Theus, GM's hired and 2 Trades

> On 6/19 the Sacramento Kings named Reggie Theus their new coach. Theus led New Mexico State to a 41-23 record the last two seasons, but really has no other head coaching experience, unless you count the ABA’s Las Vegas Slam. The rest of Reggie’s resume includes time as a volunteer assistant at Cal State LA, stints running summer league teams for the Sixers & Nuggets and two years as Rick Pitino’s assistant at Louisville.

So while I’m normally against college guys coming to the NBA, I’m not sure Theus falls into that category. Reggie has gone through great pains to say “I was an NBA guy coaching in college” any time the subject comes up, and I tend to agree with him. He was only coaching in college because he couldn’t get an NBA job and needed to prove he could lead a squad. And since he actually played in the Association for 13 seasons, he knows what the NBA grind entails. The travel, the egos, etc.

Theus’ hiring is a tough call for me. One on hand he did score the first basket in the Sacramento franchise’s history, so he has obvious ties to the organization. Not to mention his semi-connection to the Maloof family through Las Vegas (The Palms) and New Mexico (their home state). On the other hand he’s a rookie coach with limited pro experience coming into a very tough/uncertain situation.

At best this move is a gamble for the Kings because success won’t come easy with their current roster. And if president Geoff Petrie decides to rebuild, the track record of inexperienced coaches in rebuilding situations is not great to be kind.

At worst this is public relations appointment designed around bringing in a very popular former player to drum up support for a new arena. Weather this hire was for basketball related reasons, or over money concerns, Reggie and the Sacramento franchise face a very challenging road ahead that probably does not include the playoff for at least a few years.

> On 6/7 the Seattle SuperSonics named Sam Presti their new GM. At 30 years old Presti becomes the youngest personnel man in the league. The Wunderkind comes complete with a seven year San Antonio pedigree, which is very in vogue right about now. Sam’s claim to fame is that he convinced the Spurs to draft Tony Parker when the majority of their brain trust was against it.

Presti’s first move, after Lenny Wilkens was stripped of his decision making responsibilities, was to fire director of basketball operations Dave Pendergraft and director of college scouting Steve Rosenberry. Great move when you consider who Seattle has drafted the past couple of years. He replaced them with freshly minted assistant GM Scott Perry, formerly director of player personnel for Detroit.

I can’t say for sure what kind of job Presti will do, but he has to be better than the three stooges (Wally Walker, Rick Sund & Lenny Wilkens) that have been running this franchise into the ground for years. How Presti handles Rashard Lewis’ free agency should give us an early read on his ability.

> On 6/18 the Memphis Grizzlies hired former Boston GM Chris Wallace to replace Jerry West as vice president of basketball operations. This is an absolutely terrible move by a clueless owner and reminds me of when Portland hired John Nash to mismanage thier club for three seasons. I could run down a list of Chris' bad moves, but I’m feeling lazy so here’s what Bill Simmons (a Celtics fan) had to say…

“This was the guy [Wallace] who spent a lottery pick on Kedrick Brown, drafted Joe Forte over Tony Parker, raved about Jerome Moiso's upside potential and said publicly that Shammond Williams was the key to a trade that included Boston picking up an alcoholic forward with a max contract (Vin Baker).”

Anyway, you get the picture. For a franchise that is already losing fan support this ends badly, very badly. In fact, relocation is a definite possibility after Wallace gets finished making things worse than they already are there. But then again, maybe that’s exactly what owner Michael Heisley has in mind anyway.

> There were also two small trades that went down since my last post.

Minnesota Gets: Juwan Howard

Houston Gets: Mike James and Justin Reed

For the Timberwolves…

Minny unloads the three years and $18 million left on James’ deal and makes way for Randy Foye to be their new undisputed starting PG. Howard gives the Wolves another legit big body to play alongside (or replace) Kevin Garnett. Juwan is also a very good “locker room” guy that is known for his professionalism in any situation. This is also something KG apparently wanted.

For the Rockets…

James was brought to Houston in part because he lives there and badly wanted to play in his home town again. The main reason though is to give the Rockets another option at the point besides Rafer Alston. While Rafer might be the better defender/distributor, he can’t throw it the ocean. Enter James, who can really stroke it from deep and never met a shot he didn’t like. Think offense/defense if you will.

