HOOPLOG: Jason Richardson http://www.hooplog.com/nba/jason-richardson/index.php NBA basketball news, rumors, insider analysis and more from around the country. Updated hourly by Team RxSN. Copyright 2009 Fri, 27 Jan 2006 07:59:20 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.2 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss After 81, Tonight's 'Same Old Thing' for Kobe, Lakers http://www.hooplog.com/nba/after-81-tonights-same-old-thing-for-kobe-lakers.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/after-81-tonights-same-old-thing-for-kobe-lakers.php Los Angeles Lakers Fri, 27 Jan 2006 07:59:20 -0800 Golden State Crushes Cavaliers 99-79 Jason Richardson scored 22 points and Mike Dunleavy played some excellent defense as the Golden State Warriors beat a lifeless Cleveland Cavalier team 99-79. Lebron James had a horrific shooting night going just 5-22 in route to 14 points. James did hurt his knee when he collided with a Warrior in the first half [...] http://www.hooplog.com/nba/golden-state-crushes-cavaliers-9979.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/golden-state-crushes-cavaliers-9979.php LeBron James Sat, 21 Jan 2006 10:01:33 -0800 Nikebasketball.com Baller of the week Jason Richardson defeats Paul Pierce and a preview of Richardson against Jermaine O'Neal. http://www.hooplog.com/nba/nikebasketballcom-baller-of-the-week.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/nikebasketballcom-baller-of-the-week.php Paul Pierce Fri, 30 Dec 2005 23:40:28 -0800 Jason Richardson pulls holiday surprise on families (Reg Req'd) BIRMINGHAM -- Jason Richardson always was giddy on Christmas Day, even when the times were tough. http://www.hooplog.com/nba/jason-richardson-pulls-holiday-surprise-on-families-reg-reqd.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/jason-richardson-pulls-holiday-surprise-on-families-reg-reqd.php Jason Richardson Fri, 23 Dec 2005 17:21:07 -0800 On the 10 10 things we learned this week from FOXSports.com
8. So much has been made of the Los Angeles Clippers' ascension to the top of the Pacific Division. The simple fact that the Golden State Warriors have pulled into a virtual tie for the lead has gone almost unnoticed.What this really means: Most of the success has been attributed to the addition of Baron Davis, who led them to an 18-8 mark during the last two months, making them 30-14 the past three months. Indeed, Davis changed the Warriors' mentality. And it's not just scoring. They've won five in a row and six of seven, with Davis averaging 16.7 points, 12.6 assists and 1.5 steals over these past seven. The problem is, he's still not healthy, and that's been an issue the past three years for a point guard with a maximum contract.But there's more to the Warriors' success than Davis, and the always-explosive offense of backcourt mate %u2014 leading scorer Jason Richardson. Their defense has hunkered down considerably this season as well, allowing their opponents 7.3 fewer points a game this season than last. Mickael Pietrus continues to improve; power forward Troy Murphy is a strong rebounder with an improving perimeter game, while rookie power forward Ike Diogu is now healthy and beginning to make an impact, and rugged center Adonal Foyle is rebounding and blocking shots.The key is that it's all still working for Mike Montgomery, the second-year coach from Stanford looking to defy the failure that has consumed virtually all of the other long-time college coaches who made the big leap into the NBA." 10 things we learned this week from FOXSports.com
8. So much has been made of the Los Angeles Clippers' ascension to the top of the Pacific Division. The simple fact that the Golden State Warriors have pulled into a virtual tie for the lead has gone almost unnoticed.
What this really means: Most of the success has been attributed to the addition of Baron Davis, who led them to an 18-8 mark during the last two months, making them 30-14 the past three months. Indeed, Davis changed the Warriors' mentality. And it's not just scoring. They've won five in a row and six of seven, with Davis averaging 16.7 points, 12.6 assists and 1.5 steals over these past seven. The problem is, he's still not healthy, and that's been an issue the past three years for a point guard with a maximum contract.But there's more to the Warriors' success than Davis, and the always-explosive offense of backcourt mate %u2014 leading scorer Jason Richardson. Their defense has hunkered down considerably this season as well, allowing their opponents 7.3 fewer points a game this season than last. Mickael Pietrus continues to improve; power forward Troy Murphy is a strong rebounder with an improving perimeter game, while rookie power forward Ike Diogu is now healthy and beginning to make an impact, and rugged center Adonal Foyle is rebounding and blocking shots.The key is that it's all still working for Mike Montgomery, the second-year coach from Stanford looking to defy the failure that has consumed virtually all of the other long-time college coaches who made the big leap into the NBA." 10 things we learned this week from FOXSports.com
8. So much has been made of the Los Angeles Clippers' ascension to the top of the Pacific Division. The simple fact that the Golden State Warriors have pulled into a virtual tie for the lead has gone almost unnoticed.
What this really means: Most of the success has been attributed to the addition of Baron Davis, who led them to an 18-8 mark during the last two months, making them 30-14 the past three months. Indeed, Davis changed the Warriors' mentality. And it's not just scoring. They've won five in a row and six of seven, with Davis averaging 16.7 points, 12.6 assists and 1.5 steals over these past seven. The problem is, he's still not healthy, and that's been an issue the past three years for a point guard with a maximum contract.But there's more to the Warriors' success than Davis, and the always-explosive offense of backcourt mate %u2014 leading scorer Jason Richardson. Their defense has hunkered down considerably this season as well, allowing their opponents 7.3 fewer points a game this season than last. Mickael Pietrus continues to improve; power forward Troy Murphy is a strong rebounder with an improving perimeter game, while rookie power forward Ike Diogu is now healthy and beginning to make an impact, and rugged center Adonal Foyle is rebounding and blocking shots.The key is that it's all still working for Mike Montgomery, the second-year coach from Stanford looking to defy the failure that has consumed virtually all of the other long-time college coaches who made the big leap into the NBA.
]]> http://www.hooplog.com/nba/on-the-10.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/on-the-10.php Troy Murphy Tue, 06 Dec 2005 18:52:45 -0800 Outside of limelight, Fisher has been on target While Jason Richardson and Baron Davis soak up the accolades, the most efficient member of the Warriors' backcourt to this point continues to toil in relative anonymity. http://www.hooplog.com/nba/outside-of-limelight-fisher-has-been-on-target.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/outside-of-limelight-fisher-has-been-on-target.php Baron Davis Thu, 17 Nov 2005 08:25:26 -0800 Recap: Warriors 100, Bulls 82

