From time to time (and by "time to time" I mean daily) I have some email conversation about sports with one or more of my buddies who love sports as much as I do more or less. Most of my friends manage to come up with much better insight and observation about it than I do, so when appropriate I will try to share that here.
Below and in the next couple posts on this site is an email conversation with my buddy Adam who is a law student, professional sports blogger, fellow fantasy league owner and all around good guy and sports nut. Enjoy and feel free to join in the conversation by leaving your comments:
Under the email heading "worst nightmare" Adam sent me the following:
Draft Express is currently projecting your worst nightmare, Jo Noah to
the Blazers at #6 ...
http://www.draftexpress.com/mymock.php?page=official
Not being able to resist commenting, I checked out the mock NBA draft on that site and then responded as follows:
Yikes. I just have to trust Pritchard and I think I have reason to in this case. I think Portland will be looking for someone who can score because whether or not they want to keep Zach right now, they have to know that it could blow up at any moment. If they move Zach, they are going to need another proven scorer and no one thinks Noah is that guy. Pritchard went away from the flashy big name last year, so I'm just going to trust him to do it again this year.
Also, I don't think Draft Express has this right even if the teams end up in that order. I agree with the top 2 of course. On Durant, Chad Ford just said that if Oden, LBJ, Wade, Bosh, Howard, Durant and Melo were all in the draft this year he would order them like this:
Durant
Wade
Bron
Oden
Howard
Bosh
Melo
That's a great debate, but I got to say I would order them differently myself. First, Bosh gets no love. Do people think it is TJ Ford and Brian Colangelo leading Toronto's surge this year? Admittedly, Durant was better in college than Wade arguably, but now that we know Wade can put an aging, lazy, overrated team on his back for the entire playoffs and make killer J after killer J and can convince every official to give him every call, and seems to be a good and marketable guy, I think you'd be crazy not to take him first. And is it just me or is Lebron a bigger, stronger, better passing version of Durant? I don't get how he tops that list. I think Ford may have lost his mind.
Ok, I digress.
Back to the draft. If Milwaukie gets 3rd (and they don't deserve better since I think they are the worst tanking offenders of all), I think they take Julian Wright to give them good young 3 who has the passing skills to fit with their other scorers. Brandon Wright may be the better prospect, but I don't think he's seen as that much better and I think the Bucks need a 3 really bad.
The suns would then take Brandon Wright I think. I think this is Marion's last season for Phoenix and I think they already know it. Maybe he's back if they win it all, but if they don't (and they won't) I think he's gone. I've seen a ton of their games and that dude busts his butt to be a total afterthought. Amare never looks for him and if they played together a bit more, 2 out of every 3 Phoenix possessions would end in a dunk. I think there is a chemistry issue there and I think they move marion and will draft the most mobile big available. Maybe that's Horford, but I think Wright may be a bit more of the up and down guy they need. I still think Noah is too stunted offensively for him to be the guy here. I don't think Horford would be a bad pick, I'm just speculating.
With the Sonics is where they really get it wrong. Hibbert? No freakin way. If they take a big here (and they won't), they would surely take Hawes over Hibbert for the local connection and because he can actually score. But the sonics have gone Billy Knight on their obsession with project bigmen and I don't see them taking on another with Hibbert. Of course, one school says that they still need a big, so why not, but I think they know Allen is gone and probably expect lewis to be as well. You can't reach here on yet another offensively challenged 5. you just can't. My pick here would be Jeff Green. He seems like the kind of guy who is for real enough that it will come through in the workouts and I think he'll move up as the draft approaches. He can score and could be the kind of guy you begin rebuilding around since he can also play multiple positions.
Then the Blazers would take Brewer. Long, great defender, decent shooter/scorer with lots room to grow and reason to think he will. He can guard at least 3 different positions, seems like the kind of player Nate would love. Portland needs a 3 bad. Martel isn't there and may never be. Portland will make Outlaw an offer, but won't overpay. I actually expect Ime to be too expensive once some of the smarter GMs out there realize he's basically a clean Bruce Bowen. But even if Ime comes back, they could really use a scoring 3. I think the Blazers will look hard at Julian Wright, Jeff Green, Corey Brewer and maybe even Al Thornton. Not Noah though. Please...not Noah.
But I can see the thinking. Uptempo team. Zach and/or Lemarcus can fill it up inside. He's a guy who doesn't need the ball ever but could finish the break, rebound and defend the hoop. Would allow Aldridge to play the 4 and maybe open up Zach to be shopped for a scorring 3 (luol Deng?). I just don't want it. I fear it, but I don't want it.
