HOOPLOG: Mike Bibby http://www.hooplog.com/nba/mike-bibby/index.php NBA basketball news, rumors, insider analysis and more from around the country. Updated hourly by Team RxSN. Copyright 2009 Mon, 10 Apr 2006 14:44:56 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.2 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Wilcox Named WC Player of the Week window.document.getElementById('post-563').parentNode.className += ' adhesive_post';

CHRIS WILCOX NAMED WESTERN CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

SEATTLE – The NBA announced today that Sonics forward Chris Wilcox has been named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, April 3 through Sunday, April 9. Wilcox averaged 23.0 points and 15.3 rebounds while shooting 75.0 percent (27-of-36) from the field during the week to help the Sonics extend their winning streak to a season-long four games. The league honor is the first of Wilcox’s career and the first for a Sonics player this season.

Wilcox began the week by posting 26 points and a career-high 24 rebounds in a 104-87 win over Houston on April 4, becoming the first Sonics player to post a 20-point/20-rebound game since Shawn Kemp did so on Nov. 15, 1995. Wilcox’s 24 rebounds were also the most by a Sonics player since Jack Sikma grabbed 25 boards on Feb. 10, 1983. Wilcox also dished out a career-best six assists at Portland last Friday, April 7, and has recorded double-doubles in scoring and rebounding in four consecutive games.

After averaging 4.5 points and 3.6 rebounds in 48 games with the Clippers this season, Wilcox has posted 15.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game since joining the Sonics on Feb. 23.

The New York Knicks’ Jamal Crawford was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week after averaging 26.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.25 steals per game. He hit two game-winning jumpers to lead the Knicks to a 3-1 record during the week. Crawford grew up in Seattle and was a prep basketball star at Rainier Beach High School

Other nominees for Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were Cleveland’s LeBron James, Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki, New Jersey’s Jason Kidd, Orlando’s Dwight Howard, Sacramento’s Mike Bibby and Seattle’s Ray Allen.

The Seattle Sonics & Storm organization manages the Puget Sound region’s professional basketball franchises – the NBA’s Seattle SuperSonics and the WNBA’s Seattle Storm. The organization oversees all sales, marketing, finance, public relations and basketball operations for the teams. The Basketball Club of Seattle LLC owns both teams.

]]> http://www.hooplog.com/nba/wilcox-named-wc-player-of-the-week.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/wilcox-named-wc-player-of-the-week.php Jamal Crawford Mon, 10 Apr 2006 14:44:56 -0800 3/21/06 Box Score: Sonics 96 Kings 105 window.document.getElementById('post-512').parentNode.className += ' adhesive_post';

The unofficial box score from tonight’s game and PopcornMachine’s GameFlow.

    1 2 3 4 Total
Seattle 29 31 22 14 96 Final 
Sacramento 23 35 30 17

105

ss="yspscores"> 



 Seattle
 Name Min FG 3Pt FT Off Reb Ast TO Stl Blk PF Pts 
  R. Lewis 33 5-12 1-4 4-4 0 4 2 3 2 1 2 15 
  C. Wilcox 39 7-12 0-0 2-2 5 19 1 3 2 0 2 16 
  J. Petro 21 3-9 0-0 1-3 3 5 0 3 1 0 4 7 
  R. Allen 41 8-19 3-10 4-4 0 7 5 4 1 2 2 23 
  L. Ridnour 33 2-10 0-3 2-2 0 1 10 1 0 1 4 6 
  M. Wilks 15 0-4 0-0 6-8 0 1 2 1 1 0 1 6 
  D. Wilkins 12 2-6 0-1 1-1 1 2 0 0 0 0 3 5 
  R. Swift 23 6-7 0-0 1-2 4 9 0 2 0 0 2 13 
  N. Felix 5 1-2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 2 
  M. Moore 10 1-2 0-0 1-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 
  N. Collison DNP - Coach’s Decision
  M. Fizer DNP - Coach’s Decision
  D. Fortson DNP - Coach’s Decision
  E. Watson DNP - Throat Injury
 Totals 232 35-83 4-18 22-27 13 48 20 17 8 4 23 96 
 Percentages:   .422 .222 .815   Team Rebounds:
6
 Sacramento
 Name Min FG 3Pt FT Off Reb Ast TO Stl Blk PF Pts 
  R. Artest 42 10-18 3-4 11-15 3 8 6 3 1 2 1 34 
  K. Thomas 33 5-8 0-0 1-1 3 11 4 2 2 1 2 11 
  B. Miller 40 4-12 0-1 0-2 1 14 1 2 1 0 3 8 
  K. Martin 19 2-10 0-4 2-2 0 2 1 2 1 1 4 6 
  M. Bibby 39 9-20 5-10 7-7 2 4 8 2 2 0 5 30 
  S. Abdur-Rahim 15 2-4 0-0 0-0 1 1 3 1 1 0 2 4 
  J. Hart 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 
  F. Garcia 8 1-3 0-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 
  B. Wells 22 4-12 0-1 2-2 3 6 3 2 2 0 4 10 
  S. Monia DNP - Coach’s Decision
  V. Potapenko DNP - Coach’s Decision
  R. Price DNP - Coach’s Decision
  J. Sampson DNP - Coach’s Decision
  C. Williamson DNP - Coach’s Decision
 Totals 219 37-87 8-22 23-29 13 46 26 14 10 4 22 105 
 Percentages:   .425 .364 .793   Team Rebounds:
9
>
 Game Info

 Technical Fouls: 
Seattle - C. Wilcox 1, M. Moore 1
 Officials: Bob Delaney, Tommy Nunez, Tony Brothers

_____________________________________________________

PopcornMachine’s GameFlow (not yet available)

Plus/Minus
The Good: Mike Wilks +8, Damien Wilkins +5, and Robert Swift +2. The Bad: Mikki Moore -1, Noel Felix -2. The Ugly: Chris Wilcox -8, Rashard Lewis -10, Johan Petro and Ray Allen -11, and Luke Ridnour -17.

Help Value (hv=Reb+Ast+Blk+Stl-TO)
Wilcox led the team with a very strong +19 on the back of his rebounding. Ray Allen and Luke Ridnour were both +11.

Swift/Petro line of the night: 44 minutes, 20 points, 14 boards (7 offensive), 6 fouls.

