New York, New York! Bringing a championship home

[OzzieLaker]

Is Tebbs similar to a poor man's Jack Dawkins, in that he's not the greatest scorer, but is a very, VERY good all-round player?

[zike_42]

Is Tebbs similar to a poor man's Jack Dawkins, in that he's not the greatest scorer, but is a very, VERY good all-round player?

Jack is a bull, as ive always said he's LeBron James without the defence. He's so strong but has a knack for making the right pass. I would say Shaun is a poorer scoring Dwyane Wade. He's short for a SG but can get to the ring and finish with contact. He's also a willing passer like Wade but fortunately for us he's not a flopper.

[zike_42]

2038 NBA Playoffs

Eastern Conference
#1 Brooklyn vs. #5 Memphis
#2 Indiana vs. #3 Washington

Western Conference
#1 Portland vs. #4 Utah
#2 Oklahoma City vs. #3 Dallas

We won the season series 2-0 and both of those games were not close.

Western Conference Semi-Finals – Utah vs. Portland

Point Guard
David Forrest vs. Lou Beck
11.7 points, 7.0 assists, 3.7 rebounds vs. 17.8 points, 13.5 assists, 6.5 rebounds

David Forrest is a fantastic defender and will give Beck a big fright with his quick hands and quick feet. Quality will win out as Beck had a fantastic series against a better player and should continue his great stats.

Winner - Portland

Shooting Guard
Ray Haymon vs. Shaun Tebbs
21.9 points, 3.3 assists, 5.9 rebounds vs. 22.0 points, 4.8 assists, 2.8 rebounds

After two terrible injuries (more on that later), Haymon has had to be the man on this Utah side. He’s shooting terribly (36%) but with no-one else about to score that well he has had to take most of the shots. Tebbs on the other hand has had so many attempts gift wrapped to him by Lou Beck it’s almost unfair and Haymon is jealous of his ability to get easy shots.

Winner - Portland

Small Forward
Kenroy McPherson vs. Danny Perez
19.6 points, 5.0 assists, 7.1 rebounds vs. 18.0 points, 1.5 assists, 6.0 rebounds

Another player who has had to fill in some massive shoes, at least McPherson has done it well. He’s shooting well (53%) and is a great all around player, which is extremely rare for a second round pick that used to play in the D-League. He might even had the wood over Perez who needs to up his scoring (his main asset) if he wants to win this personal battle. This is a great match up.

Winner - Draw

Power Forward
Scott Oates vs. Chris Waters
14.1 points, 0.6 assists, 5.0 rebounds vs. 15.5 points, 1.0 assist, 12.3 rebounds

Utah’s best player, Nathaniel Jackson, probably won’t play this series. Or if he does, it won’t be for very long as he has a severely twisted ankle. This is a doomsday scenario for Utah as even though Oates is a good, young kid who will probably start next season, he is out of his depth against a resurgent Chris Waters.

Winner - Portland

Centre
Dan Bonney vs. Derrick Culuko
10.3 points, 0.6 assists, 6.9 rebounds vs. 18.0 points, 1.3 assists, 7.5 rebounds

In a double dose of disaster, Utah’s second best player in David Stetson tore his ACL back in February and is still out for a very, very, very long time. Bonney is alright but will be blown out against the rejuvenated Derrick Culuko who is loving being on the same squad as great scorers like as Beck, Tebbs and Perez.

Winner - Portland

Bench
Simon Payne, Gamal Hicks, Courtney Thorne vs. Traves Parker, Fletcher Sears, Tim Martin

Hicks has come along nicely in his second season and should start next season while Payne is nursing an injury. Did I forget to say that Dan Bonney is also injured? Yeah, this team is beaten up. They also don’t go very deep as only Hicks and Payne get any sort of playing time. Parker and Sears are quality bench guys but the Blazers are also a team that relies on their first five.

Winner – Portland

Prediction – Portland in four. Without Jackson and Stetson this Jazz team is sunk.

