New York, New York! Bringing a championship home

[zike_42]

Ouch on that CP3 injury. Just ouch.

When it happened I wasn't angry or upset, I was just in shock. I saw our championship dreams go down when he did. I sat in my chair not doing anything for about 5 minutes, it was weird.

[zike_42]

March Player of the Month – Lebron James, Miami Heat – 35.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 3.8 steals and 0.5 blocks per game.

March Rookie of the Month – Dennis Freymond, Charlotte Bobcats – 16.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.0 blocks per game.

Although Freymond is putting up good number he has some major flaws in his game. For starters, he has not blocked a shot in 73 games. I don’t care who you are, if you are 6’9” and averaging 35 minutes a game you should be able to accidently block a shot. The other problem which is something he really needs to work on is that he has shot 178/447 from the foul line, or an atrocious 39.8%. That just isn’t good enough and teams will learn to foul him before he has a chance to get the shot in. Thomas Cooper is looking much better.

That’s a good start post-CP3 as we flog Minnesota in Minnesota 112-85. Paul Pierce steps up with 32 points while Thomas Cooper holds Kevin Love to 4/15 shooting for only 14 points and 9 rebounds. Raymond Felton has 8 points and 7 assists in his first New York start.

New York Knicks 54-20

We come crashing back down to earth as the Oklahoma City Durants drub us 119-90. KD had a massive 43 points (on 24 shots) and 10 rebounds. The biggest statistic is they shot 55% from the field and we shot 32%. ‘Nuff said.

New York Knicks 54-21

It’s another home and home against Boston and we take the first at our home with a 106-81 rout. Paul Pierce destroys his old team with 36 points and 9 rebounds while Raymond Felton scores only 2 points but dishes out 10 assists. Ex-Knick Amare Stoudemire had 16 points but it was over after halftime where we led 52-29.

New York Knicks 55-21

It’s off the Boston the next night and the Celtics got out to a 14 point lead in the second quarter but we rallied to outscore them 51-28 in the second half to win 90-77. Anderson Varejao had his way with Kevin Garnett for 18 points and 15 rebounds as the Celtics had only one player in double figures, Amare Stoudemire with 20 points on 20 shots.

New York Knicks 56-21

Another game where our opposition gets out to a double digit lead in the second quarter and we storm back as we come back from 12 points to beat Detroit 98-88. Paul Pierce had 22 points while Avery Bradley helped out with 19 points of his own. John Johnson put up 18 points for the losers while Brandon Knight nearly had the triple double no-one wants with 10 points, 11 assists and 8 turnovers.

New York Knicks 57-21

With four games to go we have sewn up the second seed so I talk to Mike Woodson to see if we can rest some of our main guys and he agrees. Here is our new starting line-up –

PG Raymond Felton
SG Dion Waiters
SF Gerald Wallace
PF Elton Brand
C Thomas Cooper

Still pretty good I reckon with Pierce, Bradley and Varejao joining Chris Paul his street clothes.

We come close to Milwaukee as we go down 107-102 which is a pretty good effort. Brandon Jennings is the player of the game with 22 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds. Thomas Cooper was our best with 15 points and 11 rebounds while Chauncey Billups had 14 points in 13 minutes off the bench.

New York Knicks 57-22

Our nearest rival absolutely torches us, with Washington flogging our bench team 110-79. John Wall has a blinder with 24 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds, 6 steals and 3 blocks and Kevin Seraphin helps off the bench with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Raymond Felton had 18 points and Chauncey Billups steps up again with 13 points in 15 minutes put we shot 32% from the field, punctuated by Gerald Wallace’s 1/13 shooting night.

New York Knicks 57-23

Hey! Our bench side had a win, a 89-79 win over the disappointing Hawks. Dion Waiters had a great game with 24 points, 5 rebounds and 5 steals and Greg Oden shows some of his old potential with 10 points and 8 rebounds as Thomas Cooper fouls out in 19 minutes guarding Al Horford. Horford had 17 points and 10 rebounds to make up for the woeful shooting from Josh Smith and Derrick Brown who combined for 12/38 shooting.

