NBA Draft Pickup Game

Situation: a random inner-city basketball court. Jason and Toph are each coaching a team. The players available for them to pick are everybody that's available for Thursday's draft. That's basically it.

Jason: Well I guess I'll just give myself the first pick. And it's a pretty easy one. I'm taking Anthony Davis out of Kentucky. I wish there was somebody else I could take here to make it more interesting. But if we're being any sort of serious, I have to pick The Brow. Just know that I'm not happy about it from a blogging perspective. From a basketball perspective though, I'm ecstatic.

Chris: Well, I can't say I'm surprised. However, I can already tell you my team will be better looking. That counts for something, correct?  I guess I'm going to take Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, the Small Forward out of Kentucky. I think he's one of the most athletic guys in the field, and I don't trust Andre Drummond.

Jason: Toph, normally picking the most superficial team is my strategy, not yours. But I'm going to keep it in the front court and take Andre Drummond because I trust him more than you do. I think his athleticism will be both entertaining and useful. Team Jay is going to own the paint, the glass, and the rim.

Chris: Well, feel free to enjoy that headache. That was horrible strategy as I basically told you I wasn't taking Drummond. Unless you thought I was bluffing, you could've gotten him way later, at a much better value. That being said, I'm taking Bradley Beal from Florida. I think he's the best shooter in the draft, and I think those will come at a premium in this crop of players. A lot of size, not a lot of shooters.

Jason: See there really isn't a strategy here because the draft goes at least 3 deep at every position. I'm going Kendall Marshall with my next pick because I like how he orchestrates the offense and finds open guys. And when Davis and Drummond and (you know who else) flying around, it's going to be an assault on the rim. And see, there was a little strategy in that pick because I know you still need a point guard. So there.

Chris: I commend that. Well done, as I was going to take him next. I'm going to take Thomas Robinson, simply to rebound. If we're going up against Drummond and Davis, we're going to need some boards. Since there's nobody left as tall as them, I should probably take the guy who seems the widest/strongest, and thats Robinson.

Jason: Harrison Barnes. Easy and smooth all the way. Future rookie of the year with the Cleveland Cavaliers and future member of the Jason-Owns-My-Jersey club. Boom.

Chris: There's another shocker. I'll take Barnes' teammate, John Henson, to play almost a Serge Ibaka role in my squad. Robinson can provide the interior strength and physicality, while Henson can roam on the weak side and block shots.

Jason: I'll take that size advantage. Drummond is going to make Henson look like, well, me. To round out my squad I'm taking Terrence Ross out of Washington. He and Barnes will give the squad a rounded offense (the ability to shoot) and Ross brings some length on defense. Marshall-Ross-Barnes-Davis-Drummond is the team.

Chris: To be totally honest, I have no idea who that is. That being said, I'll take Damian Lillard from Weber State, and prior to five minutes ago, I had no idea who he was either. Given that he's from Weber State, I think going up against guys like Davis and Barnes could be troubling, however he'll be matched against Marshall, who is a subpar athlete. According to ESPN's scouting report he's a good scorer. I'm going to need it, as I think I drafted three athletes and Beal. However, I'm loving my squad.

Jason: We should make these teams up on NBA 2k13 and duke it out a few times. For the record, I think I'm going to thrash you. But part of that is I think I'm better at 2k than you.

PS: Let's add up the spots all of our guys get picked tomorrow night and see who does better? I don't feel confident.

Chris: Oh, you'll absolutely thrash me, but that the reason why. And we can keep track, lowest total wins. I, on the contrary, feel fantastic about this.

NBA Offseason Checklist - Part 2

Last time I was here, we talked about what the Heat and Thunder can do this offseason to ensure their returns to the Finals next year. Now, let's get into the other playoff teams.

