Phenomanul
06-29-2005, 03:20 PM
Another long email from my college buddy....
I watched the first round of the draft and the first 3 picks of the second b4 I gave in to fatigue. As a note, Phil said "I was wrong" in a past e-mail and didn't clarify. If he was talking about the finals, I picked the Spurs at the beginning of the season and made a reference to the Pistons if they wore a title belt (the World Heavyweight Title that Batista is holding specifically) while the Undertaker theme music was going, I'd root for'em. Since nobody did, I stuck with the Spurs. I was wrong about the # of games and who'd win when. I got 1-3 right and after that all hell broke loose. I say all this because the NBA draft is my latest attempt to be a basketball Nostradamus. I think I miffed for the most part because I underestimated the Chicago Bulls effect. Basically take winners and experience over youth and Euro. The foreigners went in the second for the most part. I know that probably made Stern a happy camper.
Holy #@^$:
Milwaukee: They made the smart choice. Now resign Redd reasonably.
Utah: Best fit PG for that team. Utah is a slow-down, defensive team and he's a care-taker PG. The second round was just icing on the cake, taking a 2 and a big.
NO: Another good-fit pick. Paul is a runner-gunner PG for a young, athletic team. They'll lose alot, but they'll be entertaining doing it. They also took the obligatory homer pick Bass who's an undersized 4 to play with David West..who's an...undersized...4...yeah.
CHA: Probably got away with a 211 here. Felton is a fave of mine because of his dynamic nature. Should help Okafor's numbers to have a passing PG who can get folks lay-ups. Then...they got May. Yikes! I'm thinking about calling the police because they robbed this draft of talent! Great job.
NY: There was no way Isiah could have blown this. OK, maybe he could. But he did get his shotblocker/rebounder in Frye and Lee was a sweet pick at 30. Then...finally acquired Q and got Nate Robinson! Now get a good coach damnit!
GS: Only because I like Diogu so much. Unfortunately, he's a 4 and GS has a few of those already. If Troy Murphy'll play 5, then this is a potent pick!
Min: I'm no fan of McCants, but could he be any luckier? He falls to a playoff team that's losing at least 1 swing (Spree). All he has to do is shut up and play. Might be too much to ask.
Ind: WTF!!! Granger falls into Indy's lap???? Ron who? There'll be some teams that'll regret letting him slip this far. And he sings too!
Bos: Green's nosedive was faster than a speeding bullet. It's a nice pick, but I don't see how he fits Boston's team as constructed. Neither does Gomes, but he's also a sweet pick. Look for some trades in the near future.
Mem: They only got one pick like Indy, and like Indy, got a gift from the heavens (thanks to bad GMing). Hakim should have went to NJ IMO, but we'll take him!!! Stro who?
Den: WOW! Julius Hodge (Harlem baby) will shine off the pine for this team. They had Jack but dealt him to Por (which would have put Por as a winner, but you'll see why I don't like it). He's not the long-term solution at the 2, but he's a Detroit-type of player, mentally tough.
Sac: Franny Garcia!!! DAMN!! There are a lot of winner can't you tell? Perfect fit for the Kings as they needed guard depth and he's as solid as there is. I loved watching him play b/c even when he had bad shooting games, he still racked up steals, assists, and boards.
Hou: Luther Head went a little high, but this team needs floor balancing and he's a shooter/scorer. Solid pick here.
Eh:
Detroit: Maxiell is a raw athlete with freakishly long arms, but I think they needed to add guard depth (they still don't play DARKO). Then they draft another PF. Joe D is still on the "I can't argue with his logic" pass so I won't.
Miami: Wayne Simien is good. That's it. They didn't blow this pick, but they didn't find a diamond in the rough either.
San An: As usual, we have to wait and see. The San An braintrust also gets a "I can't argue with the logic" pass so I won't.
Por: Ok...Martell Webster better be much better than the game tapes I've seen. He looks very slow. There were just-as-ggod shooters who are faster than he is. Then they take a PG who will be a starter and put him behind a HS PG. Not necessarily bad, not necessarily great.
WTF:
Toronto: Charlie Villanueva????? Uhhh...so much for Toronto being on their way up. Joey Graham doesn't fit either. They need a PG, they get Roko Ukic. Theoretically, he's good. But they could have had Jack who will be good. They better make a few trades.
