Lakers, Sixers and more
> The Lakers are off to a 7-2 start this season and have been without their second best player (Pau Gasol, right hamstring) the entire time. The thing that gets me though is that no one really mentions Gasol being out. It’s just like ho-hum the Lakers are doing what they should. How many other squads could keep wining at this rate minus their second banana?
I bring this up to only to dispel the myth that the Lakers are a deep team. They certainly were a few years ago, but now? Not so much. Who from this group is a consistent contributor on a good club?
Jordan Farmar – frustratingly inconsistent...still.
Sasha Vujacic – has had only one good season (his contract year, of course).
Shannon Brown – a fifth guard at best.
Luke Walton – I don’t think he’s even an NBA player, much less a rotation player.
Adam Morrison – please.
Josh Powell – a nice fifth big man.
D.J. Mbenga – a decent sixth big man/inactive guy.
So there you have it. After their best five (Kobe Bryant, Ron Artest, Lamar Odom, Gasol & Andrew Bynum) the Lakers really don’t have much at all. Luckily for LA Artest is fitting in nicely and the “good” Bynum is back.
That said the Lakers still need backcourt help, especially at the point. And even with that poor list of talent above GM Mitch Kupchak will be able to make a move if sees fit.
Morrison ($5 million), Fisher ($5 mil) and Farmar ($2 mil) all have expiring contracts. So Mitch can package Ammo with either Derek and/or Jordan to get the last piece they need. LA could even be the recipient of another steal if they are willing to take a bad contract in return for their expirings.
> The Philadelphia 76ers are dead last in attendance at 11,377 per game. I can’t say that I blame the Philly peeps either. I have only one question for GM Ed Stefanski…
What’s your plan?
The Sixers roster seems to be fragmented into three sections right now. Guys signed long-term (Elton Brand, Andre Iguodala & Lou Williams), developing young players (Thaddeus Young, Marreese Speights, Jason Smith & Jrue Holiday) and untradeable junk (Samuel Dalembert, Willie Green, Royal Ivey, Rodney Carney & Primoz Brezec).
So what’s the deal Stefanski?
Are you building for the future or trying to contend right now?
I think the answer is he doesn’t know and I have two specific examples to back this claim up.
(Keep in mind the Sixers desperately need an infusion of talent in their backcourt.)
1) Last summer when Ed obviously thought Philly was a contender he signed veteran retread Kareem Rush on 7/29/08 to be their 3-point specialist. Golden State signed undrafted rookie Anthony Morrow on 7/25/08, and Morrow went on to lead the NBA in 3-point percentage (a stat that Philly finished dead last in as a team).
The only reason for that move had to be that Stefanski wanted a vet over a rookie, right? Otherwise he’s just an idiot since Rush has NEVER been any good to begin with. I’d take a flyer on a rookie shooter before signing a proven scrub any day of the week.
2) Then this summer Ed drafted a 19-year old project PG in Holiday at #17 when an NBA ready PG in Ty Lawson was sitting right there. I’m not saying Holiday won’t develop, but having seen both guys play this season it’s not even a contest as to who’s better right now. Holiday looks lost on the court while Lawson has been a major contributor off the pine in Denver.
Again, what direction are you taking the franchise Stefanski?
You sign a pick and roll/post up big man in Brand, but don’t surround him with shooters or even one player that he can run a pick and roll with. Granted EB has looked awful (can he even jump over the Sunday paper anymore?) but he really hasn’t been put in a situation to be successful either.
Don’t even get me started on AI2 and Thad being the same exact player either.
Fear not Philadelphians, I have a plan and the first step is trading Iguodala for a contract that expires after the ’10-11 season (when Dalembert, Jason Kapono & Green also come off the books). I wouldn’t be averse to doing the same with Williams too.
Yes the Sixers would stink for two more seasons if this were to happen. BUT they’d also be in a position to be major players in the free agent market while at the same time keeping their future core of Speights, Young, Holiday and Smith together.
I know trading your best player (Iggy) is a tough pill to swallow, but the reality here is that the team is going nowhere as presently constituted and NO ONE is taking Brand’s contract any time soon.
Asking for patience in Philly is futile, but if my plan is followed at least the franchise would have a real direction…..for the first time in a long time.
> While I’m in the ripping on personnel men mood, Sacramento President Geoff Petrie come on down! The Kings are second to last in attendance (12,422), hemorrhaging money and can’t get a new arena built to save their souls.
