I love the way you articulated your position but did you notice that you didn't answer my question in your attempt to insult my intelligence? At any rate I think calling for Mike Brown's head is premature. Yes the season ended in disappointment, but to call that team loaded is an overstatement. In addition, Mike Brown seems to have good rapport with LeBron and as long as LeBron is still on board and Danny Ferry can make a major move in the offseason; I think the Cavs will be ready to take the final step next year.

It was Mike Brown's fault that everyone not named LeBron took the series off. He told Mo Williams, Delonte West, and Ilgauskus to throw up a bunch of bricks.

Duh.

It is his fault for not doing what the Lakers did and just force the Magic to beat them from the free throw line.

Didn't mean to be dickish

He has shown no ability to make adjustments at halftime
They get killed in the 3rd quarter of big games.

He still has no offensive system in place.

His player assortments are often very questionable. I know the roster sucks but Andy and Ben from last year was bad.

His team blew several 20 point leads to Orlando

They don't play uptempo enough. Though the players they have would seemingly thrive in that type of environment

He got outcoached by SVG. That's laughable.

They got embarrased by 2009 Dwight Howard. 2011 Dwight Howard I could see. But he's not there yet.

You can't fire the players. In pro sports someone needs to take the fall for a debacle.

I could probably come up with several other reasons, but to keep it short, keeping around a mediocre at best head coach is not going to win a title.

Back to the topic at hand, Gani Lawal pulled out of the draft and will return to Georgia Tech for his junior season.

Dunleavy sucks.

(Time don't change that)

Maybe ferry is as much or more at fault. I've had a blind hatred of him since they traded my favorite player for him when I was a kid. So I tend to be way too nice to his decisions because I feel I'm overly biased against him otherwise

How funny. My hatred of all things Danny Ferry goes back to Duke, but the way he played out his brief day or so with the Clips, or whatever it was, I'll hate him forever for that alone. And yet that was a good trade for us. ;)

The best explanation I heard for that trade was that Harper was supposedly surrounded by some very shady people and they were afraid of an embarrassing incident and/or perhaps he was a coke head. It is very hard to find too much insider type info from the pre internet era.

It feels like a lot of underclassmen fringe 1st rounders are sticking with the draft. Mills is coming out and while I like his game, it's such a deep draft for point guards that he would benefit from another year in college. Elonu from A&M is staying in the draft and I'm hoping he got a guarantee from a team for the 2nd round. Daye is staying and is a mid first rounder who has potential to drop if things don't go his way on draft day. Meeks is maybe a mid 2nd rounder.

There are a slew of others too. I just don't remember a draft that had this many underclassmen who should have stayed in college.

Yeah, I always sorta wondered why the Clips were able to get an athletic wing guard (back then, Harper had some terrific hops and good quicks) for a guy like Ferry, but I had been confused for years by all the mad Duke love in the NCAA, so what did I know?

It's too bad Harper hurt his knee about a year in (IIRC). He was an exciting addition to a team that had Danny Manning, Charles Smith, Kenny Norman and Gary Grant. Okay, and Benoit Benjamin (cringes). With Larry Brown coaching.

Hey steve, it was probably something even more shady, like they had a thing against basketball players with lisps.

Anyways, they broke my freakin hart.

Hakeem did, though... :)

Mills would be a lottery selection next draft, I'm very surprised he stuck in the draft. He'd have to be awful confident he's going 1st round.


Based on what I saw of him in college, I'll be absolutely shocked if Daye ever develops in to a worthy rotation player.


Dumb.


To be fair, outside of the PG position, a lot of guys returned to school as well that would have been likely late-lottery picks this year.

I just hope those guys are getting guarantees. Mills for example could easily put himself in line to be a top 10 or even top 5 pick next year. Daye has the potential to be a good player, but really needs a ton of refinement and some strength. He'd be a huge project for a team.

I guess I don't see the advantage of going pro if you aren't a first rounder. You don't get a guaranteed deal and you'll probably end up in the NBDL. Another year in college and some big time TV exposure means a good chance you move up in the draft.

