Kellan - It is currently an hour and a half until the draft officially starts, but I thought that I’d get some thoughts out there before this happens. I’m going to try and be fair in my coverage of the draft, but will probably end up talking mostly about the Blazers and the Warriors, so fair warning. And I guess I’ll start with what these two teams need to do. For the Blazers I think that they trade every pick they have as well Jarrett Jack to the Nets for Devin Harris. The Nets will have put themselves into a position to use those picks or leverage them. It would help them clear cap space for the Lebron shoot-out that people have been anticipating for so many years. And with Jason Kidd gone and now Richard Jefferson being swapped for “ChairMan” Yi and Bobby Simmons it looks like the Nets are in rebuilding mode which means that they can stockpile young talent and let them develop. And then the Blazers get Devin Harris and go on to be a dominant team for nearly a decade. C’mon Nets, make the trade.
Kellan - Well bayareasportsguru I’m pretty excited to see what the Warriors do as well. I think that you’re right that the best move they can make would probably to trade and get another piece that can start contributing immediately. I don’t think that any of the players projected to go at 14 will be able to make meaningful contributions early on. With the Warriors having won 48 games last year all that they need is a little extra something to get them into the playoffs. I would like a trade with Detroit, but before being totally sold on it I’d have to see who the Warriors would be losing.
Kellan - So the beginning of the draft is only minutes away. Will Chicago shock the world and take Beasley over Rose? Or will they do what everyone things and go with the hometown hero? Can Pat Riley pass on Beasley and go with OJ Mayo? We will soon find this all out. I do like that the NBA draft happens all at once, instead of having it take an entire weekend like the NFL.
Kellan - So Rose goes with the first pick in the Draft. Now what is Chicago going to do with all of those guards? Hmm, maybe they’ll sent one to Portland for Martell Webster or Travis Outlaw?
Kellan - And the second goes to Michael Beasley. Pat Riley just proved that he does do a better job when he has just one. On the ESPN live chat everyone thinks that the Timberwolves go with OJ Mayo for this pick, but I’ve heard that Kevin McHale is a huge Kevin Love fan. I think it’d be great to see Kevin Love as the number 3 pick.
Kellan - OJ Mayo goes at number 3 and the draft is finally about to get interesting. I don’t know who will actually be picked next. 1-3 seemed like everyone had come to a consensus that that was how it was turning out.
Kellan - Just got home but the picks went about how everyone had predicted. And there’s been no trades? I’m stunned that no one has made any moves yet? Although we’re getting closer to Portland’s pick and Kevin Pritchard seems to like wheeling and dealing on draft day.
Kellan - New Jersey takes Brook Lopez. I think that that pick actually makes a lot of sense. The Nets needed a big man. But it really looks like New Jersey might take a couple of years to develop. Can the fans wait for it?
Kellan - I like the Pac-10 shout out as Jerryd Bayless is selected by the Indiana Pacers. 5 of the first 11 picks are from the Pac-10? Seems like it must be a pretty good conference to have that happen. Sacramento is now on the clock. And really no trades? From anybody? It’s freakin’ me out. And Jason Thompson goes to Sacramento. Now are the two big picks in a row for me, Portland and Golden State. Big money picks, or big trades. Let’s do it.
Kellan - And the Trailblazers pick, Brandon Rush. The shooting guard. I’m still feeling that Portland is going to pull off some sort of trade. With Brandon Roy playing big minutes in the SG position how much room is there for Brandon Rush. Although maybe a good back-up for a year or two? Now let’s get ready for Golden State’s pick. And it is Anthony Randolph. Can he help out Golden State immediately? I don’t think so. But there is a chance that other players get traded and right now his salary is going to seem pretty nice.
Jeff - Hi all, just got here, but this is what I’ve heard, its sounds like Jared Jack is no longer a Blazer. It looks like we are going to trade JJ, Rush, and maybe #27 draft pick for Bayless. Granted thaty maybe a rumor, and it actully is so far, but just wait one more minute.
Kellan - And Portland proposes a trade. I love draft day. Bye bye Jarrett Jack.
Kellan - Jeff was wondering whether Rudy Fernandez would be good to fill the Portland 3 spot. I showed him this video.