Reed would have been better suited to former coach Jeff Van Gundy’s defensive style than he is to new coach Rick Adelman’s free flowing offensive style. I’ve been a backer of Justin in the past, but I think he’s on his way out of the league now.

Winner - Rockets

Toronto Gets: Carlos Delfino

Detroit Gets: 2009 & 2011 second round picks

For the Raptors…

I like this pickup for Toronto, but I’m not sure Delfino is worth *two* second rounders. While there’s no doubt Carlos will feel more comfortable north of the border in their international atmosphere, he really has never displayed the ability to contribute consistently. He certainly has the physical tools to be an NBA player, but mentally he doesn’t seem to be in the game near enough. Another reason I don’t like this deal is because Luke Jackson just got pushed further down the depth chart. Anyway, this is the last stop café for Delfino, and he better make the most of it, or it’ll be welcome back to Europe time.

For the Pistons…

This move is about Detroit cutting salary as much as it is about dumping an unhappy and unproductive player. Piston president Joe Dumars is rumored to be trying to clear up enough salary cap space to sign Grant Hill. It might actually take a few more crafty trades to get there, so stayed tuned.

Winner - Pistons

Finals Recap

I ended up going 10-5 this post season, which is not up to the lofty standards I set for myself at all. I probably would have been happy with 12-3, but my consolation is that I picked San Antonio to win it all back in October. Any time you select the NBA Champion in the pre-season you’ve got to be happy, and I am.

These Finals set an all time record low with a 6.2 television rating and 11 share. Those numbers were 5% under the previous low of 6.5/12 for Spurs-Nets in 2003. I wish I could say I’m surprised, but I’m not. The media tells the masses that SA is a boring team, so Joe Q Public doesn’t tune in. Well I’m here to tell ya that the Spurs *aren’t* a boring club, not in the least.

What SA did was what they always do, approach the game and play in way that gives them the best chance to beat their opponent. It’s not the Spurs fault that Cleveland wasn’t a deserving championship adversary. If you must place blame, it belongs squarely with the Cavaliers, who successfully mucked the series up to the point where I was flashing back to the mid-90’s. It was actually Cleveland coach Mike Brown that dictated the tempo, not SA’s Gregg Popovich.

Anyway, how can a squad that features Tony Parker (MVP), Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Robert Horry be considered boring in the first place? Journeyman Brent Barry had what I though was a very poignant quote to the New York Times before Game 4, saying “No character issues, professionalism, preparation – everything people always say they want – it's all happening right here.” You know what? He’s 100% right on there.

Everyone always complains about the NBA being filled with thugs who lack fundamentals and have no respect for the game. Well the Spurs are class personified as Barry said, but somehow they get deemed “boring”. Huh, am I missing something here? Where are all those people that are constantly “outraged” by everything that happens in the Association? Those types should theoretically LOVE SA, but yet no one watched the Finals.

So am I to think that if another team, let’s say Denver, were to make it into the Finals that the ratings would have been higher? Of course not. The story line there would have been about Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith being too “hip-hop” to be universally accepted. The reality of the situation is that old school sports writers, and by proxy the average fan, hate the NBA for much more insidious reasons than the league’s “image” or “style of play”.

But that’s a column for another day.

As far as the Spurs being a dynasty goes, I’d say they are on the verge. One place I differ from most is that I don’t count the 1999 championship in this run. Think about it, how can you include that title when the Lakers three-peated in the middle of this so called “dynasty”? So right now SA has won three in five years, which puts them close, but not quite there. If they can repeat or maybe win two more in the next three to four seasons, then I’ll start dropping the D word.

I have to close with the “Big Fundamental” and his legacy. Let’s get something straight right off the bat, Duncan is *not* a boring player, he’s a boring personality. I mean witnessing him work in the low post on both offense and defense is a joy. Timmy’s like a “how to” instructional video for young big men out there. Away from the court though he reminds me of another great champion, Pete Sampras. TD spits out mundane quotes with a drab look on his face and never let’s anybody in. Which is fine, that’s his choice. But fair or not, one of the six best centers of all time is on his way to being a foot note in history. Again to go to tennis, people remember/love John McEnroe and Andre Agassi, but not necessarily Sampras and Roger Federer. Likewise, I get the feeling that Duncan’s generation will be remembered more for Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, than TD himself. I might as well blame the main stream media again since that seems to be the theme here.