The Warriors closed out the Bulls tonight with a convincing 18 point win. The Warriors are now 5-3, their best start in 11 years. And we all know what happened 11 years ago. The Warriors put it on cruise control in the 4th as they started the quarter up 19. This game showed that the Warriors can put away a team and not let them back into the game. They started the 2nd half up 13, and could have let the Bulls back into the game, but instead they pushed the lead to 19 by the end of the quarter and finally shut the door with a strong 4th.

Boxscore | Yahoo Recap

Tonight JRich came up big with 32 points. He was clearly the Warriors best player tonight as Baron struggled to get in a groove. It was good to see JRich step up tonight with Baron not able to get anything going. It shows that we can still win without our best player putting together a good game.

Did I call it or what? In the preview I wrote, "I'm predicting tonight that Dunleavy finally breaks out and puts up 15+ points to go with a few boards and a few helpers." It's good to know he's reading the blog as he finally played a decent game with 15 points, 6 rebs, 2 assists, and 3 turnovers. It wasn't a great game, but I'll give him props for playing well. He's not supposed to put up superstar numbers, he's going to put up role player numbers like tonight. As we've said before, if you play well we'll give you your props, but if you play poorly we'll rip you. So Mike, congratulations on your first decent game, keep it up because we need our starting small forward to produce. Hopefully Dun can consistently contribute like he did today, but with less turnovers.

Perhaps I was wrong about Fisher. He had a decent game playing backup to Baron and occasionally playing alongside him. The 7 boards and 5 assists were nice to see that he isn't only looking for his shot like he normally does. I'd love to see him put together this kind of effort every night. I wish he would shoot better, but when he brings his all around game along with the clutch shooting, he's a valuable member of the team.

Did anyone else hear Pietrus on the radio after the game? For all the talk of him being selfish, it was nice to hear him say that he doesn't care to start. He knows his role as the guy who's got to bring energy off the bench and get the crowd into the game. He even handled the question about whether he should be starting over Dunleavy with ease saying that he knows his role is important on the team and that as long as they're winning he doesn't care to start. He even ended it by asking all the Warrior fans to come out and support the squad against the Bucks tomorrow night.