Kellan - Good draft. I’ll have to review what happened in a later post. It’s a lot to process.
Kellan - Tip-off is only about ten minutes away. I have to say it would be amazing to see this go to seven games, but at the same time the Celtics have clearly been the better team. I think that the Celtics will win. I’m hoping for Los Angeles. Did they just say Paula Cole is singing the National Anthem? I thought she was someone that the public agreed to forget about as a silly thing from the 90’s. Everybody, you’re Boston entertainer.
Kellan - I found it hilarious that the fireworks just hit the Jumbo-Tron. I’m going to have to agree with David Stern about that fireworks issue. At least they didn’t go too crazy like during the series with Cleveland. I don’t like it when the stadium is smoky, it makes me feel bad for the people in the nosebleeds.
Jeff - Ok, so I just got here, yet I did make it for the tip-off. As the game is now 10-10 I really just hope, like Kellan, for a game seven. I looked away for a second and Kobe hit his second three. As much as I don’t like the guy I really enjoy watching him play the game. That is until he starts complaining to the refs and whining like a three year old told to go to bed at seven in the evening. I would at this time like to throw up the first picture and give the old hat a tip to Tiger and his US Open win on Monday.
Kellan - I have to say that I’m pretty excited that both teams came out with their A-game. It seems like only one team or the other is doing well at any given moment in the series. Nice oop to Garnett. Boston 22-Los Angeles 18. One minute left in the first.
Jeff - The question I have for this game is which bench is actually going to show up tonight. It seems that there has been one, maybe two, players from each team’s bench that have one good night and instantly become a fan fav. Sasha Vujacic was a quick fav, it also some recently it was Eddie House from Boston. So, who’s it gonna be tonight?
Kellan - Turiaf did real well to get a foul on Boston on the rebound attempt. Good energy. Bad foul Powe. No reason for it. Two fouls in the first minute is a great way for Boston to put LA on the free throw line for a quarter. Another foul on Boston. 3 team fouls in less than two minutes. Boston is looking sloppy now. And Doc Rivers with a technical. How about that for a the worst head coach in the league. I feel a Sam Cassell substitution in the near future.
Getting ready for tip-off. My thoughts are that LA will win this game and then lose game 6 against Boston. I know you aren’t supposed to think a series is over until it’s actually over, but I just have a feeling that the Lakers are on the ropes. If Boston can play well they can just finish things off and Boston can begin celebrating. I know I originally though the Lakers would win, but in my defense I didn’t see them collapsing in games so easily. Although I can also see Kobe going for 50 in this game and doing whatever it takes to not let the series end on his home court. I already won the bet with Jeff that Paul Pierce would outscore Kobe in one game, and I don’t see it happening again (no matter how the rest of the series goes).
If I see Sam Cassell appear before Eddie House again I might just flip out. I can’t believe a Doc Rivers coached team will probably win the title. That guy lucked into job security. If Garnett had not been traded to the Celtics that guy would’ve been gone by the All-Star break. They’re singing the National Anthem, so I’ll be back after some game action.
Kobe Bryant takes a three, he makes it. I am not impressed. He’s not that good at three pointers. Although since he’s already taken one and made it maybe it will help his teammates’ confidence.
I thought it was funny when Paul Pierce fell down on their opening play and got a travel. He looked at his teammate like he’d somehow wronged Pierce’s mother. Hilarious.
Derek Fisher gets a three. Maybe I was right about Kobe helping the other shooters confidence.
How has nobody dunked yet? And why does Garnett keep shooting from so from so far away? I know he has a good jumper, but I could have sworn he was a post player. Rondo gave up an easy lay-up and passed it to Paul Pierce for a missed three. Good move buddy.
Gasol is playing very well. That’s a nice difference from the last couple of games.
Kobe with another three. The Lakers with a large lead in the first quarter. Didn’t this happen on Thursday? Can the Lakers stave off their inevitable collapse until it’s too late for the Celtics to come back? Or did Boston just decide that they want to win in Boston so they’d let the Lakers win this game? I think Boston is too competitive for that, but maybe Doc Rivers is up to something. I just don’t trust that guy.
