CB Draft '09 Mock Press Conference: Southwest Division

[indeedproceed]

Nothing about that says he doesn't bring it hard. It just says he can be a jerk.

Robinson is a high-energy player best suited to a bench role. He's an aggressive offensive player who comes in firing, but occasionally does it to the detriment of the rest of the offense. Though he improved as a passer last season, his first, second and third instinct remains to shoot, and in spite of his small stature he's capable of rising up and finishing over much larger players.

Robinson's defense wasn't bad by the standards of the rest of the Knicks, and his quick leaping helps make up for his lack of height. He tends to overdo it pressuring the ball and picks up silly fouls -- his 3.95 fouls per 40 minutes were the 11th-worst among point guards. He takes charges and generally plays hard at that end, but loses concentration easily and needs better focus. That applies to his general demeanor as well -- his immaturity is an issue.

He can be immature and get me about 10 pts in 15 mins a night. We will revisit this I am sure. 4 hours, roy! Aren't you excited? I got my homework done on time for this one.

[indeedproceed]

I'm not saying he won't be a good player someday, I'm not saying he isn't an alright player now, but I don't buy him in your starting lineup. I think a more established center would change your whole team dynamic and make you a contender, but you're in a conference where you've got Tim Duncan, Shaq, Dwight Howard, Big Al, and Brad Miller amongst others. None of those teams have poor PF's (or C's in my case), so when the playoffs roll around, Randolph will have to show his chops against players who are stronger, craftier, and more experienced in these types of situations. Its a handicap this year, it could be a nuclear bomb for you (as in you bombing other people) 2 years from now. But this year, I don't like it.

I did rank you first in the conference though, so I wouldn't complain tooooo much.

[The Walker Wiggle]

4) Houston. Why we're better than Houston: People call our frontline wak, but really I hate the combination of Bosh and Randolph. Two face up fours has worked once for Toronto as they won the worst division in recent memory. Aside from that it's stunted both bosh and Bargnani's growth. I also do not think JJ and Monta mix well at all. Patrially because I don't think Monta is that good a player.

I do call your frontline "wak" all of the time.

Actually, I like Memphis 1 through 5 and although I'm doubtful Mo Williams is willing to move back to the bench at this point, he and Bargnani give you great options.

In my defense, I do want to know what sort of numbers you think Bosh would be putting up right now had his growth not been "stunted" by playing next to other face up 4s and 5s?

He's 6th in Rebounding (10 per) and 9th in Scoring (22.7), with good efficiency. And he's put up similar numbers reliably over the past four seasons. Do you imagine him as a Top 4 scorer or a 12 rpg man?! Either way, I still rate him as the second best big under 30, and wonder if you agree?

[The Walker Wiggle]

I did rank you first in the conference though, so I wouldn't complain tooooo much.

I already thanked you for that! Also I believe the words you originally used where "Marcus Banks" and "Gerald Green." 

But wait, I still haven't compared him statistically to a rookie David Robinson...

[indeedproceed]

I did rank you first in the conference though, so I wouldn't complain tooooo much.

I already thanked you for that! Also I believe the words you originally used where "Marcus Banks" and "Gerald Green." 

But wait, I still haven't compared him statistically to a rookie David Robinson...

Marcus Banks broke the record for scoring in a single game during summer league. It is a fairly wide comparison but its not like I was comparing apples to 97 dodge stratuses.

[The Walker Wiggle]

Ok, IP, this is where I get carried away!

Since the league started tracking blocked shots as a stat in 1973, there have been only a handful of rookies who have played at least 890 minutes (the same amount Randolph clocked heading into Friday’s game with the New Orleans Hornets) and put up per-minute averages as high or better than Randolph’s in terms of scoring (21.3 points per 48 minutes), rebounding (15.5) and blocks (3.6). And let’s just say the list puts Randolph in pretty good company.

In chronological order:

Hakeem Olajuwon (HOU, 1984-85, 27.9 points, 16.0 rebounds, 3.6 blocks per 48 minutes)
David Robinson (SAS, 1989-90, 31.9, 15.7, 5.1)
Shaquille O’Neal (ORL, 1992-93, 29.6, 17.5, 4.5)

That’s it.

