2010 CB Draft: Northwest Division Press Conferences

[Gainesville Celtic]

Question to Denver:

In my opinion, this division comes down to you and Utah. What makes you the better team?

I would second this question, and would ask it in reverse as soon as Utah posts its press conference.

1. I think the biggest advantage is Westbrook over Calderon. Rondo destroys JC when Bos plays Tor and WB will do the same. The stress calderons lack of defense puts on gasol and Yao will be ginormous. Likewise calderon has trouble w defensive Pgs like WB and rondo so what skills he does have ( and I'm down on him as  a starting pg the same way I would if Blake were our starting pg) will be limited

2. I don't think Yao will make it through 82 games + 2-3 rounds of playoffs. And there's no way after a full year away he's gonna be the Yao people remember Amy time soon.

I think it really comes down to these 2 things and howyou assess each. I'm super high on WB And think he showed he can legit carry a team in the playoffs last year when all of LAL was geared to stop Durant. He's actually a bit underated as a 2- way player.
 
3. Depth. Were a deeper team w a stable of young athletic wing defenders that will keep our key big (Duncan) fresher

[Donoghus]

Utah Jazz



Head Coach: Gregg Popovich

 
4x NBA Champion 736-362 .670 Winning Pct.

Starting Five

PG: Jose Calderon
  9.8 ppg 6.6 apg .878 FT% .387 3PT%

SG: Omri Casspi
10.3 ppg 4.5 rpg .7 spg .446 FG%

SF: Danilo Gallinari
12.8 ppg 4.2 rpg .426 FG% .389 3PT%

PF: Pau Gasol
18.8 ppg 9.0 rpg 1.7 bpg .743 FT% .521 FG%

C: Yao Ming
19.1 ppg 9.3 rpg 1.9 bpg .525 FG%

Bench

SF/PF: Luc Richard Mbah a Moute

6.8 ppg .8 spg 5.7 rpg .47 FG%

SG/SF: Wesley Johnson
Rookie #4 Overall Pick in '10 NBA Draft

C: Robin Lopez
5.6 ppg 3.3 rpg .8 bpg .565 FG%

PF: Craig Smith
8.7 ppg 4.4 rpg .556 FG%

PG: Willie Green
9.4 ppg 1.7 apg .422 FG% .752 FT%

Reserves

C: Brian Zoubek
Rookie Year / Member of '10 NCAA Champions

PG: Chris Quinn
5.2 ppg 2.1 apg .39 3P% .819 FT%

PG: Acie Law
3.7 ppg 1.7 apg .796 FT%

*All Numbers are Career Averages

Draft Strategy

I didn't really have a strategy heading into the draft.  I wanted to wait and see how the pieces fell in the first round before deciding to take a "Win Now" approach like I did in CB Draft 1 or go for "Team of the Future" like I did in CB Draft 2.  I was commish last year so it had been a couple of years since I'd drafted for this.  I also wasn't sure what to expect with the new draft format and have a mid-round pick every round.  once Gasol fell to me, I decided that I was gonna go for "Win Now".  With Yao available in the mid 2nd round, I felt that I was gonna go "big" and build from my front court outward. Went with Gallinari to stay large in the 3rd round plus add a young promising talent.  Finally addressed my backcourt with Calderon in the 4th round.  I followed that up by addressing defense on the wings with Mbah a Moute and adding another talented young player in Casspi in the 6th round.  From there, I just built my bench by adding another 7 footer in Lopez whihc spells my Yao insurance.  Added a Top 5 draft pick in Wesley Johnson to continue to add some versatility on my wings.  Addressed my backup PG and 4th and 5th big needs late in the draft.

Trades

I only made one trade in the draft.  I traded a 10th rounder and 5 TPs for the right to flip spots and move up in the 4th round to take Calderon.  At that point, I was seeing a dropoff with PGs are decided that the time was to move up a few slots and address my starting PG with Calderon.  I thought he would be a great floor general with the team I had been putting together at the time.

Owner's Analysis

Obviously, I decided to go with size and versatility with my team.  As we saw in last year's playoffs, size played a huge role especially with the two finalists, Boston & Los Angeles.  The ability to wear down teams on the inside and dominate in the paint translates into success.  With a healthy Yao Ming, this team has plenty of size with scoring as well as provide rebounding and solid frontcourt defense.  My goal is to punish teams down low and surround the big guys who sharpshooter who will make collapsing defenses pay with kickouts to guys like Gallinari, Cassipi, Calderon, and the rookie Wes Johnson.  Mbah a Moute provides a versatile defensive presense at the wing while providing for the ability to play either the SF or PF position off the bench.