And because I tend to get bored I'm going to give you fourteen teams and fourteen needs. You try to match them up:

The Teams (in order of how they finished this year)

• Chicago Bulls
• San Antonio Spurs
• Indiana Pacers
• Los Angeles Lakers
• Memphis Grizzlies
• Los Angeles Clippers
• Atlanta Hawks
• Boston Celtics
• Denver Nuggets
• Orlando Magic
• New York Knicks
• Dallas Mavericks
• Utah Jazz
• Philadelphia 76ers

The Needs (in no particular order)

• Blow it up.
• Continue to be mediocre because that seems like the best you'll be able to do. 
• Maybe make one blockbuster trade, but generally sit on your hands and let the team grow together more. 
• Invest in a good knee doctor. 
• Your current best player is not good enough to be the best player. Your current second-best player is going to probably leave this summer. Your President left you. Panic. 
• Give your big three another shot (yes, another one) to prove themselves. I mean, they are good enough in terms of talent. 
• Get rid of Dwight Howard!!!!
• Continue to grow as a team. I can't even think of a single move to make. 
• Figure out who your best player is, and then let NBA teams and fans know who it is.  
• Fire your point guard talent evaluator. Look into trading the guy that everyone expects you to trade. 
• Shooters and big men!
• Don't even listen to my advice, because everyone knows you guys are a bunch of wizards that never seem to make the wrong move. 
• Try and turn one of your (five or six) decent players into a bona fide superstar. 
• Go for Deron and Dwight. 

(Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Indiana, Atlanta, Orlando, 

Denver, Utah, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, San Antonio, Memphis, Dallas)

There's only a few notes that I really want to make:

• Yes, the Magic should get rid of Howard. If Houston offers you THREE FIRST ROUND DRAFT PICKS you take them. Especially when they could absolutely all turn into starters. Shooting guard, power forward, and point guard could all be filled. Who gives a shit how Dwight feels. Think of your organization and your fans. Not your dickhead ex-superhero.
• I do think the Celtics glorious run is over. They weren't far off this year, but I don't think you can justify paying Kevin Garnett $20 million. Ray Allen is probably going to Miami. Go forward with Rondo/Bradley/Pierce/Bass/Jujuan Johnson/Greg Stiemsma. If a team offers your a decent draft pick for Pierce, think about it. You guys know how I feel about keeping guys that mean a lot to the organization and to fans. But just... think about it. 
• The following teams (from the list above) don't really need to do anything: Knicks, Sixers, Bulls, Pacers, Hawks, Nuggets, Grizzlies. They either are young and just need to "find themselves" or are essentially at their peak. Indy may have some work to do if Hibbert leaves. 
• The Clippers are kind of in the same spot as the Heat. They need outside shooting (and LAC needs it more than Miami) and some big bodies that they can stuff in the paint. 

Next time we'll get into the shit teams. Oh fun. 

Mock NBA Draft: Jay Edition

Just wanted to let you guys know the future winning entry for the Bullets Blog NBA Draft 2012 Tee Shirt Giveaway (check it out here), and give you some thoughts about a few players in the draft. 

1. Hornets – Anthony Davis, PF, Kentucky

That's pretty much a gimme for every single entry. I think people's heads would literally explode if The Unibrow didn't go first overall. 
2.       Bobcats – Andre Drummond, C, UConn
The Bobcats need to sell tickets. The ultimate gamble in this draft is Drummond - he could fill seats like Dwight Howard and be the cornerstone of their franchise. He could just be a big, athletic bust. 
3.       Wizards – Bradley Beal, SG Florida
In trading Rashard Lewis to New Orleans for Trevor Ariza and Emeka Okafor, Washington basically solidified that they will be selecting Beal to round out their starting lineup of Wall/Beal/Ariza/Blatche/Nene.
4.       Cavaliers – Harrison Barnes, SF, UNC

I cannot wait for this to happen. Forget Tristan Thompson.