...Despite any statistical resemblances, neither Olajuwon, with his peerless back-to-the-basket game, nor Shaq, a singular talent if ever there was one, looks anything like Randolph on the court. With Robinson, though, you can see a few similarities – both lefties, with great instincts on the offensive glass, decent range on the jumper (Robinson admittedly being more consistent) and tremendous athleticism that allows them to come from out of nowhere to block shots that should be all rights be baskets.

[indeedproceed]

lol...yes. You're getting carries away in a cloud of unabashed hype.

Did you know that coming into last season, Stpehon Marbury was the only player since Oscar Robertson to average 20 points and 8 assists over the course of his NBA career?

That said, I don't think they're getting his plaque ready in Springfield.

[KCattheStripe]

4) Houston. Why we're better than Houston: People call our frontline wak, but really I hate the combination of Bosh and Randolph. Two face up fours has worked once for Toronto as they won the worst division in recent memory. Aside from that it's stunted both bosh and Bargnani's growth. I also do not think JJ and Monta mix well at all. Patrially because I don't think Monta is that good a player.

I do call your frontline "wak" all of the time.

Actually, I like Memphis 1 through 5 and although I'm doubtful Mo Williams is willing to move back to the bench at this point, he and Bargnani give you great options.

In my defense, I do want to know what sort of numbers you think Bosh would be putting up right now had his growth not been "stunted" by playing next to other face up 4s and 5s?

He's 6th in Rebounding (10 per) and 9th in Scoring (22.7), with good efficiency. And he's put up similar numbers reliably over the past four seasons. Do you imagine him as a Top 4 scorer or a 12 rpg man?! Either way, I still rate him as the second best big under 30, and wonder if you agree?

Yes , yes and yes. I'm a big Bosh fan. But I think if he played with a guy who was strong on the post, He'd be an All NBA calibre PF scoring 25ish a game and 12ish boards.

[wdleehi]

Also, although I believe it's a fist fight in an underrated division (by Denver's GM in particular!), I don't see how my front court rotation keeps me from taking first place, not when three of my competitors are starting David Lee, Chris Wilcox, and Joakim Noah respectively. (I don't dismiss any of the players in question, and I'm particularly a fan of Lee, but they don't present troublesome mismatches for us.)

Lopez might, but thus far Bosh has out-scored and out-rebounded him handily. I expect Chris will press that advantage for at least one more season.

Outside of two players, who is a known quantity?


Grant Hill?  Love him.  Went to the high school next to my middle school.  But he is old.  He is a part time player.  Can he handle the minutes needed for your team?

Randolph?  Terrible defensively at C.  Not much better at PF.  Is he a player or another guy that just looks good in Nellie ball?  How are you going to stop the big men in your conference?  Duncan, Shaq, Howard. 



Your team is built on "I hope this player does this this year".  Not the winning formula for a team hoping to be a win now team. 

[The Walker Wiggle]

Grant Hill One of the best players of his generation

Ranked 16th in the NBA in FG% and 37th in Steals

In the midst of a late career resurgence, and now benefiting from having played only 47 games over a three season stretch in his prime. Played in all 82 games, averaging 12.0 points on 52% shooting, 4.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.1 steals.

He's still among the quickest forwards in the game, requiring defenders to play one or two steps off and dare him to shoot a midrange J, and he's still an excellent ball-handler and distributor for his size who comfortably operates as a point forward.

Uses his great experience and savvy to be effective in a variety of different ways, and rarely takes bad shots.

Finishes plays at the rim at an extremely high rate despite his lack of leaping ability. Shows great touch and works hard to get himself easy opportunities at the basket. Runs the floor well, and will knows what angles to attack to fearlessly get to the rim. Won’t be isolated that much in half court situations, but moves extremely well off the ball, leading to touches inside. Plays off his teammates as well as any player in the League.

Andres Nocioni We will not be intimidated by your South American tactics.

6th in Personal Fouls, 37th in 3PT%

Definitely benefited from a change of scenery last season, post-trade averages of 13.7 points, 6 rebounds, 44% 3-point shooting.

