Archive for October, 2007

Past, present and future predictions

Published by Matt Watson on October 31, 2007 in Preseason 2007-08 and Site Announcements. 20 Comments

First things first: remember that “Predict the Roster” game we played back in June? Go read the post for details, but basically I asked you to list the opening day roster, and I awarded points for each player depending if they were already under contract, a free agent, a draft pick or a trade.

There were a whole bunch of responses, but I just did the math and found that we had two winners: Canuck and Stones4Life each had 17 points. Tom was a close second — the only one with 16 points, near as I can tell — and a whole slew of us (myself included) finished with 15. (Feel free to double-check my math, but I used a spreadsheet and everything …).

So Canuck and Stones4Life, expect an email soon — you each get to pick out a DBB t-shirt, gratis. If you didn’t win, don’t feel bad, you can still buy a shirt …

Fun stuff, right? Of course, everyone loves making predictions, especially when they turn out to be correct. So with that in mind, leave your predictions for this season in the comments, including: 1) the final record; 2) place in the Central and the East; and 3) the most surprising development of the season.

That last one is a complete wild card — have fun with it. There’s nothing at stake for this one but the respect and admiration of your fellow DBB readers, and you just can’t put a price on that.

Peter Vecsey thinks Kobe fits best in Detroit

Published by Matt Watson on October 31, 2007 in Around the Internets and Rumors. 7 Comments

Peter Vecsey runs down several options for Kobe Bryant and comes to the conclusion that Detroit is the best fit:

With all due respect to the above mentioned, there may not be a more perfect fit than the Pistons. Obviously, they must give to get; Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince somewhat compensate L.A. for the loss of its crown jewel and also it works contractually.

Meanwhile, the vets who’d remain with the Pistons have won, as Kobe has won, so the pressure to win wouldn’t be as great as in Chicago, New York, Atlanta or New Jersey, because they know how to done-do a title.

Then again, maybe Kobe’s stretch-marked ego cannot be gratified performing in an out-of-the-way oasis vs. a sexy city. Still, if his No. 1 priority is to take the season to its triumphant limit for the fourth time in 12 years, what better spot (other than with a West contender) than beautiful downtown Auburn Hills?

“When your address is Auburn Hills, all you can do is win and win big, and that’s what they do,” an ex-Piston player decreed. “All they can offer Kobe is a great environment, a winning culture and no bullspit. If he’s looking for something different than that, all I can say is ‘OK.’ “

(Real quick: “no bullspit”? Is it me or does a word like that just reek of Grant Hill?)

Don’t even think of this as a rumor, though; it’s just one guy riffing on something we all talked about last week — it’s not like Vecsey actually has additional reason beyond the logic he lays out to believe this can or will happen. Plus, as I’ve stated before, I don’t think Rip and Tay gets the job done for L.A. — they’d probably want a third or fourth piece, either in the form of one of our young players and/or a future pick. And that’s probably too much for the Pistons to bite.

(hat-tip: bunches of people, including Justin Rogers, PN and the Freep)

Blakely: Amir Johnson out for season opener

Published by Matt Watson on October 30, 2007 in Around the Internets, Injuries and Preseason 2007-08. 14 Comments

A. Sherrod Blakely has a disappointing update on Amir Johnson in his blog today:

The setbacks just keep on coming for Amir Johnson. The $11M man will probably sit out the season opener at Miami due to a sore Achilles tendon. It doesn’t appear to be too serious, but serious enough to where you don’t want to risk him making it worse.
[…]
It’s too soon to write this kid off as being injury-prone. But at the rate he seems to be coming back, getting hurt, coming back and then getting hurt again, it’s a label he might be tagged with very soon.

I’m curious, if this injury happened to a starter, would it cause him to miss time? Or can the team afford to be extra cautious with Amir simply because he was only expected to play 5-10 minutes (if that) in the first place? I don’t know the answer to that yet.

Also, regarding the “coming back, getting hurt, coming back and then getting hurt” cycle … we’re only halfway there, right? The sprained ankle was the first injury (and in fact, his first sprain ever), and the sore Achilles is his first setback, unless you count missing most of the preseason as a setback, but that was to be expected given the severity of the injury. This is just bad timing, not a reputation builder.

Update: Keith Langlois has an update on Pistons.com:

Amir Johnson sat out the last 45 minutes of Tuesday’s practice when he continued to feel pain in his left Achilles tendon, which he said is the result of the sprained ankle he suffered on Oct. 5 that cost him the first seven preseason games. Johnson said his ankle is fine and that the residual pain in his Achilles, according to Kander, is typical and nothing that should linger or risk further injury.

