New York, New York! Bringing a championship home

[zike_42]

2013 NBA Playoffs

Eastern Conference
#1 Miami vs. #2 New York

Western Conference
#3 Minnesota vs. #4 Los Angeles Lakers

Miami are THE best team in the league and I don’t think there is any doubt but we did win the regular season series 2-1 but as everyone knows, the playoffs are a whole different beast.

Eastern Conference Finals: New York vs. Miami

Point Guard
Chris Paul vs. Mario Chalmers
17.8 points, 9.8 assists, 4.0 rebounds vs. 7.5 points, 4.5 assists, 4.2 rebounds

Chris Paul stepped his game up against one of the best PGs in the league in Rajon Rondo so he should eat Mario Chalmers alive. Look for D-Wade to slide over to PG at times.

Winner – New York

Shooting Guard
JR Smith vs. Dwayne Wade
10.3 points, 2.6 assists, 3.5 rebounds vs. 23.4 points, 5.2 assists, 5.3 rebounds

Reports of Wade’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. Right now he is still top two best SGs in the league and has accepted being Lebron’s sidekick which has helped the team immensely.

Winner - Miami

Small Forward
Gerald Wallace vs. Lebron James
19.5 points, 1.3 assists, 5.8 rebounds vs. 39.6 points, 4.6 assists, 5.7 rebounds

Read Lebron’s statline again, it’s not a misprint. He really is averaging a shade under 40 points a game. Wallace took care of Paul Pierce last series but comparing The Truth to The King is like comparing tinned Spam to Wagyu beef right now.

Winner - Miami

Power Forward
Amare Stoudemire vs. Jason Maxiell
22.6 points, 1.3 assists, 7.3 rebounds vs. 6.2 points, 0.9 assists, 4.9 rebounds

Maxiell won’t be 100% for the first game (calf) but it doesn’t matter. Stoudemire is the heart of this team and Maxiell isn’t a good defender. If the Knicks want to win STAT needs to step up to a level he hasn’t been to in quite a few years.

Winner – New York

Centre
Tyson Chandler vs. Chris Bosh
16.4 points, 0.8 assists, 7.5 rebounds vs.11.6 points, 1.2 assists, 5.8 rebounds

On paper Bosh is a better player but right now he is looking a mile from himself. Averaging 4.5 fouls a game which has limited him to only 29 minutes per game he has looked nothing like his regular season self.

Winner – Draw

Bench
Marcus Camby, Iman Shumpert, Ronnie Brewer vs. Udonis Haslem, Joel Anthony, Josh Howard

With Bosh playing poorly Haslem has stood up admirably, averaging double digit rebounds. However, the Knick reserves have been magnificent and should take care of business against the Heat bench.

Winner – New York

Prediction – Miami in six.

The Heat crowd are expecting a win but were worried for a while. Tyson Chandler had 28 points and 14 rebounds with Amare putting up 29 points and Chris Paul having 20 but it was King James again, going 18/27 from the field for a whopping 48 points as Miami won 121-110 to start the series. We need to make other players beat us so I talked to Mike Woodson and told him to throw more double and triple teams against him.

Miami leads 1-0

Tyson Chandler again took care of Chris Bosh with 34 points and 14 rebounds and Miami only had two players in double figures would equate to a New York win, right? Wrong, as Lebron cooled off a little for *only* 39 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists with D-Wade backing him up with 38 points as the Heat doubled their series lead with a 123-111 win. We need to regroup and get some wins back home if we don’t want to get swept.

Miami leads 2-0

If the Knicks are winning New York City is your best friend, if the team loses they will turn on you in a second. Luckily for Amare he went 18/24 from the foul line on his way to 38 points as we do a complete 180 and win 122-89. Marcus Camby had a blinder off the bench with 8 points, 14 rebounds and 8 blocks with Lebron finally having a bad (for his standards) game with only 19 points and 4 turnovers. Phew, we won a game. Let’s go for three more.

Miami leads 2-1

If you are wondering about Chris Bosh and his terrible play here are his stats for the first three games –

16.7 minutes, 5.3 points (5/11FG), 3.0 rebounds and 5.7 fouls per game. That’s right, his foul count has been 5, 6, 6. Ouch.