New York Knicks 58-23

Our last game of the season is a predictable 92-81 loss to Brooklyn. Deron Williams probably had leather poisoning after the game as he went 11/34 from the field for 28 points while Kris Humphries was much better with 24 points and 17 rebounds. Gerald Wallace was probably our best from a bad bunch with 17 points and 6 rebounds.

New York Knicks 58-24

We went 1-3 from those last four games but it doesn’t matter, as long as the rest of our starters are healthy and roaring to go.

Eastern Conference Standings
1. Miami Heat – 69-13 (.841)
2. New York Knicks – 58-24 (.707)
3. Washington Wizards – 54-28 (.659)
4. Cleveland Cavaliers – 51-31 (.622)
5. Indiana Pacers – 48-34 (.585)
6. Milwaukee Bucks – 47-35 (.573)
7. Brooklyn Nets – 45-37 (.549)
8. Detroit Pistons – 45-37 (.549)
Last – Orlando Magic – 17-65 (.207)

Western Conference Standings
1. Denver Nuggets – 62-20 (.756)
2. Minnesota Timberwolves – 58-24 (.707)
3. Golden State Warriors – 58-24 (.707)
4. San Antonio Spurs – 52-30 (.634)
5. Sacramento Kings – 48-34 (.585)
6. Oklahoma City Thunder – 47-35 (.573)
7. Houston Rockets – 41-41 (.500)
8. Portland Trailblazers – 40-42 (.488)
Last – Phoenix Suns – 23-59 (.280)

New York Top Points
Paul Pierce – 20.3
Chris Paul – 18.8
Anderson Varejao – 13.6

New York Top Assists
Chris Paul – 10.0
Raymond Felton – 3.3
Dion Waiters – 2.9

New York Top Rebounds
Anderson Varejao – 10.7
Elton Brand – 7.1
Thomas Cooper – 5.8

League Top Points
Kevin Durant (OKC) – 33.8
Lebron James (MIA) – 32.3
Kevin Love (MIN) – 28.4

League Top Assists
Rajon Rondo (BOS) – 12.3
Chris Paul (NYK) – 10.0
Ricky Rubio (MIN) – 9.8

League Top Rebounds
Kevin Love (MIN) – 12.6
Derrick Favors (UTA) – 11.6
Dwight Howard (SAS) – 11.6

League Top Blocks
Serge Ibaka (OKC) – 3.6
Ekpe Udoh (MIL) – 3.4
Bismack Biyombo (CHA) – 3.3

League Top Steals
DeMarcus Cousins (SAC) – 2.8
Lebron James (MIA) – 2.8
Jeremy Lin (HOU) – 2.4

Rookie Top Points
John Johnson (DET) – 18.2
Dennis Freymond (CHA) – 16.5
Altron Johnson (CLE) – 12.2

Rookie Top Assists
Michael Fisher (UTA) – 8.1
John Weir (BOS) – 5.8
Eric Johnson (POR) – 5.1

Rookie Top Rebounds
Dennis Freymond (CHA) – 7.9
Mike Bailey (TOR) – 5.8
Thomas Cooper (NYK) – 5.8

[PointGuard]

For starters, he has not blocked a shot in 73 games. I don’t care who you are, if you are 6’9” and averaging 35 minutes a game you should be able to accidently block a shot.

LOL...Maybe you need to have Freymond guard only really small guys who can't jump and tell him to wave his arms around wildly whenever they get the ball so eventually one of his flailing hands will coincide with the low arc of a shot, the game can be stopped, and the ball tossed to the bench for Freymond's trophy case as recognition of his first NBA block.

[zike_42]

LOL...Maybe you need to have Freymond guard only really small guys who can't jump and tell him to wave his arms around wildly whenever they get the ball so eventually one of his flailing hands will coincide with the low arc of a shot, the game can be stopped, and the ball tossed to the bench for Freymond's trophy case as recognition of his first NBA block.

It's just unbelievable that someone that big could not get a block. He didn't record one at all this season because his shot blocking value is a horrible 29.