Sonics: 20 assists, 17 turn overs.

]]> http://www.hooplog.com/nba/32106-box-score-sonics-96-kings-105.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/32106-box-score-sonics-96-kings-105.php Danny Fortson Wed, 22 Mar 2006 09:17:22 -0800 Nothing fits forever

It would seem that last night’s infernal burst of Gilbertology might truly need no comment from ours truly. As in, we live in heaven, he lives alone, our souls are intertwined and the moment need not be soiled by explanation. The more and more I gazed upon that fascinating still—one as destined for iconic status as Tiger with the fist pump or Yao’s scream of antiquity—the more brutally apparent it becomes to me that Arenas, far from being an oddball, is the living, breathing god of my favorite kind of NBA player: the kind you watch, instead of just view. What Iverson, Kobe, Nash, and a handful of others I go out of my way to see play have in common is this ability to not merely produce on any given night, but to casually redefine themselves through masterstrokes of basketball impressionism.



Let me put briefly put aside the strained fire and brimstone that guides this site long enough to admit, as I did last week, that this is by and large a league of consistency. Unlike baseball and football, where one can be violently up and down from one game to the next but still get recognized overall as a fantastic contributor, to be a credible contributor a guy’s got to come with steady output. Freaks and streaks can be profound, but no player’s a recognizable force (or definite failure) in this league until he can be counted on; to scrape the ridges of Mount Dunkmore, he’d better be guaranteed to account for a serious percentage of his team’s production, both in the box score and as a reliable force when the ball hits his hands. Until then, he will always get saddled with the p-word, no matter how impressive he is in spurts.

When you reach the rarified air of superlative hoops accomplishment, there are at least three kind of consistency. Most obviously, there are the rock-solid bequeathers, under-appreciated and often big men like Duncan, Brand, Bosh, Dirk, Jamison, Kidd, Ray Ray and Redd. These folks give it their all with frightening regularity, churning it out from the opening bell and expected to operate as if to a rhythmic tick. I want to stop short of saying that you can intuit them from looking at a box score, but by and large there is no dramatic arc to their in-game performances. Professional, workmanlike, whatever you want to call them, these are consummate anchors of an offense, the given you pencil in at most moments during the season’s onslaught.



In the next category, you find explosive players with a tendency toward predictable outcomes, who ebb and flow over the course of a game, occasionally make you doubt, and ultimately bring you right back to who you always knew they were. I’m talking about Garnett, Pierce, Wade, Vince, Billups, Bibby, Gasol, Melo, Richardson, Jefferson, Sheed, Marion, and Artest himself—unquestioned experts who sometimes lull, sometimes soar, but never have to redeem themselves and are constantly working within their own limits and images. This isn’t a knock on any of these fine, hurling turtles; merely to point out that if you turn on the television to see them play, you know what you’re getting and will be accordingly excited. Each game reinforces their , with ups and downs that end in a pointed reminder of yeah, that’s him.

Gilbert and his gang, as I will now aptly dub them, rest upon their own set of shaggy shoulders. To return to last week’s trope of half-assed existentialism, All-American and yet bleakly Continental, they are players constantly exceeding themselves, or at least engaging in what feels for all the world like a motherfucking statement game. It can LeBron or Amare exerting and expanding their dominance, Kirilenko or Gerald Wallace twisting up the parameters of a box score, Nash working his conductor-ly magic, or Kobe, Iverson or McGrady scoring not only at will, but as if it’s unnatural for them to miss—or even repeat themselves out on the floor. Arenas is a must-see, not only because he’s likely to put on a show, but for what each and every game can do to your sense of him as a player and personality. If Wade proves with each big game that he’s still Wade, still proud, then Gilbert does it up in a way that’s not only unpredictable; with each of these self-transcending events, he also manages to seem unlikely all anew. As does Kobe, Bron, et al. In the crucible of the game, their legend is broken down and created anew, surprising you not only with this most recent installment but, in its reconstitution of the player’s most basic essence, shock you yet again they exist at all, that anything they do has ever happened in the glare of man’s senses.



This may seem like two-bit metaphysics for those of you not in tune with my lifelong education on this planet (or anyone merely taking issue with my late night sloppiness). But next time you find yourself up past bedtime watching one of these aforementioned idols, think about whether or not you feel you’re seeing them for the first time, whether you’re transfixed partly out of the fear that you’re witnessing a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. Not just a good game from your favorite NBA player, or one of those “instant classics” this blog will reference two years from now; I mean one of those performances where, in some ways, you feel like you’re discovering the sport again for the very first time.

]]> http://www.hooplog.com/nba/nothing-fits-forever.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/nothing-fits-forever.php Chauncey Billups Wed, 08 Mar 2006 21:49:48 -0800 Bibby, Artest KO Bulls Sacramento 105, Bulls 101, OT * Mike Bibby and Ron Artest combined for 58 of the Kings' points CHICAGO Mike Bibby scored 31 points and Ron Artest added 27 and 14 rebounds to lead the Sacramento Kings to a ... http://www.hooplog.com/nba/bibby-artest-ko-bulls.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/bibby-artest-ko-bulls.php Ron Artest Wed, 15 Feb 2006 09:32:52 -0800 GAME 32/82, Vs. Indiana, Open Game Thread I'm not yet ready to pronounce the Kings as back - 3 out of 4 is cool and all, but it was the Clippers twice and Boston. And we're still five games under.

Indiana is a pretty good test. They aren't the Indiana everyone thought they'd be - they're underachieving quite a bit, given the Artest Fiasco.

But that doesn't mean the Pacers aren't trouble - look at what they did to Golden State a couple days ago. Giving this team an early lead is like giving them a can of spinach - you've absolutely got to get out ahead and try to hold them off.

I'm pretty glad Donnie Walsh and Larry Bird haven't found a taker for Artest - I've been personally tormented over the question of whether I'd want him in Sacramento. When we're losing bad and looking horrible, I think, "Yeah, what do we have to lose? At least he'll be interesting."

But when our offense is playing well, when we're getting the stops we need to win games, I'm less excited. I like having a team full of sane, if not elite players. It lets me sleep at night.

