Mock 3.0

Posted at 11:10 AM

1. LAC- Blake Griffin PF Oklahoma
2. Mem- Hasheem Thabeet C UConn
3. OKC- Ricky Rubio PG Spain
4. Sac- Stephen Curry PG Davidson
5. Min- Tyreke Evans PG Memphis
6. Min- James Harden SG Arizona State
7. GS- Johnny Flynn PG Syracuse
8. NY- Jordan Hill PF Arizona
9. Tor- James Johnson SF Wake Forest
10. Mil- DeMar Derozan SG USC
11. NJ- Gerald Henderson SG Duke
12. Char- Terrence Williams SG Louisville
13. Ind- JRue Holiday G UCLA
14. Phx- Brandon Jennings PG Italy
15. Det- BJ Mullens Ohio State
16. Chi- DeJuan Blair PF Pittsburgh
17. Phi- Ty Lawson PG UNC
18. Min- Earl Clark SF Louisville
19. Atl- Jeff Teague PG Wake Forest
20. Ut- Tyler Hansbrough PF UNC
21. NO- Sam Young SF Pittsburgh
22. Por- Omri Casspi F Isreal
23. Sac- Austin Daye F Gonzaga
24. Dal- Eric Maynor PG VCU
25. OKC- Chase Budinger G Arizona
26. Chi- Toney Douglass G Florida State
27. Mem- DeMarre Carroll F Missouri
28. Min- Jonas Jerebko G Sweden
29. LAL- Patty Mills G St. Mary’s
30. Cle- Taj Gibson F USC

Guys who I wouldnt mind seeing the Pistons take:
Ricky Rubio- I honestly would not mind if Joey D traded anyone on our roster to get Rubio. Well maybe not Stuckey, but after that, nobody. Rubio's flash, exuberance, and showmanship are something that we have not had in the d in a long time. The kid has unbelievable intangibles, he just gets it. He supposedly has the ability to think and see the floor multiple plays ahead. He has outstanding basketball IQ, and with all the shooters and athletes the Pistons have, I really think he could flourish. Wouldnt need him to be a scorer, just facilitate Stuckey, Rip, Tay and whoever else is left after the trade. All of this on top of the fact that having him on the roster would make a great draw when trying to attract the big name free agents that they will try to get next summer. I know its risky, but as the poet one wrote "scared money dont make none."
Also...
Austin Daye- Has the tools to be a superstar, still a few years away. Ironicly enough, so are the Pistons
Earl Clark- second coming of Lamar Odom. This one may try harder though
BJ Mullens- Pistons are going nowhere fast, why not take a chance on the former #1 recruit in the nation.
Ty Lawson- Would let Stuckey move back to the 2 guard. Road runner point guard could have a similar effect as Rubio.
Jeff Teague- Can flat out put the ball in the hoop. Never can have enough scorers
Jodie Meeks (2nd)
Toney Douglas (2nd)
Marcus Thornton (2nd)
Nando De Colo (2nd)
Guys I would not like to see the Pistons draft.....
Dejuan Blair- destined to be a Kendrick Perkins like overweight bust.
Omri Casspi- Dont need another guy to wait on while he chills in Europe.
Tyler Hansbrough- For obvious reasons.

Mock Draft 2.0

1. LAC- Blake Griffin PF Oklahoma
2. Mem- Hasheem Thabeet C UConn
3. OKC- Ricky Rubio PG Spain
4. Sac- Tyreke Evans PG Memphis
5. Was- James Harden SG Arizona State
6. Min- Stephen Curry PG Davidson
7. GS- Johnny Flynn PG Syracuse
8. NY- Jordan Hill PF Arizona
9. Tor- JRue Holiday G UCLA
10. Mil- Jeff Teague PG Wake Forest
11. NJ- Tyler Hansbrough PF UNC
12. Char- Terrence Williams SG Louisville
13. Ind- Brandon Jennings PG Italy
14. Phx- DeMar Derozan SG USC
15. Det- BJ Mullens Ohio State
16. Chi- DeJuan Blair PF Pittsburgh
17. Phi- Gerald Henderson SG Duke
18. Min- Earl Clark SF Louisville
19. Atl- Eric Maynor PG VCU
20. Ut- James Johnson SF Wake Forest
21. NO- Sam Young SF Pittsburgh
22. Dal- Marcus Thornton PG LSU
23. Sac- Austin Daye F Gonzaga
24. Port- Omri Casspi F Isreal
25. OKC- Chase Budinger G Arizona
26. Chi- Toney Douglass G Florida State
27. Mem- Jonas Jerebko G Sweden
28. Min- Victor Claver F Spain
29. LAL- Patty Mills G St. Mary’s
30. Cle- Taj Gibson F USC