It’s more of the same as we demolish the Heat 126-94 as all of our starters score in double figures, led by Chris Paul’s 30 points and 11 assists. Amare helped out with 27 points while Gerald Wallace is starting to get his head around Lebron as he kept the King to only 9/20 shooting for 30 points. 30 points may sound like a lot but he had to work for every point. Oh yeah, Chris Bosh had 7 points on 1/8 shooting.

Series tied 2-2

In the other conference the Lakers are leading the T’Wolves 3-1 with game five in Minnesota.

Miami are feeling a little under the pump; their two wins were close while ours were blow outs so they feel this home game is essential. Unfortunately for them we had 70 points in the paint with Chris Paul being the major player as we take the series lead with a 129-116 win. CP3 had a massive game with 34 points and 10 assists while Amare was again great with 33 points and 11 rebounds. Gerald Wallace only had 9 points but Lebron James only had 24 points on only 5/18 field goals which is a win in my book. D-Wade has been great this series with 34 points in this game but Chris Bosh was again useless, playing only 17 minutes before fouling out.

New York leads 3-2

Minnesota win their game five to extend the series.

We feel great coming into the Garden and we have a great chance of beating the Heat and going to the NBA Finals. Chris Paul goes for 36 points and 10 assists while all our starters go for over ten but we forgot about one guy: Lebron James. He bursts out of his slump and scorches us for 42 points and 9 rebounds as the Heat tie the series 118-105. One more game to decide who represents the East, man I hope it’s us.

Series tied 3-3

Dwight Howard has 27 points and 14 rebounds as the Lakers win 100-85 to take their series 4-2 and book a spot into the NBA Finals.

It all boils down to this. We have made massive strides from being a good, sometimes great team to a truly elite team but if we lose this game I will be disappointed. Motivated to win next season but winning this game would make me feel validated and the people who hired happy that I was the right person for the job. Enough about me, let’s go to the game.

Alright, here are some stats. Lebron James ‘only’ had 28 points, Dwayne Wade had 22 points and hallelujah Chris Bosh actually did something with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Tyson Chandler had 32 points and Amare Stoudemire had 31 points but the one player who stood out was Iman Shumpert. The second year player stamped his name on the biggest game of his life so far with 15 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists and 6 steals off the bench as we win the game 113-104 to win the series 4-3.

New York wins series 4-3

Woooooooooo! I run down to the locker room after the game and give Shump a massive hug, I don’t care that I ruined a very expensive suit. That game was amazing even for a superstar but for a bench, second year player to step up so well and take a game over so completely is simply stunning.

Phew, I need a rest. The mission is not over yet, we still have Kobe and the Lakers to get through.

[Myles Nelson]

Yeahhh take down Boston and Miami! As a Laker fan I am so happy you did that haha. Now just lose to the Lakers!

[zike_42]

Yeahhh take down Boston and Miami! As a Laker fan I am so happy you did that haha. Now just lose to the Lakers!

I have no idea how we beat the Heat and the Lakers are going to be just as tough, unlike real life

[zike_42]

2013 NBA Finals

#2 New York vs. #4 Los Angeles Lakers

We split the series with the Lakers but the main problem for us was that Dwight Howard had his way with Tyson Chandler and that could be a worry for us going into this series.

NBA Finals: Los Angeles Lakers vs. New York Knicks

Point Guard
Steve Nash vs. Chris Paul
13.4 points, 7.1 assists, 3.5 rebounds vs. 21.1 points, 9.4 assists, 3.5 rebounds

Nash is a two time MVP but is getting too old at 38 to stay with superstars like CP3. The spanner in the works is that Paul has a sore foot and won’t be 100% for the first two to three games.

Winner – New York

Shooting Guard
Kobe Bryant vs. JR Smith
20.7 points, 3.9 assists, 4.1 rebounds vs. 10.7 points, 2.2 assists, 3.6 rebounds

Even though Kobe is 33 years old and has a million miles on his body but he is still the most lethal player when the stakes are at their highest. Iman Shumpert will see a lot of minutes off the bench trying to slow down the Black Mamba.

Winner – LA Lakers

Small Forward
Metta World Peace vs. Gerald Wallace
8.6 points, 1.8 assists, 3.3 rebounds vs. 14.6 points, 1.3 assists, 3.8 rebounds

Wallace is what MWP was five years ago, a good a slasher and an elite defender which means good news for the Knicks but not so good for the Lakers.