I can understand that. So could Shaun Tebbs, who went to the foul line 17 times (for 16 makes) for 31 points and 8 rebounds but the Jazz just would go away. There were 21 lead changes in the game as Scott Oates led them with 30 points and 10 rebounds. Kenroy McPherson was amazing also, with 18 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds and 6 steals as the Jazz steal game one and the home court advantage 116-107. Our defence just wasn’t there as they shot 55% from the field which is just not heard of from this team.

Utah leads 1-0

Usually when we lose a game we bite back, hard. Which is exactly what we did as Shaun had his first ever triple double with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists to lead us to a 120-92 win. Lou had the night off from passing and made up for it with 23 points. Scott Oates is having a breaking out party against Chris, going off his 30 point game last time for a 35 points this time. Maybe 40 next?

Series tied 1-1

The Salt Lake City crowd are over the moon that they stole one in Portland and I’m sure our guys are pumped up to remove those collective smiles. To the game, it seems that there was a crosswind on one end as most of the scoring was only done on the west side of the court, as they outscored us in the first 34-24, then we brought it back 25-15, we won the third 30-25 for a change but the Jazz came home with a wet sail 34-24 to beat us again 108-103. These days Utah haven’t got the biggest crowd but tonight it felt like there were a million people in that stadium. Traves Parker was slotted into the starting line up to try and slow down Scott Oates but had no effect as the third year star who had 27 points. He was helped by Dan Bonney’s 13/16 night with 32 points, 8 rebounds and 5 steals as their bigs were just unstoppable. Lou and Shaun did their best with 44 points and 20 assists but they turned the table on us as we turned the ball over 21 times to their 16.

Utah leads 2-1

Lou and Shaun had 46 points, 16 rebounds and 14 assists but the rest of the team were no existent. Seriously, other than our guards we shot 34% as we are now on the brink as the Jazz wins again 99-88. They didn’t shoot that well either at 46% but it was enough as David Forrest was the star this time with 17 points and 9 assists. This is extremely worrisome as we are already being called a regular season warriors with no bite in the playoffs. I hope they aren’t right.

Utah leads 3-1

Ray Haymon has 26 points and 9 rebounds, Scott Oates finishes his stellar run with 22 points as we lose 113-100 to a Utah side without Nathaniel Jackson or David Stetson. Get me a drink.

Utah wins 4-1

#2 Indiana beat #3 Washington in five games, #5 Memphis cause the major upset by beating Marshod Anderson-less #1 Brooklyn in six and #2 OKC withstand seven games over #3 Dallas.

Freaking Utah. ;oragjanrgjnavlwohW;TLAKNNAUHWGALD;knga;lksfnawuhag.na. Ugh.

[zike_42]

2038 NBA Playoffs

Eastern Conference
#2 Indiana defeat #5 Memphis 4-2

Western Conference
#2 Oklahoma City defeat #4 Utah 4-2

2038 NBA Finals – Indiana vs. Oklahoma City

Point Guard
Michael Harmon vs. Axel Rancik
28.6 points, 10.9 assists, 3.1 rebounds vs. 27.9 points, 11.3 assists, 4.0 rebounds

Oh my God look at those numbers. This is the match up to end all match ups. Both players are young as well so we may be seeing this battle for many years to come. My head says that Indiana gets the nod but my heart says that it’s just too close.

Winner - Draw

Shooting Guard
Ahmad Kamara vs. Mike Bickerstaf
11.1 points, 2.8 assists, 3.6 rebounds vs. 29.2 points, 3.8 assists, 5.2 rebounds

After taking his team to the NBA Finals last season to no success, Bickerstaf will stop at nothing to get eternal glory. He should have a massive series here because like every other year, the Pacers have a dearth of talent at the SG spot.

Winner – Oklahoma City

Small Forward
Ratko Nedic vs. Matt Bobbit
15.6 points, 1.8 assists, 8.3 rebounds vs. 11.1 points, 1.9 assists, 5.8 rebounds

With the horrendous injuries to both Gerrod Phelan and Zan Tepavac (both ACL tears) these two guys have had to step up to the starting line up. Nedic is a better player so it will be up to Bobbit to prove the doubters wrong.