LAL: Uhhh...they are trying to get back into the playoffs...so they draft a HS center with more facial fat than Chris Berman. Makes perfect sense. Then they get territorial prospect Ronny Turiaf. Uhhh...ok.
LAC: They get a skinny Russian??? Danny Ewing might save this draft year for them, but I mean DAYUM! You need a 2, so you draft a project. Good job, Elgin.
NJ: Uhhh...you guys need athletic 4s to run with. So you draft a 6'7" 2/3. Sounds solid to me. Then you draft slow, lumbering Eurosize. At least you have Jason Collins!!
Sea: Well...I guess Jerome James is out of Seattle. In comes bone-thin Petro. He's young!! So what. This team's about to lose half their roster. They should get guys that will keep them competitive.
Orl: OK, I understand you draft big when you don't know what you want. Do you trade for big too???? You already have your 4 of the future. Get a guard to compliment Hill and Francis. Instead, Brian Hill gets to work with projects down low. Yikes...
ATL: OK, folks may say what am I thinking here. Marvin Williams has the best upside...blah blah blah. Last I checked, they have Al Harrington and Josh squared in the same slot. You have needs everywhere. They should have traded down or taken a PG. Instead, they get Salim Stoudamire...a solid shooter who looks higher than his cousin. Well...uhhh....yeah.
Cle: Somehow, they weren't even in the draft and blew it. They essentially traded this year's first round pick to Boston for a second round pick from wherever. And took some random replacement for Z. Good job guys.
PHX: Dijon Thompson is ok. They needed more depth though. I understand they are trying to sink their dollars to resign Amare and JJ, but they have Bird rights to both players and eventually, you're gonna hafta either tip or go over the cap (unless you're DET or San An). This was a chance to get depth, but they traded their second rounder. Oh well...
Phi: Another 6'1" 2 guard? That's smart. You have 1 pick. A second rounder. Doesn't mean you can blow it and nobody notices. It'll be interesting to see 5'10" AI and 6'1" Williams as a backcourt. They better press or get ready to get posted.
Not featured: Dal, Chi.
I watched the first round of the draft and the first 3 picks of the second b4 I gave in to fatigue. As a note, Phil said "I was wrong" in a past e-mail and didn't clarify. If he was talking about the finals, I picked the Spurs at the beginning of the season and made a reference to the Pistons if they wore a title belt (the World Heavyweight Title that Batista is holding specifically) while the Undertaker theme music was going, I'd root for'em. Since nobody did, I stuck with the Spurs. I was wrong about the # of games and who'd win when. I got 1-3 right and after that all hell broke loose. I say all this because the NBA draft is my latest attempt to be a basketball Nostradamus. I think I miffed for the most part because I underestimated the Chicago Bulls effect. Basically take winners and experience over youth and Euro. The foreigners went in the second for the most part. I know that probably made Stern a happy camper.
Holy #@^$:
Milwaukee: They made the smart choice. Now resign Redd reasonably.
Utah: Best fit PG for that team. Utah is a slow-down, defensive team and he's a care-taker PG. The second round was just icing on the cake, taking a 2 and a big.
NO: Another good-fit pick. Paul is a runner-gunner PG for a young, athletic team. They'll lose alot, but they'll be entertaining doing it. They also took the obligatory homer pick Bass who's an undersized 4 to play with David West..who's an...undersized...4...yeah.
CHA: Probably got away with a 211 here. Felton is a fave of mine because of his dynamic nature. Should help Okafor's numbers to have a passing PG who can get folks lay-ups. Then...they got May. Yikes! I'm thinking about calling the police because they robbed this draft of talent! Great job.
NY: There was no way Isiah could have blown this. OK, maybe he could. But he did get his shotblocker/rebounder in Frye and Lee was a sweet pick at 30. Then...finally acquired Q and got Nate Robinson! Now get a good coach damnit!
GS: Only because I like Diogu so much. Unfortunately, he's a 4 and GS has a few of those already. If Troy Murphy'll play 5, then this is a potent pick!
Min: I'm no fan of McCants, but could he be any luckier? He falls to a playoff team that's losing at least 1 swing (Spree). All he has to do is shut up and play. Might be too much to ask.
