Celticsblog Mock GM Press Conferences: Northwest Division

[Roy Hobbs]

Also, I want to hear from each GM, as bluntly as possible, no job interview-style answers please, what they consider their worst move?

Interesting question.  The one move I shouldn't have made, in that I didn't get fair value, was originally moving out of the top-8 in the draft.  I was bored, and proposed moving from #8 to #13 to LarBrd33 (my offer, not his) for moving up in a handful of rounds and for a sixth rounder.  That wasn't good value, and I made the move because, essentially, I didn't want to sit around and wait for the draft.  In the end, the deal worked out okay for me because 1) I was able to get very good value for continuing to move down in the first round, and 2) it ultimately didn't benefit LarBrd33 that much, because he left the draft.  Still, though,  that initial deal wasn't a good one because I was getting poor value and was helping out a competitor (and I knew it at the time).

In terms of other mistakes, I guess it can be argued that I should have taken a more proven backup center, rather than grabbing a guy like Brandan Wright.  I don't buy that, although center ultimately turned into a position I had to fill in later rounds.

[Gainesville Celtic]

As someone who agrees with substance of the charge, I think it's more important to note that both Pierce and Allen have years of experience carrying franchises (into the playoffs and, yes, the lottery) where Amare has none.

right --- to me this is the key point. It's a combination of experience and leading a team... or maybe the way of talking about it is the NATURE of that playoff experience.  IMO Amare (who i'm admittedly not *as* high on as you are) hasn't LED the teams he's been on but he's been a bigger piece than Haslem who has a ring... Does that make any sense? Iguodala has come the closest (if the Sixers had knocked off the Pistons, i might not be making this point) and i think he's the real leader on this team.

If instead of Iggy or Gay you'd taken Billups, Iverson, or maybe even Tony Parker (and move your other picks up one rung), Kidd or Rip Hamilton, I'm not making this arguemet probably.

it's of course all conjecture in a fake league -- and i think the Blazers have done a great job paying attention to how their pieces fit -- but it's a trade-off that I think the Blazers made... as did every team.

P.S. Also, I want to hear from each GM, as bluntly as possible, no job interview-style answers please, what they consider their worst move? Only Redz can be said to have answered that so far (i.e. misguidedly dealing his 1st pick to Portland, and probably for less than it was worth).

GREAT question.... I think we all should be as self-critical in these pressers.  That said, great job by everyone today... TP for all 4 of you for being the guinnea pigs.

[Big Ticket]

P.P.S. @ The Big Ticket(if he ever sees this) Is free throw shooting a concern?

Yes, between Biedrins, Evans, and LeBron, it is a concern.  But in late game situations (i.e. teams fouling to stop the clock), I am confident with the ball in Calderon (90%+) and Parker's (81%+) hands.  Brewer is also a decent FT shooter, and Rick Barry has been hired to help LeBron exercise his FT shooting demons.  The frontline FT woes are big, but teams will be gambling if they choose to foul Biedrins and Evans.  LeBron causes so many fouls to begin with, that liberally fouling other poor FT shooters on my team could create serious foul concerns for the opposition and serious FT bonus opportunities for Calderon, Parker, and Brewer.

[The Walker Wiggle]

I think it's actually McGrady's perceived *lack* of leadership that makes people discount that team.  He's an 0-fer in the playoffs thus far in his career, and he has the reputation of not being able to get over the hump.  Joe Johnson isn't any better in terms of leadership.

Yeah, I may be among the only McGrady supporters here, and there's only so much that can be said. But he's at least delivered seven teams to the playoffs, no small feat. I guess I'd argue that for a team to benefit from veteran leadership, it must in fact have veterans, and here I mean players in their late twenties, or their thirties, starters getting 30+ minutes per and the opportunity to impact the course of every game.

Also, yes, TPs all around. It's been fun distraction and the GM's well-considered answers, particularly Hobbs and Big Ticket, have set the bar high. (Also a totally unproductive day...)

[Roy Hobbs]

It's been fun (if a serious dip in my productivity).

Ditto to that.  I have accomplished close to zero today, which means I'll be bringing work home with me.  Such is life; this was worth it...

[Big Ticket]

P.S. Also, I want to hear from each GM, as bluntly as possible, no job interview-style answers please, what they consider their worst move? Only Redz can be said to have answered that so far (i.e. misguidedly dealing his 1st pick to Portland, and probably for less than it was worth).

1. Underestimating the amount of predraft and in draft activity there would be.  I didn't do this last year and figured trades would be minimal.... I was grossly mistaking.

2. Having a life (just kidding).  I was at work and out golfing all day yesterday when Jason Thompson went on waivers.... I would've jumped on him like a Sox fan on a bandwagon (ohhhhhh) but was not around to do it.

