CB Draft '09 Mock Press Conference: Southwest Division

[Gainesville Celtic]

Dallas: Do you really think Dalembert is the best reserve center in the league?  Better than lets say, Big Z?

Yeah Dallas I def disagree with that. Brad Miller, Big Z, there are a few really good reserve centers out there.

Foster/Varejao 

[Roy Hobbs]

Dallas: Do you really think Dalembert is the best reserve center in the league?  Better than lets say, Big Z?

Yeah Dallas I def disagree with that. Brad Miller, Big Z, there are a few really good reserve centers out there.

Foster/Varejao 

Both are very good players.  In not sure that they have the talent of Dalembert, but they have both accepted their roles.

[indeedproceed]

Dallas: Do you really think Dalembert is the best reserve center in the league?  Better than lets say, Big Z?

Yeah Dallas I def disagree with that. Brad Miller, Big Z, there are a few really good reserve centers out there.

Foster/Varejao 

Both are very good players.  In not sure that they have the talent of Dalembert, but they have both accepted their roles.

Isn't that what it comes down to for a lot of players?

The players who would be borderline all-stars/strong role players on contending teams is a mile long if everyone always gave 100% and did what they were supposed to.

Imagine Ricky Davis with Grant Hill's discipline? That guy would be an asset to any franchise.

[Gainesville Celtic]

Grant Hill -- 37 years old.

A young 36 years old when you consider all the time he's missed. He had a excellent season last year and is still a starter.

He'll be 37 when the season starts, and there isn't a long track record of 37 year old starting small forwards in the league.  Time will tell.

i think this is a small issue with Nocioni backing him up. Nocioni could play 30 mpg if Hill breaks down and Houston wouldn't lose mcuh of beat

[Edgar]

just for the record

Is Ricky buckets active in any team?

[indeedproceed]

Any worries about Anthony Randolph at center?

1)Houston: I hate...HATE the randolph at center pick.

(From first to worst! Thanks, IP.)

But to respond, nobody bought my slight of hand?

Bosh has thrived thus far starting alongside the likes of the face-up, 6'9" Jorge Garbajosa (on a team that won the Atlantic division) and perimeter threat and work in progress Andres Bargnani. Well Randolph is already a better rebounder, shot blocker and interior presence than either. How doesn’t he compare favorably to pre-2009 All Star break Andres? As a three-and-half-years-younger 19 year old rookie? So where’s the beef?

That said. It’s all smoke and mirrors. Randolph tips off and will defend the league’s best opposing centers in spot minutes as a different look, and the league’s worst centers in spot minutes to provide Bosh with relief, but that’s it.

Chris filled fully half of the Raptors center minutes last season, out-scored and out-rebounded opposing centers, drew twice the number of fouls, and posted a +6.5 PER differential. He’s 6th in the NBA in rebounding, despite concerns about his build, and in Beijing led the US Men’s team in boards.

I’m also high on David Andersen. Who comes off the bench as a skilled (near) 7 footer, with a high basketball IQ and great versatility on the high post, in terms of shooting and ball handling.  He’s also a very good team defender, if not a strong rebounder. But then no one plays minutes for Ettore Messina when they’re not playing hard, playing fundamentally sound basketball and boxing out. He has the opportunity to be the best big man taken outside of the first six or seven rounds.

I admit to knowing no-sing about David Andersen.

But that aside. Comparing Jorge Garjabosa (You sir, are a mouthful. Place the quote) with Anthony Randolph, what's different?

The biggest difference to me is that Jorge wielded his body and arms like samurai swords, and while Randolph is 7 ft or close, he is also about a buck twenty-five soaking wet. He can't defend 3/4 of the league's power forwards, let alone the centers. Randolph anywhere but a mismatch three is a warning sign to me, and even then, I don't like it all that much if he's the starting SF on a team that has big city dreams.

[Roy Hobbs]

Grant Hill -- 37 years old.

A young 36 years old when you consider all the time he's missed. He had a excellent season last year and is still a starter.

