2010 NBA Draft Winners and Losers

The 2010 NBA Draft is over, so before Free Agency begins here are my winners and losers. It’s pretty simple how I pick the winners and losers. If a team got better, they are a winner. If they didn’t improve or stayed about the same as before, they are a loser.

Winners

Atlanta = Jordan Crawford is a good young player. If Joe Johnson leaves he can fill in immediately or come off the bench and let Jamal Crawford start.

Boston = Avery Bradley can give the Celtics a legitimate back up point guard or he can be an undersized shooting guard a la Nate Robinson. If Luke Harangody makes the team, he will be a good hustle player and rebounder.

Dallas = Dominique Jones is a legitimate shooting guard who should play some right away. Caron Butler is a small forward who was playing out of position last year. Jason Terry is a bench player. Rodrigue Beaubois is a point guard who was playing out of position last year. The pick fits a need.

Detroit = Greg Monroe and Terrico White will both be solid contributors.

Houston = Patrick Patterson fits Houston’s defense and hustle style.

Indiana = Paul George and Lance Stephenson both have star potential. Magnum Rolle is also a solid second round pick.

L. A. Clippers = They had the best draft in my mind. Al-Farouq Aminu should start at small forward. Eric Bledsoe will be a great back up point guard. Willie Warren can play point guard or shooting guard.

L. A. Lakers = Devin Ebanks and Derrick Caracter for where they were drafted are great picks. I wouldn’t be surprised if both of them made the team.

Memphis = Their problem last year was depth and they improved their depth with the picks of Xavier Henry and Greivis Vasquez. They should play back up shooting guard and point guard right away.

Milwaukee = Larry Sanders, Jerome Jordan, and Keith Gallon will all provide some much needed size and Darington Hobson gives them another athletic wing to run with Brandon Jennings.

New Jersey = Derrick Favors was an easy pick. Damion James was a smart pick.

New Orleans = Craig Brackins and Quincy Pondexter will contribute right away at back up power forward and small forward respectively. Getting rid of Morris Peterson was good too. Look for New Orleans to bounce back and potentially make the playoffs next year.

Philadelphia = It’s hard to go wrong with Evan Turner as your only pick.

Phoenix = Both Gani Lawal and Dwayne Collins will love playing in their system.

Portland = More young talent. I like the philosophy of adding as much young talent as possible, because chances are one of them will turn into a star. Luke Babbitt, Eliot Williams, Armon Johnson, and Ryan Gomes are all solid players.

Sacramento = DeMarcus Cousins and Hassan Whiteside are both risky picks, but they both could develop into monsters.

Toronto = Ed Davis should replace Chris Bosh and Solomon Alabi will give them a solid defensive center.

Washington = With only 6 players under contract for next season and no chance of getting a big time free agent John Wall, Kevin Seraphin, Trevor Booker, Hamady N’diaye, and Kirk Hinrich will all play.

Losers

Charlotte = No draft picks or trades.

Chicago = Traded away Kirk Hinrich and their draft pick. The moves clears up cap space, but if they don’t get a big time free agent, then it was all for nothing.

Cleveland = No draft picks or trades

Denver = No draft picks or trades

Golden State = Ekpe Udoh has the ability to be a Chris Bosh clone, but Golden State has a logjam of players just like him. I love all of the players on Golden State’s roster. I just wish they weren’t being coached by Don Nelson.

Miami = I like the picks, but I don’t like them all going to the same team. Dexter Pittman may be good or he may eat his way out of the league. Jarvis Varnado may be a defensive stud or he may never make it off of the bench. Da’Sean Butler may come back from his injury or he may be out of the league soon. Getting rid of Daequan Cook might be a good thing though.

Minnesota = They drafted 2 international players who may never play for them or may never be any good and they added 3 small forwards. Martell Webster and Ryan Gomes have different games, but give the same numbers.

New York = Neither pick will be in the NBA in 3 years. They both should have probably gone undrafted.

Orlando = I like both Daniel Orton and Stanley Robinson, but not on their team.

