Grizzlies draft is HUGE posted by john howard

The Memphis Grizzlies had a huge draft, literally.  With the 2nd pick they selected 7-3 C from UConn, Hasheem Thabeet.  He will provide a lot of interior defense and rebounds.  He can alther shots and allow them to do things on defense that others can't. The draw back is that he is very limited on offense. That means defenses will get to do things to them when he is on the floor. At the 27th spot, they got DeMarre Carroll a 6-8 F from Missouri.  He is a high energy guy that can provide a spark off the bench. In the second round at 36, they got Sam Young from Pittsburgh.  This guy can play all over the floor and should have been a first round pick.  He is a 6-7 small forward who can really get at it. 

They are young, and I'm not sure if they will be much better this year.  Thabeet is going to be a really good player that can do some things really well.  He is not a guy that is going to help a team win games in his first year.  He has to have other parts around him. 

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The 5 Best Second Overall Selections in the NBA Draft Since 1984 posted by Colin Linneweber

The Los Angeles Clippers are expected to pick former Oklahoma Sooners star Blake Griffin Thursday with the first overall selection in the 2009 NBA Draft at the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. 

However, there is not a consensus projection for the No. 2 pick and basketball analysts remain largely uncertain who the Memphis Grizzlies will choose tomorrow in Gotham.

In recognition of the NBA Draft, I have decided to rank the five most accomplished players selected second overall in the past quarter century.


1)  Jason Kidd 

Kidd, 36, attended the University of California and helped resurrect the Golden Bears dormant basketball program with his stellar play at the point guard position. 

After being honored as a First Team All-American as a sophomore, Kidd declared for the NBA Draft and was selected second overall by the Dallas Mavericks in 1994. 

Unfortunately, the Bay Area native’s initial stint with the Mavericks didn’t materialize as most anticipated it would. 

According to legend, singer Toni Braxton went to the Mavs team hotel to meet Kidd for a date after a game. 

 However, instead of rendezvousing with Kidd, Braxton instead left with his Dallas teammate Jimmy Jackson and the two purportedly fornicated until the wee hours. 

Subsequently, Kidd loathed Jackson and he demanded an escape from “Big D.” 

Kidd, a 9-time All-Star and 6-time All-NBA nomination, was traded to the Phoenix Suns at the conclusion of the 1996 season and his career began to truly ascend in the desert. 

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Memphis Grizzlies draft posted by john howard

The Memphis Grizzlies are looking forward to this year's draft.  They have no were to go but up.  The question is, how far can they rise.  They have the 2nd, 27th, and 36th overall picks in the draft.  More than half of the mock draft boards out there have Hasheem Thabeet going to them.  He would provide an inside defensive presence for sure.  A few boards have Ricky Rubio going that way.  And the next pick listed is James Harden. They will be happy with who they take this year.  But, let's look at how these positions have fared over the past 14 years.

 At the 2nd pick, there have been 3 players who became 20 point scoreres, 7 other starters, 3 bench players, and one flop.  Odds are over 90% that they will get a player to contribute and 70% that they will find a starter.  But, only 3 out of 14 have become high powered scorers.  It looks like OJ Mayo will have to score even more and whoever is selected 2nd will help in other areas.

What about pick #27? There have been 2 starters produced and 6 that have been significant bench players.  And at the 36th pick there has only been one player that became a bench player and that is it.

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Completing the Puzzle Part 1: Off-Season Tasks posted by Michael J. Shambaugh

The objective for the last three seasons has been to take a 21-win, 61-loss Blazer team and rebuild them into the Playoff-bound, title-contending team we, the fans, want them to be.

 

Objective accomplished.

 

The team has been rebuilt, the crazy trades have been dealt, and the risky drafts have been selected.  Now it’s time to sit back and insert the last few puzzle pieces this young Blazer team needs to make it to the finals.

 

Several players understand and are excited about the direction their team is headed, while others wonder what jersey they’ll be wearing next season.  Let’s take a look at where we are and what we have to look forward to this off season along with some tasks and questions the Blazers will face before the 2009-2010 season begins.

 

Before Darius Miles played his 10th game with the Memphis Grizzlies, the Portland Trail Blazers were looking at having a $16 million budget to play with this off season.  Those 10 games cost Portland $9 million in cap room, bringing them down to $7 million.  Portland will be losing Raef LaFrentz, Shavlik Randolph, and Michael Ruffin to free agency this year.  These three players combined saw a grand total of 72 minutes of play while pulling down a whopping $14,317,662 in salary.