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This summer I plan on handling the off season a little differently, as in I’m actually going to cover it for a change. I can’t say how regular the updates will be, but if anything big happens I should have something up within a day or two (or three). I also plan to start catching up on my music writing as well as reporting on the FIBA Americas Championship in late August. You might even get to read about a little NASCAR if the mood strikes.

In the meantime check out this great show from the Assembly of Dust. It’s high energy all around and one of the best I’ve heard from them. AoD brings a little bit of something for everyone, from rock to country to even a little folk. You won’t be disappointed, I promise.

Finals Game 3

Cleveland v San Antonio (Spurs up 3-0) – Since hardly anyone is watching these Finals the chances are that hardly anyone is reading this, but that’s never stopped me before! The Cavaliers blew their big chance to make this a series Tuesday. Tim Duncan had foul trouble, Manu Ginobili was 0-7 from the field and Tony Parker was somewhat contained (7-17 FG). Yet Cleveland still could not get the job done and shot a miserable 36.71% as a team. SA wasn’t much better (41.18%), but the difference in the game was that the Spurs made ten (10-19) 3-pointers to the Cavs three (3-19).

We’ll never know how the decision to inactivate Larry Hughes came about, but the bottom line is that Cleveland coach Mike Brown was finally forced to do the right thing. While rookie Daniel Gibson did an admirable job staying in front of Mr. Longoria, “Boobie” could not buy a bucket shooting 1-10 from the field and 0-5 from three. The Cavs even got decent performances from Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Drew Gooden and Sasha Pavlovic.

So why didn’t they win you ask?

Well up until now I’ve been holding off on blasting LeBron James, but it’s probably past time for the “Global Icon” to receive some heat from me. Although it’s nice to take what the defense gives you, make the proper basketball play and not force anything, Bron has to become more assertive. This is the NBA Finals for cripes sake! Get the ball and do something with it quickly for a change...before the defense has a chance to set up. Deron Williams abused Bruce Bowen in the Western Conference Finals by doing just that, making quick decisive moves to the hoop. James looks utterly confused out there holding/dribbling the ball beyond the 3-point line waiting for something to happen. At this point SA has laid the blueprint for all teams to follow on how to contain LeBron, and it’s up to Bron-Bron to break out and prove he can’t be stopped.

This was a particularly ugly game to watch with bad offense all around. Game 3 ended up tied with Spurs-Knicks ’99 for the second lowest combined point total in Finals history (147). Only the 1955 classic between Fort Wayne and Syracuse was worse (145). Which brings me to my point, the league *must* do something about seeding the playoffs.

I know the company line is that these things are cyclical, but c’mon already. The gap between the East and West is growing bigger rather than shrinking, especially now that Greg Oden and Kevin Durant are both headed to the Northwest Division (poor KG). I’d also venture to say that SA didn’t play well in Games 1 & 3, yet won both. I’m well aware that money is the only thing that could possibly change Commissioner David Stern’s mind on changing the post season format. Which is exactly why I’m hoping these extraordinarily low TV ratings for the Finals hurt the NBA where it counts most...the wallet. Perhaps that’s just the impetus the honchos need to get this discussion moving forward, because frankly I’m sick and tired of waiting on the Eastern Conference to come around.

Finals Game 2

Cleveland v San Antonio (Spurs up 2-0) – It probably turned out to be a good thing that most of America watched the finale of ‘The Sopranos’ rather than Game 2 of the NBA Finals. I don’t think there’s any doubt that the disparity in talent between the two conferences has been exposed big time thus far. SA’s offense is just picking apart the Cavaliers vaunted defense to the tune of the Spurs shooting 46.71% as a team. Conversely, Cleveland has yet to crack SA’s defense as the Cavs are shooting a paltry 41.72% combined. I hope everyone can get used to having a German league MVP (Dirk Nowitzki) and a French Finals MVP, because Tony Parker (28.5 points on 58.14% shooting in this series) pretty much has it wrapped up already.

