CB Draft '09 Mock Press Conference: Southwest Division

[johnnyrondo]

NO, when Kobe has Butler and Odom, all he could accomplish is sneaking into the playoffs and losing in the 1st round.


This caused him to turn on teammates.  Talk about leaving the Lakers.  If not for the ineptitude of Chris Wallace giving him Odom, he probably would not be in LA.


How is your team better then that?   And how do you keep Kobe from demanding a trade?

Haha...at first when I read that I thought you were very strongly disagreeing with him. Like "What did the Hornets do to WD? He's angry."

If I add periods after the N and the O, would that help.    

Well it would save me thirty seconds of speculation if nothing else.

IP ask him to fix the Odom/Gasol mistake now. I wish Wallace had been Miami's GM at that time

[Roy Hobbs]

New Orleans:

1) Your starting SF and PF averaged a combined 13.9 points and 6.8 rebounds last season.  Are you worried about your production from these two positions?

2) Russell Westbrook was the worst starting point guard in the NBA in terms of jump shooting last season.  His strength seems to be distributing the ball, and getting to the basket.  How will he play next to Kobe, a guy who usually has the ball in his hands?

3) BBD commented yesterday that he's concentrating on increasing his three point range.  Do you see BBD more as a jump shooter, or as an interior player?

[Roy Hobbs]

ATTENTION CBNBA GENERAL MANAGERS

PLEASE POST YOUR ROSTERS IN THE CB DRAFT '09 SIMULATED SEASON PLANS THREAD ALONG WITH THE REAL NBA TEAMS THOSE PLAYERS ARE ON... FOLLOW THE FORMAT PRESENTED BY ROY IN THE FIRST POST OF THE THREAD.

THANK YOU.

3 down, 27 to go.

Here's a link to the thread:

http://forums.celticsblog.com/index.php?topic=31113.0

[RebusRankin]

NO are you worried about Davis being undersized? About teams focusing solely on stopping Kobe? Do you have the bigs to match up with other teams in the West like Portland, Houston, Phoenix, GS, Buffalo or Utah?

[wdleehi]

NO, when Kobe has Butler and Odom, all he could accomplish is sneaking into the playoffs and losing in the 1st round.


This caused him to turn on teammates.  Talk about leaving the Lakers.  If not for the ineptitude of Chris Wallace giving him Odom, he probably would not be in LA.


How is your team better then that?   And how do you keep Kobe from demanding a trade?

Haha...at first when I read that I thought you were very strongly disagreeing with him. Like "What did the Hornets do to WD? He's angry."

If I add periods after the N and the O, would that help.    

Well it would save me thirty seconds of speculation if nothing else.

IP ask him to fix the Odom/Gasol mistake now. I wish Wallace had been Miami's GM at that time

fine.  I fixed that to.   

[indeedproceed]

How do you guys see the Southwest?

Anyone ready to post rankings?

So far we've got 3 out of 5 right?

Actually where is Houston and San An. I woulda thought ZBigAl and WW would be all over this.

[The Walker Wiggle]

The HOUSTON ROCKETS

Outlook
Why we win? The only team in the league to start three Top 30 scorers. (All in their prime.) A highly efficient offense with too many options to double, and great passers on the wings to hurt you for trying. A Top 5 big man, a dominant 2, and one of the league's fastest point guards. A pair of could-be starters coming off the bench. Hungry players, few distractions. Balance and chemistry. Fantastic length. Versatility at all five positions.

Houston will score more baskets in transition and get more trips to the line, and as a consequence will come out ahead most nights.

And we're underrated so you didn't even see it coming.

