Grizz Taking Form

After the draft, the Grizz now have a bit more clarity as to our starting lineup. Lets dive right in and look at our likely 2 deep lineup, as of now, given a few assumptions. Juan Carlos Navarro is gone, signing with a Spanish team for $20M guaranteed, a huge pay increase from what he could get in the NBA. It also appears that Marc Gasol (pictured)will officially sign a deal. Another assumption is that newly acquired player Antoine Walker will be bought out or traded in the coming weeks.

So given all of that, I believe this is our best starting 5 (backup):

• PG - Mike Conley (Javaris Crittenton/Kyle Lowry)



• SG - OJ Mayo (Marko Jaric)



• SF - Rudy Gay (Greg Buckner)



• PF - Darrell Arthur (Hakim Warrick)



• C - Darko Milicic (Marc Gasol)

Looking at this lineup, you can then see where we have holes (Power Forward) and where we have excess (Point Guard). I will be surprised if Kyle Lowery, Crittenton, and Mike Conley are all still on the opening night roster. I will also be equally surprised if Arthur or Warrick are starting at power forward. Arthur is a rookie, and Warrick is just a backup. Neither is a huge guy that can bang with bigger PFs. Arthur certainly has some promise, but definitely not a lock to be a starter quality guy.

How can we address the two issues - excess at PG, lack of true PF? There are really 3 choices:

1. Trade Lowry/Crittenton for another "asset" - The Boston Celtics went from last to NBA Champions, because they gathered enough young assets to make a few trades. Giving up 4 young players with promise, and a few draft picks, netted them Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. Lowry, Crittenton, and Warrick are players with a few years experience that are young and can be very capable backups for a lot of teams. Trading a combination of these guys for a veteran power forward that can defend would be a fantastic get.



2. Sign some free agents - Signing free agents doesn't necessarily mean signing a top guy. We could sign one big name, or 2 to 3 smaller names for the same $$. I think its going to be costly and expensive to get any free agent to Memphis, so how much value we get by trying to sign a big time guy is questionable. Here are a few big time guys that I would love us to go after, but certainly are not likely: Elton Brand, Emeka Okafor, Josh Smith. Of all of those, I think Okafur would be my dream sign. He scores a bit (17ppg) rebounds a lot (11.8 boards) and plays awesome defense (2 blocks per game). He is a restricted free agent with Charlotte, meaning that they can (and likely will) match whatever offer he gets from another team. This would instantly give us a top 5 front court with Gasol, Darko, Okafor, Arthur, and Warrick.



3. Do nothing but let the youth play - Letting Lowry, Crittenton, and Warrick play will help them approve, or "appreciate" as assets. We likely won't be a playoff team next year, so this would just improve their values and make them possibly more attractive and able to fetch more on the trade market. However, getting Conley, Arthur, and Mayo playing time will be much more important, so I really think we need to do a combination of #1 and #2, at least with regard to one of the point guards.

I wish I could suggest some lesser priced veteran Power Forwards that we could sign. This is where the research of Chris Wallace and team comes in. Someone that is a tad bit younger but like a Kurt Thomas or PJ Brown, both power forwards known for defense, would be a fantastic get for the Grizzlies. If Arthur pans out, that would be the most ideal and cheap way to address our PF issues.

There is definitely excitement in Memphis for the first time in a long time. Ticket sales are doing well, even though most of them appear to be season ticket renewals. The fact that most of the ticket holders are renewing their season tickets is huge, because the Grizzlies were expecting a significant drop off after the Draft lottery put the Grizz picking at #5.

This excitement is somewhat artificial - it must be validated on the court this fall. If people see a young team that is exciting and improving, they will come win or lose. Winning must happen at some point for the fans to stay. But an exciting and competitive brand of basketball would be a huge step forward. Fans aren't stupid, as they know we need to take small steps before the giant leap of making the playoffs. I think the fans will respond positively if this team shows progress and promise, even if they still lose a lot. This fall, I guess we'll find out.