Cleveland coach Mike Brown has done his best to hamstring his club beyond their lack of experience and talent. Playing Larry Hughes seems like a good idea on paper, but I believe the law of diminishing returns in effect now. Meaning that Hughes’ presence on the court (1-10 FG total in 21.5 minutes per game) is now hurting his squad more than helping. Meanwhile rookie Daniel Gibson is lighting it up, shooting 61.91% from the field and 50% from three while averaging 15.5 points in 30 minutes per game. It’s time for Larry to move to the pine permanently, “Boobie” to start and Damon Jones & Eric Snow to be Gibson's back ups. The other quibble I have with coach Brown is sitting LeBron James for the final 9:04 of the 1st quarter in Game 2. I understand that James had two fouls, but Bron ended the game with just three total, and certainly should have been back in the game a little after mid-way through the 1st quarter.

As the Finals shift to Quicken Loans Arena I can’t help but think that the Cavs confidence is majorly shaken. Their 57 to 35 4th quarter scoring margin aside (both games have been decided more or less before the 4th), Cleveland has not shown they can compete with the Spurs when SA is into the action and firing on all cylinders. My remedy for the Cavs to salvage some type of respect is to start outworking SA. Cleveland has lost the battle of the boards in both contests so far and seemed to be resigned to their fate early on in Game 2. If the Cavs can use their home crowd to convert a few extra put backs on the offensive glass, get to more loose balls and generate some easy open court/fast break opportunities, that might be enough to regain some of their lost swagger and make this a series. Otherwise I have a hard time seeing Cleveland winning even one game.

Stan Van Gundy Hired

On 6/7 the Orlando Magic coaching saga came to a merciful end with the hiring of Stan Van Gundy. The Magic organization having egg on their collective face is nothing new. First there was the drafting of Fran Vazquez 11th overall in 2005 (Fran has yet to express any interest in playing in the NBA). Then there was the poorly handled Brian Hill firing. But Billy Donovan changing his mind the morning after signing a 5 year $27.5 million dollar contract had to be the most painful.

I’m not going to rag on Billy for being a weasel because he’ll never have it as good as he does at Florida anywhere in the NBA. Part of Donovan’s “opt out” is that is he can’t take another NBA job for the next five years. Umm, ok. What franchise would be foolish enough to come knocking for him anyway? I hope “The Kid” really doesn’t have pro aspirations because his little back and forth shuffle lost him a ton of respect around the league, both with decision makers and players alike.

On the other hand, I don’t think things could have worked out better for Orlando. Van Gundy is an infinitely better man for the job down there. In his first year in charge he took a very young Heat squad to the second round of the playoffs. Then in his next season he took Miami to the Conference Finals before getting unceremoniously bushwhacked 21 games into his third campaign by Pat Riley. Other than not gaining the respect of Shaquille O’Neal, Stan really did nothing wrong his first time around.

SVG inherits a young but talented Magic club with plenty of salary cap space taboot. On top of all that former coach Brian Hill has laid a nice defensive foundation already. In other words, you couldn’t ask for a better situation to take over as a coach. This brings me to another reason Stan deserves kudos. He turned down far more uncertain situations in Indiana and Sacramento before choosing Orlando. Now that’s what I call a man in charge of his own destiny.

I already mentioned how Riley stabbed Van Gundy in the back, but Pat wasn’t satisfied with just stealing his job and never allowing SVG to speak to the press about it. Nope, Riles needed compensation from the Magic too. Never mind that when the Pacers and Kings looked like Stan’s destination that nary a peep came from Pat. But somehow SVG going to Orlando meant Riles needed $1 million and a 1st round pick. WHAT A FORKING SKUNK! Steal the guy’s job, force him to keep quiet about it, and then do your darnedest to prevent him from a prime gig that makes the most sense for him and his family.

Riley ended up getting 2nd round pick (#39) this year and the right to swap 1st round picks with the Magic next season unless Orlando ends up in the lottery. In that case, or if they decline the option for another reason, the Heat then receives a 2008 2nd round pick and $500,000 cash. If you ask me Pat’s insecurity stems from the Magic being on the verge of something special. Not only does Riles know they’ll be a much better team with Van Gundy in charge, but that Orlando can stick it to Miami four times a year for as long as SVG is there. Do you think the South Florida media will have anything to write about if the Magic are suddenly better than the Heat? Do you suppose it’s also possible that the name “Pat Riley” will be mentioned prominently in all of those articles? Karma can be a real biatch Pat.