Winner - Indiana

Power Forward
Ish Faye vs. Victor Brinker
29.3 points, 1.4 assists, 6.3 rebounds vs. 11.8 points, 1.2 assists, 7.6 rebounds

Even if the extremely talented Zan Tepavac was playing it still wouldn’t be enough as Faye is as good as they come. He’s looking to lead his team to a second championship and if Brinker can slow him down I’m sure the people of Oklahoma City will give him the keys to the city.

Winner - Indiana

Centre
Josiah Williams vs. Brandon Bailey
11.0 points, 0.9 assists, 5.9 rebounds vs. 9.3 points, 1.2 assists, 5.9 rebounds

It’s the battle of the prince and the pauper. Williams was a number one pick who is making seven figures per year. Bailey was picked #26 and is making less than one million this season. Yet, this match up is a draw. Williams might be the bigger name but Bailey slots in with OKC so well that he might even win this battle.

Winner - Draw

Bench
Ben Herrion, Benjamin Capel, Jimmy Stallworth vs. Jason Collins, Matt Anderson, Chris Benjamin

This is a win to the Thunder primarily because if Jason Collins started at any other team, he would lead the league in assists. He’s that good. Anderson is a freakish defender while Benjamin is a quality bench big/fringe starter.

Winner – Oklahoma City

Prediction – Oklahoma City in seven. This series is a close as you can get but the tipping point is the Pacers’ relying on Harmon and Faye. If either don’t play to their standard then they have nothing to back them up, especially with Gerrod Phelan out. The Thunder have more options if Rancik or Bickerstaf don’t fire.

Game One
Oklahoma City 101 – Indiana 110 (IND 1-0)
Player of the Game – Ish Faye (IND) – 40 points, 14 rebounds

Game Two
Oklahoma City 120 – Indiana 102 (Tied 1-1)
Player of the Game – Axel Rancik (OKC) – 23 points, 15 assists, 4 steals

Game Three
Indiana 118 – Oklahoma City 120 (OKC 2-1)
Player of the Game – Axel Rancik (OKC) – 46 points, 10 assists, 4 steals

Game Four
Indiana 105 – Oklahoma City 94 (Tied 2-2)
Player of the Game – Ish Faye (IND) – 36 points, 12 rebounds, 6 blocks

Game Five
Indiana 117 – Oklahoma City 109 (IND 3-2)
Player of the Game – Ish Faye (IND) – 38 points, 10 rebounds

Game Six
Oklahoma City 131 – Indiana 129 (Tied 3-3)
Player of the Game – Mike Bickerstaf (OKC) – 55 points (12/26 FG, 27/29 FT)

Game Seven
Oklahoma City 104 – Indiana 116 (IND 4-3)
Player of the Game – Ish Faye (IND) – 33 points, 8 rebounds

Congratulations to the Pacers who withstood a monster Mike Bickerstaf showing to get there in the end. Obviously Ishmael Faye won the Finals MVP award with averages of 34.7 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game. It’s Indiana’s second title in five years, sandwiching the three-peat from the Nets.

[zike_42]

The Phoenix Suns have had some stellar players suit up for them, with the likes of Charles Barkley, Steve Nash, Kevin Johnson, Amare Stoudemire, Reggie Dobbins, Jason Kidd and Kwame Cravens. Unfortunately they haven’t had any championship success. In their 70 year history they have been to the NBA Finals twice in 1976 and 1993, which as you can expect is a very long time ago. In fact, in the last 30 years they have made the playoffs a total of four times and only made it out of the first round once. This club sucks. But a rumoured change of ownership with a high profile investor might change all of that…

Yep, I bought the Phoenix Suns.