Someone is going to take him, though, and I kind of hope it's not someone in the division. The Lakers with Artest is frightening. I'd be relegated to praying for Ron-Ron to go Hannibal Lector on Kobe. I wouldn't be horribly concerned if the Warriors got him - they couldn't get that motley crew together in time to make it matter. The Clippers become a lot better, even if they move Corey Maggette, because a lock-up defender is the one thing they lack.

Minnesota seems like a no-brainer; Denver is so crazy about Artest that you'd think they could make it work. If I were the Pacers, I'd give Ron-Ron his wish and work out something with the Knicks. Artest deserves nothing less than to play for the hardest coach on a horrible team in front of his people, who will no doubt refuse to put up with his crazy Hoboken bullshit.

(Can I get into a witness protection program now? Please?)

To the early morning lineups!

INDIANA
PG - Jamaal Tinsley? I really need to brush up on my Indiana Pacers.
SG - Stephen Jackson, former World Championship/Atlanta Hawk
SF - Danny Granger, heralded rookie
PF - Jermaine O'Neal, superstar
C  - Jeff Foster? Again, I need to brush up.

SACTOWN
PG - Mike "Still Not An All-Star?" Bibby.
SG - Kevin "Star of the Frosh-Soph Game During All-Star Break" Martin.
SF - Peja "Three-point champion" Stojakovic.
PF - Kenny "Ha ha" Thomas.
C  - Brad "Perennial All-Star" Miller.

The line: It's not up yet on Bodog, so I'm going to throw out a +2. And no, I wouldn't bet either way. Maybe an under, if the line is somewhere around 192.

Fun bet o' the night: How vehemently will Grant Napear argue against bringing Ron Artest to SAC? Your choices are a) more vehemently than his assertation that Bonzi did not call out Peja, b) more vehemently than his assertation that Bonzi did not call out Peja, or c) equally vehemently than his assertation that Bonzi did not call out Peja?

Sideshow most likely to be entertaining: Peja Stojakovic, rebounding beast. For what it's worth, Peja was very self-deprecating in talking about his 13 boards after Friday's game. He actually seemed human, as quoted by Sam Amick. But hell, he has seemed a lot more active in all aspects of the game since his last injury. Maybe something snapped inside him? Who knows.

Best matchup: Kings offense vs. Pacers defense. Can they throw up 60 in the first half and shoot over 50 percent from the field? Can Bibby get to his spots at will? Can Brad Miller explode into flames? Will KMart and Peja be able to attack the offensive glass like they did against LAC? If so, this (and probably every game) is a win.

6 p.m. start on Comcast. Watch some football, settle in for hoops. It's on!

]]> http://www.hooplog.com/nba/game-3282-vs-indiana-open-game-thread.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/game-3282-vs-indiana-open-game-thread.php Peja Stojakovic Sun, 08 Jan 2006 10:55:24 -0800 When The Levee Breaks, I'll Have No Place To Watch The Kings Suck Ass.
So, 10-17 is bad. 7-9 at home is bad. A second five-game losing streak is bad. Dead last in the Pacific Division for most of December is bad.

Losing to four last-place teams before New Year's is bad. Remember, the Knicks were in the Atlantic cellar at 0-5 when they came in and stomped the Kings at ARCO. So were the Southwest Division's Rockets. We lost a tight one in Charlotte (last place in the Southeast) a week prior to last night's embarassment against Portland (last place in the Northwest).

The only division whose last place team we haven't lost to is the Central. The key there? We haven't played last-place Chicago (who would likely be the best team in the Atlantic and second-best team in the Southeast). Don't fret - we are 0-3 against the Central, though.

The elusive sixth last-place team in the league has beaten Sacramento pretty consistently throughout the season, because the sixth last-place team is Sacramento.

Monday night was one of those games - stupid little turnovers, a lack of defensive effort from most of the team, a failure in execution. The fact that the highest Game Score on the team was a 15.1 illustrates that rather clearly.

Player    GS    GS/40
Peja    15.1    18.3
Reef    14.9    16.6
Miller  14.0    15.1
Bibby   12.3    12.6
Martin  11.0    16.9
Garcia   8.0    16.8
Price    3.9    15.6
Skinner  2.6    14.9
Thomas   1.9     6.3
Nasty   -0.7    -5.6
Hart    -0.8    -5.3

Price, Garcia and Skinner were the only Kings that showed any sort of energy outside Quarter 1, though Shareef had his moments. Bibby was ice cold. And when Bibby's ice cold, he's just a waste of a player out there.

Peja, whose back injury I'm convinced was a setup, was red hot early but cooled off considerably as the game went on. Again, if he's not shooting well, he adds little (though he's much better defensively than Bibby).

Brad was hitting the boards well - he finished with 12 overall. But he wasn't sneaking any passes inside, he wasn't springing Bibby free and he wasn't getting a lot of really open looks (despite shooting 5-10).

Shareef was consistent ole Shareef - 8-15, 18 points, 2 blocks, mostly acceptable defense on ZBo (who can apparentlyt hit the 18-footer now). You'd like to see Reef get some more rebounds, especially on this poor rebounding team. But beggars can't be choosers.

Price is quickly making Jason Hart irrelevant. Actually, The Hitman - whose acquisition I absolutely loved this offseason - is making The Hitman irrelevant. I think his problem is that he's a slave to Adelman's system when the bench certainly doesn't have those parts. He needs to just play point guard when he's out there. Find an open man. Take open shots. Just play, Jason.

That said, I think Price is our best defensive guard right now, along with being explosive on offense. He had a couple of sure assists go astray because teammates just didn't know they were coming last night (including the drop-off to Reef for what should've been an easy dunk).

Kevin Martin, one of my favorite players, has been beyond disappointing in his two starts. He seemed to take on the laissez-faire attitude of the starters when we all hoped he would bring some fire and explosiveness to the floor. Lazy passes, no motion away from the ball, nothing. He's actually like a faster Peja out there, and one who can't hit a jumper. It's further magnified because Bonzi was so busy in the starting lineup - it was pretty clear last night how much this team misses that.

(And what about the f'n Kingsblogger? What the hell was that starting lineup? Two out five right on Portland and four out of five on the team he covers? What a lout. Game Score for TZ? -5.0. Fire TZ! Fire TZ!)

More than anything, this drifting cause needs a kick in the groin. (NOTE: We're not talking about TZ anymore. Thanks.) Be it trade or firing, it needs to be done. I can't imagine there will too many more losses to last-place teams - or first-place teams, like the one the Kings are visiting tonight - before the axe falls on someone.