So what does Petrie do?
Of course he passes on two of the most interesting/exciting players in the draft (Ricky Rubio & Brandon Jennings) to take Tyreke Evans.
Don’t get me wrong here, from what I’ve seen of Evans he’s going to be a stud. The problem is that Tyreke is a SG. Not a third guard like Delonte West or Jason Terry. Nor a scoring PG like Monta Ellis or Gilbert Arenas. Nope, Evans is a legit SG.
Why is this a problem?
Well, Sacto’s best player (Kevin Martin) also just happens to be a SG.
So Petrie duplicated his biggest position of strength so Beno Udrih and Sergio Rodriguez could run the point for a franchise that is literally dieing on the vine.
Huh?
How is he not getting killed for this in the media?
Why hasn’t the Maloof family fired him yet?
I mean he only passed up on two guys who were likely to sell tickets and make the Kings interesting again so he could create a future controversy between his two best players. Not to mention that Rubio actually wanted to play for the Kings.
> My basic rationale for having New Orleans in the playoffs was that Chris Paul is too good not to carry his team to the post season. So then why would I not think the same way about Dwyane Wade and Miami?
The reason is simple, CP3 is my favorite NBA player bar none. Wade…well…he’s one of my least favorite superstars of recent times.
So I guess what I’m trying to say is that as much as I try to remain impartial on my blog, my personal biases do tend to creep in.
Just for the record, Byron Scott deserved to be fired as Hornets head coach. Those guys began quitting on him late last year and pretty much nothing had changed after nine games this season.
> It seems the Allen Iverson era lasted only three game in Memphis. Which computes to a cool $1 million per game for AI. And if you think he’s retiring and leaving that money on the table I have some beachfront property in Nebraska for you.
> Oklahoma City is going to be a tough place to win this season.
> I’m torn on the new League Pass setup where they offer both broadcasts on some games. On one hand it’s nice to be able to avoid the announcers I loathe sometimes. On the other hand it can stink as far as flipping channels goes.
When you have like three or four games in a row taking up two channels each it’s a touch annoying trying to jump between games.
What do my readers think? Comment below…
I bring this up to only to dispel the myth that the Lakers are a deep team. They certainly were a few years ago, but now? Not so much. Who from this group is a consistent contributor on a good club?
Jordan Farmar – frustratingly inconsistent...still.
Sasha Vujacic – has had only one good season (his contract year, of course).
Shannon Brown – a fifth guard at best.
Luke Walton – I don’t think he’s even an NBA player, much less a rotation player.
Adam Morrison – please.
Josh Powell – a nice fifth big man.
D.J. Mbenga – a decent sixth big man/inactive guy.
So there you have it. After their best five (Kobe Bryant, Ron Artest, Lamar Odom, Gasol & Andrew Bynum) the Lakers really don’t have much at all. Luckily for LA Artest is fitting in nicely and the “good” Bynum is back.
That said the Lakers still need backcourt help, especially at the point. And even with that poor list of talent above GM Mitch Kupchak will be able to make a move if sees fit.
Morrison ($5 million), Fisher ($5 mil) and Farmar ($2 mil) all have expiring contracts. So Mitch can package Ammo with either Derek and/or Jordan to get the last piece they need. LA could even be the recipient of another steal if they are willing to take a bad contract in return for their expirings.
> The Philadelphia 76ers are dead last in attendance at 11,377 per game. I can’t say that I blame the Philly peeps either. I have only one question for GM Ed Stefanski…
What’s your plan?
The Sixers roster seems to be fragmented into three sections right now. Guys signed long-term (Elton Brand, Andre Iguodala & Lou Williams), developing young players (Thaddeus Young, Marreese Speights, Jason Smith & Jrue Holiday) and untradeable junk (Samuel Dalembert, Willie Green, Royal Ivey, Rodney Carney & Primoz Brezec).
So what’s the deal Stefanski?
Are you building for the future or trying to contend right now?
I think the answer is he doesn’t know and I have two specific examples to back this claim up.
(Keep in mind the Sixers desperately need an infusion of talent in their backcourt.)
1) Last summer when Ed obviously thought Philly was a contender he signed veteran retread Kareem Rush on 7/29/08 to be their 3-point specialist. Golden State signed undrafted rookie Anthony Morrow on 7/25/08, and Morrow went on to lead the NBA in 3-point percentage (a stat that Philly finished dead last in as a team).