I did some digging and it seems that our very own Thomas Cooper did not block a shot this season. His shot blocking value is 30 but that is still disappointing as he is 6'10", and inch taller than Freymond. The lowest SB value for a front court player in the league is 28 from Cliff Broermann, a rookie at Memphis averaging 3.9 minutes a game.

[zike_42]

2014 NBA Playoffs

Eastern Conference
#1 Miami vs. #8 Detroit
#2 New York vs. #7 Brooklyn
#3 Washington vs. #6 Milwaukee
#4 Cleveland vs. #5 Indiana

Western Conference
#1 Denver vs. #8 Portland
#2 Golden State vs. #7 Houston
#3 Minnesota vs. #6 Oklahoma City
#4 San Antonio vs. #5 Sacramento

The Subway series was tied at 2-2, but the last one was when were resting our stars. I’m not sleeping on this team as they have some great players suiting up.

Eastern Conference First Round – Brooklyn vs. New York

Point Guard
Deron Williams vs. Raymond Felton
20.8 points, 7.4 assists, 4.0 rebounds vs. 6.1 points, 3.3 assists, 1.9 rebounds

The whole Knick army let out a groan when Chris Paul went down for the season last month and it’s up with Felton to take charge. Williams is the better player but don’t count Felton out.

Winner - Brooklyn

Shooting Guard
Joe Johnson vs. Avery Bradley
15.8 points, 4.9 assists, 4.4 rebounds vs. 13.2 points, 1.4 assists, 3.4 rebounds

Although Bradley is an elite defender he is only 6’3” which is going to cause problems from the 6’7” Johnson.

Winner - Brooklyn

Small Forward
Andrew Seitz vs. Paul Pierce
9.4 points, 1.6 assists, 4.6 rebounds vs. 20.3 points, 2.0 assists, 5.8 rebounds

He may be getting old by The Truth is still an outstanding scorer in the league. Look for him to give rookie Seitz a lesson in the NBA.

Winner – New York

Power Forward
Marcus Camby vs. Thomas Cooper
4.6 points, 0.8 assists, 4.9 rebounds vs. 9.9 points, 1.1 assists, 5.8 rebounds

Camby was a Knick as soon as a couple of months ago and will have plenty of inside knowledge about the team. Unfortunately that is all he has at the moment because at 39 years old he just won’t be able to keep up with the spritely Cooper.

Winner – New York

Centre
Kris Humphries vs. Anderson Varejao
13.8 points, 1.5 assists, 11.1 rebounds vs. 13.6 points, 1.4 assists, 10.7 rebounds

The battle of the battlers, both Hump and Sideshow Bob don’t look to score the ball but are excellent at all the little things.

Winner - Draw

Bench
Brook Lopez, Marreese Speights, Corey Willie vs. Dion Waiters, Elton Brand, Gerald Wallace

The Knicks’ bench is outstanding and if it wasn’t for Chris Paul’s injury Raymond Felton would be there as well. I’m not sure why the Nets don’t start both Humphries and Lopez but there must be a reason.

Winner – New York

Prediction – Knicks in six. It’s going to be a tough battle but the Knicks have just enough class to take your their rivals.

Madison Square Garden is rocking and it’s not only Knicks fans, there is a huge contingent of Nets supporters who have braved the words and jeers to cheer on their team. It was Joe Johnson doing all the damage, as he took Avery Bradley to the cleaners with 35 points to open up a 12 point lead going into the fourth quarter. Luckily for us we have one of the most clutch players in history as Paul Pierce put this team on his shoulders to give us a 36-23 final quarter to win 110-102. Pierce had 33 points and 8 rebounds to take the honours but Raymond Felton had a blinder, putting up 17 points (on four shots!) and 10 assists and held Deron Williams to an atrocious 3/18 shooting night for 9 points and six fouls.

New York leads 1-0

Deron Williams was furious with his performance last game and went out to prove everyone wrong, putting up 21 points, 13 assists and 8 rebounds to take them to a 116-105 series tying win. Kris Humphries had 27 points and 12 rebounds while Raymond Felton had a taste of his own medicine, going 1/10 from the field. Avery Bradley had 26 points for us but we shot just 41% from the field.

