CB Draft 2011 Central Division Press Conferences

[Evantime34]

Also I would love it if anyone had questions for my team. I apologize for it taking so long to post my presser.

I just can't get my head around Derozan starting for this team. I feel like Dudley or TA is a much better fit for the starting lineup.

Thoughts?

He has elite athleticism. My team will have success when running the fast break and he's elite at doing that.

In the past his defense has been suspect, however he has the size, speed length and athleticism to guard at a high level. He has never been on a team with any good defenders or a team that preaches defense. We have both.

He gets to the line a ton, (especially to end the season). Having someone who does that starting will set the other team in foul trouble right away. Post all star break this year he scored 19.9 ppg averaging 5 free throws a game. He is a player primed to break out, if you don't consider 20 ppg in the second half of your second season breaking out.

That being said since this game is one that you win by the voting of your peers, I will change my lineup if it gets me more playoff votes.

[Evantime34]

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.

Boneheads have been known to straighten up when playing with guys who give 110% all the time like Hansbrough, Foster, Parker, Lou Williams and TA. People forget how young Josh Smith is, and he's never played with a strong veteran leader. Plus anyone can look bad on an offense thats basis is to run the shot clock down to 3 then take fadeaway 3's. On Atlanta he takes lots of long jumpers, probably because he knows if he gives it to Johnson, or Crawford there is no way he'll get it back even if he's open under the hood.

As far as fit, my team is full of good defenders that can run, I drafted them so they could have similarities that makes them a cohesive unit. I don't know what more I could have done to make a better fit. Of the knocks on my team I think fit is the most ridiculous.

[StartOrien]

Evantime,

Any thoughts about perhaps being too focused on speed & pace? I think this team could struggle shooting

[Evantime34]

My fault I didn't see some of the trades that Edgar made. However what I said about him not having any defenders still holds true. Tyreke and DJ still pose the same problem, as Monta and Deron. Two guys who need the ball in there hands to be succesful. Except the difference is Deron and Monta were better offensively AND defensively. So all my statements hold true if you change the names around.

[Roy H.]

I don't know what more I could have done to make a better fit. Of the knocks on my team I think fit is the most ridiculous.

Three issues with fit: 

1.  Your team lacks outside shooters.  Josh Smith led your starters in 3PT shooting at 33%; everyone else was below 30%.  Those guys don't complement each other well in a half-court offense; and

2.  Your team is tremendously young.  Wall and DeRozan are still young guys out to "get theirs", Green has shrank under pressure, Smith is a bonehead, etc.  I don't see a lot of cohesion there;

3.  John Wall is the only good passer in your starting lineup.  DeRozan, Green, and Okafor are all poor passers, and Smith is only okay.

[Evantime34]

Evantime,

Any thoughts about perhaps being too focused on speed & pace? I think this team could struggle shooting

That is a great question. If shooting is a problem I can sub in Lou Williams, Belinelli, Parker, Dudley and to a lesser extent Hansbrough. We have shooting it just doesn't happen to be in our starting lineup.

More importantly than pace is the defense we can play with the athleticism we have. which should be top notch.

[Evantime34]

I don't know what more I could have done to make a better fit. Of the knocks on my team I think fit is the most ridiculous.

Three issues with fit: 

1.  Your team lacks outside shooters.  Josh Smith led your starters in 3PT shooting at 33%; everyone else was below 30%.  Those guys don't complement each other well in a half-court offense; and

2.  Your team is tremendously young.  Wall and DeRozan are still young guys out to "get theirs", Green has shrank under pressure, Smith is a bonehead, etc.  I don't see a lot of cohesion there;

3.  John Wall is the only good passer in your starting lineup.  DeRozan, Green, and Okafor are all poor passers, and Smith is only okay.

John Wall can either be an excellent passer or someone who gets his. If he gets his he isn't passing the ball.

In your mind would my team be better if I started Dudley? That's improved three point shooting.

We don't plan on playing half court very often. Teams that force the issue tend to run regardless of the thoughts of the other teams. We will force the issue, every game will be a track meet.

Again in my mind more important than how we play offense in the halfcourt is how we play defense. If you get stops in the half court on defense you can run on offense. We have enough elite ahtletes to become a very good defensive team.

[action781]

Jokes aside, I don't know adjusted pace or advanced statistics, but I watch a great deal of basketball.

I don't think there'd be much of a difference between the real Grizzlies and the Pawnee Pacers. Especially if Paul George were to make the jump I think he'll take.

I think you want to reframe this argument.  You want to say that you don't think there will be a huge difference in terms of the ability to create turnovers.  However, you do think that the Pacers bring a championship / Finals MVP pedigree with Tony Parker that the "real" Grizzlies can't come close to matching.  There is a real difference between the real Grizzlies and the Pawnee Pacers:  the Pacers are better. 

Also, show some more love for Chuck Hayes, please.  I love that guy.

Thanks for the love, Roy.  That has been the point I keep trying to bring up.  I don't see the Pacers as being the Grizzlies 2.0.  I think they are a deep team with a monstrous frontcourt, good shooters at the wings, a PG who can get into the paint and cause defenses to collapse or score, good defenders at the wings even if they don't create turnovers, a bench big who is one of the best man defenders in the NBA against post players, and a bench big who is one of the best outside shooting bigs in the NBA.

The Grizzlies only have two of those traits and the only other positive they were known for was an ability to force turnovers.  The Pacers are far more balanced and versatile in their offensive approach than the playoff Grizzlies were.  The Pacers' defense is different; we have good defensive wings who can stay in front of their man rather than guys who gamble to force turnovers.  We have a big man in Hayes who plays similarly in that he holds offensive players to low eFG% rather than forcing turnovers.

But for those that insist to compare us to the Grizzlies, we think an equal to lower overall eFG% and a far superior offense will far outweigh the few (really, how many less would the Pacers get?) fewer forced turnovers.

[Evantime34]

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

[StartOrien]

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

That's definitely the right decision.

[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 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.

[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.

[mgent]

I'd really love to see Tony, Wall, and Green on the court at the same time because I think those fast breaks would be ridiculous, but I think teams would just go zone on them.

[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.

[mgent]

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?