]]> http://www.hooplog.com/nba/when-the-levee-breaks-ill-have-no-place-to-watch-the-kings-suck-ass.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/when-the-levee-breaks-ill-have-no-place-to-watch-the-kings-suck-ass.php Chicago Bulls Tue, 27 Dec 2005 09:40:13 -0800 As the Point Guard Turns Three Situations to Pay Attention To (Because Five Just Makes This Column Too Damn Long)
Denver
Earl Watson was one of my favorite guys to write about when doing this column last year. The Memphis rotation prevented him from having consistent fantasy value, but whenever Jason Williams was out, Watson was worth plugging in there. In 14 starts he was good for 11.9/3.3/6.5 with 1.4 steals and 1.1 3s. People thought it was odd when he signed with Denver in the offseason since the team already had point guards Andre Miller and Earl Boykins on board. Those opinions certainly didn’t change after he appeared in just one of the team’s first eight games, and Watson seemed like one of the players most likely to be moved once Dec. 15 came around. But with Earl Boykins nursing an injury, Watson has used the last four games to remind us of what he can do. He’s stepped right into Boykins role, coming off the bench gunning. In four games he’s put up an impressive line of 14.3/2.8/4.5 with 2.0 steals and a shockingly great 3.5 3pg in just 27.3 mpg. The 3s are the big surprise. He’s put up at least seven in each of those four games; he had never attempted seven 3s in a single even once before this stretch. So what does it mean for your fantasy team? Not all that much. Boykins will probably miss a few more games, so Watson will have a few more chances to show his stuff. (It should also be noted that Marcus Camby has missed the last three games and Kenyon Martin sat out yesterday’s, meaning there was more offense to go around.) When Boykins is ready to return, it’s hard to see Watson maintaining any of his current value. Andre Miller is playing some of the best ball of his career, and because of size issues, there’s just no way that all three of them can be on the court together for an extended period of time. Watson’s inspired play this past week has surely captured the attention of teams around the league, but at the same time it probably reminded the Nuggets of why they signed him in the first place. Watson’s a nifty little player, and he’s probably better to have around than Boykins, as Watson’s +9.6 (tops on the team, by the way) compared to Boykins’s –3.0 might attest. The Nuggets are in dire need of interior help with Camby and Martin perpetually banged up and Nene out for the year, so it’s possible Watson could still be shipped out. And now you know – or at least are reminded – that Watson can be filed in with the same group of guys as Jameer Nelson and Mo Williams – all they need is an opportunity.

Portland
Oh, happy day – a legitimate excuse to actually write about my favorite basketball player of the past decade, Steve Blake. If you’re a regular reader – and if you aren’t, may I ask why not? – you should know that we are Wizards fans and former Terps. So we have a long history with Stevie – I even have a Wiz jersey with his name on it. When Antonio Daniels and Chucky Atkins came on board over the summer it was clear that Blake was out of the Wizards’ plans, which was obviously disappointing to me. I didn’t mind seeing Juan Dixon leave – he’s just not all that good. But Blake, while far from a perfect player, is a useful guy to have around as a backup point guard. He signed with Portland, and like Watson, immediately found himself #3 on the depth chart behind Sebastian Telfair and rookie Jarrett Jack. Again like Watson, he was a forgotten man early in the season, appearing in just two of the first 12 games of the season. But once Nate McMillian gave him a chance, he offered some solid production off the bench and when Telfair went down with a thumb injury it was Blake, not Jack, who got the starting nod. That was quite a breakout performance on Friday against the Sonics – 19 points, 13 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 3s, 1 block on 7-of-14 shooting. Despite picking up two fouls in the first minute of last night’s game against the shitty, sorry, no-account, pathetic Wizards, Blake went for 14/5/4 with a 3 in 23 minutes, leading a short-handed Blazers squad to victory. So what does Blake bring to the table? Well, since he arrived at Maryland as a freshman he’s tried to shed the label that he’s not a strong outside shooter, but he’s actually not bad. Over his career thus far he’s 119-for-311, which is a strong 38%. For comparison’s sake, “great shooter” Juan Dixon is a career 32% shooter from long range. Blake’s a smart player who looks for his teammates but has a tendency to try to make the spectacular play a bit too often. I always argued that his game would be better suited for the NBA when he would be surrounded by players who could anticipate and handle his passes. And then he ends up on the 05-06 Blazers. Oh well. Blake seems to have won the trust of McMillian over the past week or so and should stay in the starting lineup as long as Telfair is out, which could be anywhere from a few games to a month. Just keep checking the Portland papers to find out. (Note: Reports indicate Telfair will be out for at least a month. Great news for all the players mentioned here.) As long as Blake is starting he deserves serious consideration and makes a great guy to plug into the utility spot this week, although road games against Detroit, Memphis and Minnesota aren’t the most enticing matchups.

Juan Dixon qualifies at PG in at least Yahoo leagues, and now that he’s cracked the starting lineup for the Blazers, it’s time to give him a shot. We’ve been tough on Juan around here, but we still love him. He’s still not going to be a fantasy savior and given the same amount of PT, Blake should have more value, but Dixon should hit just enough 3s and grab enough steals to have some marginal value. His FG% will always be a drag – he’ll have his good games, like last night’s 8-for-13 performance or his 13-for-22 game against the Hornets two weeks ago, but be prepared for some 4-for-15s. He’s actually been a complete non-entity in the steals department this year, but he averages 1.7 p40 over his career, so you’d expect him to approach that level with regular PT. Jarrett Jack is another person who could have some value in the deepest of leagues while the Blazers deal with all of their injury issues, but it seems like McMillian likes keeping him in a limited role. He had a very impressive 11/6/8 performance last night, but played just six minutes in the game before that. He was Telfair’s primary backup before he went down, and the fact that he was passed over for the starting nod seems to be a pretty good indication of how McMillian wants to use him right now.