The only reason for that move had to be that Stefanski wanted a vet over a rookie, right? Otherwise he’s just an idiot since Rush has NEVER been any good to begin with. I’d take a flyer on a rookie shooter before signing a proven scrub any day of the week.
2) Then this summer Ed drafted a 19-year old project PG in Holiday at #17 when an NBA ready PG in Ty Lawson was sitting right there. I’m not saying Holiday won’t develop, but having seen both guys play this season it’s not even a contest as to who’s better right now. Holiday looks lost on the court while Lawson has been a major contributor off the pine in Denver.
Again, what direction are you taking the franchise Stefanski?
You sign a pick and roll/post up big man in Brand, but don’t surround him with shooters or even one player that he can run a pick and roll with. Granted EB has looked awful (can he even jump over the Sunday paper anymore?) but he really hasn’t been put in a situation to be successful either.
Don’t even get me started on AI2 and Thad being the same exact player either.
Fear not Philadelphians, I have a plan and the first step is trading Iguodala for a contract that expires after the ’10-11 season (when Dalembert, Jason Kapono & Green also come off the books). I wouldn’t be averse to doing the same with Williams too.
Yes the Sixers would stink for two more seasons if this were to happen. BUT they’d also be in a position to be major players in the free agent market while at the same time keeping their future core of Speights, Young, Holiday and Smith together.
I know trading your best player (Iggy) is a tough pill to swallow, but the reality here is that the team is going nowhere as presently constituted and NO ONE is taking Brand’s contract any time soon.
Asking for patience in Philly is futile, but if my plan is followed at least the franchise would have a real direction…..for the first time in a long time.
> While I’m in the ripping on personnel men mood, Sacramento President Geoff Petrie come on down! The Kings are second to last in attendance (12,422), hemorrhaging money and can’t get a new arena built to save their souls.
So what does Petrie do?
Of course he passes on two of the most interesting/exciting players in the draft (Ricky Rubio & Brandon Jennings) to take Tyreke Evans.
Don’t get me wrong here, from what I’ve seen of Evans he’s going to be a stud. The problem is that Tyreke is a SG. Not a third guard like Delonte West or Jason Terry. Nor a scoring PG like Monta Ellis or Gilbert Arenas. Nope, Evans is a legit SG.
Why is this a problem?
Well, Sacto’s best player (Kevin Martin) also just happens to be a SG.
So Petrie duplicated his biggest position of strength so Beno Udrih and Sergio Rodriguez could run the point for a franchise that is literally dieing on the vine.
Huh?
How is he not getting killed for this in the media?
Why hasn’t the Maloof family fired him yet?
I mean he only passed up on two guys who were likely to sell tickets and make the Kings interesting again so he could create a future controversy between his two best players. Not to mention that Rubio actually wanted to play for the Kings.
> My basic rationale for having New Orleans in the playoffs was that Chris Paul is too good not to carry his team to the post season. So then why would I not think the same way about Dwyane Wade and Miami?
The reason is simple, CP3 is my favorite NBA player bar none. Wade…well…he’s one of my least favorite superstars of recent times.
So I guess what I’m trying to say is that as much as I try to remain impartial on my blog, my personal biases do tend to creep in.
Just for the record, Byron Scott deserved to be fired as Hornets head coach. Those guys began quitting on him late last year and pretty much nothing had changed after nine games this season.
> It seems the Allen Iverson era lasted only three game in Memphis. Which computes to a cool $1 million per game for AI. And if you think he’s retiring and leaving that money on the table I have some beachfront property in Nebraska for you.
> Oklahoma City is going to be a tough place to win this season.
> I’m torn on the new League Pass setup where they offer both broadcasts on some games. On one hand it’s nice to be able to avoid the announcers I loathe sometimes. On the other hand it can stink as far as flipping channels goes.
When you have like three or four games in a row taking up two channels each it’s a touch annoying trying to jump between games.
What do my readers think? Comment below…
posted by D$ at 2:11 PM
1 Comments:
Interesting comments on Philly. They didn't take your advise though; however, they did go out and get a shooter with AI. I don't think he is the answer...pun intented. Adding AI shouldn't hurt them given their situation. I'm sure there will be posts to come as that develops.
I'll try not to be too offended at your negative comments toward my fellow Zag Alumni Adam Morrison. I always new he would flop in the NBA and kudos for noting that Luke Walton is not NBA talent. I think people around the league walk on tip toes about him because of his Dad's media presence. That should go away now that the old man is retired.
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