Draft Recap!

You knew we'd be here for the Draft recap.... let's get to it...

THE LOTTERY

1. New Orleans - Anthony Davis - Absolute no-brainer. We covered this yesterday, but Davis is the one slam-dunk in this draft. It isn't a normal expectation of elite offensive production, but he'll be an immediate impact guy on defense and the boards while providing fantastic "clean-up" around the rim with his great hands, and the ability to knock down a mid-range jumper. I really like him.
2. Charlotte - Michael Kidd-Gilchrist - First of all, I really like Kidd-Gilchrist, and he's certainly one of the top 3-4 guys in this draft for me. That said, I don't love Charlotte as a landing spot for him. Basketball-wise, he's a defense-first guy who does attack the rim well, but doesn't score at a high rate, and it's a tough spot for him to come in with the pressures of the #2 pick on a wretched team. He would've been better on a team with other offensive options, but we'll see how he adjusts. Character has never been a question for him.
3. Washington - Bradley Beal - Once Beal got to Washington, the world knew he was headed there. I think we all went a little overboard on Beal after the hype machine got going, but he's certainly going to be able to shoot in the league, and he's got an NBA body. Washington has a glaring need at the two (Jordan Crawford, really?) and now with Nene/Okafor/Ariza/Beal/Wall, that's a reasonable nucleus.
4. Cleveland - Dion Waiters - The first "reach" of the draft. Most people had Cleveland going Harrison Barnes here after the top 3 played out how it did, but clearly the Cavs had some reservations, and went to the next wing guy down the list. Waiters has red flags with his jump shot and the fact that he never started a college game (Marvin Williams alert!), but he's one of the best in the draft off the dribble, and paired with Kyrie Irving, they could have a dynamic backcourt.
5. Sacramento - Thomas Robinson - I had Robinson #2 on my board, so this is a no-brainer for Sacto. Pairing Robinson as the blue-collar worker to Demarcus Cousins could give them a scary front-court for years to come, and Robinson has the least bust potential of anyone in the top-10 outside of Davis. Really liked it.
6. Portland - Damian Lillard - This is a divisive pick. Lillard was the #1 ranked point guard on virtually everyone's board, but in a draft that lacks much talent at that spot, it wasn't a badge of honor. He's 22 years old and from a small college (Weber State) with questions about his ability to distribute the ball. That said, I really like him actually from what I've seen. He's an efficient scorer who got his buckets responsibly in college despite little help, he's a decent passer, and can defend. Portland had a glaring need at the point, so I can't argue with this pick. 
7. Golden State - Harrison Barnes - I'm higher on Barnes than most, so I kind of liked it. Golden State doesn't have a screaming "hole" despite being a bad team, and Barnes was a "best available" pick here. They have too many jump shooters (Curry, Thompson, now Barnes) and that's an issue, but the only guy with the same-or-better tools that was available was Drummond, and I can see going the other way.
8. Toronto - Terrence Ross - Because I actually did see Waiters ending up in Cleveland as at least a possibility, this was the biggest shocker in the lottery. I'm actually high on Ross as an offensive player. He can really shoot, and was probably being underrated on big boards at around #20. That said, he's got a pretty low ceiling, and I would've gone with Jeremy Lamb if they wanted the wing shooter.
9. Detroit - Andre Drummond - Somebody had to end up with Drummond. Detroit is actually a fit for him because they need a big, rim protector to pair with Greg Monroe down the road. Drummond has a wildly high ceiling as one of the best athletes at this spot since Dwight Howard, but with motor and skill questions, #9 seems reasonable. Can't fault Detroit for visions of Twin Towers.
10. New Orleans - Austin Rivers - I really like Rivers. The knock on him is his cockiness, but I think it could be a strength. The fit in New Orleans is curious next to Eric Gordon, as both are undersized shooting guards, so I'm not sure how that works. If they can play together effectively, I like it. If not, then this pick is questionable.
11. Portland - Meyers Leonard - Hold your breath, Portland fans. Leonard has a slight knee injury history (no, I'm not kidding), and he's a workout wonder. Great athlete and great size/tools at 7'1, but production wasn't great at Illinois, and I'm not sure Portland's best lineup doesn't include Aldridge at the 5-spot. Stay tuned.
12. Houston - Jeremy Lamb - In a vacuum, Lamb at #12 is big-time value. Prior to a non-lingering ankle injury in workouts, he was getting top-8 projections, and he's a player. The curious part is that Lamb is strikingly close Kevin Martin body-type and skill wise, so I'm not sure what the move is there. 
13. Phoenix - Kendall Marshall - This move made me laugh. Marshall is a non-defending, pass-first point guard. Sound familiar?!? Anyway, Steve Nash may be out, and while Marshall would be an exceptional fit offensively in the Gentry system, he's much slower than Nash and an even-worse defender. I don't know if he can be a starter in the league.
14. Milwaukee - John Henson - Great shot-blocker, but the fit is curious. Ekpe Udoh, Larry Sanders, Drew Gooden, and Sam Dalembert are already there, and I don't know what Henson brings in addition to what they have already. Don't love it.

