2010 CB Draft: Pacific Division Press Conferences

[Who]

If Yao Ming is healthy for even half the season ... there is no way that Utah doesn't finish with the first seed.

i would think yao would need to be healthy for the whole year for utah to be number 1

I can tell you that Utah is going to be very wary of his minutes throughout the regular season.  Probably looking at the 25-28 minute range, ideally. 

They have a pretty competent backup center in Robin Lopez who will help lessen the burden on Yao and allows the luxury of keeping his minutes on a leash.

I expect the Rockets to play him in the 26-28mpg range for the first 30/40 games and then up that to 29-32 minutes from then on if he comes through unscathed. Then up to the 33-35 minute range in the playoffs.

[Who]

If Yao Ming is healthy for even half the season ... there is no way that Utah doesn't finish with the first seed.

I think you underrate just how poor Utah's defensive backcourt is going to be, with Calderon in decline and Casspi playing out of position.  I think some of the great PGs in this division are going to eat the Jazz alive.  If Yao isn't healthy, that weakens Utah's front court depth substantially.  Gasol + Lopez can't play 48 minutes, and when they're not in there, opposing teams would be running layup drills.

Casspi is a very good defensive two guard + Calderon's poor defense is over-stated + Mbah a Moute is a very good defensive power forward.

------------------------------------------------

Center = Lopez (28mpg) + Pau (20mpg)
Power Forwards = Pau (16mpg) + Mbah a Moute (25mpg) + 6-8 minutes to C.Smith

Their big man rotation is still going to be a highly effective defensive rotation without Yao Ming in the lineup.

[Donoghus]

If Yao Ming is healthy for even half the season ... there is no way that Utah doesn't finish with the first seed.

I think you underrate just how poor Utah's defensive backcourt is going to be, with Calderon in decline and Casspi playing out of position.  I think some of the great PGs in this division are going to eat the Jazz alive.  If Yao isn't healthy, that weakens Utah's front court depth substantially.  Gasol + Lopez can't play 48 minutes, and when they're not in there, opposing teams would be running layup drills.

Yeah, I've seen you banging that whole "Casspi playing out of position" drum for a bit.  Casspi playing the SG position was certainly not the weakest link on those units that Sacramento was trotting out there that put up rather lackluster numbers from a defensive standpoint.  

You even mention in a few posts earlier about how Nocioni's defense was horrific at the SF position for Sacramento.  Casspi was in there at SG for some of those units.  The Nocioni units without Casspi in there are still atrocious.   The weak link there was clearly Nocioni and that's before discussing guys like Kevin Martin and Dante Greene who werent exactly defensive stallwarts themselves.

I've said it before and I'll say it again.  Casspi playing the SG position was not the problem with those Sacramento teams.   He's also going to be playing with some units in Utah that are pretty strong from a defensive standpoint even with Calderon out there on the floor.  

EDIT:  Sorry, meant Donte Greene and not Udrih.  Mind going faster than fingers there.

[Roy H.]

If Yao Ming is healthy for even half the season ... there is no way that Utah doesn't finish with the first seed.

I think you underrate just how poor Utah's defensive backcourt is going to be, with Calderon in decline and Casspi playing out of position.  I think some of the great PGs in this division are going to eat the Jazz alive.  If Yao isn't healthy, that weakens Utah's front court depth substantially.  Gasol + Lopez can't play 48 minutes, and when they're not in there, opposing teams would be running layup drills.

Yeah, I've seen you banging that whole "Casspi playing out of position" drum for a bit.  Casspi playing the SG position was certainly not the weakest link on those units that Sacramento was trotting out there that put up rather lackluster numbers from a defensive standpoint.  

You even mention in a few posts earlier about how Nocioni's defense was horrific at the SF position for Sacramento.  Casspi was in there at SG for some of those units.  The Nocioni units without Casspi in there are still atrocious.   The weak link there was clearly Nocioni and that's before discussing guys like Kevin Martin and Beno Udrih who werent exactly defensive stallwarts themselves.

I've said it before and I'll say it again.  Casspi playing the SG position was not the problem with those Sacramento teams.   He's also going to be playing with some units in Utah that are pretty strong from a defensive standpoint even with Calderon out there on the floor.  

In the top three lineups where Casspi was shooting guard, he wasn't playing beside Nocioni at SF, so that argument is a non-starter.

You're asking a player who has never played significant minutes at SG to be the starter there, between a horrendous defensive PG and a poor defensive SF (assuming you start Gallinari).  In the limited time that Casspi did play SG, the Kings performed extremely poorly, and that wasn't the fault of Nocioni.

If Yao is healthy, the front line he creates with Gasol is a very good one, and will somewhat mitigate some of your back court's defensive issues.  However, if Yao *isn't* in there (in Who's scenario, he misses 50% of the season), the Jazz are going to suffer tremendously. 

[Donoghus]

If Yao Ming is healthy for even half the season ... there is no way that Utah doesn't finish with the first seed.