The Warriors' defense has been great this year and while everyone talks about how explosive the offense can be, the defense gets ignored and is clearly underrated. In two games against the Warriors, the Bulls have scored 85 and 82 points. In their 4 other games, the Bulls have scored, 109, 99, 95, and 103. So it seems like the Warriors are playing much better defensively. One of the keys has been JRich's improved defensive effort. He seems to understand the team concept better and plays excellent one on one defense. Adonal is starting to become that rock in the center position. Before, he could only play 20-25 mintues without being a liability, but now he's soaking up 30-35 minutes with the same defensive effort that he's always given. The team as a whole is playing better defense, challenging shots, they're finally going to the boards more, and not giving up too many easy buckets. Monty's got this team buying into his scheme and they're playing much much better defense. The Warriors are the 7th stingiest defense in the league this year showing that they can play uptempo and score with you, or settle in and play a defensive game.

Warrior Wonder
Jason Richardson: 32 points (12-21 FG), 6 rebs, 2 assists, 3 turnovers. He carried the Warriors tonight with a big game. ]]> http://www.hooplog.com/nba/recap-warriors-100-bulls-82.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/recap-warriors-100-bulls-82.php Chicago Bulls Tue, 15 Nov 2005 09:34:38 -0800 Warriors Web Wrap 11/13/05 Montgomery hopes offense wakes up from SFGate.com
The Warriors are convinced they can stay in games with their defense. Getting their offense clicking is another matter.

Coach Mike Montgomery said his team needs to be assured of its shooting ability and specifically named Mike Dunleavy and Zarko Cabarkapa as "two guys that are just struggling with their confidence right now."


How to lose 40+ games in a season by Dave from MVN- The City
Meanwhile, maybe a shakeup is needed. The Warriors’ starting five combined to shoot 16/55, or 29.1% on Saturday night. Chalk it up to a back-to-back after the Knicks game last night, but this is a recurring trend. Mike Dunleavy’s field goal percentage is at 24.6% this season, quite a bit less than 44% — his career average prior to this year. Baron Davis’ is 35.5%, down from 41% before he entered this year’s campaign. Jason Richardson is at 41.4% this year, one or two points below his career average, but it isn’t deviating too far in order to cause any concern. For now, at least. Troy Murphy is shooting three points above his career average, which excuses him from the scorn I’ve handed out in the past. Adonal Foyle throws up a couple shots a night, and has managed to put 50% of them in the basket. With 18 shots in 7 games, it doesn’t count for much.

Warriors can't keep pace with the Suns from Mercury News
Once upon a time, the Warriors were a juggernaut.

Led by point guard Baron Davis, they had one of the most potent offenses in the NBA, closing the 2004-05 season with at least 100 points in their final 18 games.

But this year's offense is a shadow of what it was. Despite holding Phoenix nine points below its average and winning the rebounding battle, the Warriors didn't have the firepower to keep up with the Suns, falling 101-86 at America West Arena on Saturday.


Too much Suns for Warriors from SFGate.com
Hold those comparisons to the Phoenix Suns. Before the Warriors can challenge the Suns in athleticism or excitement, they first have to match their fast-breaking, rim-rattling, high-scoring offense.

And so far, these two teams are looking nothing alike.
]]> http://www.hooplog.com/nba/warriors-web-wrap-111305.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/warriors-web-wrap-111305.php Troy Murphy Sun, 13 Nov 2005 11:51:59 -0800 Plain old Wade

This article does not reflect the views of our resident Heat booster, El Huracan Andreo.

It's been a truly historic week for FreeDarko, so I thought I'd close it out by doing what I do best: saying something vague, brash, and inflammatory that will likely send our credibility into a tailspin.

I'm lukewarm on Wade. There, I said it. Actually, I've mentioned it in passing a bunch of times, but never with enough snap or conviction to make it stick. After smurfing my way through last night's Heat/Pacers tilt, though, I am ready to come forth and hope that ledge don't break.