Series tied 1-1

The series travels all of six miles to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn for games three and four and like the first two games, the crowd is fairly split. That doesn’t help us one bit as the Nets go 19/24 from the foul line to our 5/11 as they take the series lead with a 100-87 win. Andrew Seitz dominates Paul Pierce with 20 points while Brook Lopez goes nuts off the bench with 17 points in 18 minutes. Elton Brand starts in place of Thomas Cooper with 14 points and 11 rebounds but we had 10 more fouls which was highly suspicious in my opinion.

Brooklyn leads 2-1

We need to win this game or things go from bad to worse and this game all came down to one player. He scored 30 points for the game, led his team to a 38-26 fourth quarter after his team was down double digits in the third quarter. Sound familiar? It should, because that player is Paul Pierce and we win 120-115 to tie the series. Raymond Felton helped out with 24 points but it was the Paul Pierce show tonight. Kris Humphries did his best with 24 points and 13 rebounds but it was our turn to be favoured by the refs, shooting 26/37 from the line compared to their 22/27.

Series tied 2-2

The only sweep was #1 Denver taking care of #8 Portland, while all other series are still alive.

Alright, win this and we retake home court advantage. Lose this and we are staring down the barrel of the gun held by the guys we really don’t want to be shot by. And the team doesn’t surrender, winning by a massive 103-83 margin. Avery Bradley had 25 points while Paul Pierce put in 25 of his own and Elton Brand, Anderson Varejao and Raymond Felton had double doubles. Kris Humphries put up 19 points and 15 rebounds but their backcourt went 14/32 for only 34 points. One more win!

New York leads 3-2

#3 Washington down #6 Milwaukee 4-1, as do #2 Golden State who put down the upstart #7 Rockets by the same margin.

It’s off the Brooklyn again and we dominate from the start. Our biggest lead was 36 points as we win 116-89 to move on to the next round. Guess who our star was for this game? Paul Pierce? No, only 16 points. Raymond Felton? No, only 18 minutes before fouling out. It was the guy who hadn’t done anything this series Anderson Varejao, we put up 25 points and 17 rebounds to dismantle Kris Humphries and Brook Lopez who both fouled out trying to defend the Brazilian. Thomas Cooper was also good with 15 points in 15 minutes. Joe Johnson was the “best” for the Nets, and I put best in quotation marks because he only had 14 points.

New York wins series 4-2

In a massive boost to our title defence chances is that #8 Detroit has knocked off #1 Miami in six games! None of Miami’s big three were injured, in fact they all played better than their season’s averages. It came down to Greg Monroe and the Pistons’ bench. Monroe averaged 24 points, 10.5 rebounds and 5.7 assists for the series while six other players were scoring nine points or more. Just stunning and makes me feel really good actually.

#4 Cleveland took out #5 Indiana so we won’t be seeing Iman Shumpert this season while #5 Sacramento had the little upset, beating the disappointing #4 Spurs 4-2. The next night Kevin Love had 27 points and 13 rebounds while Ricky Rubio put up a triple double (17 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) as they take care of the Thunder to win their game seven.

Up next – The very dangerous Washington Wizards

[zike_42]

2014 NBA Playoffs

Eastern Conference
#2 New York vs. #3 Washington
#4 Cleveland vs. #8 Detroit

Western Conference
#1 Denver vs. #5 Sacramento
#2 Golden State vs. #3 Minnesota

We split the series with the Wizards but I am very wary of this team, they look like a squad that can cause an upset.

Eastern Conference Semi Final – Washington vs. New York

Point Guard
John Wall vs. Raymond Felton
19.0 points, 9.2 assists, 3.4 rebounds vs. 12.5 points, 7.5 assists, 3.7 rebounds

One of the key match-ups in the series because if Felton can slow down the streaking Wall then the Wizards are going to have a tough time getting into their offence.

Winner - Washington

Shooting Guard
Bradley Beal vs. Avery Bradley
21.4 points, 1.6 assists, 4.6 rebounds vs. 20.0 points, 2.2 assists, 4.5 rebounds

Bradley surprised everyone by outplaying former All Star Joe Johnson last series and with the height battle being even (both players are 6’4”) this looks to be a cracking duel. Beal may have the offence but Bradley is an elite defender and can fill up the cup in an instant.