OTHER PICKS I LOVED/HATED

• Love - Royce White to Houston at #16 - I love Royce White, as you know from the preview, and it doesn't surprise me at all that Darryl Morey would take him here. Houston has so many guys (always), but White is a guy with a unique and efficient style.
• Love - Sullinger and Melo to Boston at #21 and #22 - Boston drafted their #2 and #3 bigs for next season. Sullinger wouldn't have been there without back issues, but at #21 he's certainly worth the pick. Melo won't give much offense, but Boston needed a rim-protector and Melo can certainly handle that in short minutes.
• Hate - Moe Harkless to Philly at #15 - I just didn't get it. Harkless was a late-riser in draft circles, and I actually think he may be a player. That said, Philly absolutely does not need another slashing swingman who can't shoot. The fit doesn't make sense.
• Hate - Miles Plumlee to Indiana at #26 - I like Miles Plumlee. Giving him a 2-3 year guaranteed deal in the 1st round after he averaged 7 points a game as a senior in college? Eesh. Cue the Jeff Foster comparisons, but when that's your ceiling, best of luck.
• Love - Perry Jones to OKC at #28 - Imagine you are the Thunder. What are you getting at #28 that helps you fill a need for next year? Not a lot of options, so swing for the fence and grab the top-5 upside guy there, put him in a great locker room, and see what happens. Absolutely loved it.
• Hate - Jeff Taylor to Charlotte at #31 - Another guy who will be an NBA player I think, but doesn't he do the same things at Kidd-Gilchrist? Fit concerns.
• Love - Draymond Green to Golden State at #35 - I would've "loved" whoever took Green regardless, but he's the type of guy that the Dubs need, and he's so smart.

THE HAWKS

• John Jenkins at #23 - I don't like it. It's not that Jenkins doesn't have an NBA future, because he can flat-out shoot the ball, and there's always a place for that. The question is everything else. When I read about Jenkins horrendous rebound rate, lack of defensive prowess, inability to create his own shot, or his lack of size, it brings pause. I think Jenkins could be useful if deployed correctly, but Larry Drew doesn't give me confidence that that will be the case, especially when you look at how he historically handles young/bench guys. I would've liked to have seen the upside pick (Perry Jones, Quincy Miller, even Tony Wroten) or a guy that I think could help right away like Teague or Draymond Green. 
• Mike Scott at #43 - The numbers are split on Mike Scott, but I love him. He played in the slowest tempo in the country at Virginia and still managed to put up gaudy numbers. He's undersized, but not too much so, and he can score and rebound. John Hollinger's rater doesn't bring confidence in what Scott will be, but at #43, I liked it.

There it is... Enjoy!

NBA Draft Primer

Greetings everyone! I apologize for lack of content lately, but you knew I'd be around for the draft! Instead of doing a mock draft (because there are approximately 5,172 of them you could look at), I've decided to just preview/break down the draft class, and we'll wrap up the situation stuff post-draft on Friday. Let's get to it...

My Top 10 (not in draft order)

1. Anthony Davis - This is the only no-brainer in the entire draft. He's an immediate impact guy on the defensive end, and because of this he's as "sure fire" as it gets here. His offensive game is certainly still developing after a ridiculous 8-inch growth spurt in high school, but he improved visibly even during his one season at Kentucky. His PER at Kentucky was a hilariously good 35.71 which would easily rank as the highest in NBA history. Admittedly, that's not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison, but he shot 63% from the field, averaged a double-double and nearly 5 blocks a game in just 32 minutes. He's a monster, and he'll be an above-average NBA player from the second he arrives.
2. Thomas Robinson - Probably my favorite player in the draft. He's long and athletic, but with power at the 4 position, and measured at a legit 6'9 to detract from critics that thought he was slightly undersized. He doesn't have the explosive upside that Davis has or some of the mid-lottery has, but Robinson has a very high floor. He's going to rebound at the next level after grabbing 12 a game in just 32 minutes in college, and he defends at a high level. I like him a lot.
3. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist - Wildly interesting prospect. He had a great year at Kentucky and everyone loves the way he plays. He's been blessed with a ridiculously high motor, and he is the best wing defender in the draft. The only issue with MKG is an inconsistent/spotty jump shot. It's seen marked improvement since high school (and he's still 18 years old), but without a diversified offensive game, it'd be tough to achieve top-5 value. That said, he's an NBA player right now on the defensive end, and still attacks the rim at will, so there's a spot for that even if he doesn't develop the jumper at a rate that we'd like.
4. Bradley Beal - Beal is the guy that is soaring on everyone's boards right now. He's the best pure scorer in the draft, one of the best shooters in the draft, and he does a lot of things well. He's drawing Eric Gordon comps on the regular, and I do see that. The only knock on him is slightly undersized (6'4-6'5) at the 2-guard spot, but he rebounds, plays defense on bigger guards, and you can't ignore the silky smooth jumper.
5. Harrison Barnes - Remember when Harrison Barnes was the consensus best player in his class? He used to be. Barnes still has all the tools that everyone loved about him: polished offensive game, great size, high basketball IQ, and no weaknesses. That said, he didn't play with any aggressiveness last year at UNC, settled for a million jumpers, and has struggled to create his shot off the bounce. I still like Barnes a lot and he could be one of those guys who is undoubtedly a better pro than college player, but the ceiling has lowered from the Kobe comparisons we heard in high school.  
6. Damian Lillard - Raise your hand if you've never heard of Damian Lillard. It's ok, you're not alone. The senior point guard from Weber State has shot up draft boards all year, and he'll be a top-10 pick. Let's do the negatives first. He played at Weber State, played all 4 years, and there are combo guard concerns. I kind of ignore the first two, but the combo guard issue could plague him. He's certainly a score-first guard, but he does so efficiently, and he's a willing passer even at the low-levels of D-1 hoops. There aren't a lot of weaknesses with Lillard that I can see, and he posted the 2nd-highest PER in the country behind Davis. He can play.
7. Austin Rivers - Doc's kid! Rivers is an absolute assassin scorer. Everything else is white noise. He's undersized at the 2, but can't play the 1. There are concerns about his makeup, but I don't see it. I think he's, at worst, a really good 3rd guard who averages 15+ a game, and at best, he could be a go-to-guy on a good team if he sorts it all out. I like him, and the hate has gone too far. 
8. Dion Waiters - A lot of Dwyane Wade comparisons. That's pretty aggressive, but he's the best one-on-one scorer in the draft and he gets to the rim at will, so that's where that comp comes from. Waiters is undersized at about 6'4, and lacks the consistent jumper, but I'd be shocked if he didn't land on his feet with his scoring ability. 
9. Royce White - No one has him this high, but I love him. He's a physical, athletic forward with great ball handling skills to the point of being a point forward possibility. He's versatile, has an NBA body, and can score from anywhere, while being a willing and good passer. What's the knock, you ask? Royce White has an anxiety disorder centered around being terrified to fly on an airplane. This isn't the biggest issue in the world for a normal person, but with NBA teams playing 41 road games with cross-country trips, this is a problem, and the chief reason he's fallen a little. I'd still gamble on him. He's a player. 
10. Andre Drummond - The draft's biggest enigma lands here. Drummond is 7-feet with an incredible frame and crazy athleticism. Think Dwight Howard. Yes. That said, he averaged 10 points and 7 rebounds a game at UConn. How does that happen!? First, he doesn't assert himself. He screams of a guy who doesn't "get it" yet, and it shows. Also, he settles for jump shots inexplicably, and he shot a hilarious 28% from the free throw on the season. The season! Even with all the questions though, there's no one outside of Davis with the upside of Drummond, and for that, he'll go higher than the production would indicate. 

Other Guys I like

• Terrence Ross - Scoring swingman from Washington. He'll go 5 picks too late. 
• Draymond Green - Versatile veteran from Michigan State with all the intangibles in the world. Great passer, great shooter his size, but what position does he play?
• Meyers Leonard - Athletic, "projection", 7-footer from Illinois. He's quick, can score, and can rebound and block shots. Rising too high on the board, but he's got the tools.
• Andrew Nicholson - 6'10, long forward with great shooting range for his size. Could rebound better, and kind of a tweaner. 
• Mike Scott - I love Mike Scott. Irrationally. One of the best college players in the country last year, but his athleticism isn't elite and he's a bit undersized at the 4. The perfect late 1st/early 2nd round pick who could play right now.
• Tyler Zeller - Mobile big who can shoot and run the floor. He's not a great athlete, but if he adds some strength, he'll rebound in the league at a minimum. 
• Jeff Taylor - Super athletic wing from Vanderbilt. Really nice shooter and a high-end defender. Doens't create his own shot, and that's a knock, but there's a spot for him if he guards like I think he will. 