Roster
PF: Chris Bosh/ DeJuan Blair/ Earl Clark
SF: Grant Hill/ Andres Nocioni/ DaJuan Summers
C: Anthony Randolph/ David Andersen/ Jonas Jerebko
SG: Joe Johnson/ Bobby Jackson/ Marcus Thornton
PG: Monta Ellis/ D.J. Augustin

IR: Leon Powe
Head Coach: Tom Thibodeau

Statistics

Player	Age	Height	Points	FG%	FT%	REB	AST	STL	BLK	3PM	Draft Position
Chris Bosh	25	6'10"	22.7	.487	.817	10.0	2.5	1.0	0.9	0.1	1st (11)
Joe Johnson	28	6'7"	21.4	.437	.826	4.4	5.8	1.1	0.2	1.9	2nd (1)
Monta Ellis	23	6'3"	19.0	.451	.830	4.3	3.7	1.6	0.3	0.3	2nd (30)
Anthony Randolph	20	6'11"	7.9	.462	.716	5.8	0.8	0.7	1.2	0.0	5th (11)
Grant Hill	36	6'8"	12.0	.523	.808	4.9	2.3	1.1	0.7	0.3	6th (1)
Andres Nocioni	29	6'7"	11.4	.427	.792	4.8	1.3	0.5	0.4	1.6	6th (20)
D.J. Augustin	21	5'11"	11.8	.430	.893	3.5	1.8	0.6	0.0	1.5	7th (4)
Earl Clark	21	6'9"	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	8th (20)
DeJuan Blair	20	6'7"	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	9th (11)
David Andersen	29	6'11"	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	10th (12)
Marcus Thornton	22	6'4"	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	10th (20)
Leon Powe	25	6'8"	7.7	.524	.689	4.9	0.7	0.3	0.5	0.0	11th (11)
Bobby Jackson	36	6'1"	7.5	.398	.851	2.0	2.8	0.9	0.1	0.8	12th (20)
DaJuan Summers	21	6'8"	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	13th (11)
Jonas Jerebko	22	6'10"	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	14th (20)

Breakdown

Chris Bosh Every down and out fan base inserts his name into their future rebuilding plans.

3rd in FTM, 6th in Rebounding, 9th in Scoring.

One of only two players to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds last season, the other being Dwight Howard. And while Bosh can't guard Howard, Howard can't guard Bosh either - 24 and 13 on 53% shooting in four games against Orlando last season.

"His bread-and-butter is the combination of an ability to draw fouls with the ability to hit free throws."

"He always seems to find himself in the right place at the right time."

[Rondo2287]

Question For Houston:  Any concerns about having 6 rookies on your team while trying to win now?

[RebusRankin]

Any worries about Anthony Randolph at center? That Ellis is more of a sg than a pg?

[bdm860]

Walker Wiggle, Bosh, Johnson, and Ellis are all the number 1 scoring options on their teams.  So who's the first on your team, and who's 3rd.  And if you need a last second shot, who's the play for?

[BigAlTheFuture]

The San Antoino Spurs

Depth Chart:

PG: Derrick Rose/Jarrett Jack/Salim Stoudamire
SG: Richard Hamilton/Willie Green
SF: Matt Barnes/Andrei Kirilienko/Matt Harping
PF: Lamar Odom/Etan Thomas/Shelden Williams
C: Chris Wilcox/Reggie Evans/DeAndre Jordan


Starting Five:

PG: Derrick Rose (16.8 PPG, 6.3 APG, 3.9 RPG)
SG: Richard Hamilton (18.3 PPG, 4.4 APG, 3.1 RPG)
SF: Matt Barnes (10.2 PPG, 2.8 APG, 5.5 RPG)
PF: Lamar Odom (11.3 PPG, 2.6 APG, 8.2 RPG)
C: Chris Wilcox (7.2 PPG, 0.8 APG, 4.5 RPG)

Bench:

SF/PF, 6th man - Andrei Kirilienko
PG, 7th man - Jarret Jack
SG, 8th man - Willie Green
PF/C, First big off the bench - Reggie Evans
Shelden Williams
Etan Thomas
Salim Stoudamire
Matt Harping
DeAndre Jordan

9 man rotation

Derrick Rose, Jarrett Jack
Richard Hamilton, Willie Green
Matt Barnes, Andrei Kirilenko
Lamar Odom, Reggie Evans
Chris Wilcox, Reggie Evans


Draft Strategy:
After trading my 25th pick to move up to the 16th pick in the draft. I picked who I thought was the best player available at the time and that player was Derrick Rose. He is going to be a superstar point guard in the league for years to come.