He'll be 37 when the season starts, and there isn't a long track record of 37 year old starting small forwards in the league.  Time will tell.

i think this is a small issue with Nocioni backing him up. Nocioni could play 30 mpg if Hill breaks down and Houston wouldn't lose mcuh of beat

Well, I think any time you lose a starter you'd be missing a beat.  It would make the team weaker.

Houston is a team that could ultimately come out looking brilliant at the six month mark, but to me, they have too many question marks to rank them #1 in their division.

[Roy Hobbs]

Dallas: Do you really think Dalembert is the best reserve center in the league?  Better than lets say, Big Z?

Yeah Dallas I def disagree with that. Brad Miller, Big Z, there are a few really good reserve centers out there.

Foster/Varejao 

Both are very good players.  In not sure that they have the talent of Dalembert, but they have both accepted their roles.

Isn't that what it comes down to for a lot of players?

The players who would be borderline all-stars/strong role players on contending teams is a mile long if everyone always gave 100% and did what they were supposed to.

Imagine Ricky Davis with Grant Hill's discipline? That guy would be an asset to any franchise.

True.  The discussion kind of reminds me of a guy like Nate Robinson...  He puts up good numbers on a terrible team, but I don't think he'd be a good fit as a role player on a contender. 

 

[Gainesville Celtic]

Been busy today --- and not very active here -- but this is a fascinating division IMO.... how i see it stacking up (at the minute, i keep going back and forth).


1a. Dallas... too much talent throughout. Not crazy with Lee at the 5, but Dalembert is a good match for this team. Harrington/Smtih/Marion combo at 3/4 is scary (in good & bad ways  ) Ultimately their depth wins the division by a game or 2... but big risk at PG if Kidd or Carter goes down b/c I've never been high on Terry as a PG.

1b. Houston... too much talent at the top with Bosh/JJ/Ellis and a sneakily underated bench (powe will be back strong IMO by the end of the year; BJax, Nocioni, Anderson, Augustin are not exciting names, but quality players). They'll either be the clear favorite at the All-star break or out of it depending on Randolph, the rooks, Augustin, etc.

3. Memphis... Chandler is a bit overrated by KC IMO and the lack of a clear alpha dog is a concern (I see Parker as a 1a guy...), but this is well thought-out team. A small concern about frontcourt depth, but will challenge for the last 2 playoff spots with....

3b. San Antonio... Rose is maybe a year away from being able to will a team to a full season of success. The thing that keeps them out of the conversation for the division is the questions along the front line (Odom, Wilcox, Evans give uneven effort night-to-night and Rose isn't yet able to whip them into shape IMO). A guy like Jeff Foster might be a good fit 

5. New Orleans.... Kobe can't take this team to the playoffs in a stacked West. Kobe's team last year was weak too...  This is a CelticsBlog. Are these "statements" by the faithful? 

[Gainesville Celtic]

Houston is a team that could ultimately come out looking brilliant at the six month mark, but to me, they have too many question marks to rank them #1 in their division.

great minds... and all that... (see my division breakdown directly above)

[KCattheStripe]

My Rankings

1) Memphis. We're awesome and if you don't believe that, you're prolly xenophobic.

2) Dallas. Why we're better than Dallas: The Mavs prolly have the best all around talent in the division, but the pieces don't fit. jason Terry is better as a spark plug off the bench. Shawn Marion on a running team, which the mavs say they are, needs to play PF to be effective. problem is, he also has Josh Smith who also needs to play PF to be effective. You sure as heck can't ply Smith at the 3, so now you've got a surly Matrix because he can't produce as well at the 3. Bad news. Also, Jason Kidd gets shredded by TP.

3) The Hornets. Why we're better than the Hornets: Kobe is a killr, but their second best player is Russell Westbrook and we have the superioir ver sion of the superior version of Russell Westbrook on our team.