Oklahoma City = I like all the picks. It will be interesting what they do with them though. I’m not sure if Ryan Reid, Tibor Pleiss, or Latavious Williams will make the team. They also had to take Morris Peterson who won’t help any.

San Antonio = A lot of people like the picks of James Anderson and Ryan Richards, but not me. I’m not sure if either will help the Spurs win any games.

Utah = I’m not a fan of Gordon Hayward or Jeremy Evans.

Officials, Referees, and Umpires....Oh My!

-Instant replay should be used in every sport.
It’s ridiculous that in this day and age we still allow blown/missed calls to happen. We have the technology to make sure the outcome of sporting events is correct. If we don’t allow the correct calls to take place, what are referees around for?
-Instant replay should only be used when the play in question could potentially change the outcome of a game or affect a potentially historic game/record.
This will keep games from taking forever to finish and it won’t affect the flow of games.
-Coaches should have an unlimited amount of instant replay uses.
This might slow down games, but with the last stipulation in place it shouldn’t. Sometimes more than 1 or 2 bad calls are made, so this would make sure the outcome of games is correct.
-Officials should be able to reverse their own calls even when instant replay isn’t used.
Referees are in place to make sure the rules are being followed and that everything is fair. They should be able to police themselves, along with the players and coaches.
-There should be an official in a booth, at the game or somewhere else, to review blown/missed calls and reverse them right on the spot.
Sometimes officials can be susceptible to players, coaches, and fans voices, so having an official away from all of the action would allow for complete fairness. It also doesn’t hurt to have more than one voice of reason.
-Every group of officials should be oddly numbered in case there is a disagreement in terms of the correct outcome of a call.
3 heads are better than 2 and having a majority rules system makes sense in case some people don’t agree on the correctness of a call.
-Leagues and Organizations should overturn blown/missed calls that change the outcome of a game or affect a historic game/record.
Everything possible should be done in order to preserve the integrity of the games that are played. If all else fails, leagues and organizations should step in to right their referee’s wrongs.

Stop Playing Around

Professional athletes are beginning to upset me. Their diva like tendencies are becoming extremely annoying. Organizations need to stop letting their players run the team. Owners need to come together and get tough on the people they pay. If a player wants a new contract? Too bad. Play out the current contract that was signed. If a player wants to holdout? Go ahead. Sit at home, get fined, and waste your athletic prime. If a player demands a trade? Too bad. Play for the team that pays your bills. If a player wants to cause trouble? Go ahead. Get suspended and get fined. Athletes shouldn’t be getting paid to do what they want to do. They should be getting paid to do what the organization tells them to do.
There is a hierarchy that is being ignored. Owner>General Manager>Coach>Player. Simply put, the Owner hires the General Manager to be in charge of the team. The General Manager hires the Coach to be in charge of the Players. The Coach does the best he can with the Players he’s given. The Players execute the scheme the Coach tells them to. Everyone is being paid to do what someone else says. If the owners punished the players, rather than give into their demands, the players might stop trying to run the team. After enough owners punish enough players, things would change.
This is all unlikely though. Too much money comes from winning. Owners and general managers would rather give into player demands and win than not give into player demands and lose. I’m just tired of hearing about it. I’m tired of hearing organizations complain about their player’s attitudes when time and time again the player’s attitude gets them what they want. Man up! If you want players to stop running the team, then do something about it.

The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz Finale Predictions

Matt Hamill over Keith Jardine by Knockout

Kris McCray over Court McGee by Unanimous Decision

Aaron Simpson over Chris Leben by UD

Spencer Fisher over Dennis Siver by Submission

Jamie Yager over Rich Attonito by Technical Knockout

Mark Holst over John Gunderson by Split Decision

Brad Tavares over Seth Baczynski by SD

Kyle Noke over Josh Bryant by TKO

James Hammortree over Chris Camozzi by TKO

James McSweeney over Travis Browne by UD

Fight of the Night = Brad Tavares over Seth Baczynski

Submission of the Night = Spencer Fisher over Dennis Siver

Knockout of the Night = Matt Hamill over Keith Jardine

4 – 7 Last UFC event (My 1st losing record)