For starters, I'll admit this is a totally subjective position. I'm not trying to say that Wade is in the same odious class as Jason Richardson, whose bloodless aerial act is both the best evidence of video games' influence on the real thing and a fearful glance at what might've been if Vince had locked down Jordan 2 status. Wade, I'm just not feeling. The weird thing is, there's really no reason I shouldn't spend my days with nights quivering that Dwayne Wade exists: uncontrollably athletic, game-turning presence, highlight machine, gutsy without forfeiting his pride, hits the media with style, glorious trashcan of pop culture crossover, he would seem like everything I've ever wanted in a basketball star. But however endearing, iconic, and New Breed FBP I may find Wade, I just don't care about watching him. Sure, I'll jock any one of his certified magic moments—after all, dude was responsible for The Single Most Jaw-Dropping Play in Recorded NBA History, which I'm omitting out of respect for the fallen (I defy you to prove me otherwise!). But he doesn't meet my number one criteria for absolute superstardom: that I'll stay tuned in to a game just because he happens to be in it. In the playoffs, a late game situation, or any other time there's something on the line, he's as compelling as anyone in the Association: if you want to talk Jordan, no guard since MJ has been as money, as consistently unstoppable when he gets the ball. But that, my friends, is exactly where the trouble begins.

The problem is that Wade is just too fucking good. He's so impossibly quick, strong, explosive, intelligent, and determined that he makes it look easy. The cosmos shifts not, for the simple reason that the natural order of things is for him to score at will. Wade to the hoop. . . Wade with the jumper. . . Wade over his back while getting fouled. . . he might as well be guarded by my dead aunt (the shorter one). Creativity in the NBA isn't just a matter of self-expression—it also had the strategic purpose losing or evading defenders. Wade, god bless his soul, just doesn't have to worry about this on any regular basis. Don't get me wrong: when he does, truly unreal things take place. And even if he's not must-watch, it's still amazing to see him do his thing, provided I'm watching anyway or have nothing else to do. But I just can't get excited about Dwyane Wade: Face of Basketball when he's so sorely predictable in both approach and outcome.



The closest thing there is to him in league was Amare, probably my favorite of them all (not named Gilbert Arenas, who is like Wade either bored with himself or unable to figure out how simple it could all be). The difference is, though, with Amare you get the physical spectacle of him destroying hapless defenders and inflicting raw power upon the ether. Wade is a bullet from a sniper; Amare's a depth charge assaulting a colony of beached whales. I'd tried to convince THC and The Recluse earlier that Wade is a dynamic big man in a two-guard's body; they insisted that this only held if the big man were Amare. Point taken, but, if big men suffer in the dunk contest, I think Wade proves that an Amare-style game ain't nearly as exciting when a smaller particle commits its sins.



But if you want me to stop trying to pretend that I know the first thing about what it's like to play the game, or would ever be let within 1400 meters of a telestrator, let me break it down like this: Wade plays like a finisher but doesn't finish his finishes. I'm saying, if you're a beast of seventh seal proportions, you almost got to have some swagger, or play with a chip on your shoulder, to make up for the style points that you forfeit by viture of your rudimentary game. I know some people admire Wade exactly because he can tear down the heavens and then carry himself like a prince, but damn, show something. This isn't Timmy and his prim and proper low-post clinics, this is basketball at its most murdrous and dynamic. Quiet assassin, maybe, but that's not all he is. Dwyane Wade's got the whole Association severely shook; why can't he strut every once in a while, and be the intimidator he's earned every right to be? ]]> http://www.hooplog.com/nba/plain-old-wade.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/plain-old-wade.php Orlando Magic Thu, 10 Nov 2005 18:19:08 -0800 The Truth is Out. Here at FBB headquarters, we do our best to make sure that our readers (hi, Mom!) are as prepared as they could possibly be for their fantasy drafts. And because we did all these rankings, analysis, etc., you’d think that we’d be totally ready for our draft, which happened this past weekend. But were we really ready? Well, that’s for you to judge. So, today, I’m going to go over my team and do a little self-analysis. Then tomorrow, DM will do the same for himself.

So you know, our league is 12 teams, and our positions are PG, SG, G, SF, PF, F, C, C, Util, Util, Bn, Bn, Bn.

BV’s Draft

1st Round (7th overall): Tim Duncan, F/C.
I was expecting at 7 to get the remains of Duncan/Kobe/T-Mac, but then D. Wade went at 6 and I ended up with both T-Mac and Duncan and I had to make a choice. I ended up with Duncan because of my concerns about McGrady’s legs. Sure, Duncan is a big injury risk, but I couldn’t allow myself to enter the season with my stud player already hurt.