Pistons cut Sammy Mejia, give final spot to Ronald Dupree

Published by Matt Watson on October 29, 2007 in Preseason 2007-08. 27 Comments

Earlier today I asked, “Does Sammy Mejia have the edge over Ronald Dupree?” We have the answer: no. From Keith Langlois at Pistons.com:

The Pistons got down to the 15-man roster limit at Monday’s deadline by waiving rookie Sammy Mejia, something of a surprise since they signed him to a partially guaranteed contract after his performance in the Las Vegas Summer League.

Mejia, a 2007 second-round draft choice out of DePaul, lost out in his battle for the final roster spot with veteran Ronald Dupree.

The waiving of Mejia means the Pistons will carry three rookies on the roster – first-round picks Rodney Stuckey and Arron Afflalo and Senegalese center Cheikh Samb, a 2006 second-round choice who spent last season playing professionally in Spain.

It’s likely too late for Mejia to earn a contract overseas, but he should find a spot waiting for him in the D-League. It wouldn’t be as lucrative, but the D-League would keep him closer to realizing his dream of playing in the NBA.

Who will be the 2007-08 MVP?

Published by Matt Watson on October 29, 2007 in Guest Writer and Preseason 2007-08. 9 Comments

by: Kevin Sawyer

I think the most useful and meaningful discussion to have on the eve of the start of the NBA season is a baseless, pre-emptive breakdown of the MVP Race. Here are the top 10 candidates as I see them.

1. Kobe Bryant

Kobe has everything going for him. He has never won the award. He is unquestionably a top 5 talent. He lights up every statistical category, and plays his teams into playoff contention. What really puts Kobe in the pole position is the fact that he is likely to be traded to a team that will assuredly improve upon his arrival. Can’t you just see the stories now about Kobe putting the team on his black, and willing them to the playoffs with his surprisingly unselfish play? I can.

2. Yao Ming

Yao was getting MVP buzz before he went down with injury last season. This year, the Rockets look very solid on paper. If they get an obscene number of wins, it will be easy to credit the 7’6” guy, especially if he can break the magical 10 rpg number and maintain his gaudy scoring numbers. A healthy Yao is not a given, but all he really has to do is be himself and stay healthy to stay in contention.

3. Gilbert Arenas

Arenas was actually just as productive as Steve Nash, LeBron James and Kevin Garnett were last season. He also has the “as he goes, so does his team” factor that allows sportswriters to throw out stats like “Washington is 17-3 when Arenas scores 40+ points”, as though readers ought to be stunned to learn that there is a correlation between points scored and victory. He’s also beloved for his eccentric personality. If he can keep said personality on this side of nauseating, he should stay in the MVP race.

4. Dwyane Wade

I think the Ricky Davis giveaway (I think Kevin McHale and Isiah Thomas should team up for a buddy picture in which they play Santa Claus for other sports franchises… Antoine Walker? Are you kidding me?) propels the Heat back into the contention discussion. Wade is arguably the best player in the NBA, and Shaq isn’t going to be taking away any votes this year.

5. Kevin Garnett

Like Kobe, he will have the “new team” factor going for him, and he also fills out a stat sheet. Unlike Kobe, he carries with him a tremendous amount of goodwill after spending a decade in McHale’s Gulag. He will also have the “MVP in both conferences” narrative going for him. The Celtics will have to overachieve for KG to enter the discussion, and we can no longer argue that he is the best player in the NBA, but he will assuredly be in the discussion.

6. LeBron James

He’s a one-man team, and that will keep him in the discussion. But one-man shows don’t ever seem to take down the prize (see Kobe) and LeBron will have to fight the perception that he will have about fifteen opportunities to be MVP. That said, the dude clearly has yet to realize his potential. He could put up some numbers that will make it impossible to turn him down.

7. Tim Duncan

Now that he is finally getting his due as a defensive powerhouse, Duncan might be able to make a fresh case for another award. It’s hard to say that there is anyone else I would rather have on my team. Duncan never puts up splashy numbers, but he is widely recognized as one of the best players in basketball history. He and the Spurs will make their usual compelling case, and Duncan will probably finish somewhere in the top five.

8. Chris Paul

Yeah, I’m hitching my wagon here. If Paul is healthy, he’s going to be very, very good, and I don’t see NO finishing just out of the playoffs for a third consecutive year. Without a stellar supporting cast, Paul will get every ounce of credit for their success. His biggest limiting factor here might be the success of Deron Williams, who many regard as a comparable talent. If their numbers are similar, they may divide media allegiances here.