NBA Finals Preview

Post Season Numbers

Defensive Field Goal Percentage
San Antonio – 45.02%
Cleveland – 42.03%

Rebound Differential
San Antonio – -0.81
Cleveland – +5.75

Shooting
San Antonio – 46.27%
Cleveland – 42.74%

3-Point Shooting
San Antonio – 38.73%
Cleveland – 33.59%

Free Throw Shooting
San Antonio – 73.86%
Cleveland – 74.44%

Turnovers
San Antonio – 13.31
Cleveland – 12.56

Fouls
San Antonio – 21.13
Cleveland – 21.13

Pace Factor
San Antonio – 92.7
Cleveland – 88.8

Individual Matchups

Point Guard
Tony Parker & Jacque Vaughn v Larry Hughes & Eric Snow/Damon Jones – Containing Parker is going to be key for the Cavaliers because when Tony is able to break down the defense and get into the lane at will, the opposition is in big trouble. The question is who has the quickness to stay in front of TP? I’d say the only guy with even a remote chance is “Boobie”, and if Parker is hitting his mid-range jumper, the answer becomes no one. Hughes (torn plantar fascia left foot) is obviously not right, but by gutting it out he’s able to contribute at least a little something.

I expect Vaughn to see spot minutes off the bench as Parker’s backup and to possibly provide full court pressure against whoever is bringing the ball up for Cleveland. Snow would see major minutes in this series if he wasn’t a complete liability on offense. As is he’ll be a nice veteran leader who makes smart decisions and controls the tempo. Jones has risen from the dead and should see time here and there when no one else’s outside shot is falling.

Shooting Guard
Michael Finley & Manu Ginobili v Sasha Pavlovic & Daniel Gibson – Fin is finally right where he always wanted to be, and has actually been playing some pretty good ball lately. Michael is really just a place holder these days, however he can still be counted on to play smart and hit an open shot from mid-range to out deep. Pavlovic hustles and plays hard but his offensive game is scary bad the majority of the time. That’s why Sasha’s main job will be to keep Ginobili in check as much as possible. Call me crazy, but I actually think Pavlovic will do a decent job defending Manu.

Speaking of Ginobili, if he comes off the bench energized with his jumper on the Cavs will be in a world of hurt. Manu has been very up and down this post season, but he does possess that certain something that allows him to rise to the occasion, so I anticipate he’ll be more up then down in the Finals. Gibson burst onto the national scene surprising everyone against Detroit (present company not included of course), but you can be sure that the Spurs will be ready for him. Although Daniel will contribute when he’s out there, being a major difference maker is another story all together. The Spurs are not the Pistons and will take away what “Boobie” does best.

Small Forward
Bruce Bowen & Brent Barry v LeBron James & Donyell Marshall – While it’s true Bowen will need to hit open threes, obviously his primary objective will be to do what he can against LeBron. Much, much easier typed than done I know. James took a big step in the last series, but now he’s playing against the varsity whose sole focus the last week has been on containing him and making him work for every little thing. Look, I’m a big Bron backer, but he is literally going to have to be off the charts for four games if Cleveland is to have a chance. Telling the “King” he can’t do something is not wise, so let’s just say the odds are against him. One thing that would make life easier for LeBron is if he posts Bruce up. Bowen does not have the strength to handle James down low, and Bron could get BB in foul trouble taboot.

Barry has looked awful the second half of the season and on into the playoffs. I’m sure Brent will see some minutes, but I don’t expect them to be very productive. Marshall falls into the category of getting time to make shots. However, just like Damon Jones, Donyell will get a quick hook if his jumper is not falling.

Power Forward
Tim Duncan & Robert Horry v Drew Gooden & Anderson Varejao – Duncan has been his normal brilliant self in the post season averaging 23.2 points, 11.4 rebounds, 3.3 blocks, and 3.1 assists all while shooting a tidy 53.9% from the field. Being that Timmy is staring the rarified air of four rings right in the face, I look for him to be especially focused in this series. While I appreciate Gooden more than most, I don’t think he matches up very well against the “Big Fundamental”. I anticipate Drew spending most of his time on the bench in foul trouble. The rest of the time he’ll be griping at the refs doing his best Rasheed Wallace imitation.