50 – 30 Overall for 8 UFC events

22 – 14 Overall for 8 UFC Main Card fights (1 – 4 last UFC Event)

UFC 115 Predictions

Rich Franklin over Chuck Liddell by Unanimous Decision = I think this will be the Fight of The Night. Both fighters are at the end of their careers and they are pretty evenly matched. Neither has looked great as of late, but Rich Franklin has looked the better of the two. This fight doesn’t do much for either’s current situation, but it could help their legacy. Both are former champions and both have impressive resumes.

Pat Barry over Mirko Cro Cop by UD = Pat Barry is kind of like a poor man’s Mirko Cro Cop. If he pushes the pace and is aggressive he should win. Cro Cop hasn’t looked good since joining the UFC and doesn’t do well when pressured. Don’t forget Barry did get beat by Tim Hague not too long ago though.

Paulo Thiago over Martin Kampmann by Submission = I don’t normally pick Paulo Thiago, but his last fight made me a believer. His stand up isn’t crisp, but it is effective. His ground game is also very impressive. Martin Kampmann might be able to win if he keeps the fight standing and uses his more technical boxing, but I see Paulo catching him with a power punch, then finishing Kampmann on the ground.

Gilbert Yvel over Ben Rothwell by Knockout = This fight is going to stay on the feet and unless Ben Rothwell can use his length Gilbert Yvel will eventually hit him with a power shot. I don’t see this going to decision. The loser of this fight might be out of the UFC.

Rory MacDonald over Carlos Condit by UD = Rory MacDonald has much crisper striking. This fight may come down to experience, but I think Carlos Condit will meet his match. He hasn’t looked great as of late.

Tyson Griffin over Evan Dunham by SD = This could also be Fight of the Night in my opinion. Both are solid in all areas of fighting. This fight may come down to whoever has the best gameplan.

Mac Danzig over Matt Wiman by SD = The UFC doesn’t want one of their TUF winners to lose, so unless something unexpected happens, Joe Silva set this up for Mac Danzig to win.

Mario Miranda over David Loiseau by Technical Knockout = Mario Miranda is a great prospect. The UFC brought back David Loiseau to lose. He always has a puncher’s chance though.

James Wilks over Peter Sobotta by TKO = The UFC doesn’t want one of their TUF winners to lose, so unless something unexpected happens, Joe Silva set this up for James Wilks to win.

Jesse Lennox over Mike Pyle by TKO = This could go either way. Neither fighter is very great.

Claude Patrick over Ricardo Funch by UD = Both of these fighters are solid prospects, so this should be a very entertaining fight.

Fight of The Night = Rich Franklin over Chuck Liddell


Knockout of The Night = Gilbert Yvel over Ben Rothwell


Submission of The Night = Paulo Thiago over Martin Kampmann


6 – 5 Last UFC event


46 – 23 Overall for 7 UFC events


21 – 10 Overall for 7 UFC Main Card fights (3 – 2 last UFC Event)

NBA Finals: My Thoughts on Game 3

Boston
-Ray Allen played one of the worst games I’ve ever seen
-Rasheed Wallace shouldn’t have more personal fouls than points.
-4 of 18 from 3 point range won’t cut it.
-16 of 24 from the Free Throw line won’t cut it.
Los Angeles
-Ron Artest needs to step up for the remaining games in order for the Lakers to win.
-Kobe Bryant shouldn’t be taking 29 shots in order to get 29 points.
-2 of 15 from 3 point range won’t cut it.
This and That
-This is just a hunch, but don’t be surprised if Derek Fisher retires after the Finals if the Lakers win. It’s a little strange that the Lakers haven’t given him a contract extension. He’s cheap. He’s a veteran. He’s the best triangle offense point guard of all time. He’s a leader and he’s clutch. I could easily see him wanting to go out on top should the Lakers win it all this year.
-Don’t blame Ray Allen for the Celtics losing Game 3. Blame the coach. Doc Rivers should not have let him play 42 minutes. Tony Allen and Nate Robinson combined for 12 points on 5 of 8 shooting in just 26 minutes. Either one of them would have been better options. I don’t care how great Ray Allen is. Some nights players just don’t have it and they can hurt a team. This is what happened with Ray Allen in Game 3. It’s up to the coach to realize this and make the proper changes.