Can Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, and Kobe Bryant all have good games on the same night? I don’t know but Kobe just hit another three. This is ridiculous. On the other end Eddie House did get into the game before Cassell and immediately hit a three. Way to go Doc, only took until game five of the Finals to figure out that you should play House before Cassell.
Kobe now has four threes. I apologize to him for the many mean things I’ve said about his three point shooting. He’s on par for like a 70 point game at this point. Wouldn’t that steal a lot of the fire of the last game being an instant classic?
The Lakers are playing out of their minds. But still after game 4 can any Lakers fan be feeling that great about the game? Although it can’t happen two games in a row can it?
Does anybody cause all sound to be bleeped out more often than Kevin Garnett? I know he’s intense, but he does realize that children are watching right?
So there was a mix-up and the laptop was forgotten for game 4. So I thought that I’d just give my thougths on the game. The Lakers played an amazing first half. Boston played an even better second half. The Lakers came out of the half and just looked like they weren’t trying anymore. Could somebody please talk to Kobe and tell him to quit taking three point shots because it’s definitely not his strong point (get to the rim, that’s what you do best).
I do like that they’re going to show the game today on ESPN Classic, because it was that good a game. The bar that we went to definitely had more Boston fans than LA fans. It made the first half more fun for me (it’s funny how every call is a bad call when it’s against your team.) The ref’s did an excellent job of being close to a non-factor. And in light of the Donaghy allegations it was just what they needed to do. Were they perfect? No, but neither team can whine about the officiating because it was purely about who was playing better.
Lamar Odom came out of the gate and played crazy. And how about that Trevor Ariza? He’ll find a good spot on a team as a role player, I just doubt it’s going to be the Lakers. I’m pretty certain that Gasol needs to hit the weight room because he’s been thrown around all series by the Celtics big men.
At least Kobe played terribly and people can stop thinking he’s Michael Jordan. We all knew he wasn’t. On a better note Paul Pierce outscored Kobe so Jeff lost our bet. That’s one more dollar to me.
I’m not even sure how it happened in the second half (well, outside of the Lakers just taking a bunch of terrible shots) that the Celtics got back in the game. Some people are crediting Doc Rivers, but I refuse to do that. He finally did what he was supposed to do. Nothing special, just what his job description is. I wonder if Phil jackson is going to retire from the embarrassment of losing to a Doc Rivers team? At least Sam Cassell didn’t play too much. He still took some terrible shots, but what you gonna do? If you’re Doc Rivers apparently keep him in longer than you should. I’m excited for Game 5 to see how long it takes Doc to realize that Eddie House should be in instead of Cassell.
Jeff - Ok, so this roundtable formatt seemed to work last time so we’re back today doing it again. The third game in the 2008 NBA Finals just started and the Lakers are behind in the series by two games. We were just talking about this being the first game in LA and just how much the seats cost. For floor seat to the game you are looking at 21.000 dollars, if you want second row it’s costing you 16.000. As a big sports fan myself, I can not see an game worth that kind of cash. Superbowl tickets are cheaper. I’m just a little floored.
As for the game, we’re currently looking at 9-7 Lakers with 5:31 left. Both teams are shooting terribly right now and I’m afraid this maybe a long game.
Kellan - Kobe looks real good tonight, athough he’s only 3-6 from the line. Gotta hit your free throws in big games. I like the fact that Kobe’s guarding Rondo. Good move Coach Jackson. One more thing, Radmonovic is playing terribly. He needs to step it up.
Jeff - At this point in the game I’m really thinking my bet of Pierce not outscoring Kobe is going to be safe for one more game. Kobe is sitting at 17 points right now, and Pierce has yet to score. The game is now at 40-29 Lakers with 4 minutes left in the first half.
Still Jeff - Ok, it’s the half and Kobe is at 19 points for this game. He’s leading all players, yet is pissed he’s missed five field goals. I’m going to make Kellan type now, I’m going outside.
Kellan - Actually Kobe is upset about his five missed free throws. Garnett is shooting terribly. Why does he keep taking shots from beyond twenty feet? Isn’t he a post player? Vujacic is playing very well. He’s doing exactly what he needs to do to keep the Lakers successful. The Lakers are looking good to be able to keep ahead in this game. Although the second half is another beast. What if Pierce starts hitting shots? What if Garnett hits shots? It seems like Boston is being plagued by what was wrong with the Lakers in the first two games, poor shot selection.