I will post Adam's response in above this post.
Below and in the next couple posts on this site is an email conversation with my buddy Adam who is a law student, professional sports blogger, fellow fantasy league owner and all around good guy and sports nut. Enjoy and feel free to join in the conversation by leaving your comments:
Under the email heading "worst nightmare" Adam sent me the following:
Draft Express is currently projecting your worst nightmare, Jo Noah to
the Blazers at #6 ...
http://www.draftexpress.com/mymock.php?page=official
Not being able to resist commenting, I checked out the mock NBA draft on that site and then responded as follows:
Yikes. I just have to trust Pritchard and I think I have reason to in this case. I think Portland will be looking for someone who can score because whether or not they want to keep Zach right now, they have to know that it could blow up at any moment. If they move Zach, they are going to need another proven scorer and no one thinks Noah is that guy. Pritchard went away from the flashy big name last year, so I'm just going to trust him to do it again this year.
Also, I don't think Draft Express has this right even if the teams end up in that order. I agree with the top 2 of course. On Durant, Chad Ford just said that if Oden, LBJ, Wade, Bosh, Howard, Durant and Melo were all in the draft this year he would order them like this:
Durant
Wade
Bron
Oden
Howard
Bosh
Melo
That's a great debate, but I got to say I would order them differently myself. First, Bosh gets no love. Do people think it is TJ Ford and Brian Colangelo leading Toronto's surge this year? Admittedly, Durant was better in college than Wade arguably, but now that we know Wade can put an aging, lazy, overrated team on his back for the entire playoffs and make killer J after killer J and can convince every official to give him every call, and seems to be a good and marketable guy, I think you'd be crazy not to take him first. And is it just me or is Lebron a bigger, stronger, better passing version of Durant? I don't get how he tops that list. I think Ford may have lost his mind.
Ok, I digress.
Back to the draft. If Milwaukie gets 3rd (and they don't deserve better since I think they are the worst tanking offenders of all), I think they take Julian Wright to give them good young 3 who has the passing skills to fit with their other scorers. Brandon Wright may be the better prospect, but I don't think he's seen as that much better and I think the Bucks need a 3 really bad.
The suns would then take Brandon Wright I think. I think this is Marion's last season for Phoenix and I think they already know it. Maybe he's back if they win it all, but if they don't (and they won't) I think he's gone. I've seen a ton of their games and that dude busts his butt to be a total afterthought. Amare never looks for him and if they played together a bit more, 2 out of every 3 Phoenix possessions would end in a dunk. I think there is a chemistry issue there and I think they move marion and will draft the most mobile big available. Maybe that's Horford, but I think Wright may be a bit more of the up and down guy they need. I still think Noah is too stunted offensively for him to be the guy here. I don't think Horford would be a bad pick, I'm just speculating.
With the Sonics is where they really get it wrong. Hibbert? No freakin way. If they take a big here (and they won't), they would surely take Hawes over Hibbert for the local connection and because he can actually score. But the sonics have gone Billy Knight on their obsession with project bigmen and I don't see them taking on another with Hibbert. Of course, one school says that they still need a big, so why not, but I think they know Allen is gone and probably expect lewis to be as well. You can't reach here on yet another offensively challenged 5. you just can't. My pick here would be Jeff Green. He seems like the kind of guy who is for real enough that it will come through in the workouts and I think he'll move up as the draft approaches. He can score and could be the kind of guy you begin rebuilding around since he can also play multiple positions.
Then the Blazers would take Brewer. Long, great defender, decent shooter/scorer with lots room to grow and reason to think he will. He can guard at least 3 different positions, seems like the kind of player Nate would love. Portland needs a 3 bad. Martel isn't there and may never be. Portland will make Outlaw an offer, but won't overpay. I actually expect Ime to be too expensive once some of the smarter GMs out there realize he's basically a clean Bruce Bowen. But even if Ime comes back, they could really use a scoring 3. I think the Blazers will look hard at Julian Wright, Jeff Green, Corey Brewer and maybe even Al Thornton. Not Noah though. Please...not Noah.
But I can see the thinking. Uptempo team. Zach and/or Lemarcus can fill it up inside. He's a guy who doesn't need the ball ever but could finish the break, rebound and defend the hoop. Would allow Aldridge to play the 4 and maybe open up Zach to be shopped for a scorring 3 (luol Deng?). I just don't want it. I fear it, but I don't want it.
I will post Adam's response in above this post.
Comments