Winner – New York

Power Forward
Pau Gasol vs. Amare Stoudemire
14.3 points, 2.6 assists, 7.4 rebounds vs. 25.3 points, 1.8 assists, 6.5 rebounds

Even though Gasol’s numbers aren’t as good as he has put up in previous years he is still a great player and works well with Dwight Howard. He will be primarily used to slow down Amare who has been the Knicks best player during these playoffs.

Winner – New York

Centre
Dwight Howard vs. Tyson Chandler
22.4 points, 1.3 assists, 13.2 rebounds vs. 18.7 points, 0.7 assists, 7.6 rebounds

In the series with the Heat Chandler showed everyone that Chris Bosh is no-one’s centre but this is the complete opposite of what he is used to. Dwight Howard is the best centre in the league and it is not even close. This team is no longer Kobe’s and it has been passed on to the big man in the middle. If Howard gets loose then this series is the Lakers, if Chandler can contain him it’s the Knicks, that’s how important this matchup is.

Winner – LA Lakers

Bench
Ramon Sessions, Reggie Williams, JaMychal Green vs. Marcus Camby, Iman Shumpert, Ronnie Brewer

Sessions and Williams are decent but the talent drops off a cliff after that for the Lakers while the Knicks have a quite deep bench and will be counting on them in this series.

Winner – Knicks

Prediction – New York in seven.

I don’t think the NBA ever thought that they would have the two biggest basketball centres in all of America playing for the ultimate prize and it doesn’t matter who wins the trophy, the NBA wins.

I’m sure the Lakers wish Dwight Howard could shoot free throws as he goes 10/23 from the stripe on his way to 38 points and 15 rebounds. Kobe is held to only 10 points while Steve Nash rocks a double double but strains his hamstring and will be hamstrung for two weeks. On our side Amare had 27 points, Gerald Wallace had 23 and JR Smith dropped in 24 points as we take first blood with a 120-111 win. Marcus Camby is great off the bench with 18 points in 24 minutes but the big news is that Amare goes down holding his elbow at the start of the last quarter and didn’t return.

New York leads 1-0

Oh no. The team doctors tell me what I already knew: Amare broke his elbow and will be out of action for over two months. Marcus Camby slots into the vacant starting PF spot but that makes Furkan Aldemir our first big off the bench and takes away our one big advantage.

When the going gets tough, the tough gets going and I’m really proud of our ability to get the tough going as we demolish the Lakers 110-95 with Tyson Chandler being the chief suspect with 30 points and 9 rebounds. And Marcus Camby? 16 points, 12 rebounds and 6 blocks in his first start. Kobe was harassed all day, going 3/15 from the field for 17 points while Dwight Howard only put up 20 points. I’m not too excited because we go to LA but if we can snatch a game there I’ll be over the moon.

New York leads 2-0

I haven’t seen so many celebrities at a basketball game in all my life, even recluse billionaire Myles Nelson turned up. The Lakers didn’t disappoint either, getting out to a 24 points lead in the third quarter on their way to a 112-97 win. Dwight Howard bounced back with 24 points and 8 rebounds, aided by Kobe’s 24 points and Ramon Sessions’ 20 points in 22 minutes. Gerald Wallace was our best with 22 points as we had six players in double figures but we just didn’t have enough firepower to stay with Los Angeles.

New York leads 2-1

Wow! What a turnaround! Dwight Howard fouls out in 14 minutes while Tyson Chandler goes 10/13 from the field for 29 points as we put the Lakers to the sword with a 105-85 win. Chris Paul shot badly but had 22 points and 10 assists while Steve Nash was the best for the losers with 17 points and 6 assists but when you shoot sub-40% from the field wins are hard to come by.

New York leads 3-1

The Los Angeles crowd was on edge, I haven’t seen so many proper basketball fans at a Lakers game in a long time, and they don’t want this series to be over. And what a strange game it was. We got out to a 25 points half time lead and it felt like we had the game in the bag but the Lakers came back at us with a phenomenal 31-9 third quarter to take a three point lead. Dwight Howard had 30 points and 13 rebounds while Kobe went 12/12 from the line on his way to 23 points. For the Knicks Chris Paul shot 21 free throws for 27 points, but the game and the championship came down to one player: Iman Shumpert. The hero of the Miami series with his stellar performance Shump has now etched his name into the history books with 19 points in only 19 minutes, most in the last quarter as we win the Larry O’Brien Trophy 109-101!