5.       Kings – Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, SF, Kentucky

Good players go to Sacramento to die. I can only hope that MKG can help turn the franchise around.
6.       Trail Blazers – Thomas Robinson, PF, Kansas
7.       Warriors – Terrence Jones, PF, Kentucky
8.       Raptors – Jared Sullinger, PF, Ohio State
9.       Pistons – John Henson, PF, UNC
10.   Hornets – Tyler Zeller, C, UNC

I love this pick, especially with the departure of Okafor. It would give NOLA a starting rotation of Jack/Gordon/Lewis/Davis/Zeller with a lot of young legs on the bench.
11.   Trail Blazers – Damian Lillard, PG, Weber State
12.   Bucks – Perry Jones, PF, Baylor
13.   Suns – Jeremy Lamb, SG, UConn
14.   Rockets – Meyers Leonard, C, Illinois
15.   Sixers – Dion Waiters, SG, Syracuse

It seems inevitable.
16.   Rockets – Royce White, SG, Iowa State
17.   Mavericks - Austin Rivers , SG, Duke
18.   Timberwolves – Terrence Ross, SG, Washington

I pray to the basketball gods that Ross falls to Minny and that Kahn snatches him up. He seems like he could be the solution to the gaping hole in the T’wolves’ starting lineup.
19.   Magic – Kendall Marshall, PG, UNC

All I’m saying is look out for when Dwight Howard gets to play with an NBA-starting-caliber point guard. Not sure if Marshall is the guy. Deron Williams, on the other hand, would definitely be the guy.
20.   Nuggets – Marquis Teague, PG, Kentucky
21.   Celtics – Draymond Green, PF, Michigan State

This would be a really smart pick.
22.   Celtics – Fab Melo, C, Syracuse

This pick would not be that smart.
23.   Hawks – Moe Harkless, SF, St. John’s
24.   Cavaliers – Festus Ezeli, C, Vanderbilt

Irving/Free Agent 2-Guard/Barnes/Thompson/Varejao/? Don’t sleep on that squad. Ezeli doesn’t really play into that. But every team needs role players.
25.   Grizzlies – Arnett Moultrie, PF, Mississippi State
26.   Pacers – Kyle O’Quinn, C, Norfolk State

White, talented, hardworking. Right up Indiana’s alley.
27.   Heat – Jae Crowder, F, Marquette
The classic energy/rebounding/shooting/hustle guy. And maybe he could donate some hair to LeBron.
28.   Thunder – Evan Fournier, SG, France

Not that this is a slap in James Harden’s stupid beard or anything, but Harden needs something to push him to rebound from the brutal/gruesome/feminine showing he put up in the Finals.
29.   Bulls – Doron Lamb, SG, Kentucky

Could be a contributor instantly because, you know, Chicago has a huge need for backcourt bodies.
30.   Warriors – Jeff Taylor, SF, Vanderbilt

Mock First Round: Team Trova

Did you hear the news? The geniuses at the Bullets Blog have created a contest that lets you win a free t-shirt, and bragging rights, for knowing more about the NBA draft than your peers.

Anyway, I just submitted my first round picks, and I enjoyed it so much that I decided to write a blog explaining some of them in more detail.

Here are my picks, 1-30:

1. New Orleans - Anthony Davis, Kentucky
*2. Charlotte - Thomas Robinson, Kansas
3. Washington - Harrison Barnes, North Carolina
*4. Cleveland - Bradley Beal, Florida 
5. Sacramento - Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kentucky 
*6. Portland - Andre Drummond, Connecticut
7. Golden State - John Henson, UNC
8. Toronto - Perry Jones 3, Baylor
9. Detroit - Tyler Zeller, North Carolina
10. New Orleans - Kendall Marshall, North Carolina
11. Portland - Austin Rivers, Duke
12. Milwaukee - Meyers Leonard, Illinois
*13. Phoenix - Jared Sullinger, Ohio State 
14. Houston - Damian Lillard, Weber State
*15. Philadelphia - Dion Waiters, 'Cuse 
*16. Houston - Terrence Jones, Kentucky
*17. Dallas - Jeremy Lamb, Connecticut 
18. Minnesota - John Jenkins, Vanderbilt
19. Orlando - Arnett Moultrie, Mississippi State
20. Denver - Terrence Ross, Washington
21. Boston - Festus Ezeli, Vanderbilt
22. Boston - Moe Harkless, St. John's
*23. Atlanta - Royce White, Iowa State 
24. Cleveland - Andrew Nicholson, St. Bonaventure
*25. Memphis - Jae Crowder, Marquette 
26. Indiana - Marquis Teague, Kentucky
27. Miami - Evan Fournier, France
*28. Oklahoma City - Draymond Green, Michigan State
29. Chicago - Will Barton, Memphis
30. Golden State - J'Covan Brown, Texas


I placed a star next to the players I wanted to talk about:


2.) Thomas Robinson, Power Forward from Kansas, to the Bobcats --- this is the smartest pick with number 2 in my opinion. Robinson has an NBA ready game, and dominated in the Big 12 last year (over 17 points and about 12 boards per game). He can produce immediately, and is the safest pick for a historically bad team to make.
4.) Bradley Beal, Shooting Guard from Florida, to the Cavs --- he is the best shooter in this year's draft class, hands down. He has superior athleticism to boot. If he can be teamed with the Cavaliers and Kyrie Irving, watch out for this team in 2 years. They will have the best back court in the NBA.
6.) Andre Drummond, Center from UConn, to Portland --- this is a tough pick. Portland needs athleticism and strength up front after officially dumping Greg Oden. LaMarcus Aldridge is a stud, and putting a gifted center next to him could spell disaster for all opposing NBA front courts. It can backfire though. Remember the last big man, who was a project, to come out of UConn in the first round? It was Hasheem Thabeet. Oof.
13.) Jared Sullinger, Center, from OSU, to Phoenix --- Phoenix will be in rebuilding mode next season, with the likelihood of Steve Nash departing. Drafting an NBA ready center is the perfect way to rebuild a franchise. I believe Sully will be one of the best 7 players from this draft class.
15.) Dion Waiters, Shooting Guard, from 'Cuse, to Philly --- Jason is crapping his pants as he reads this. Waiters is the classic high risk/high reward player. Incredible athleticism, beautiful jumper, solid defensively. BUT, after watching him play about 30 times last year at Syracuse, I can honestly say I think he's a bust waiting to happen. For whatever reason, he takes plays, minutes, and games off. Cheers, Philly.
16.) Terrence Jones, Power Forward from Kentucky, to Houston --- quick, if I asked you who's body type Terrence Jones best matches with in the NBA, who would you say? The answer is LeBron James. Jones is 6'9'' and 252, LeBron is 6'8'' and 250. The biggest difference? Jones is an exceptional three-point shooter. Watch out for Mr. Jones, ladies and gentlemen. 
17.) Jeremy Lamb, Shooting Guard from UConn, to Dallas --- I am very high on Jeremy Lamb. He will fall to the middle of the first round, where he will be taken as a STEAL of a pick. He has an awesome jump shot, is supremely athletic and can take over games. I think he is a top 5 prospect in this draft class, but apparently I'm the only one.
23.) Royce White, Power Forward from Iowa State, to Atlanta --- Royce White is a 6'8", 270 pound machine. He was consistently double teamed all of last season and still managed 14 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists per game. Atlanta would love to put him alongside Al Horford in the post, and free Josh Smith to be his athletic and monstrous self on the perimeter.
25.) Jae Crowder, Power Forward from Marquette, to Memphis --- Crowder reminds me a lot of Kenneth Faried, a.k.a the Manimal, due to his high energy and freakish athleticism. He has a better jump shot than Faried though, and because of this, will become one of most productive bench players in the league next season, spelling Rudy Gay when he needs to, or going into the post to give quality rest to Z-Bo or Marc Gasol.
28.) Draymond Green, Power Forward from Michigan State, to OKC --- Draymond Green is a winner, plain and simple. Tom Izzo is probably my favorite coach in any sport, at any level, and when you have a player as versatile as Green coached by someone as detail-oriented as Izzo, the result can be incredible. His game is similar to LeBron, albeit less productive in every area.