Winner - Draw

Small Forward
Trevor Ariza vs. Paul Pierce
14.0 points, 4.4 assists, 6.8 rebounds vs. 21.8 points, 1.7 assists, 5.3 rebounds

He may be 35 years old but PP is still a baller. Ariza will test him though with his all-around game and will need to slow down the Knicks best scorer to get his team to victory.

Winner – New York


Power Forward
Kevin Seraphin vs. Elton Brand
17.6 points, 1.8 assists, 10.8 rebounds vs. 10.3 points, 1.3 assists, 8.3 rebounds

Usual starter Trevor Booker has broken his leg so Seraphin got the start in the Milwaukee series, and what a start it was. He demolished the Bucks’ PFs and will most likely do it to Elton Brand as well. The Knicks may need to play promising rookie Thomas Cooper more to slow down Seraphin.

Winner - Washington

Centre
Nene Hilario vs. Anderson Varejao
14.8 points, 1.8 assists, 7.4 rebounds vs. 14.3 points, 0.8 assists, 10.0 rebounds

He may have been slow to start last series but AV finally got going. He is a better player than Nene and more importantly he likes to defer to others when they are going strong.

Winner – New York

Bench
Chris Drexler, Samuel Dalembert, Jordan Crawford vs. Thomas Cooper, Dion Waiters, Gerald Wallace

This is where the Knicks are at their strongest because all three of those bench players should be starters elsewhere. Don’t count out the Wizards bench because Crawford is a dynamite scorer and Drexler and Dalembert are good defenders.

Winner – New York

Prediction – Washington in six. It all depends on how well the backcourt of Washington plays. If they go off then look for them to go into the next round.

With the exit of the Miami Heat every team left in the playoffs believe they can go all the way, but no other team has such a belief like the Wizards. They have a hunger that I haven’t seen for a long time and it seems our crowd thinks that as well. There is an uneasiness about the first game of the series and we really need to win to get a good start. So what do we do? Let them out to a 29-11 first quarter and we couldn’t get back, losing home court advantage at the first possible moment 95-83. John Wall had a blinder with 28 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists while Trevor Ariza completely shuts Paul Pierce down, keeping Pierce to an astonishing 0/11 from the field for 4 points. Ariza had 18 points and 7 rebounds for himself. Our best was Anderson Varejao who had 19 points and 8 rebounds but went 7/20 from the field. Our night was summed up by shooting 33% from the field. Yuck.

Washington leads 1-0

It’s practically the opposite, as we got out to a 49-33 first half lead and pushed towards the end, winning 96-80 to tie the series. Anderson Varejao was our best again with 23 points, 9 rebounds and 5 steals while Thomas Cooper had 14 points in only 19 minutes off the bench. We really made an effort to pester John Wall as much as possible and it worked in this game, with Wall going 7/18 but still putting up 18 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists. I don’t mind him getting 18-20 points on bad shooting but when he goes for 28 like the last game we will be in trouble. Avery Bradley is getting the best of Bradley Beal by keeping the second year player to only 4 points while putting in 18 points of his own. To put it bluntly, this is how we should be playing.

Series tied 1-1

Washington is all its forms has only won one NBA championship, and that was all the way back in 1977-78 with Ws Unseld leading the way. Hell they haven’t won a playoff SERIES since 2004-05 when they beat Chicago 4-2 with the likes of Gilbert Arenas and Larry Hughes (when he was good). This means the Washington crowd are practically foaming at the mouth to put us to the sword and keep us there as soon as possible. And you know what? They did. The Wizards got out to a 35 point lead in the second quarter and totally demolished us 107-87 to take all the momentum in the series. Nene woke up for 26 points and 9 rebounds while Kevin Seraphin grabbed 14 rebounds. We just can’t score against this Wizards team as we again shoot sub-40% from the field.

Washington leads 2-1

To make matters worse Elton Brand has hurt his leg and will be relegated to bench duty for the next two games. Maybe this is a blessing as it means Thomas Cooper will get more minutes, helping out our offence stocks. Hopefully.

