Was Tyreke Evans the right pick for the Kings or will this be one of those Sam Bowie type moments for the Kings? (Wait, didn't they already have a couple of those)
I'm not sold on the Evans pick. I don't like point guard projects. He says he wants to play the point, but CAN he play the point? The knock on him is that he can be, as Jay Bilas put it last night, "ball dominant". I read this as a nice way to say he's a floor-pounding, movement killing, black hole looking to get his. The Kings had this guy last year. His name is John Salmons.
Add to that the fact that if he doesn't turn into a point guard, he will be playing the same position as your current best player. Wonder how this pick sits with Kevin Martin? Grant Napier the other day said current players don't really care too much about the draft unless the guy picked plays the same position as them. Well Kevin, you might want to start caring.
Now the Kings can minimize the impact of Evans' lack of facilitation if they end up running the good'ole Princeton Offense that made them so effective a couple years ago. Mike Bibby wasn't a great distributor. That job belonged to Chris Webber and Vlade Divac. Can Jason and Spencer recreate that? Let's hope so!
I loved the rest of the Kings draft. Casspi was my guy at 23. I was afraid when I heard all the rumors about Portland moving up to 22 to get him. Love his aggressiveness and attitude.
A commenter over on SacBee.com brought up the fact that Sergio Rodriguez was the Ricky Rubio of last years draft. So, maybe the Kings did get their PG of the future...
The Brockman pick will go over very well in Sacramento. The guy is pure lunch pail player. He'll just go get the ball. Something the Kings have lacked for years.
Now, we wait and see. We all love to mumble and groan about our teams draft picks, but in the end, we don't know any different than anyone else. Personally, I hope I'm wrong about Evans, cause if I am, that means the Kings are probably winning a lot more games, and how can any fan not like that?
Friday, June 26, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Is There A Draft In Here?
The NBA Draft is a little more than twenty-four hours away. Who's going where? This team trading with that team. There is truck loads of garbage out there. So, who are the Kings going to draft? Well if I knew that I wouldn't be sitting here writing this post...
I have to believe they have narrowed there #4 pick down to three players. Memphis guard Tyreke Evans and Spanish point Ricky Rubio and the dark horse is Syracuse PG Jonny Flynn. I'm not breaking any news here. But which of the three will it be? To answer that you have to look at who will go in the top 3. So, here is my mock top 5.
1) Clippers - Blake Griffin. This is the biggest no-brainer since LeBron and possibly the biggest bust since Michael Olowokandi. I am not a huge Griffin fan. I think he will be an average NBA player at best, maybe make a couple All-Star games, but nothing spectacular. Far less than you would expect from the #1 overall pick. But, many have said it, this is a weak draft.
2) Grizzlies - Hasheem Thabeet. I really think Memphis wants to trade this pick, and Minnesota now has the stuff to make an interesting offer. If they have to make a pick here, it will be Thabeet. They have scorers on their roster, it's defense that's lacking. If the Wolves do jump in here, the pick could still be Thabeet. Allowing the Wolves to move Jefferson back to the 4. Ricky Rubio would also be on the Wolves radar, as are James Harden and Tyreke Evans.
3) Thunder - Tyreke Evans. I don't see Rubio going here. They spent a #4 on Westbrook last year, they are not going to spend a #3 on another PG this year. Evans gives them versatility in the back court and slasher who will compliment Durant and Green very well.
4) Kings - Ricky Rubio. How do they not make this pick if he is there? They like Evans and if he is there the pick could change. I am not a big fan of PG projects and that is just what Evans is. The Kings already have a two-guard. In fact they have a bunch of them. Evans seems like a wasted pick to me. What if Rubio is gone? My view on Evans doesn't change, but they may be reaching by picking Flynn.
5) T-Wolves - James Harden. Top two-guard in the draft. The guy can flat out score. The only reason he goes after Evans is that Evans has the possibility of playing the point and there are questions about Harden's work ethic and attitude.
As for the rest of the Kings picks, much will depend on what happens at #4. If they pick Evans, I think a PG is still very much in play with 23 and 31. If the pick is Rubio, look for a true small forward to build depth there behind Nocioni.