Absorb, digest and use this information at your own risk. I play for keeps in T-shirt contests!

NBA Offseason Checklist - Part 1

In the days leading up to the draft, I'm going to give every NBA team a checklist of things to do to get better. Because every team can get better - even the champs. In fact, let's start with the champs and work our way down from there.

Miami Heat
The Heat are in a position that they can just sit on their heels and basically bring back their entire championship roster (minus Juwan Howard, Eddy Curry, and Terrel Harris - combined 2.1 points per game) without even having to re-sign anybody.

They could possibly trade some of their shooters/useless big men for other shooters/useless big men. If they do, the goal should be youth so they can sustain this run of winning. I could see a young team on the verge (maybe a Utah or a Minnesota) trading some young legs for a veteran like Shane Battier. No idea if Miami would say yes or if Battier would like it.

As far as the draft goes, the obvious hole they need to plug is the mess of Anthony/Turiaf/Curry/Pittman at center. But if you listen to the Bullets Blog Podcast (link here) you know that Chris and I think the Heat are better when they don't even play a center. The downside of playing LeBron/Bosh/three guards is the lack of rebounding. Which is why I think the Heat should pick...

• Jae Crowder, F, Marquette

Crowder is young, active, and can rebound like nobody else. He can also shoot to spread the floor and can run (although admittedly not on James' level). And it appears that he will for sure be around when Miami is on the clock at #27. 

Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder, like the Heat, are going to retain most of their team without having to make any moves (minus Derek Fisher, Nazr Mohammed, and Royal Ivey). Unlike the Heat, the Thunder cannot get better just by adding in new pieces. They don't really need shooters, because Durant/Westbrook/Harden took 63% of their shots this season. It's hard to say that they need rebounders, because their starting five all averaged more than five rebounds per game over the course of the season. 

They really just need to grow together and have a serious "We Need To Figure Out Who We Are" moment like LeBron and Wade did. Stupid people will say that Durant needs to be taking 5-8 more shots than Westbrook. That's not how they operate. Westbrook's aggressive play (aka taking a lot of shots) opens the floor for the smoothest shooter on the planet. 

But I guess I have to make a draft prediction, so here it is:

• Draymond Green, F, Michigan State

He would bring a new dimension to the Thunder on offense. Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka are decent in the post but Draymond put Michigan State on his back in the paint this season. He averaged 16 and 10 (and in the Big Ten, which is like averaging 40-20 in a normal basketball league).  

NBA Draft Free Tee Shirt Contest

UPDATE: We changed the cutoff from all 30 first round picks to 20/30. But we still don't think anybody can do it. Prove us wrong!

Hey basketball fans, great and easy opportunity for you to win a brand new tee shirt (that is possibly sexually suggestive) and show off your skill as an NBA talent judge. All you have to do is correctly pick 20 out of the 30 first round picks next Thursday's NBA Draft and you'll be entered (if there's more than one winning entry) for a chance to win your very own Bullets Blog Tee. They look like this (without the rectangular border around the logo):

The winner will be announced on our Twitter page. If you don't already follow us, please do @bulletsblog. In fact, we'll give you a break and consider your entry a winner if you get 19 out of 30 correct but only if you follow us on Twitter. 

Trust me when I say that you will always be the center of attention when you wear this (possibly sexual) shirt out. All you have to do to enter is copy the following form, paste it into an email, fill it out with your picks (just the first and last name will work), and send it to bulletsblog@gmail.com. Boom. Free tee shirt.