New York wins championship 4-1

The bench goes mad as Amare Stoudemire is carried around the court by Kurt Thomas as his whole arm is in a cast while Chris Paul and Iman Shumpert are screaming at the top of their lungs at centre court. I race down the court and give Mike Woodson a massive hug as he yells, “We did it!” over and over in my ear.

The photo of the finals is of a step back jumpshot that is the spitting image of Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant by none other than Iman Shumpert ON Kobe Bryant. It is currently hanging on my lounge room wall.

Strangely enough it was Tyson Chandler who won Finals MVP with his stellar performance, averaging 19 points and 6 rebounds a game while limiting Dwight Howard. I thought it would have gone to Chris Paul.

I think I will take a few weeks off to let this moment soak in but then it’s back to business to try and go for a repeat.

Congratulations to the New York Knicks, the 2012/2013 NBA Champions!!!

[IWWROCKS]

Congratulations! Wonderful acheivement...all I can think though is poor Carmelo

[zike_42]

How the Knicks Won the Title

First and foremost, it started with General Manager Yaxley MacMillan who didn’t care if he stepped on someone’s toes and if he saw someone better he traded anyone and everyone to get them. Here are the players who did it for him –

#48 Ben Wallace, C, 16 year pro, Virginia Union
Stats – 4.5 minutes, 1.1 points, 0.3 assists, 1.1 rebounds, 0.3 steals, 0.2 blocks
Acquired by – Free Agency

Even though Wallace didn’t play much and is getting up in age he was imperative to the development of this team’s defensive culture. Amare Stoudemire credits Wallace’s training play as a major factor to his improved defence.

#40 Kurt Thomas, C, 17 year pro, Texas Christian
Stats – 8.3 minutes, 2.5 points, 0.5 assists, 2.0 rebounds, 0.2 steals, 0.3 blocks
Acquired by – Free Agency

Another great training body, he was known as the ‘player-coach’ as he was known to be more of a coach than Mike Woodson sometimes. He will make a great head coach in a few years.

#9 Pablo Prigioni, PG, rookie, Argentina
Stats – 5.2 minutes, 1.9 points, 0.9 assists, 0.5 rebounds, 0.2 steals, 0.1 blocks
Acquired by – Free Agency

The 35 year old rookie has been used sparingly but when he was called upon he delivered. Pablo and Jason Kidd became good friends, probably talking about how they used to ride dinosaurs or something.

#49 Solomon Jones, PF, 7 year pro, South Florida
Stats – 12.6 minutes, 3.4 points, 0.4 assists, 2.2 rebounds, 0.6 steals, 0.4 blocks
Acquired by – Free Agency

He may have come in late and only played five regular season games but was very important in the playoffs. Apparently he is a master cook as well, making world class lasagne.

#0 Furkan Aldemir, PF, rookie, Turkey
Stats – 9.7 minutes (5 starts), 5.5 points, 0.5 assists, 2.0 rebounds, 0.3 steals, 0.1 blocks
Acquired by – Free Agency

The most determined player on the roster he butted heads with numerous players and even general manager MacMillan. However, this ‘in your face’ attitude has rubbed off onto other players, unexpectantly Jason Kidd who took on the challenge of the Furkan.

#5 Jason Kidd, PG, 18 year pro, California
Stats – 10.4 minutes (5 starts), 3.1 points, 2.3 assists, 1.1 rebounds, 0.7 steals, 0.0 blocks
Acquired by – Free Agency

The elder statesman of the team who is loved by everyone. He is the man someone would go to if you were in trouble and he would help them out. He didn’t need to play as many minutes as previous years which prolonged his career and it has worked, he is ready to go into next season.

#11 Ronnie Brewer, SG, 6 year pro, Arkansas
Stats – 19.2 minutes (2 starts), 7.3 points, 1.3 assists, 2.5 rebounds, 0.7 steals, 0.2 blocks
Acquired by – Free Agency

The one guy that was always at training and always playing hard. His shot looks awful but he was one of the guys who really brought that something extra to the team.