2010 1st Round Mock Draft

-This off season is set to be the craziest in league history. It is almost impossible to tell how many trades will be made and where free agents will sign. This mock draft isn’t how I see the draft going. It is how I think the draft should go. I’m basing my selections off of last seasons play and some very minor projections for this off season.


1.Washington = John Wall (PG – Kentucky) = Gilbert Arenas may be traded or receive a buyout. Even if he doesn’t get either of those, he is still not the point guard to lead the Wizards to a championship.

2.Philadelphia = Evan Turner (SG – Ohio State) = He’s better than all their other wing players. Derrick Favors may also be in play here.

3.New Jersey = Derrick Favors (PF – Georgia Tech) = He is much better than Yi Jianlian and would instantly give the Nets one of the best young front courts in the league.

4.Minnesota = DeMarcus Cousins (C – Kentucky) = They need quality big men. Al Jefferson or Kevin Love may also be traded, so he could play right away.

5.Sacramento = Wesley Johnson (SF – Syracuse) = He’s a young wing player at a position of need.

6.Golden State = Greg Monroe (PF – Georgetown) = His athleticism and passing make him the perfect fit for their system.

7.Detroit = Cole Aldrich (C – Kansas) = He would be a great replacement for Ben Wallace.

8.Los Angeles Clippers = Al-Farouq Aminu (SF – Wake Forest) = He gives them a young player at a position of need.

9.Utah = Ed Davis (PF – North Carolina) = Utah needs quality big men and he could develop into something special.

10.Indiana = Eric Bledsoe (PG – Kentucky) = He may be a stretch here, but they need a true point guard.

11.New Orleans = Luke Babbitt (SF – Nevada) = They may go for a big man, but Luke Babbitt would be a great replacement for Peja Stojakovic.

12.Memphis = Avery Bradley (SG – Texas) = Their biggest problem is team depth and he could be a very solid bench player.

13.Toronto = Ekpe Udoh (PF – Baylor) = Chris Bosh is likely gone, so he could step in immediately.

14.Houston = Xavier Henry (SG – Kansas) = He would be a good insurance policy in case Kevin Martin gets hurt.

15.Milwaukee = Paul George (SF – Fresno State) = They need young wing players and he would be a good fit for how they play.

16.Minnesota = Gordon Hayward (SF – Butler) = They have 3 draft picks and I don’t see them selecting a point guard, so getting a small forward here would be smart.

17.Chicago = James Anderson (SG – Oklahoma State) = Kirk Hinrich is a backup point guard, not a starter. James Anderson fills a need.

18.Miami = Daniel Orton (C – Kentucky) = They need big men and Daniel Orton is a great project.

19.Boston = Hassan Whiteside (C – Marshall) = I could see them stretch for a point guard here, but most likely they will take a big man.

20.San Antonio = Patrick Patterson (PF – Kentucky) = They need young legs in the front court and Patrick Patterson seems like a Spurs kind of player.

21.Oklahoma City = Kevin Seraphin (PF – France) = I think Kevin Seraphin is the best international player in this draft. They could keep him overseas for a little while also.

22.Portland = Willie Warren (PG – Oklahoma) = He would have been a top 10 pick last year. He plays better when he has a good big man. He would be a steal if he was still around here.

23.Minnesota = Lance Stephenson (SG – Cincinnati) = They have 3 draft picks and I don’t see them selecting a point guard. Lance Stephenson has a lot of potential to be a steal here too.

24.Atlanta = Larry Sanders (PF – VCU) = They lack front court depth and he could play power forward or center for them.

25.Memphis = Damion James (SF – Texas) = Rudy Gay may leave, so he could fill a position of need.

