CB Draft 2011 Central Division Press Conferences

[StartOrien]

Upon thinking about it, it makes more sense to have Dudley start than Green.

I think you've really got to start Dudley over DeRozan.

You do know you basically have 2 non-shooters and 1 poor to average shooter starting on the perimeter?

Having Green come off the bench allows him some flexibility at the 3 & 4 though.

[StartOrien]

I've been highly critical of the Pacers but I don't think they're worse than the real life Grizzlies. I do think they'll be worse defensively. They have the same SF/PF/C and worse PG/SG defense. Their defense will suffer because of this, but their offense will also improve for having Parker/Lee and a better bench.

But I don't think it's fair, either for good or for bad, to say that we have the same small forward.

54 games of an 82 game season is fair, same SF/PF/C as the Grizzlies had last year is fair.

Now if I was just looking at the Grizzlies performance in the playoffs, you're right that wouldn't be fair.

But anyway you look at it, the Grizzlies changed their identity either before or after Rudy went down.  I think you have to re-evaluate how he plugs in to that team now.

[Fafnir]

I've been highly critical of the Pacers but I don't think they're worse than the real life Grizzlies. I do think they'll be worse defensively. They have the same SF/PF/C and worse PG/SG defense. Their defense will suffer because of this, but their offense will also improve for having Parker/Lee and a better bench.

But I don't think it's fair, either for good or for bad, to say that we have the same small forward.

54 games of an 82 game season is fair, same SF/PF/C as the Grizzlies had last year is fair.

Now if I was just looking at the Grizzlies performance in the playoffs, you're right that wouldn't be fair.

But anyway you look at it, the Grizzlies changed their identity either before or after Rudy went down.  I think you have to re-evaluate how he plugs in to that team now.

I thought you co-gm argued relatively well that Gay was a part of the turn around earlier.

[action781]

I've been highly critical of the Pacers but I don't think they're worse than the real life Grizzlies. I do think they'll be worse defensively. They have the same SF/PF/C and worse PG/SG defense. Their defense will suffer because of this, but their offense will also improve for having Parker/Lee and a better bench.

But I think its strange to say they're not the Grizzlies 2.0. They were explictly built upon the Grizzlies model according to your own presser, have the same coach, and have 3 of the same starters and the other two starters fill similar roles with their play.

One of the contenders in the east.

Haha, yeah the coach pick was kind of a joke to play on that.

I'd argue that the Pacers have BETTER front court defense though, since we have Chuck Hayes who is a better defender than any 4/5 defender the Grizzlies had and he could play anywhere between 8-20 minutes per game depending on how much we need that defense.

I don't like the Grizzlies 2.0 comparison because when people think of the Grizzlies, they think of their effectiveness without Gay.  That's totally reasonable because there were way more televised games without Gay.  But when they line up the players to compare teams, they suddenly include Gay in there.  I stand firm in that I believe if you want to compare the Pacers to the Grizzlies, you need to compare the Pacers to the 27-15 Grizzlies with Gay in and Mayo out of the lineup.  Or if you are considering the Pacers to the playoff Grizzlies, you need to consider the Pacers vastly upgraded at the SF position.  I do find that a fair separate comparsion as well.  I just don't like teams mixing the two together.

Thanks for the honesty though, Fafnir, and I appreciate the tough questions.

[Edgar]

Here's how I see the teams in this division ranking, with their seeding in the East:

2.  Indiana (Pawnee)
5.  Milwaukee (El Salvador)
6.  Chicago
11. Detroit

All GMs, feel free to argue why your team should be ranked higher.  (I feel terrible about Detroit, if only because they don't seem like an 11 seed to me.  However, I don't know who to move them in front of overall in the East.)

Wow, Roy can you do me a favor? Take the knife out of my back when I turn around.  But in all seriousness can you tell me why you have me this far back?

I think my team can play defense, run and muck it up with the best of them. The Sixers made the playoffs in the NBA with considerably less talent playing a similar style. My team has a lot of athletic players that can get up and defend, as well as many hustle guys that find a way to get it done. I see my team as the best in the division not the worst, but obviously I'm biased.

However, taking a look at your other rankings independent of my team (because I'm too biased), I have no idea how you think Edgars team is a playoff team. Who plays defense on that team? How many playoff teams have there been without at least a few decent defenders? Monta is a gunner, he's going to take bad shots regardless of who plays with him.

Tough althetic teams will  always beat those with good individual scorers.

Yeah, the Pistons are a team I feel like I have to move up.  Like with a lot of things, I guess it comes down to fit.  I don't see your team really being a cohesive team yet, and I think you have a lot of boneheads on it.  Plus, you have Jeff Green and Tony Allen, two guys who have never been Roy Hobbs' favorites.   But yeah, this is a team I'll need to reconsider.

As for Edgar's team, perhaps I'm overrating his squad.  I like his big man rotation, and I'm a believer in Tyreke Evans.  At the same time, I totally understand if somebody comes along as says "I hate the fit of that squad".  Different strokes for different folks.

I thoguht everyone loves Pandas...