#21 Iman Shumpert, SG, 1 year pro, Georgia Tech
Stats – 20.2 minutes (22 starts), 7.6 points, 2.7 assists, 2.4 rebounds, 1.2 steals, 0.0 blocks
Acquired by – Draft

What a post season Shump had. Coming into the season he was the ‘future’ but no one would have dreamed that his growth would be this much. Already a lock down defender he looks to be the Knicks SG for the foreseeable future and his play in the playoffs will be talked about for years to come.

#6 Tyson Chandler, C, 11 year pro, High school
Stats – 29.2 minutes (77 starts), 14.8 points, 0.6 assists, 8.5 rebounds, 1.2 steals, 1.8 blocks
Acquired by – Trade

The Finals MVP for his dismantling of Dwight Howard, Tyson Chandler has been the backbone for this Knick team. His defensive presence has let his teammates flourish on the other end and has been a vocal leader from the get go.

#23 Marcus Camby, C, 16 year pro, Massachusetts
Stats – 19.5 minutes (7 starts), 7.3 points, 0.6 assists, 6.6 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 1.6 blocks
Acquired by – Free Agency

He may have had a few spats with the coach and front office but eventually Camby came around to his reserve role and made the most of it. When Amare Stoudemire went down in the Finals Camby stood up and delivered like it was 2002.

#28 Gerald Wallace, SF, 11 year pro, Alabama
Stats – 31.8 minutes (57 starts), 12.6 points, 1.7 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 1.6 steals, 0.7 blocks
Acquired by – Trade

Moving into the departing Carmelo Anthony’s position is never easy, especially in New York. However, GM MacMillan had a plan: get an outstanding defensive SF to lock down the Lebron James’ and Paul Pierce’s of the league and this team will go far, and that is exactly what Wallace did. He didn’t make the SportsCenter play but he made the right one.

#8 JR Smith, SG, 8 year pro, High school
Stats – 33.5 minutes (82 starts), 11.7 points, 2.1 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals, 0.1 blocks
Acquired by – Free Agency

Having Smith on the team is always a gamble and the team was almost ready to bail on him but JR kept his head and played wonderfully in tandem with Iman Shumpert. He took being sent to the bench for stretches in his stride and when it was his turn Smith delivered. It will be interesting to see if the Knicks keep the now out of contract Smith around.

#18 Chris Paul, PG, 7 year pro, Wake Forest
Stats – 38.6 minutes (77 starts), 20.4 points, 10.1 assists, 3.9 rebounds, 2.5 steals, 0.0 blocks
Acquired by – Trade

Trading crowd favourite Carmelo Anthony was a big call but what the Knicks got for him was a game changer. With CP3 on the roster the Knicks were about to get out and run, as well as having an elite defender at the PG position. If it was up to New York, Paul would never leave the Garden.

#1 Amare Stoudemire (CAPTAIN), PF, 10 year pro, High school
Stats – 36.1 minutes (75 starts), 22.6 points, 1.5 assists, 7.8 rebounds, 1.3 steals, 1.1 blocks
Acquired by – Free Agency

The guy that made all of this happen. If it wasn’t for Amare signing with the Knicks in 2010 then this team would still be mired in the middle ground of the Eastern Conference. He had a poor year last season but bounced back phenomenally in this campaign. Unfortunately for him he broke his elbow in the NBA Finals but he should be fully healthy for their title defence.

Head Coach – Mike Woodson, 54 years old, 7 years experience
1st Assistant – Herb Williams, 54 years old
2nd Assistant – Darrell Walker, 52 years old
3rd Assistant – Jim Todd, 56 years old
General Manager – Yaxley MacMillan, 33 years old

[zike_42]

After a break that really wasn’t long enough it’s time to go back to work, and first thing is the draft lottery. It doesn’t really concern us as we don’t have a first round pick this season.

#14 – Utah (0)
#13 – Utah (0)
#12 – Sacramento (0)
#11 – Washington (0)
#10 – Detroit (0)
#9 – Cleveland (0)
#8 – Indiana (-2)

Both Phoenix and Portland have jumped.