Did I not tell you, I’m loaded. 25 years of investing my general manager wages into a huge real estate portfolio has given me the funds to buy a basketball team. $1.556 billion in fact (the $556 million figure was given in error from my accountant). Which is good news and bad news as now I’m a lot less rich but I won’t be answering to anyone about how I run a team. I think that’s a pretty good trade off. I’ve given myself some handicaps just for the hell of it:

1. I’ll set my limit at $15 million over the cap, I don’t want to be blowing money just because I can.
2. I’m going to try a different tact. Usually I get rid of any salary that I don’t think will be with us for long and then use my interpersonal skills to sign big name free agents. I don’t feel like doing that, so I’m limiting myself to only being able to sign three star players in free agency. If I want to be the first person in 70 years to win a title in Phoenix, I’ll need to either draft or trade for it.

So yeah, I’m pretty damn excited at the prospect of this and hopefully I can do it before I run out of money.

What am I dealing with, I hear you ask? Well, a whole lot of money tied up in terrible contracts. Seriously, this is really bad.

PG Max Jones – He’s a third stringer at the best of times so he will be a throw in on some trade I will obviously make.

PG Tony Solverson – A pretty decent point guard that can give you 8+ assists a game on the season. His defense is quite terrible and his contract is a far way from being good. I’ll look to move him as well.

PG Brian Stackhouse – I don’t mind Stackhouse as a bench point guard as he isn’t great at anything but he’s a cool head that can run an offense. His contract isn’t the best either but if he is still here come season time I won’t be too upset.

SG Ed Kent – A completely unremarkable player who, even at only 21 years old, won’t get any better. Very meh.

SG Adam Rosen – A pretty damn decent shooting guard for a 28 year old rookie who was drafted waaaaaay down in the second round. He’s on a good contract so I’ll keep this one.

SG David Rolle – Ugh, not good. The only good thing is that he’s on an expiring contract. If Rolle is in the rotation next season then shoot me.

SG Anthony Williams – Another low pick who is pretty good, I like Williams as a bench guard. He can shoot and defend fairly well so that’s all you need for 10-15 minutes a game.

SF Syniker Acani – Another completely unremarkable person. How do these guys keep getting contracts?

SF Darnell Kimbrough – Probably the best player on the team and he’s paid like it too. I’ll shop him around but it will have to be a good deal for me to pull the trigger, so best chance is that he stays.

PF Bernard Crispin – He’s a $7.3 million expiring, that’s all. Next.

PF Willis Dench – I’m starting to see why Phoenix haven’t done too well for a while if guys like Dench get a two year, $13 million deal. I wouldn’t even give him a two year minimum deal.

PF Chris Barnes – He’s good but not great and still has five years and $41 million owed to him. He will be shopped hard as he’s just not worth what he is being paid.

C Brad Stokes – Ugh, next.

C John Meliet – The shining light for Phoenix. The rookie shot 59% on his way to 14 points and plenty of Rowan Taylor comparisons. Too bad I don’t like him one bit. His defense is shocking, Magnus Carlsson shocking while he has no intention of ever getting better with his work ethic down through the basement. I should be able to get something good for him as some have said he has good potential but I’m not having any of it.

C Calvin Ash – I traded him for Danny Perez when I first got to Portland and I’m going to trade him now. He’s just not worth the $40 million he is still owed, even if he shoots 64% from the field.

So as you can see, it’s slim pickings and it will have to be a complete overhaul to get this team up to championship standards. I hope I haven’t bitten off too much.

Lucky for me this team sucked last season so we have the sixth best odds to get the top pick, hopefully I get some luck.

16 – Minnesota (0)
15 – Seattle (0)
14 – Nevada (0)
13 – Atlanta (0)
12 – Sacramento (0)
11 – Orlando (0)
10 – Cleveland (0)
9 – Miami (0)
8 – Los Angeles (0)
7 – San Antonio (0)
6 – Phoenix (0)

Oh well.

5 – Charlotte (0)
4 – New York (-2)
3 – New Orleans (-2)

The two worst teams drop two spots each. Ouch.

2 – Golden State (+2)
1 – Philadelphia (+2)

The Sixers make it two number one picks in a row after taking Chad DeWitt last season.

As I’m still technically contracted to Portland I would be happy to see either Shaun or Lou get an All NBA nod.

