CB Draft '09 Mock Press Conference: Central Division

[StartOrien]

Hey Guys, work load looks a little heavy so I don't know how often I'll be able to get in. So I'm going to write a cliffnotes version of my press conference, and do some FAQ's.

The basic drafting philospohy was to improve upon the model the Houston Rockets created this past season with Battier and Igoudala playing the wing roles, Arenas being Aaron Brooks and Aldridge protecting the rim.

Lineup

1. Gilbert Arenas
Primary Offensive Duties: Play initiator, shot taker. Pick n' roll guy with Aldridge See: Brooks, Aaron
Defensive Duties: Point duties, expect his anticipation skills to create steals

2. Andre Igoudala
Primary Offensive Duties: Same as his role with the Sixers, slash and dash in the fast break (we do plan on running a decent amount).
Defensive Duties: Lock down defender, playing the role of Ron Artest

3. Shane Battier
Primary Offensive Duties: Extend the defense with 3 point shooting ability.
Defensive Duties: Lock down defender, using intelligence to force players into mistakes

4. Lamarcus Aldridge
Primary Offensive Duties: In-Out Post player, extends bigs with mid range
Defensive Duties: Rim protector, rebounder

5. Kurt Thomas
Primary Offensive Duties: JYD, clean up the boards, bang around in the paint
Defensive Duties: On the ball defense against stronger post players, rebounder

Bench
Von Wafer: Instant Offense
Channing Frye: First big off the bench, Diet Aldridge. In real life, I think he's due for a huge breakout season.
Terrance Williams: Strong permiter defense, good ball movement.
Jamal Maglorie: Tough nosed, physical player
Marcus Williams: Dropped 15 pounds, reports are good about maturity. I call for a strong return to form.
Donte Greene: Potential pick, hope he makes somewhat of a leap this season.
Joey Dorsey: Physical player, rebounder
Quincy Douby: Spot shooter
Goran Suton: I honestly know nothing about Goran, someone dropped him and I thought it would be funny to immediately sign him. I know he's big and has had some success in the big 10

Wild Card
Ricky Rubio: There's enough talk about his skill, I won't go too far into it besides the fact that I think he's proved himself pretty well from his strong showing in the olympics.

I didn't draft the team based on him coming to town this year. That being said, I do think he's coming. Between DKV being really financially shaky, and Rubio's agent looking for endorsement deals (something a foreign born, Pistol Pete like, Zack Efron look alike shouldn't have much trouble finding)

Team Of Future/Team of Present

I have always been of the opinion that a Team of the Future, never becomes so without immediate success. Which is why I built this team with a strong future foundation of Rubio, Igoudala and Aldridge and surrounded them with players that will help them be an immediate contender (Arenas, Battier, Thomas).

Best Moves

I think I've got two; drafting Shane Battier and acquiring Gilbert Arenas. Shane Battier gives this team an idendity, and fits perfectly into what we're trying to do. I also liked him because he epitomized how I was going to draft; best fit, over best player. I think when you sit back, you can see an actual team here which would work well together. And I credit Battier for most of that.

I like Arenas, because I think he gives us our extra punch on the offense and still is strong enough defensively to not take away from what we do.

Worst Move

My initial trade that had me part with my first round pick. Which I essentially had to go out and make a 'redo' like trade which costed me a sixth rounder.

FAQ's

1. How much do you expect out of Kurt Thomas
He's our starting Center, but I only expect about 20-30 minutes out of him a night. As I mentioned before Thomas will be used a lot for his veteran leadership, and his other chief contribution will be playing against "traditional centers." Though since there's a lack of your traditional post up center (Ilgauskus, Duncan, Shaq, and that's kinda it) we plan on using a variety of different attacks. Besides our starting lineup, here's who I see as our fourth quarter players.

