So it's official. The four juniors are going to leave. I was going to write a piece on this sooner, but it was mainly going to be about how good Corey Brewer is, and Bill Simmons beat me to the punch. http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/page2/blog/entry?id=2824207&searchName=simmons
I like how Simmons always tries to soiund smart, but shows off his own ignorance in the process. For instance, he talks about how Julian Wright disappeared in his final two games, and how he needs to go back to school. First of all, he already said he was going back to school, he promised his parents he'd graduate, and he is getting his degree in three years, and second of all, he didn't do well against UCLA or SIU, both great defensive schools.
Simmons does this a lot (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/070405&sportCat=mlb). In this piece, he says the difference between the Red Sox and the Royals are that the Sox pay $104 million for a #3 starter, whereas the Royals give a anxiety disorder guy another chance. First of all, Matsuzaka isn't really a number 3 starter. He's their best starting pitcher already. Second of all, Greinke is a great prospect. Before the disorder, he was going to be their number one starter at a very young age. He is good enough to be on the Red Sox or Yankees roster, easily. Anyways, Simmons is just one of many writers who you like at first, then become more and more annoyed with, though I think the Red Sox becoming the new Yankees, and the Pats winning 3 SB makes him more annoying.
Anyways, of interest in his piece was the fact that Noah is 22 already. This lowers his stock drastically in my mind. The Final Four was a great stock-rasier for Brewer. I knew he was a great defender, and a pretty good slasher, but after the Final Four, everyone saw that he can shoot really well, and is pretty good at handling the ball, like a point forward. So what he seems like, is a Rashard Lewis, who can play great defense.
NBA Draft Rankings:
1. Greg Oden
His only weakness was offense and intensity, and he proved that he could do that and provide shut-down defense in the process, while going against 4 future NBA forwards.
2. Kevin Durant
I don't know why the Oden/Durant discussion is such a big topic, if you don't get Oden, you get an amazing player in Durant. Who would you rather have, Bill Russell with more offense, or a mix between McGrady and Kevin Garnett?
3. Corey Brewer
From barely lottery, to 3 overall? Definitely. Rashard Lewis with excellent defense? Yes please, sign me up. I was hoping the Sonics could get him, but he might have raised his stock too high. He's a great fit for when Rashard Lewis leaves, and he would help some of our defensive problems.
4. Al Horford
Not quite as good as Elton Brand, but he is 2 inches taller. He looks to be good, and if you saw him in the Purdue game, he was dominant and unstoppable. He has more offensive moves than you'd think.
5. Yi Jianlian
More on him later, but this kid can play. His "flaws" are the he isn't too strong, he can't shoot threes well, and he is a little sloppy fundamentally. I don't know, after watching tons of videos on him, I can seem being KG-lite. He's quick, tall, good dunker, fairly good all-around offensively. Of course he could be 23 already, but he could be only 20. Assuming his parents were married in 1985, and didn't conceive yet, he is probably 22 or 21. Which means to me that he is pretty damn good. He played pretty well against Team USA last time, and he has all the lookings of a future all-star.
6. Acie Law IV
I don't know why he's rated so low. He plays pretty good defense, he is a great distributor, great teammate, good shooter, and great hustler. I'd love to have him on my team. He's like Steve Nash, good passer until the end, he takes over and shoots a lot and makes a lot of clutch shots.
7. Jeff Green
Sure he disappeared in the last game, but he can be a great player, and has great all-around game. Many people liken him to Brandon Roy, and I think this is an accurate comparison.
8. Brandan Wright
I'm not too high on him. I don't know why everyone loves a 6'9" 220 pound PF with a big wingspan. I'd actually probably draft him earlier, but I'm knocking him down for now.
9. Spencer Hawes
Better than Noah. He is a great passer, great shot-blocker, and he has an array of offensive moves that makes you think wow. Sure he's not that athletic, but I think he'll be a solid center, especially if he lifts a bit more.
10. Thaddeus Young
I've heard about him for years. I think he'll be pretty good, but I'd rather be sure if he came back for another year. 6-8, super smart, and really athletic, so he looks like a good prospect.
11. Al Thornton
I love this guy, another super athletic 6'7" small forward. He had dominant numbers, he can score in myriad ways, and he is a good rebounder too. I'm not sure if he's as athletic as Marion, but he is not a bad comparison.
12. Marcus Williams
He took over games at times, and will be a great SF as well. I like this guy, and I think his numbers could have been a lot better if he had chose to be more of a ball hog, or if he was on another team.