I think you underrate just how poor Utah's defensive backcourt is going to be, with Calderon in decline and Casspi playing out of position.  I think some of the great PGs in this division are going to eat the Jazz alive.  If Yao isn't healthy, that weakens Utah's front court depth substantially.  Gasol + Lopez can't play 48 minutes, and when they're not in there, opposing teams would be running layup drills.

Yeah, I've seen you banging that whole "Casspi playing out of position" drum for a bit.  Casspi playing the SG position was certainly not the weakest link on those units that Sacramento was trotting out there that put up rather lackluster numbers from a defensive standpoint.  

You even mention in a few posts earlier about how Nocioni's defense was horrific at the SF position for Sacramento.  Casspi was in there at SG for some of those units.  The Nocioni units without Casspi in there are still atrocious.   The weak link there was clearly Nocioni and that's before discussing guys like Kevin Martin and Beno Udrih who werent exactly defensive stallwarts themselves.

I've said it before and I'll say it again.  Casspi playing the SG position was not the problem with those Sacramento teams.   He's also going to be playing with some units in Utah that are pretty strong from a defensive standpoint even with Calderon out there on the floor.  

In the top three lineups where Casspi was shooting guard, he wasn't playing beside Nocioni at SF, so that argument is a non-starter.

You're asking a player who has never played significant minutes at SG to be the starter there, between a horrendous defensive PG and a poor defensive SF (assuming you start Gallinari).  In the limited time that Casspi did play SG, the Kings performed extremely poorly, and that wasn't the fault of Nocioni.

If Yao is healthy, the front line he creates with Gasol is a very good one, and will somewhat mitigate some of your back court's defensive issues.  However, if Yao *isn't* in there (in Who's scenario, he misses 50% of the season), the Jazz are going to suffer tremendously. 

The bigger point was look at some of the unit combinations he was out there with when he was playing SG and then look at some of those guys' performances when Casspi wasn't even in the lineup.  Still pretty putrid.  Guys like Nocioni and Dante Greene playing the SF position killed the Kings whether or not Casspi was even in the lineup.  Those are the red flag guys to point at, not Casspi.

Casspi isn't going to be having defensive sieves like Nocioni and Greene playing beside him at the SF position in Utah.  Mbah a Moute and Wesley Johnson, to a lesser extent, are both much better defenders that the junk that was being trotted out there by Sacramento last season. 

[Donoghus]

And we should probably just stop discussing this particular topic since its in the "Pacific Division Press Conference" and Utah is in the "Northwest".

[Roy H.]

If Yao Ming is healthy for even half the season ... there is no way that Utah doesn't finish with the first seed.

I think you underrate just how poor Utah's defensive backcourt is going to be, with Calderon in decline and Casspi playing out of position.  I think some of the great PGs in this division are going to eat the Jazz alive.  If Yao isn't healthy, that weakens Utah's front court depth substantially.  Gasol + Lopez can't play 48 minutes, and when they're not in there, opposing teams would be running layup drills.

Yeah, I've seen you banging that whole "Casspi playing out of position" drum for a bit.  Casspi playing the SG position was certainly not the weakest link on those units that Sacramento was trotting out there that put up rather lackluster numbers from a defensive standpoint.  

You even mention in a few posts earlier about how Nocioni's defense was horrific at the SF position for Sacramento.  Casspi was in there at SG for some of those units.  The Nocioni units without Casspi in there are still atrocious.   The weak link there was clearly Nocioni and that's before discussing guys like Kevin Martin and Beno Udrih who werent exactly defensive stallwarts themselves.

I've said it before and I'll say it again.  Casspi playing the SG position was not the problem with those Sacramento teams.   He's also going to be playing with some units in Utah that are pretty strong from a defensive standpoint even with Calderon out there on the floor.  

In the top three lineups where Casspi was shooting guard, he wasn't playing beside Nocioni at SF, so that argument is a non-starter.

You're asking a player who has never played significant minutes at SG to be the starter there, between a horrendous defensive PG and a poor defensive SF (assuming you start Gallinari).  In the limited time that Casspi did play SG, the Kings performed extremely poorly, and that wasn't the fault of Nocioni.

If Yao is healthy, the front line he creates with Gasol is a very good one, and will somewhat mitigate some of your back court's defensive issues.  However, if Yao *isn't* in there (in Who's scenario, he misses 50% of the season), the Jazz are going to suffer tremendously. 

The bigger point was look at some of the unit combinations he was out there with when he was playing SG and then look at some of those guys' performances when Casspi wasn't even in the lineup.  Still pretty putrid.  Guys like Nocioni and Dante Greene playing the SF position killed the Kings whether or not Casspi was even in the lineup.  Those are the red flag guys to point at, not Casspi.

Casspi isn't going to be having defensive sieves like Nocioni and Greene playing beside him at the SF position in Utah.  Mbah a Moute and Wesley Johnson, to a lesser extent, are both much better defenders that the junk that was being trotted out there by Sacramento last season. 