Team Needs for the Lottery

1. New Orleans - At #1, it's Anthony Davis. That's all you need to know. That said, the Hornets also have the #10 pick, and that could get interesting. They probably need another big to pair with Davis since they jettisoned Okafor, and they could use help at the 3 or another PG with Jarrett Jack. Keep an eye on Zeller, Terrence Ross, or a guy like Austin Rivers potentially since they're reportedly in love with him.
2. Charlotte - Best available as long as it's not a 2-guard. The Bobcats' 3 best assets at the moment are Gerald Henderson, Kemba Walker, and recently-acquired Ben Gordon. All 3 of them are shooting guards, and in case you were wondering, it's not a good thing that they are the 3 best players on an NBA team.
3. Washington - Wings. Bradley Beal is probably the ideal fit next to John Wall on a team that already has 4 starters in Nene, Okafor, Ariza, and Wall. Jordan Crawford is the team's best 2-guard and that's an issue.
4. Cleveland - Swingmen. I'd be shocked if Cleveland didn't end up with Beal, Kidd-Gilchrist, or Harrison Barnes in the draft, and they need a top-end wing to pair with Irving, Tristan Thompson, and Varejao.
5. Sacramento - Small Forward is probably the chief need. Tyreke Evans may be on the move in the off-season too, so 2-guard wouldn't be a bad idea, but if any of the trio of elite wingmen fall to Sacramento, it'll likely be an automatic trigger. 
6. Portland - Point Guard and a Big. Portland may have a big-time debate between Lillard (the #1 PG) and Drummond (the best available center) in the #6 spot. I'd personally go with Lillard because of the downside of Drummond, but Portland may swing for the fence. Depending on what they do at #6, they also have the #11 pick to attempt to fill the other need. If it's Drummond, look for Rivers or Marshall, if it's Lillard, keep an eye on Leonard, Zeller, or another big.
7. Golden State - Best available. The funny thing about Golden State is that their "needs" don't jump out at you. They have Bogut coming back and Biedrins at center, David Lee at the 4, the Jefferson/Wright duo at the 3, and Curry/Thompson in the backcourt. I'd probably go wing for some depth here, but Drummond could get the nod if they want upside, and he could develop behind Bogut.
8. Toronto - Wing that can attack. Dion Waiters would be a no-brainer here if he gets to them, but Austin Rivers could be a fit too if they favor him over Waiters. Would be a nice a compliment to Calderon and DeRozan.
9. Detroit - Rim protection. The Pistons have long been rumored to be targeting a rim-protecting big to pair with Monroe, who is more of an offensive player. They brought in John Henson, Meyers Leonard, Tyler Zeller, and Terrence Jones for a work-out, so I'd imagine they'll be picking someone with size at #9.
10. Houston - The Rockets have the 12th pick now after a series of moves. It's widely reported that they're trying to trade the pick for Dwight Howard or even Josh Smith, but if they kept it, they really need a big. Keep an eye on Tyler Zeller or Meyers Leonard, depending on who is available. 
11. Phoenix - Anything but a center. With Nash a free agent and the rest of the roster as kind of a mess, they need help everywhere. They're reportedly in love with Dion Waiters, but I doubt he falls to them.
12. Milwaukee - A shooter. They went and grabbed Sam Dalembert in a trade with Houston, so they're prime need is a shooter. Terrence Ross would be a great fit, and Jeremy Lamb could be in play.

Potential Atlanta Hawks Targets

• Royce White - See above. It's fantasy-land to think he'd fall to 23, but I'd love it.
• Tony Wroten - I wrote a full profile of him on Soaring Down South, but Wroten is a classic boom-or-bust. He can't shoot (at all) and he's got make-up questions, but a 6'5 point guard with elite athleticism and defensive tools, who will attack the rim at will? Potential.
• Fab Melo - 7-footer and not much more. He'll rebound and block shots. No offense.
• Evan Fournier - Scoring wing from France. Looks to be pretty soft, but he can really shoot it.
• Moe Harkless - Long and athletic at the 3. Good rebounder and finisher. Inconsistent shooter with motor questions.
• Jared Sullinger - He's free-falling because of back issues but we know he'll rebound, and he's a beast on the box. There are certainly athleticism questions, but at #23, he'd be a steal if he's remotely healthy. 

There you have it... it's draft day!

Crown the Champs

Greetings everyone! Let's go...

