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2013 CB Draft: Southwest Division Press Conferences
« on: September 01, 2013, 01:38:23 PM »

Offline nickagneta

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Here, each of the GMs representing a team in the Southwest Division will provide an introduction / summary of their team, draft strategy, etc.  Other members should ask questions (directed to one or more GMs), and those GMs should attempt to answer the questions as well as they can.

For those participating, the opening blurbs can include some or all of the following:

1. Roster / depth chart
2. Statistics
3. Pictures
4. Statement regarding drafting philosophy (building for the future, contending now, etc.)
5. Toughest decision
6. Best move (trade, pick, etc.) / worst move
7. Your outlook for this coming season

It can be as substantial or as abbreviated as you want it to be.  These threads are open to all members, not just those posters who participated in the draft.  The more participation we get, the better.

==============================================================
Dallas Mavericks: fitzhickey

San Antonio Spurs: The Walker Wiggle

Houston Rockets: BigAltheFuture

Memphis Grizzlies: Gainesville Celtic

Please, no questions until after all five teams have posted their pressers or until noon of the day of the pressers.  This thread should be reserved for the GMs to put up and work on their pressers until then.

Re: 2013 CB Draft: Southwest Division Press Conferences
« Reply #1 on: September 01, 2013, 02:36:16 PM »

fitzhickey

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The Dallas Mavericks
GM: fitzhickey

PG: Steve Nash| Brandon Knight| Terrence Williams
SG: Eric Gordon| Gary Neal| Reggie Bullock
SF: Luol Deng| Reggie Bullock| Jonas Jerebko| Terrence Williams
PF: Josh Smith| Tyler Hansbrough| Jason Smith
C: Al Jefferson| Chris Kaman| Byron Mullens
Head Coach: Kevin McHale

Introduction to the Dallas Mavs
The Dallas Mavs are a very competent team in every position. All the players fit well together in both defense and offense. We have a good balance of scoring and defending, with certain player weaknesses being covered by others strengths. It will be a tough ask for any team to out match this team in many positions, and our fundamental smart basketball will defeat many teams. This is not a team many want to face.

Career Stats
*Note per game not per 36

Name Position Pts Ast Rebs Stls Blcks TOs Pfs FG% 3pt%
Steve Nash PG 14.4 8.5 3.0 0.7 0.1 2.9 1.6 .491 .428
Eric Gordon SG 18.0 3.3 2.5 1.0 0.3 2.4 1.9 .443 .363
Luol Deng SF 16.0 2.4 6.4 1.0 0.6 1.8 1.7 .460 .334
Josh Smith PF 15.3 3.2 8.0 1.3 2.1 2.5 2.8 .465 .283
Al Jefferson C 17.8 1.5 9.0 0.7 1.4 1.5 2.7 .500 .071
Brandon Knight PG 13.3 3.2 2.6 0.8 0.1 3.0 2.5 .410 .373
Gary Neal SG 9.7 1.7 2.2 0.4 0.1 1.0 1.5 .433 .398
Reggie Bullock N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Tyler Hansbrough PF 8.9 0.5 4.7 0.6 0.2 1.0 2.2 .427 N/A
Chris Kaman C 11.8 1.3 8.0 0.5 1.4 2.2 2.8 .485 N/A
Terrence Williams PG/SF 7.1 2.4 3.6 0.5 0.1 1.5 1.3 .412 .317
Jonas Jerebko SF 8.7 0.7 5.0 0.3 0.8 1.0 2.5 .469 .306
Jason Smith PF 5.6 0.5 3.3 0.8 1.5 0.8 2.1 .473 .259
Byron Mullens C 10.6 1.0 4.8 0.4 0.6 1.1 1.9 .403 .301

Draft Philosophy
Heading into the draft I didn't really know what I wanted, this being my first CB draft, and the different time-zones meant I had to auto-pick many of my players. All I knew is that I was going to draft the BPA at the position I needed filling, not thinking about fit and all that at all (a mistake I warn all gm's to avoid!) My later round drafting was pretty good, picking up AK, Kaman and Brandon Knight up in later rounds. After picking up Parker and foolishly trading away my second round pick urgh that move still hurts I was trying to create a team of role players to surround Parker with. I drafted Faried and Gallo in the 3rd round which were solid picks providing Gallo came off injury well. In the 4th I picked up Jonas V, who looked in great condition both physique wise and skill wise. He had gained quite a bit of muscle during the off-season. In the 5th I made a trade for Andrei Kirilenko, sending off my 5th, 7th and 12th in addition to his 9th and 10th. In the coaches round I got myself former Celtic great and current head coach of the real Houston Rockets Kevin McHale. There wasn't all that much thought into the pick of McHale, but I think he is a good coach and I think he can do good things with this roster, as well as being a good guy in the locker room. In the 6th I drafted Brandon Knight, needing a back up combo guard who could play both positions adequately. In the 8th I drafted Kaman, a very good vet center to have as a back up. In the 9th I drafted Jonas Jerebko, with SF as my weakest position. In the 10th I drafted Jason Smith, a big who can stretch the floor. In the 11th I drafted Reggie Bullock, a promising rookie who can shoot the 3 and defend quite well. He showed quite some promise during the summer league. In the 13th I drafted Terrence Williams simply as he is an athletic guy who can play 1/2/3.