Most Valuable Player:
Michael Harmon, Indiana Pacers – 25.7 points, 10.7 assists, 3.6 rebounds, 2.1 steals, 0.5 blocks

Very well deserved and backs it up from last season.

Defensive Player of the Year:
Ishmael Faye, Indiana Pacers – 25.9 points, 1.2 assists, 7.9 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 2.9 blocks

Those defensive numbers are clear indicators that he is a worthy winner.

Sixth Man of the Year:
Tip Smith, Miami Heat – 12.0 points, 6.4 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 1.3 steals, 0.7 blocks

I’d be happy if my starting SG had those numbers let alone my bench guy.

Rookie of the Year:
John Meliet, Phoenix Suns – 14.0 points, 0.9 assists, 3.6 rebounds, 0.5 steals, 0.2 blocks

Wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Mack Haston was the best rookie by far this season and should have been a shoo-in.

Coach of the Year:
Glenn Watkins, Portland Trailblazers – 68-14 (.829)

Well deserved and makes me grin like an idiot.

All NBA First Team:
Michael Harmon, Indiana Pacers
Tobe Slaughter, Dallas Mavericks
Marshod Anderson, Brooklyn Nets
Ishmael Faye, Indiana Pacers
Jamie McMillian, Detroit Pistons

All NBA Second Team:
Axel Rancik, Oklahoma City Thunder
Cliff Havens, San Diego Riders
Jack Dawkins, Dallas Mavericks
Michael McQuay, Atlanta Hawks
Jerry Benton, New Orleans Hornets

All NBA Third Team:
Michael Taylor, Milawukee Bucks
Mike Bickerstaf, Oklahoma City Thunder
Tiburcio Tommasini, Milwaukee Bucks
Nathaniel Jackson, Utah Jazz
Diego Acosta, Sacramento Kings

All Defence First Team:
Michael Harmon, Indiana Pacers
Williams Shine, Detroit Pistons
Kenroy McPherson, Utah Jazz
Ishmael Faye, Indiana Pacers
Schuyler Vanderwerken, Miami Heat

All Defence Second Team:
Jehiel DeSantis, Denver Nuggets
Shaun Tebbs, Portland Trailblazers
Tiburcio Tommasini, Milwaukee Bucks
Abel Williams, Brooklyn Nets
Darryl Abrams, Orlando Magic

All Rookie First Team:
Mack Haston, San Antonio Spurs
Daniel Brazzle, Toronto Raptors
Andy Bowman, New Orleans Hornets
Jay Crane, San Diego Riders
John Meliet, Phoenix Suns

All Rookie Second Team:
Gyasi Marsh, New York Knicks
Jimmy Stallworth, Indiana Pacers
Adam Olsen, Minnesota Timberwolves
Tony Brown, New York Knicks
Axel Aspe, Minnesota Timberwolves

Our coaches are good enough for me not to fire, with head coach Quin Maxwell being especially good even after only one season. He’s got my full backing for at least the first two years.

There’s no bonafide number one pick here in this draft but there is plenty of good rotation guys which is great as we hold the #6 pick. Onto the mock draft.

1 – Philadelphia – PF Lewis Jones
2 – Golden State – PG Winston Shannon
3 – New Orleans – PG Simon Mueller
4 – New York – SG Tom Julius
5 – Charlotte – PF Kurt Sutton
6 – Phoenix – SG Chris Carr
7 – San Antonio – SG Dave Smith
8 – Los Angeles – SF Shaun Ashman
9 – Miami – SF Chris Bannon
10 – Cleveland – PG Andy King
11 – Orlando – PF Jerzy Greckij
12 – Sacramento – SF Rich Muckle
13 – Atlanta – SF Romanos Demosthenous
14 – Nevada – C Steve Howard
15 – Seattle – C Adam Bell
16 – Minnesota – PF Alwain Kreuger

It’s shocking to see Tavorris Hancock, who was in the top five prospects list for most of the season, way down at #20. Just goes to show how unbelievably raw he is. Muckle will not go as low as #12 and if he drops out of the top 10 then that’s crazy.

[OzzieLaker]

What, how can you actually buy a team?