Name:
1. New Orleans -
2. Charlotte -
3. Washington -
4. Cleveland -
5. Sacramento -
6. Portland -
7. Golden State -
8. Toronto -
9. Detroit -
10. New Orleans -
11. Portland -
12. Milwaukee -
13. Phoenix -
14. Houston -
15. Philadelphia -
16. Houston -
17. Dallas -
18. Minnesota -
19. Orlando -
20. Denver -
21. Boston -
22. Boston -
23. Atlanta -
24. Cleveland -
25. Memphis -
26. Indiana -
27. Miami -
28. Oklahoma City -
29. Chicago -
30. Golden State -

Notes:

• If teams trade draft picks (will will likely happen), the number of the pick is what matters.

Fantasy Euro 2012 Update

We are halfway (ish) through the first Bullets Blog soccer fantasy game ever. Personally, I'm in love. But that could just be because I'm crushing everyone with no regard for human life. Here's where everyone stands:

1. Team Jay (103 points, 8 players remaining)
2. Team Brendan (70 points, 10 players remaining)
3. Team Alex (67 points, 8 players remaining)
4. Team Toph (57 points, 8 players remaining)

Poor Chris. 

The silver lining for him, of course, is that he got the first pick in the one-round-supplemental-player draft. Which played out like this:

1. Team Chris - Fernando Torres (F, Spain)
2. Team Alex - Wayne Rooney (F, England)
3. Team Brendan - Mats Hummels (D, Germany)
4. Team Jay - Cesc Fabregas (M, Spain)

Torres and Rooney were the obvious first two picks. Hummels was a pretty easy choice. I took Fabregas because dickhead Toph took Torres. 

The 14 Best Fantasy Scorers

1. 23 points - Iker Casillas, G, Spain (Brendan) - 2 shutouts, 1 one-goalers, 10 saves
2. 21 points - Joe Hart, G, England (Alex) - 1 shutout, 1 one-goaler, 13 saves
3. 17 points - Maarten Stekelenburg, G, Netherlands (Jay) - 1 one-goaler, 14 saves
4. 15 points - Mario Gomez, F, Germany (Jay) - 3 goals, 1 assist (first pick in the draft)
5. 14 points - David Silva, M, Spain (Jay) - 1 goal, 3 assists
6. (tie) 13 points - Sergio Ramos, D, Spain (Brendan) and Gerard Pique D, Spain (Alex) - 2 shutouts, 1 one-goaler apiece

6. (tie) 13 points - Hugo Lloris, G, France (Toph) - 1 shutout, 1 one-goaler, 5 saves
9. (tie) 11 points - Andrea Pirlo, M, Italy (Brendan) - 1 goal, 2 assists 

9. (tie) 11 points - Philipp Lahm, D, Germany (Jay) and Giorgio Chiellini, D, Italy (Jay) - 1 shutout, 2 one-goalers each

12. (tie) 9 points - Andrei Arshavin, F, Russia (Jay) - 3 assists

12. (tie) 9 points - Ignashevich, D, Russia (Toph) and Anyukov, D, Russia (Toph) - 3 one-goalers

So yeah, needless to say Toph is in last place. 

The Only Players to Not Score Any Fantasy Points In Group Play

Team Jay

• Niko Kranjcar, M, Croatia (eliminated)(played for like 3 minutes total)

Team Brendan

• Roman Sharonov, D, Russia (eliminated)(did not play in any of Russia's games)
• Florent Malouda, M, France
• Dirk Kuyt, M, Netherlands (eliminated)
• Jermain Defoe, F, England (has yet to play, I think)

Team Alex

• Luca Modric, M, Croatia (eliminated)(Alex's first pick and the second overall)
• Thomas Muller, F, Germany

Team Toph

• Xavi Hernandez, M, Spain
• Miroslav Klose, F, Germany
• Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, M, Netherlands (eliminated)(highest goal total in qualifiers)