CB Draft '09 Mock Press Conference: Pacific Divison

[Kwhit10]

Buffalo:

Are you at all concerned with your PGs?  Duhon had a jump in stats due to playing in D'Antoni's system.  Even then if you look at the last two months of his spits his averages moved back down to what he was used to getting in Chicago even though he was playing more minutes.  Do you think this is your weak point, considering who your backups are also?

[Roy Hobbs]

Buffalo:

1) What does Al Thornton give you that Andre Kirilenko didn't?

2) Why is your team better than Phoenix?

3) How do you adjust if Ray Allen's inevitable decline starts this season?

4) How has your team's strategy changed now that Kleiza has signed overseas?

5) Houston has repeatedly criticized your bench, saying that it was on par with Chicago's.  This was done even before Kleiza was lost.  How do you respond to this criticism?

6) Right now, outside of your division I have the top three Western teams as Dallas, Portland, and Seattle.  How do you match up with each of these squads?

[Rondo2287]

Buffalo:  Is Dwight Howard going to learn a post move this year or will it be more dunks and running hook shots?

[nickagneta]

One GMs view of the Pacific Division, for what it's worth:

1.) Buffalo - they have the best center in the league that just propelled his team to the Finals. They have a deadly shooting SG that just almost had a .50/.40/.90 shooting year. They have one of the more under rated yet constant All-Stars in the league. So they lost Linas Kleiza. They still have James Jones, Quintin Richardson Zaza Pachulia  and Sergio Rodriquez coming off the bench. The best team in the West and the probable title winner.

2.) Golden State - their experience separates them and pushes them into the second position in the Pacific. The starters are all extremely talented and as long as Deng comes back healthy, and I don't see a reason he shouldn't, they could be dominant. The bench is thin for my liking with the reliance on too many question marks, DeRozan, Evans, Gallinari, Williams and Tinsley. But if even one of these guys comes through to compliment Udoka, Diop, House, and Kapono, it will be a huge boost.

3.) Phoenix - probably a first place team in at least three other divisions. Next year if this was a keeper league, after another year of experience they would be my pick to win it all. But not this year, they are still too young and have too many young growing pains to go through.They are definitely the Winner of Team of the Future as next year and beyond this collection wins multiple titles. Just not this year.

4.) Sacramento - I don't think they will be a good team but they won't be a bad one either. The problem is they much up horribly versus the first three mentioned teams in this division which probably starts their record at 0-13 or so. They will fight with Las Vegas to stay out of the cellar but Roy should succeed in driving them into fourth to stay by mid way into the year.

5.) Las Vegas - not a good team, Nuff said

[JSD]

Buffalo: Who will stop the the Kobe, Lebron or Wade? Aside from Dwight you seem to have a very offensive minded team.

[Roy Hobbs]

More questions for Phoenix:

6) Big Al is a terrible defender, and Biedrins has never shown great man-to-man skills (although admittedly, much of this may be due to the system he plays in).  Your backups are inexperienced and/or weak.  How do you prevent other teams from abusing your front line, especially in the talented West?

7) You still owe me an answer on why you're better than Seattle.  Also, nick says you're lower than Golden State, too, so how do you match up with the Fake Warriors?

8 ) Doc Rivers (a pretty smart guy) has publicly mentioned a dislike for playing two "lane clogging" bigs together.  Your two starting big men are classic lane cloggers, with Big Al a poor jump shooter, and Biedrins maybe the worst shooting big man in the NBA (he shot .153 eFG% on jumpers!) 

a)  Can they co-exist? 

b) And with them filling the lane, how is Rondo going to be able to penetrate, especially when teams dare him to shoot (with his second-to-worst eFG% on jumpers among starting point guards)?

9) Building on the previous question, do you have concerns -- like Doc does -- about Rondo's shooting and scoring?  Also, do you question (like Danny Ainge did) his maturity, stubbornness, and failure to show up on time for playoff games?

[indeedproceed]

I will answer all that and more in about an hour, 40 mins drive time to work, 15 min answering period.

don't hold me to it though, I may will stop for a bagel.

[Rondo2287]

Buffalo- your team looks alot like the magic this year with Dwight surrounded by shooters and an average PG, except with a significantly weaker bench.  Why do you succeed this year when that team lost in the finals?

[Edgar]

with Big Al a poor jump shooter,

just for the record CrotorNats managment can slightly disagree in this observation.

[Roy Hobbs]

with Big Al a poor jump shooter,

just for the record CrotorNats managment can slightly disagree in this observation.

A .375 eFG% on jump shots doesn't lie.  Big Al basically makes one out of every three.

[Edgar]

with Big Al a poor jump shooter,

just for the record CrotorNats managment can slightly disagree in this observation.

A .375 eFG% on jump shots doesn't lie.  Big Al basically makes one out of every three.

yup but he can still give one or two steps behing tgo unclog the lane , and still be a littl efective in front of the basket
and still go for the rebound.
 

[wdleehi]

Phoenix:  I really liked the potential of Jason Smith when he entered the league.  What is your team going to do to allow him to reach some of that potential and be your 3rd big man?

Are you going to win the dunk contest this year?

Explain how you are going to get a top 4 seed?

[wdleehi]

Buffalo:


After your 6th man ripped out your heart, are you worried you best offensive threat off the bench is a man that teams can't get insurance on because of how bad his back is?


15 second left in a game.  You are down by 1.  Who's hands do you put the ball in to set up the play and who is taking the last shot?

[Roy Hobbs]

with Big Al a poor jump shooter,

just for the record CrotorNats managment can slightly disagree in this observation.

A .375 eFG% on jump shots doesn't lie.  Big Al basically makes one out of every three.

yup but he can still give one or two steps behing tgo unclog the lane , and still be a littl efective in front of the basket
and still go for the rebound.
 

I think defenders would just continue to clog the lane, and dare Big Al to shoot.  At least, that's going to be Portland's strategy.

[Roy Hobbs]

15 second left in a game.  You are down by 1.  Who's hands do you put the ball in to set up the play and who is taking the last shot?

I think we all know the answer to this one.