Quick and Big:
Arenas, Igoudala, Battier, Frye, Aldridge

Small:
Arenas, Wafer, Igoudala, Battier, Aldridge

Ideally, we'd see Rubio come to town which would open that many more options for us, and we also hold out hope that Terrance Williams will be ready to immediately contribute. At which point we'd probably play Williams down the stretch on some nigths.

Why did you trade Stephen Curry for Gilbert Arenas?

I've touched upon this briefly, but the two predominant reasons are a. I'm not sold on Stephen Curry as an NBA player, and b. I refuse to believe that him and Rubio would make a succesful backcourt tandem (though they could be fairly entertaining).

For those of you who aren't made aware, reference threads 2-350, Gilbert Arena's trainer has informed his coach that he's in the shape of his career...

Jokes aside, I do think Arenas is ready to rebound, as he has continued to succeeed when there's a chip on his shoulder and I think a strong part of the NBA community has ruled  him out of the upper tier of players. Vindictive, yes. But I'm not going to turn downt he chance to capitalize. And as I've mentioned above, I think he's a tremendous piece of the puzzle for us. Someone who can create steals from the point, and be a strong contributor offensively.

And obviously, if healthy, he makes a contributor

What about Arenas' health?

It's certainly a point of concern. Regardless of if Rubio plays this year or not, we're clearly a much better team with Agent Zero healthy.

Worst case scenario, I honest am really high on Marcus Williams. Judging by training camp reports, he has certainly been humbled by the past year or so, and I think he's ready to return to the promise he showed in his rookie year, when a lot of us were calling Danny a fool for passing up on such a tremendous pure point guard.

Who is the team's post player?

It really will really alter between a few players, though I maintain the days of having a traditional post up player are in the past, and if we look at recent NBA champions not named The San Antonio Spurs, this seems to be evident. The trend seems to favor strong wing players, and post players capable of stretching the defense.

Who takes the last shot?

Option a. Arenas, option b. Igoudala. Not bad.

Anything else?

I'd like to second something JR brought up before. This conference is really overlooked, top to bottom you're looking at some solid squads, and I think we're really getting overlooked. Good job by all.

OK, are you done?
Unless you want me repost the quote from ID:4

[Rondo2287]

Indy.  How do you see your bench stacking up with the other benches in the division?

[johnnyrondo]

Nice job Chicago and Detroit on getting a nice core of guys, you guys are definitely tops of your division, although I give the nod to Chicago. 

Being said you guys have a nice core, come playoff time do you think your downfalls will be our benches, while Chicago you have nice starting five, your bench is one of the weakest in the league, I know you've stated that the whole bench won't be in at the same time but don't you think your team might be fatigued come playoffs, and what other strategies will you employ to combat this?

As for Detroit I think you are in a very similar boat as you have a good starting five but your bench seems lacking as well (Carney is a nice young guy).  A lot of your bench hasn't produced much in the past.  Are you also concerned about fatigue, especially concerning the back up bigs.  What type of strategies are you going to employ to overcome this weakness?

Thanks for the question Kwit. I think I answered your concerns in my answer to Scribbles

[StartOrien]

Indy.  How do you see your bench stacking up with the other benches in the division?

I think my bench works very well together, because a lot of players allow for flexibility and they all fit in well with what we're trying to do. Which is what you really look into a bench; players that you can plug into your lineup without losing its idendity.

As far as how they stack up against other teams, I'll leave that to you. The Indiana Pacers are here to discuss the Indiana Pacers

[nickagneta]

This question is for the General Manager of the Detroit Pistons.

In your press release it seemed a recurrent theme that you wanted the public to gauge the talent of your players based on stats from previous year and not of their most recent play. Why should voters ignore the most recent and less flattering play of these players and judge them on something they did one to three years ago?

For instance, Chandler had an upswing in his production when he was healthy and playing alongside CP3. Well, a team's medical team canceled a trade due to his health last year and now he will no longer have the best PG in the league making him look better. Isn't more logical that we could see a repeat of last year or a return to his Bulls days stats?