It seems the current NBA isn't as patient with "projects" as they used to be. If you aren't showing big improvement in a year or two, you're just a 11th or 12th man for life. Makes me wonder if guys like Patrick O'Bryant had stayed in school and gotten the experience of playing 35 minutes a night along with some good coaching, they would be starters in the NBA right now and not lifelong 12th men.

What decisions could he have made that would turn out better than best record in the league and conference finals?

HE HAS ONE GOOD PLAYER.

Put LeBron in: Good Move.

Take LeBron out: Bad Move.

What other "good coaching" moves are available to the guy. Compared to where some alltime NBA greats got with one man teams, this Cavs team has overachieved.

I get that they have one more year to try to win the title. LeBron needs help, and in the form of someone who can shoot, pass, rebound or defend. Changing the guy with the clipboard is not going to do it.

I'm excited to watch the draft this year. Both DeMarre Carroll and Leo Lyons have a good chance of being drafted. I'm pretty sure Mizzou has never had two players drafted in the same year. Early 80s would likely be the only time it might have happened with Stipanovich and Sundvold.

At least in 1994, to be sure

SI

Well, it's a gamble but it's a notoriously weak class. Some guys who are coming out now and have a chance at being a 1st rounder next year may not even be drafted or at least not until the 2nd round. It seems like a reasonable gamble because at least being a 1st round player you have a shot at sticking because you're a 1st round pick and you get guaranteed cash.

SI

Those are the only two first rounders, but surely you mean drafted together at all, as Lyons has zero shot at the first round.

I'm curious to see where VCU's Eric Maynor goes. I insisted midway through the season to a bunch of VCU fans that there is NO way he's a first round guy, but it appears that this class is so weak that he just might be.

Right. I was talking about the draft in general, not solely the first round. I think Carroll is a borderline 1st round selection depending on what teams are looking for. As you mention, Lyons will be a late second rounder most likely, though he could go undrafted.

I'm not a huge NBA fan. Is the NBA draft somewhat like the NFL in that there is some advantage to being undrafted and being able to pick your team as opposed to being drafted late and being stuck with that team? I get that impression, but wasn't sure. I know the 1st round gets guaranteed money, so that's obviously a big advantage for them.

I think guys have seen a lot of 2nd round picks come into the league and do well, reaching free agency after 2 years (or at least restricted status - not 100% sure how it works) and getting nice deals. The mindset surely is if you think you're good enough where you'll be a 1st round pick next year, that means I'm good enough to go this year and contribute.

Earliest I've seen Mills go is 34 to Denver and the current NBADraft.net projection has him at 37 to San Antonio. This may be the worst decision by any player in the draft.

On the positive side, Nic Wise is coming back to Arizona giving the Cats a very good chance at a top 4-5 finish in the Pac-10 (something unthinkable two months ago).

If Stephen Curry were white, he would be called JJ Redick v 2.0. He is the exact same player, minus the college.

Uhh, totally different players. Redick was no where near the ball-handler, natural passer or even pull-up midrange shooter that Curry is. Redick had no where near the ability to make the players around him better that Curry does. Curry can finish off his drives, Redick never really showed he could. Redick was a shooter, Curry is a basketball player with a great jump shot. Then again, I think Curry is going to have a pretty good NBA career and it seems I'm in the minority on that here.

The biggest problem I have with Curry is that he's not a true point and can't defend NBA SG. So, either he pairs up initially with a Jason Kidd sized PG or you are extremely limited defensively. If he can become a natural point, I think he could be a nice player - but that looks doubtful right now.

To me, he's a poor man's Leandro Barbosa and I'm not sure that's worth a top 10 pick.

Did you even watch Duke basketball while Redick was there? He drove to the lane all the time and was suprisingly effective off the dribble.

I'm not sure I see a better fit for D'Antoni's offense in the draft. Certainly fantasy-wise, he'll be one of the 2 best players next year if he goes to NY.

In other PG news, Brandon Jennings is a g.I don't know if he's ever going to fit in or excel in the NBA, but I really wish he was at Arizona last year - just ask Derrick Rose how it's done - and it would have made that team 10x more exciting.

