
If we are looking for a 7 footer to pair with Okafor, I still would prefer Kosta Koufos. We need a frontcourt player with the ability to spread the floor. Further, Okafor's best defensive position is in the lane. I am still more in the mode of Love (who will likely be gone) or Randolph. Alexander (strong, with bounce and a decent shot) and Arthur are also potential looks here.
Whoever we draft should have something close to the mobility to consider defending the high post frontcourt player from the other team. Pulling Okafor away from the basket limits his best trait, help defense in terms of shot blocking. It also highlights his defensive weakness, lateral movement, in guarding face up 4s and showing effectively on the pick and roll.
Posted by: jperry | Jun 12, 2008 2:29:29 PM
Procton, once again you are an idiot. I was the one who has pointed out numerous times that the league saw May as having value which is why the Nets offered the 17th pick in the draft for him. I used this arguement in a blog awhile back to point out that while May has been injured and out of shape, people around the league think he can play.
However, Josh Boone was taken several years ago. we could have used the 17th pick in the draft on Sean Williams from BC. Please get your facts straight.
Yes Jordan has been awful. He wasn't around for the May and Felton selections however. But he did draft Morrison over Gay and Roy.
Posted by: Mason | Jun 12, 2008 2:32:16 PM
(1) Procton beat me to it.
(2) Who cares if a PG is small? They said the same thing about Chris Paul, and look what he's doing. I'd rather have someone that knows how to play PG, regardless of their height, and it sounds like Augustin knows how a real PG should play. Considering our PG situation, a PG that finds "joy" in passing to his team mates would be a great addition to this team.
Posted by: Will | Jun 12, 2008 2:41:29 PM
Portland has three second round picks. Let's swap No. 9 for the Blazers' pick in the first (No. 13) and one of their early second rounders (33 or 36). Then package the two second rounders together to move into the late first, and grab JJ Hickson. Or sit tight in the second round and target Joey Dorsey and/or DJ White. Either way, PF is now taken care of.
Pick the best PG available at 13. Augustin will be gone, and maybe so will Westbrook, so that may leave Lawson as the best PG on the board. Don't bitch about him being a UNC guy; we need another PG, and the ones in the second round will be garbage.
Posted by: Earl Cureton | Jun 12, 2008 2:56:56 PM
Oh, what a lovely trade proposal.
And, no, packaging two 2nd round picks to move into the latter part of 1st round is not a wise move, and it's one that isn't done all that often. Why? Because 1st round draft picks have guaranteed contracts, and 2nd round picks do not. That's why so many teams trade away, or even sell those type of picks, because they're more of a burden than anything else.
One of the few few picks in the 2nd round has more value than one of the last few picks in the 1st round.
Posted by: Anony | Jun 12, 2008 3:19:40 PM
I meant to say, "one of the FIRST few picks in the 2nd round..."
And why won't this site save my "personal info" anymore. It showed me as anonymous that last message.
Posted by: Will | Jun 12, 2008 3:20:50 PM
PS - selecting the leftover UNC PG worked out so well last time, let's do it again!
Better yet, if we can't get one of the good PGs (namely, Augustin), just don't draft a PG. How about that?
We need help at PG, but the reason we need help at PG is because our leftover from a previous draft has been disappointing. Settling for another leftover PG is not good enough.
Posted by: Will | Jun 12, 2008 3:28:46 PM
Don't know if we drafted a career back up PG at #5 but we sure as heck drafted a career back up (at best) SF at #3!!
We need to start getting away from these career back ups and start moving towards these career starters/all stars.
Posted by: Bobbie | Jun 12, 2008 4:28:02 PM
The team goes nearly .500 in 20 games (25% of the season, most on the road) without Gerald Wallace and Felton is THE problem? Interesting analysis as always.
That's what I love about "knowledgeable" Bobcats fans. They will continually rag on a guy who has to be kept out of the game and has been more influential on wins than another guy who the team won more without him and who misses large chunks of the year routinely.
BTW, Felton sure had joy dropping those 10 assists a game to guys who would and could shoot it in those 12 games (8-4) without your favorite "star" in the final 25 games of the year.