Same for Watson. You want the voting public to view him as a starter yet he was cut by the youngest, worse team in the league and has signed on for a role of limited minutes as a back up in Indiana. How can the voting public look at him as a starter when his real team has him playing limited minutes?

[johnnyrondo]

Questions for Chicago:

1)  What is the key difference between your teams and the "real life" Hornets, which have been based around Chris Paul, a dominant big man (West), and a great scoring wing (Peja).  This team, when healthy, has not made it to the Western Conference Finals; why will your team fare better?

2) Pau Gasol has missed 16+ games in two of the last three seasons, Kevin Martin missed 31 games last season and 21 games the season before, Raja Bell missed 16 games, Al Horford missed 15, Keith Bogans missed 17 games (and 23 three years ago) and DeShawn Stevenson is coming off a serious back injury that caused him to miss 50 games.  Jason Williams, of course, was out of the league.

Three part question:  a) Is your team durable enough to hold up during the regular season; b) if one of your top three misses significant time, can you make the playoffs; and c) with the team's durability questions and a weak bench, is a running style the best system for your guys?

3) I really liked your team early in the draft process.  The additions of Pau and CP3 were very good ones, and I think you did well in your trade of Big Al to IP.  After that, though, I found some of your moves to be questionable. Can you explain the series of moves that turned Tayshaun Prince, Wilson Chandler, Rudy Fernandez, George Hill and multiple draft picks into, basically, Kevin Martin and Ryan Anderson?  Wouldn't you have been better off keeping the original players?

4) How does your team compare to other good teams in your conference, specifically Toronto, Boston, Philly, Detroit, Orlando, and Washington?

Wow tons of questions! If every GM asked me that many I'd have like 250 questions. lol. Let me try and do my best here.

Regarding injuries. Everyone is healthy. Pau Gasol obviously missed some games a few years ago while the Grizzlies were tanking (like Paul Pierce). Both have gone on to win rings since. Kevin Martin missed some games last year, but returned better than ever, scoring a career high of 50 in April. The other players you mention seem to have the average amount of missed games. Deshawn's injury we have insurance with with Bogans.

Quick answer to the comparison question. I believe that David West got injured, thus derailing the Hornets as they lost to the Spurs in 7 games. Horford is much more durable and will have similar positive results with CP3. Obviously Pau Gasol is a huge step up over Tyson Chandler and Kevin Martin is a gigantic step up over Rasual Butler. We like Raja's game better than Peja's as well. Peja used to be a really solid player. So obviously if you sub Big Al and Wally for KG and Ray you will win more or if you sub Chandler and Rasual for Pau Gasol and Kevin Martin you will win more.

I'll get to your section 3 and section 4 questions in a bit.

[nickagneta]

This question is for the General Manager of the Indiana Pacers.

Do you really feel that you have any chance to win your division title when your only big man of note is LaMarcus Aldridge a 6'11" player who, despite his size, can't manage 8 rebounds in nearly 40 minutes of play? You will be playing in a division where teams will have groups like Gasol/Horford/Anderson and West/Bogut/Landry/Blatche and Chandler/Amare going against what I perceive to be an extremely weak front line. How do you expect to contend with this?

[johnnyrondo]

Questions for Chicago:


Three part question:  a) Is your team durable enough to hold up during the regular season; b) if one of your top three misses significant time, can you make the playoffs; and c) with the team's durability questions and a weak bench, is a running style the best system for your guys?

3) I really liked your team early in the draft process.  The additions of Pau and CP3 were very good ones, and I think you did well in your trade of Big Al to IP.  After that, though, I found some of your moves to be questionable. Can you explain the series of moves that turned Tayshaun Prince, Wilson Chandler, Rudy Fernandez, George Hill and multiple draft picks into, basically, Kevin Martin and Ryan Anderson?  Wouldn't you have been better off keeping the original players?

4) How does your team compare to other good teams in your conference, specifically Toronto, Boston, Philly, Detroit, Orlando, and Washington?