Also, for the 4th time in as many seasons, UMass has a player with a chance to 2nd round. Tony Gaffney is a 6'8 high-energy player who could find a role as a clean-cut Birdman. It would be an awesome story because he was 6'0 before his senior year of HS and only got minor minutes at BU before transferring to UMass after his sophomore year. He was so lightly regarded that he wasn't even given a scholarship and played intramurals that year and people were openly questioning why he was given a scholarship the next year (last year). Then this year he averaged 10 rebounds, 4 blocks and 2 steals a game as our only legit post presence. I'm not sure he's better than Stephane Lasme, who got some NBA playing time and is now doing well in Europe, but he does have a better shot and handle, so maybe he can stick in the right situation.

Yes. He was more effective off the dribble his senior season, but he camped on the three point line his first 3 years. Did you even watch Curry these past 2 seasons? Him and Redick are not comparable at all.

Is there much of a difference between what Juan Dixon was coming out of Maryland and what Curry is now?

He certainly won't have to play any defense ;) Like I said, he's a nice Barbosa-lite and would be a decent fit in NY. I just don't know that I would use a top 10 pick on him.

I wouldn't want to spend a top 10 pick on Dixon either. I think Dixon went around 17-20 and that's about where Curry should go, IMO (maybe even 15-20). I think Curry will be better than Dixon, but that isn't a terrible comparison.

I bet quite a few 2nd rounders make it this year. There's less and less awful bench player deals than in the past. With the lux tax and general lack of monies it will be easier to keep rookies than signing an LLE guy.
I would think the Cavs will attempt to stash a guy in Europe.

Juan Dixon went 17th and was better than at least 7 players drafted ahead of him 2002 NBA Draft - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia . While Curry may not have the potential of a Jrue Holiday or Earl Clark, he's also about as close to being a sure thing rotation/niche player on a championship-caliber team you're gonna get beyond Blake Griffin. Minimum, he's JJ Redick - who just played a role on an NBA finals team - and if he can master PG he can be an all-star. I think he can, others disagree, but that still leaves a great shooting 2-guard.

I'd say Hersey Hawkins might be a better comparison for Curry?

Similar tweener size, can put the ball in the net(major scorer in college). Never was a true star star, but averaged over 20 a couple times.

Hersey Hawkins Statistics - Basketball-Reference.com

I don't think Curry will play nearly as much defense, Hawkins averaged about 2 steals a game. Curry will probably be a better three point shooter.

Orlando's president has come out and said that the team will be willing to pay the luxury tax in order to keep Turkoglu.

The Spanish press is saying today that Oklahoma has hired the most prestigious Spanish Lawyers firm to investigate about Ricky Rubio's release clause and incoming lawsuit. Rubio has filled a lawsuit versus his actual team to lower his release clause.

He signed a contract for a $100k yearly payment and a $5.5Million release clause that he must pay to end his contract early.

There are precedents of other sport men winning similar lawsuits as even if they agree and sign a contract like that, the huge difference between the salary and the release clause makes it illegal, and usually the judge lowers that release clause to something more fair (that should be around $3M).

Oklahoma seems really interested on him at #3 and that is why they want to know everything about the Spanish laws to avoid any future problem.

Dola, taking a look at draftexpress... i think they didn't take the best pic from Griffin for their article...

Didn't his buyout get raised during the past season too? If he thought he was going to declare for the NBA, why would he have signed any new contract?

I like Curry for whatever reason, and will be following his NBA career. Wishing the best for him. I don't know how good or bad of a pro he'll be though.

Agreed. I think these probably a bit more appropriate. He looks pretty imposing in this one........



This one shows off his agility..........



And this one shows that he's a good team player........

Drafting a 6-2 non-PG with limited upside isn't a good value recipe for a top 10 pick. In his 7-year career, by far Dixon's best season was a 12.3 PPG, 2.0 APG, 43% FG (38% 3) effort in Portland. For his career, he's a 41% FG shooter (34% 3).

The fact that he's better than Euro washouts Jiri Welsch and Nikoloz Tskitishvili doesn't mean he was a great pick. At 17, he was fine, but if Dixon would have gone 9 it would have been a terrible pick.