Horry is really going to have to focus on boxing out and grabbing rebounds when he’s in there. Since crafty defense and timely shot making are really Robert’s specialty, he may have trouble against the superior size of the Cavs front line. Varejao’s defensive activity and agitating abilities are going to be needed to contain/frustrate Duncan. Tim is essentially unflappable, but if anyone can get to him it’s “Sideshow Bob”. As an added bonus, Andy has a chance to make himself some serious money this summer with a good performance in the Finals.

Center
Fabricio Oberto & Francisco Elson v Zydrunas Ilgauskas & Scot Pollard – Oberto’s activity and movement without the ball were big against Utah, and he should be able to do more of the same against Big Z. Fab may not be glamorous, but he’s an underrated passer for a big man and a sneaky flopper as well. Ilgauskas’ offense is an absolute must if Cleveland is going to have any success. Zydrunas needs to hit the open shot on the pick & pop as well as establish his hook shot down low. Z is probably going to draw Duncan quite a bit too, so Ilgauskas must stay on his feet, not bite on fakes and use his bulk to muscle Timmy off his spots.

After being the starter for most of the regular season Elson has practically disappeared in the playoffs. Part of that is the play of Oberto, but the other part is that Cisco doesn’t seem to always have his head in the game. Pollard gets a mention because his six fouls will come in handy against Duncan.

Coach
Gregg Popovich v Mike Brown – This is probably the biggest mismatch of the entire series. What’s not to like about Pop here? More experience, superior play designer and far better at in game & game-to-game adjustments. Heck, he’s probably even better at working the referees. While Brown deserves major kudos for the defense his team plays, he’s more then capable of making a (non)decision in crunch time that loses a game. Mike’s adjustments have been shaky all post season and his set plays out of timeouts are downright awful. That said, the one thing Brown does have going for him is inside knowledge of the tendencies of SA players (a la Don Nelson against Dallas).

Overall

As a cheerleader for the NBA I couldn’t be happier with this Finals matchup because a Spurs-Detroit series was dead on arrival in the media, with Joe Q Public and especially when it came to TV ratings. The Cavs were purposely built in the mold of SA, from management to coach to playing style, so this is literally a battle of teacher versus student. It shows too because both of these clubs play solid defense, smart offense and can’t shoot free throws worth a dime.

Cleveland must continue to play great D because that’s what got them here after all. The Cavs also have to be very careful not to get caught up in a running game with the Spurs. As tempting as it might be for the players, Cleveland has no chance to score with SA. The Cavs just need to keep the game close throughout and give LeBron a chance to take over and win it at the end.

As simple as it sounds, the Spurs have to focus on the boards because Cleveland is a great rebounding squad that thrives on second shot opportunities. Since shutting James down is pretty much impossible at this point, SA will have to sag in on defense to try and keep Bron’s driving lanes to a minimum. The second part of that equation is the Spurs recovering out to the Cavs shooters and making sure they don’t get uncontested looks.

I hesitate to even go here, but I get the feeling that the “King” is going to suffer some backlash from last year’s Finals where Dwyane Wade was basically Eliot Ness (untouchable). Maybe if the series is getting out of hand the referees might start giving LeBron some favorable calls, but I expect the zebras to “let them play” right from the start because there’s no way Commissioner David Stern wants to deal with that kind of conspiracy theory for a second Finals in a row.

Prediction: I’ll be honest, I see Cleveland as the third best team SA will have faced in the playoffs. That said, the longer LeBron can make this series last, the better it is for the NBA as a whole. As much as I’d like to predict a long hard fought series, I don’t see it happening because the Cavs just aren’t ready yet. Spurs in 5.

Conference Finals Recap

The Conference Finals saw me go 1-1 to raise my record to a meager 9-5 for the post season. I’m not very happy with that at all. Thinking back to October, one of the hardest calls I made was Miami over Cleveland to represent the East in the NBA Finals. I was oh so close to hitting both teams, but I’m happy enough with one.

I typed before the start of the East Finals that the Cavaliers were the better defensive club, but I never expected them to dominate Detroit’s offense like they did. This makes two straight playoffs where the Pistons offense has bogged down after Game 2 of the second round. I guarantee Rasheed Wallace blames coach Flip Saunders, just as many others in the media will I’m sure, but I think laying all this on Flip is too easy an out for all involved.

