HOOPLOG: Hubie Brown

Luke-Warm Pickups

Tue, 04 Apr 2006 09:42:32 -0800

As we near the end of the fantasy season, it’s important to recognize that you’re not going to find those awesome pickups that you always spend time trolling for during the first half of the year. And as you look for players to fill those extra games you’ve got lying around, your standards have to drop a bit. Remember – even if you play a guy who gets 2 points, a rebound and an assist, that’s 2 more points, one more rebound and one more assist than you’d have if you just let an extra game go by. With that in mind, let’s see if we can find some guys who are good bets for a single game here or there:

Nate Robinson, G, NYK
Robinson’s got a couple of things going for him. One, he qualifies at both guard positions, which mean that he’s got added value for those filling games. Two, with Stephon Marbury still out, Larry Brown may be forced to play him as Steve Francis’s backup. And three, even if he doesn’t see a bunch of minutes, he’s still a good bet for a three or a steal as long as he gets on the court. Of course, he does have the major negative of being under the rule of Larry Brown, who may be the most hated man in all of fantasy basketball, even surpassing Hubie Brown of a few years ago. As of yesterday, Robinson looked like a great play. As of this morning, it’s a slightly different story as news comes out that he was nearly sent to the D-League a month ago. But Robinson, who plays three times over the next four days, is still a nice game-filler for those of you with extra guard games.

Antonio McDyess, PF, DET
With Rasheed Wallace being suspended for tonight’s game, McDyess will likely be counted on for 30+ minutes. But even when he’s seeing his typical 20 or so mpg, he’s still a nice asset. He’ll contribute in both defensive categories, rebounds, and recently he’s been on a bit of a scoring streak. Also, with the playoffs approaching, McDyess is a strong candidate for more playing time as Ben Wallace and Sheed get a little rest now that the playoffs have been clinched. It’s also a possibility that Dale Davis will see some extra time off the Piston pine, but probably not enough to make him worthwhile.

The Phoenix Chuckers
Any of these guys – James Jones, Leandro Barbosa, Eddie House, Tim Thomas, Raja Bell – could be a fine pickup if you’re looking for threes. With Mike D’Antoni allowing his players to shoot at will, and Steve Nash putting them in position to do just that, the Suns not only take the most threes of any team in the league, they also make the highest percentage of them. The problem is knowing who’s going to have the hot hand from night to night. Last Friday, Barbosa exploded for 28 points – the next game, he was held to 10. But all of them, on average, will give you at least one three and maybe 8-10 points with a spattering of other stats.

Martell Webster, G/F, POR
While the rest of his team is a complete disaster, Webster will have an opportunity to strut his stuff over the final few weeks of the season. He’ll have his ups and downs, but in the end he’ll be a big help in threes, and should contribute in points and FT% as well. Anything more than that might be asking too much, but he’s also a candidate for one of those out-of-nowhere breakout games as well.

...On Successors

Mon, 12 Dec 2005 15:20:57 -0800

[editor's note, by TZ] I originally posted this Saturday evening before the Sonics game, but figured I'd bump it up top for those that don't spend every waking weekend moment on Sactown Royalty. -Tom

While we idly wait for Rick Adelman to get the axe, let's look at the prospective replacements, both short- and long-term:

Elston Turner. E.T. is Adelmania's lead assistant, and would no doubt be the immediate choice as an interim head coach. He's never been a head coach in the league. There are a couple of intriguing things about E.T. - he's not ancient (46 years old), he's the defensive guy on the staff and he's been around these players enough to understand their psyche, hopefully. All that said, the guy is the defensive assistant on the freaking Sacramento Kings. He's not exactly the NBA's Marvin Lewis or anything.

Terry Porter. The former Kings assistant is currently doing TV color commentary for the Spurs. He got completely screwed by the Bucks (his hometown team) a few months ago, getting fired a week before the draft because the franchise wanted to make a run at Flip Saunders and Nate McMillan (they got Terry Stotts instead). He spent two seasons in Milwaukee, and finished third in "Coach of the Year" voting in 2003-04 (behind Hubie Brown and Jerry Sloan). That season, the Bucks were quite Kings-like - an above-average offense, a questionable defense and really poor rebounding. It reminds us that unless you have a tyrant like Larry Brown, personnel dictates everything.

John Whisenant. I personally think it's silly that Whiz keeps getting brought into the conversation. But the possibility does exist - Whisenant is an old business buddy of the Maloofs and has been seen around ARCO a lot lately. The guy won a championship with the 'Narcs, but still. This is kind of like Bill Laimbeer and the Knicks, right? Just idle speculation? I really hope so, unless he can work out a Yolanda-Griffith-for-Peja-Stojakovic trade.

P.J. Carlesimo. A lot of people hate the rotating head coach carousel, and I tend to agree. P.J. is an assistant with Gregg Popovich and the Spurs right now and hasn't been a head coach since the 2000 season. He's a very good defensive coach - even his putrid Golden State squads were above average on D. But, his career win percentage in the NBA is below .500 and he's never won a playoff series. And he replaced Rick Adelman in Portland. You wouldn't want to, you know, copy Portland.