Toughest Decision
The toughest decision of my CB draft was definitely trading Tony Parker. After the draft I had no interest in trading Parker. He has MVP skills and the Spurs would be depending upon him more now that Duncan is another year older (even though he hasn't lost much). Parker was crucial to my team, with him being a 21 and 7 kinda guy. But the offer I got for him was too good for my team. I got a great fit at the 4 next to Jefferson in Smith, I got a decent pass first PG in Nash and Neal is a solid SG off the bench.

Best Move
It is funny that along with being my toughest decision, my best move was trading Parker and DJ for Nash, Josh Smith and Gary Neal. It helped my team fit wise, as Smith is an excellent defender next to an offensive weapon in Al Jefferson, and Nash is an excellent distributor which will be good for Gordon, finding him in his best spots. It would also be good for Smith, finding him when he is open and not having all those silly mid range plays for him.
Another good move I made was moving AK and Enes Kanter for Luol Deng and Byron Mullens. Luol Deng is a better defender than AK and is better suited to my team. I wasn't too fussed with the loss of Kanter, as Kaman is a very solid back up.
Both these deals have improved my team vastly, as I was no more than a fringe playoff team before them and after them I am a certain playoff fixture.
My team's fit is excellent, Nash and Gordon is a good 1/2 combo. Nash will be finding Gordon in all his best spots, enabling him to be more efficient than ever. My 3/4 combo is one of the best defensively, and they can be dangerous on the offensive end, especially with Nash. I also made a move to solidify the center position with the acquisition of Al Jefferson, an old fashioned back to the basket big man. He can be a 20/10 guy and with Nash he should have a better season than last.

PG's:Starting at point guard for me is former MVP veteran Steve Nash. Nash is one of the premier passers in the league. He seems to just know where his guy is going to be at all times. He is also a deadly shooter. He has been in the 50/40/90 club numerous times. Only 6 players in NBA history, including Nash. They are: Larry Bird, Reggie Miller, Mark Price, Dirk Nowitski, Kevin Durant and Nash of course. Backing him up is Brandon Knight, a young up and coming score first combo guard. Learning how to run the offense under Nash should really help his development as a point. Behind him is Terrence Williams, who could also learn to play point under Nash, which would turn him into a scary point forward.

SG's:Starting the two guard for me is Eric Gordon, a deadly scorer who has the ability to go from 0 pts to 10 in a flash. He is a deadly shooter from beyond the arc and can get it done on offense easily. Coupled with Nash he will have a career season. Behind him is Gary Neal, a good bench scorer who is lights out from deep. Behind him is Reggie Bullock, a good shooter in college and the summer league and a good defender. He is a good prospect and a large 2 guard.

SF's:Starting at SF is Luol Deng, a lockdown defender whose offense will benefit from having a pass first point, and an elite one at that, feeding him in his spots. His defense and fit is a real benefit to my team, as well as his ability to score 16 points a game. Backing him up is Bullock. Behind him is Jonas Jerebko, a big combo forward who can rebound well and score at a solid rate. Behind him, although he won't see many mins, is Terrence Williams.

PF's:Starting at the PF is Josh Smith, a super defensive PF who will block all who cometh into my paint. (Couldn't help myself with ye olde english) He will be on the receiving end of some lobs but I doubt he will be scoring as much as he usually has in previous seasons as he will be 3rd or 4th option. Backing him up is Tyler Hansbrough, a psycho intense hustle guy who will give you all he has night in night out. Behind him is Jason Smith, a big who can stretch the floor and smack Blake Griffin to the ground.