With my next couple of picks, I selected young players to surround Rose. OJ Mayo, Al Thornton, and Luis Scola being three of them. I then traded Mayo for 3 players because I needed depth and the picks I had left just wouldn't give me good enough role players to win. I sent out Mayo for Rip Hamilton, Jarrett Jack, and Matt Barnes. I was extremely happy with the trade because I picked up an excellent scorer and two great role players.

I wanted to build a win-now team around a young point guard and I think I did a pretty good job and am happy of how my team turned out.

Strengths:
Role players
Scoring
Experience
Passing
Depth

Weaknesses:
Rebounding
Size


Best move: Trading O.J Mayo for Hamilton, Jack, and Barnes. I didn't think Mayo and Rose combo would have done well. Hamilton is a much better fit.


Outlook: I think we are definitely a playoff team. We should make it deep in the playoffs, in my opinion. Derrick Rose would only get better and I see him being a top 3 point guard in the league in two years.

[GaBerkowitz]

New Orleans:

1) Your starting SF and PF averaged a combined 13.9 points and 6.8 rebounds last season.  Are you worried about your production from these two positions?

2) Russell Westbrook was the worst starting point guard in the NBA in terms of jump shooting last season.  His strength seems to be distributing the ball, and getting to the basket.  How will he play next to Kobe, a guy who usually has the ball in his hands?

3) BBD commented yesterday that he's concentrating on increasing his three point range.  Do you see BBD more as a jump shooter, or as an interior player?

1) I am worried to an extent.  However I think with increased playing time (like in the playoffs) Davis can greatly improve upon his numbers, and get to the 12-15 points per game range.  Radman is a little bit more of a concern.  I have him out there  as a starter to stretch the defense.  However I imagine Larry Hughes will play some crunch time minutes, in order to alleviate the scoring burden off of Kobe

2) Unlike speed, athleticism, and height, jump shooting is something that can be improved upon from one year to the next.  I expect Westbrook to get better in this area, and also think that having another drive and dish option is a good thing.

3) I see Big Baby being a a big with the potential to consistently knock down the mid-range jumper.  Not really looking for much in terms of 3PT shooting from him, however I do think that his and Noah's offensive games complement each other well.

[The Walker Wiggle]

Temporary technical difficulties. Internet has been in and out all day.

And no chance I can manage this on the iPhone.

Sowy. But will be back ASAP, looking forward to getting into it.

[GaBerkowitz]

NO are you worried about Davis being undersized? About teams focusing solely on stopping Kobe? Do you have the bigs to match up with other teams in the West like Portland, Houston, Phoenix, GS, Buffalo or Utah?

I do to an extent.  While he is undersized, Noah is capable in the middle, also I think that when Devean George plays he is capable of being a power 3 type player that can help with rebounding.

Size is not the strength of the team in all honesty.  However i think with Noah & Big Baby I have two guys who work very hard.  Also, I like Ryan Hollins potential as a big off the bench. I am aware the guy hasn't proven much in the past, however i think he does have some potential, and have liked him when ive seen him in the past.

[indeedproceed]

NO are you worried about Davis being undersized? About teams focusing solely on stopping Kobe? Do you have the bigs to match up with other teams in the West like Portland, Houston, Phoenix, GS, Buffalo or Utah?

I do to an extent.  While he is undersized, Noah is capable in the middle, also I think that when Devean George plays he is capable of being a power 3 type player that can help with rebounding.

Size is not the strength of the team in all honesty.  However i think with Noah & Big Baby I have two guys who work very hard.  Also, I like Ryan Hollins potential as a big off the bench. I am aware the guy hasn't proven much in the past, however i think he does have some potential, and have liked him when ive seen him in the past.

Who just signed Ryan Hollins? Minnesota? Whoever it was, I remember thinking "they don't have a starting center, they must really liek Ryan Hollins"