26.Oklahoma City = Jordan Crawford (SG – Xavier) = They should trade this pick. Jordan Crawford will be a solid back up/part time starter in the NBA.

27.New Jersey = Armon Johnson (PG – Nevada) = He has a great all around game and is rising up draft boards fast.

28.Memphis = Craig Brackins (PF – Iowa State) = If Zach Randolph ever gets in trouble Craig Brackins could fill in for him.

29.Orlando = Quincy Pondexter (SF – Washington) = Vince Carter is getting old, so he would give them a possible future replacement for him.

30.Washington = Solomon Alabi (C – Florida State) = They need a good defensive big man and Soloman Alabi fits that need.

Let NBA Free Agency Begin!

It’s impossible to tell exactly who will be available when free agency begins, but here is who I think will be available.
-I’m pretty sure every team will pass on their team option players.
-I’m pretty sure most player option and early termination option players will stay with their current team.
-I’ve also included restricted free agents.
-I’ve put the free agents into tiers based on how good I think they are.

*Outside of the All Stars everyone else on the list could be a starter, role player, specialist, bench player, project, or out of the league. It all depends on how much money they want, what they want their role to be, and the team they go to.

ALL STARS
(These are the all-stars that every team wants)
LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Dirk Nowitzki, Joe Johnson, David Lee, Carlos Boozer, Ray Allen

STARTERS
(I think these players can start for just about any team in the league, but many teams may prefer to bring them off the bench)
Rudy Gay, Luis Scola, Raymond Felton, Brendan Haywood, John Salmons, Anthony Morrow, Al Harrington, J.J. Redick, Matt Barnes, Wesley Matthews, Josh Howard

ROLE PLAYERS/SPOT STARTERS
(These are quality players that every team needs in order to win. They can come off the bench or start if someone gets injured)
Udonis Haslem, Luke Ridnour, Jordan Farmar, Mario Chalmers, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Chris Duhon, Drew Gooden, Josh Childress, Linas Kleiza, Rasual Butler, Steve Blake, Kyle Lowry, C.J. Watson, Travis Outlaw, Will Bynum, Ronnie Brewer, Craig Smith, Anthony Tolliver, Dorell Wright, Sergio Rodriguez, Randy Foye, Mike Miller

BENCH PLAYERS/SPECIALISTS
(These players are pure bench scorers, 3 point shooters, and defensive specialists)
Kyle Korver, Roger Mason, Chuck Hayes, James Singleton, Jose Juan Barea, Hakim Warrick, Ronald Murray, Nate Robinson, Tony Allen, Louis Amundson, Carlos Arroyo, Marquis Daniels, Matt Bonner, Jarvis Hayes, D.J. Mbenga, Josh Boone, Steve Novak, Luther Head, Kwame Brown, Jawad Williams, Earl Watson, Chris Hunter, Joey Graham, Stephen Graham, Jarron Collins, Jason Collins, Shelden Williams, Damien Wilkins, Rodney Carney, Antoine Wright

OLD PLAYERS
(They may find a team or they may not. They may retire or they could go unsigned)
Allen Iverson, Jermaine O'Neal, Tracy McGrady, Derek Fisher, Jason Williams, Eddie House, Jerry Stackhouse, Juwan Howard, Rasho Nesterovic, Kurt Thomas, Ben Wallace, Anthony Johnson, Anthony Carter, Tim Thomas, Shaquille O'Neal, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Brad Miller, Quentin Richardson, Larry Hughes, Keith Bogans, Earl Boykins, Michael Finley, Devean George, Theo Ratliff, Devin Brown, Joe Smith, Etan Thomas, Brian Scalabrine

PROJECTS
(They should find a team, but who knows. Some could be starters, role players, bench players, specialists, or out of the league)
Amir Johnson, Patrick Mills, Tyrus Thomas, Shaun Livingston, Ian Mahinmi, Kyrylo Fesenko, Jon Brockman, Dominic McGuire, Aaron Gray, Darko Milicic, Johan Petro, Joe Alexander, Nathan Jawai, Oleksiy Pecherov, Javaris Crittenton, Randolph Morris