Ok I've already answered the durability question, which was a little odd, because we're healthier than most. Obviously a running style makes sense based on our roster. We have 13 guys who will thrive in that system. Injuries would allow 3 or 4 of those players to get some burn. Unlike some other teams, if one of our stars misses time, we will obviously still make the playoffs. This isn't like the real Cavs losing Lebron or the real Heat losing Wade. Let's say our 25ppg Martin misses some time, we still have an MVP candidate and top post player and Al Horford and depth. Probably the best top 3 in the league still. If any team can deal with one of their big 3 going down for a while, it's the Bulls.

3) Yes I remember the Portland GM not being happy with our moves, but not sure what to take from that. George Hill was taken as an asset. We don't need a young pg with big upside as a backup. We have Chris Paul starting. We were able to turn Prince into Kevin Martin, which gave us a true great third weapon. Previously if we took CP3 out we would not have been left with a go to guy on the perimeter. Now we have one. We like the reserves and the depth we have now on the wings. And getting Ryan Anderson helps a lot more than Hill for us. We needed a big and wouldn't have gotten one waiting all those rounds, so we first went the Scole route, but then when we had the opportunity to get a star in Martin, we were happy to get Anderson.

I will get to #4 later.

[nickagneta]

This question is for the General Manager of the Chicago Bulls.

Is there any truth to the rumor that if your team wins it all that you will be providing a championship ring to the General Manager of the DC Boxers for his sending you such a great young star the caliber of Kevin Martin?

 

[RebusRankin]

Indy, any worries about your bench? Your backup pg (Rubio) hasn't commited to comming over this season and is unproven. Your backup sf (Terrence Williams) is an unproven rookie. Channing Frye seems to have regressed the past few seasons in Portland. Marcus Williams couldn't get minutes in NJ or GS. Maglorie hasn't been productive in a few seasons.

[nickagneta]

Getting back to the gentleman from Chicago for a moment.

Your team and you in particular took a lot of criticism after the kevin martin trade because although you probably solidified, if not the best starting five in the league, at least one of the two best, you also completely decimated your bench. Although you made strides to improving it, I think the general perception is you have one of the weaker bench units in the league.

How can such a dichotomy of extremes work when benches really need to compliment the starters in true championship teams, not hinder them?

[johnnyrondo]

Ok the last part of Roy's plethora of questions (some team must be on the Blazers minds )

4) How does your team compare to other good teams in your conference, specifically Toronto, Boston, Philly, Detroit, Orlando, and Washington?

No disrepect to any of those teams, but just like Wyc or KG or Pierce would think the C's are head and shoulders above other teams, I think those teams are playing for second. Well most of them. I don't think Toronto is in that mix, but you've asked me not to comment on them, so I'll leave that alone.

I don't want to attack the other teams, but just feel like we have a better TEAM. A better MVP candidate (with the exeption possibly of Orlando) a much better 2nd star, a much better 3rd star, a much better 4th guy etc. People have tried to argue about our bench, but I think that is just opposing GM's trying to put out misinformation as you've called it. We have 5 guys who have started before. Our bench is solid and is similar to benches that have won championships. IMO teams that have great benches are often teams without MVP candidates or top shelf talent and these teams generally miss the playoffs or don't go far. You want to have three stars a couple of solid starters, and bench players who know their roles. Coaches tend to get fired with teams that have no real stars and a bunch of non star starters, some being asked to lead the team, which they can't and other fighting in the lockerroom, b/c they don't have enough PT.

Orlando is the team most will mention as a top competitor  b/c of Lebron, but again we like our TEAM better. If Marc Gasol and Charlie V become super stars this yr, we will retract that statement, but right now we like the real Cavs better than the Magics and obviously believe the fake Bulls would beat the real Cavs, like the real Magic, Celtics and Spurs have done the previous three seasons.