Transitions

Last night, the Grizzlies drafted Kevin Love at #5, and then Donte Green at #28. I posted my thoughts on the blog below, and then went to bed like most Memphis fans, thinking the Grizz roster just got two iffy players and no real sparkle.

Waking up Christmas morning is nice, but this morning was darn close. During the night (at about 1145pm last night) the Grizz traded Kevin Love to the Timberwolves for OJ Mayo (drafted #3), among other players. And right before that deal, the Grizz traded Donte Greene to Houston for Darrell Arthur (drafted at #27, power forward from Kansas). The Mayo trade also helped us by getting rid of Brian Cardinal and, unfortunately, Mike Miller. We got some solid veterans though in return in Marko Jaric, Antoine Walker, and Greg Buckner. Read about the deals in short articles here, here, and here. That first headline in the Sacramento paper is awesome!

My dad wears transitions. You know, the glasses that transition to a darker tint, like sunglasses, when the sun shines upon them. I couldn't help but think of them and laugh, as I read the postings on the Grizzlies draft article on Commercial Appeal.com, the Memphis newspaper. 173 comments from 4pm yesterday until right now (~10am Friday). My father would be proud of the transition that I spotted in these posts, which went from hopeful to excited to angry to denial to absolute joy. These comments, along with their time stamps, tell a better story than I ever could. Its a bit long, but incredibly entertaining. I have even given my subtitles in red to guide you through the emotions:

Optimism

Posted by Sandman35739 on June 26, 2008 at 5:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)
If the Grizzlies end up picking Kevin Love I think I will vomit.
Make a deal, any deal, but don't sign Love.

Posted by Rees901 on June 26, 2008 at 5:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)
no trade rumor i have read involving the grizz has been favorable for us. is wallace really that stupid??!!

Posted by ricksiders on June 26, 2008 at 5:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
There is absolutely nothing wrong with Love; and in fact, the guy fits a VERY big need for the Grizzlies...Power Forward. In addition, the guy is ready to contribute, and there is no doubt in my mind that he will put up 16ppg and 10rpg NEXT year! The Grizzlies need to get tough, and they need to play defense. What better way to do this than with the 19 year old from UCLA that has always been, and will continue to be, a winner!

Anger

Posted by Sandman35739 on June 26, 2008 at 7:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I can't believe they took Love.
Remind me not to order season tickets next year.

Posted by sputnik7 on June 26, 2008 at 7:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)
For the second year in a row Wallace plays it safe and boring. No guts no glory. This will be a super boring team. Seattle makes the gutsy pick and it will pay off. What a frigging let down!!! Go from the best player in the draft to the most boring! So much for trying to win fans!! Man, will this organization ever get it right???CW for dog catcher!!!

Posted by tigerlegacy on June 26, 2008 at 7:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Kevin "Big Country" Love? What a joke. Dorsey exposed him like every athlete in the NBA will. Didn't we just get rid of a big soft guy with "great" basketball skills that was a few inches taller than Love.
I can't wait to hear Ron Tillery try and spin another terrible move by the Griz.
Heisley needs to sell to the local ownership or take this terrible franchise to the Chicago suburbs so that they can be the Clippers of the Midwest.
What a joke!

A little bit of hope . . .

Posted by Sandman35739 on June 26, 2008 at 8:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Eight picks to go in the First Round and CDR is still available. Somebody is going to get a steal.

Posted by Sandman35739 on June 26, 2008 at 9:09 p.m. (

Suggest removal)
Pick #28 is up and CDR is still available!
If the Grizzlies don't blow this pick I might even forgive them for taking Love.

Posted by dwcoyote on June 26, 2008 at 9:12 p.m. (

Suggest removal)
CDR, CDR, CDR, CDR, come on Grizzlies!!!!!

More Anger

Posted by lcsteven on June 26, 2008 at 9:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)
They scr*wed the pooch by not taking CDR.