3.  Taking Amir Johnson in the 5th.  I already touched on this in my write up.

Other than that I think I did the best I could.  Having a top few pick and not doing a bunch of trades put me in a very tough spot.  As great as LeBron is, not getting another player until the 59th spot is a tall order to overcome.  By then all the elite big men, and top flight young prospects weer gone.  Calderon was the closest player to an all star left and I really wanted a good PG, so he was an easy pick for me there.... but having multiple 1st and 2nd rounders would have made this job much much easier.

[Roy Hobbs]

Okay, somebody has to ask this:

BT, did you have any qualms about taking Lebron after the confusion at the top of the draft?  Was it done with a pang of guilt?  Did the various GMs involved have any discussions about having a "do over" or swapping players?

If Lebron had gone #1, who would you have taken?

[Gainesville Celtic]

I think it's actually McGrady's perceived *lack* of leadership that makes people discount that team.  He's an 0-fer in the playoffs thus far in his career, and he has the reputation of not being able to get over the hump.  Joe Johnson isn't any better in terms of leadership.

Yeah, I may be among the only McGrady supporters here, and there's only so much that can be said. But he's at least delivered seven teams to the playoffs, no small feat. I guess I'd argue that for a team to benefit from veteran leadership, it must in fact have veterans, and here I mean players in their late twenties, or their thirties, starters getting 30+ minutes per and the opportunity to impact the course of every game.

Like i said, i really like the pairing of TMac and JJ ... i think it could ultimately be similar to the 2001 Celtics where Pierce (JJ) was really the better player, but Antoine (TMac) was looked to to be the mouthpiece.

I think UTAH and MIN are neck-in-neck for 2nd place, with MIN getting the slight edge b/c of LeBron (and the Calderon/Biedrins combo over Udrih/Aldridge). Both are slightly better than Denver IMO.

Also, yes, TPs all around. It's been fun distraction and GM's well-considered answers, particularly Hobbs and Big Ticket, have set the bar high. (Also a totally unproductive day...)

Speaking of trade-off's .... for all that talked about this being skewed toward teh most active GMs, at least you still have jobs + families that some of the rest of us might be teetering on the edge of losing 

[Gainesville Celtic]

P.S. Also, I want to hear from each GM, as bluntly as possible, no job interview-style answers please, what they consider their worst move? Only Redz can be said to have answered that so far (i.e. misguidedly dealing his 1st pick to Portland, and probably for less than it was worth).

1. Underestimating the amount of predraft and in draft activity there would be.  I didn't do this last year and figured trades would be minimal.... I was grossly mistaking.

2. Having a life (just kidding).  I was at work and out golfing all day yesterday when Jason Thompson went on waivers.... I would've jumped on him like a Sox fan on a bandwagon (ohhhhhh) but was not around to do it.

See post above about having/possibly losing a life 

And who knows, there's one more round of trades according to Wdleehi after the presers... let's talk 

3.  Taking Amir Johnson in the 5th.  I already touched on this in my write up.

Other than that I think I did the best I could.  Having a top few pick and not doing a bunch of trades put me in a very tough spot.  As great as LeBron is, not getting another player until the 59th spot is a tall order to overcome.  By then all the elite big men, and top flight young prospects weer gone.  Calderon was the closest player to an all star left and I really wanted a good PG, so he was an easy pick for me there.... but having multiple 1st and 2nd rounders would have made this job much much easier.

No need to explain that pick.... I really like the Calderon pick at that point in the draft... I think he's in that 2nd level of PGs with Rondo and Ford in terms of young PGs.

[Big Ticket]

Okay, somebody has to ask this:

BT, did you have any qualms about taking Lebron after the confusion at the top of the draft?  Was it done with a pang of guilt?  Did the various GMs involved have any discussions about having a "do over" or swapping players?

If Lebron had gone #1, who would you have taken?

If you go back to that region of the draft thread, you'll see that I was perhaps the most concerned poster about the debacle.  I did feel bad because I felt it was due to a lack of clear communication about the rules.  I thought the same thing as the original #1 team - that if you sent in a list to wdleehi, you were safe, even if logged into CB and just not in the thread.  I understand and agree with the arguments for both sides, just feel bad that it wasn't universally understood before the mess.  I didn't have any communication with that team (Tehran Lakers I think) but was mostly on their side before the commish laid down the final say.  If the Lakers had been around to draft Dwight Howard (to answer for final question on who I would've taken 2nd) I would have absolutely entertained a LeBron for Howard trade, possibly even straight up to make things fair, but unfortunately by the time the situation was sorted out, the Lakers had Duncan and it would've caused a massive chain of unpleasantries if I moved to take Howard and give LeBron to the Lakers.  Evantime seemed to have no interest in losing Howard, as he was continually prodding me to jump on LeBron as soon as the Lakers missed their pick.

[Roy Hobbs]

Thanks for that explanation, BT.  That was a point of curiosity with me; "why didn't they just sort things out on their own"?  I had assumed that it was the Duncan pick that screwed it up, but didn't know that you were being pushed to pick.  Interesting stuff.