4) Houston. Why we're better than Houston: People call our frontline wak, but really I hate the combination of Bosh and Randolph. Two face up fours has worked once for Toronto as they won the worst division in recent memory. Aside from that it's stunted both bosh and Bargnani's growth. I also do not think JJ and Monta mix well at all. Patrially because I don't think Monta is that good a player.

5. San Antonio. Why we're better than San Antonio: They're young, but they're not quite ready yet.

[indeedproceed]

Dallas: Do you really think Dalembert is the best reserve center in the league?  Better than lets say, Big Z?

Yeah Dallas I def disagree with that. Brad Miller, Big Z, there are a few really good reserve centers out there.

Foster/Varejao 

Both are very good players.  In not sure that they have the talent of Dalembert, but they have both accepted their roles.

Isn't that what it comes down to for a lot of players?

The players who would be borderline all-stars/strong role players on contending teams is a mile long if everyone always gave 100% and did what they were supposed to.

Imagine Ricky Davis with Grant Hill's discipline? That guy would be an asset to any franchise.

True.  The discussion kind of reminds me of a guy like Nate Robinson...  He puts up good numbers on a terrible team, but I don't think he'd be a good fit as a role player on a contender. 

 

You really think Nate Robinson doesn't give 110% every play?

Even on a loser the guy wants to bust out someone's teeth.

He's kinda like Ron Artest in that fashion, except he keeps it on the court. 

[KCattheStripe]

Been busy today --- and not very active here -- but this is a fascinating division IMO.... how i see it stacking up (at the minute, i keep going back and forth).

3. Memphis... Chandler is a bit overrated by KC IMO and the lack of a clear alpha dog is a concern (I see Parker as a 1a guy...), but this is well thought-out team. A small concern about frontcourt depth, but will challenge for the last 2 playoff spots with....

What about Wilson Chandlr is overrrated?

[Roy Hobbs]

You really think Nate Robinson doesn't give 110% every play?

Even on a loser the guy wants to bust out someone's teeth.

He's kinda like Ron Artest in that fashion, except he keeps it on the court. 

Here's some reading for you:

Nate Robinson is, in his humble opinion, "Nate the Great."

And then there was the embarrassing moment three weeks ago when he tried to bounce the ball off the floor and dunk it against the Cleveland Cavaliers, a play that was ruled a travel and made the Knicks look like an undisciplined group of street-ballers.

Robinson's explanation was as peculiar as his decision to attempt the dunk in the first place.

"That's why they call me Spontaneous Nate," he said.

Spontaneous, yes. Great? Not quite. And now Robinson has a new nickname: Instigator. His role in Saturday's Knicks-Nuggets fight cannot be underestimated. Instead of pulling Mardy Collins away from J.R. Smith and allowing the referees to intervene, Robinson went after Smith and ended up fighting with the Denver guard and spilling into the front row.

Robinson and Carmelo Anthony figure to receive lengthy suspensions because both were responsible for escalating the situation.

After the game, Robinson said he did not regret his actions and made the stunning revelation that Collins' flagrant takedown was not only "a good, clean hard foul" but that it was premeditated.

"For what they did as in keeping guys in, I knew a foul was going to come," Robinson said Saturday. "A hard one because we're not going to let guys keep dunking when they're up 20 and they have their starters in. It was a good clean hard foul. After that, it went downhill from there."

Robinson later added: "They wanted to embarrass us. It was a slap in the face to us as a team and a franchise and we weren't going to let that happen."

Clearly, Robinson forgot what he did against Cleveland or what he said after the game upon hearing that Isiah Thomas told the media that Robinson would not try that dunk again. Robinson agreed but quickly added he would try it only if the Knicks are "ahead by 20."

Since Robinson joined the Knicks last season as a throw-in in the Kurt Thomas-Quentin Richardson trade, he has become a fan favorite because of his incredible athletic ability. Many of the Knicks' marketing campaigns involve Robinson. Last week, the Knicks handed out life-sized posters of the diminutive second-year player. Robinson's popularity soared last year when the 5-9 guard won the slam dunk contest during All-Star Weekend in Houston and peaked again at the Garden this season when he blocked a shot from Yao Ming.