Los Angeles Clippers
Shaun Livingston was a popular preseason sleeper pick despite the fact that he has already proven to be quite brittle and would be in the backcourt with proven vets Sam Cassell and Cuttino Mobley. But it was understandable based on his April stats from last season and the simpler fact that the kid can flat out play. In 10 April starts he put up a line of 11.0/4.4/7.4 with 1.4 steals on 45% shooting. Nice numbers, but he didn’t even attempt a 3 in that period. Not too bad in real life – a point guard needs to make good decisions, and if you can’t hit the 3, don’t take it – but that’s not what we look from from a PG in fantasy land. The Clippers took their time letting Livingston get healthy at the beginning of the season, sensing no need to rush him considering his past and the Clippers fast start. The 20-year old was rusty in his first game back, failing to register an assist in 20 minutes of action; he notched at least one dime in every game he played last year. But Livingston showed why he was so highly regarded in his second game back as he dished 10 assists (with just a single turnover) in 29 minutes of action in a Clips win over the Rockets. Livingston was out there during crunch time, and while that may have had a lot to do with the fact that Corey Maggette was out, it is still worth noting. He obviously has a long future in the league, but his fantasy outlook is still murky. Playing time issues aside – and it looks like he should be able to see around 20 mpg as long as Cassell and Mobley are healthy – Livingston still needs that secondary skill to help him emerge from the pack. We know the assists will be there, but what else? His 1.6 steals p40 last season was good but not great. We already know his complete aversion to shooting 3s. He shot 41% last year, so we can’t expect anything great there. Right now he’s looking a lot like T.J. Ford. Check out their rookie season p40:

Livingston: 10.9/7.4/4.4 with 1.6 steals, 0.5 blocks, 3.7 turnovers, on 41% shooting.
Ford: 10.6/9.7/4.8 with 1.6 steals, 0.1 blocks, 3.8 turnovers, on 38% shooting.

Ford has added sort of added the 3-point shot to his repertoire this year (hitting 0.6 per game on 41% shooting) and he’s seriously boosted his FG% even with more shots. So Livingston certainly has a chance to be much improved in the near future. But even if he somehow found himself with a starting job, he looks to be PG2 material for the time being.

Comet Gain
Jason Kidd – 14/9/1 with two 3s, a steal and a block yesterday – in the first quarter. You knew those assists were start piling up

Andre Miller – Speaking of piling up assists, 10.1 in the last 9 games for Miller; also picking up scoring slack with injuries piling up, but career low 72% from the line isn’t too hot.

Chris Duhon – You know he runs hot and cold; 17.0/3.7/4.0 with 3.7 3s and 61% shooting over last three is pretty hot.

Chauncey Billups – Don’t bother calling it an All-Star game if Chauncey’s not there this year; 21.3/2.713.0 with 3 3s on 64% shooting over last 3 is almost – almost – expected at this point.

Chucky Atkins – The 3s are starting to come in bunches – 13 in his last four games; with Jarvis Hayes out for at least the next three games he’s a great short-term add as he’s seen 44.5 mpg in his two starts thus far.

The Hold Steady
Gilbert Arenas – Absolutely killing his owners in FG%, but absolutely dominant in 3s, FT%, assists, steals and points. That’s not a bad trade off.

Sarunas Jasikevicius – Still a starter even with Jamaal Tinsley back? That’s good news. Expect fewer assists, but the steals and 3s should still be there.

Marko Jaric – Numbers haven’t been great (8.5/3.5/6.0 with 1.5 steals and no 3s), but the fact that he’s seen 39 mpg in the two contests since Troy Hudson returned is at least encouraging.

Mike James – A clunker yesterday, but 19.0/3.0/4.7 with 2.3 3s in the three games before that were a nice bounce back.

Stephon Marbury – Still waiting for him to bust out; after going for 30+ in 17 games last year, has done it only twice this year.

The Fall
Jason Williams – Maybe he won’t officially lose his starting job to Gary Payton, but you’ve got to think that especially with Riley on board, he’ll be on an extremely short leash when he gets back.

Nate Robinson – There’s a reason the Knicks are a team to stay away from; one day you’re a “must” pick-up, the next day right back on the waiver wire.

Damon Stoudamire – Still a solid option, but team’s recent scoring woes have taken a toll on his production; career low in steals is very disappointing.

Steve Francis – Shooting only 19-for-54 (35%) since returning from injuries, with a 20 assists/13 turnovers to boot. Quite unimpressive.

Mike Bibby – Another second overall pick that’s been disappointing; I’m still a big fan, but the 0.9 steals after tying his career high with 1.6 last year is bad news. ]]> http://www.hooplog.com/nba/as-the-point-guard-turns.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/as-the-point-guard-turns.php Orlando Magic Mon, 19 Dec 2005 07:57:26 -0800 O Dallas ... Checking In on the Mavs As if you needed anyone to tell you differently, Dirk Nowitzki is the unquestioned star of this team. Even when his shot isn’t falling, like the past couple games, where he’s shot a miserable 17-for-51, Dirk is still able to be a real asset. He still puts plenty of points on the board, makes his free throws, hits some 3s, grabs a ton lot of boards and throws in a block or steal. But there are some interesting trends for Dirk so far this year. He’s attempting 19.6 shots per game so far, which is the highest in his career. He’s being looked to even more on offense and seems to be taking more shots that he creates on his own, which aren’t always the highest percentage shots, hence his 44.7% shooting, lowest since his rookie season. He’s never shot below 46%, and you’d like to think he can at least get back to that number, but when you then see that he’s shooting a remarkable 46% from 3-point land on nearly 5 attempts per game, you start to think that it might actually get worse, not better. His owners would probably take the 1% hit in FG% to get an entire extra 3 per game, but that might be a bit much to ask. Dirk’s steals and blocks are also down from recent years, but you can feel more comfortable chalking that up to a small sample size so far. Earlier this week I talked about Kirk Hinrich not getting as many steals as past years, and then he turns around with a 5-steal game last night. Dirk has averaged between 1.0 and 1.4 steals and between 1.0 and 1.5 blocks each of the last five seasons. He’s at 0.5 and 1.0 right now, but it’s hard to see any reason why he shouldn’t end up at his averages. His assists are lower than any season since his rookie, but that’s one more likely to stay that way, given that he’s shooting even more. He scared some owners earlier this year with back problems, but he never missed a game and has never missed more than six in any season. He’s as much of a sure thing as there is, and that always makes him one of the best guys to put together a deal for.