The Miami Heat are the NBA champions after a 121-106 victory in Game 5 last night. Lebron James notched a triple-double with 26 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists before being named the MVP, and if possible, I thought he played even better than his numbers. That said, the absolute X-factor in Game 5 was the fact that Mike Miller hit seven three-pointers. Seven! To put it in perspective, Miller averaged 6 points a game in the regular season, 5 points a game in the playoffs, and hadn't made a three in the entirety of the finals before last night. Miami had it all going on this night, and Miller was a microcosm of that.

On the OKC side, Kevin Durant and James Harden both had average-or-slightly-better games for them as Durant had 32 points and 11 rebounds (on 13 of 24) and Harden added 19 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds on 5 of 11 shooting. That is the entire list of guys who played even reasonably well for the Thunder last night. One game after maybe the best game of his career, Russell Westbrook shot 4-for-20 from the field, and while he did get to the line 13 times, it was an ugly 19 points. The rest of the supporting cast for OKC was woeful as Ibaka, Perkins, and Thabo combined for just 11 points on 4-15 shooting, and Derek Fisher was the lone "bright spot" with 11 points and 3 triples. I can't get beyond the curious decisions by Brooks in this series. Thabo played only 9 minutes last night despite being the best perimeter defender on the roster, and Brooks refused to up Nick Collison's minutes despite him being the best big on that team throughout the series. It would've been extremely tough to beat a Miami team that shot 52% and made 14 threes, so I won't come down on Brooks too hard, but series-wide, there were some issues.

Here's something we need to remember in the midst of the Lebron-mania. As fantastic as he was throughout the entire playoffs and especially the finals, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are pretty good at basketball. It's almost hilarious how little discussion the two of them have received since last night, and while the Lebron love (finally) is justified, Wade had an efficient 20 points (on 12 shots) and rebounds last night, and Bosh was really, really good with 24 and 7. The value of Bosh has been lost a bit, but the difference between the Heat with him and without him is glaring, and while Wade drove me crazy throughout the playoffs, it's hard to kill a guy who averaged 23/5/4 with over a steal and a block per game for the entire postseason.

Where do we go from here for the Thunder? In the midst of the Heat love, there's been a turn on OKC a bit. I'll stress this to you. Most teams have to lose a finals before they win one, and no team has ever won the title with their best 4 players at age 23 or under. Let's take a breather, and realize that they'll be back here. The Durant/Lebron "argument" for best player alive was never a real one, and the educated knew that, but let's not forget that Durant averaged 29 a game in the playoffs and nearly 31 a game in the finals while shooting 55% from the field, 39% from three, and 84% from the line. He's one of, if not the, best offensive players on Earth and he's 23 years old. As far as Westbrook is concerned, I've been critical of him in the past, but Tuesday night reminded everyone how electric he is, and with some tweaking, he'll remain a top-10 to 12 player in the game. The real casualty of this series was probably James Harden's stock, and while we all love him, there's a ceiling there and it falls below the "is he max a guy!??!" corollary.

I'm actually glad to see Lebron James win the championship. I was not-so-discretely rooting for him in these playoffs, not because I am a huge LBJ fan, but because I had grown sick and tired of the unjustified bashing of the best player on the planet. "The Decision" and the welcome party to Miami were terribly calculated maneuvers and no one would dispute that, but after 2 full seasons, let's just take it all in and remember that we just saw absolute greatness on display. The best players in the world were on display in the playoffs, and especially these finals, and we were all witnesses.

NBA Finals - Game 4 Recap

Greetings everyone! Let's take a look at Game 4...


Heat 104, Thunder 98 - 


Miami takes a 3-1 lead in the Finals after overcoming an early 17-point deficit and scoring 85 points in the final 3 quarters. Lebron James led the way with 26 points, 12 assists, and 9 rebounds for the Heat, and he did so with a "pass-first" type of game that dominated in a more "Magic" than "Michael" kind of way. He got a lot of help from Dwyane Wade (25 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks), but the biggest key for Miami was the play of Mario Chalmers. Just one game after OKC blatantly ignored him offensively (props to SI's Zach Lowe for pointing this out), Chalmers exploded for 25 points on 9-15 shooting including 4 threes in this one. 12 of those 25 came in the fourth quarter and Chalmers made big shot after big shot. Those of you that read me know that I am not a Chalmers supporter historically (really, ever) but he played particularly well last night. 