 

Channing Frye will be an Unrestricted Free Agent this off season which means that Portland can match any offer Frye is given, even if it causes them to surpass the Soft Cap, as long as they stay under the Hard Cap.  It’s unknown at this time whether or not Portland will take advantage of this.  Last season Frye made a salary of $3,163,769, ranking him 6th highest on the team among active players.

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Do Houston fans miss Rafer aka Skip to my Lou? posted by Tony Vandervort

I was at my day job when I first read it on my phone, Rockets deal Alston to Magic for Cook, Lowry. It took a moment to sink in. We traded Rafer? Not McGrady? Not Artest? Was this the move thats going to put us over the top? I didn't know what to think. I didn't know who to ask. I didn't even know who Cook and Lowry were. ESPN was touting this as the biggest trade of the deadline, saying Rafer was the missing piece for the Magic as they had lost Jameer Nelson for the season.

That could be. After all, Rafer was our leader, the floor general who we so desperately needed in the playoffs last year. He might have his nights where he was 1 for 9 with more turnovers than assists. Those nights where he couldn't hit the bottom of the net if it the goal was the size of a medicine ball. But he meant more than that, didn't he? Some would say he gave us heart, attitude, toughness. He doesn't miss many games, and he always left everything he had on the court.

Not only that, but who was left in his place? 24 year old, second year in the league, six foot if he's got six pairs of socks on, Aaron Brooks. Now Mr. Brooks has been a fine player, in a back up role that is. Is he ready though, ready to take Skip's spot, ready to take this team into the playoffs? 

After the initial shock, I thought about one man, the Rockets GM Daryl Morey. And i remembered all the good moves he's made since he arrived. And that helped to ease the tension. Somewhat.

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"Who's Paul Gasol?" posted by Krew Keth

                                                         

First of all, its not Paul Gasol.  If you made that mistake, don't feel too bad.  Just don't let it happen again.  It's Pau.  Although, Paul Gasol does have somewhat of a ring to it.  And suitably, a ring is what Pau Gasol is going to help lead the Lakers to. 

Gasol, the latest edition to the Los Angeles Lakers, was acquired by the Lakers in a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies in early February.   In the trade the Lakers gave up Kwame Brown (sigh of relief), Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, two first round draft picks, and draft rights to Marc Gasol.  And yes, they are brothers.  In return from the Grizzlies, the Lakers received Pau Gasol and and a second round draft pick.  Wi a championship ring, who needs draft picks anyway.

Prior to the Gasol acquisition, the Lakers were ranked first in Western Conference.  The upcoming post season looked promising until the young center Andrew Bynum suffered a knee injury and was projected to be out for 8-10 weeks.  Then the Lakers made a move that "shook the league".  Pau Gasol played his first game in a Lakers uniform against the New Jersey Nets, scoring 24 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists.  This game was the second game of a long 9 game road trip.  With Gasol, the Lakers went 6-1, and only one game left in Minnesota before flying back to L.A.  Gasol's first home will be on February 13th against the Atlanta Hawks.  I wonder if meeting Jack Nicholson will be among the formalities.

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Future of the Chicago Bulls posted by Brian King

The Chicago Bulls won last night against the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves 96-85. It is a game they desperately needed and there will be many more games to follow that they will desperately need. Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Chris Duhon, and Joe Smith all sat out due to nagging injuries. The situation in Chicago has become desperate.

Luckily, the Bulls have enough depth on the bench to win against some of the bad teams. It wasn't a win against a top flight opponent. It wasn't even a win against one of the lower tiered playoff teams. The Bulls will take it. Wins have been hard to come by. Kirk Hinrich led the team with 27 points and Andres Nocioni contributed with 18. Ben wallace pulled down 12 rebounds and had a couple of blocks to boot. Rookie Joakim Noah, in his first career start, provided a ton of energy and ripped down 13 rebounds. 

Noah, is a guy that Coach Jim Boylan has to play more. The Bulls have to see what they have in this young man. He plays with energy and heart in which a lot of his teammates have lacked this season. Tyrus thomas is another guy wasting away on the bench who must get more playing time. Joe smith and his balky knees are not the long term answer. It is time for a changing of the guard for the Bulls if they are going to have any chance at reaching the playoffs. They have failed miserably at living up to expectations, Kobe Bryant is not coming to town, Scott Skiles has long been fired, and yet they can still make a run at the playoffs and turn their season around.