Possibilities at 23: Omri Casspi (SF, Isreal); Sam Young (SF, Pitt); Jeff Teague (PG, Wake Forest); Tyler Hansbrough (PF, North Carolina); Ty Lawson (PG, North Carolina)
Possibilities at 31: Patty Mills (PG, St Mary's); Darren Collison (PG, UCLA); Nick Calathes (PG, Florida); Taj Gibson (PF, USC)
I have to believe they have narrowed there #4 pick down to three players. Memphis guard Tyreke Evans and Spanish point Ricky Rubio and the dark horse is Syracuse PG Jonny Flynn. I'm not breaking any news here. But which of the three will it be? To answer that you have to look at who will go in the top 3. So, here is my mock top 5.
1) Clippers - Blake Griffin. This is the biggest no-brainer since LeBron and possibly the biggest bust since Michael Olowokandi. I am not a huge Griffin fan. I think he will be an average NBA player at best, maybe make a couple All-Star games, but nothing spectacular. Far less than you would expect from the #1 overall pick. But, many have said it, this is a weak draft.
2) Grizzlies - Hasheem Thabeet. I really think Memphis wants to trade this pick, and Minnesota now has the stuff to make an interesting offer. If they have to make a pick here, it will be Thabeet. They have scorers on their roster, it's defense that's lacking. If the Wolves do jump in here, the pick could still be Thabeet. Allowing the Wolves to move Jefferson back to the 4. Ricky Rubio would also be on the Wolves radar, as are James Harden and Tyreke Evans.
3) Thunder - Tyreke Evans. I don't see Rubio going here. They spent a #4 on Westbrook last year, they are not going to spend a #3 on another PG this year. Evans gives them versatility in the back court and slasher who will compliment Durant and Green very well.
4) Kings - Ricky Rubio. How do they not make this pick if he is there? They like Evans and if he is there the pick could change. I am not a big fan of PG projects and that is just what Evans is. The Kings already have a two-guard. In fact they have a bunch of them. Evans seems like a wasted pick to me. What if Rubio is gone? My view on Evans doesn't change, but they may be reaching by picking Flynn.
5) T-Wolves - James Harden. Top two-guard in the draft. The guy can flat out score. The only reason he goes after Evans is that Evans has the possibility of playing the point and there are questions about Harden's work ethic and attitude.
As for the rest of the Kings picks, much will depend on what happens at #4. If they pick Evans, I think a PG is still very much in play with 23 and 31. If the pick is Rubio, look for a true small forward to build depth there behind Nocioni.
Possibilities at 23: Omri Casspi (SF, Isreal); Sam Young (SF, Pitt); Jeff Teague (PG, Wake Forest); Tyler Hansbrough (PF, North Carolina); Ty Lawson (PG, North Carolina)
Possibilities at 31: Patty Mills (PG, St Mary's); Darren Collison (PG, UCLA); Nick Calathes (PG, Florida); Taj Gibson (PF, USC)
Thursday, June 18, 2009
The Stallworth Dilemma
I was going to avoid this topic if I could, but listening to The Rise Guys this morning ramble on about what will come of the Donte' Stallworth situation I couldn't help but post my thoughts.
First, stop comparing Stallworth to Vick on a legal basis. The two have nothing to do with one another. If you want to debate the morality of their crimes, that is one thing. But to say "Why is Stallworth only getting 30 days for killing a person and Vick got 18 months for killing dogs?" is not a valid question. Stallworth is not getting 30 days, he is getting 25 months. House arrest, is still confinement.
Second, Michael Vick was not actually convicted of killing dogs. Vick was convicted of running an illegal inter-state dog fighting business. The Feds prosecuted that case as a tax and racketeering case, not as a cruelty to animals case. Had Vick pleaded guilty in Virginia to just killing the dogs, he probably would have gotten a much shorter sentence, instead he tried to save face and claim he never killed the dogs and therefore the Feds stepped in and he was punished for his other crimes.
Now to the Stallworth case. I found it interesting that there was a strong possibility that Stallworth could have walked away without any conviction other than the DUI. Florida law says that if the other party led to the 'causation' of the incident the DUI offender is not necessarily responsible. Since Mario Reyes was jaywalking across a major roadway when he was struck by Stallworth, there is enough question that a jury could have found reasonable doubt that Stallworth alone caused the accident and acquitted him of the manslaughter charge. He would have been convicted of DUI, probably would have had to pay a fine, do some community service and wait for a civil trial brought by the family.