MLB After Two Months

Well... the first two months of the Major League Baseball regular season are in the books. There have been some surprises and some disappointments. So here are my takes on the first couple months.
Teams For Real
1. Detroit Tigers- Haha you knew it was coming. Cant say enough about Justin Verlander, he has been out of this world. The rotation ERA leads the AL and the bullpen, though weak, has held its own. The offense still is not nearly where it can be, and with Marcus Thames coming back, who knows, maybe theres the spark. I like this team to push their lead and end up winning the AL Central pretty easily.
2. New York Yankees- pitching is everything in baseball. I love their rotation and the bullpen is finding ways. With ARod and Tex driving the ball, the offense is clicking, and as always the Melk Man delivers.
3.LA Dodgers- They're keeping their heads above water without Manny, and the offense is gaining confidence by the day. Watch out when big man gets back. The rotation is filthy, and Clayton Kershaw is my quiet name to watch in the Cy Young race. Shh.
Pretenders
1. Toronto Blue Jays- pitching is everything in baseball. I believe that I mentioned that, but its worth being said again. Obviously Roy Halleday is the big boss, but are Scott Richmond and Purcey going to bring home the division? hah. Offense is nice tho. Not great, but nice.
2. Texas Rangers- If everyone stays healthy and they add an arm, I can see them making a push in the wretched AL West, but there is not enough punch in that offense to compensate for a staff like that. Like Millwood and Francisco, loathe everyone else.
3. Milwaukee Brewers- I just cant see all these pieces continuing to perform. Braun and Fielder are great, but losing Weeks is rough. Cameron and Counsell are not going to keep them in this tight race.
Teams That Are Down, but Will Make A Surge
1. Tampa Bay Rays- To this point in the season, they couldn't have caught any more bad breaks. They lose their middle infield, Kazmir is roughed up and Sonny has been garbage, yet somehow, they're only five back. Theres too much talent there not to finish right along the big boys again. I see them coming in third in the AL East, but finishing just out of the money.
2. Atlanta Braves- There a little ways back in the east, but there rotation is solid. Getting Nate McLouth is a nice step and as they bring up some of their talented kids, I see this team catching fire and making a wild card run. Chipper gives them that veteran presence thats been there before. I'm calling it right now, if the Braves acquire one more bat, they win the wild card.
3. Arizona Diamondbacks- What the heck happened here? This team was my preseason pick to win the division and a playoff series. They are 13.5 games out currently. Obviously that is a huge deficit to come back from, and as good as the Dodgers are, I doubt they'll give that up, but the DBacks will turn it into a race. I just know it. Getting Brandon Webb back will spark this team as they can turn to two aces on back to back days and know what they're getting. Scherzer has been a nice surprise and the bullpen has nowhere to go but up. If a couple of their bats turn it around, this could be a dangerous team.

Where I Went Wrong, And Where Im Still Right

Sometimes as a journalist, you must admit when you’re wrong. I was wrong about the Cleveland Cavaliers. I drastically overrated the Cavs and maybe underrated the Magic. The fact of the matter is the Cleveland front court is not good enough to win this series, let alone the championship. When you look at what they’re working with, there isn’t much there. Zydrunas Ilgauskas is flat out washed up. Looking at him at the start of the series, I saw a skilled big man that can rebound, post up, and shoot from the outside. What I saw from him in the past four games was a slow old man that has no will to compete and balky knees that prevent him from being effective. Joe Smith is not what he once was. He was never a great player, but he has had his moments, just not this year. Anderson Varejao is a very good player. I personally don’t like him, but he fills a role very well. Unfortunately, he is being forced to do his role and then some. He is providing all of the interior defense and still being expected to provide some scoring. He’s never going to be a big time scorer. If they were to ask him to just rebound, block shots, and defend, he’d be stellar, but he’s not. Finally, it’s become very apparent that Ben Wallace is past his basketball expiration date. Enough talk about him. Cleveland needs a big time down low scorer. That truly is what separates them from the rest of the elite team, they don’t have that guy that they can throw the ball to down low so LeBron can take a possession off, every now and then. Aside from that, LeBron penetration should make your frontcourt devastating; a guy with a couple decent moves would flourish with LeBron getting him the ball in good position. They have Darnell Jackson and JJ Hickson on their bench developing, but neither of them are explosive scorers. With the $13 million contract of Wally Szczerbiak coming off the books, they will have a good amount of room to pursue a nice low post scorer this summer. Someone like Jermaine O’Neal or Carlos Boozer would be an awesome addition to go with LeBron.
Now, on to something more positive; where I was right. I am still right about Stan Van Gundy not being a good coach. All of a sudden, everyone assumes that just because he got his team up to 3-1, that he is a good coach. That is not necessarily true. Shaq Diesel once called Stan Van the Master of Panic. I still have not seen something that changes my mind about that. Great coaches not only get their teams out to leads, but they overcome deficits. Getting out to this lead does not prove anything. So far in this post season, he put away Philadelphia, edged out an old Boston team, and now has got Cleveland down 3-1. He still has not showed me anything. He still cannot slow down, let alone stop LeBron. The Magic were even unable to stop the gunners of Cleveland tonight. Once Stan Van finds adversity and completely brings his team back, then people can say that he has shed the Master of Panic role, but for now, all I see is a frightened coach who’s players pretty much coach themselves.