On the OKC side, Russell Westbrook was absolutely outstanding. He did take 32 shots, which seems like a ghastly amount, but when you make 20 of 32 for 43 points, you're allowed to take 32 shots. He absolutely took over the game in the second half at one point, nearly single-handedly keeping the Thunder in it, and "good Russ" was on display. Unfortunately, instead of this being the definitive "Russell Westbrook Game!!", it will likely be slightly marred by a late decision of his to foul unnecessarily in the final seconds, giving Miami two free throws a decisive 5-point lead. Time and score has been an issue for the Thunder in back-to-back games (after Harden's similar foul decision in Game 3), but in this one, I would blame the coaching staff equally, if not moreso, than Westbrook. He clearly didn't know the rule, and while that's not an excuse, the OKC bench has to be yelling that instruction to the entire squad. At any rate, any talk of Westbrook's blunder has to be referenced with the fact that he dominated the game before that, and was the single biggest reason they were in that spot. Kevin Durant did add 28 points on 9-19 shooting for OKC, but didn't play particularly well and only added 2 rebounds on the night. His passive play will be discussed, but on a night where Westbrook had it going like he did, I didn't have a huge issue with Durant taking "only" 19 shots. Where the issue lies was Durant's lackluster performance on the glass, and a couple of big misses late. If Lebron had played the exact same game, the media would've killed him, and while that would've been unjustified, it does reveal the dichotomy. James Harden is the player in this series who has taken the biggest reputation hit. Harden had his second 2-for-10 shooting night of the series, was completely overmatched defensively, committed 5 fouls, and had 4 turnovers (to just 2 assists). I've always been a Harden fan, but there's no denying his poor play has really hurt OKC in a series where their role players haven't done much to help.


One more note, I have to applaud Erik Spoelstra after this one. His decision to use Norris Cole as a spark plug worked perfectly, as Cole gave him 8 points in 8 minutes and the Heat were +12 with him out there. I was quick to kill Spoelstra for playing Cole earlier in the series, so I have to bring praise here. On the flip side, Scott Brooks has repeatedly tied his wagon to Derek Fisher, and I don't get it. Alas. Here's an important thing to remember: This series is not over. Have we already forgotten that OKC ran off 4 straight against a San Antonio team that had won 20 straight games and was, for all intensive purposes, better than this Miami team? With the final 2 games in OKC, it would be advisable for Miami to close the Thunder out on Thursday. Beyond that? We have a series.

6/19: Ramblings

Greetings all... no NBA game last night, but we're here... let's go...

• Roger Clemens was acquitted of all charges. Forgive me while I go back to sleep like I was throughout this trial.
• The Braves dropped their 7th game out of 8 in a 6-2 loss to the Yankees last night. CC Sabathia went the distance for New York allowing 7 hits and striking out 10 guys, while Mike Minor struggled through 5 innings of 4-run ball. Minor was actually quite good early but his command failed him after about 3 innings and it got a little bit ugly. At 35-32 it's a little early for panic, but there is one reason to be frightened....
• .... and that is that Brandon Beachy has a partial tear of his UCL in his pitching elbow. What does that mean? Basically, it's usually followed by surgery and a year-long absence. This is a crushing  blow to an already weakened staff as Beachy was unquestionably a top-3 guy in the rotation and had been the best pitcher overall so far this season. The move to put Medlen back in the bullpen looks even more questionable now, and the Braves now must fill 3 rotation spots between Delgado, Minor, Jurrjens, Teheran, Redmond and Medlen. Yep.
• The Charlotte Bobcats have hired St. John's assistant coach Mike Dunlap as their head coach. Yes, you read that right. Michael Jordan and company have tabbed a college assistant as an NBA head coach. On the one hand, this is a hilarious move from a previously inept organization, but on the other hand, don't we always hear about how there are too many re-treads in NBA coaching? Dunlap is reportedly pretty innovative and I'm sure he blew MJ away in interviews, but at least this is a gamble instead of hiring Terry Stotts or something.
• Former Ohio State forward Jared Sullinger has been "flagged" by doctors for a back issue just 10 days or so before the NBA draft. There have always been questions about Sullinger's athleticism at the next level, but with a back issue on top of that, he'll likely fall a little bit. Here's a great time to point out that the draft is in less than 2 weeks. Be advised.
• RA Dickey is from outer-space. The Mets knuckleballer threw a second consecutive 1-hitter last night. Back-to-back! He's won 9 straight decisions, 6 straight starts overall, and now leads the majors in ERA (2.00), strikeouts (103 after 13 last night), and complete games. Where did this even come from?! At any rate, he's been insane, and there's no end in sight.

What to watch for on Tuesday...

• NBA Finals Game 4 - Thunder @ Heat - 9:00 ABC - Game 4 is upon us and this is a big one for OKC. If they go down 3-1, no team has ever won in the finals down 3-1 and I'd imagine OKC doesn't want to give that a whirl. I could see a full-scale explosion from Durant tonight coming off the tough game in Game 3, but we're in for an entertaining game regardless.
• MLB - Braves @ Yankees - 7:00 SportSouth - Hudson vs. Kuroda - It's funny because these two pitchers are almost mirror images. Both guys have low WHIPs, both guys don't strike many people out, and both guys are very, very good pitchers. The Braves need a win here, and Hudson gets the charge. 