We’re going to try something new today. Me and my buddies are going to take turns writing throughout the game and see what happens. There’ll be commentary as well as links to random sites and probably some videos.
Kellan - Alright, I’m excited to see how this game goes. I think Kobe will take better shots this game. If he does I’m pretty sure the other Lakers will do better as well. Boston needs to make sure that the Lakers score less than 100. And Paul Pierce is going to need to play well. Hopefully he doesn’t hurt himself in the process. But as I said in a previous post, go Lakers.
Jeff - Ok, first of all, I would like to point out that Kellan did bet me that Pierce would out score Kobe in at least one game this series. I realize that bet may have been bad, but I’m glad Kellan’s on my side. And I also want to give a quick little nod…
That’s right, the winner of the 140th Belmont Stakes! Lets hear it for Da’ Tara!
Will - And now a word from our sponsor…
And we’re back.
Jeff - By the way the games is on now and we’re looking at 15-12 Lakers. I would like to point out that Nick is the only one cheering for Boston.
Kellan - Games all tied up. Paul Pierce is playing well, but his movement does seem limited. I was quite impressed with the dunk that Pau Gasol threw down mid-way through the first. Just a nice move. Garnett is just an excellent player. He drove in and threw in a lay-up with three guys in the way. This is turning into a pretty good game.
I didn’t realize it until the third quarter of last night’s game 1 but I am hoping that the Lakers win this championship happen. Now I just have to figure out why I would want this team to win.
The Lakers are surprisingly likable. When did this happen? About the point that Andrew Bynum proved himself on the court and the entire team took a collective breath of relief as Kobe finally stopped whining about his situation. They became less likable after the Gasol trade, but that’s beside the point. Kobe was no longer just a villain. He was that character on a show that you hate because they just seemed filled with hate, but then the show spends some time developing the character and you find out that not only are they you’re favorite character on the show, but you think that their prior hate filled acts are now totally justified (See Ben on Lost, Rebecca on GREEK, or Marissa’s mom on The OC). So after Kobe settled down and the rest of the team settled down it finally looked like the Lakers were having fun.
(As an aside I was born in 1982 and I don’t think that I’ve EVER seen a Lakers game where the players looked like they were enjoying themselves until this year, it was normally misery or a sense of entitlement that I saw on the players faces throughout the year, it’s nice that they’ve finally decided to smile.
The Lakers are a fast-paced team. I’m normally in the “let’s just hope for a good game” category. After watching the Celtics and Cavaliers play seven games I wanted Mike D’Antoni to swap brains with Doc Rivers. But I’ll get to Doc Rivers more later. But those games were for the most part terrible. Nearing unwatchable, like what people used to say about the Spurs and Detroit, except I think it was worse. In fact I watched a WNBA game that week and didn’t think it was that bad because they were doing ALL of the same things that Cleveland and Boston were doing. The Lakers, on the other hand, like to score points. They were third in offense during the season, and obviously have kept it up pretty well in the post-season. There were multiple times during the night where I jumped up and shouted at an amazing play, but they were almost all because of some thing the Lakers were doing (Garnett did have some nice dunks, though).
I think my dislike of Doc Rivers is beginning to border on hate. I read an article today about how Doc Rivers outcoached Phil Jackson. I had to leave the building and calm down. Let it go, Cassell is done. Why do you keep playing him when any of his shots even going in feels like some sort of bonus. I used to love Cassell as a player, but it just seems like he’s on his last legs. I am constantly befuddled by who Doc Rivers substitutes in and out of the game. It’s like he’s played NB2K8 and just let’s the computer do whatever it wants. I’m going to move on from this one because I can’t think about it clearly enough to give any good evidence, but next game just watch and revel in the fact that the Celtics are in the finals despite Doc Rivers not because of him.
I’m not a big fan of Ray Allen. Don’t know why. I think it just seems that he was hyped way beyond his ability.
And one last reason that I can’t root for the Celtics. The smugness of the “Greatest Team Ever” and all of the Boston fans because of the Patriots. And winning the world series. And getting Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in the same sports year. Hey Boston you want to share a bit of the sports glory with the rest of the country? Luckily Tyree caught a pass that gut-punched the Boston area so that the smugness of football season didn’t carry over too much into basketball.