2nd Round (18th overall): Stephon Marbury, PG
After Duncan in the first round, I knew I wanted a PG in the second. My choices here were Marbury, Bibby, Baron Davis, and Stevie Franchise. I went with Marbury because of four numbers: 82, 81, 81, 82. Those are the number of games he’s played in the last four seasons. After getting an injury risk with Duncan, I needed someone I could count of for 80 games as my number 2 man.

3rd Round (31st overall): Jason Richardson, SG
After getting both a C and PG in the first two rounds, the third and fourth rounds were going to be purely best-player-available. Richardson was that, just edging out Chris Bosh and Dwight Howard.

4th Round (42nd overall): Chauncey Billups, PG
At this point I was hoping for one of three forwards to slip to me here: Bosh, Howard, or Richard Jefferson. Didn’t happen. Though I didn’t really want 3 guards in my first four picks, Billups was the best player available, just edging out Andre Iguodala.

5th Round (55th overall): Sam Dalembert, C
Well, this was stupid. I wanted a big man, and I liked Dalembert, but I forgot the golden rule of drafting: Before you make your pick, make sure he’s not hurt. I should have taken Carmelo Anthony here. Now, I’ve got some work to do to make up for this pick.

6th round (66th overall): Antawn Jamison, F
Here, we’re really in the worst part of the draft. Guys that you know are going to have to contribute to your team, but nobody that you really want to depend on. I could have gone a bunch of different directions with this pick, but I took Jamison because A) Other than last year, he’s not much of an injury risk, and B) I needed rebounds after the disastrous pick last round, and he gives you that.

7th round (79th overall): Troy Murphy, PF
This late in the draft, if you can find a double-double guy who will also contribute in three’s, you’ve gotta take him. Between him and J-Rich, I’ve got a lot of faith in the Warriors this year.

8th round (90th overall): Jamaal Magloire, C
At this point, I’m still reeling from my Dalembert pick, and I know that I’m going to need some depth at C. So here’s a BCA (Best Center Available) pick, and I’m happy to have him as a fill-in starter/utility man for Duncan and Dalembert.

9th round (103rd overall): Nenad Krstic, C
See above. Now I’ve got 4 centers that I can feel ok about putting into my starting lineup. That will hopefully be enough.

10th round (114th overall): Ricky Davis, G/F
Call it a hunch, maybe, but this late I want someone I can play at the Utility spot when I have to, but that I can also sit on my bench so I can ride a hot hand. Also, as a G/F, he’s going to give me some roster flexibility.

11th round (127th overall): Charlie Villanueva, F
OK, I know, this is early for Illanueva (come on, that’s an awesome nickname for him and you know it). But there were three guys I was targeting to get in the mid-late rounds: Stromile Swift, Eddie Griffin, and Villanueva. Swift went in the sixth, three picks before I was going to take him. Griffin went in the seventh, which nearly made me fall out of my chair. So I reached a little bit so that I was sure to get one of my three targeted guys.

12th round (138th overall): Antoine Walker, F
Seriously? I mean, Walker can be a kiss of death for a fantasy team, but in the 12th round? This is a guy who could have gone in the 7th or 8th and nobody would have blinked.

13th round (151st overall): Rashad McCants, G
Hey, why not? I mean, the kid can score. But at the same time, I don’t expect him to be on my team for more than a week.

So, for those of you keeping score at home:

PG Stephon Marbury
SG Jason Richardson
G Chauncey Billups
SF Antawn Jamison
PF Antoine Walker
F Troy Murphy
C Tim Duncan
C Jamaal Magloire
Ut Nenad Krstic
Ut Ricky Davis
Bn Samuel Dalembert
Bn Charlie Villanueva
Bn Rashard McCants.

My major concern this year will be my FT%, but if Duncan can get back over the 70% mark, I should be ok. Plus, if Dalembert gets healthy soon, then I should have a glut at C which should help me out in the trade market. Only one guy on my squad played under 66 games last year (Magloire), so that is comforting.