Here's what you will learn about most pgs, they LOVE it when guys actually COMPLETE their plays by catching the ball and making a shot. Hate to break it to you, but Felton before the draft was listed as one of the few true pass first pgs in the draft. When compared to the 1st and 2nd string pgs and combos in the league he ranked near 40th in shots per minute.
Just b/c daddy Rick exaggerates it, don't make it true. Gerald's not our best player as he once stated. Okafor does not have leverage for a max deal if Deron Williams commanded one as he once stated. And Raymond Felton is not some trigger happy pg, as he and the other part of your triumvirate have stated.
Posted by: jperry | Jun 12, 2008 4:35:51 PM
Does anyone think that the reason that May wasn't traded for the 17th pick is because he couldn't pass the physical? Get over this hindsight stuff and live in the present.
Posted by: LeeL | Jun 12, 2008 4:46:33 PM
Everyone, well not everyone, but some of you love to kill on Felton for reasons I don't understand. PG is the hardest position to play in the NBA and takes the most amount of coaching. Lets see, D Will has a hall of fame coach who happened to coach one of the best PGs in history for most of his career. C Paul has the NBA coach of the year, who also coached future hall of famer Jason Kidd in NJ and played guard in the NBA. Who has Felton had coaching him? Also, look at how we have moved Felton around due to trying to appease Brevin and win a couple extra meaningless games his first years. Our staffs have done a terrible job developing Felton.
Next, lets look at our offense surrounding Felton. No big man at the 4 or 5 with much versatility or offensive prowess (Paul has Chandler and West while D Will has Booz and Okur). We have a 3 who can't shoot but works great in transition, only our coach doesn't allow our super quick PG and athletic long 3 to get out in transition. No wonder our offense stalls, no one moves around, and Felton is forced to take an extremely difficult shot (thus the lower shooting percentage).
If we can get a big with a decent jump shot and get out in transition some w/ Gerald, Felton is going to put up very good numbers this year and you guys are going to be saying, "I told you Felton was just ready to break out."
Posted by: Mason | Jun 12, 2008 4:57:28 PM
dallas wants a 1st rounder so I have an idea. seattle/OKC has issues with team, management, legal, city etc. follow me here.
bobcats get: PF brandon bass 6'8 240, PG luke ridenhor, SF daevan george, PF donyell marshall
mavericks get: #9 pick(love, randolph, jordan, alexander?),PF chris wilcox PF/SF sean may
sonics get: 2009 1st rd pick ,SG matt carrol, PG jose juan berra, C jammal magloire,
bobcats start: C okefor 6'9 PF bass 6'8 SF wallace 6'7 SG richardson 6'5 PG felton 6'1
bench includes morrison,ridenhour, mohammad, dudley, marshall,davidson, and george
*sonics still have number 4 pick this year(bayless?mayo?)
*mavericks get WAY younger with #9 pick plus wilcox and may
*bobcats get vet help with marshall and george with can guard modern forwards(center power forward hybrids) and a decent back up point guard in ridenhor
Posted by: brendan | Jun 12, 2008 8:53:28 AM
and the fact the bass was dallas' best bech option towards the end of the year proves he is ready to start. he is tough, comparable to david west from the hornets. can shoot, gets to the boards, passes well, and draws defenders out of the lane. a young tough front court of okefor and bass sounds good to me.
the 1st rounder would be ours to seattle, but would be a mid first rounder since this trade would get us over the playoff hump in the east. again, to get something of value you have to give something of value in return.
Posted by: kelly tripuka | Jun 12, 2008 5:01:17 PM
dallas wants a 1st rounder so I have an idea. seattle/OKC has issues with team, management, legal, city etc. follow me here.
bobcats get: PF brandon bass 6'8 240, PG luke ridenhor, SF daevan george, PF donyell marshall
mavericks get: #9 pick(love, randolph, jordan, alexander?),PF chris wilcox PF/SF sean may
sonics get: 2009 1st rd pick ,SG matt carrol, PG jose juan berra, C jammal magloire,
bobcats start: C okefor 6'9 PF bass 6'8 SF wallace 6'7 SG richardson 6'5 PG felton 6'1
bench includes morrison,ridenhour, mohammad, dudley, marshall,davidson, and george
*sonics still have number 4 pick this year(bayless?mayo?)