So, based on his plea deal, Stallworth pleaded guilty to manslaughter (may not have gotten that at trial), will serve 30 days in jail (or that), 2 years house arrest (or that), 1,000 hours of community service (probably would have been half that), pay the family a large amount of money (saves court time/cost from civil trial), and lose his Florida drivers license for life (wouldn't have gotten that either). Personally, I'd say the Florida attorney took a look at the possibility of an acquittal and took what they could get. All things considered, from a legal standpoint, I'd say they did pretty good. Morally, that's a whole-nother story.
Now, what does the NFL do about this. This is where you could start to introduce the Vick scenario. Vick was suspended indefinitely by the NFL while he was in prison and under house arrest. Goodell has said he will wait until Vick's legal situation is resolved before he rules on his suspension. So really, Vick hasn't been suspended for a specific amount of time. Vick may only be suspended for a few games once he is actually released.
So what does that mean for Stallworth. If I am Goodell, I suspend him indefinitely too. Until he is able to participate freely in the NFL (that would probably be hard to do while under house arrest), I don't rule. If the Florida probation department says he can travel while under house arrest, then Goodell's hand is forced. Leonard Little got eight games for his DUI back in 1998, but that was a softer, gentler NFL. I don't see Goodell handing down any less than a one year suspension. And if I am Goodell, I use the house arrest as a starting point. Until Stallworth is free of his legal situation, he is suspended, i.e. two years. The union will appeal. Guess who they appeal to. That's right, Goodell. Maybe it gets lowered to eighteen months, or a year, either way, Goodell wins and a new precedent is set.
Wow. Now I see why I was trying to avoid this topic...
First, stop comparing Stallworth to Vick on a legal basis. The two have nothing to do with one another. If you want to debate the morality of their crimes, that is one thing. But to say "Why is Stallworth only getting 30 days for killing a person and Vick got 18 months for killing dogs?" is not a valid question. Stallworth is not getting 30 days, he is getting 25 months. House arrest, is still confinement.
Second, Michael Vick was not actually convicted of killing dogs. Vick was convicted of running an illegal inter-state dog fighting business. The Feds prosecuted that case as a tax and racketeering case, not as a cruelty to animals case. Had Vick pleaded guilty in Virginia to just killing the dogs, he probably would have gotten a much shorter sentence, instead he tried to save face and claim he never killed the dogs and therefore the Feds stepped in and he was punished for his other crimes.
Now to the Stallworth case. I found it interesting that there was a strong possibility that Stallworth could have walked away without any conviction other than the DUI. Florida law says that if the other party led to the 'causation' of the incident the DUI offender is not necessarily responsible. Since Mario Reyes was jaywalking across a major roadway when he was struck by Stallworth, there is enough question that a jury could have found reasonable doubt that Stallworth alone caused the accident and acquitted him of the manslaughter charge. He would have been convicted of DUI, probably would have had to pay a fine, do some community service and wait for a civil trial brought by the family.
So, based on his plea deal, Stallworth pleaded guilty to manslaughter (may not have gotten that at trial), will serve 30 days in jail (or that), 2 years house arrest (or that), 1,000 hours of community service (probably would have been half that), pay the family a large amount of money (saves court time/cost from civil trial), and lose his Florida drivers license for life (wouldn't have gotten that either). Personally, I'd say the Florida attorney took a look at the possibility of an acquittal and took what they could get. All things considered, from a legal standpoint, I'd say they did pretty good. Morally, that's a whole-nother story.
Now, what does the NFL do about this. This is where you could start to introduce the Vick scenario. Vick was suspended indefinitely by the NFL while he was in prison and under house arrest. Goodell has said he will wait until Vick's legal situation is resolved before he rules on his suspension. So really, Vick hasn't been suspended for a specific amount of time. Vick may only be suspended for a few games once he is actually released.
So what does that mean for Stallworth. If I am Goodell, I suspend him indefinitely too. Until he is able to participate freely in the NFL (that would probably be hard to do while under house arrest), I don't rule. If the Florida probation department says he can travel while under house arrest, then Goodell's hand is forced. Leonard Little got eight games for his DUI back in 1998, but that was a softer, gentler NFL. I don't see Goodell handing down any less than a one year suspension. And if I am Goodell, I use the house arrest as a starting point. Until Stallworth is free of his legal situation, he is suspended, i.e. two years. The union will appeal. Guess who they appeal to. That's right, Goodell. Maybe it gets lowered to eighteen months, or a year, either way, Goodell wins and a new precedent is set.
Wow. Now I see why I was trying to avoid this topic...