Posted by brad on June 26, 2008 at 9:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)
UN ........ REALDo the Griz NEVER WANT TO SELL ANOTHER TICKET???
I can't BELIEVE the stupidity of this organization.
You pass on CDR at #28?You take that BLEEPING pick just to get a**es in that building!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What an embarrassment.Clearly there are no intelligent decision makers in our front offices.
HEY GRIZ - YOU JUST DROVE THE NAILS IN YOUR OWN COFFIN.

Posted by dafranchise1 on June 26, 2008 at 9:27 p.m. (

Suggest removal)
F*** The Memphis Grizzlies. How in the hell do you not select Chris Douglass Roberts ? Now i'm thinking CDR coming out early was a bad move. It is a shame how some of the garbage in the drafte are getting drafted before him.

Posted by krc00d on June 26, 2008 at 9:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Folks, wait for the trade. This is called snagging an extra piece. Greene was rated much higher than CDR, however silly that may be. Now the Griz can use him as trade bait to get 2 picks later in the draft or an extra player instead of just 1 overrated rookie (Greene).

Posted by starforce on June 26, 2008 at 11:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I now see why Boston could never do much with Chris Wallace running the show. Why oh why did the Grizzlies hire this idiot!

The Tide begins to turn . . .

Posted by krc00d on June 26, 2008 at 11:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Darrell Arthur is on the way to Memphis in exchange for Greene and a 2nd round pick next year. Given he was rated much higher than Greene on most charts, he could be a steal for the Grizzlies.

Posted by l_cbrown on June 26, 2008 at 11:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)
ESPN just reported OJ, Antione Walker to Memphis for Love, Miller, Cardinal

Posted by Memphis_Hotboy36 on June 26, 2008 at 11:45 p.m. (

Suggest removal)
ESPN just reported that we traded Kevin Love, Mike Miller, Brian Cardinal and Jason Collins to Minnesota for OJ Mayo, Marco Jarric (sp), Greg Buckner and Antonie Walker...not sure if I like this deal or not!

Kool-Aid Time . . . Jump for Joy

Posted by l_cbrown on June 26, 2008 at 11:46 p.m. (

Suggest removal)
Future best backcourt in the league

Posted by krc00d on June 26, 2008 at 11:46 p.m. (

Suggest removal)
Grizzlies have traded Kevin Love, Mike Miller, Brian Cardinal, and Jason Collins to the Timberwolves for OJ Mayo, Marko Jaric, Antoine Walker, and Greg Buckner.

Posted by xds4life on June 26, 2008 at 11:49 p.m. (

Suggest removal)
O.J. Mayo!!!!

Posted by l_cbrown on June 27, 2008 at midnight (Suggest removal)
Awesome trade, Cardinal's (what is it 9mill salary is gone) and they get a future Allstar in Mayo.....and yes he will be an Allstar!!!!!!

Posted by XYZMemphis on June 27, 2008 at 1:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Chris Wallace proved his expertise with this trade. Are all the morons out there still trying to wake up and smell the coffee! Starting line up of Conley, O.J. Mayo, Rudy Gay, Darrell Arthur and Darko/Marc Gasol. Plus the 6th Man of the Year with Hakeem off the bench for instant buckets.
Remember, people, O.J. plays some hard-nosed defense, too. I am SOOO glad to get rid of Miller, who freezes up in the playoffs. Ha-ha, Minnesota, did you not know that? Oh, well, you won't be in the playoffs before the Grizzlies anyway!
We won't make the playoffs next year, but only because we will be so ridiculously young. But we will be exciting to watch and by the end of the year we will be beating a lot of playoff-bound teams! GIve this nucleus two or three years, plugging holes along the way, and we will finally win a playoff game and even a playoff series!

Posted by karma8 on June 27, 2008 at 7:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)
OMG!!! YESSSSSSS!!!! CW you're a genius!!!! Great great Deal!!!! Dude you rock!!! Mayo!! I cant believe it!! And they got rid to the albatross, Cardinal!!!!! Yes!!!!!!

More Drama coming?