So there it is. The reasons I’m rooting for the Lakers. Although, it could all change by game 2.
So the Lakers won last night. They are the Western Conference champs and are on their way to the finals. I’ll admit it, I underestimated the Lakers. They won in five games when I expected the Spurs in six. Then again I underestimated the Lakers and I think overestimated the Spurs. I’ve just seen the Spurs over-acheive year after year. But this year I think there were too many teams that were of a high playing level. Throughout the season everyone (including me) talked about the West vs. East dominance. That the West is so close in skill level while there appears to be a huge disparity in the East. There is some truth to that, but the Lakers has not had a truly close series yet. They haven’t had to go to a game seven yet. They’re the only team in the playoffs to sweep, costing me a hard earned dollar.
I still think that the Lakers are going to have to go up against Detroit, though. Rip Hamilton is listed as ready to go, Detroit is at home, and Boston nearly blew a huge lead in the fourth quarter at home. My initial pick of Detroit in six is no longer possible, but I think it’d be a good time to watch Detroit beat Boston in Boston. Watch Rasheed Wallace go crazy tonight after being fined for complaining about the refs and using curse words to do it (note to ‘Sheed, wait until you get in your car and then let loose the expletives, then you don’t have to pay a fine).
Ray Allen is going to disappear again. He had a big game in game 5, but I think he’s done for the year. I’m not sure what happened, but him sucking started awful close to an E:60 story coming out about his family troubles (someone tried to kill his dad, or his stepdad, and the trial finished a little bit ago). He played great while all the drama was happening in his life, and once it stopped he did too. Just a conjecture.
Garnett will score a lot of points and get a lot of rebounds, but his teammates will struggle all night long until Detroit finally goes on a run to keep things out of reach. Watch out for Maxiell to step up, or Stuckey. Those guys are good and getting better, pretty much the opposite of Ray Allen who is currently good buy steadily getter worse.
I’ve picked a San Antonio vs. Detroit NBA finals. Both of the teams I have picked have dropped game 1. Am I wrong? I say no. San Antonio did fall apart, but I could see it happening in the first half. At the point where my roommate was cheering for San Antonio being up by so much and Kobe seemingly doing nothing about it. I explained to him that what Kobe was doing was making his team stay in the game. Kobe can take over a game, but that is a much more effective strategy in the second half than the first. Instead he kept his team in the game and when it came time for Kobe to take over all of his teammates were able to act like a good supporting cast rather than a bunch of people stuck on the same team as Kobe. It worked, San Antonio fell apart. I think the problem was that they didn’t take enough threes, you know, since their percentage was so high.
In Game 2 I see San Antonio coming out and doing what they need to do to prevent a third quarter slump that has been plaguing them. And maybe they’ll start taking it to the rim and slowing the game down when the other team is making a run. I still think that San Antonio is strong and has enough fire power to take down the Lakers.
I have to admit that I missed a lot of the Celtics-Detroit game, but I caught the end. KG is the man, but what happens if Detroit actually plays a good game? Allen is next to non-existent at this point leaving the big 2. And Pierce and Garnett are nothing short of amazing, except that Garnett doesn’t seem to be able to hit that extra gear in crunch time because he starts out using it. Plus the Celtics have Doc Rivers as their coach. A man whose success is not really his own (as has been shown by his inability to take advantage of the disparity between the Celtics and the competition). In the regular season teams feared the Celtics, but Detroit has no fear. They have a better coach. One who can make good decisions and knows who should be playing in the game.
So am I wrong, I don’t think so, but a week from now I guess we’ll see the answer.
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Blog | Tagged: 2008, basketball, bobby simmons, Bulls, chairman yi, chicago, derrick rose, detroit, devin harris, draft, golden state, heat, Indiana, jarrett jack, Jerryd Bayless, Kevin Love, kevin mchale, Lebron James, martell webster, Miami, michael beasley, NBA, nets, new jersey, new york city, nfl draft, oj mayo, pac 10, Pacers, pat riley, Pistons, portland, richard jefferson, Rudy Fernandez, sports, trailblazers, travis outlaw, warriors | 
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