Eric Musselman. If there was a Bizzaro Adelman, Muss would be it. He's a strict, pushy, bossy little guy. He's working as an assistant in Memphis right now. He totally got jobbed in Golden State after almost getting to .500 twice despite crappy rosters (Cherokee Parks and Dan Langhi combined to play in nine games for the 2004 Dubs). I'm actually surprised Muss hasn't gotten another job yet; it's almost a no-brainer that this guy could be one of the best in the league in a short time. He would certainly whip these guys into shape, even if it meant benching some of the "stars."

Paul Silas. I think Paul got a raw deal in both Charlotte/New Orleans and Cleveland, but still. He's pretty old and he's probably not a championship-caliber coach.

Mike Budenholzer. I get excited just thinking about getting Bud as Sacramento's coach. He's another Spurs assistant, and is considered Pop's right-hand man. He's been an assistant there nine years, and the guy is only in his mid-30s. Mike Brown, the last Spurs assistant to leave, is doing pretty well in Cleveland. I wish I could wager on things like "Mike Budenholzer will lead an NBA team to multiple championships by 2015." I've never read a single bad word about him anywhere ever in my life. And it's not like his name is hard to Google.

Marc Iavaroni. He's considered the next big thing in NBA coaching. He was almost the Blazers' coach (until they got Nathan Mac) and he was almost the Lakers' coach (until they got Phillip back). He'll be a head coach before the 2006 draft - mark my words. Would he be willing to leave a rather plush assistant job in Phoenix when he could wait and essentially pick his gig this summer? Who knows.

Jerome Jenkins. Ha ha. Whoops, sorry. Don't know how that got there.

Okay, okay. That's enough. Let's rank the top five, in order of my preference:

Mike Budenholzer
Marc Iavaroni
Terry Porter
Eric Musselman
Paul Silas

The top two are my favorites by a landslide, though they're probably the least likely replacements. If anyone runs into a drunken Maloof, pass this list on, will ya?

l attached to this story by clicking Entry Link below. If you pick 'other,' leave a comment as to whom you like that I have failed to acknowledge. I may or may not ridicule you.

The Truth Is Out, Part 2

Tue, 01 Nov 2005 09:39:57 -0800

So BV did his draft recap and now it’s my turn. Like he said, we start 10 players (PG, SG, G, SF, PF, F, C, C, UT, UT), with three bench spots, 12 teams. So it’s a pretty deep league, and it’s very competitive. Hard to slip sleepers past these guys. Guys like Zaza Pachulia, Marquis Daniels, Eddie Griffin, Mike James, etc. were all gone by the 9th round, for example. My strategy going in was to heed my rankings, take the best player available with most picks, not get too hung up on positions, and not to ignore percentages, which always seem to give me problems. Let’s see how I did.

1st Round (4th overall): Dirk Nowitzki, PF
I was hoping that Marion would fall to me, but he went #3. It’s hard to complain about Dirk, and if continues to trade in a few 3s for a few more blocks, I’ll take it. He’s 27, clearly in his prime, clearly the top option on a perennially high scoring team, and he set career highs in blocks, assists and points last year. I’m banking on a repeat. I was tempted to take Kobe, and even a little tempted to shock the world and take Kirilenko, but in the end Dirk was the obvious choice.

2nd Round (21st overall): Yao Ming, C
I told my dad the day before that draft that if Yao was there for me at 21 I would take him, and I stuck to my word. Even in his “disappointing” season last year he finished 17th on the player rater, and he seems bound to take a leap forward this year, if he can continue to improve his game and his minutes per game by 3 or 4, which is a distinct possibility. I certainly liked him more than Jermaine O’Neal, and I was thought about Vinsanity and Mike Bibby, but a dominant center in the second round without reaching was too good to pass up.

3rd Round (28th overall): Pau Gasol, PF
I deliberated a whole lot here. Gasol was the highest person left on my board, but I’ve drafted him the past two years and have been burned before, by a frustrating rotation and injuries. And did I really want to go with three big men with my first three picks, after I preach about PGs so much? In the end I decided to trust myself and go with Gasol. All three players so far are big men with very solid percentages and Gasol, like Ming, seems likely to increase his effectiveness and playing time as he enters his prime and will be the featured player on a thinned-out Memphis squad. His foot problems are a concern, but I went with him over Bosh, Joe Johnson and Rashard Lewis.

4th Round (45th overall): Kirk Hinrich, G
I was absolutely thrilled to get Captain Kirk near the end of the fourth round. He was my highest ranked player left and I desperately needed a top flight PG. The next four picks – Boozer, Camby, Redd, Parker – show what a drop-off there was. Kirk’s FG% is rather brutal, but I’m hoping those first three guys could help offset it.

5th Round (52nd overall): Cuttino Mobley, SG
The middle rounds are always the toughest, and my strategy was to not give in to hype and to instead draft players who I felt would be sure-thing, solid contributors all season. Mobley may have been a bit of a reach, but he has a history of playing 40 mpg and he could very well see that on a thin Clippers team. And you know he’ll be launching his share of 3s, as well. I was strongly considering Lamar Odom, but figured I had plenty of boards and could use a gunner.