Posted by Stbrjones on June 27, 2008 at 7:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I bet this isnt the end, I see a trade with Mayo going to Miami for Beasley.
Be on the lookout for it to happen any moment

Sorry if that was a bit long for you, but I was incredibly entertained.

More to come on the trade specifics later. But right now, a big kudos to Chris Wallace for taking a great chance on some talent. As I said in earlier posts, the Grizz have two major problems - a need for a perimeter player and defender to compliment Rudy Gay - and a power forward rebounder. I think we addressed both in OJ Mayo and Darrell Arthur.

And yes, there is a chance the Grizz will trade Mayo to Miami for Beasley. I don't know how much of a chance, but I'm sure they are talking/have talked. So stay tuned . . .

Greene Gay Love

Get your mind out of the gutter. The Grizzlies have strapped their short term future to the back of Gay - Love, the most deadly combination of talent since George Michael and Boy George toured the world in the summer of '88. The Grizzlies drafted Kevin Love with the #5 pick, and German born Donte Greene from Syracuse with the #27 pick. Check out their profiles in the attached links.

I feel disappointed somewhat, although the Grizzlies appeared to have gotten who they wanted all along. From day 1, the word was Grizzlies would get Kevin Love. After about 50 trade rumors, 7 mock drafts by Chad Ford, 4 blog posts by yours truly, hours of sports talk radio debate, and lots of rambling emails between my friends and myself, the result is simply where we started - Kevin Love.

There will be many Grizzlies fans that are disappointed in this pick. Many will be informed and intelligent supporters. Others will be ignorant Tiger fans that will take out their bitterness on Kevin Love. To the haters, I say this: lets let these kids prove it on the court. Lets give them a chance. I am not going to waste energy on what doesn't matter. The picks have been made, the outcome is yet to be determined. Here are 5 big reasons why Memphis Grizzlies fans should be excited about the two incoming 6 foot 9inch 20 year olds:

• 6 ft 9 guys that can shoot 3s never hurt an offense - Both guys shot 35% from beyond the arc. Green will play 3, while Love will play more 4. Each will have opportunities to shoot over much smaller or slower opponents. Big guys that can shoot = versatility = dynamic = more offensive options.
  
• Donte Greene has been compared to Rashard Lewis. Kevin Love has been compared to Kevin McHale. Both are very legitimate and hopefully accurate analogies.
  
• Kevin Love has good basketball instincts - Sometimes athleticism and measurables are overrated when faced with ball handling, shooting, and passing skills. The ability to put a good pump or head fake on a defender is just as effective as blowing by the guy with speed and quickness. Kevin Love has great instincts for pass fakes, pump fakes, and lots of other "tricks" to get his defender off balance or to create an opening. Love is just like CDR - unorthodox but just plain productive. Basketball fans will appreciate a great pass fake then backdoor alley-oop to Rudy. Thats pure Kevin Love.
• Donte Greene has athleticism - Athleticism is not overrated when you are simply faster, taller, quicker, and bigger, creating a mismatch. Donte Greene has the ability to be that mismatch at some point. 6 foot 9 guys that can create shots off the dribble and shoot the 3 do not come around often. I see him as a solid backup to Rudy Gay, and possibly another asset we can develop and maybe trade.
  
• The most important reason - Kevin Love wants to be a Grizzlie. How refreshing is that? Knowing that our city is more renown for murder and losing than our basketball team gets old. Hearing about players not coming to workouts for the Grizzlies or not wanting to play here gets old too. This kid was genuinely excited when he was drafted - and I believe he wants to bring excitement, passion, and winning attitude with him to Memphis full bore.
  

Just like I said previously in my Pau Gasol Trade Justification post, things cant be judged immediately. Tomorrow morning there will be grades all over the internet rating the Grizzlies as solid or whatever. The real grade occurs 3 years from now. Lets get our butts in the stands and give these kids a chance. I'm hopeful that Kevin Love will be the Anti-Pau - energetic, a rebounder, a good passer, and most importantly - a winner. More notes on the draft tomorrow.