C's:Starting at center is Big Al Jefferson, a hulking back to the basket big fella who has an arsenal of post moves that many defenders will bite on. He is a double double machine, scoring and rebounding proficiently. Behind him is Chris "The Caveman" Kaman, a former All Star who will probably be starting over in LA. His per 36 min stats last year were formidable, 18 pts and 10 rebs. Behind him is Byron Mullens. He is a solid C who can stretch the floor and rebounds at a good rate.

I think my biggest strength is how well my roster fits together. Similar to the old Phoenix teams just with an improved defense.

If you have any questions about my team I am more than happy to answer
« Last Edit: September 03, 2013, 07:55:23 AM by fitzhickey »

Re: 2013 CB Draft: Southwest Division Press Conferences
« Reply #2 on: September 05, 2013, 09:17:45 AM »

Offline Gainesville Celtic

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Re: 2013 CB Draft: Southwest Division Press Conferences
« Reply #3 on: September 05, 2013, 09:26:06 AM »

Offline The Walker Wiggle

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***ROSTER***

Kemba Walker/Luke Ridnour/Toney Douglas
Andre Iguodala/Marcus Thornton
Danny Granger/Luigi Datome/DeMarre Carroll
Kevin Love/Thaddeus Young/Donatas Motiejunas
JaVale McGee/Cody Zeller


Kevin Love is still alternately the best power forward in the NBA and the league's best below the rim player. He's one season removed from averaging 26 PPG (4th in the NBA) on 56.8 TS%, 13.3 RPG (2nd) and 6.9 FTM per (1st), while knocking down both three pointers (37.2%) and all those free throw attempts (82.4%). He's the league's best outlet passer - Love can stand on the baseline and hit the opposite rim with a two-handed chest pass 7 out of 10 times. He's also its Atlas - over the past three seasons, Love has had seven 30-20 games; no other player has had more than two. So here's where I put the rest of the Southwest on notice, before multiple injuries derailed him last season, the Spurs' twenty-four year old improved his play in every year. He's dialed-in, down to his lightest pro playing weight, and teaming with other All-Stars for the first time in his career. Expect an MVP campaign. Only IP doubts it.


The team's second captain and second ball handler, Andre Iguodala ought to have been a Defensive player of the year candidate. He turned the Denver Nuggets from a poor defensive team into a good one in a single season - the Nuggets defense was 8 points per 100 better with Andre on the floor. He drew opposing teams' best wings night-in night-out and allowed a double-take worthy 0.58 PPP as an isolation defender (2nd in the league), better than Lebron James, Tony Allen, Avery Bradley, Paul George, Luol Deng, and Kawhi Leonard. He was, in fact, the only wing player in the top five. He forced turnovers on 15.2% of the plays run at him. Or to sum it up nicely, against Iguodala, opponents put up Keith Bogans' style box scores, averaging a 6.9 PER. (League average is 15.0.) He's also the league's best playmaking wing, south of Lebron James, a dangerous third scoring option, and an ironman - having missed just 27 games in his career.





***COACH***

***OUTLOOK***

The San Antonio Spurs have teamed the Timberwolves best player, the Nuggets best player, the Bobcats best player, the 76ers best player. In the division, only Dallas has as many All-Stars.
« Last Edit: September 05, 2013, 04:05:39 PM by The Walker Wiggle »

Re: 2013 CB Draft: Southwest Division Press Conferences
« Reply #4 on: September 05, 2013, 11:58:37 AM »

Online Roy H.

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Wiggle:

1.  Sell me on Javale McGee.  He played 18 minutes per game last year as a bench player, and fell out of favor in Denver despite his fantastic block numbers.

To me, he's the Gerald Green of big man:  all flash, great hops, no IQ.  How can a player like that play a big role for your team, especially with a rookie backing him up.

2.  Where's the grit come from off your bench?


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Re: 2013 CB Draft: Southwest Division Press Conferences
« Reply #5 on: September 05, 2013, 12:04:37 PM »

Online Roy H.

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Fitz:

1.  This is random, but tell me about your background personally.  You mentioned you're 14 years old, and live in another time zone.  How'd you get into the Celtics, find CelticsBlog, etc.