Mock Draft 1.0

Its time for the first mock of the year, here it goes:

1. LA Clippers- Blake Griffin PF Oklahoma No surprise here
2. Memphis Grizzlies- Hasheem Thabeet C UConn They need to avoid the temptation of Rubio, they have Conley and can use the help inside.
3. Oklahoma City Thunder- Ricky Rubio PG Spain The most exciting prospect in the draft. Would combine with Westbrook, Durant, and Jeff Green to make the best young nucleus in the game.
4. Sacramento Kings- Jordan Hill PF Arizona Kings need help everywhere, might as well start inside, should team with Jason Thompson for a nice inside combo.
5. Washington Wizards- James Harden SG Arizona Agent Zero needs a backcourt mate that can play off the ball and get his own shot both, Harden fits the bill.
6. Minnesota Timberwolves- Tyreke Evans G Memphis On a team that lacks playmakers, Evans would be a star.
7. Golden State Warriors- Earl Clark SF Louisville Golden State loves long, athletic players. Clark seems like a natural fit.
8. New York Knicks- Stephen Curry G Davidson A guard who has many skills for D'Antoni to work with.
9. Toronto Raptors- DeMar DeRozan SG USC On a team with lots of skill players, adding an explosive guard like DeRozan would be huge.
10. Milwaukee Bucks- JRue Holiday PG UCLA With Ramon Sessions potentially a goner, Holiday would fill a big need at the point.
11. New Jersey Nets- James Johnson F Wake Forest There is a need at the power forward position that Johnson could fill.
12. Charlotte Bobcats- Gerald Henderson G Duke After taking care of a need at point last year, they will fill the two guard spot this year.
13. Indiana Pacers- Johnny Flynn PG Syracuse With both Jarret Jack and TJ Ford having awful seasons, its time for someone else to take command of the offense.
14. Phoenix Suns- Brandon Jennings PG Italy There is little backcourt depth in the desert, Jennings can play both positions and learn from Steve Nash.
15. Detroit Pistons- Ty Lawson PG UNC The Pistons lack a true point guard on their roster, adding Lawson would allow them to move Stuckey off the ball and leave him free to gun all he wants.
16. Chicago Bulls- Dejuan Blair PF Pittsburgh The series with Boston showed their lack of inside muscle, Blair would solve that.
17. Philadelphia 76ers- Wayne Ellington SG UNC The shooting touch of Ellington would bring another demension to the 76er offense that includes slashers like Iguodala, Andre Miller, and Willie Green.
18. Minnesota Timberwolves- Gani Lawal PF Georgia Tech After adding a scoring guard, they look to another inside presence to complement Al Jefferson and Kevin Love.
19. Atlanta Hawks- Jeff Teague SG Wake Forest The Hawks backcourt has been relatively thin, adding a shooter would definitely help.
20. Utah Jazz- Tyler Hansbrough PF UNC Jerry Sloan likes the hardworking type. Hansbrough is more on the skill-less hardworking type, but whatever. With Boozer and Millsap potentially on their way out, there is a need here.
21. New Orleans Hornets- Omri Casspi Isreal Supposedly the best European player not named Rubio. Would be just another weapon for Chris Paul.
22. Dallas Mavericks- BJ Mullens C Ohio State The Mavs have Dampier, allowing Mullens to develop slowly.
23. Sacramento Kings- Eric Maynor PG Virginia Commonwealth After adding some help inside, they take care of a need at the point.
24. Portland Trailblazers- Terrence Williams F Louisville The Blazers are a very deep team, the take the best available player here.
25. Oklahoma City Thunder- Derrick Brown PF Xavier Drafted Rubio earlier, now they add some fromtcourt depth.
26. Chicago Bulls- Chase Budinger G Arizona After getting stronger upfront, they shore up the backcourt with a shooter.
27. Memphis Grizzlies- Nick Calathes PG Florida Having Mike Conley, there is little risk in taking a guy who could become a star. Boom or bust pick.
28. Minnesota Timberwolves- Taj Gibson PF USC Third pick for the TWolves will be another banger inside.
29. Los Angeles Lakers- Darren Collison PG UCLA The playoffs have exposed their need at the point. This isnt the pick to grab a game changer, but he should contribute.
30. Cleveland Cavaliers- Jeff Pendergraph PF Arizona State A high basketball IQ guy, should fit in with the older bigs in Cleveland.