No offense to GC. He worked hard, but I would have been more fearful of the Magics with a dominant big and a better backcourt. I think all those teams with the exception of the one you asked me not to speak on will wage a great battle to make it to the ECF

[johnnyrondo]

Ok Nick I'm about to get to your questions. Have a little arthritis from answering all of Portland's. Give me a few minutes.

[ChampKind]

Your 2009 Cleveland Cavaliers:

Projected Starters:


C - Andrew Bogut
24 years old, 2008/09 - 11.7 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 1 blk
Last year was an aberration for the still developing center.  Injuries (and the Bucks lack of playoff ambition) kept him out of 50 games, but reports are he's back to full strength.  A solid player in the pivot who passes well, can score and can run the floor if needed.



PF - David West
29 years old, 2008/09 - 21 ppg, 8.5 rpg, .9 blk
Solid player, 2 time all-star, fierce competitor, and good shooter.  Does what it takes to win games.



SF - Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
22 years old, 2008/09 - 7.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.1 spg
Lockdown defender who can defend the 3 and take some time at the 4 due to his strength and quickness.  Has shown he can shoot well, but he's not a dynamic offensive threat.  Lots of good years ahead for this kid.



SG - Mike Miller
29 years old, 2008/09 - 9.9 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 4.5 apg
Underutilized last year, Miller is a lights out shooter, strong passer, and impressive athlete.  Though his defense is better at the 3 than the 2, his size advantage helps to contest shots and pull down rebounds at a high rate.  A great team guy who is a boost to any locker room.



PG - Devin Harris
26 years old, 2008/09 - 21.3 ppg, 6.9 apg, 1.7 spg
All-star point guard who can score and distribute.  Great court vision and quickness makes him a factor on offense and defense. Efficient player whose shooting is getting better every year.



Bench:


The Microwave [SG/PG]: Jamal Crawford
29 years old, 2008/09 - 19.7 ppg, 4.4 apg, 36% from 3pt
Instant offense, great shooting, can play the point in limited minutes, not much defense, but comes through in the clutch.  Shifting Crawford to the bench makes him a potential 6th man of the year candidate, a la Ben Gordon.  Making him a focal point of the 2nd team eases some of the pressure that has hounded him on losing teams in the past.



The Stopper [PF]: Carl Landry
25 years old, 2008/09 - 9.2 ppg, 5 rpg, .574 fg%
Mr. Efficient.  Plays great defense, scores well, and doesn't turn the ball over.  A steady frontcourt anchor as the 1st big off the bench.



The Excitement [PG/SG]: Sweet Lou Williams
22 years old, 2008/09 - 12.8 ppg, 3 apg, 1.05 spg
An athletic specimen who can score in bunches.  Not a natural point, but can fill in there capably, especially off the bench.  His experiment in Philly this year could be a huge benefit for this team.  His defense, scoring, and ballhandling make him a valuable rotation player.



The Steady Hand [SG/PG]: Charlie Bell
30 years old, 2008/09 -
The calming influence in the backcourt.  Bell's veteran leadership and ability to control/defend two positions underlies his importance to this team.  His ability to hit the 3 is admired as well.

The Bench Wave 2:



The Inside Touch [C/PF] - Andray Blatche
22 years old, 2008/09 - 10 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1 blk
A long, athletic big with a solid shooting touch.  A nice change of pace from Bogut banging underneath.  Still young and developing, Blatche blocks shots and defends well, but his biggest contributions will be on offense.



The Blossoming Shooter/Defender [SG/SF] - Brandon Rush
24 years old, 2008/09 - 8.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, .373 3pt%
Rush shoots well and has the size to play the 2 or 3 effectively.  Came on very strong at the end of last year, and with Marquis Daniels gone in Indy, he'll get plenty of minutes this year.  Could be a breakout player, and fits with this team's mold of "young guy, good defender, good shooter."



The Enigma [PF/C] - Ike Diogu
25 years old, 2008/09 - 4.1 ppg, 1.9 rpg, .527 fg%
Who knows?  For a 12th man you can do a lot worse.  If he gets minutes, he produces, but there has to be a reason why he couldn't get much burn in Sacramento.  Good rebounder and scorer - not much defense, though.