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Ricky's Sacramento Vacation
With the much anticipated arrival of Ricky Rubio in Sacramento yesterday the Kings draft process went into high gear. Sure there's been visits by from other players, but let's be honest, Rubio is the only potential star to visit with the Kings. Heck, Rubio could be the only star in this draft.
Rubio didn't just stop in for a quick meet and greet. He spent the night. All indications are he'll spend two nights. What does this mean for the Kings? Selfishly, I hope it means he would love to play for the Kings. Problem is it's not his or the Kings choice at this point.
What will Memphis do with their pick? Ricky doesn't want to play there. So my guess is the Griz are looking to auction the pick to the highest bidder. Is #4 and #23 enough to get the Kings up two spots? Do they have to give up some of their young talent? Next years first?
How much faith does OKC have in Westbrook? They took him #4 last year, so one would think they aren't going to take another PG at #3 this year, so the trade machine kick in again at pick three.
What about the buyout? Petrie has had success getting European players over here, but this one sounds more difficult than Peja and Hedo's deals. Do you draft a player and risk the fact that he isn't on your team this year? If I am the Kings, YES! This team is not going to be very good next year anyways. Sure it would be nice to have your PG of the future here and growing with your team, but if that is the only negative, make the pick. There should still be plenty of young PG's available at 23 and 31 to hold you over for one more year. Plus Beno can't be any worse right?
If nothing else, the Kings draft prospects make for an interesting week. Imaging being a Clippers fan right now?
Rubio didn't just stop in for a quick meet and greet. He spent the night. All indications are he'll spend two nights. What does this mean for the Kings? Selfishly, I hope it means he would love to play for the Kings. Problem is it's not his or the Kings choice at this point.
What will Memphis do with their pick? Ricky doesn't want to play there. So my guess is the Griz are looking to auction the pick to the highest bidder. Is #4 and #23 enough to get the Kings up two spots? Do they have to give up some of their young talent? Next years first?
How much faith does OKC have in Westbrook? They took him #4 last year, so one would think they aren't going to take another PG at #3 this year, so the trade machine kick in again at pick three.
What about the buyout? Petrie has had success getting European players over here, but this one sounds more difficult than Peja and Hedo's deals. Do you draft a player and risk the fact that he isn't on your team this year? If I am the Kings, YES! This team is not going to be very good next year anyways. Sure it would be nice to have your PG of the future here and growing with your team, but if that is the only negative, make the pick. There should still be plenty of young PG's available at 23 and 31 to hold you over for one more year. Plus Beno can't be any worse right?
If nothing else, the Kings draft prospects make for an interesting week. Imaging being a Clippers fan right now?
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Westphal is King
Like many Kings fans I am left with a feeling of indifference about the hiring of Westphal. He strikes me as a very similar coach to Adelman (not a bad thing). I hear that Terry Porter and Mario Ellie on his short list of assistants (also not a bad thing). I think the no-defense knock is similar to what we heard about Adelman (this years Houston team more than proved that was a bad argument). His teams are known to be fast paced (again, not a bad thing).
The question is can he teach and instill a culture in the young Kings. Too many bad habits have been developed over the last couple seasons. Arguing calls, taking plays off, ball stopping, poor defensive/rebounding effort, I think Kings fan's know the story. It is going to take a strong message from Westphal that these things need to change. He's played in the league and taken teams to the Finals, so he has cred, now can he translate on the court.
I do think it was imperative to have a coach in place before the draft. Petrie drafts well, but it is never a good idea to be picking players without a coach. Bill Parcells said it best. How can you be expected to cook if you can't shop for the groceries. Westphal and Petrie have two weeks to look at the roster, what Westphal wants to accomplish, and find the best players to do that.
It's going to be a busy month of June in the King-dom.
The question is can he teach and instill a culture in the young Kings. Too many bad habits have been developed over the last couple seasons. Arguing calls, taking plays off, ball stopping, poor defensive/rebounding effort, I think Kings fan's know the story. It is going to take a strong message from Westphal that these things need to change. He's played in the league and taken teams to the Finals, so he has cred, now can he translate on the court.
I do think it was imperative to have a coach in place before the draft. Petrie drafts well, but it is never a good idea to be picking players without a coach. Bill Parcells said it best. How can you be expected to cook if you can't shop for the groceries. Westphal and Petrie have two weeks to look at the roster, what Westphal wants to accomplish, and find the best players to do that.