I think my team's biggest question mark is obviously the health of Yao Ming.  Being a year and a half removed from injury and with reports stating he'll be back in time for training camp, I think Yao is finally ready to to take the floor and provide the type of play we've grown accustomed to when he's healthy.  Worst case scenario, the Jazz has 7 footer Robin Lopez ready to step in.  As we saw in last year's playoffs, he is more than competent to play the position.   

Another concern of mine is point guard play although I believe reports of Jose Calderon's demise have been greatly exagerated.  He is still more than a competent PG to play in the NBA and I think injuries as well as the turmoil with the Toronto ballclub last year help contribute to the perception that Calderon is no longer an "above average"  or even "average" point guard.  The expectation is that he will bounce back this year. 

Also, the starting five is far from set in stone, particularly from the SF position.  I think matchups will dictate a lot into who is starting and would expect Mbah a Moute to get the start some nights for defensive purposes.  Don't be shocked if Wesley Johnson got some starter minutes towards the tail end of the season and he works through his rookie year.  Right now, I've penciled in Gallinari for size purposes as well as his shooting prowess.

[Donoghus]

Apologize for the delay.  I'll be off & on all day but I'll try to touch on all questions asked.

[Evantime34]

Sorry for the delay. Please read this then fire away with the questions.

 

The Coach: Scott Brooks
 

•   Former 10 year NBA player
•   NBA Coach of the Year in 2010
•   Lead OKC Thunder to 50 win season in his first full year
•   Everyone on his team plays hard tough nosed defense
•   Prefers a wide open offense and a defense that initiates the offense


The Starters

Point Guard: Deron Williams
•   6’3 207
•   26 years old
•   5 year NBA veteran

 

The Numbers:
PPG   APG   SPG
18.7   10.5   1.3

The Awards:
2004-05 NCAA AP All-America (3rd)
2005-06 NBA All-Rookie (1st)
2007-08 NBA All-NBA (2nd)
2009-10 NBA All-NBA (2nd)

The Player:
Deron Williams is the best point guard in the NBA. Yes, he is the best player at the most important position in the league. Arguments can be made for Chris Paul but he is coming off major knee surgery, so his spot is in doubt until he can prove he’s the same player. Deron Williams is big strong and fast, those attributes allow him to play very good defense as well as score and be near the top of the league in assists every year.


The Fit:
This team is built around Deron Williams. I tried to find players with the athleticism to run with Deron but also players that exhibit the same toughness he does on the defensive end.

Shooting Guard: Rodrigue Beaubois

•   6’0 170
•   22 years old
•   2nd year
 

The Numbers (as a rookie)
2009-10 STATS   
PPG   APG   3P%
7.1   1.3   0.409

The Player:
Beaubois exploded onto the scene last year for a very good Dallas Mavericks team. Quick as lightning with a sweet stroke the sky is the limit for this kid. Anyone who doubts his potential can look back at his 40 point explosion in March. Will garner starts minutes after fully healing from offseason ankle surgery (should miss no more than a month).

The Fit:
Roddy is best when running with an experienced point guard that can get him the ball in good situations. Jason Kidd did so last year and Deron Williams will improve upon that this year. Roddy is a flat out scorer who plays better at the two. In order for this to work he needs a big guard like Deron to guard the two for parts of the game. A backcourt of those two will sprint by opponents leaving them scrambling to get back. Beaubois’ quickness can best be utilized by aggressively pressuring the point guard. My shot blocking bigs will allow him to do so, and be near the top of the league in steals. Roddy is also versatile like many players on my team, able to play both the 2 and the 1.

Small Forward: Josh Howard
 

The Numbers: (while playing hurt the entire season)
2009-10 STATS      
PPG   RPG   APG
12.7   3.6   1.4
Career Averages
2009-10 STATS      
PPG   RPG   APG
15.3   6.0   1.7

The Player:
Up until last season Josh Howard was a fringe all Star putting up between 18-20 points for 3 straight years. With his best season producing 19.9/7/2.2. There was a dip last year in all his numbers which lead to him eventually being dealt to Washington. While playing with Washington he hurt his knee and required surgery. With the lowering production of this year it stands to reason that the knee was already damaged before the final injury that cost him the rest of his season. This being the case, I expect Josh Howard to revert to his old self this year.

When healthy Josh Howard is a strong defender and good scorer. He uses his length, mid range game and craftiness rather than athleticism to score in bunches. The way in which he scores is why you should believe he should still produce at a high level despite recovering from an injury.

The Fit:
Josh Howard is another big strong player who can defend, which goes along with the identity of my team. He can score well and has thrived in an up-tempo Dallas system, a similar offense to the one we plan to run. The knock on him at times has been a lack of ball movement. Playing with Deron Williams will allow Howard to get the ball in a position to score and not have him with the ball in isos where he can get himself in trouble. Can play both the 2 and 3 and potentially the 4 in a super small line up.

Josh Smith
 

The Numbers:
2009-10 STATS      
PPG   RPG   BPG
15.7   8.7   2.1

The Player:
Josh Smith is one of the most athletic players in the league. He is best when he is out on the break, which is exactly where he will spend most of his time on this team. He will start the break with blocks and steals and finish it with thunderous dunks. He is one of 3 best power forwards suited for a running game. He is top 5 in the league at finishing in traffic.

The Fit:
Josh Smith scores the majority of his points inside in transition. Yet, he has never played with an elite point guard to get him more easy buckets. Until now. The vision of Deron Williams will lead to 2-4 more transition finishes a game for Josh Smith. Next year in a truly fast passed offense, you will see him post 20 ppg. He pairs with Brandon Haywood to make one of the best shot blocking frontlines in the league, with both in the top 10. Is versatile and can shift positions like the majority of my players swinging over to the 3.

Center: Brandon Haywood
 
7-0 263
9 year NBA veteran
The Numbers:
2009-10 STATS      
PPG   RPG   BPG
9.1   9.3   2.1

The Player:
Brandon Haywood is a monster. He has the type of size that teams look for in a center. He will rebound, block shots protect the paint and finish around the rim. He brings the toughness the embodies this team.

The Fit:
Haywood will create a formidable back line with Josh Smith, blocking shots getting rebounds and starting the break with an outlet pass. He fits in perfectly with this teams strong, defensive oriented rebounding mantra, he will be the back bone of the defense.

The Bench
Jerry Stackhouse: Veteran leader and scorer to come off the bench and provide leadership for my young wings.
Marquis Daniels: Very good defender who is only one year removed from averaging 17 ppg
Xavier Henry: Dead Eye 3 point shooter who played elite competition at Kansas. Could contribute this year but is not counted upon
Gordon Hayward: Very good scorer off the bench, would love to get production our of him but if not we will need to lean on Stackhouse and Daniels off the bench
Marcus Williams: Young pg who can learn from Deron, will be our 3rd pg with Roddy playing back up minutes at the 1.
Brandon Bass: Stout defender and rebounder at the 4. A solid contributing back up 4 that showed what he can do in Dallas but does not fit as a 3 point shooting 4 on the Magic.
Chris Wilcox: Another big body to give minutes as the 3rd big off the bench if someone gets in foul trouble.
JaVale McGee: Our most important bench player. Ready to explode onto the scene and will do so this year with John Wall and the Wizards. Has the size and athleticism to be an allstar NBA player. At 22 he will only improve from last season and the sky is the limit for this kid.

The Team:
As stated previously this team is big, strong, and tough. We will defend with the best teams in the league and then use turnovers to run. Between Haywood, Smith and Howard the starting unit will dominate the glass. The back up bigs McGee and Bass will continue this trend.
We will use our athleticism to outrun big teams, and use our size and toughness to beat up faster teams. We have a mix of veterans who have won and energetic young players that most good teams have.

[Evantime34]

Did my pictures transfer? Sometimes they don't show up on my work computer.

[Donoghus]

Did my pictures transfer? Sometimes they don't show up on my work computer.

I'm not seeing them.

[Evantime34]

Did my pictures transfer? Sometimes they don't show up on my work computer.

I'm not seeing them.

Darn, I guess my great pictures didn't work. The content is still there though.

[Greenbean]

The 2010-2011 oklahoma City Thundah


Coached by The Stormin Mormon: Danny Ainge


Roster: Starters



PG: Darren Collison: The New Blood (Next) 12.4 ppg, 5.7 apg, 2.5 rpg, 1.0 spg, 47.7% FG, 40% 3pt

Collison is a young, efficent, and exciting point guard who can both score and be a playmaker. He has a rare combination of being a good spot up shooter as well as being dangerous in isolation. He has the tools to be a good defender at the point guard position but was only a rookie last year. He will improve in this area.