Detroit is an aging, unathletic squad with very little depth. I don’t think I’m going out on a limb here by saying that changes *need* to be made to their roster before the start of next season. Pistons President Joe Dumars has some very tough choices to make this summer because it’s hard to justify keeping a core together that already is getting beat regularly.

Joe D’s first order of business is what to do with Chauncey Billups. $10 million a season for four years seems like an awful lot for a guy whose skills seem to be on the decline already. The next thing I would do is look to trade Sheed. He’s reverted to distraction mode, and I don’t really see his relationship with Flip improving. I might even consider including Tayshaun Prince in a blockbuster if I had to. The main reason I say to move Wallace and possibly Prince is because I like Detroit’s young forward tandem of Jason Maxiell and Amir Johnson. After a call is made on the coach, Dumars also needs improve his club’s depth.

Even though I was wrong about the Eastern Finals, I feel validated about something I’ve been saying for the last four years. The Pistons were never that good to begin with, even when they won it all in 2003-04. If you remember that post season run, Detroit ended up beating an injury plagued New Jersey, Indiana and Lakers squad in succession. Hey, I understand it’s better to lucky than good sometimes, but the reality is that the Pistons were a slightly above average team that took advantage of a weak Eastern Conference.

Iavaroni, O’Brien & Donovan Hired

> On 5/31 the Memphis Grizzlies named Marc Iavaroni their new head coach. Iavaroni has long been regarded as one of the top assistant coaches in the league, and it was only a matter of time before he got his chance. Marc was the lead assistant in Phoenix most recently, but also had stints under Pat Riley in Miami and Mike Fratello in Cleveland. I’m not sure exactly what kind of coach Iavaroni will be, but he’s known as a positive and enthusiastic guy who prefers an up tempo style.

When you take into account Memphis’ shaky ownership situation, coupled with their imminent lack of a GM (Jerry West is leaving after the draft largely because of the owner perpetually trying to sell the franchise), I think this is a great hire for the Griz, somewhat of a coup even. I understand that beggars can’t be choosers when it comes to a first job, but Iavaroni faces a tough road ahead taking over the worst team in league while management is in flux.

The transition would be made much easier if Suns Vice President David Griffin is named Memphis’ new GM because Marc and Griffin share the same philosophy and are already familiar with one another. This scenario would seem likely with Steve Kerr apparently set to take over as personnel boss in Phoenix. However, the latest word is that Griffin is staying in the Valley of the Sun and that Boston assistant GM Chris Wallace is the new front runner (other candidates include Mark Jackson and Kiki Vandeweghe). Stay tuned…

> Later in the day on 5/31 the Indiana Pacers hired former Boston and Philadelphia coach Jim O’Brien to be their new head man. While everyone knows I think O’Brien can coach (182-158 career) and got a raw deal in Philly, I’m not sure this hire is right for him or the Pacers. Indiana just fired Rick Carlisle because he was a no-nonsense, defense first, abrasive disciplinarian that the players had stopped listening to. It also needs to be said that Stan Van Gundy reportedly turned this job down because of the uncertain direction of the franchise in the foreseeable future. So why would the Pacers bring in a Carlisle clone (more or less)? And why would an experienced coach like Obie place himself in such an unstable situation? If I had to guess, I’d say that both parties were desperate, which I don’t really understand, but anyway…

The main difference between Jim and Rick is that O’Brien likes to push the pace and get the ball past half court in three seconds while shooting a lot of 3-pointers. The problem there is that Indiana, as presently constituted, does not possess the type of players needed to execute that style. That’s where President Larry Bird comes in. Bird is already on record stating that he will trade anyone on the roster this summer, and he went further Thursday saying that “He'll [Obie] have a lot of input in that. We like to give a coach the type of players he likes to have. It's important for him to have a big part in it.” If that’s really the case, and Larry Legend is able to give Jim the athletic shooters he desires, the Pacers will be back in the playoffs sooner rather than later.

> Then on Friday 6/1 the Orlando Magic decided to go down the well traveled dark and dangerous path of hiring a college coach to lead their team. Orlando made Billy Donovan (296-123 in college) the next contestant to try and succeed in the face of overwhelming evidence against making the jump from the collegiate ranks to the NBA. Even though the Magic came to their senses enough not to give Donovan personnel responsibilities, GM Otis Smith and company did dole out a ridiculous five year $27.5 million dollar contract. I’d be shocked if Billy lasts that entire five years.