This is the game where we have to make a stand. The Wizards have been outstanding at home and we need to steal one to go back to New York with some chance of winning this series. If we lose this game I don’t even think Chris Paul would save us. But it still isn’t enough. The Wizards shoot a ridiculous 44/54 from the foul line to put us on the canvas to the tune of 114-108. Thomas Cooper has 16 points and 8 rebounds while Paul Pierce puts in 22 points but we are still shooting 42% from the field which is just not good enough. John Wall breaks out gameplan with 26 points while Trevor Ariza matches PP with 21 points and 4 steals. That means we have to win three more games in a row which is going to be TOUGH.

Washington leads 3-1

Thirty two percent. 32%. That is what we shot to lose the series and our season, as the Wizards move on with a 97-82 victory. I’m too depressed to do a recap and for God’s sake get Chris Paul healthy.

Washington wins series 4-1

#1 Denver take care of #5 Sacramento in 5 games while #8 Detroit continue their Cinderella run by stomping #4 Cleveland in six games, which #2 Golden State replicate against #3 Minnesota.

I go away for a bit, visit my family in Australia while sort of keeping tabs on the rest of the playoffs. I scoff when I see #8 Detroit has made it all the way to the NBA Finals, beating Washington 4-1. I don’t think that they will get past #1 Denver who have dropped only one game on their way to the Finals but it would be great if the Pistons put up a fight.

There was a fight but in the end the Nuggets had too much depth as they won 4-2 with Ty Lawson taking the Finals MVP award. Good on them, but next season will be ours.

[zike_42]

We don’t have any draft picks this season so the lottery isn’t very interesting but could have some drama.

#14 – LA Clippers (0)
#13 – Memphis (0)
#12 – Chicago (0)
#11 – Atlanta (0)
#10 – Utah (0)
#9 – Charlotte (0)
#8 – New Orleans (0)
#7 – Dallas (0)
#6 – Philadelphia (0)
#5 – Toronto (-1)
#4 – Orlando (-3)

Ouch for the Magic, they had the best odds but fell to fourth.

#3 – Boston (0)
#2 – LA Lakers (+3)
#1 – Philadelphia (+1)

Some conspiracy theorists might say that the league is looking out for their biggest markets but it is always luck in my books.

Awards time! Let’s see if Chris Paul can hold onto a All NBA nod.

Most Valuable Player:
Lebron James, Miami Heat – 32.3 points, 5.2 assists, 6.5 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 0.7 blocks.

I can’t see anyone beating him for MVP any time soon.

Defensive Player of the Year:
Dwight Howard, San Antonio Spurs – 23.1 points, 1.2 assists, 11.6 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 2.4 blocks.

Sixth Man of the Year:
Paul George, Indiana Pacers – 14.8 points, 1.8 assists, 5.4 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 0.9 blocks.

Rookie of the Year:
John Johnson, Detroit Pistons – 18.2 points, 1.7 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 0.7 steals and 0.8 blocks.

Obviously, much better than the other rookies (and can blocks shots!)

Coach of the Year:
Erik Spoelstra, Miami Heat – 69-13 (.841)

He may have won CotY but there is pressure on Spoelstra to keep his job with their shock first round exit.

All-NBA First Team:
Steph Curry, Golden State Warriors
Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
Lebron James, Miami Heat
Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves
DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings

All-NBA Second Team:
Chris Paul, New York Knicks
Eric Gordon, New Orleans Hornets
Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
Kenneth Faried, Denver Nuggets
Dwight Howard, San Antonio Spurs

All-NBA Third Team:
Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers
Andre Iguodala, Denver Nuggets
Carmelo Anthony, Los Angeles Clippers
LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland Trailblazers
Andrew Bynum, Cleveland Cavaliers

Lots of young guys being picked in the All-NBA teams now, with Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan being ousted for Eric Gordon and Kenneth Faried. Man did the Nuggets get a steal with him.