The trade deadline is fast approaching and players will inevitably be dealt. The Bulls should be players on this front. Any package of Ben Wallace for Pau Gasol would do wonders. That, is of course, if the Memphis Grizzlies are interested. The Bulls have lacked a low post scorer for years and has been the main reason for their downfall. You can only live by the jump-shot for so long. A package of Wallace, Thomas, and Duhon may be able to get the deal done. The Bulls will never be a contender without a low post scoring threat. Right now, they have some bargaining chips to make a move for the immediate future. They have to be active during the trade deadline if they have any hope at furthering themselves in the playoffs. Otherwise, Detroit and Boston will pick them off very easily.

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Tony Parker out, now what for the Spurs? posted by kellex

http://lebasketbawl.blogspot.com/2008/01/tony-parker-out-now-what-for-sp

Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs has found himself some bone spurs! He's a Spur with spurs...OK bad joke. His left heal seems to be the issue and was initially not a major worry for Parker and his team, but things have changed.

Does this mean the Spurs are in on the Damon Stoudamire sweepstakes now? My guess is going to be "YES!" Stoudamire has gone through a contractual buyout with the Memphis Grizzlies and is expected to be courted by several teams, now including the Spurs. Boston showed as an early front runner but have slipped down the pole with the Suns, Raptors and now Spurs joining the race.

Stoudamire is supposed to contact Greg Popovich on Tuesday and we'll should help to determine which way this thing swings. The Spurs could easily use Stoudamire skills although I'm not sure he is quite the fit they may be looking for. Jacque Vaughn will step in as starting point guard for the time being but is obviously not the presence on the court each night that Parker is.

Stoudamire would provide some scoring and a veteran poise, but do the reigning NBA Champions really need a player with the selfishness and past of a Mighty Mouse? Should make for an interesting week or so in the NBA; we'll see which team is really THAT desperate.

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Mr. James, so good. posted by kellex

http://lebasketbawl.blogspot.com/2008/01/mr-james-so-good.html

Lebron James dropped 51 points tonight; half of the speed he was clocked at the other night! The Cavaliers took on the Memphis Grizzlies tonight in a very competitive game that went into overtime and featured a ton of scoring. The teams combined for 256 points and that included 10 players in double figure scoring.

James almost wrapped up another triple double, falling just 2 rebounds and 1 assist short. This kid just continues to get better while the rest of his team fails to perform. On a night when the Cavaliers totaled 132 points, Lebron was the only player to break 20 points, and still managed to lead the team in assists.

I know the team just locked up Mike Brown to an extension, but they better decide which sub-par teammate of LJ's they can use as good trade-bait. It is time to put some talent around him; Larry Hughes obviously isn't going to do the trick.Continue reading "Mr. James, so good."

Was the win against the Memphis Grizzlies really a good win? posted by Simon Mashian

Is it me or was that NOT a good win last night? I mean I am so not trying to be negative, but a team that is without its star player (Pau Gasol) and the game is so close kind of worries me. We are 9-13 today and now the season REALLY begins. What do I mean by that? The teams the Los Angele Clippers are facing now are winning teams...

The Memphis Grizzlies are one of the worst teams in the NBA right down with Minnesota Timberwolves...it was very hard for me to see the Clippers not blow them out...nonetheless, it was a win....

Tim Thomas - Is he available for Sunday Night's game against the Lakers?
Quinton Ross - Great to see him back on the floor! (Kobe Stopper!)
Richie Frahm - Loved how he got in the game and was always in motion...he will help this team!
Corey Maggette - Loved the aggressiveness and effectiveness! Excited to see another dominant performance on Sunday Night!
Chris Kaman - I think this is his going to be his first real test this season going up against Andrew Bynum of the Los Angeles Lakers! Should be fun to watch....Continue reading "Was the win against the Memphis Grizzlies ..."

Raptors hire Iavaroni as assistant (AP)

The Raptors have hired former Memphis Grizzlies coach Marc Iavaroni as an assistant to Jay Triano and are parting ways with assistants Mike Evans and Gord Herbert. The Raptors also announced on Friday that Alex English will return for his sixth season with Toronto, his eighth as an NBA assistant. English, who played 16 seasons in the NBA, is the 12th leading scorer in league history and a member of... [read full article]

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