2.  Please talk about the learning curve for the CB Draft.  How was it as a rookie?


I'M THE SILVERBACK GORILLA IN THIS MOTHER——— AND DON'T NONE OF YA'LL EVER FORGET IT!@ 34 minutes

Re: 2013 CB Draft: Southwest Division Press Conferences
« Reply #6 on: September 05, 2013, 12:05:54 PM »

Offline BigAlTheFuture

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Mine is coming soon
PHX Suns: Russell Westbrook, Chris Bosh, Tristan Thompson, Trevor Ariza, Tony Allen, Trey Lyles, Corey Brewer, Larry Nance Jr., Trey Burke, Troy Daniels, Joffrey Lauvergne, Justin Holiday, Mike Muscala, 14.6

Re: 2013 CB Draft: Southwest Division Press Conferences
« Reply #7 on: September 05, 2013, 12:21:59 PM »

Offline Who

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Danny Granger is the big swing factor for San Antonio for me. I have pretty much made up my mind about the other players but I am still deciding on Danny.

I had previously (at the start of the CB league) decided to very skeptical and pessimistic about Granger's return to the NBA next season but after reading some more about his injury I am not sure that is the right stance.

Leaning towards giving him the benefit of the doubt. That he can still be a top 10 SF and not some hobbled struggles on defense and isn't efficient enough on offense imitation of Danny Granger.

Re: 2013 CB Draft: Southwest Division Press Conferences
« Reply #8 on: September 05, 2013, 12:29:32 PM »

Online Roy H.

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Danny Granger is the big swing factor for San Antonio for me. I have pretty much made up my mind about the other players but I am still deciding on Danny.

I had previously (at the start of the CB league) decided to very skeptical and pessimistic about Granger's return to the NBA next season but after reading some more about his injury I am not sure that is the right stance.

Leaning towards giving him the benefit of the doubt. That he can still be a top 10 SF and not some hobbled struggles on defense and isn't efficient enough on offense imitation of Danny Granger.

My concern with Granger is that even before the injury, he was in obvious decline.  Four straight years of declining points per game, points per minute, eFg%, TS% and FG%. 

After suffering a pretty serious injury and basically sitting out a season, how is he going to bounce back? 


I'M THE SILVERBACK GORILLA IN THIS MOTHER——— AND DON'T NONE OF YA'LL EVER FORGET IT!@ 34 minutes

Re: 2013 CB Draft: Southwest Division Press Conferences
« Reply #9 on: September 05, 2013, 12:36:58 PM »

Offline Who

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Danny Granger is the big swing factor for San Antonio for me. I have pretty much made up my mind about the other players but I am still deciding on Danny.

I had previously (at the start of the CB league) decided to very skeptical and pessimistic about Granger's return to the NBA next season but after reading some more about his injury I am not sure that is the right stance.

Leaning towards giving him the benefit of the doubt. That he can still be a top 10 SF and not some hobbled struggles on defense and isn't efficient enough on offense imitation of Danny Granger.

My concern with Granger is that even before the injury, he was in obvious decline.  Four straight years of declining points per game, points per minute, eFg%, TS% and FG%. 

After suffering a pretty serious injury and basically sitting out a season, how is he going to bounce back?

I had been expecting Indiana to bench Granger when he comes back. Give him 20mpg and Granger will maybe get 10ppg on mediocre efficiency with increasingly dodgy defense.

With that type of productivity / performance levels, I was wondering whether Granger was even an upgrade over Marcus Thornton (Kings backup SG with Iggy sliding to starting SF).

I thought the Pacers played better last season with Lance Stephenson in the lineup. Their perimeter defense was much, much tougher with Stephenson. A lot more quickness in closing down shoots and denying dribble penetration. On offense, without Granger gobbling up so many possessions, David West and Paul George had more opportunity to take larger roles which I thought they did well with.

Pacers starting five in 2011/12 with Granger - 1000 minutes, +185 points
Pacers starting five in 2012/13 with L.Stephenson - 1218 minutes, +288 points

Re: 2013 CB Draft: Southwest Division Press Conferences
« Reply #10 on: September 05, 2013, 12:49:20 PM »

Offline McHales Pits

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Questions for the Teams

San Antonio

This roster is one of my favorite in the West and I really like the fit. You have two defensive stalwarts on the perimeter with Iguodala and Walker and you have Love cleaning the glass and acting as the go-to scorer. Thaddeus Young, Marcus Thornton, or Danny Granger - if healthy - are all capable of providing supplemental scoring in the starting lineup depending on how you arrange your starting five. However, you lack interior defense beyond McGee. How would you arrange your lineup to combat teams with bigger, dominant frontcourts when McGee is not in the lineup? Do you worry that your interior defense will be too porous?

Memphis

I really like the team you have built around Paul. You have numerous floor spreaders that give CP3 the ability to drive and dish along with a glass cleaner in Pekovic. However, Paul is not a leading scorer and it seems you lack a dominant scoring threat. How would you respond to a critic who thinks your team's offense lacks punch?