His numbers as a starter last year have me very encouraged.

18.8 ppg, 9.1 apg, and 3.5 rpg in 37 games.

This is all star production. A potential star in the making. I will temper those expectations however. His per 36 minute stats are much more attainable.

16.1 ppg 7.4 apg 3.3 rpg 1.3 spg



SG: Thabo Sefolosha: The Stoppah 6.0 ppg 4.7 rpg 1.2 spg

Every team needs a stopper. This is my guy. He is young, long, rangy, athletic, and already acomplished (2nd team all NBA defense).

I am confident trotting out Sef as my starting 2 knowing I have a chance to shut down the opposing team's top wing scorer every night.



SF: Caron Butler (Mr. Do It All) 16.3 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.6 spg

Caron's combination of scoring, rebounding, and defense will be on display all season for the Thundah. Caron had a frustrating year last year after wallowing on the lottery bound Wizards, then being thrust into an uncomfortable role for the Mavs. It never clicked in Dallas, but Butler is still young enough to be very productive. He is only one year removed from a 20 ppg 6rpg 4apg year. Production like this is reasonable expectations with the fresh start OKC is affording Caron.

Additionally, Coach Ainge is giddy to deploy both Sefolosha and Butler on the wings to shut down the perimeter attack of the opponent.



Big Men: Jermaine O'Neal 13.6 ppg, 6.9 rpg 1.4 bpg
Chris Kaman 18.5 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 1.2 bpg
Marreese Speights 8.6, 4.1 rpg, 0.5 bpg

The big men will split the majority of the minutes at the 4 and the 5. All 3 provide size and shot blocking. All 3 can score the ball in different ways. Kaman and Speights are the post presence, while JO can stretch the D a little with his mid range game.

JO is passable as a power forward in a big lineup but what the Thunder are really excited about is Marreese Speights starting in his natural position at the 4.

Playing out of position at the 5 in Philly, here were his 36 minute stats:

19 ppg 9 rpg and 1.2 bpg...

Those are all star numbers.I am not saying to expect those numbers, but he put up similar numbers in his rookie year. This is his time to shine.

Forgive my excitement but we think this kid is a combination of Al Jefferson and Amar'e. He just needs playing time.

Dont forget Kaman who is only 28 and coming off an all star year putting up 18 and 10.

So those are the starters (I know it's 6 players but I think you all understand my theory behind the big man rotation).

The Bench: The Future

Guards: Jordan Farmar, DeMar DeRozan, Sasha Vujacic, Avery Bradley
Forwards: Glen Big Baby Davis, Al Thornton, Josh Powell
Centers: Jermaine O'Neal, Solomon Alabi

The Thunder are very deep with starting talent at every position (depending on how you view BBD).

On this team, they will be the juice. The energy of the team. There is a nice mix of explosive scoring (Thornton, DeRozan), shooting (Farmar and Vujacic), offensive rebounding (BBD), and even some defense (JO, DeRozan, Bradley, BBD)

DeRozan is a starter in the NBA.  He is explosive and freakish athletically. He scores efficiently and has all the tools to become a great defender in the NBA.

Al Thornton has not figured out how to pass yet but he can score at will with his huge frame and his deadly midrange game. He even dedicated himself to defense after the trade to Washington last year and put in a couple of nice defensive performances (notable against Carmelo) before getting hurt late.

Farmar has been hidden in the triangle offense for years. He has championship experience to mentor Collison. On this team, he is an asset.

Alabi is a real nice prospect in the Dalembert, Camby mold.

Depth Chart:

PG: Darren Collison, Jordan Farmar
SG: Thabo Sefolosha, DeMar DeRozan, Avery Bradley, Sasha Vujacic
SF: Caron Butler, Al Thornton
PF: Marreese Speights, Glen Davis, Josh Powell
C: Chris Kaman,Jermaine O'Neal,  Solomon Alabi

Line-ups

Big Defensive Lineup:

Collison, Sef, Butler, O'Neal, Kaman

Big Offensive Lineup:

Collison, DeRozan, Butler, Speights, Kaman

Small Ball:

Collison, DeRozan, Butler, Thornton, Speights

Super duper mid range shooting squad:

Collison, Butler, Thornton, Speights, JO


Minutes Breakdown:

Collison (35 mpg)/ Farmar (13)
Sef (30) / DeRozan (13) / Butler (5)
Butler (30) / Thornton (18)
Speights (30) / JO (5)/ BBD (13)
Kaman (30)/ JO (15)/ BBD (3)


Draft Strategy:

I had the last pick in the first round so I decided to go young. I went M.Gasol/OJ Mayo. I was going to build around them for team of the future honors but my plans quickly changed when I stumbled on Collison who I love. A backcourt of Collison and Mayo is limited and undersized. I then started a series of moves to become a playoff contender now with an eye towards a dominant future.

Toughest Decision:

Trading Marc Gasol.

I loved the guy. He has a typical Euro game where he is pretty good at everything. the problem was he is not elite at anything (which Fafnir pointed out al least 10,000 times  ). I knew I needed an All Star at center. When Kaman became available to me I bit since I was also able to move up to get my defensive stopper in Sefolosha. Tough decision but I would do it again.

Best Move: Drafting Darren Collison in the 4th round. If this guy limits his turnovers, he will be a 2nd round pick next year.

Worst Move: Drafting Darren Collison. Choosing him made my Mayo pick a bad one. I was forced to rearrange my strategy. After some moves to get Kaman and Butler, I was happy how things shook out.

Outlook:

I fully expect this team to compete in the West. They should be a top 5 defensive team. Danny Ainge put together one of the most dominant defensive squads in recent memory in Boston and I trust his abilities to coach this team to the same standards. The skills are there.

Ainge has a great track record as a coach and he is well respected among players. He has always liked young guys so this relatively young roster should suit his tastes just fine. If Speights, Collison, DeRozan, and Thornton make leaps, this team will be tough to stop.

One last note... This was alot of fun! It was great dealing with everyone. This definitely reaffirmed my belief that there is not a more knowladgeable group of bball fans on the internet than right here at CB. I am looking forward to this next year. Next time I will not plan a vacation during draft time. That's right, I am rearranging my life to fit the draft.

[Greenbean]

Apologize for the delay.  I'll be off & on all day but I'll try to touch on all questions asked.

Me too. Trying to catch up at work seeing that I spent my whole vacation on CB instead of checking in with work related stuff.

[StartOrien]

Question for Utah

In the even that Yao ming is injured, do you think your offense would have the firepower to continue to contend for a championship?

[Who]

Question for Utah

In the even that Yao ming is injured, do you think your offense would have the firepower to continue to contend for a championship?

I think the West is lacking at the top of the conference. There are a lot of good to very good teams and I think Utah drops back into that pack without Yao Ming.

I would still consider them a title contender but on an even footing with a couple of other teams. Like Denver who are probably the second best team in the conference.

[Donoghus]

Question for Utah

In the even that Yao ming is injured, do you think your offense would have the firepower to continue to contend for a championship?

To be honest, I think a championship could be hardpressed without a healthy Yao but I still believe that this team would be able to garner a playoff berth.  I'm not sure how much Lopez would be able to bring to the table offensively in the place of Yao.  I still think our size and perimeter shooting would still be there and could enable us contend for the Northwest division title or, minimally, a playoff slot.  We'd still have Gasol and he is very effective offensively.  Defensively, our team would still be relatively solid.  And yes, i do recognize Calderon's deficiencies on the defensive end.

[Greenbean]

Question for Minnestoa: You you forsee relying on a 2nd year player to be both the starting SG AND the primary backup PG as problematic.

Also, give me a lineup that can adequately defend any size at the 2 position. Josh Howard used to be able to defend the 2 when healthy but now he is a huge question mark defensively with the knee injury.

[Roy H.]

Questions for Utah:

1.  How do you match up with Denver;

2.  Jose Calderon is a bench player in real-life Toronto, and he seems to have lost a major step.  Why should fellow GMs accept that he can still play 30+ minutes per game, when he can't even beat out Jarrett Jack?

[Roy H.]

Question for Utah

In the even that Yao ming is injured, do you think your offense would have the firepower to continue to contend for a championship?

I think the West is lacking at the top of the conference. There are a lot of good to very good teams and I think Utah drops back into that pack without Yao Ming.

I would still consider them a title contender but on an even footing with a couple of other teams. Like Denver who are probably the second best team in the conference.

Sacramento and Phoenix say "don't forget about us".