Draft Day

"And now, with the 5th pick in the NBA Draft . . . there has been a trade. The Memphis Grizzlies have traded the 5th pick, along with Mike Miller and Kyle Lowery, to the Miami Heat for the rights to Michael Beasley"

How awesome would that be? More tomorrow once we process what actually went down.

NBA Draft: 8 days & counting . . .

The NBA Draft approaches next Thursday, June 26th. Players have pulled out of the draft and the field is now set. What will the Grizz do with the 5th and 28th picks? Here is a plan and simple layout of what to look for.

In a previous post, I discussed how a trade to Miami for Beasley is a possibility, but seemingly only if we can draft OJ Mayo at #5. Word out of Miami is that OJ Mayo is who they really want, and they would be interested in trading with whomever drafts him. Miami knows Beasley is the 2nd most coveted player in the draft, and thus not drafting him at their #2 spot would be leaving value on the table. The ideal scenario for the Grizz is to have OJ Mayo available at #5.

It looks more and more like Minnesota, who picks at #3, will take Mayo, at least according to Chad Ford's new mock draft 5.0. Yes, there has been chatter about Minnesota GM Kevin McHale loving his tall white brethren Kevin Love. I think the Love to Minnesota talk is a smokescreen, and Minnesota will take Mayo. Most of the opinions coming out at this point are intentional leaks intended to manipulate trades in some form or fashion. Additionally I think its clear that Mayo is the #3 player in the draft, and that Minnesota will take the best player available rather than filling a more pressing need.

So lets simplify the draft - we assume Rose and Beasley are going #1 and #2. Then we are assuming, although hoping not, that OJ Mayo is selected at #3 by the Timberwolves. Seattle at #4 has been eying Bayless as they need a PG desperately, so there really hasn't been much talk about whom they will pick. That leaves the Grizz at #5. Here are really the only logical options:

• Kevin Love (UCLA)


• Eric Gordon (Indiana)


• Danilo Gallinari (Italy) - pictured
  
• Anthony Randolph (LSU)
  
• Brook Lopez (Stanford)

You can read profiles on these players in Ford's mock draft, and I'm certainly no scout. Ive also linked all the players above and below to their draft profile on NBA Draft net.

At the Grizzlies second 1st round pick (at #28), here are some players that have been mentioned. I'm sure there are plenty of other names out there, as its hard to predict who will be on the board at #28, unlike #5:

• Courtney Lee (Western Kentucky)


• Bill Walker (Kansas State) (note - coming off knee injury)


• Chris Douglas Roberts (Memphis)
  
• Joey Dorsey (Memphis)
  
• DJ White (Indiana)
  
• JJ Hickson (NC State) (pictured)
  

The Grizzlies have two major needs in my opinion, and they are both equally important:

1. Perimeter guard/small forward player that can defend, and be an offensive threat to take some pressure off Rudy Gay.


2. Interior toughness, aka rebounding and defense. Any offense down low is a bonus.

Now lets play GM. One key ingredient to picking at #5 is knowing what you can get with your later picks. Why pick a PF if there are many that will be available later, with minimal dropoff? Simple supply and demand. Rating all the players in the draft, to assess all of your picks from one vantage point, is the key to a balanced draft. So we've seen the available players and the team needs. Now lets try to envision draft scenarios for the Grizz, while trying to assess the dropoff from whats available at #5 to #28 (again, assuming Mayo is gone):

Scenario 1 - Draft Kevin Love at #5, then get a perimeter guy at #28, either Courtney Lee or CDR.

Scenario 2 - Draft Eric Gordon at #5, then DJ White, Hickson, or Dorsey at #28.