I just think you have two SFs playing the SG position.  Neither Casspi or Gallinari is a SG; Gallinari has never played there, and Casspi was not successful there in limited minutes. 

Compare the offensive / defensive numbers of Casspi at SG, versus Francisco Garcia at SG (a guy some have bagged on):

Casspi:  98.1 off. pts/100      106.8 def. pts/100
Garcia:  102.5 off. pts/100      99.1 def. pts/100

In other words, Garcia's units were +4.4 offensively, and +7.7 defensively.  That's a gap of +12.1 points per 100 possessions, between guys playing the same position on the same team.

[celticpride07]

just for fun best duos in pacific

1. Roy/Curry
2. Rose/Boozer
3. Dwight/Davis
4. Billups/Garnett
5. Paul/Martin

[Roy H.]

just for fun best duos in pacific

1. Roy/Curry
2. Rose/Boozer
3. Dwight/Davis
4. Billups/Garnett
5. Paul/Martin

Man, those pairings are tough to rank.  All of them could be the foundation of a championship team.  I generally prefer "big / small" combos, so I'd lean toward Rose/Boozer or Dwight/Davis (with Billups/Garnett lagging behind due to KG being a bit of an unknown).

If I had to rank, I'd say:

1. Rose/Boozer
2. Dwight/Davis
3. Roy/Curry
4. Billups/Garnett
5. Paul/Martin

But again, they're basically all 1a, 1b, 1c, etc.  If you could put Roy/Curry next to a good big man, they'd be the favorites, etc.

[indeedproceed]

4.  KG will without a doubt have a better season this year than he did last year, the question is how much better will he be.  He improved throughout the season as he got further away from the injury.  KG will lead the Celtics and the Clippers to the championship.

Why do you believe that? I mean beyond the fact they you're a fan, why do you believe that?

Because of what I just said.  He improved the further he got from the injury.  Now he's a full year removed.

I guess what I meant is why do you think that A) he has more room to improve, and B) he'll stay healthy from everything else considering his age and the last 2 years?

[KCattheStripe]

just for fun best duos in pacific

1. Roy/Curry
2. Rose/Boozer
3. Dwight/Davis
4. Billups/Garnett
5. Paul/Martin

1.Dwight/ Baron
2. Rose/Boozer
3. Garnett/ Billups
4. Paul/  Martin ( And only because KMart can't stay healthy)
5. Roy/ Curry.

[celticpride07]

just for fun best duos in pacific

1. Roy/Curry
2. Rose/Boozer
3. Dwight/Davis
4. Billups/Garnett
5. Paul/Martin

1.Dwight/ Baron
2. Rose/Boozer
3. Garnett/ Billups
4. Paul/  Martin ( And only because KMart can't stay healthy)
5. Roy/ Curry.

are u for real? curry and roy both rookie of the year winners and are stars...please explain how kevin martin is better then curry

[KCattheStripe]

just for fun best duos in pacific

1. Roy/Curry
2. Rose/Boozer
3. Dwight/Davis
4. Billups/Garnett
5. Paul/Martin

1.Dwight/ Baron
2. Rose/Boozer
3. Garnett/ Billups
4. Paul/  Martin ( And only because KMart can't stay healthy)
5. Roy/ Curry.

are u for real? curry and roy both rookie of the year winners and are stars...please explain how kevin martin is better then curry

Chris Paul is a top 5 NBA talent. Also, Tyreke Evans won ROY last year. Martin doesn't have to better than Curry he just has to be close enough so that the Paul's talent carries the day.

[celticpride07]

just for fun best duos in pacific

1. Roy/Curry
2. Rose/Boozer
3. Dwight/Davis
4. Billups/Garnett
5. Paul/Martin

1.Dwight/ Baron
2. Rose/Boozer
3. Garnett/ Billups
4. Paul/  Martin ( And only because KMart can't stay healthy)
5. Roy/ Curry.

are u for real? curry and roy both rookie of the year winners and are stars...please explain how kevin martin is better then curry

Chris Paul is a top 5 NBA talent. Also, Tyreke Evans won ROY last year. Martin doesn't have to better than Curry he just has to be close enough so that the Paul's talent carries the day.

i just think curry gets no love, he will be an allstar this year book it.

[Donoghus]

just for fun best duos in pacific

1. Roy/Curry
2. Rose/Boozer
3. Dwight/Davis
4. Billups/Garnett
5. Paul/Martin

1.Dwight/ Baron
2. Rose/Boozer
3. Garnett/ Billups
4. Paul/  Martin ( And only because KMart can't stay healthy)
5. Roy/ Curry.

are u for real? curry and roy both rookie of the year winners and are stars...please explain how kevin martin is better then curry

Chris Paul is a top 5 NBA talent. Also, Tyreke Evans won ROY last year. Martin doesn't have to better than Curry he just has to be close enough so that the Paul's talent carries the day.

i just think curry gets no love, he will be an allstar this year book it.

I think he gets a decent amount of love here on CB.  I haven't seen too many people speak ill of him.