All-Defensive First Team:
Jeremy Lin, Houston Rockets
Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
Lebron James, Miami Heat
Ekpe Udoh, Milwaukee Bucks
Dwight Howard, San Antonio Spurs

All-Defensive Second Team:
Steph Curry, Golden State Warriors
Andre Iguodala, Denver Nuggets
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Charlotte Bobcats
Serge Ibaka, Oklahoma City Thunder
DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings

Yep, Jeremy Lin is an All Defensive first teamer.

All Rookie First Team:
Michael Fisher, Utah Jazz
John Johnson, Detroit Pistons
Mike Bailey, Toronto Raptors
Dennis Freymond, Charlotte Bobcats
Demond Lewis, Atlanta Hawks

All Rookie Second Team:
Lewis Vines, New Orleans Hornets
Eric Johnson, Portland Trailblazers
Andrew Seitz, Brooklyn Nets
Thomas Cooper, New York Knicks
Kevin Phillips, Los Angeles Clippers

I get a phone call from Mr Rolen about our season and he is not happy. He screams at me, saying not only did I not put out a championship winning team I spent more money than I promised. I tell him that our best player was injured for the playoffs so I can’t be held responsible for a freak accident and we didn’t go over the luxury tax like he said. I was nearly about to tell him to shove it and find someone else but I took a deep breath, asked for a little bit more time and he agreed, with one condition: win the championship or look for another job.

Are you serious? I’m in the hot seat because we didn’t win two years in a row. After bringing this team their first championship in over 40 years I’m already on the outer because we didn’t back it up? Talk about a jerk of a boss. I’ll show him.

[OOC – After the meeting my job security number went from five stars to a half star, which is the risk you take working in New York. If I don’t win it all I’m out of a job, nothing else will save me.]

2014 NBA Mock Draft
1 – Philadelphia – SF Andrew Owens
2 – LA Lakers – PG Charles Canady
3 – Boston – SF Jeff Hill
4 – Orlando – C Ernest Jameson
5 – Toronto – SG Joe Holmes
6 – Philadelphia – C Ben Chambers
7 – Dallas – PF Hayletts Smith
8 – New Orleans – C Jing-xiang Mei
9 – Charlotte – SG Alfred Abney
10 – Utah – SF Cameron Ray
11 – Atlanta – PG Ernest Davis
12 – Chicago – SF Randy Morgan
13 – Memphis – PF Matthew Edney
14 – LA Clippers – PG Raul Riviera

Looks pretty good, Canady probably won’t go #2 but he will go top 5. Chambers’ stock has plummeted but will go top 10 because of his size. We don’t have a first round draft pick so I’m not really interested.

[zike_42]

2014 NBA Draft

I feel like if I sit tight on this squad and only make minor changes we should still be championship contenders and I shouldn’t make any rash moves just because I’m in the firing line.

1 – Philadelphia – SF Andrew Owens
Right pick here for the Sixers.

2 – LA Lakers – C Ernest Jameson
Another good pick here, he might not be as good as Dwight but they have found their starting C.

3 – Boston – C Ben Chambers
I’m not sure about Chambers as he is a little soft and has a bad attitude. I would definitely like Jameson over Chambers.

4 – Orlando – PF Hayletts Smith
The combine warrior, Smith showed great numbers in the trials as well as a great mindset. I’m not sure if #4 is the right pick for him, too high in my books.

There isn’t anyone in this draft that I would trade Iman Shumpert for like last draft so I’m probably not going to pull any triggers right now.

5 – Toronto – PG Charles Canady
The best PG in the draft and even though he is not a pure shooter his vision and ball control makes up for it. Look for Toronto to keep Kyle Lowry around for a bit to let Canady learn the ropes.

6 – Philadelphia – SG Joe Holmes
Everyone could see the Sixers pick Holmes here and they now have a great core with Jrue Holiday added to the mix.

7 – Dallas – PF Matthew Edney
Has good hops and has quick feet but he must learn to catch the ball. He turns it over way too much. Good pick here at #7.

8 – New Orleans – C Jing-xiang Mei
I really like Mei as a player. He is extraordinarily raw at the moment but he has a good body and a decent jumpshot. If the Hornets stick with him for a couple of years he will be a good player. The experts are mixed.