By anecdote Andres Nocioni is the greatest teammate in the world. In Chicago he has started and come off the bench; played huge minutes and not. You don't hear him complaining much about his minutes or shots. He's got (cover your ears) fire and (one more time) toughness.

Ability to knock down shots out to the three-point line makes him a great high-low player. Has good form on his jumper, and is a very consistent catch and shoot guy. Very predictable in the post, but his touch makes him a highly efficient scorer from in close. He moves well without the ball, crashes the glass well, and is great at getting open looks underneath. Pretty good ball handler and passer for his size.

Does a great job of frustrating his man on defense end by getting in his jersey and forcing him to work for every inch down low. Doesn’t block many shots, nor does he get many steals, but is an incredibly effective inside-outside defender none the less… Knows and uses all the tricks of the trade to get in his opponents head. Not athletic enough to be a lock down defender, but knows how to use his help defense.

[The Walker Wiggle]

Also, although I believe it's a fist fight in an underrated division (by Denver's GM in particular!), I don't see how my front court rotation keeps me from taking first place, not when three of my competitors are starting David Lee, Chris Wilcox, and Joakim Noah respectively. (I don't dismiss any of the players in question, and I'm particularly a fan of Lee, but they don't present troublesome mismatches for us.)

Lopez might, but thus far Bosh has out-scored and out-rebounded him handily. I expect Chris will press that advantage for at least one more season.

Outside of two players, who is a known quantity?

Grant Hill?  Love him.  Went to the high school next to my middle school.  But he is old.  He is a part time player.  Can he handle the minutes needed for your team?

Randolph?  Terrible defensively at C.  Not much better at PF.  Is he a player or another guy that just looks good in Nellie ball?  How are you going to stop the big men in your conference?  Duncan, Shaq, Howard. 

Your team is built on "I hope this player does this this year".  Not the winning formula for a team hoping to be a win now team. 

I'm comfortable with a front court rotation of Bosh (37 mpg, his career average), Randolph (28-30 mpg), Hill (worse case scenario 25 mpg, which would be five fewer than he averaged last season...), Nocioni (28-30 mpg) and Andersen (I expect he could handle 20+).

That assumes, Hill plays spot minutes at the 2 and that I can't rely on Powe's return OR any production at all from my 22-and-under rookies.

As for the elite centers, I'd first point out that the center's star is in decline. And that face up 6'10" power forwards pressed into service at the 5 are the order of the day.

That said, to counter both real and perceived frontcourt disadvantages, Houston wants to get opposing big men into foul trouble early and often, luckily Bosh and Ellis - and Johnson to a lesser extent - get to the line a lot. We'll also push the tempo, our 4 and 5 may not be able to muscle opponents off the block but they can beat many down court for easy fast break points or more desperation fouls. And in the half court we'll lean on our own edge in range, ball handling, and quickness. Luckily, we're not giving up a rebound advantage to many teams.

Lastily, we'll admit that Dwight Howard is going to give Houston a lot of trouble, but there are only a handful of centers who can guard him in single coverage anyway,  we'd be in a similar predicament defending Yao Ming (if he weren't out for the season).

We'll try to bother Dwight with our length and quick double teams, something Gasol did to good effect in the Finals even when Bynum was out (Howard had almost as many fouls as field goals in the series). Until he can reliably get himself good looks in the post, his biggest effect is still going to be on the glass and on defense. And you don't acknowledge that Howard hasn't had much luck slowing Bosh either.

Who else? Duncan and Jefferson are also going to be a handful, though they're more 4/5s. And, Jefferson at least is still developing on defense. O'Neal? It hardly seems fair that, from your perspective, I can't rely on Hill, but have to gameplan for Shaq, who's even older, with far more minutes played?

But, no, I'll concede he presents a major mismatch. Again we'll try to take advantage on the other end. He now has real trouble on high pick and rolls and showing on screens.

What do you think? Are your sure I can't sell you on DeJuan Blair?

[KCattheStripe]

Liar.

[KCattheStripe]

Liar.

Still lying.

[Gainesville Celtic]

Been busy today --- and not very active here -- but this is a fascinating division IMO.... how i see it stacking up (at the minute, i keep going back and forth).