Ind: WTF!!! Granger falls into Indy's lap???? Ron who? There'll be some teams that'll regret letting him slip this far. And he sings too!
Bos: Green's nosedive was faster than a speeding bullet. It's a nice pick, but I don't see how he fits Boston's team as constructed. Neither does Gomes, but he's also a sweet pick. Look for some trades in the near future.
Mem: They only got one pick like Indy, and like Indy, got a gift from the heavens (thanks to bad GMing). Hakim should have went to NJ IMO, but we'll take him!!! Stro who?
Den: WOW! Julius Hodge (Harlem baby) will shine off the pine for this team. They had Jack but dealt him to Por (which would have put Por as a winner, but you'll see why I don't like it). He's not the long-term solution at the 2, but he's a Detroit-type of player, mentally tough.
Sac: Franny Garcia!!! DAMN!! There are a lot of winner can't you tell? Perfect fit for the Kings as they needed guard depth and he's as solid as there is. I loved watching him play b/c even when he had bad shooting games, he still racked up steals, assists, and boards.
Hou: Luther Head went a little high, but this team needs floor balancing and he's a shooter/scorer. Solid pick here.
Eh:
Detroit: Maxiell is a raw athlete with freakishly long arms, but I think they needed to add guard depth (they still don't play DARKO). Then they draft another PF. Joe D is still on the "I can't argue with his logic" pass so I won't.
Miami: Wayne Simien is good. That's it. They didn't blow this pick, but they didn't find a diamond in the rough either.
San An: As usual, we have to wait and see. The San An braintrust also gets a "I can't argue with the logic" pass so I won't.
Por: Ok...Martell Webster better be much better than the game tapes I've seen. He looks very slow. There were just-as-ggod shooters who are faster than he is. Then they take a PG who will be a starter and put him behind a HS PG. Not necessarily bad, not necessarily great.
WTF:
Toronto: Charlie Villanueva????? Uhhh...so much for Toronto being on their way up. Joey Graham doesn't fit either. They need a PG, they get Roko Ukic. Theoretically, he's good. But they could have had Jack who will be good. They better make a few trades.
LAL: Uhhh...they are trying to get back into the playoffs...so they draft a HS center with more facial fat than Chris Berman. Makes perfect sense. Then they get territorial prospect Ronny Turiaf. Uhhh...ok.
LAC: They get a skinny Russian??? Danny Ewing might save this draft year for them, but I mean DAYUM! You need a 2, so you draft a project. Good job, Elgin.
NJ: Uhhh...you guys need athletic 4s to run with. So you draft a 6'7" 2/3. Sounds solid to me. Then you draft slow, lumbering Eurosize. At least you have Jason Collins!!
Sea: Well...I guess Jerome James is out of Seattle. In comes bone-thin Petro. He's young!! So what. This team's about to lose half their roster. They should get guys that will keep them competitive.
Orl: OK, I understand you draft big when you don't know what you want. Do you trade for big too???? You already have your 4 of the future. Get a guard to compliment Hill and Francis. Instead, Brian Hill gets to work with projects down low. Yikes...
ATL: OK, folks may say what am I thinking here. Marvin Williams has the best upside...blah blah blah. Last I checked, they have Al Harrington and Josh squared in the same slot. You have needs everywhere. They should have traded down or taken a PG. Instead, they get Salim Stoudamire...a solid shooter who looks higher than his cousin. Well...uhhh....yeah.
Cle: Somehow, they weren't even in the draft and blew it. They essentially traded this year's first round pick to Boston for a second round pick from wherever. And took some random replacement for Z. Good job guys.
PHX: Dijon Thompson is ok. They needed more depth though. I understand they are trying to sink their dollars to resign Amare and JJ, but they have Bird rights to both players and eventually, you're gonna hafta either tip or go over the cap (unless you're DET or San An). This was a chance to get depth, but they traded their second rounder. Oh well...
Phi: Another 6'1" 2 guard? That's smart. You have 1 pick. A second rounder. Doesn't mean you can blow it and nobody notices. It'll be interesting to see 5'10" AI and 6'1" Williams as a backcourt. They better press or get ready to get posted.
Not featured: Dal, Chi.