Shuffling the Deck

It's late-June. The NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Playoffs have ended, and baseball is approaching its halfway point. This would be a winding down period in the sporting world if it weren't for Wednesday's NBA Draft. Every newspaper and sports related web-site have published their own "Mock Drafts." This is basically one guy taking a stab at what team will take what player. They don't mean anything, they are just a lot of fun. And basically, it is just shuffling one player around and seeing how that would impact things. So, here is my shuffling of the deck.

1) Toronto Raptors - Tyrus Thomas F LSU. New GM Brian Colangolo would like to re-create his former team (the Pheonix Suns) uptempo style. Thomas reminds a lot of people of Shawn Marion, who happens to play forward for the Suns.

2) Chicago Bulls - LaMarcus Aldridge F/C Texas. Rumors around Chicago have them wanting Thomas, but if he is gone I don't think they can pass on this highly skilled big-man. Although Washington's Brandon Roy would be an interesting pick, and is the guy I am rooting for.

3) Charlotte Bobcats - Brandon Roy G Washington. Maybe the most ready-to-play player in the draft. He spent all four years in school and, because of his extreme athletic gifts, can easily play on both ends of the floor. Could be looked at as the best player in the draft in the very near future.

4) Portland Trail Blazers - Andrea Bargnani F Italy. They call him "The Next Dirk" (as in Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki). I never was big on drafting foriegn players very high, they usually take a few years to develop, and by then are on another team (see Darko Milicic). Some mock drafts have the Raptors taking him number 1 though.

5) Atlanta Hawks - Adam Morrison F Gonzaga. Another guy who has been seen at the top of mock draft boards, but if he doesn't go first he could slide a little bit. Atlanta needs scoring, hell Atlanta just needs some guys who can play. Morrison scored in bunches at Gonzaga, he'd probably be the Hawks number 1 offensive option from day 1.

6) Minnesota Timberwolves - Rudy Gay F Connecticut. The best player on arguably the best college team in the land last year (they may not have won, but they were loaded with talent). Gay has size (6'9") and skills to go along with it (he can easily knock down a 20-foot jumper). Minnesota needs some exterior help around Kevin Garnett, Gay could be a great fit along with last years 1st rounder, Rashad McCants.

7) Boston Celtics - Shelden Williams F/C Duke. Boston needs inside help. Williams was one of the best defensive players in college basketball history. He also has some nice offensive skills. I'm reminded a bit of Omeka Okefor for UConn a few years ago, and Okefor went second overall. Lets hope Williams doesn't struglle with injuries like Okefor has.

8) Houston Rockets - Marcus Williams PG Connecticut. Some are calling him the most complete player in the draft. I wouldn't go that far (I think it is Brandon Roy). But he is talented, and the Rockets need a point guard really bad. Remeber, Marcus, pass it to T-Mac.

9) Golden State Warriors - Ronnie Brewer G Arkansas. This is a guy flying up draft boards all over the place. Rumors in Chicago have the Bulls wanting to trade up from their number 16 pick so they can get Brewer (maybe even as high as number 7 with Boston). I didn't see him much in college, but his workouts have been great and the Warriors could use another outside threat.

10) Seattle Supersonics - Randy Foye G Villanova. Not going to lie here, I get the Nova guards mixed up all the time. They are all good, quick and have short last names (Foye, Lowry, Ray). Seattle could use a point-guard, and Foye can play that spot.

11) Orlando Magic - Rodney Carney F Memphis. Memphis was loaded with athletes last year, and Carney was one of them. Orlando could use him at SF as the continue to build around budding star Dwight Howard.

12) New Orleans Hornets - Hilton Armstrong C Connecticut. UConn this year is what North Carolina was last year. You are going to hear a lot of names from that school called on Wednesday night. Armstrong is the third to go, and his defensive skill are unbelievable. He was the best shot blocker in the nation, in my opinion, last year. Plus, I think Chris Paul can find a way to get him some easy baskets.

13) Philadelphia 76ers - Patrick O'Bryant C Bradley. This is a guy nobody heard of before Bradley made a run in the NCAA tournament. He is a 7-footer with some skill, but a work-in-progress. Philly could use another big guy to help out Iverson, but I don't think O'Bryant is going to contribute much as a rookie.

14) Utah Jazz - J.J. Redick G Duke. The Jazz take Redick because they could use some perimeter shooting and he is the best guy in the draft for that. I have visions of Jeff Hornacek when I see Redick and this pick.

15) New Orleans Hornets - Cedric Simmons F North Carolina State. The second first round pick for the Hornets, after adressing the center position, why not go for the SF/PF position? I don't know much about Simmons, but he is a first rounder on every board I have seen.

16) Chicago Bulls - Thabo Shefolosha F Switzerland. I don't know who this guy is, and neither do you. But the Bulls apparently love him. Lets hope he is a little more Andreas Nocioni and a little less some foriegn bust, like Nikolaz Tskitvilli (that's probably spelled wrong, it isn't worth it to look it up either).

17) Indiana Pacers - Rajon Rondo PG Kentucky. I remember Rondo getting 18 rebounds in a game at Kentucky, and he's a point guard, and a small one at that. He's a good player, needs a little work on his jumper probably. But a good fit for the Pacers.

18) Washington Wizards - Shawne Williams F Memphis. Like Villanova, Memphis was a team where all their players blended together (except Darius Washington). Williams is big, and athletic. The Wizards need some inside guys, a good fit.

19) Sacramento Kings - Kyle Lowry G Villanova. Sacremento needs outside help, and Lowry can provide that since he can play both PG and SG.

20) New York Knicks - Maurice Ager G Michigan State. The Knicks need everything, and Ager can do a little of everything, so why not?

21) Pheonix Suns - Quincy Douby G Rutgers. This guy is fun to watch because he can score in bunches, kind of like the Pheonix Suns themselves. He would fit nicely on their bench.

22) New Jersey Nets - Shannon Brown G Michigan State. With all the Nets perimeter guys (Kidd, Carter, and Jefferson) this may seem like an odd pick. But the Nets lack depth, and Brown can provide that off the bench.

23) New Jersey Nets - Paul Davis C Michigan State. