CB Draft 2011 Central Division Press Conferences

[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.

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 more 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.

They would have been even better if they had started TA alongside Rudy. No slight to Sam, but he's nowhere near as good as TA.

[KCattheStripe]

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)

WARNING!  ADULT CONTENT!

Big Gay Al - I'm Super

[action781]

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)

Fun?  Yes.  Upset that you had to mention the reference and that KC beat me to a link?  Yes.

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 more 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.

They would have been even better if they had started TA alongside Rudy. No slight to Sam, but he's nowhere near as good as TA.

I don't necessarily disagree, but I have always been a big proponent of bringing energy guys (which TA fits) off the bench.  TA could always still play more minutes.  My point was more pointing to the fact that a less talented, unselfish player (like TA, or Sam Young, or Courtney Lee) would be a better fit alongside TP-Gay-Randolph-Gasol than a player who needs shots (like Mayo).

[mgent]

You'd think Edgar would've run out of entertaining Panda pictures by now.

[action781]

You'd think Edgar would've run out of entertaining Panda pictures by now.

Is that a dare?

At this point, I feel like he's got one trapped in a bedroom and is snapping these pictures himself.

[Edgar]

I dont have a clue on what you post be4
I just ask for civility
as a mod
feel free to abuse pandas
all have backfire

I will check this tomorrow of course
and it will be all your fault

p.s. pandas are always watching


and believe me I just use half of my panda pics by now

[Lucky17]

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?

Well, during the years when Nash ran with Marion and Amare, those Suns rosters really didn't have any other truly athletic bigs, with perhaps the exception of Diaw (whose real skill was his ability to pass and shoot). The success of the team lay in D'Antoni's SSOL offense.

In terms of offense, Amare is a transcendent player. There was no way I could acquire him, nor find an equivalent player. (Attempts to acquire Marion went nowhere.) Instead, I looked to build a defensive backbone behind Nash with great rebounders/defenders. I wanted to up the pace of our offense by controlling the boards and forcing turnovers instead of by sacrificing points. Additionally, Haslem has an underrated jump shot, and would work well in the pick-and-pop with Nash. Noah is an excellent passer out of the post. And we still have very good shooters in Smith and Terry to space the floor.

I take your point about Wallace at the 4, and I do think that he will get limited minutes there, not much more than 10 a game. While it may be "pie-in-the-sky" thinking, I feel that Travis Outlaw has the length, quickness, and ability to be a kind of Gerald Wallace-lite type player at SF, and playing alongside Nash (I hope) might boost his confidence and production on the offensive end.

I think Doc has the personnel to run a very good half-court offense, but we should still be able to generate lots of transition opportunities with our rebounding, defense, and speed like the Nash-led Suns teams of old. 

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

This one will take some time, as I've not yet reviewed final rosters. As most would suspect, a team with an elite, athletic, playmaking PG (Rose, Williams, Paul) might cause some trouble for us, although the defense behind Nash should be able to help mitigate somewhat against Nash's defensive deficiencies. Teams with a surplus of legit 7-footers could also pose trouble for us, as I feel our ability to control the boards is key to our teams success.

[action781]

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

This one will take some time, as I've not yet reviewed final rosters. As most would suspect, a team with an elite, athletic, playmaking PG (Rose, Williams, Paul) might cause some trouble for us, although the defense behind Nash should be able to help mitigate somewhat against Nash's defensive deficiencies. Teams with a surplus of legit 7-footers could also pose trouble for us, as I feel our ability to control the boards is key to our teams success.

Sounds accurate.  Any particular type of teams that you think you would give matchup problems to with your style of play?

[StartOrien]

The Pacers will probably win 73 games

[KCattheStripe]

The Pacers will probably win 73 billion games

Fixed.

[action781]

The Pacers will probably win 73 games

That's pretty accurate...

If the lockout causes us to lose 9 regular season games.

[StartOrien]

I feel like if the league had a team as talented as the Pawnee Pacers there'd be no lockout.

[Lucky17]

Any particular type of teams that you think you would give matchup problems to with your style of play?

Interesting question. Usually, I'm more attuned to answering the flip-side of that query.

The veteran core of this team (Nash, Terry, Haslem) has significant big-game experience to draw on. I think we'd do especially well against younger teams that rely mainly on athleticism and finesse to win games.

We have enough grinders on our team to wear the opposition down, get under their skin (Noah-Pachulia could very well be the most irritating C tandem in the CBDL), cause them to make mistakes, or simply outhustle and outmuscle them.

[Kane3387]

The Pacers will probably win 73 billion games

Fixed.

What do you mean by fixed? 

[nickagneta]

Run away win in this division for the best team in the East

1. Indiana(Pawnee) - best team in this division and it isn't even close

2.Chicago - Nash can make most players he plays with a lot better than they actually are. This is just the type of defensive group he could turn into a more efficient offensive unit than they actually are and actually they aren't good offensively other than the three players in the backcourt
 
3. El Salvador(not sure who they were before) - my guess is Barea will end up playing the most PG minutes but what does that say about the Pandas? Barea isn't surrounded by the 2011 Mavs so that doesn't say good things. Brand/Love is interesting though and I like Chandler.

4. Detroit - just not a team I like or think is very well put together.