Enjoy...

NBA Finals Game 2 Wrap

Greetings all! Due to an apparent miscommunication on the other site that I write for (it happens), I am copy/pasting a pretty detailed look at Game 2 in this space. Enjoy!

The Miami Heat went on the road and gave Oklahoma City their first home loss in the 2012 playoffs with a 100-96 decision. In a wildly entertaining game that saw a big-time OKC comeback, the play that will likely be discussed the most in the blogosphere was the Lebron no-call on the final possession by Kevin Durant.

Trailing 98-96 after a settling jump shot by Lebron grazed the rim, the Thunder called a 20-second timeout, and came out with a quick hitter to Durant on the left block. The play developed more quickly than anyone could've expected, but Durant had a great position on the catch, and got off a 7-8 foot jump shot, but not before Lebron committed an apparent foul on the rip-through that went uncalled. The end of the game after that saw LBJ knock down 2 free throws, and an uninspiring heave by Westbrook that went begging. That was that.

For Miami, Lebron was tremendous as usual, as he finished with 32 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists on 10-22 shooting, and an impressive 12-of-12 from the free throw line. The wrap on his night will be around the fact that he settled for a contested three on a late Heat possession, but despite that being correct analysis, it's tough to overlook the overall contribution that he put out on Thursday night. Dwyane Wade put up a semi-efficient 24 points on 10-20 shooting, while taking care of the ball at a reasonable rate, and showing a bit more spring in his step defensively. I was focally critical of Wade during and after Game 1, but he played a much better all-court game on Thursday. Oh, I do have to mention the turnover on the steal that turned into the huge Durant three late when discussing Wade's game. Oops. Outside of the big two, Shane Battier's play sparkled as he played his usual solid defense, but also converted on 5-7 from three-point distance and finished with 17 points. It's crucial for Miami to have their role players knock down jumpers, and Battier has come up big for them.

On the OKC side, the slow start ended up doing them in. The Thunder fell behind 18-2 to start the game, and while they played much, much better after the first few minutes, a 16-point deficit against a game Miami team is a tall order. Kevin Durant had a huge second half and finished with 32 points (on 12-22 FG) despite playing only 39 minutes due to foul trouble. Russell Westbrook put up another crazy line, with 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists, but the story was the same as usual for him. "Bad Russ" emerged with 26 field goal attempts including various trips where he failed to get OKC into sets, but "good Russ" created big-time scoring opportunites with Durant off of the floor, and showed that now-vintage explosiveness. The other big reason that OKC was able to virtually erase the early deficit was the play of James Harden. Scott Brooks was forced to slip Harden into the game early (at the 6:00 mark of the 1st quarter), and the move paid off as Harden hit a big 3 to get them going, and scored 21 points on the night in his usual, efficient manner (11 field goal attempts).

There is a major storyline brewing with the role players on Oklahoma City. Kendrick Perkins was virtually worthless for the second straight game, and the fact that his main asset (post defense) is totally negated in this series makes for a difficult decision for Brooks. On a night where Ibaka was pretty ineffective, there was nowhere for Brooks to turn, and the result was the entire OKC supporting cast netting just 16 points total. Sefolosha took a step back in this game, as expected, but his defensive impact is still huge in this series, and I'd expect his minutes to stay quite high.

There were a couple of auxiliary notes that stood out, as well. Miami's big three converted 20 of 23 free throws (including the aforementioned 12-12 from Lebron) while OKC's historically better threesome made just 14-20 among them. This seems like a small thing on paper, but when Lebron knocks down 12-12 out of a place where he is prone to struggle and Durant/Westbrook/Harden each miss 2 free throws, it's big. In addition, I think it's important to point out in the midst of the "did he foul?!" conversation about the Durant/Lebron play late, that there was a questionable block/charge call that went in Durant's favor a few minutes earlier. This was big because it would've been Durant's 6th foul, and the OKC late run likely never happens without him. Context!

Where do we go from here? Miami stole a game in OKC, and with the 2-3-2 format, I think it was a virtual must-win. It's certainly a tall order for the Heat to win 3 consecutive games (even at home), but Lebron and company want no part of returning to OKC and their best chance would certainly be to sweep the next 3 in Miami. On the OKC side, they were the better team for the final 42 minutes on Thursday night, and they did so with positive contributions from exactly three players. My pick of OKC in 7 is one that I'd stick by as of this moment, but some adjustments will likely need to be made, and chiefly among them would be Brooks giving up on the "big" lineup and only playing one big at a time. This is going to be an insanely compelling series for 4-5 more games. Enjoy it.