I slotted Jason Terry at #32 on my preseason rankings, a bit higher than most other places I saw. But it was pretty much a no-brainer – here’s a guy who managed to finish 30th on the player rater last year in just 30 mpg. Now he was going to be locked in as the starting PG and #2 scoring option and he missed 9 games in the first six years of his career. This is the kind of guy to have on your team, because his perceived value is almost always lower than his actual value. And that’s the whole key to success, after all. He’s at #36 on the player rater right now and should stay in that general area all season. He’s a point guard who’s averaging just 4.1 apg, so it’s possible his owner is frustrated at the lack of assists. If you can make a move for him, I would highly recommend it. Like Mike Bibby, he’s a point guard, but is really more of a scorer and has never really racked up the assists. Save for a 7.4 apg season in Atlanta, he’s been between 4.9 and 5.7 in all of his other seasons besides his rookie campaign. He’ll likely finish around 5 per game, which is still a plus. He doesn’t have a standout number in any single category, which is another reason why his perceived value is probably lower than it truly is. But except for rebounds, he contributes across the board. OK, his 0.4 blocks will drop back down to his normal 0.2, but that’s normal for a PG. But it’s time to start considering whether he really has become a lights-out shooter. He never shot above 43.6% in Atlanta, but in his first year in Dallas he managed to shoot 50%. It was on just 9.3 shots per game, far down from 15 or so he averaged in Atlanta, so that seemed to be the logical explanation. But in 14 shots per game this season he’s still at a sterling 49%, and he’s even shooting more 3s. He’s still a 44% career shooter, and there’s still plenty of reason to except a somewhat precipitous drop in that percentage. But even keeping it in the 45-46% range will help him keep plenty of value there.

Erick Dampier is one of those guys you just don’t want to mess with. He’s a pretty confounding player, actually. Just five minutes into last night’s game against the Bucks, Dampier had 6 points and 3 boards and seemed to be on his way to one of his good games. But in 23 more minutes he went 0-for-2 from the field and scored just a single point. This really isn’t that out of the ordinary for Dampier, either. The Mavs try to establish him as an inside presence early on, but he either gets himself into foul trouble or loses interest and the Mavs decide to go with DeSagana Diop at center or just use a smaller lineup. Dampier’s had just three useful games this season out of 14. That’s not a very good percentage. If you have him on your team, he’s the kind of guy that will make you make sure you draft two reliable centers the next season. Well, assuming you play in a two center league, which you should, because that can really separate the fantasy boys from the fantasy men. Depending on what league you are in, there are anywhere from 8 to 12 reliable fantasy centers around, most likely. And that includes guys like Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Raef Lafrentz who are prone to throwing up clunkers. As for Diop, yes, he blocks shots, but that is truly all he does. If you're starting him, you are probably in the middle of the pack, at best.

Devin Harris I’ve written plenty about already. You know I love him, and Avery Johnson seems to like him too, as evidenced by all of the crunch time PT he’s been getting. But he still doesn’t want to start him. I mean, Darrell Armstrong getting the nod over you is one thing. He’s a seasoned vet who can bring a defensive intensity. But when an undrafted rookie like Josh Powell gets the starting nod before you do, that’s saying something. He’s still intriguing in the deepest of leagues, but since the very durable Terry is the one that’s blocking him from a starting gig, it’s hard to see Harris being a no-brainer fantasy starter this year. In time. I wrote about Marquis Daniels recently, too. He’s just playing a lot more passively this year. Here’s a guy who averaged 7.3 FGA per game in 18.6 mpg in his rookie season and 8.4 FGA per game in 23.5 mpg last season. So this season he’s averaging 33.2 mpg. At those rates, he should be averaging 12.4 FGA per game. But instead he’s at just 8.6. You can blame some of this on the me-first tendencies of many of his teammates – guys like Dirk, Terry, Josh Howard, Keith Van Horn, even Devin Harris are usually looking out for themselves. So Daniels has picked up some of slack with a career high 2.9 apg, but this isn’t an impressive number or really out of line with what he should be averaging with his increased time.

If Jerry Stackhouse ever comes back, it’s a lot more likely that he’ll mess up other players’ fantasy value instead of actually having any on his own. A guy who can only score, but does so while shooting 40% and doesn’t even start is the ultimate drag. If you can steal Josh Howard off his owner right now, I’d do it. It’s tough to make an offer for a guy who is out for two weeks, especially a fair offer, but Howard is a legit top 50 player and even though ankle injuries have a tendency to linger, I’ll trust in youth and think that he’ll have an easier time putting it behind him for good than an older player might. OK, that’s all the time for today… ]]> http://www.hooplog.com/nba/o-dallas-checking-in-on-the-mavs.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/o-dallas-checking-in-on-the-mavs.php Raef LaFrentz Wed, 30 Nov 2005 08:46:41 -0800 God Save the Kings, Day 2

It's Day 2 of our "God Save the Kings" campaign. Day 1 brought kind words of encouragement from True Hoop and an always valuable link from Deadspin. Also, the always jolly Jody at the Bleacher Mob liked the Weezer riff. Awesome.

Day 2? Well, my socks are wet thanks to a parking lot puddle. Thanks, Mother Nature and uneven asphalt.

We have a whopping three signatures on the petition now. We're about 0.01732% the way to our goal - it's definitely in sight now.

Excuse my sarcasm, and pardon the poor Goya impersonation to the right. Also, if you're reading this Mike Bibby, I apologize for erasing your neck. I'm not nearly as creative as YAYsports!, where The Cavalier provides not only Peja fan-fiction but also a Joe Johnson "Choose Your Own Adventure". Yeah, defnitely not that creative.

But we're not just going to throw up a bad Photoshop job and run, no. Ladies and gentlemen, your first batch of "God, Save Our Kings Haiku".

Today, King Michael III:

"Bibby, our point guard
Has a group of pals - Team Dime;
It is not a gang.

Drinking at MoMo's,
The team runs into trouble -
Or so Graswich writes.

Mike defends himself,
"My boys didn't start nothing!"
No one believes him.

Mike looks hecka strong -
Maybe an Arnold complex?
He's shedding mass now.

His cold streak over,
Mike looks to get All-Star berth.
Could be only King.

Will he get tired
Playing thirty-five minutes?
Come on! He's a man."

And there you have it: mediocre haiku from a mediocre blog! Look for more in the harrowing days ahead, while we try to convince the world that we deserve the Kings.