Scenario 3 - Draft Brook Lopez at #5, then the best of the PFs in scenario #2 available at #28

Which scenario is more likely? Hard to say. I think Kevin Love is the likely pick for the Grizz at #5, based on the early and continued buzz. However, I don't think perimeter players Lee or CDR will be available for the Grizz at #28, really forcing the Grizz to draft another power forward. Given that wing and perimeter impact players are not going to be available come the 2nd pick, I think we must address the perimeter need at #5 then get one of many decent power forwards that will be available at #28.

To me, its simple - the value of perimeter help is higher in this year's draft, due to the scarcity of perimeter impact players and the abundance of power forward and center help.

Given the cards the Grizz have, with Mayo gone at #3 and perimeter help being scarce late in the 1st round, I would draft Eric Gordon at #5, and DJ White at #28. Gordon is a great athlete that can drive and shoot, while DJ White epitomizes toughness in the middle. Both have much to prove, but I think they would be hungry to work hard in Memphis. There are plenty of Hoosier fans that would enjoy that as well.

Chris Wallace is a smart guy, and he has done this many times before. Certainly things are not as simple as I propose. In the NFL, where every team has multiple picks, finding value in each round is the name of the game. Hopefully the Grizz will do the same, really figuring out what they can pick at #28 before they decide on whom to pick at #5.

Grizzlies' Draft History

The 2008 NBA Draft is Thursday, June 26th, roughly 4 weeks from now. Most all Grizzlies fans are disappointed in not getting Rose or Beasley; however, fans are slowly beginning to become more optimistic about our pick at #5.

Why the optimism? The unknown will always spark optimism from many. Other than the natural optimists (like me and Randy Quaid in Major League 2), a reason to be excited about our pick is the deep talent in the 2008 draft pool. Chad Ford of ESPN.com, his most recent Mock Draft, has us taking LSU's Anthony Randolph (whom I posted about before the draft lottery here). There have also been mock drafts projecting the Grizz take OJ Mayo. At the end of the day, the right pick is, at best, unclear. Lucky for us, the Grizzlies have a great history of selecting the right players in the draft . . . (thick sarcasm-filled silence). Lets take a look at recent drafting results of the Grizz: (please note, if you do not see spreadsheet table, go to VaticanSmoke.com. Email and RSS viewers might not get spreadsheet in view)



A few notes about the draft data:

• Of the players the Grizzlies drafted above, only the 3 most recent are still with the team. Even 2 of the 3 traded draft picks still have nothing currently represented on the team (Rudy Gay being the exception).






• The biggest story here are the names that the Grizzlies didn't draft. [Unless otherwise mentioned, I only reviewed the 10 picks after the Grizzlies' spot for draft success. These next 10 players were the only realistic/feasible alternatives for the Grizz. Some years, there were even more players in the later first or second rounds] David West instead of Marcus Banks? Amare Stoudemire instead of Drew Gooden? Tony Parker or Gilbert Arenas instead of Jamaal Tinsley? Shane Battier (yes, the beloved Shane) instead of Richard Jefferson? Tough misses. [Yes, Tinsley & Banks were traded - but look who we could have gotten]




• The most recent 3 picks are not "busts" yet. Hakim has made improvements in shooting and rebounding, while Mike Conley has shown promise in his 1 year. Lowry is the closest to a bust, but he is still quite young and capable of a backup point guard role. The term "bust" in regards to an NBA 1st Rounder, in my opinion, is a sliding scale depending on the draft spot. Top 10 draft pick needs to be a starter, spots 10 - 20 a starter or solid role player, and late 1st round just needs to be a role player and help the team. With only 2 rounds a year, there are not going to be many impact players drafted in a given year.






• 2003 was the year of "Lebron" , where the Grizzlies would lose their lottery pick via a trade agreement unless it was #1 overall. Cleveland won out the right to be in the playoffs the next 15 years by drafting Lebron, and Memphis getting the #2 pick meant nothing. Ironically, the Pistons selected Darko Milicic with that pick, and he is currently the Grizz's center. Now he is a bust, but for the Pistons and not (as much) the Grizz.