6th Round (69th overall): Rasheed Wallace, FC
Another steady, unspectacular pick. Rasheed has a solid all-around game and the fact that he qualifies at center means that I don’t have to worry about depending on one of those “who the hell knows?” guys that ended up going in the next few rounds. His percentages are rather weak, and he might have some clashes with Flip Saunders, but his track record shows steady production and good health. I might very well regret not going with Rafer Alston or Donyell Marhsall at this spot.

7th Round (76th overall): Richard Hamilton, SG
The ultimate safe pick. I’m not a huge fan of Rip’s fantasy game, but in the 7th round it’s hard to argue. I often overlook points, and Rip is always a nice source. He’s another great free throw shooter, and even if he doesn’t match his 5 apg of last year, he should be a solid contributor (see a theme developing?) there. He’s another person who you can leave in the lineup and not worry about, and I think my first seven picks, while lacking in flashiness are extremely solid.

8th Round (93rd overall): Mark Jaric, G
Here’s where you can start going for riskier picks. Or, at least that’s what I’m saying in retrospect. I don’t love this pick, at all. I’m a huge fan of Jaric’s potential, but he’s always hurt and depending on him as my #2 PG has disaster written all over it. If he stays healthy, I’m rather confident this pick will be a steal, but that’s very iffy. His high assist rate might also drop since Minnesota runs its offense through KG.

9th Round (100th overall): Josh Childress, GF
On the other hand, I was thrilled to land Childress in the 9th round. He was actually the only player that I’ve hyped up this season that ended up on my team. He was almost a top 50 player in the second half of last season, and can help in just about every category. Tayshaun Prince went three rounds earlier and I think Childress will end up with the better numbers at the end of the year.

10th Round (117th overall): Eddie Jones, GF
BV hates this pick, but I stand by it. If he was able to finish 52nd on the rater last season when he averaged nearly five points less than he had the past few seasons, he looks to have a slight resurgence in Memphis where he will be looked to as one of the main options behind Gasol. He had a horrid preseason, but this is one of those cases where I’ll take the 10 years of stats over the few preseason games. If he turns out to be a total bust, it’s only a 10th rounder.

11th Round (124th overall): Brendan Haywood, C
OK, this was a pure homer pick, I admit. Brendan is my girlfriend’s favorite player and I figured by having him on my team, I just bought myself a good 40-50 extra hours of basketball watching this season, at least. And for a third center, he’s not so bad, and it’s always nice to have a player on your favorite team to root for. It was the 11th round – Juan Dixon, Lorenzen Wright and Charlie Villanueva were the next three picks – I feel fine about this. That said, it came down to him and Mike Dunleavy and if I wasn’t a Maryland grad who was a Wizards fan, we know who I would have picked. I hope this one doesn’t haunt me.

12th Round (141st overall): T.J. Ford, PG
This one really upset BV, who cried shenanigans since I have not spoken well of Ford at all here on FBB. But hey, player value is all relative – in the 12th round, with Hinrich and Jaric as my only two PGs, I feel this is a strong pick. I still think Mo Williams is just as good of a player, at least this season, and Ford is a major injury risk, but I needed the depth.

13th Round (148th overall): Mike Sweetney, PF
With my last pick I decided to go with someone with some decent upside but also someone I wouldn’t mind jettisoning early on. Each year the waiver wire offers a few players who emerge in the first few weeks of the season that turn out to be quite valuable and you have to be ready to pounce on them. With news that Sweetney will be coming off the bench initially, and knowing that Scott Skiles can be downright Sloan/Hubie Brown-ish when it comes to rotations, Sweetney might be packing his bags soon.

So there’s my team. I think that it’s pretty (here comes that word) solid top to bottom. My top four picks are all young and in their primes, and the rest of my squad is a good mix of established vets and young, but not necessarily green, players. I don’t have any one-category studs and instead am relying on a group effort to put me at the top of most categories. I’m admittedly thin at point guard, but you know that I’m always ready to rotate through the flavor of the week at that position.

Thoughts on who has the better squad, myself of BV???

Enjoy the first games of the season tonight. Go Dirk!

Hubie Goes To The Hall

Fri, 09 Sep 2005 11:34:13 -0800

Former NBA head coach Hubie Brown is one of five newly elected members being enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in a ceremony televised live at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBA TV and ESPN Classic. NBA.com caught up with the two-time NBA Coach of the Year this week to get his reflections on a Hall of Fame career.

Inside the Numbers: Hall of Fame Class 2005

Wed, 07 Sep 2005 13:37:17 -0800

Go Inside the Numbers as NBA.com explores all the key facts and figures of upcoming Hall of Fame inductees Jim Boeheim, Jim Calhoun and Hubie Brown.

Williams, Posey, Wells: Banned from Memphis

Mon, 08 Aug 2005 07:58:02 -0800

In the Memphis Commercial Appeal, Ronald Tillery sheds some light on the largest trade in NBA history: the Grizzlies didn't want James Posey, Jason Williams, or Bonzi Wells anymore because of their terrible attitudes. Reportedly former coach Hubie Brown and...