I think Curry could be a nice Dixon/Reddick type in the pros, but those guys usually go in the 20s - not 9th overall.

I would rather take a shot on a player with the potential to be great like Jonny Flynn, DeMar DeRozan or Earl Clark in the top 10 instead of taking a guy who is basically Eddie House if things go well.

Is there any way that Jrue Holiday gets top-10 pick consideration if not for the success of Russell Westbrook last season?

So apparently the Pistons promised Ben Gordon 11 million a year. There's always been a rumor that Joe D loves Gordon. If he signs him, and at 11 mil per no less, I'll slit my eyes out.

The other rumor is then Rip would be traded for the Wizards for #5.

Another rumor is Amir Johnson and #15 for David Lee or Paul Millsap.

Of the three options, I'd love getting D-Lee or Millsap, but knowing Joe D we'll get Gordon.

What's up with Joe D going from the best exec (or one of them) in the game, to being very questionable. Was a lot of his success luck?

Honestly, yes.

He lucked into Ben Wallace. He want John Amachi but Orlando wasn't going to give him up.

He made some good deals getting Rip and Sheed, and Stuckey was a solid pick. Tayshaun was a good pick too but he has become exposed by his lack of aggressiveness offensively and on defense he isn't the elite defender he was thought to be now that Ben isn't there.

I liked the Chauncey deal and stand by we wouldn't have done much with him this year with him, but it seems like there is no plan in place since we got rid of him. I mean seriously, if we sign Gordon we're going to have Stuck at the Point again. He cannot be a PG in the NBA. At least not on a championship team.

And now, our best player, Rip, might be out the door for a pick so we can sign Ben Gordon. If that happens, Joe D really needs to seen that leash shorten because it'll look like another destructive move.

He won't rebuild the right way. He just thinks he can keep putting band aids on and it's catching up to him.

McFail out in Minnesota. Hopefully he never gets a job with any authority again. He should basically be a roving big man instructor. Dwight Howard would be wise to spend the summer with him.

That's a lot of cash for Gordon. Maybe he's assuming he doesn't have a shot at LBJ, Wade, and Bosh and is going to focus on the next tier.

Ben Gordon should never be your #1 option on offense.

Curry also has the advantage of having had a father who had a decent NBA career.

If Delonte West can manage to scratch out a decent NBA career on a winning team, I think Stephen Curry will be better than that. I just think he's got the pedigree that makes him the kind of kid that will excel.

He'll probably go too high, but...he's no Adam Morrison.

I still think he'd make a great addition to the Cavs. He'd get a ton of open looks and be able to give Lebron breathers and still leave a scoring option on the floor for the Cavs.

They could then trade Delonte West (who teams have interest in) alongside some expiring deals for some athleticism inside.

The Cavs need to play like this is their last year with Lebron. I think if they had won the title this year, Lebron bolts in 2010. But I think winning the title next year makes it much tougher for him to leave.

I think Curry has the potential to be a good NBA player. Definitely a first rounder. I think the issue I have with him is that he's maybe the 5th best PG in the draft. He's a great pick in the teens, but top 10 is a big stretch considering the talent pool.

The problem is, in this draft, 5th best PG means 8th best player in the draft. :D

Sure. Jrue Holiday probably would have been drafted ahead of Westbrook after his senior year of HS

No question, if he'd come straight out of high school he'd have been selected. But based on what was seen of him at UCLA? It may not have been a system that played to his strengths, but I didn't see any reason to select him so high in a draft with so many talented PGs.

Saw this rumor on ESPN today. Am I the only one who thinks this would make no sense at all? I thought McHale was leaving?

No chance. I would think Phoenix would be the one sending picks.

You're probably right, he's closer to Delonte West than Adam Morrison.

But, knowing what we know about West, do you spend a top 8 pick to get that?

Suns fans would load up the Winnebago and drive Amare to Minnesota to land that deal. Zero chance it happens, I can't see Minnesota even considering it (esp with McHale gone).