Tomorrow: DM. ]]> http://www.hooplog.com/nba/the-truth-is-out.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/the-truth-is-out.php Carmelo Anthony Mon, 31 Oct 2005 09:27:35 -0800 Overall Rankings: 31 to 60 1 to 30

31. Chauncey Billups – We love PGs here at FBB, and they don’t come more rock solid than this one.
32. Jason Terry – No, seriously, we love PGs, especially ones who were able to finish 30th on the player rater while only getting 30 mpg. The FG% will go down (way down), but everything else will go up.
33. Jason Richardson – J-Rich has only improved during his four years, and the Warriors are primed to be this year’s version of the Suns.
34. Kirk Hinrich – News that Duhon and not Gordon will be his starting backcourt mate is a bit of a buzzkill.
35. Zydrunas Ilgauskas – He’s proven he can stay healthy, but there are many weapons on Cleveland, whereas last year he was one of just three.
36. Ben Wallace – That FT% hurts more than you think and he’s not the same as he was three years ago; still, there’s hope for a contract year rebound. Literally.
37. Dwight Howard – It’s easy to get too excited about “what might be,” but he’s a stud in the making, no doubt.
38. Emeka Okafor – Hope for a few more blocks than last year and that his back doesn’t get too cranky.
39. Shaquille O’Neal – And even this might be too high. Let’s talk about Shaq for a moment. It’s near impossible to win with him on your team, that’s why you can’t do it unless he’s your fourth rounder, because you need that many studs to help you finish near the top in the other seven categories. Because kiss FT% goodbye. And for the love of god, don’t do something stupid and draft someone like Ray Allen or Chauncey Billups to “offset” Shaq. That’s just about the worst thing you can do, because it won’t even come close to bringing you out of the cellar, and you are wasting the value of a player like that. But therein lies the problem. Since you have to wait until the fourth (maybe third) round to realistically draft Shaq, unless you have already drafted players that compliment him, you probably can’t even afford to draft him anyway.
40. Lamar Odom – Could be primed for a huge year, but this is his seventh season, so time might be running out; just not enough 3s, steals or blocks to be truly great.
41. Larry Hughes – The steals and assists will go down, but he’s a solid all-around contributor.
42. Andre Igoudala – Absolutely love his all around game; he’s an Artest in the making. That’s a compliment, by the way.
43. Manu Ginobili – If only the Spurs weren’t so deep that he was limited to just 30 mpg.
44. Corey Maggette – His FT% dominance can’t be overlooked, but other than that he’s an oft-injured, points-only swingman.
45. Richard Jefferson – Like Odom and Maggette, lack of help in steals, blocks and 3s hurts his value.
46. Michael Redd – Not a favorite around here, but he is top dog in Milwaukee, which counts for something.
47. Andre Miller – Has missed three games in his career and averaged 8.2 apg after the break last year; that’s a nice and steady mid-round pick if there ever was one.
48. Marcus Camby – Injuries are already bothering him; has the talent to justify being taken here (much earlier, actually), but he will always be a risk.
49. Zach Randolph – If he can go 20/10 with percentages of 50 and 80, you can look past the rest of his game; he’s certainly The Man in Portland, which is mostly good, but might hurt his FG%.
50. Rasheed Wallace – Center eligibility, 3s, blocks, durability make for a nice package.
51. Cuttino Mobley – Bombs away. And away, and away, and away; could be back to old 40 mpg self.
52. Donyell Marhsall – Have to think he’ll get his minutes once the rotation shakes out; fantasy God with enough PT.
53. Rafer Alston – Moves into a perfect situation, especially if Sura won’t be available.
54. Carlos Boozer – Not much at all separating him from Randolph.
55. Richard Hamilton – Don’t take him any higher, but he’s durable and consistent.
56. Tyson Chandler – We think he’ll be a better guy to have on your team than Camby this year.
57. Josh Smith – If you can deal with some ups and downs, you’ll likely have a first place blocks finish to show for it.
58. Chris Webber – Could be the steal of the draft at this spot … but probably not.
59. Josh Howard – If Avery plays him as much as he says he’s going to, this will end up being low.
60. Bobby Simmons – Going for steady, all-around contributors in the middle rounds isn’t a bad strategy. ]]> http://www.hooplog.com/nba/overall-rankings-31-to-60.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/overall-rankings-31-to-60.php Orlando Magic Tue, 18 Oct 2005 09:59:37 -0800 2005 Fantasy Tiers By Position: Shooting Guards Ah, the shooting guard. Perhaps the deepest of all the positions. But that doesn’t mean you can wait ‘till the end of the draft to take one. If you’ve done your research, and if you can afford to do so, grabbing an elite SG early in the draft can be huge for your team.

