CB Draft '09 Mock Press Conference: Pacific Divison

[indeedproceed]

Questions for the Suns

If you meet the Crotonats in the playoffs it will be an interesting series. You have the point guard and big man advantage and they have the advantage at the wings and on the bench. You have the young legs. They have the experience. Who wins the series and why?

Who do you see as the favorites (besides the Suns) in the West?

Well if we did meet the Cronats in the playoffs its because we got out of the first round, so I feel like my odds increase just because of that. My major franchise cornerstone, Al Jefferson, has never even been to the playoffs, so that tells me I have a solid player that doesn't get all playoff sucky.

Its going to come down to a few things in my mind. 1) how healthy Portland comes into the playoffs, that includes not only injuries but fatigue. 2) If one of Jason Smith and Kosta Koufos learned how to defend a big man over the course of the season (I'm not hoping they magically do it, they're entering their second and third years respectively, and should become better defenders), 3) If Fabricio Oberto has enough left in the tank to frustrate Shaq and Brad Miller, and 4) If one of Ersan Ilyasova or Josh McRoberts has established themselves as quality rotation players to borderline starters.

I've structured my team to take those bets as coming true (beyond the Portland health issue, I can't control that). If they do I think I have a shot against Portland. However to answer the question more firmly, if Portland is miraculously 100% healthy (which I don't think they will be) and rested, it will take a lot to beat them, and I'm not confident that can happen. They are the favorites in the West. My team will have to prove its self or stall.

[indeedproceed]

Phoenix:

3) As we've discussed previously, I have you slightly behind Buffalo in your division, and neck-and-neck with Seattle among the "at large" teams in the West.  How do you match up with these two teams, and why will you 1) finish with a better regular season record, and 2) beat them in the playoffs?

I could see Buffalo winning the division by a small margin. Their starting 5 guys are known quantities, and Dwight Howard is probably the best player in the West.

I will wait to see Buffalo's presser before truly answering this question, but I think that because of the thinness of their bench, especially after the loss of Klieza, its going to be tough. I like Jefferson v Jamison, although Big Al's ability to keep up with Jamison on the perimeter is a concern. I like McRoberts v Jamison (not in terms of overall talent, but in terms that I think McRoberts doesn't get killed by AJ defensively).

I really like Rondo v Duhon for me, and I like Mason V Ray, not because Mason is better, because he's not, but because he matches up well in terms of size and he's shown a willingness in San An to play hard team defense and move.

I really like Josh Howard vs Al Thorton. I think that's a big win for me.

Biedrins and Jefferson both rebound exceptionally well. Howard rebounds the best in the league. I think between my twin towers, we can limit Howard's domination on the boards better than almost any team in the playoffs, but if Howard takes a significant leap forward in his own offensive repatoir, I don't think anyone beyond Oberto can help me there.

One point of interest is that if I run with a smaller lineup and put Jefferson at the 5, Im not sure that Howard can keep up with him without getting into foul trouble.

As far as benches go I think I'm a lot deeper, and that's really what matters in a 7 game series if the starters are of comparable talent. That's why its hard to predict for me right now. My gut says the guys I picked can come through.

Let me think about Seattle. Initial answer: I'm better.

4) What's your position on scrolling text?

I'm........................................................................for..................................................................it.

[indeedproceed]

5) When did Howard Dean start writing your press releases?

You know what I actually thought of while I was writing that? The song "Popular" by Nada Surf. The part where he's like:

If you wanna date other people say so
Be prepared for the boy to feel hurt and rejected
Even if you've gone together for only a short time,
And haven't been too serious,
There's still a feeling of rejection
When someone says she prefers the company of others
To your exclusive company,
But if you're honest, and direct,
And avoid making a flowery emotional speech when you brake the news,
The boy will respect you for your frankness,
And honestly he'll appreciate the kind of straight forward manner
In which you told him your decision
Unless he's a real jerk or a cry baby you'll remain friends

And he starts screaming at the end? No? Bueller?

[indeedproceed]

And what is this, 2004? Howard Dean? people still remember that?

[Roy Hobbs]

5) When did Howard Dean start writing your press releases?

You know what I actually thought of while I was writing that? The song "Popular" by Nada Surf. The part where he's like:

If you wanna date other people say so
Be prepared for the boy to feel hurt and rejected
Even if you've gone together for only a short time,
And haven't been too serious,
There's still a feeling of rejection
When someone says she prefers the company of others
To your exclusive company,
But if you're honest, and direct,
And avoid making a flowery emotional speech when you brake the news,
The boy will respect you for your frankness,
And honestly he'll appreciate the kind of straight forward manner
In which you told him your decision
Unless he's a real jerk or a cry baby you'll remain friends

And he starts screaming at the end? No? Bueller?

Well, you know your mid-nineties alternative, I'll give you that.  Any Butthole Surfers references you'd like to make? 

[indeedproceed]

5) When did Howard Dean start writing your press releases?

You know what I actually thought of while I was writing that? The song "Popular" by Nada Surf. The part where he's like:

If you wanna date other people say so
Be prepared for the boy to feel hurt and rejected
Even if you've gone together for only a short time,
And haven't been too serious,
There's still a feeling of rejection
When someone says she prefers the company of others
To your exclusive company,
But if you're honest, and direct,
And avoid making a flowery emotional speech when you brake the news,
The boy will respect you for your frankness,
And honestly he'll appreciate the kind of straight forward manner
In which you told him your decision
Unless he's a real jerk or a cry baby you'll remain friends

And he starts screaming at the end? No? Bueller?