But to teammates and coaches he also can be the annoying little brother who talks too much and can't control his emotions. Larry Brown tried to get Robinson sent to the Developmental League last season, only to be rebuffed by management.

Before the Knicks' home opener last month, MSG Network recorded Robinson outside the locker room posing and dancing for the cameras. Teammates tried to stop him but Robinson continued dancing. Robinson also has earned a reputation as a bench jockey who trash-talks to players on the floor. He also has been criticized by teammates for, ironically enough, showboating.

Last year, Robinson was involved in two fights with teammates. He went after Jerome James with a broom during a practice and then had to be separated from fighting Malik Rose in the shower. The shower fight prompted a veteran teammate to give Robinson another nickname.

"That's just Nate," the Knick said. "He's a jerk."

Link.

Robinson also has a well-earned reputation as a ball hog, as Peter Vescey and Bill Simmons point out below:

"I can't recall anyone so diminutive at the pro level so infuriatingly one-dimensional. Even compulsive scoring Calvin Murphy averaged 4.4 assists during his 10-year career, going slightly over seven twice. I mean, nobody loathes sharing the sphere more than Earl Boykins, yet he's accidentally conceived 3.3 assists per over eight seasons.

"Robinson's numbers are downright Yinka Dare-ish. But at least the 6-foot-10 Yinka (R.I.P.) didn't have the ball in his hands 90 percent of the time."

And here's ESPN's Bill Simmons, who in a recent rant lumped another former Rainier Beach star into the calumny:

"Not only is there a good chance that no Knicks player will finish with more than four assists a game, but two of the biggest ball hogs in recent NBA history (Nate Robinson and Jamal Crawford) might crack a combined 4,500 minutes this season without notching 350 assists combined. Did you know Robinson has played 16 games and 343 minutes and dished out 24 assists total? He's a point guard! He's 5-foot-7!!!! How is this possible??"

[The Walker Wiggle]

The biggest difference to me is that Jorge wielded his body and arms like samurai swords, and while Randolph is 7 ft or close, he is also about a buck twenty-five soaking wet. He can't defend 3/4 of the league's power forwards, let alone the centers. Randolph anywhere but a mismatch three is a warning sign to me, and even then, I don't like it all that much if he's the starting SF on a team that has big city dreams.

It's interesting that you bring that up. Because I just got the hype machine working again...

Anthony Randolph I can’t stop crying.

Per36 numbers of 15.9 PTS 11.6 REB 1.6 AST 1.3 STL and 2.4 BLK

Stats which he approached as a starter over eight April Games, averaging 15.1 points, 10.6 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 0.9 blocks in 32 mpg.

He's one of the most breathtaking rookies I've seen in person - ever - for all the reasons you just described. There has never been anyone quite like him. He's like a cross between Josh Smith and Lamar Odom, only if you fed him 10 Red Bulls and told him right before the game, "If you can make 10 things happen during the 10 minutes you play tonight, we will quadruple your salary and you will start for the rest of the season" ... and then he does just that, but the coach reneges on the promise so Anthony has a near-crying meltdown on the bench. That's every Anthony Randolph game. I caught him once and, in the span of two hours, he made three "MY GOD!" plays and broke down on the Warriors' bench because Nellie wouldn't put him back in, followed by an assistant consoling him through an entire timeout like Randolph was a third grader who got in trouble for something he didn't do, then had a meltdown and got kicked out of class. It was riveting. The odds of me missing another Clips-Warriors game for the next five years are 10,000-to-1.

It’s like looking in the mirror a little. He’s also 6-11, he’s left-handed and he can put the ball on the floor. He’s two times as athletic as I was at that age.

He should set his goals high. He has All-Star potential, Hall of Fame potential, with that size, his ability to put the ball on the floor, he can shoot the three, he can pass. If he stays focused, the sky is the limit for him.