On a side note, there are a TON of players listed at GF. DM wanted to list them in both SG and SF tiers, but there’s just not time for that. So we somewhat arbitrarily divided them up according to where they generally play. Anyhow:

Tier One: Tracy McGrady, Kobe Bryant, Paul Pierce, Vince Carter, Ray Allen.
These are the guys that 10 year old kids are pretending to be in their driveway. They are a boon for any fantasy team and if you can get one, you’re off to a great start. It’s tough to pass up a top PG or C in the first 2 rounds, but in some situations, it’s the best move. These guys should all be gone by the end of the second or beginning of the third round.

Tier Two: Manu Ginobili, Joe Johnson, Larry Hughes, Jason Richardson.
This is the “yeah, but …” tier. All of these guys COULD be over-valued. Johnson and Hughes are on new teams. Richardson has to play a full year with Baron Davis. And Ginobili exploded in the playoffs, perhaps over-inflating his value on the national stage. Still, they should all at least be solid, and if you can get any of them in the fourth round, you should.

Tier Three: Michael Redd, Rip Hamilton, Cuttino Mobley, Andre Iguodala.
As deep as we like to think that the SG position is, the truth is that this is the last tier that consists of folks you can stick in the lineup and just not worry about. All of them will undoubtedly have plenty of playing time and, while all of them have different strengths, they’re all very low-risk.

Tier Four: Bonzi Wells, Jamal Crawford, Stephen Jackson, JR Smith, Ricky Davis, Jerry Stackhouse.
Every position has a high-risk, high-reward tier. Yesterday with point guards, we found it fell in the Fifth Tier. Here with SG’s, it’s the fourth. These guys, admittedly, aren’t huge risks, but come the end of the year all are capable of having put up 20 ppg with decent numbers surrounding it. At the same time, they can also end up with 12 ppg and have borderline fantasy value.

Tier Five: Ben Gordon, Eddie Jones, Morris Peterson, Gordon Giricek.
This is the last group of shooting guards who should be drafted. Yes, there are probably other ones who could potentially have fantasy value, but if it’s the last round, you should be scouring the scarcity positions for that deep sleeper, not the shooting guards. These guys are nice fantasy filler, mostly bench guys that could be on and of the waiver wires all year with the possible exception of Gordon.

Tomorrow: Small Forwards ]]> http://www.hooplog.com/nba/2005-fantasy-tiers-by-position-shooting-guards.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/2005-fantasy-tiers-by-position-shooting-guards.php Morris Peterson Tue, 04 Oct 2005 10:15:55 -0800 Fantasy Basketball Mock Draft – Round Four (For rounds one, two and three, just scroll down)

Players already on the team are in parentheses.

Team L: Jason Richardson (Lamar Odom, Gilbert Arenas, Brad Miller)
Team K: Larry Hughes (Pau Gasol, Allen Iverson, Paul Pierce)
Team J: Zydraunas Ilgauskas (Chauncey Billups, Dwayne Wade, Vince Carter)
Team I: Rashard Lewis (Joe Johnson, Andrei Kirilenko, Jason Kidd)
Team H: Michael Redd (Dwight Howard, Tim Duncan, Steve Nash)
Team G: Kirk Hinrich (Steve Francis, Kobe Bryant, Elton Brand)
Team F: Richard Jefferson (Manu Ginobili, Amare Soudamire, Mike Bibby)
Team E: Andre Miller (Ben Wallace, Tracy McGrady, Jermaine O’Neal)
Team D: Marcus Camby (Chris Bosh, Shawn Marion, Stephon Marbury)
Team C: Andre Iguodala (Baron Davis, Dirk Nowitzki, Yao Ming)
Team B: Emeka Okafor (Ron Artest, Lebron James, Shaquille O’Neal)
Team A: Jason Terry (Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Peja Stojakovic)

In round four of our mock draft, we’re seeing basically an extension of round three. With only about one round left of “solid” players (more on that later in the week), your goal in the fourth has to be to start setting yourself up for the later rounds. You want to be worried about team needs, but at the same time, you want to be able to take the best player available (BPA). There’s nothing worse than really stretching for a guy this early just because your team is really lacking in a category so far. So what you’ll see happening in our mock draft is that teams are settling for someone who at least comes close to qualifying as a team need and a BPA.