(And really, what better way than bad poetry and humorously-unconvincing art?)

Save our Kings!

]]> http://www.hooplog.com/nba/god-save-the-kings-day-2.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/god-save-the-kings-day-2.php Joe Johnson Tue, 29 Nov 2005 09:22:03 -0800 GAME 12/82: vs. New Jersey, Open Game Thread Count me among those who pray to the basketball gods that Carter, Kidd and Jefferson are still with the team when they move. Jersey sales will be unreal - they'll even surpass the vaunted Oakland Randy Moss jersey and the long-awaited Rudy Gay jersey, once he joins the Heat.

Speaking of jersey sales, I don't know many people lining up to get their Nenad Krstic #12. But if they'd just stick his first name on the back - Nene style - they'd get some buyers. What a fun name. Nenad. Say it. Nenad.

(And my gay jokes and genital jokes are officially over. You may proceed.)

Vinsanity (imagine how tasteless that nickname will be once the guy gets Alzheimer's) may not play tonight; he apparently strained something or other against the Warriors Tuesday.

My guess is that he just wanted to watch Lindsay Lohan on the American Music Awards. I'm also guessing that he's not a fan of "Two and a Half Men," so he'll probably show up at ARCO tonight.

Peja's status is also apparently up in the air. I'm not listening to 1140, though, so who the hell knows. I need a source deep within the Kings trainer's office. Anyone reading?

Anyways, here's my best guess at tonight's starting lineups:

THE FLYING NENADS
PG - That Jason Kidd guy.
SG - Vince Carter. Or not.
SF - Dick Jefferson
PF - Not Shareef Abdur-Rahim. Ha ha.
C  - Nenad.

SACRAMENTO
PG - Mike "Justify My Thug" Bibby
SG - Bonzi "Lucifer" Wells
SF - Peja "Change Clothes" Stojakovic. Or not.
PF - I've got 99 Problems, but Shareef ain't one.
C  - Brad's got some dirt on his pickup, could you wash it off for him?

The line: ESPN says -5. I think I'd take that, if I knew Peja was going to play. But I don't, so I won't. (Have I advocated betting on the Kings once this season? I don't think so.)

Fun bet o' the night: Francisco Garcia minutes played, should Peja get the OK (from his little finger) to start. I say take the under at 12.

Sideshow most likely to be entertaining: Brad Miller, who had better be upset over his Monday performance, abusing the Nets D. Angry Brad is awesome!

Best matchup: Shareef vs. The Jason Collins Experience. Oh yes.

Grant Napear, in brief and in advance: "That's why Geoff Petrie is the best in the league, alright? Right there, Shareef Abdur-Rahim. What did Rod Thorn get? He got Marc Jackson. Geoff Petrie is the best in the league."

Forgotten note from previous Spurs game recaps: Impersonating Grant reminded me of the vomit-inducing moment of Monday's game: Jerry Reynolds and Grant Napear discussing how Robert Horry stole a championship ring from them. JR is one thing - he's an executive or some sort, he probably deserves a ring. But Grant? The play-by-play guy and a local radio host? He would've gotten a ring? That sickens me.

Well, wait: Do I get a ring if the Kings win it all? I am an unofficial blogger after all. If I have to battle Alex Carnavale for it, I will! Dammit.

Enjoy the game. I might get an update in early Thursday morning, though one might not want to hold one's breath. Not that one would hold one's breath or anything.

Let's go Sha-, err Kings! A winning percentage above .400 awaits!

]]> http://www.hooplog.com/nba/game-1282-vs-new-jersey-open-game-thread.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/game-1282-vs-new-jersey-open-game-thread.php Brad Miller Wed, 23 Nov 2005 17:21:15 -0800 11/20/05 Box Score: Sonics 106 Kings 104 The unoffical box score from tonight’s game.

    1 2 3 4 Total
Sacramento 36 27 25 16 104 Final 
Seattle 25 32 30 19

106

ss="yspscores"> 
 Sacramento
 Name Min FG 3Pt FT Off Reb Ast TO Stl Blk PF Pts 
  S. Abdur-Rahim 36 7-10 0-0 2-2 2 4 8 4 3 1 4 16 
  P. Stojakovic 39 9-14 6-8 1-1 0 4 3 1 1 0 4 25 
  B. Miller 40 7-10 0-0 2-5 2 8 8 3 1 0 1 16 
  M. Bibby 39 8-16 2-6 7-8 0 3 3 5 1 0 2 25 
  B. Wells 39 6-12 0-0 1-2 2 11 5 3 2 0 4 13 
  K. Martin 15 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 
  K. Thomas 20 3-4 0-0 3-4 1 3 0 1 0 1 1 9 
  J. Hart 12 0-4 0-0 0-0 0 4 1 0 0 1 1 0 
  F. Garcia DNP - Coach’s Decision
  R. Price DNP - Coach’s Decision
  J. Sampson DNP - Coach’s Decision
  B. Skinner DNP - Coach’s Decision
  C. Williamson DNP - Coach’s Decision
 Totals 240 40-72 8-14 16-22 7 38 28 18 8 3 17 104 
 Percentages:   .556 .571 .727   Team Rebounds:
6
 Seattle
 Name Min FG 3Pt FT Off Reb Ast TO Stl Blk PF Pts 
  N. Collison 35 4-8 0-0 5-6 3 9 0 1 3 1 3 13 
  R. Lewis 40 5-13 2-6 2-2 1 5 1 3 3 1 3 14 
  D. Fortson 16 1-3 0-0 0-0 2 5 0 2 0 0 2 2 
  R. Allen 42 9-20 5-13 5-7 1 4 7 3 1 0 3 28 
  L. Ridnour 34 4-11 0-3 2-2 1 1 13 2 2 0 3 10 
  V. Potapenko 14 4-5 0-0 0-0 0 2 0 0 0 1 3 8 
  D. Wilkins 15 4-6 2-2 0-0 2 4 0 2 1 0 3 10 
  M. Cleaves 14 2-5 0-1 0-0 0 0 4 0 0 0 1 4 
  V. Radmanovic 30 7-13 3-7 0-0 2 6 4 1 2 0 2 17 
  R. Brunson DNP - Coach’s Decision
  R. Evans DNP - Coach’s Decision
  M. Moore DNP - Coach’s Decision
  R. Murray DNP - Coach’s Decision
  J. Petro DNP - Coach’s Decision
  R. Swift DNP - Coach’s Decision
 Totals 240 40-84 12-32 14-17 12 36 29 14 12 3 23 106 
 Percentages:   .476 .375 .824   Team Rebounds:
5

_______________________________
PopcornMachine’s GameFlow
-Fortson’s +/- was -4, Potapenko, Wilkins and Cleaves were all -5. Nick led the way with +9, followed by Vlade with +7.
-Nick and Vlade were +12 HelpValue, and Luke was +14. (HV=Reb+Ast+Blk+Stl-TO

Also of note: Petro out for the game with the flu. Spent the day in the hospital with dehydration, and likely will be released tomorrow.