Agreed. Unless they cut off Jefferson's leg when doing his ACL surgery and have not told anyone yet, that trade makes no sense at all for Minnesota.

dola:

Though if I were Phoenix, I'd be willing to take .75 on the dollar for Amare right now if I could find a buyer. I just have a feeling that his value will continue to sink. With all due respect to Dennis Green, he's not who we thought he was a couple of seasons ago.

Because he's talented. Ben Howland didn't play him at PG this past year because it wasn't conducive to the team winning as many games as possible. It might be in the same boat as Westbrook in terms of a player not being allowed to do what he can do on the court because of the coach, but not because he just happens to play at UCLA at off-guard. Westbrook has incredible athleticism. Jrue Holiday has "excellent court vision" and "natural feel for the game"

And the last thing a player ever wants to be known as is a "system player"

I agree, but it's simply because of the contract situation. Like with bosh, Amare could very well bolt after the season and unless Phoenix wants to commit a ton of cash to him, it's better to get 70-80 cents on the dollar now instead of losing him in the offseason.

Is Brandon Jennings considered as damaged goods after a not-so-impressive stint in Europe, or is he going to be a pleasant surprise to whoever picks him late in the 1st round?

some talk that BC's own Tyrese Rice has had some stellar workouts and convinced teams that he can run the point okay in the NBA and he may be somewhat of a surprise late first-round pick now.

(or so my brother says - he's on top of this shit...idk where he got the info from)

He's going to go mid first round and an 18 year old American holding his own in Europe is plenty good enough. I'm very unsure as how how his career will turn out, but he is definitely not rated any lower than he was 12 months ago.

He's a sure thing for the lottery.

There have been rumors here in Chicago that the Bulls may trade both their first round picks to move up to the 9-12 range. Seems they are really interested in Gerald Henderson who to me is one of the most underated players in this draft.

In personal offseason news, next year will be the first year that my season tickets will be in the 100 level. Taken about 5 years and a massive recession, but no more nosebleeds for me.

I guess the Spurs really enjoy winning. Nice move IMHO.

Source: Spurs acquire Jefferson for 3 players - ESPN

richard jefferson? does he have anything left?

I'm guessing the Bucks will release Bowen and Oberto - meaning they may end up coming back to the Spurs by midseason. So, the deal will probably end up being the corpse of Kurt Thomas for Richard Jefferson. Fantastic deal for the Spurs and a nice move in terms of value/potential. The top teams in the league (Spurs, Lakers, ...) have certainly learned how to make a mockery of this current NBA trading system. But, Kudos to them for taking advantage of the situation. I would expect more dumps over the next few months as teams deal with the current financial crisis.

Definitely a good move for SA. Bowen and Oberto got limited minutes this season. Thomas was an adequate defender, but for all intents and purposes was the guy who used up fouls. The Spurs needed an upgrade at the 3 and they got it. I don't know if it gets them to the Lakers' level, but they weren't going anywhere with what they had. If the team stays healthy, they've got a better shot today than they did yesterday.

He only just turned 29...

Big pickup for the Spurs - Parker, Manu, RJeff, Gooden and Duncan is a formidable lineup.

I hope the Bucks did this to resign Sessions and/or Charlie V. If they did this as a dump for the 2010 free agents then uh..well I would compare them to Memphis but at least Memphis got Marc Gasol and 2 1st round picks when they gave Pau away to the Lakers.

Also a rumor today that the Celtics offered Ray Ray and Rondo for Rip/Prince/Stuckey. Pistons declined. I've heard a lot recently of the C's looking to trade Rondo, and I'm not 100% sure how to feel about that. I love Rondo, and will follow him wherever, but if the deal makes the C's that much better, then I'm for it. I guess we'll see if there's any fire to go with the smoke.

I heard this rumor as well. As a Pistons fan, I am not sure what to think about this. Until last year, I thought Dumars was doing a helluva job. Then he traded Billups (allegedly to free up cap space). They promptly went into the tank and were not competitive the rest of last season. I like Rip and Tayshaun, jury is still out on Stuckey but he is young. I really like Rondo, but see no need to trade for a guy like Ray Allen at this point in his career or at this point in the Pistons' development. If they were one player away from being a serious contender, I would look at a guy like him (of course without giving up the rest of the team to do it), but Detroit is now in a rebuilding phase, and that trade would not make sense. I am glad they rejected it, but not sure what they will be doing to make this team better going forward.