#7 – New Orleans (-2)
#6 – Brooklyn (-2)
#5 – Orlando (-2)
#4 – Toronto (-2)
#3 – Phoenix (+5)
#2 – Portland (+5)
#1 – Charlotte (0)

Lucky for the Bobcats to stay put but it is a huge coup for both the Suns and especially the Blazers.

Awards time! Chris Paul is a definite for All NBA in my opinion but it would be fantastic to see either Amare or Tyson get into a team.

Most Valuable Player:
Lebron James, Miami Heat – 32.1 points, 4.6 assists, 6.0 rebounds, 2.5 steals, 0.5 blocks

Well deserved.

Defensive Player of the Year:
Dwight Howard, Los Angeles Lakers – 21.3 points, 1.2 assists, 10.6 rebounds, 2.0 steals, 2.1 blocks

Sixth Man of the Year:
Tiago Splitter, San Antonio Spurs – 10.6 points, 0.7 assists, 5.3 rebounds, 0.6 steals, 1.0 blocks

Rookie of the Year:
Anthony Davis, New Orleans Hornets – 12.6 points, 1.6 assists, 8.4 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 3.2 blocks

Coach of the Year:
Erik Spoelstra, Miami Heat – 66-16 (.805)

Whenever a C averages over two steals and two blocks a game they should win the DPoY award. The rest look good as well.

All NBA First Team
Chris Paul, New York Knicks
Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
Lebron James, Miami Heat
Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves
Andrew Bynum, Philadelphia 76ers

All NBA Second Team
Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
Dwight Howard, Los Angeles Lakers

All NBA Third Team
Deron Williams, Brooklyn Nets
Jarrett Jack, Golden State Warriors
Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics
LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland Trailblazers
Kris Humphries, Brooklyn Nets

Wow, Jarrett Jack for the third team? His numbers weren’t very good but I guess the SG position is in a little bit of a funk at the moment. I’m sure Tyson played better than Humphries but I’m a little biased.

All Defensive First Team
Chris Paul, New York Knicks
Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
Lebron James, Miami Heat
Josh Smith, Atlanta Hawks
Dwight Howard, Los Angeles Lakers

All Defensive Second Team
Mike Conley, Memphis Grizzlies
Tony Allen, Memphis Grizzles
Trevor Ariza, Washington Wizards
Anthony Davis, New Orleans Hornets
Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies

All Rookie First Team
Damian Lillard, Portland Trailblazers
Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Charlotte Bobcats
Anthony Davis, New Orleans Hornets
Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons

All Rookie Second Team
Kendall Marshall, Phoenix Suns
Will Barton, Portland Trailblazers
Terrence Jones, Houston Rockets
Thomas Robinson, Sacramento Kings
Jonas Valanciunas, Toronto Raptors

I get a knock on the door a few days after the awards were announced and it was our owner, Charles Rolen. He is a very proper man but I could see in his eyes that he was jumping for joy after winning the championship.

“Well done! We haven’t won a championship since the 70’s and it all came down to you!” Mr Rolen started.
“Thanks boss. It really was a team effort.” I replied.
“You did spend a little too much for my liking but with results like these I can’t complain. Keep up the good work.” With that he was off, probably to buy a small country or two.

He is all about the money with this team but he is pretty cool with how much. I tell him a few days later that we can repeat as champions but he should be prepared to pay to the luxury tax. He didn’t like those two words and told me to steer clear of the tax or he won’t be happy. That doesn’t help as we are already $20 million over the tax so I’m going to have to shed some salary to get the team to a proper fiscal state. Urgh, I hate thinking like that.

I give all of our coaches three year extensions, because they deserve it. Having the pressure of New York City would break lesser coaches but these guys were fantastic.

A couple of head coaching news, Flip Saunders has signed with Charlotte while Rudy Tomjanovich is going to lead the Raptors. [OOC – if anyone read my PB2 dynasty I signed Rudy T with my Raptors at the start.] The biggest news was that now Dwight Howard has left Orlando the Magic have nabbed Stan Van Gundy to lead the team. I guess it was Dwight’s fault all along.