Insert cheesy image here

I think in my defense that the overwhelming size is just to much to handle to all other than The copybears in this division.
 

Of course if a guard fails I am in trouble
No team is flawless

I think the lack of size hurts Detroit as the first Pandas were constructed
I have to say I respect the team making and athleticness.

[StartOrien]

I've been highly critical of the Pacers but I don't think they're worse than the real life Grizzlies. I do think they'll be worse defensively. They have the same SF/PF/C and worse PG/SG defense. Their defense will suffer because of this, but their offense will also improve for having Parker/Lee and a better bench.

But I don't think it's fair, either for good or for bad, to say that we have the same small forward.

54 games of an 82 game season is fair, same SF/PF/C as the Grizzlies had last year is fair.

Now if I was just looking at the Grizzlies performance in the playoffs, you're right that wouldn't be fair.

But anyway you look at it, the Grizzlies changed their identity either before or after Rudy went down.  I think you have to re-evaluate how he plugs in to that team now.

I thought you co-gm argued relatively well that Gay was a part of the turn around earlier.

I don't disagree, but you're right to point out the small sample size that they had together.

[KCattheStripe]

You have to remember that the Grizz really started turning their season around when they sent OJ Mayo to the bench. Then Hollins made the mistake of putting Sam Young next to Rudy instead of TA. When Rudy went down, the Grizz made the trade for Battier and put TA in the starting line up. The combined defense of TA and Battier made up for not having Gay, but having Gay and TA in the starting lineup will be tremendous for the grizzlies next year.

Rudy really isn't the team killer, he's actually a fairly adaptable player and because of that gives you consistent production.

2007-8( With Pau and without him): 20 PPG 6.2 boards 2 assts 46% shooting 17 attempts
2008-2009 ( OJ and Marc): 18.9 PPg 5.5 boards 1.7 assts 45% Shooting 16 attempts
2009-2010 ( Zach Randolph, OJ and Marc): 19.6 PPG 5.9 Boards 1.9 assts 46% 16 attempts
2010-2011( ZBo, Marc. OJ Eventually to the bench): 19.8PPG 6.2 boards 2.2 Assts 47% shooting. 16 attempts

Rudy is a consistently productive player who benefitted from the Arrival of Zbo but never hurt the team, in fact he grew in the way you'd want a franchise cornerstone to grow when premium players arrive.

[celticpride07]

1. Chicago
---  
2.Indiana
3.milwaukee
--
4. detroit
 

i like chicago with nash noah and wallace

i think detroit is too young to be a title contender and the pandas are good enough to make the playoffs but that's about it. i really like how chicago built the team around noah and nash has some good help offensively with wallace. i love the sg combo of jr. smith and terry..very niice! as far is the pacers go im not sold on randolph as the leader of a championship team..i was killed for drafting him in the end of 2nd round last year because of his cancer...rudy gay is also coming of a big injury...i think you should have kept tony allen and drafted conley so u could have the starting 5 grizzlies.

[Edgar]

Pandas Want Playoffs



And we are starting to open fan eyes with out size and hustle
our experience and athleticism
our youth and our Wonderfull GM

GO PANDAS!!

[Edgar]

For me is

Pandas
Indiana
Chicago Detroit

For all of you who miss PANDAS Confference You can find us on page ONE of this THread
We welcome youu to join the story of a Monk who wants to become a NBA GM

[Lucky17]

Sorry, all. I am on vacation, visiting my folks in CT. Their internet connection leaves something to be desired (note to self for Xmastime), so this belated presser will also have to be rather free of bells and whistles (those CBers checking from their phones should, however, love this).

1. Roster / depth chart

Head coach: Doc Rivers

PG: Steve Nash (~33 mpg) / Beno Udrih (~12 mpg)
SG: JR Smith (~25 mpg) / Jason Terry (~25 mpg at SG, 5-10 mpg at PG)
SF: Gerald Wallace (~35 mpg, 5-10 mpg at PF) / Travis Outlaw (~15 mpg) / Gordon Hayward (spot minutes at SG/SF)
PF: Udonis Haslem (~25 mpg) / Jason Thompson (~25 mpg, spot minutes at C) / Al Harrington (spot minutes at PF)
C:  Joakim Noah (~33 mpg) / Zaza Pachulia (~15 mpg) / Anthony Randolph (spot minutes at PF/C)

2. Statistics
3. Pictures

No tech, no time.

4. Statement regarding drafting philosophy (building for the future, contending now, etc.)

Armed with the #17 pick in the first round, I was virtually assured of having no franchise-level, elite player. However, I was able to move up in the 1st at little cost to grab Carmelo Anthony, and initially planned to build around him and Joakim Noah. At some point during the early rounds, I decided Carmelo wasn't the kind of player I wanted to advocate for in this kind of exercise, and traded him for Nash (and Trevor Ariza), with the intent, based on trade chatter and conversations with other GMs, to flip Nash and other parts for Chris Paul or another young superstar PG. Those plans fell through, and I eventually settled into building a team around Nash and Noah.

