Basketball

By now, we've all been discussing, arguing, and passionately making a case for who we'd like to see the Wizards draft at number 3 overall next month. Whether the guy happens to Porter, Bennett, Len, or somehow turned into a veteren player, The Wizards still possess two 2nd rounders in the 2013 draft. Grunfeld is already on record saying that "we don't need 3 rookies.", so it would appear that one or more of the players selected next month will not be with the team next season. This has been called a weak draft by many, but oftentimes the weak drafts have a lot of depth. Under the assumption that those two picks are packaged for a late first rounder and based on this draft and the needs of our team, what guys do you think can be a steal? The guy I want to see get a shot, no matter where he is drafted is Archie Goodwin. He fills a need as a bench scorer, and by providing depth behind John Wall and Bradley Beal. He is 6' 5'' in shoes, with a 6' 10'' wingspan. He is a compact scoring guard that attacks the rim like his life depends on it, is very athletic, and has the tools to be a good defender. His weaknesses are a jumpshot and decision making. Since he is a very coachable player with excellent desire, by all accounts, he has a very high ceiling and could be an attractive trade asset in the future. I'd also look at Nate Wolters, Ray McCallum, Peyton Siva, and MIke Muscala if we keep one of the 2nd's. And of course Dario Saric is my guy, so I'd have no complaints with him either, but I am very interested to hear what you guys think. Who else could be a steal or late round gem for The Wizards? By now, we've all been discussing, arguing, and passionately making a case for who we'd like to see the Wizards draft at number 3 overall next month. Whether the guy happens to Porter, Bennett, Len, or somehow turned into a veteren player, The Wizards still possess two 2nd rounders in the 2013 draft. Grunfeld is already on record saying that "we don't need 3 rookies.", so it would appear that one or more of the players selected next month will not be with the team next season. This has been called a weak draft by many, but oftentimes the weak drafts have a lot of depth. Under the assumption that those two picks are packaged for a late first rounder and based on this draft and the needs of our team, what guys do you think can be a steal? The guy I want to see get a shot, no matter where he is drafted is Archie Goodwin. He fills a need as a bench scorer, and by providing depth behind John Wall and Bradley Beal. He is 6' 5'' in shoes, with a 6' 10'' wingspan. He is a compact scoring guard that attacks the rim like his life depends on it, is very athletic, and has the tools to be a good defender. His weaknesses are a jumpshot and decision making. Since he is a very coachable player with excellent desire, by all accounts, he has a very high ceiling and could be an attractive trade asset in the future. I'd also look at Nate Wolters, Ray McCallum, Peyton Siva, and MIke Muscala if we keep one of the 2nd's. And of course Dario Saric is my guy, so I'd have no complaints with him either, but I am very interested to hear what you guys think. Who else could be a steal or late round gem for The Wizards?

In a Suns season that went very much wrong, Goran Dragic did a lot right. He led the team in scoring (14.7), assists (7.4) and steals (1.6), setting career highs in each category. He also averaged a career-high 3.1 rebounds. “I thought the first half of the season he probably was from about 15-20 in the rankings [...]

Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert is calling out Miami Heat forward Shane Battier for his dirty play. Hibbert took exception to Battier’s shot to his groin area in the first half of Miami’s Game 1 victory Wednesday night. “U can knee or kick me every time u drive 2the rim. I’ll be there 2protect the rim. That [...]

The Heat’s record since Anderson came on board is an astounding 48-5. In the playoffs, a span of 10 games in which the Heat have lost just once, Anderson is 29-for-35 (82 percent) from the floor and averaging nearly eight points a game. His line in Wednesday’s Eastern Conference finals Game 1 victory for the Heat: [...]

The next coach of the Nets won’t be Doc Rivers. ESPNBoston.com reported Thursday night that the Nets reached out to Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge about potentially sitting down with Rivers to discuss the team’s head coaching opening, but that Ainge refused to grant them permission. That Ainge would deny the Nets a chance to [...]