2013 NBA Mock Draft
1 – Charlotte – PF Thomas Cooper
2 – Portland – SF Gabe White
3 – Phoenix – SF Mike Bailey
4 – Toronto – SG Eric Johnson
5 – Orlando – C Demond Lewis
6 – Brooklyn – SF Andrew Seitz
7 – New Orleans – SF Gary Gravitt
8 – Indiana – PG Lewis Vines
9 – Cleveland – PF Dennis Freymond
10 – Detroit – SG John Johnson
11 – Washington – PF Lynn McMillian
12 – Sacramento – SF Dylan Peterson
13 – Utah – PG Michael Fisher
14 – SG Mike Lloyd

I think Cooper is the clear cut number one but White is a good runners-up. If Freymond falls to #9 the Cavs will be very happy.

[zike_42]

2013 NBA Draft

I put all of our players on the trading block for no particular reason, sure I need to slash salary but it’s always fun to see what other teams think of ours.

1 – Charlotte – PF Dennis Freymond
Wow, I would not have picked him here. Sure he will be a good player but Thomas Cooper is the superstar of this draft.

I need to slash some salary from the payroll or my head will roll so I go shopping. CP3 is a free agent, Amare is getting paid over $21 million a year while no one really wants Gerald Wallace so it’s down to Tyson Chandler. I really don’t want to trade our Finals MVP but we need to lose some money. I get it done and I’m pretty happy with it.

New York trade:
C Tyson Chandler
SG JR Smith
2015 1st round pick

Cleveland trade:
C Anderson Varejao
SG Dion Waiters

Winner – New York. Chandler will be missed but Sideshow Bob is a worthy replacement while Waiters looks to be the goods.

Although this doesn’t help with my starting SG dilemma but it gives us a hell of a bench upgrade.

2 – Portland – SG Eric Johnson
What?!? Johnson is a decent scorer and a fantastic defender but he is not the right pick here.

3 – Phoenix – SG Mike Lloyd
A 6’4” SG from Morgan State. I am flabbergasted that the Suns would pick him here. If they really wanted him just trade down.

I try and try and try and get the Raptors’ pick (4th) but our salaries just don’t match. If the Raptors don’t pick Cooper then Orlando will be getting a phone call.

4 – Toronto – SF Mike Bailey
Oh come on! This is getting ridiculous! Not only has Thomas Cooper not been picked neither has Gabe White, who I think is the best SF in the draft. Bailey is a great pick for the fourth pick in any other draft but this is no normal draft.

ARGH! Orlando won’t trade with me! I even try and trade my favourite Iman Shumpert and they still won’t budge. Damn.

5 – Orlando – SF Gabe White
Great pick a 6’10” SF who can do nearly everything. For the fifth pick the Magic have got them a steal.

Brooklyn won’t trade with me either and I have given up on stealing Thomas Cooper.

6 – Brooklyn – SF Andrew Seitz
What a waste of a pick, even on a normal day. He is a good defender but has no other abilities to differentiate him from someone picked at the end of the draft.

7 – New Orleans – PG Lewis Vines
Very, very good point guard and is definitely the best PG in the draft. The experts don’t like the pick but I don’t mind it.

Yay! I finally get through to a team and get a trade down. I’m not completely happy with it but I couldn’t pass up Thomas Cooper.

New York trade:
SG Iman Shumpert
2013 2nd round pick (#58)

Indiana trade:
2013 1st round pick (#8)

Winner – Both. Shumpert really broke out in the playoffs and the Pacers will be happy with him. New York GM MacMillian has been craving Thomas Cooper and has been bothering every team on the way, finally getting his wish.

I don’t have to wait long to send the pick through.

8 – New York – PF Thomas Cooper
I don’t know how he fell this far but I’m happy that he did. It works my SG dilemma as well, with Dion Waiter being the last one standing.

I’m happy now so I don’t think I will be doing any more dealing.

9 – Cleveland – SG Altron Johnson
Probably not the first SG Johnson I would pick with John Johnson the more likely one to be selected first but the Cavs must have seen something in Altron. He is a good player so he will fit into Dion Waiters vacant position.

10 – Detroit – SG John Johnson
Much better, he will fit right in next to Brandon Knight. The Pistons have some great young talent at the moment; they just need to be patient.

I swing another trade, one that I wouldn’t have done if I hadn’t snagged Cooper.