To me this move is less about basketball and more about Orlando making sure they secure financing for their new arena. As is the case with all proposed new facilities these days, the amount that the public has to contribute always seems to be the sticking point. Enter Donovan. You see, Billy D is the people’s choice down there after leading Florida to two consecutive National Championships. So to me it seems like getting an arena deal done is more important than wins and losses to owner Rick DeVos at the moment. Such is the business side of the NBA I guess.

I also have to mention that the firing of former coach Brian Hill was handled very poorly. After Smith told Brian he’d be back immediately following the playoffs, President Bob Vander Weide came out a few days later and said there were “philosophical issues between Hill and management over the team's style of play.” This left Brian in limbo for approximately three weeks, which is not something you want your front office to ever be associated with.

Since Donovan is known for his high octane style, we can assume that he and management are on the same page there. This makes Billy’s first order of business developing a strong relationship with budding star Dwight Howard, because if D Hiddy is not with the program, no one else will be. Next would be finding a way to motivate Darko Milicic…..good luck with that. Donovan will also be responsible for the continued growth of young players like Trevor Ariza, J.J. Redick and most importantly Jameer Nelson. This is really the typical situation that a college coach is usually thrown into (young, inexperienced squad), and I see no reason to expect the end result to be any different than normal.

Thursday 5/31

Cleveland v Detroit (Cavaliers up 3-2) – What a game! A performance for the ages by LeBron James has Cleveland on the precipice of their first trip to the Finals in franchise history. Bron (48 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists & 2 steals) was unreal, and if you didn’t see it live, I recommend you take it in on ESPN Classic in the near future. James scored his club’s last 11 field goals, 25 points and 29 of their last 30 points taboot. Included in that were multiple deep off-balance jumpers, several rim rattling explosive dunks and a very key steal for good measure. Other heroes for the Cavs were Eric Snow, who in eight minutes of total work had two key steals in the last 1:54 of regulation, and played tough defense on Chauncey Billups down the stretch and in both overtimes. Anderson “The Agitator” Varejao had two MASSIVE blocks in the final :13 seconds of the 2nd overtime (one on a Rasheed Wallace turnaround and a slight deflection of Billups’ floater as time expired). Lost in all of this is that Cleveland finally played a good 3rd quarter for the first time all series.

I can’t shake the feeling that when “Mr. Big Shot” says, “We've been here before a lot of times. We've got to lock in and win one game.”, that he’s actually trying to convince himself and his teammates of that more than the media/public anymore. The Pistons had plenty of chances to win this game but their once unflappable chemistry as a unit seems to be fracturing apart right before our eyes. Detroit’s defensive scheme on LeBron’s game winning layup with 2.2 seconds left looked like the parting of the Red Sea to me. Where was the immediate double team to get the ball out of his hands? I mean, the guy had only scored 23 straight at that point. What makes it even more curious is that the Pistons have had a bunch of success in the last two games with their half court zone/trap. In Game 5 they also got off to a great start by employing a full court press/trap. I’d rather not waste a bunch of time on this, but the look on Detroit coach Flip Saunders’ face tells the tale. He seems to be wilting under the pressure, and if not, his demeanor surely doesn’t exude confidence to his squad.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that the NBA has a chance to breathe life into mass conspiracy theories by suspending Antonio McDyess for his blatant clothesline of Varejao late in the first quarter. I think the referees made the proper call last night (Dyess made NO play on the ball), but I can’t say I have any idea if the league office will follow suit. I’m of the mind that tossing him from the game was punishment enough, and I can only hope that Stu Jackson agrees with me.

If you thought this series was getting testy, just wait until Saturday. Expect the Pistons to pull out all of their “veteran tricks” and be focused like a laser beam right from the start. That’s why the Cavs need to be careful in Game 6. It’s very easy to fall into the trap of thinking the series is over when you have a close out game at home after a big win on the road. Cleveland *must* engrain it into their collective consciousness that they really haven’t accomplished anything yet. It’s one thing to say you’re thinking that way, it’s another entirely to really have that mentality. Even though I hate to type this, something tells me that we are heading back to Detroit for Game 7.