]]> http://www.hooplog.com/nba/112005-box-score-sonics-106-kings-104.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/112005-box-score-sonics-106-kings-104.php Danny Fortson Mon, 21 Nov 2005 00:00:49 -0800 NOTE: If You See Team Dime Outside of a Club, Do Not Approach. Just Walk the Other Way. Quickly. this morning, apparently on a mission:

Sacramento police spent two hours last week interviewing two women who say they were attacked by friends of Kings guard Mike Bibby on a Sacramento street in September. Bibby watched the assault and did not participate, the women told police. "I have twins, and they turned 21, so we hired a limo and went out to celebrate," one victim said. "There were 13 of us. Some of us were waiting in the limo when some of the kids went up to the Blue Cue. My friend saw Mike Bibby outside and asked for an autograph. He signed a napkin, but someone thought he wrote something nasty. Words were exchanged, and then it escalated." A woman and man from Bibby's group opened the limo door and grabbed one of the twins, the women told police. "There was no way I was going to let them pull out my daughter, so I threw myself across her," the mother said. "The guy grabbed my arm and punched me on top of my head. I had bruises and a bump the size of a grapefruit."

If I'm Mike Bibby, I stop signing autographs. Graswich goes on to say that nothing nasty was written, only the standard "MB10." Ask for an autograph, get an autograph! Misread an autograph, get your face busted in! Sounds about right to me.

One problem I have with the victim: She's partying with her twin daughters on their 21st birthday at the Blue Cue? Hey, 40-something-trying-to-live-vicariously-through-your-offspring, leave those kids alone! What a fricking downer.

I know this is a longshot, but if anyone knows anything more about this or the MoMo incident (also in September - shouldn't MB10 have been at the practice facility at least some of these nights?), email me at tzillerATgmail.com. (Replace the AT with an @.) Anonymity is absolutely guaranteed. Consider me Bob Woodward. (Don't laugh.)

P.S. Why is Graswich still reporting this? You have two police investigations, plus several club owners (including Randy Paragary) who've said Team Dime is trouble. I'm thinking this is something for the metro desk at this point? Why is a three-dot columnist tackling this story? (Other topics in Graswich's Friday column: great service at the DMV, a funny retired judge and a stolen license plate. Hot button issues, I know.) Hell, Graswich IS MARRIED TO one of the Bee's top crime reporters. Wait, wait... this is starting to make sense...

]]> http://www.hooplog.com/nba/note-if-you-see-team-dime-outside-of-a-club-do-not-approach-just-walk-the-other-way-quickly.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/note-if-you-see-team-dime-outside-of-a-club-do-not-approach-just-walk-the-other-way-quickly.php Mike Bibby Fri, 18 Nov 2005 09:39:22 -0800 GAME 7 of 82, vs. New York, Open Game Thread Tip-off around 6 p.m., televised on Comcast SportsNet with radio on 1140 AM.

STARTING LINEUPS:
NEW YORK
PG - Stephon "The Untradeable" Marbury
SG - Quentin "The Recently Traded" Richardson
SF - Matt "Damn, I Wish He Was Backing Up Peja Like Old Times" Barnes
PF - Antonio "Haven't I Played With Half of You Guys Before?" Davis
C  - Eddy "Takes A Licking But Keeps On... Oh Wait" Curry

SACRAMENTO
PG - Michael Bibby, The Pride of Cherry Hill, New Jersey
SG - Gawen Deangelo Wells
SF - The Belgrade Bomber
PF - Julius Shareef Abdur-Rahim
C  - Bradley Alan Miller

(Bonzi, I'm sorry. Please don't destroy me.)

The line: -7.5. Again, I'd be reluctant to bet on the Kings until they put, you know, like two solid games in a row together.

Fun bet o' the night: Matt Barnes stops against Peja - remember, Barnesy went up against Peja in practice who knows how many times. Also, Peja is kinda easy to figure out - force him to step to his right. Peja needs to get some excellent screens. I predict 16 points for The Belgrade Bomber.

Sideshow most likely to be entertaining: Stephon Marbury versus Larry Brown. There's comedy, there's high comedy, and then there's paying a ridiculous sum of money for an egomaniacal coach who always clashes with his star player if they don't show the fundamentals of "playing the right way" on ever play, especially when your team's superstar has never played the right way by any stretch of the imagination. Throw in that superstar having a pretty much untradeable contract (which is redundant when talking about the Knicks) and the coach having a long-term deal. Also, your general manager is one of the three worst in the Association. And ACTION!

Matchup to watch: Larry Brown vs. Rick Adelman. Remember, some of you Kings fans wanted a coach like LB this offseason instead of Adelmania. Fools, all of you. I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that LB has only won ONE NBA title - you'd swear he was the second coming of Red Auerbach or something.

The verdict: Kings by 12. Bibby gets 20+, Shareef is the model of consistency and Barnesy has a ridiculous game.

I know it's early (it almost always will be on Sundays), but um, let's go Kings! The middle of the pack awaits!

]]> http://www.hooplog.com/nba/game-7-of-82-vs-new-york-open-game-thread.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/game-7-of-82-vs-new-york-open-game-thread.php New York Knicks Sun, 13 Nov 2005 11:51:37 -0800 The Truth Is Out, Part 2 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! ]]> http://www.hooplog.com/nba/the-truth-is-out-part-2.php http://www.hooplog.com/nba/the-truth-is-out-part-2.php Joe Johnson Tue, 01 Nov 2005 09:39:57 -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