I'm actually really intrigued by this...

[zike_42]

What, how can you actually buy a team?

I'm actually really intrigued by this...

Unfortunately I've fabricated that for the sake of the story. I'm certain this will be my last stop so I thought I would spice things up so I went into Commissioner mode and made it that I can't be fired.

[PointGuard]

$556 million, huh? A steal since it's $1.444 billion less than Steve Ballmer paid.

[zike_42]

$556 million, huh? A steal since it's $1.444 billion less than Steve Ballmer paid.

Wow, I was way off. Ahem, I mean my accountant gave me a note with a typo when I was writing this. *totally saved it*

[zike_42]

2038 NBA Draft

I need to completely overhaul this roster from top to bottom. If I can’t find an upgrade over Tony Solverson at PG then so be it but the rest definitely need upgrades.

1 – Philadelphia – SG Tom Julius
Wow, did not see this coming. I was sure that Lewis Jones would have played himself into the top pick but that turns the board all around. He’s good but there are other guys probably better. Just goes to show how up in the air this draft is.

I get a buyer straight away.

Phoenix trade:
C John Meliet
PG Max Jones
#38 pick
2039 2nd round pick
2040 2nd round pick

Atlanta trade:
C Jeffrey Johnson
PF Carl Willis
#13 pick

Winner – Draw. It depends on who you ask, some say that Meliet is a superstar in the making while others think he’s just fools gold. Johnson has the hallmarks of being a stellar defensive centre while the #13 pick is just a cherry. Only time will tell on this one.

I would have given up Meliet for just Johnson but to get the #13 pick as well is awesome.

2 – Golden State – SF Romanos Demosthenous
Double wow. This draft has gone upside down in just two picks. I was having a hard look at Demosthenous at #6 but for him to go number two is crazy. His defensive is stellar while his work ethic is off the charts. Right now it’s not the best pick but down the road it could be a steal.

The Wizards offer me Jason Sears and the #27 pick for Brian Stackhouse and I accept. I’m not going to use Stackhouse so getting an expiring contract and a first rounder for him is just simple.

3 – New Orleans – PF Lewis Jones
Damn, he probably should have gone number one and to get him at number three is a steal. Look for him to be the rookie of the year favourite.

4 – New York – PF Kurt Sutton
The Knicks were hoping that Jones fell one more spot and went with the next best PF. Sutton is decent but I don’t think he’s top five material. A bit of a desperate move.

I pull another trade, one the Warriors were hoping to happen.

Phoenix trade:
SF Darnell Kimbrough
PF Carl Willis
#27 pick
2039 1st round pick

Golden State trade:
SF Romanos Demosthenous
SG Chris Horvath

Winner – Both. Horvath was as good as gone with this Warriors team so to get someone as good as Kimbrough is good news for them. It’s a little disappointing that they had to give up Demosthenous as well but he wasn’t a #2 pick. Stings a little but it’s worth it for Kimbrough.

I strike again while the iron is hot.

Phoenix trade:
C Calvin Ash

Seattle trade:
PF Keith Chapman

Winner – Both. Both teams get a great defender, just at a different position. The Suns needed a PF while the Sonics needed a C so both teams win out.

5 – Charlotte – SF Chris Bannon
Nice pick here. He’s a good scorer and rebounder, not the best passer but he won’t have to do much in Charlotte.

6 – Phoenix – SF Rich Muckle
I go for the better locker room personality and best defender. I may have doubled up with Muckle and Demosthenous but I may have something brewing.

7 – San Antonio – SG Dave Smith
Who? Massive swing and a miss by the Spurs.

Well, I’ve got nothing, every avenue I try just don’t want fair value for their players. They want me to pay through the nose for their guys and I’m just not going to do that. Yes I’m talking to you Memphis.

8 – Los Angeles – SF Shaun Ashman
Huge steal by the Lakers as he could be a top 10 player in the league someday. He’s super raw now but he couldn’t be a star.