A bunch of topics to cover today, so let’s get started. Thank you, Mr. Leiweke Bryan Colangelo maintaining his role as president of the club does not, for a minute, take any joy away from his firing as the GM of the club.  The man was flat-out incompetent in his role as continually pointed out by this space since the last four years, and it took Tim Leiweke about five minutes to see through the roster, the “organic growth”, and the marketing material that the organization and media had bought into.  For that I am very thankful.  The interview is below, but here’s a couple great quotes: First and foremost, we have to figure out consistently and how to win long-term.  I guess I referred to it earlier today as being a Seven Eleven.  Good enough to maybe be in the 7th or 8th spot and maybe make the playoffs, but never good enough to win. I do like the fact that we’re going to have a GM with a fresh view of the world, with a fresh view of the world, with a fresh view of this roster, with a fresh view of what it is we need to do to be competitive long-term. This was the essence of building under Bryan Colangelo.  He might’ve even gotten us into the playoffs next year, but just like in 2008, it doesn’t mean anything because you’re stuck in doldrums. Obstruction for new GM Retaining the business-specific role in the organization is makes no matter, and can only benefit the Raptors.  The only negative I can potentially see coming from it is if the incoming GM is uncomfortable working with him.  It’s a distinct possibility, but given the clarity with which Leiweke has defined Colangelo’s new role and the explicit nature in which he’s stated the new GM’s authority puts me at ease.  Simply put, if the new GM feels Colangelo is hampering him, Colangelo will be fired from his new flimsy role as well.  Fear not.  Leiweke made no secret of saying that if he had to draw it up from scratch, this is not the ideal structure: This is based, in part, on timing, this is based, in part, on the option that he had. This is based, in part, that he’s here already…Is this the way I’d draw it up on a piece of paper if we’d started fresh? Probably not, but that’s not an option. Direction of Team As Leiweke has stated in the interview below, he wants the new GM to come in with a “fresh perspective” and evaluate this roster for what it is, not what it is sold to the fans as.  The salary situation, lack of a draft pick, and the questionable roster talent does not make this job easy, and the only course of action is to go there with an unbiased mind and do a keep or cull based on impartial analysis.  It’s Step 1.  Everything else comes after.  The good part about this situation is that this keeping/culling will be done by a man who, as Leiweke explicitly said in the interview below, does not hold players in high regard just because they’re the ones who brought them in. I have a bit of a disagreement on the current status of the organization and this roster. I guess I don’t think we’re right there. I don’t think we’re a piece away, I think we have work to do. I think in the last five years we’ve made mistakes. We’re a team knocking on the luxury tax that has zero draft picks this year, and we have to improve on this roster but we don’t have a lot of resources to do it. I find it ironic that people think that that, at the end of the day, would give me a high degree of comfort. That said, Bryan has a different opinion and I respect that opinion, but somebody had to make a decision and someone did. We got to find somebody that is extremely good and rational at looking at this roster and reaching the right conclusions about who’s going to work and who’s not going to work. Sometimes you got to find a new set of eyes and a new opinion in order to judge a roster and not be personal about a player because you chose him. Or you used the first pick in

Doc Rivers keeps saying "I'm coming back until I say I'm not coming back" which is somewhat of a non-committal type of commitment, but personally I'm happy to take him at his face-value word on that. Even moreso with this latest bit of information. Apparently the Nets wanted permission to discuss their open coaching position with Doc and were given the old Heisman by Danny Ainge. Sources -- Brooklyn Nets contacted Boston Celtics about Doc Rivers - ESPN Boston Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge was contacted by the Brooklyn Nets, who wanted to speak to Doc Rivers about their vacant coaching position, team and league sources confirmed to ESPNBoston.com. Ainge, according to those sources, denied the Nets permission to talk with his coach, who has three years and $21 million remaining on his contract. Now, were they denied because he's under contract and the Celtics have the right to deny them access? Or did they talk to Doc and get a sense for how much he wanted to discuss things with the Nets first? Not that it matters in the end, just blogger curiosity. (Sarcasm alert): I guess Danny must have said something like "The Clippers are offering Blake Griffin for Doc, what have you got? And don't try selling me on Humphries and MarShon Brooks again." What is perhaps even more interesting in Jackie MacMullen's article is the anecdote that last year (presumably before he signed the contract extension with the Celtics). Doc Rivers shows no signs of leaving Boston Celtics That will not stop the offers from coming. Last season, the Orlando Magic offered Rivers the job of team president, which would have entailed everything from schmoozing with corporate sponsors to running the front office. Though he had previously insisted he had "little to no interest" in running a franchise, the financial windfall and unilateral power that would come with such a position (not to mention the proximity to his home base) gave him some brief pause. Ultimately, Rivers rebuffed the Magic and determined he wasn't done coaching. So basically Doc turned down a big promotion, much higher pay, and a chance to work near his home, all to stay with the Boston Celtics. Dear rest-of-the-NBA (In honor of the Office finale),... Boom, roasted.

In the wake of Frank Vogel’s decision to bench center Roy Hibbert for the final two defensive possessions of the Heat’s 103-102 win over the Pacers on Wednesday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, the Pacers coach directed some criticism toward Knicks coach Mike Woodson following yesterday’s practice. “They had a more intelligent plan [...]