The fourth round, perhaps more than any other, is where your draft preparation will really come into play. If you’ve ranked players about 50 or 60 deep, it will make your fourth round much earlier. All you have to do is take your draft sheet, identify the 4 or 5 highest-ranked players, and then choose the one among those who best serves your needs. Take, for example, Team H. The top available players there (according to our lists) were Redd, Hinrich, Jefferson, and Miller. We would have those guys ranked with Jefferson first, then Hinrich, followed by Redd and Miller. However, we felt like this team needed some scoring punch, as it’s possible that neither Dwight Howard nor Steve Nash will put up 16 ppg this year. The highest scoring player among our BPA’s was Michael Redd, so he was the choice there, despite the fact that we had ranked Jefferson and Hinrich ahead of him.

So, what teams do you think look the best so far? ]]> http://www.hooplog.com/nba/fantasy-basketball-mock-draft-a-round-four.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/fantasy-basketball-mock-draft-a-round-four.php Joe Johnson Wed, 28 Sep 2005 09:43:18 -0800 Mother of NBA star Richardson's daughter seeks support increase SAGINAW, Mich. The mother of N-B-A star Jason Richardson's three-year-old daughter is asking for more than 45-thousand dollars a month in child support. http://www.hooplog.com/nba/mother-of-nba-star-richardsons-daughter-seeks-support-increase.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/mother-of-nba-star-richardsons-daughter-seeks-support-increase.php Jason Richardson Sat, 06 Aug 2005 15:17:47 -0800 Maaaannnnuuuuuu! As we work our way through the NBA Finals, the one player that has spurred (get it?) the most debate between DM and myself is that crazy Argentinean, Emmanuel Ginobili. DM claims that Ginobili has established himself as one of the top players in the game over the course of the playoffs, and he certainly looked to be right on when Ginobili broke out with 26.5 points, 6 boards, 4.5 assists, 2 steals and 3 three’s in the first 2 games of the finals. However, over the next 3 games in Detroit, he put up just 11.3/4.7/4, with 1 steal and .7 3’s.

So which Ginobili can we expect to see next year? Will it be the slashing, active, energy machine, or the passive, let-Duncan-control-the-game support player? Odds are, it will be somewhere in between. Unlike the Finals, where one game can swing stats drastically, an 82-game season means that you get a good feel for a player's true probably output for next year.

So, with that in mind, let's look at what Manu did this past year, and see where that would put him in next year's fantasy draft.

While Ginobili has certainly emerged as an international superstar this year, really, his number did not improve all that much from last year to this year. He puts up good but not great all around numbers, clearing 4 boards, 3.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1 three pointer each of the last two years. His scoring, however, did improve, from 12.8 ppg to 16.0, and he improved his FG% along with it. However, while those numbers are good, they’re not exactly superstar. In fact, they’re far from it. Let’s do one of our Player A/B/C comparisons, with Ginobili being Player A.

Player A: 16.0/4.4/3.9, 1.3 3’s, 1.6 steals, 0.4 blocks.
Player B: 17.2/3.5/2.8, 2.3 3’s, 1.1 steals, 0.5 blocks.
Player C: 22.2/6.0/3.4, 0.8 3’s, 1.1 steals, 0.1 blocks.

Player B is Cuttino Mobley, who despite being traded mid-season, performed about as expected, and was a 6th round pick according to ESPN in last year’s drafts. Player C is Corey Maggette, who was generally a 5th round pick last year. You can certainly make a case for any of the above players being more valuable than others, but the point I’m trying to make is that none of them really stand out from the others.

That said, I can almost guarantee that Manu will be chosen before the other two because of the name status that he’s picked up this past month. I wouldn’t be shocked to see him go in the late second/early third rounds in the fall, and I think that’s a mistake for whoever takes him there. Ginobili’s true value for next year, even if he bumps up his scoring to 18 or 20 or so, is not much better than Maggette, Mobley, or a Jason Richardson type. I wouldn’t take him until the 4th round at the earliest. You know that if you want Ginobili, you’re going to have to pay a "name premium" to get him, and that premium is going to be enough to keep me away from him. ]]> http://www.hooplog.com/nba/maaaannnnuuuuuu.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/maaaannnnuuuuuu.php San Antonio Spurs Tue, 21 Jun 2005 13:45:09 -0800