13. Roy Hibbert
I think he's a big stiff. He'll be good for rebounds because of his size, and he gets a ton of blocks, but he's not too athletic. He's good because 7'2" guys are hard to come by, and his offensive skills are better than I though, but I can't get forget about his lack of athleticism.
14. Joakim Noah
He's 6'11" and can pass, block and rebound, so he's not that bad. But he couldn't guard Oden at all. I think he's lost his luster because his main attribute now is his "fire for the game".
Left off the list:
I don't think Conley Jr. is going to the NBA. He' d be at around 10 if he was. He needs to work on shooting, otherwise he's just going to be Andre Miller or TJ Ford. He could be a Chris Paul, and that's a pretty big difference.
I was once low on Josh McRoberts, but he actually performed pretty well last year. He will be a solid 3rd player, and he still has upside, so who knows, he could be good eventually. I wouldn't mind trading down and getting him, if we needed a pf, which we don't.
Nick Young is just on the cusp. I think he can be pretty good. He's a great all around player, and perhaps the best scorer in the Pac-10. I might put him higher later, but I'm not sure how athletic he is.
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Dice-K off to a great start
Dice-K pitched 7 innings, allowed 6 hits, one walk, and one earned run on a homer and collected 10 k's. He mixed his 94 mph fastball with an assortment of breaking balls and offspeed pitches, worked his way out of a jam when he had to, and seemed to pick up speed as the game went along.
Some people may say that it's not too impressive, considering it was just the Royals, but the Royals aren't too bad. Dejesus is a great young prospect who should be like Coco Crisp (with the Indians), Esteban German hit 300 with a 400 obp in 100 games last year, and Teahen, Brown, Gordon, and Shealy are all great young hitters.
Anyways, I was being a little hesitant about Dice-K before, but this start confirms my thoughts that after Santana, he'll probably be the best pitcher in the league. He's experienced, he's new to the league so batters don't know his tendencies or pitches as well, and he has a great fastball mixed with good command and great secondary positions. His change up is great, and his slider/curve has great movement on it, practicably unhittable. He has 4 plus pitches is unheard of, and I think he'll win a few Cy Youngs when all is said and done.
Some people may say that it's not too impressive, considering it was just the Royals, but the Royals aren't too bad. Dejesus is a great young prospect who should be like Coco Crisp (with the Indians), Esteban German hit 300 with a 400 obp in 100 games last year, and Teahen, Brown, Gordon, and Shealy are all great young hitters.
Anyways, I was being a little hesitant about Dice-K before, but this start confirms my thoughts that after Santana, he'll probably be the best pitcher in the league. He's experienced, he's new to the league so batters don't know his tendencies or pitches as well, and he has a great fastball mixed with good command and great secondary positions. His change up is great, and his slider/curve has great movement on it, practicably unhittable. He has 4 plus pitches is unheard of, and I think he'll win a few Cy Youngs when all is said and done.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
WNBA draft
WNBA draft is going on right now, and I know most people don't care, and I don't really either.
As expected, Lindsey Harding of Duke went first, but she was then traded to Minnesota for the fourth pick and other considerations. Anyways, the Storm had the 7th pick, and with it, we chose Katie Gearlds of Purdue. As she walked up to the podium, I thought she was a man with long hair, but nope, she was a woman. Anyways, she averages about 19 points 3 assists, 4 rebounds on 46% shooting and 39% 3-point shooting. I'm not sure what the shooting means, because despite using a smaller ball and having a closer three line, women still manage to shoot worse. What I do know however is that the Storm have the best PGs and one of the best PFs in the league. The Storm also have a pretty good SG in Betty Lennox whow as the Finals MVP when the Storm won the title and a decent C in Jannell Burse (Who's 6-5). Which means, yes, we need a SF because our lineup is 5-9, 5-8, 6-5, and 6-5 without their SF. So we drafted Gearlds, a 6-1 SF who shoots fairly well on threes. Nothing to complaing about right? Wrong. Even if you know almost nothing about women's basketball, I'm sure you've heard of Allison Bales or Ivory Latta from Duke and UNC respectively. Anyways, they were both still available, and subsequently taken with the 9th and 11th picks. Sure, our strongest positions are Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson, but if we had Bales, Jackson could focus more on offense, leaving Bales, a great rebounder and excellent shot blocker to be the defensive stopper, sort of like David Robinson and Tim Duncan. Same with Latta and Bird, Bird is a phenomal scorer, and having Latta there to distribute more and guard the opposing team's PG would free up Bird to take over at the end of the games more often and be less tired. I hope that Gearlds works out, but I hope that this isn't a Need pick in the make of Sam Bowie over Jordan because we already have a Drexler type pick.