The Bench Supporting Cast:



Better Than You Think [SG/PG] - Kyle "The Dream" Weaver
23 years old, 2008/09 - 5.3 ppg, 1.8 apg, .344 fg%
The kid is 6-6 and can handle the ball well enough to run the 1 or 2 (started 19 games for OKC last year).  He is a very strong defender and can shoot the 3.  He won't score much, but he fits his role very well.  I have a large man-crush on Kyle Weaver.





Worse Than You Think [SF] - Joe Alexander
22 years old, 2008/09 - 4.7 ppg, 1.9 rpg, .7 apg
This one is to boost our jersey sales in Taiwan.  He's a good athlete who will get more burn in Milwaukee this year, but any performance from him is a bonus at this stage.


The Practice Hero [PF/C] - Pops Mensah-Bonsu
25 years old, 2008/09 - 5 ppg, 5.1 rpg, .3 spg
Good athlete, defender, and shot blocker.  Low basketball IQ, but getting better.  Could become a valuable rotation guy after a nice little year in Toronto. Can fill in at center, which helps.


Basic Depth Chart:

C  - Bogut/Blatche/Landry/Mensah-Bonsu
PF - West/Landry/Blatche/Moute/Diogu
SF - Moute/Miller/Rush/Alexander
SG - Miller/Crawford/Bell/Williams/Rush/Weaver
PG - Harris/Williams/Crawford/Bell/Weaver

Draft Philosophy

After drafting a terrible team devoid of a solid big or PG, that was our first priority.  After securing Harris and West at 29 and 32 overall, the rest of the draft was gravy.  The philosophy was to keep the team relatively young and stocked with guys with the right work ethic.  There aren't any major injury/age risks, and no head cases.  I think this team meshes well together, though the overall depth may leave some players unhappy.

Toughest Decision

Partially because I was on vacation, I chose to hold on to my depth rather than package 2 or more players for a slight upgrade.  I only made deals if I saw a major benefit to my side, which made me a little difficult to deal with.  Fortunately, I think my experiences with almost all the GMs here was positive.

Best Move

The trade of my 3rd rounder (3-29) netted me additional picks that filled out the depth of my roster, and allowed me to add some much needed defense and flexibility.  In terms of real players, the deal broke down into: Luis Scola for Mike Miller, Sweet Lou Williams, Andray Blatche, and Luc Mbah a Moute.  I feel like I got better value there.

Worst Move

Failing to draft myself.  My lights out shooting, indifferent defense, and propensity to get injured would have propelled this team to a championship within 6 months.  Fortunately, I am still available on the free agent market, though my demands are unreasonably high.  Management hopes to be able to come to terms with myself before the trade deadline.

Outlook

This team's strength is its flexibility.  Thanks to our depth we can trot out a lineup for any occasion.  Need defense?  Then we'll go Bogut, Landry, Moute, Bell/Rush, Harris/Williams.  Offense?  Bogut, West, Miller, Crawford, Harris.  Small lineup? West, Miller, Crawford, Rush, Harris.  Foul trouble and fatigue will never be major concerns on this team.  There are lots of combinations that we can throw at a team without sacrificing talent.

We're full of strong, steady players that can win games.  I feel like this is a playoff team now, and that we possess a lot of growth for the future.  Additionally, thanks to our depth, we can package 2-3 young pieces to bring in a stud in the middle of a playoff race.

Currently my coaching staff comes strictly from the webcomic Achewood.  Judge that as you see fit.

I look forward to questions, but I'll be busy much of the day with a different kind of press release (i.e. a real one).  Godspeed, and good luck.

  

[Kwhit10]

You say you have a better "TEAM" yet it seems to be the consensus that you have, one of, if not the worst bench in the league.  The bench is part of the team, right?  You have a great starting 5 there is no doubt to that, but to say you have the best "TEAM" might be a stretch, no?