If Wyc and Doc and Danny know what they are going to do, they aren't telling you and me. Nor should they. I do think that there's a consistent sense of bracing the fanbase for potential big changes, but that's just reading between the lines and conjecture at this point. To be fair, there could be things that they want to do but can't because other teams or perhaps some players aren't willing. And as Wyc says below, timing is everything. So we'll see. Grousbeck: 'I don't know what will happen' - Boston Celtics Blog - ESPN Boston Grousbeck gave a bit of a behind-the-scenes glimpse, noting that management and the front-office staff huddled this week to gauge the direction of the team. He stressed that Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge will examine the trade and free-agent markets and that the team likely won't make any firm decisions until late June when it knows all the potential options. "By the end of June, we’ll have different options to go in with this team," said Grousbeck. "Keeping it all together just as it was is one option, but we lost in the first round, so there is an obvious possibility that we ought to start making some changes. And we’re going to have to make those decisions. They won’t be made in May." Ok, commence thumb twiddling. Or perhaps hand wringing if you are so inclined.

(I am admittedly a little drunk, but I moved to Sacramento when I was six years old, in May of the year 2000. It was a perfect storm of influences that led to me developing a love for the game of basketball that year: newly made friends who liked the sport, a basketball hoop outside of my house, and most importantly, a local team that was really, really fun to watch. If anything sparked my bond with basketball, it was The Team: Vlade and Webber's behind the back passes, Peja's sharpshooting (and his Good Feet commercials!), Bobby Jackson's energy, Scott Pollard's hair (An aside: my family would watch the games together and whenever Bobby Jackson did something, my mom would shout "Bobby Jackson!" My sister, who was two at the time, would raise her fists in the air and shout back: Bobbyyyyy Jackson!" Life is truly a treat.) Not only were they fun to watch, they were really good, and they played the right way. They played with camaraderie and displayed a love for the game that I couldn't help but internalize. The only thing I remember about the 2001-2002 playoffs was Mike Bibby's bloody nose. I was eight years old, and I was visiting my grandparents, who just happened to live in a suburb of LA, and who just happened to be huge Lakers fans. After the game, I screamed and screamed and screamed. "HOW WAS THAT NOT A FOUL! HE GAVE HIM A BLOODY NOSE!" I wouldn't stop yelling and crying, and I told anyone who would listen (read: everyone in the entire house) about how I was going to write to David Stern and tell him about how it was obviously a foul on Kobe. Flash forward to today. After knee injuries, flashes of success, a long, dark seven years of irrelevance, and a gut-wrenching few years of relocation attempts, it feels utterly foreign to be hopeful about the future of the Kings. It feels so foreign to legitimately contemplate going after big free agents, making big trades, spending big money. It feels so foreign, and so...great. Is this what being a fan of a real team feels like? Every time I think about the Kings and Vivek, a huge smile etches itself onto my face. I am a Sacramento Kings fan, and for the first time since those long-ago days of Peja and Webber and Divac I can say that with nothing but positive thoughts. The positivity is infectious; the future is bright. Our team will finally compete again. No more elbows, no more bloody noses, no more Maloofs. We are back, and we are here to stay. (I am admittedly a little drunk, but I moved to Sacramento when I was six years old, in May of the year 2000. It was a perfect storm of influences that led to me developing a love for the game of basketball that year: newly made friends who liked the sport, a basketball hoop outside of my house, and most importantly, a local team that was really, really fun to watch. If anything sparked my bond with basketball, it was The Team: Vlade and Webber's behind the back passes, Peja's sharpshooting (and his Good Feet commercials!), Bobby Jackson's energy, Scott Pollard's hair (An aside: my family would watch the games together and whenever Bobby Jackson did something, my mom would shout "Bobby Jackson!" My sister, who was two at the time, would raise her fists in the air and shout back: Bobbyyyyy Jackson!" Life is truly a treat.) Not only were they fun to watch, they were really good, and they played the right way. They played with camaraderie and displayed a love for the game that I couldn't help but internalize. The only thing I remember about the 2001-2002 playoffs was Mike Bibby's bloody nose. I was eight years old, and I was visiting my grandparents, who just happened to live in a suburb of LA, and who just happened to be huge Lakers fans. After the game, I screamed and screamed and screamed. "HOW WAS THAT NOT A FOUL! HE GAVE HIM A BLOODY NOSE!" I wouldn't stop yelling and crying, and I told anyone who would listen (read: everyone in the entire house) about how I was going to write to David Stern and tell him about how it was o