It's going to be a busy month of June in the King-dom.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Faber's Hand
Watching the WEC fight last night I couldn't help but be amazed by Urijah Faber's will and determiniation. He fought three and half rounds of a championship fight with one hand. I broke a finger once and was pretty much useless. I could never imagine doing what Faber did. Huge props to you Urijah. You'll get your rematch, and I for one can't wait to see it.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
My Teams
So, this blog is geared towards Nor Cal sports fans. Most of my allegiances are to Nor Cal teams, with the exception of baseball. Allow me to break down my favorites (as if you care):
NFL: San Francisco 49ers. I have been a fan since I can remember. My first true memory was John Taylor's TD in Super Bowl XXIII. I guess that gives you some idea of my age...
NBA: Sacramento Kings. I moved to Sacramento in 1998, which just happened to coincide with the start of their run, guess that makes me a bit of a bandwagoner, but I never really followed basketball before that, so it wasn't much of a jump.
MLB: Atlanta Braves/Oakland A's. Why two? Well growing up all my friends were Giants fans. My family was Dodger fans (don't ask me why). I couldn't really get behind either, so I figured I would root against both. The Braves were in the NL West at the time and I was able to watch their games on TBS, so I just started following them.
The A's actually came out of the 1989 World Series. They were playing the Giants, so of course I had to root against them. Not to mention the Bash Brothers were cool. Admit it. Now, having the RiverCats here in Sacramento has allowed me to follow many of their players as they develop and built the interest.
NHL: San Jose Sharks. It's hockey in California, options are limited. I'll be honest, High Def TV increased my interest. I sure didn't grow up around the game, so it was hard to follow. HD has surely changed that. Now I would consider myself a pretty educated fan.
College: Michigan/Sacramento State. One Saturday afternoon, Michigan vs Notre Dame in the Big House. Hundreds of thousands of screaming fans. Notre Dame was "popular" at the time, so I rooted for the other team (is there a trend here). Have been following them ever since. No ties to the state, school, etc., just a fan!
I'm a Sac State alumni and I follow them as closely as I can. I have been impressed with what the football and basketball program have been building. Hopefully the coaches and facilities will keep it going. Also a nice showing by the baseball/softball teams this year.
NFL: San Francisco 49ers. I have been a fan since I can remember. My first true memory was John Taylor's TD in Super Bowl XXIII. I guess that gives you some idea of my age...
NBA: Sacramento Kings. I moved to Sacramento in 1998, which just happened to coincide with the start of their run, guess that makes me a bit of a bandwagoner, but I never really followed basketball before that, so it wasn't much of a jump.
MLB: Atlanta Braves/Oakland A's. Why two? Well growing up all my friends were Giants fans. My family was Dodger fans (don't ask me why). I couldn't really get behind either, so I figured I would root against both. The Braves were in the NL West at the time and I was able to watch their games on TBS, so I just started following them.
The A's actually came out of the 1989 World Series. They were playing the Giants, so of course I had to root against them. Not to mention the Bash Brothers were cool. Admit it. Now, having the RiverCats here in Sacramento has allowed me to follow many of their players as they develop and built the interest.
NHL: San Jose Sharks. It's hockey in California, options are limited. I'll be honest, High Def TV increased my interest. I sure didn't grow up around the game, so it was hard to follow. HD has surely changed that. Now I would consider myself a pretty educated fan.
College: Michigan/Sacramento State. One Saturday afternoon, Michigan vs Notre Dame in the Big House. Hundreds of thousands of screaming fans. Notre Dame was "popular" at the time, so I rooted for the other team (is there a trend here). Have been following them ever since. No ties to the state, school, etc., just a fan!
I'm a Sac State alumni and I follow them as closely as I can. I have been impressed with what the football and basketball program have been building. Hopefully the coaches and facilities will keep it going. Also a nice showing by the baseball/softball teams this year.
Welcome, Me! (and anyone else who might read this)
This is the first post to my blog. I started it as a way to post my random grumblings of all things sports. I live in Sacramento (hence the 916) and follow mainly Northern/Central California teams and happenings. But it's my blog, so really, I'll post whatever I want.
Don't look for any breaking news (unless someone starts paying me to do this), but opinions and commentary will be plenty.
If you enjoy it, please let me know. If you don't, I'm cool with that too. All I ask is that you tell me what I might do differently.
Don't look for any breaking news (unless someone starts paying me to do this), but opinions and commentary will be plenty.
If you enjoy it, please let me know. If you don't, I'm cool with that too. All I ask is that you tell me what I might do differently.
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