Series Tied 1-1

6/13: Game 1 and a Crushing Braves Loss

Greetings all... this will be slightly condensed today as I'm only covering two things... let's go...

• Thunder 105, Heat 94 - Game 1 is in the books and OKC held serve at home. Kevin Durant led the way for the Zombies with 36 points and 8 boards while Russ Westbrook submitted 27 points, 11 assists, and 8 rebounds on the night. It was really a two-man show offensively for the Thunder, but they still managed to score at 118 points per 100 possessions (which is absurdly good), and did so without anything from James Harden (5 points). I thought Westbrook was pretty darn good all night, and Durant's efficiency is scary when he has it going from distance. On Miami's side, Lebron will likely get killed today because that's what people do, but he finished with 30 points and 9 boards including an average (but not bad) output of 7 points in the 4th quarter. I've already heard criticism of a 7-point 4th quarter as if spreading out 7 points per quarter doesn't equal 28 points (lol). I won't tell you that he was tremendous late, but he was far from awful. The guy in the cross-hairs for me would be Dwyane Wade, who shot 7 of 19 including what seemed like a million settling jump shots, and couldn't stay in front of various guys defensively. Chris Bosh didn't play particularly well either for Miami (4 of 11), and the only real bright spot on that end was Shane Battier's 17 point (on 9 shots!) explosion. A couple of things to watch going forward for me:
• Thabo Sefolosha was tremendous in Game 1, especially on the defensive end, and Scott Brooks stayed with him late into the 4th quarter to defend Lebron James. Will that be a trend? Harden will likely need to be more involved offensively on a night where both Durant and Westbrook aren't firing on all cylinders, and that's something to watch. Also, Kendrick Perkins is likely a liability in this series because of the fact that Miami has exactly zero guys up-front that play back-to-basket games, and I'd like to see Brooks play him even less in favor of smaller lineups and/or Nick Collison.
• Can Miami decide once and for all to run their offense through Lebron? There were a couple of stretches in the second half where it seemed like everything ran through Dwyane Wade, and I don't understand that. It would be one thing if Wade had it going, but he was bottled up and play after play went his way. Something to note. 
• Miami's choice to basically bury Norris Cole and go sans point guard isn't a big deal to me, but it's being discussed as one. They've done this on numerous occasions all year and if there was ever a team that didn't need a ball-handling PG it's this team. I'd actually recommend they use Chalmers even less during times when Westbrook and Harden aren't out there, because Chalmers' only value is defensively in my opinion.

Elsewhere...

• The Braves lost a debilitating 6-4 decision to the Yankees last night. Jonny Venters entered the game with a 4-0 lead with 1 out in the 8th inning and Derek Jeter on first. He promptly surrendered a single to Curtis Granderson, a walk to Mark Teixeira, and a majestic grand-slam to Alex Rodriguez. Suddenly, the lead was gone at 4-4, and after Venters allowed another single to Robinson Cano, he exited stage left. Let's stop right here. Venters has struggled this year in comparison to last season, and while much of that can be attributed to an obscenely high BABIP (batting average on balls in play) and unluckiness, he also doesn't have the same dominant look as in 2011. That said, there's nothing that Fredi could have done about this implosion short of bringing in Kimbrel to face Rodriguez (the "right" move that the great majority of managers would never do in the 8th inning), and I won't blame him. After that, however, Fredi Gonzalez brought in Cory Gearrin to face Nick Swisher. Let's take a look at this move in context. Swisher is a switch-hitter and both pitchers that were warming up were right-handed thanks to the unavailability of Eric O'Flaherty (the only lefty in the pen). The other option was Cristhian Martinez who has actually been better against lefties than righties for his major-league career (.592 OPS vs. LHB, .897 OPS vs. RHB), but this was ignored in favor of Gearrin. This move may not seem quite as absurd until you take a look at Cory Gearrin's platoon split. In his (admittedly) limited time in the majors, Cory Gearrin has allowed a 1.230 OPS to left-handed batters. 1.230!! That's Babe Ruth and more. He's a right-handed specialist (.438 OPS allowed to righties) who's entire role is to face righties and induce ground balls. And he's inserted to face Nick Swisher who's batting left-handed!?! With another guy ready!?!? I have no words. That rant is over, but I will say that Mike Minor may have saved his job for a little while with a 7.1 IP, 1 ER performance (and he left the game with 0 ER) that was very impressive against that gauntlet of a lineup.

Until later...