LIKELY OUT OF LEAGUE
(I could be wrong though, but I don’t think much of these players)
Cartier Martin, Fabricio Oberto, Patrick O'Bryant, Sean May, Earl Barron, Travis Diener, J.R. Giddens, Ike Diogu, Chris Quinn, Tony Battie, Trenton Hassell, Royal Ivey, Sasha Pavlovic, Bobby Simmons, Primoz Brezec, Francisco Elson, Jamaal Magloire, Yakhouba Diawara, Rafer Alston, Jamaal Tinsley, Josh Powell, Marcus Williams, Steven Hunter, Adam Morrison, Brian Skinner, Mardy Collins, Bobby Brown, Malik Allen, Acie Law, Mario West, Jannero Pargo, Shavlik Randolph, Sean Marks, Brian Cardinal, Jonathan Bender, Mustafa Shakur, Kevin Ollie, Adonal Foyle, Cedric Jackson

NBA Finals: My Thoughts on Game 1

Boston
-Shooting 1 of 10 from 3 point range won’t cut it.
-Getting outrebounded 31 to 42 won’t cut it either.
-Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins have to get more than 7 combined rebounds for the Celtics to win.
-Even though the calls were questionable, Ray Allen and Tony Allen need to stay out of foul trouble.
Los Angeles
-Fast break points (12 to Boston’s 5), Points in the paint (48 to Boston’s 30), and Second chance points (16 to Boston’s 0) won the game for the Lakers.
-The game was never really close. Los Angeles dominated every matchup and was never in any real danger of losing.
This and That
-A series can never be over after just 1 game, but with Phil Jackson being 47 – 0 when winning game 1 of a series, it might just be.
-Derek Fisher deserves more credit than he’s gotten over his career. He may never be a Hall of Famer, but he is probably the best triangle offense point guard of all time. He is probably one of the best role players/supporting cast players of all time too.
-I predict that no professional coach will ever catch Phil Jackson and his 11 rings, should the Lakers win this Championship.
-Should the Lakers win this Championship, I predict Kobe Bryant will get more rings than Michael Jordan. This will be the Championship that makes that goal obtainable. If they lose though, I think Kobe Bryant will retire with only 5 rings.
-There isn’t a big difference between 0 and 1 Championship or 1 and 2 Championships, but Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen could all go from Hall of Famers to legends with 1 more Championships. Here is my simple breakdown: With 0 Championships a player can still be great or even a Hall of Famer. With 1 Championship a great player automatically becomes a Hall of Famer. With 2 Championships a great Hall of Fame player becomes a legend. With 3 Championships a legendary player becomes an icon. With 4+ Championships an icon becomes a sports God!

General Managing for Dummies

-Develop a present and future plan.
-Figure out how to begin those present and future plans.
-Talk with every player, coach, scout, trainer, and doctor my team employs.
-Find out their thoughts on everyone else’s abilities, potential, and shortcomings.
-Take all of that information into consideration going into the future.
-Watch every game my team played.
-Breakdown every player on my roster.
-Decide who to keep and who to let go.
-Evaluate all of my coaches.
-Decide who to keep and who to let go.
-Bring in new coaches who will fit my team.
-Evaluate every trainer/doctor my team employs.
-Decide who to keep and who to let go.
-Bring in new trainers/doctors who will fit my team.
-Evaluate every scout my team employs.
-Decide who to keep and who to let go.
-Bring in new scouts who will fit my team.
-Breakdown every available free agent.
-Decide who to pursue.
-Breakdown every available draft product.
-Decide who to pursue.
-Explore all trade options.
-Breakdown every available player.
-Decide who to trade for.
-Breakdown every other team in the league.
-Figure out their strengths and weaknesses.
-Game plan for when my team plays those teams.
-Bring in analysts, statisticians, experts, and professionals to help my team succeed.
-Complete all other essential General Manager duties (advertising, marketing, sales, etc.).