9 – Charlotte – SG Alfred Abney
The darkhorse of the draft. He has a killer work ethic and is a massive 6’8”. If things fall into place for Abney and the Bobcats he may have a John Johnson type of season.

10 – Utah – PG Raul Rivera
Only 5’11” and still quite raw he could be good as a player but right now is a project. The Jazz need a PG for the future so I’m giving them a tick for this pick.

11 – Atlanta – SG Nick Dyse
I haven’t heard much about him as he is from Kent State but what I have heard is that he is a good and willing passer. Decent defender but the experts aren’t quite that happy for the Hawks so I’m going with them.

12 – Chicago – PG Brian Taylor
Averaged 9.2 assists a game last season so he knows how to play PG. Not the steal of the draft or the worst pick ever so this seems right on the money.

There hasn’t been any major shockers yet and I don’t think any of the guys left are going to be known as steals so this draft has been pretty average so far.

13 – Memphis – PG Ernest Davis
Very slight for 6’3” at only 163lbs he has gone lower than I had thought he would. Good pick here by the Grizz.

In the pre-draft mock draft SF Jeff Hill was slated as the #3 pick and he still hasn’t been selected yet, and what I have heard is that he just isn’t that good. Very middle of the round type of player and no way near #3.

14 – LA Clippers – PF Bill Mallet
Didn’t do much in college at South Carolina but may stick around with his above average defence and spot up shooting. Good pick here as he will fit right in with Carmelo Anthony and Blake Griffin when they get double teamed.

15 – Portland – SF Jeff Hill
There he goes.

16 – Houston – SG Damon Green
17 – Brooklyn – PG Malik Cunningham
18 – Milwaukee – SG Jon Eyles
19 – Oklahoma City – PF Chevalier Williams
20 – New Orleans – C Dan Jefferson
21 – Sacramento – PG Kent Graves
22 – Toronto – SF Julian Johnson
23 – Cleveland – C Tony Wright
24 – Philadelphia – PG Courtland Patterson
25 – Washington – PG Antoine Fuller
26 – Golden State – SG Natanel Mahram
27 – Minnesota – PG Trent Hudson
28 – LA Clippers – SF Cameron Ray
29 – Denver – C Sam Erickson
30 – Miami – SG Josh Rozier

We select Brandon Brown from Virginia, a 6’9” C who is a decent player who nearly averaged a double double with our second round pick (#41). The experts like it but honestly I really don’t care about second round picks.

There were quite a lot of trades in the draft but as usual I’ll only do the important ones.

Milwaukee trade:
PF Drew Gooden

Indiana trade:
SG Jason Terry
2014 2nd round pick

Winner – Milwaukee. Terry is cheaper, better and at a position of need. The only downside is that he is 36 years old but can still bring it night in and night out.

Phoenix trade:
SF Michael Beasley

Denver trade:
C Timofey Mozgov
2014 2nd round pick

Winner – Phoenix. Mozgov is a talent player and is slotted in to start at C for the Suns. Beasley is competing with four other SFs on the team and is slotted in at the starting SG position which is not going to work.

Houston trade:
SF Terrence Jones

Portland trade:
C Meyers Leonard

Winner – Houston. I like Leonard backing up Omer Asik at the moment, it gives them a fantastic C rotation. Jones is going to get lost in the shuffle at Portland unless they do something.

Charlotte trade:
C Bismack Biyombo
PF Tyrus Thomas

Utah trade:
C Al Jefferson
2014 2nd round pick

Winner – Charlotte. Biyombo is a growing talent and should be one of the best defensive Cs in the league soon but Jefferson is a bonafide All Star talent. Him and Dennis Freymond are a scary front court duo.

I like this trade because later on I’m going to try and pry Enes Kanter from the Jazz for peanuts.

[Rizzo]

As a silent follower, I just wanted to say this is a great dynasty and I have been following for a while now. Keep up the good work and good luck in NY, you know the pressure is always on!

One question: do you import draft classes from CB2 or are you just having PB3 generate them?

[Cleasby]

If you can get kanter that would be great