3. Memphis... Chandler is a bit overrated by KC IMO and the lack of a clear alpha dog is a concern (I see Parker as a 1a guy...), but this is well thought-out team. A small concern about frontcourt depth, but will challenge for the last 2 playoff spots with....

What about Wilson Chandlr is overrrated?

he's not overrated.... i think you might be overrating him just a bit.  I meant that that you'd said he's an above average defender. He's not from what I've seen. He's like any good young scorer -- a bit inconsistent (otherwise he'd be a great scorer/bordeline star) and doesn't give his all on defense.

I think in a year or 2 he'll be a top 10 SF, but he's still just a bit away. Playing  with Parker may make him more consistent offensively and efficient, but defensive improvement is up to him.

Like i said those are minor quibbles and the MEM team is solid. Tomorrow i might go with a different 1-4 in the southwest --- i think it's really the closest Divison

[wdleehi]

Also, although I believe it's a fist fight in an underrated division (by Denver's GM in particular!), I don't see how my front court rotation keeps me from taking first place, not when three of my competitors are starting David Lee, Chris Wilcox, and Joakim Noah respectively. (I don't dismiss any of the players in question, and I'm particularly a fan of Lee, but they don't present troublesome mismatches for us.)

Lopez might, but thus far Bosh has out-scored and out-rebounded him handily. I expect Chris will press that advantage for at least one more season.

Outside of two players, who is a known quantity?

Grant Hill?  Love him.  Went to the high school next to my middle school.  But he is old.  He is a part time player.  Can he handle the minutes needed for your team?

Randolph?  Terrible defensively at C.  Not much better at PF.  Is he a player or another guy that just looks good in Nellie ball?  How are you going to stop the big men in your conference?  Duncan, Shaq, Howard. 

Your team is built on "I hope this player does this this year".  Not the winning formula for a team hoping to be a win now team. 

I'm comfortable with a front court rotation of Bosh (37 mpg, his career average), Randolph (28-30 mpg), Hill (worse case scenario 25 mpg, which would be five fewer than he averaged last season...), Nocioni (28-30 mpg) and Andersen (I expect he could handle 20+).

That assumes, Hill plays spot minutes at the 2 and that I can't rely on Powe's return OR any production at all from my 22-and-under rookies.

As for the elite centers, I'd first point out that the center's star is in decline. And that face up 6'10" power forwards pressed into service at the 5 are the order of the day.

That said, to counter both real and perceived frontcourt disadvantages, Houston wants to get opposing big men into foul trouble early and often, luckily Bosh and Ellis - and Johnson to a lesser extent - get to the line a lot. We'll also push the tempo, our 4 and 5 may not be able to muscle opponents off the block but they can beat many down court for easy fast break points or more desperation fouls. And in the half court we'll lean on our own edge in range, ball handling, and quickness. Luckily, we're not giving up a rebound advantage to many teams.

Lastily, we'll admit that Dwight Howard is going to give Houston a lot of trouble, but there are only a handful of centers who can guard him in single coverage anyway,  we'd be in a similar predicament defending Yao Ming (if he weren't out for the season).

We'll try to bother Dwight with our length and quick double teams, something Gasol did to good effect in the Finals even when Bynum was out (Howard had almost as many fouls as field goals in the series). Until he can reliably get himself good looks in the post, his biggest effect is still going to be on the glass and on defense. And you don't acknowledge that Howard hasn't had much luck slowing Bosh either.

Who else? Duncan and Jefferson are also going to be a handful, though they're more 4/5s. And, Jefferson at least is still developing on defense. O'Neal? It hardly seems fair that, from your perspective, I can't rely on Hill, but have to gameplan for Shaq, who's even older, with far more minutes played?

But, no, I'll concede he presents a major mismatch. Again we'll try to take advantage on the other end. He now has real trouble on high pick and rolls and showing on screens.

What do you think? Are your sure I can't sell you on DeJuan Blair?

Understand, the issue I am talking about isn't that your players can't develop.  It is how do you rank the team higher now when these players haven't proved themselves in the league yet.