I'm not sure of the Pistons cap situation without the guys they would have allegedly dealt, but Ray Ray does come off the books after this season.

And you're bringing me along to a game when? :)

While it's a little true that you see some trading mockeries- you have to look at each trade with salary cap room as a "player" in the trade. This isn't just 3 bench players for Jefferson, it's 3 bench players + cap space for Jefferson.

That said, this is going to be a crazy buyer's market. There are going to be at least 20 sellers and only 10 buyers.

SI

I am sure they are freeing up nearly $22m with the departure of AI. That was supposedly one of the reasons they dumped Billups, to get out from under his multi-year contract.

rip/prince/stuckey for ray ray + rondo is questionable.

stuckey is a downgrade over rondo for sure.

ray ray is getting older, but he's still a deadeye outside shooter. rip doesn't have his range or ability to stretch the defense in that sense, and the C's don't have anyone besides House on the bench who can.

Rip is probably his equal from midrange though.

Prince would be a player I'd love, and I think defensively he would add a ton, but idk.

Given Oberto and Bowen will be bought out/cut the moment they arrive, it's one bench player (in his late 30s) and cap space for a 29-year old Jefferson.

This is going to be the most valuable player to 15-20 NBA teams this offseason:

I reckon the Bucks still won't be worth watching next year.

How is Jefferson only 29? Feels like he's been in the league for a long time.

From SI.com


I saw a brief interview with Rubio a little while ago, he looks even younger than he is. I liked watching him in the Olympics but I don't know how good he'll be in the NBA. He doesn't seem to be particularly quick, he's short, and shooting is one of his weaknesses.

I honestly don't see Rubio as anything other than a huge disappointment. He's weaknesses are not good weaknesses to have in the NBA.

given the eye he has on the court and his passing game which seems excellent, and also being only 18 I think he could turn into a solid but not spectacular point.

Woohoo! Foye and Miller are gone!


I feel the same way, hopefully the Wolves are moving up for Thabeet instead of Rubio. They need someone next to Jefferson or Love.

He's also a phenomenal ball handler. Will probably be one of the best, if not the best in a few years. I think the potential upside is that of a little slower version (in his prime) of Jason Kidd.

I dunno if Rubio is as much of a freak as Rondo but he's certainly been good without being a good shot. Then again Rondo didn't go til the early 20s in the draft

Anyone got a cash breakdown on the Wizards trade?

Wow, sounds like a great trade for the Wizards if they're giving up pick #5 for a pair of players someone is saying "Woo! They're gone!"

So, I give up- what's bad about those two?

SI

Thomas? Songaila?

My guess is the Wolves will draft Thabeet and Jordan Hill, and start the first "All Center" team in NBA history.

Gold, Chief :D

Twin Towers? Pshaw. We'll call our lineup Stonehenge!

SI

I'm a biased Villanova fan, but I always thought Foye had really good potential to be a solid off-guard. He has, however, been cursed by injuries thus far in his NBA career.

Im guessing Harden might as well start checking on real estate in Minnesota

Despite the need for a defensive center, if Thabeet doesn't fall to the TWolves, I can see them going all guard, maybe Harden and Tyreke Evans.

Miller was garbage last year and his only real value was his expiring contract, and Foye has been nothing but a disappointment since he was traded for. He's shown he can't be an effective point guard or have a lot of the offense go through him at the two, so he's essentially a 2 guard with a lousy shot who should be nothing more than a bench player. Neither one of those two players had a future with the Timberwolves if they can be built into a decent team.

Remains to be seen if Kahn can have a good first offseason as GM, but unloading these two is a good start, and getting the #5 pick and only taking on 1 slightly bad contract makes it look like a pretty good deal if he can do something with the pick. Will be even better if he can manage to get something for Corey Brewer.

That wouldn't surprise me either, they still don't have anyone who's any good as a starter at a position other than PF.