*mavericks get WAY younger with #9 pick plus wilcox and may
*bobcats get vet help with marshall and george with can guard modern forwards(center power forward hybrids) and a decent back up point guard in ridenhor
Posted by: brendan | Jun 12, 2008 8:53:28 AM
and the fact the bass was dallas' best bech option towards the end of the year proves he is ready to start. he is tough, comparable to david west from the hornets. can shoot, gets to the boards, passes well, and draws defenders out of the lane. a young tough front court of okefor and bass sounds good to me.
the 1st rounder would be ours to seattle, but would be a mid first rounder since this trade would get us over the playoff hump in the east. again, to get something of value you have to give something of value in return.
Posted by: kelly tripuka | Jun 12, 2008 5:01:26 PM
Really? First round picks have guaranteed contracts? You don't say. Wow, thanks for the revelation. You must be David fucking Stern to have that kind of insight into the NBA.
Of course I know first round picks have guaranteed deals. But JJ Hickson won't be there in the second round. That's why I said trade up if they want to get him, or sit tight and get Joey Dorsey or DJ White.
Posted by: Earl Cureton | Jun 12, 2008 5:01:55 PM
Mason,
You are just what the Dr. ordered for the rehashed ignorant verbiage regularly spewed on this board. There finally is someone displaying some legitimate basketball knowledge.
Posted by: jperry | Jun 12, 2008 5:08:11 PM
Dude, what is it with people that think Gerald Wallace is an unnecessary or expendable piece? Despite his FG% dropping .05 this past season, he has gotten better every offensively every season and in the past two has really improved his passing. He's a badass defensive player, ranking defensively up there with the Marions, Kirilenkos, & Artests. Watch some of there games (something I think a lot of you guys don't actually do) and you'll see that outside of a little effort from Okafor, Wallace is the only guy who plays both ends of the court and can usually lock down a great offensive player. Also, he's only 25 years old, so he isn't even in his prime yet. Wallace should be the one guy on the team off the trading block.
Posted by: Nick | Jun 12, 2008 5:56:49 PM
Not to mention that Wallace, the "terrible shooter", shot better from 3 than Raymond "Golden Boy" Felton.
Posted by: Michael Procton | Jun 12, 2008 6:21:02 PM
I love how the Felton morons bring up Wallace, even though our worst month of the year was a month in which Wallace barely played (February). And Felton had his chance at the starting PG again that month, when McInnis was benched and had his minutes cut, and Felton couldn't even pull off one win.
So, I'd chalk it up to a fluke. Maybe four months of Felton watching himself suck and watching Jeff McInnis post a better record as our starting PG fired him up for the final six weeks of the season. Who knows, who cares. If he had it in him, he wouldn't have gotten our team off to a disappointing start the first two months of the season, in which we were one of the worst offensive teams in the league with him as our starting PG.
As for the idiots making excuses for Felton, don't blame it on the system. Don't forget that Utah was BEHIND us in the draft order, and traded up because they didn't want to get left with Felton. If it was the system, and not the player, they would have gladly stayed put and drafted the leftover, instead of trading three draft picks to move up and keep from being stuck with Raymond Felton.
As for the other bum that insisted we trade into the latter half of the first round, an area where most teams try to trade OUT of, don't get angry you apparently don't understand how the NBA works. The talent at the end of the first round falls off, and there's few players worth the guaranteed contracts you have to give them to draft them in that range. And I've never even heard of the guy, I do a quick look up, and of course he's from an NC college. Jesus Christ, do you people realize that there are college players that exist outside of North Carolina?
And Nick, the reason why they think Wallace is expendable because he, along with quite a few of our other players, experienced a drop-off with Felton as our PG, so they like to use him as a scapegoat for why Felton isn't Chris Paul. They blamed Bernie and Knight years ago, now they're blaming Okafor and Wallace, and Vincent (to their credit, they got that one right at least).
Posted by: Will | Jun 12, 2008 6:44:01 PM
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