The Difference Between Kobe and Bron Bron

With the miracle of Friday night, people are putting LeBron in the same category as Kobe and Michael Jordan. I absolutely love LeBron, but these claims are absurd. Hitting one big shot does not vault you into that category. Im sorry, but LeBron really has not been a clutch shooter his whole career; he has had his magical moments, yes, but he lacked a three pointer to win a game until Friday, and has struggled for the majority of his career in clutch situations. LeBron may end up being the best player the game has ever seen; and he will have done that with all the expectations in the world, but he is not there yet. Right now, he is missing three things that Kobe Bryant has, and those would be rings. Granted Kobe did it with a dominant post player, but he was the major contributor in the last championship run, and was an equal to Shaq in the first two. Kobe finds ways to get it done in the fourth quarter. He hits open teammates, and hit the impossible shots; and he has done this on a consistent basis for many years. One key aspect where LeBron is lacking is free throws. Tonight he went 18-24 from the line. He missed clutch freebies while Dwight Howard stepped up and nailed his. Kobe Bryant went 15-17 and was ice in the final minute, 4-4 in the final 22 seconds. Kobe always had the game in the palm of his hand. LeBron was challenged tonight by another rising star, Dwight Howard, and he was pummeled, not only in the score of the game, but Howard controlled the emotion of the game, despite his foul trouble. LeBron is getting his points, but considering he is playing with a current All Star and several former All Stars, there is no excuse for the clunkers the the Cavs have thrown up. There is obviously still time for LeBron to pick up his act, and he most likely will, but he is still in the tier below Kobe Bryant and Dywane Wade.
Some other observations about the game. What the heck is Zydrunas Ilgauskas doing shooting three three pointers? Every time I see him jack up a three it makes me cringe. Has the Cav's offense become so brutal that Ilgauskas shooting threes is the best option. My goodness. Also, I think that people are making far too much about Dwight Howard coming close to the limit for technical fouls. I think Dwight has the ability to keep his emotions in check and he uses the T's to fire up his team. He is an underrated leader and I thing people drastically underestimate his influence because he is a warm, friendly player.
Still hate Stan Van

Why Cleveland Will Still Win In 5

Ohhhhh Noooooo. Cleveland lost game one at home. Might as well throw in the towel right? As Dwight Schrute would say, "False!" People are going way overboard. How quickly sportscasters and the general public forget that 48 hours ago, the Cavs were being touted as the undeniable best team in the league. One game and everyone is off the bandwagon. Well, I am not. Lets look at the game a little. Statistics dont lie, and they surely dont lie in regards to the game last night. The first sample i want you to look at is Mo Williams' line. 6-19 from the floor. Thats 32%. A very poor outing. On the season he was a 47% shooter from the floor. Delonte West went 4-13, or 31% last night. He was a 46% shooter on the season. Do you honestly think that Mickael Pietrus, Courtney Lee, Rafer Alston, and Anthony Johnson are going to hold down those tremendous shooters all series, I highly doubt it. None of those four are tremendous defensive players, while Mo and Delonte are nice offensive pieces. With that being said, where exactly is the defense on LeBron going to come from. Stan Van himself said that he has no idea what to do with LeBron. Is Hedo Turkoglu going to magically going to lose 25 pounds and gain quickness so he can d LeBron? There is no way that Orlando can stop the big man. LeBron's sidekicks will show up in the coming games, they are just too deadly to miss all the looks that he will give them. Now lets look at the greatest thing to happen to the world, Dwight Howard. Big man went 14-20 from the field. That is stunning to me. How can the Cavs allow him to get 14 dunks. Goodness knows dudes got no offensive game, the fact that he scored 30 points last night only goes to show that last night was a career night for superman. He will not score that many points against Z, Big Ugly, Ben, and Joe Smith again, he simply doesnt have the game to do that again. The Cavs took the best shot the Magic had to give. They held down LeBron's sidekicks, Howard went off, and Hedo, Lewis, and Alston could not miss down the stretch. All of these things contributed to the win, and all of these things will not, scratch that cannot happen again. LeBron shouldnt have to carry the team again, but even if he does, a little more effort and they'll win. The Cavs have taken the fury of Orlando and only lost by one. There is too much LeBron for Orlando to win again. One more thought, I heard someone say that the Cavs cant beat the Magic with Hedo, Lewis, and Howard going off. Got a prediction for this person, they all three wont go off again this series. I got Cleveland in 5.