Houston

This is a team that has good pieces on the roster and is certainly a franchise that will experience some success. However, I want to bring attention to the Dragic-Harden backcourt. Harden effectively acts as a point guard who scores first, facilitates second, and has the ball in his hands often. Dragic is a true facilitator and not overly effective as a spot-up shooter off the ball. How do you see these two playing together?

Dallas

I really like the fit of Nash-Gordon-Deng-Smith-Jefferson as the starting lineup. However, your bench brings minimal punch to the table and I think will be exposed. How would you defend the back end of your roster and make the claim that they will be competitive and supplement your starters?

2013 CB Draft Champions*: Minnesota Timberwolves
DKC League: Washington Wizards

Re: 2013 CB Draft: Southwest Division Press Conferences
« Reply #11 on: September 05, 2013, 01:00:13 PM »

Offline Who

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Memphis,

I would have loved to have seen them add a high level interior defender. Either a shot-blocker instead of Pekovic. Or a top defensive PF instead of Ilyasova. Or even bring a top defensive big off the bench like New York might do with Larry Sanders or Denver with Anderson Varejao.

That would have been a big difference maker for me. Possibly enough to put Memphis in the title mix in the West. I do think it is still a really solid team even without that.

Re: 2013 CB Draft: Southwest Division Press Conferences
« Reply #12 on: September 05, 2013, 01:12:53 PM »

Offline Who

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Some of the things I really like about Memphis,

(1) I love the perimeter defense

PG - Chris Paul, CJ Watson
SG - Thabo Sefolosha, Victor Oladipo
SF - Jared Dudley, Dorell Wright

I love the ability of that group to really get up in people's faces and get stops out on the perimeter. I think they'll be fantastic at creating extra possessions too.

Chris Paul is very good at creating turnovers and grabbing rebounds. Thabo Sefolosha too. I think Oladipo is going to be fantastic in each respect as a rookie. I was really impressed with his defensive quickness and activity / work rate defensively in summer league.

Dorell Wright is the weakest man-to-man defender of the group but he has great length, good size and quickness and can be very effective as a help defender as seen during his Miami days under Erik Spoelstra. Jared Dudley is a different type of defender. A solid position based defender who won't create many turnovers but does a good job of contesting shots. CJ Watson athletic and active defender off the bench at backup PG.

I think that capacity to create turnovers and gang rebound is going to be very valuable for Memphis.

(2) The floor spacing offensively

A bit concerned at the lack of a true 2nd banana behind Chris Paul but I think Memphis makes up for it well by having a fantastic blend of offensive talents who geared around CP3's pick and roll centric game.

Pekovic and Ilyasova are the most important. Pekovic with his size and bulk inside. A terrific finisher. Very efficient. Sets excellent screens. Has strong hands. Very good in the pick and roll. Then Ilyasova with his speed and long distance shooting ability creating a four our one in offense and causing all types of matchup problems. Making it very difficult for opposing teams to send help defenders over to CP3/Pekovic in the pick and roll.

J.Dudley and T.Sefolosha provide two marksmen from three point range. Both are capable of posting TS% around 60%. Thabo can provide some secondary ball-handling. Then there is Dorell Wright off the bench. Another strong perimeter shooter. Another guy who can handle the ball in the pick and roll and make plays.

I think those guys are going to bring the best out of CP3's game. They complement his skill-set beautifully on offense.

Edit: I also really like Jeff Van Gundy. A strong defensive coach. I think he is going to help out in organizing your team defense.

Re: 2013 CB Draft: Southwest Division Press Conferences
« Reply #13 on: September 05, 2013, 01:30:15 PM »

Offline nickagneta

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Dallas: I really like your 2-5 positions and think the bench good enough to sustain quality ball, but the PG position concerns me. Nash is old. he's slowed down and had injury issues that required epidural shots all summer. Brandon Knight is extremely young, wild, erratic, and inefficient as a PG. His floor general skills are poor and that is being kind. Allay my fears over this position of yours not being dominated in a PG heavy league, especially since the last line of defense is Al Jefferson and Chris Kaman, not exactly the definition of defensive anchors.

Re: 2013 CB Draft: Southwest Division Press Conferences
« Reply #14 on: September 05, 2013, 01:35:26 PM »

Offline nickagneta

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San Antonio: You appear to have put a lot of stock into two players that were injured all last year. Granger's injury looks to be chronic and long term. Why should people overlook these injury problems and assume health with these players because if assumed they are injured, I have a hard time ranking this team highly.