Well, you know your mid-nineties alternative, I'll give you that.  Any Butthole Surfers references you'd like to make? 

Roy this a family forum. Nobody wants to talk about Butthole Surfers more than me, but this isn't the place.

[Roy Hobbs]

And what is this, 2004? Howard Dean? people still remember that?

Have people forgotten Howard Dean already?

http://www.dorks.com/videos/Dave-Chappelle-Lost-Episode---Howard-Dean.html

[johnnyrondo]

Have people forgotten Big Al's 136 mins of playoff experience already? His GM has.   

[indeedproceed]

hahaha I did!

He didn't play too bad for a rook either.

[indeedproceed]

I'd like to ask a question, since I see only jrondo and WW are lookin at the thread currently.

Looking at my press release and my gameplan, do you guys think what I'm expecting of my players is realistic?

[The Walker Wiggle]

I'm not convinced that Korver is sixth man material - though it should be mentioned that he finished with the best AST/TO ratio in the NBA, so he's also careful with the ball.

Can some of his minutes be given to another player? More Nate Robinson at the 2? Or you can sell me on him? After all your Darko pitch job was phenomenal (and all for naught apparently).

I do want to add that I'm on board for a Josh Howard return to form, and it's a shame he didn't get half as much credit for gutsy postseason play on two balky ankles as he got flack for offseason remarks. He was crucial for the Mavericks.

[johnnyrondo]

I'd like to ask a question, since I see only jrondo and WW are lookin at the thread currently.

Looking at my press release and my gameplan, do you guys think what I'm expecting of my players is realistic?

I think your starting 5 is very good and as long as you accept some losses to make sure your key guys don't get burned out, I think you will have a nice squad come playoffs. Top shelf players win in the playoffs and you have two. Rondo showed what he could do in the Chicago series, when everyone was calling him the NBA of the whole playoffs prior to that Slimy Miller hub bub. And Big Al could dominate in the playoffs too if healthy. Biedrins and Howard are very quality starters too. I don't think you'll win the championship, b/c I think it will be one of the Eastern Conference teams, but it wouldn't shock me if you made it to the WCF. I think the West is wide open with lots of good teams, whereas the East is more top heavy.

[The Walker Wiggle]

I'd like to ask a question, since I see only jrondo and WW are lookin at the thread currently.

Looking at my press release and my gameplan, do you guys think what I'm expecting of my players is realistic?

Pairing Jefferson with a mobile, defensive minded center should pay dividends. I like what Robinson provides you off the bench, and might've used one of S.A.'s Championship veterans myself.

As for prospects, Ilyasova, Ibaka and Jason Smith (in that order) were three players that Houston was watching with interest and we lost out on all three to Phoenix.

The Pacific is looking like the second toughest Western division behind the Southwest, and I'm not looking forward to the balloting.

[indeedproceed]

Korver is a guy I picked up because I needed a shooter, then as I looked more into him I really thought I could expand his role.

Prior to coming to Utah he's never been a big starter in Philadelphia either, but he was still the player with the sixth most mins on the team (if you count Millsap and Boozer as filling one spot as a starter, which is fair)

He's never averaged less than 23 mins per game since his rookie season, and he's never played less than 74 games in a season.

If you read Hollinger's take from my press release:

For a shooting specialist, Korver isn't a terrible defender. He has slow feet and struggles in one-on-one matchups, but he has active hands and is a good help defender, and at his size it's difficult for wings to post him up. Plus, any time he's called for a foul he hops around with his hands folded under his chin, which is always entertaining.

Offensively he's a deadly outside shooter off the catch, and is particularly good at pulling up in transition. Korver can also shoot off a pin-down, where his size gives him an advantage in getting the shot away. He handles the ball decently but isn't a threat to score off the dribble because he's slow; however, he's pretty comfortable stepping in to shoot a jumper off the bounce.

I'm not going to be asking him to bring much more than Mason Jr does to my starting lineup, but truthfully i think he's probably the better player. He handles the ball better and doesn't play outside of himself. The reason I have him on the bench is because of his smarts and his size he can play either swing position, so I'd rather split his time between the two than have him get 25 mins per game as the starting SG.

I'm not sure playing Robinson more as the 2 guard helps anything, because for him to be effective he needs the ball in his hand. I'd rather Nate turn the tempo way up and run balls out than wait patiently, which I don't think he's capable of doing anyway.

[indeedproceed]

I'd like to ask a question, since I see only jrondo and WW are lookin at the thread currently.

Looking at my press release and my gameplan, do you guys think what I'm expecting of my players is realistic?

Pairing Jefferson with a mobile, defensive minded center should pay dividends. I like what Robinson provides you off the bench, and might've used one of S.A.'s Championship veterans myself.

As for prospects, Ilyasova, Ibaka and Jason Smith (in that order) were three players that Houston was watching with interest and we lost out on all three to Phoenix.

The Pacific is looking like the second toughest Western division behind the Southwest, and I'm not looking forward to the balloting.

From where i got Ibaka I was convinced that people hadn't been reading up on the summer leagues at all. Sure, he's inconsistent now, but he's 19 and barely speaks english.

I mean seriously that kid has potential like McDonalds has saturated fats.

I've been increasingly nutritionally conscious lately. Its late. Yeah, I could've come up with something better but everything I thought of was grossly inappropriate. Gimme a break.