I wanted to surround Nash with athletic scorers, rebounders, and plus defenders. While I feel as though I could have pursued at least one more deal before the deadline, I feel pretty pleased with the final product.

5. Toughest decision

Finding a buyer/acceptable return on Trevor Ariza. I knew I wanted to move Wallace to his natural position at SF, and had to trade Ariza to do it. Unfortunately, finding a potential buyer was exceedingly difficult. It wasn't until the last day of the draft that I found a deal I could live with (JJ Hickson, whom I flipped for JR Smith and bench depth).

6. Best move (trade, pick, etc.) / worst move

I made a lot of moves. I flipped numerous players, some (Al Jefferson, JJ Hickson) within the first hour of acquiring them. I have no real regrets on any of them, nor do I recall any trades that I felt were particularly good or bad for me.

7. Your outlook for this coming season

I very much believe that my guards are a real strength for my club. I have a tremendous playmaker in Nash, and two others in Udrih and Terry who can run an offense. Smith is a young athletic gunner who can fill it up on any given night. Critics may point to his fiery and intemperate attitude, but with veteran leaders like Nash, Terry, and Haslem to set the tone, I don't think he'll pose much of a distraction from the team's play.

Wallace, Haslem, and Noah provide excellent defense and rebounding. Their efforts will lead to many transition opportunities and easy baskets. Outlaw and Pachulia are both several seasons removed from their best numbers, but I like both of them as capable reserves/role players on this team. I do foresee running with Outlaw and Wallace at SF/PF respectively for select minutes of smallball (with Noah) during games when I want to increase the tempo/pace/pressure. Thompson will bring rebounding and energy off the bench. Hayward and Harrington will inject shooting and spacing into the lineup when needed. I hope to get Randolph minutes at PF/C whenever possible, but he will likely end up as an injury policy.

I haven't had the time to closely look at my divisionmates' lineups, to see how we stack up. Going into the final day of the draft, I did feel as though my team was a playoff seed, and while perhaps winning the division might have been a lofty goal, I did believe that the squad was greater than the sum of its parts and embodied a team that could make some noise.

Comments and questions are welcomed. I will try to respond to them, in due time.

[Edgar]

TY for posting Lucky

TP

[action781]

You have to remember that the Grizz really started turning their season around when they sent OJ Mayo to the bench. Then Hollins made the mistake of putting Sam Young next to Rudy instead of TA. When Rudy went down, the Grizz made the trade for Battier and put TA in the starting line up. The combined defense of TA and Battier made up for not having Gay, but having Gay and TA in the starting lineup will be tremendous for the grizzlies next year.

Rudy really isn't the team killer, he's actually a fairly adaptable player and because of that gives you consistent production.

2007-8( With Pau and without him): 20 PPG 6.2 boards 2 assts 46% shooting 17 attempts
2008-2009 ( OJ and Marc): 18.9 PPg 5.5 boards 1.7 assts 45% Shooting 16 attempts
2009-2010 ( Zach Randolph, OJ and Marc): 19.6 PPG 5.9 Boards 1.9 assts 46% 16 attempts
2010-2011( ZBo, Marc. OJ Eventually to the bench): 19.8PPG 6.2 boards 2.2 Assts 47% shooting. 16 attempts

Rudy is a consistently productive player who benefitted from the Arrival of Zbo but never hurt the team, in fact he grew in the way you'd want a franchise cornerstone to grow when premium players arrive.

Thank you KC and TP for statistically backing a point I've taken for granted in my mind.  You're first point is what I've been trying to say about Rudy.  I think that now that Memphis and the NBA has seen how effective Memphis is when emphasizing the low post game, Pawnee will go to that offensive strategy very often now with Z-Bo + Gasol and Rudy will still adapt and be a very effective player, but a less focal point of the starting lineup's offense.  He will still provide a lot on the defensive end also.

But it should be noted that Memphis actually fared quite well with Sam Young in the starting lineup alongside Gay at 15-6 during the regular season.  I really think that OJ Mayo was the problem (27-15 with Gay but no Mayo), rather than TA being the solution.

[action781]

A couple questions for Chicago,

Nash teams have been most successful in an uptempo fast breaking game.  A big part of this success has been playing alongside athletic bigs such as Marion (when younger) and Amare.  Haslem and Noah hardly fit that bill, but Gerald Wallace at the 4 certainly would.  What kind of game do you see your team playing primarily - half court, fast break, or neither (more a combination of both)?  And what kind of lineups do you plan on playing to back that kind of style?

And for a tough question:  Are there any particular teams (or types of teams) in the CNBA that you think your chosen style would matchup well or not well against?  (Western conference teams would probably be best to use)

Take your time on the response

[indeedproceed]

Gay-Tony is better than Gay-Mayo. Agree.

If Rudy Gay is so adaptable, wouldn't it have been a fun idea to draft Al Jefferson, and play Rudy at the 3 and Al Jefe at the 4?

Then you could go with a Big Gay-Al lineup with your forwards. Also, you could've looked into acquiring Mister Slave, and starting an animal shelter for misfit pets.

(if you don't get it, its a South Park reference, not a homophobic joke)