[Gainesville Celtic]

You know Roy.... i was reading another post (is that allowed?  on Rudy Fernandez) and saw this post:

Their will be a minutes squeeze in Portland. I imagine Rudy will get somewhere in teens minutes wise.

PG - Blake, Bayless
SG - Roy, Rudy
SF - Webster, Outlaw

Who's getting dumped from that rotation?

Portland have a lot of depth and talent. They're going to be a special team, I'm looking forward to watching them too.

And it got me thinking that the REAL Blazers might be the test case for the FAKE Blazers... i.e. how far can a team go with lots of young players.  It's not an exact match -- the fakes have more talent, the reals have a slightly better GM (but not by much  )-- but:


PG:
real - Blake, Bayless
fake - Ford, Blake

SG:
real - Roy, R. Fernandez
fake - Iggy, Mobley

SF:
real - Outlaw, Webster
fake - Gay, Webster

PF/C
real - Aldridge, Oden, Przybilla
fake - Stoudemire, Horford, Haslem

the FAKE Blazers have more talent, but it will be an interesting test case to see how the REAL Blazers can mesh.  FWIW, Roy and Iggy are a virtual push IMO.

[Roy Hobbs]

I had had the same thought, G.C.  The difference (other than just the relative talent level) is that in the "real" NBA, most teams have been together for years, so the argument "how would adding so many young guys to the mix right away" has some merit.  In our fake draft, everyone is in the same boat.

But otherwise, yes, it's at least an interesting comparison.  The "real" Blazers has a ton of legit young talent that will be fighting for minutes; it will be interesting to see how they fit.

[Redz]

[dang] Roy, I just saw your original post in this thread.  That is some in depth coverage. It inspired me to make an additional post on my squad (and somewhat for GC's continued amusement)

Here is our promo ad (sure to boost ticket sales threefold)

OKC Angry Pickles

Knuckleheads Are Us

Buy Some [dang] Tickets

[Scribbles]

Nicely done, Scribbles.  A few questions:

1) Where do you see yourself in our division?  In our Conference?

2) What do you see as your team's biggest weakness?

3) Any concern about Tmac's health?  What about his failure to win a playoff series in his career?  Will that hold you back?

4) Are you worried that you don't have a more traditional post presence on offense, with Aldridge having an offensive game that tends to drift away from the basket?

(Btw, I edited your youtube video so that it displayed properly; I didn't think you'd mind.)

1.  IMO this is one of the toughest division in the league.  Obviously Portland is the clear cut favorite, but I think 2nd in the division is up for grabs.  Minny has Lebron, and we all know what he can do.  Denver has a nice squad as well.  If my team were to stay healthy I belive I could get 2nd, but I could easily get 4th just as fast.  The conference as a whole I'm not to sure.  I think in the 5-8 seed range depending on health once again. 

2.  My team's biggest weakness, hmm.   What stands out right away to alot of people is the PG and Center spot.  Diop is known as strictly as a defensive big with little offensive game.  Udrih is a rather unknown as a starter, his first year starting though he did quite well.  Sactown had the 13th best offense in the league in which he ran the show, though I'm sure alot of that had to do with Kevin Martin.  Beno has deep range, can penetrate, and can handle the ball under when pressured.  The thing that hurts him is he's not a great defender and has trouble finishing shots in close. 

My other weakness I see is my bench/frontline.  Outside of Diop I don't have any real presences.  The bench goes about 3 or 4 deep with Diaw, Kapono, Nesterovic and possibly Charlie Bell..who in all honesty scares me as a backup PG.  I'm hoping both Belinelli and Barea show something this year as I think both could be solid players in the future, and is what I'm banking on for help from my undermaned bench.   

3.  Tmac's health does concern me a  little bit.  Reason being I drafted Kapono and Diaw, hoping that one of them could step in and help the team out if he were to sustain an injury.  While I'm guessing he will miss some games, I'm just a little worried.  His not getting over the hump in the playoffs bothers me as well but I don't see it being an issue. He's due.  He brought Orlando every year to the playoffs when he was the only good player on that team.  I also strongly belive had Yao been healthy, Tmac's team would have won a playoff series this year.  I think the team I constructed is one of the better teams, he's been on too and nobody on the team has had any past history with injuries to my understanding.  So overall I am concerned but I don't think it will stop me from going anywhere that I belive this team can go. 

4.  The lack of a post presence is an interesting problem.  My team is obviously a jump shooting team so I could have many up and down games throught the season which could cost me.  I'm hoping that either Sene or Simmons devolps into a serviable post option, though I'm not exactly to keen on that happening any time soon.  I'm not to sure of Diop's post game either as he rarely touches the ball on offense with Dallas.  If he could provide any sort of back to the basket game that would help me out big time, but again I'm not sure that's going to be happening. LaMarcus is a face up post player but I think he has a decent back to the basket game.  He's still young and could devolp into a serviable post option to go along with his face up game. 

I'll be back to answer some of the othe questions later.  Thanks for asking.