As expected, Lindsey Harding of Duke went first, but she was then traded to Minnesota for the fourth pick and other considerations. Anyways, the Storm had the 7th pick, and with it, we chose Katie Gearlds of Purdue. As she walked up to the podium, I thought she was a man with long hair, but nope, she was a woman. Anyways, she averages about 19 points 3 assists, 4 rebounds on 46% shooting and 39% 3-point shooting. I'm not sure what the shooting means, because despite using a smaller ball and having a closer three line, women still manage to shoot worse. What I do know however is that the Storm have the best PGs and one of the best PFs in the league. The Storm also have a pretty good SG in Betty Lennox whow as the Finals MVP when the Storm won the title and a decent C in Jannell Burse (Who's 6-5). Which means, yes, we need a SF because our lineup is 5-9, 5-8, 6-5, and 6-5 without their SF. So we drafted Gearlds, a 6-1 SF who shoots fairly well on threes. Nothing to complaing about right? Wrong. Even if you know almost nothing about women's basketball, I'm sure you've heard of Allison Bales or Ivory Latta from Duke and UNC respectively. Anyways, they were both still available, and subsequently taken with the 9th and 11th picks. Sure, our strongest positions are Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson, but if we had Bales, Jackson could focus more on offense, leaving Bales, a great rebounder and excellent shot blocker to be the defensive stopper, sort of like David Robinson and Tim Duncan. Same with Latta and Bird, Bird is a phenomal scorer, and having Latta there to distribute more and guard the opposing team's PG would free up Bird to take over at the end of the games more often and be less tired. I hope that Gearlds works out, but I hope that this isn't a Need pick in the make of Sam Bowie over Jordan because we already have a Drexler type pick.
Monday, April 2, 2007
Mariners win home opener
Felix looked absolutely dominating. Our offense wasn't awesome, but the umpire was calling balls a foot out of the zone strikes, so it's hard to get the offense going. The A's made some bonehead plays on defense to help us win, and Sexson hit what looked like a fly out over the center field wall, showing off his muscles in the process.
Best news of all, Hernandez went 8 innings with 12 K's 2BBs and 3 hits, with a 14 GB to 1 FB ratio in a Cy-Young performance. None of our hitters looked like all-stars, but we had some good at bats and a few hard hits. Overall, a good feel to what could be a season of destiny.
Best news of all, Hernandez went 8 innings with 12 K's 2BBs and 3 hits, with a 14 GB to 1 FB ratio in a Cy-Young performance. None of our hitters looked like all-stars, but we had some good at bats and a few hard hits. Overall, a good feel to what could be a season of destiny.
Sunday, April 1, 2007
Final Four down to 2
So, the Final Two is just as I predicted, Florida and Ohio State. If I were an Ohio State fan, I might hope that Oden and Conley suck it up and the lose, so next year they will both come back with the addition of their 7 foot McDonald's All-American freshman. If OSU wins, I'm thinking that both of them leave and sign with Mike Conley Sr. Florida should win this game though, since Oden should have trouble with a poor-man's Garnett and Elton Brand (Noah and Horford). Of course, OSU showed against GTown that they didn't need Oden to win. Despite all the big names, this game might be decided more by the swingmen and the shooters. Butler and Lewis for OSU, and Green and Humphrey for Florida should have more of an impact then they realize. I never can tell if these guys make it easier down low for Oden, Noah, and Horford, or if the shooterse make it easier for the guys down low. Anyways, I picked Florida at the beginning of the tournament, and I'm sticking to it.
Lets have a recap of Saturday nights Games though.