9. Pau Gasol

Memphis might be in for a big turnaround, which might be enough to get Gasol the credit he deserves. Savvy fans are aware of his tremendous gifts, but a conference stacked with big men has kept him even out of all-star appearances. But Gasol has led Memphis to the playoffs before, and another run might make him the sexy MVP pick.

10. Gerald Wallace

Speaking of sexy picks, Wallace is exactly the sort of player that writers pimp for the award when they want to seem smart. When healthy, he has been a multi-category beast, and he could put together the sort of season that Artest might’ve had in 04-05 if he hadn’t, you know, gone all Artest. The Bobcats have the tools for a playoff run, and Wallace stands a strong chance of making the All-Star game. He won’t actually BE the most valuable player, but that didn’t sop Steve Nash.

One-on-one with Arron Afflalo

Published by Matt Watson on October 29, 2007 in Alley-Oops, Q & A and Shameless Plugging. 0 Comments

My latest from HOOPSWORLD: I chatted with Arron Afflalo before Detroit’s preseason finale last week.

South African NBA gossip

Published by Matt Watson on October 29, 2007 in Alley-Oops. 0 Comments

If you read any story this week about South African soap opera gossip, let it be this one — guest-starring Chris Webber and Stephon Marbury! (hat-tip: TZ at FH)

Rasheed talks, reporters listen, Stern responds

Published by Matt Watson on October 29, 2007 in Sheed said it. 24 Comments

Guess what? Rasheed Wallace sometimes says funny things. From Chris McCosky of the Detroit News:

“I still don’t think they (Cavaliers) beat us, we beat ourselves,” Wallace said. “And I think we also fell victim to that personal NBA thing where they are trying to make it a world game and get (television) ratings. They wanted to put their darling in there (the NBA Finals) and they did, and look what ended up happening.”

The league’s darling, according to Wallace, was LeBron James, and what ended up happening were the worst ratings in the modern history of the NBA Finals.

“This game ain’t basketball anymore, it’s entertainment,” Wallace said. “It’s starting to get like the WWF. There ain’t no real wrestling anymore either. It’s all fake.”

Read the article to see David Stern’s response — he wasn’t happy, of course, but doesn’t seem inclined to make a big deal out of things (“I think sometimes different players do different things to get themselves prepared for a season,” he said). In any case, as much as some people have jumped on the “Rasheed thinks the NBA is fixed!” angle, don’t forget that he started his little riff by claiming responsibility for the series loss. (Some will undoubtedly have a problem with that, complaining about how arrogant it sounds, but still, “arrogant” is always preferable to “paranoid,” no?)

Does Sammy Mejia have the edge over Ronald Dupree?

Published by Matt Watson on October 29, 2007 in Preseason 2007-08 and Rumors. 3 Comments

It’s not yet official, but Chris McCosky of the Detroit News speculates on his blog that Ronald Dupree will be the guy the Pistons release to get their roster down to the regular-season limit of 15. An added bonus? Sammy Mejia is bilingual:

If Dupree is out, that means rookie Sammy Mejia is in. He would spend most of the year in the D-League with Cheikh Samb — which is nice because they both speak Spanish, giving Cheikh somebody to talk to. Sammy could make an extra buck or two serving as his translator. When I was watching them play in the summer league in Vegas, Cheikh wouldn’t let me interview him unless Sammy was there to translate.

If you’re the conspiracy theory type looking for clues (that may or may not actually mean anything), consider this: Mejia is the subject of a Pistons.com feature (that, incidentally, doesn’t even mention Dupree), and he was also the Piston selected to address the crowd prior to the last preseason game.

I can’t say I’m rooting for either player, but I’d like to see Mejia get the nod, even if only because he’s younger and more of an unknown (and as such, has theoretically greater upside). Plus, I like the idea that he played point forward during his four-year career at DePaul — you can never have too many ball-handlers. Dupree is a veteran with a guaranteed contract; if he’s the one who’s cut, he’ll land on his feet and likely latch on with another NBA team.

Amir Johnson and Nazr Mohammed read Need4Sheed

Published by Matt Watson on October 26, 2007 in Alley-Oops. 0 Comments

Natalie from Need4Sheed attended an event for Pistons season ticket holders last night and found out that Amir Johnson and Nazr Mohammed read Need4Sheed everyday. Also, check out N4S on ESPN.

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