New York trade:
PF Amare Stoudemire
2014 2nd round pick

Boston trade:
SF Paul Pierce
SG Avery Bradley

Winner – Boston. Stoudemire was playing out of his mind last season and will have another stellar PG to play with in Rajon Rondo. The Knicks lost a bit because they wanted lose some salary so lost some heart of the team.

I will take that but Pierce has one year less on his contract and $7 million less while Bradley is a fantastic defender and will be a Iman-lite player. All that is left is to get rid of Wallace.

11 – Washington – PF Chris Drexler
He is young but is a good shooter and passer. He is actually Clyde Drexler nephew.

12 – Sacramento – SF Gary Gravitt
Great pick up for the Kings and could even start for them sometime during the season. Nice pick.

The Kings then ring me up and offer me rubbish for Wallace and even though I’m trying to get rid of him I won’t let him go for nothing. However, no one wants him So I’m stuck with Wallace for now.

13 – Utah – Lynn McMillian
A really skinny player who is a back to the basket player is really going to struggle. He has some great defensive skills though. He has talent it’s just up to size to see if he lives up to it.

14 – Utah – PG Michael Fisher
A wonderful passer but is a streaky shooter and defender. Think of Rajon Rondo and half Rondo’s defensive ability.

15 – Atlanta – C Demond Lewis
16 – Memphis – SG Hassan Benton
17 – Chicago – SG Jake Chase
18 – Oklahoma City - SG Mark Jones
19 – Boston - PG John Weir
20 – Boston – C Brad Ryan
21 – Indiana – PG Myron Nee
22 – Philadelphia – SG Johnny Keys
23 – Portland – C Ricardo Marquardt
24 – Cleveland – PF Brennan Weber
25 – Milwaukee – PG Riyad Burke
26 – Brooklyn – SG Corey Willie
27 – Denver – PG Brandon Croom
28 – Houston – PG Bryant Platts
29 – Golden State – PF Marquis Brown
30 – Miami – PF Jon Camara

We don’t have any second round picks, in fact we don’t have any picks for a couple of years now but as we are in win-now mode I don’t really care. There were some good trades and boring trades, so I’ll just go over the trades that will impact on the teams.

Dallas trade:
SG Jared Cunningham
SF Jae Crowder

Cleveland trade:
SF CJ Miles
2013 2nd round pick

Winner – Dallas. Miles won’t set the world on fire but Cunningham and Crowder are the very definition of scrub.

Chicago trade:
SG Marshon Brooks

Orlando trade:
PF Andrew Nicholson

Winner – Orlando. Brooks is a decent fringe starter while Nicholson is a very average player who won’t get to Brooks’ level. Strange by the Bulls.

Memphis trade:
PF Marreese Speights
C Hamed Haddadi

Denver trade:
SF Wilson Chandler
2013 2nd round pick

Winner – Memphis. What a backfire by the Nuggets. They traded for the good Speights but then Marreese turned around and declined his option is now a free agent. Chandler is better anyway.

New Orleans trade:
C Robin Lopez
PF Hakim Warrick

Boston trade:
SG Jason Terry
2013 2nd round pick

Winner – Boston. Lopez and Warrick are good bench players while Terry is now starting at SF because they don’t have anything else. What makes matters worse is that the Hornets now have four SGs who need minutes.

Sacramento trade:
SG Francisco Garcia
2013 2nd round pick

Philadelphia trade:
SG Jason Richardson

Winner – Philadelphia. Richardson is good but the Kings get out of over $6 million which is good enough for me.

Houston trade:
PF Patrick Patterson

Toronto trade:
PF Ed Davis

Winner – Toronto. They are both very, very similar but the one good thing about Patterson is that he is a good defender while Davis is one of the worst defenders in the league. Good pick up by the Rockets.

Thomas Cooper looks the real deal, he is a bit of a brat but nothing to get worked up about and I’m happy that I traded Amare to let Cooper shine.

[Myles Nelson]

I don't think there's ever been a team that has won a championship and then blown it up as quickly as you have. I hope it works out in your favor.

[zike_42]

I don't think there's ever been a team that has won a championship and then blown it up as quickly as you have. I hope it works out in your favor.

I'm hoping as well or it's my head. I learnt from my other dynasty that having an elite team every year isn't very fun, it's just playing on auto-pilot so I like to change things up to keep things interesting.