Roy Hibbert did not dominate as much as he should have. I didn't think he'd do that well against Oden because I believe Oden is Bill Russell incarnate with 2 inches of height, and more offensive skill, but when Oden got 2 quick fouls, I felt that while Hibbert did get a lot of easy buckets, he could have got more. They should have made it more of an effort to give him the ball. Do you think 6-8 Twilliger or 6-9 Hunter would do anything against a guy who's 7-2? Green, the Big East player of the year, and likely top 10 pick, had 9 points on 5 shots, which is great if you're a role player, but for a star player, I want him taking at least 15 shots. Another problem with Georgetown is that while Wallace played well, Summers stunk up the place, and the bench provided 0 points. I've heard talks that both Hibbert and Green might return, and while I don't know if either of them will need it because they'll be drafted at the 8th and 12th picks right now, I can see how the allure of one more year of college ball for a prestigious degree at Georgetown University might be enticing. Georgetown's stars might also want to come back to "prove something", because they just seemed to play half-hearted. I think the fact that they were down at half with Oden having played very little made them believe that they had no shot. Whatever the case was, I would just go to the NBA for both of them, but staying would be cool too, no wrong choice here. If Green stays, I'd try to be more assertive at the end of games like Law was, and if Hibbert stays, I'd try to beef up a bit so I don't have to wear a silly t-shirt.
For the Florida game, I knew from the beginning that UCLA was going to lose. UCLA is the type of team that will have trouble against teams with 2 good big men (Washington, UNC, Florida), and it showed early. Having Afflalo get two quick cheap fouls didn't help out at all either. Florida only won by 10, but it seemed like a whole lot more. Chris Richard, a big man any team would love to have starting for them except for maybe UNC and of course Florida, was 7 for 7 with 16 points off the bench. Mbah a Moute, UCLA's best "big man" on the other hand fouled out in just 19 minutes of play. I don't want to blame the refs, but the calls did seem a bit one sided. I mean, how do 2 of your 4 best players foul out in 19 and 22 minutes combined? Of course it probably wouldn't have mattered. Noah and Horford with their 28 rebounds outrebounded UCLA by 3 as it is, and Brewer made 4 of 5 from 3 land to complement Humphrie's 4 for 8 and make up for Green's 1 for 7.
Anyways, Monday's game should be exciting, but I might miss tipoff because the M's game might overlap, and who wouldn't want to see Felix dominate opening day against the hated A's (hated only because their management is so much better than ours, and because they smoked us last year head to head and record comparison)
Lets have a recap of Saturday nights Games though.
Roy Hibbert did not dominate as much as he should have. I didn't think he'd do that well against Oden because I believe Oden is Bill Russell incarnate with 2 inches of height, and more offensive skill, but when Oden got 2 quick fouls, I felt that while Hibbert did get a lot of easy buckets, he could have got more. They should have made it more of an effort to give him the ball. Do you think 6-8 Twilliger or 6-9 Hunter would do anything against a guy who's 7-2? Green, the Big East player of the year, and likely top 10 pick, had 9 points on 5 shots, which is great if you're a role player, but for a star player, I want him taking at least 15 shots. Another problem with Georgetown is that while Wallace played well, Summers stunk up the place, and the bench provided 0 points. I've heard talks that both Hibbert and Green might return, and while I don't know if either of them will need it because they'll be drafted at the 8th and 12th picks right now, I can see how the allure of one more year of college ball for a prestigious degree at Georgetown University might be enticing. Georgetown's stars might also want to come back to "prove something", because they just seemed to play half-hearted. I think the fact that they were down at half with Oden having played very little made them believe that they had no shot. Whatever the case was, I would just go to the NBA for both of them, but staying would be cool too, no wrong choice here. If Green stays, I'd try to be more assertive at the end of games like Law was, and if Hibbert stays, I'd try to beef up a bit so I don't have to wear a silly t-shirt.
For the Florida game, I knew from the beginning that UCLA was going to lose. UCLA is the type of team that will have trouble against teams with 2 good big men (Washington, UNC, Florida), and it showed early. Having Afflalo get two quick cheap fouls didn't help out at all either. Florida only won by 10, but it seemed like a whole lot more. Chris Richard, a big man any team would love to have starting for them except for maybe UNC and of course Florida, was 7 for 7 with 16 points off the bench. Mbah a Moute, UCLA's best "big man" on the other hand fouled out in just 19 minutes of play. I don't want to blame the refs, but the calls did seem a bit one sided. I mean, how do 2 of your 4 best players foul out in 19 and 22 minutes combined? Of course it probably wouldn't have mattered. Noah and Horford with their 28 rebounds outrebounded UCLA by 3 as it is, and Brewer made 4 of 5 from 3 land to complement Humphrie's 4 for 8 and make up for Green's 1 for 7.
Anyways, Monday's game should be exciting, but I might miss tipoff because the M's game might overlap, and who wouldn't want to see Felix dominate opening day against the hated A's (hated only because their management is so much better than ours, and because they smoked us last year head to head and record comparison)
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