• The Marcus Banks and Kendrick Perkins deal to Boston for Troy Bell and Dahntay Jones was complete garbage. Not only considering the players we could have drafted, but losing a solid big body center like Kendrick Perkins makes it twice as foolish. Perkins is exactly what the Grizz still need - a big, youthful body in the middle to anchor a defense [Ironically enough, Kendrick Perkins committed to John Calipari's Tigers out of high school, before entering the NBA draft. Just like Amare Stoudemire, another Tiger commit that jumped straight to the NBA] . Perkins aside, using those picks to select David West and Josh Howard would have put the Grizz solidly in the playoffs last year, easily.






• The best move the Grizz have ever made was trading Shane Battier for Rudy Gay and Stromile Swift. Kudos for a move that is going to pay great dividends, with Rudy Gay now an emerging star and the face of our franchise.

Yes, I know, everyone can play the "Hindsight is 20/20 vision" game. But there is no doubting continued 1st round drafting success leads to playoff and championship caliber teams (i.e. San Antonio). There is also little doubt that continued 1st round drafting mistakes will keep a team in the lottery (i.e. Knicks, Grizzlies). The Grizz have certainly been in the later.

With a new GM (Chris Wallace, my boy) in charge, lets hope our history of botching draft day is changed.

il papa's pontifications

This week's rant from the Vatican:

• NBA Lottery - Yes, the Pope is a Grizzlies fan. But still, the team with the worst record in the league has only one the 1st pick 2 times in the last 15 years. Thats a bit insane. This year, the team with the 9th worst record (and a 1.5% chance) won the top overall pick. I think the system should revert to how it was, just like baseball and football, where the worst record in the league gets the top pick. Or how about a modified lottery, where instead of all of the non-playoff teams being eligible, just the bottom 4 or bottom 6 are eligible? Preventing losses late in the year is overrated, as fans arent coming out to see a losing team anyway.




• Soccer Game Penalty Kicks - Can you imagine settling the Super Bowl with an extra point kick-off between the kickers? Or a basketball game decided on a free throw competition? Or maybe a baseball game being settled via a home run derby? Now imagine that game was not a normal game, but in fact the Super Bowl/NBA Finals/World Series. Thats what happens too often in Soccer, as the 2006 World Cup Final, as well as yesterday's UEFA Champion's League Final between Manchester United and Chelsea (both from the English Premier League), where both decided on penalty kicks. The Pope loves the beautiful game - but it just needs a bit of American ingenuity to it. For instance, in Hockey, regular season games first go to one overtime period, and then the game is settled via penalty shots. But for playoff games in the NHL, the game keeps going in overtime until a goal is scored. Yes, that could mean soccer forever, but its better to decide such a huge championship on the field of play as opposed to an individual skills competition.




• San Antonio Spurs - I hate them, but man they are good. Yes, they lost game 1 last night in LA, after controlling 75% of it. But we all know they are going to do well at home, and possibly even steal one in LA. This series goes 7 games. For the NBA's sake, including the TV ratings, the fans, and everything else, lets hope the Lakers win. Fans outside of San Antonio just dont like to watch the Spurs. I dont like them, I hope they lose. That doesn't mean I dont respect what they've done though. Lets just watch Kobe in his prime instead in the NBA Finals. Lakers vs Celtics anyone?




• Lack of Video Replay in Baseball - In the past 4 days, there have been two legitimate home runs that were called incorrectly on the field of play. Both were admitted to be poor calls by the umpires after the games. See video and read about them here and here. Neither affected the outcome of the game, but one of these days one will. Why not use the technology to review easily correctable situations like fair or foul on home runs? No strikes/balls being reviewed, just major plays like, at the minimum, home runs. It could be tested in spring training, and implemented once the kinks have been worked out. Yes Bud Selig, it would slow the game down a little. Rules could be made to make the replays quick, and most importantly, calls would be correct and umpires wont look like idiots. Put down the Miller Lite Bud, and just think about it.
  