9 – Miami – PG Simon Mueller
Younger brother of Curtis Mueller, this is a bonafide steal. The best PG in the draft, he may be skinny (like his brother) but he can handle the rock like no-one else in the draft.

Well, I may be out of my mind.

Phoenix trade:
PF Chris Barnes
SG Ed Kent

Seattle trade:
SG Jason London

Winner – Seattle. I thought Phoenix GM MacMillan would have learned from his time with London in Brooklyn that you stay away from Jason London. What was he thinking?

10 – Cleveland – C Steve Howard
This guy averaged 18.1 rebounds per game at Texas A&M but was only average at everything else. Good pick if he can stay on the court.

I wasn’t really going to keep Jason London, geez.

Phoenix trade:
SG Jason London

San Diego trade:
John Kelly
#21 pick

Winner – Phoenix. Get right of London, get a tick.

I wanted to slash some salary as even though Kelly is pretty much useless now he’s a $10 million expiring contract that I can shed this off season.

11 – Orlando – PF David Benton
He’s a good shooter and shot blocker but the reason scouts love him is his knowledge of the game. He’s so smart already and makes everyone around him better. Good pick by the Magic.

12 – Sacramento – SG Brett Harmon
Has a great one bounce, pull up game which bamboozles opponents. Not quite sure he’s worth a lottery pick but seeing as this draft is all over the shop it’s not too bad.

13 – Phoenix – PG Winston Shannon
I’m not completely sold on him but he should get some good minutes behind Tony Solverson. He’s tall, a good scorer and above average rebounder for him position. The experts aren’t sold on him either but there wasn’t anyone that stood out at me.

14 – Nevada – SF Glen Abrams
An all around player that can do it all with the best of the college players, he might have slipped because he is older than the rest. The Neon have found a steal here.

15 – Seattle – C Eric Owens
Meh, alright and alright is as good as you can hope for at #15. Just goes to show how terrible Tavorris Hancock’s work outs were if he can’t beat out guys like Eric Owens.

16 – Minnesota – PF Jerzy Greckij
The international man of mystery finally gets pick. I think this is a great pick but he is very divisive and could go either way in his career.

17 – Toronto – PF John Turner
18 – Detroit – SG Andy King
19 – Chicago – PF Victor Hoiberg
20 – Houston – SG Derek Anderson
21 – Phoenix – C Tavorris Hancock
Why not?

22 – Milwaukee – SF Jeff Seabrooks
23 – Boston – SG Chris Carr
24 – Detroit – PF Ryan Stanfield
25 – Memphis – C Adam Bell
26 – Utah – SG Tim McClintock
27 – Golden State – PF Michael Williams
28 – Dallas – PF Chris Howard
29 – Oklahoma City – SF Matt Ward
30 – Indiana – SF Peeter Petrauskas
31 – Miami – PF Alwin Kreuger
32 – Brooklyn – SF Matt Smith

Trades! And we actually had a four team trade!

Toronto trade:
PG Flavian Pesmazoglou
2038 2nd round pick

Toronto receive:
PF Perry McCrary
PG Pat DeWitt

Houston trade:
PG Ehrhart Albertz

Houston receive:
PG Flavian Pesmazoglou

Brooklyn trade:
PG Jermaine Floyd

Brooklyn receive:
PG Ehrhart Albertz
2038 2nd round pick

Los Angeles trade:
PF Perry McCrary
PG Pat DeWitt

Los Angeles receive:
PG Jermaine Floyd

Winner – Los Angeles, then Houston and Brooklyn tied, then Toronto. The Lakers turn garbage into the fourth pick from last season which is a steal in anyone’s book. The Rockets and Nets did alright in this young point guard shuffle but the Raptors did horribly, turning a decent point guard (slotted to start at Houston) into garbage.

Charlotte trade:
PG Nick Hughes

Minnesota trade:
PF Carl Wilkins

Winner – Minnesota. The Timberwolves are starting to think of life after Camah Williams who at 34 years old is starting to reach the end of his career. Nick Hughes is only 28 years old and even though he sucks at defence he’s a quality starting point guard. Wilkins on the other hand is nothing more than a good bench player.