Powerball: Everyone's a Winner

The NBA Lottery selection occured Tuesday night in Seacaucus, NJ. Unlike Baseball and Football, which have the team with the worst record in the league automatically get the first pick, the NBA does a lottery involving the non-playoff teams. Each team in theory has a chance at the #1 pick, but in reality, the bottom 5 or 6 teams in the league have a much higher % chance.

Tuesday night, the Chicago Bulls cashed in and won the 1st pick, despite only a 1.5% chance of winning the 1st overall pick. They finished with the 9th worst record in the league. That my friends, is bullsh*t. Horsesh*t. Opinions and sarcasm are the Pope's blog tools, so there is an opinion that you can put in your pipe and smoke it.

Moving on. After last year's lottery debacle, the Tigers last second championship loss last month, and this lottery result, the city of Memphis has had it tough. Beasley and Rose are gone, so lets focus on what we do now, with the Grizz sitting on the #5 pick in next month's NBA draft. After the top 2 guys, it is many's opinion that there are no perennial all-stars in the draft. However, most think the draft is deep with role players and solid starters, just not stars except for Beasley and Rose. Here are some options that the Grizz can consider at #5:

Draft Brook Lopez - The 7 Foot, 260 pound center from Stanford is a bit "stiff" in that he plays like a center and lacks the coordination of smaller forwards or guards. However, he is 19 years old, intelligent, and has shown a good ability to rebound and score. I think this guy would be a "cant bust" guy just because he could, at worst, give you quality minutes on the interior off the bench. I think there is some upside too, so this is not all chalk. Yes there are bad 7 footers out there, but I think he has shown some big time skills in a big time basketball conference.

Draft OJ Mayo - This is a much more high risk/high reward guy. He is big, can play decent perimeter defense, and can score. Character issues abound, as this prima donna has had huge expectations since he was in 7th grade. He played at USC just to get some west coast exposure, so what will he think about little ole Memphis? Could be a nice addition to the wing with Rudy Gay, but I think there is considerable risk here. No Mayo, please.


Trade the pick for two lower picks or next year - A solid move considering a few things. First, this draft is 2 players and then everyone else. Second, this is a deep draft after those two players, meaning that the guy you get at #5 could be like the one you could get at #15. Joe Alexander (West Virginia) is a guy that could slip down out of the top 10 and might be as good as anyone at #5. He is a leader, he can shoot, and he has a bit of "moxy" as they say, as shown by his play in the NCAAs. Trade down, get another pick in the 20s in this very deep draft.

Trade the pick for a player - Trade the pick for a player that can come in, start at forward or on the wing, and play defense. I cannot suggest any names out there, as that would require a much more in depth research of salary cap space, etc. This is less likely than other options. There has been some speculation (as noted by Grizzlies blog, 3 Shades of Blue) that we could package the pick with Mike Miller to the Nuggets for Carmelo Anthony. That would be awesome, but incredibly unlikely. To get a scorer of his caliber would certainly help the team, even though Rudy plays SF like Carmelo. We would adjust.

Draft someone else - The Pope likes Anthony Rudolph of this bunch. There is risk in drafting anyone this year, and certainly Rudolph or Kevin Love have risk just like the two guys profiled above. I had the pleasure of speaking with Chris Wallace (we're boys) recently. He said that oftentimes after the top players are gone, you have to draft more conservatively, because you must at least help your team with a player that has shown something, as opposed to a player heavy on potential. To me, that means he would draft a Brook Lopez or a Kevin Love over an Anthony Rudolph, who is largely raw potential at this point.

One interesting player popping up on draft boards is Italian Danilo Gallinari (compared to a Toni Kukoc). Do we really want another white European on our team? Im not a racist, as I dont care about the color or creed of anyone. I do question how smart it is to have multiple European "style" players, used to a different game than the NBA.

The Pope's recommendation of the above, in order:

1. Draft Brook Lopez
2. Trade down, draft someone like Alexander
3. Draft OJ Mayo
4. Trade the pick for a player
5. Draft someone else

Good luck Chris. We need you to work your magic on this one.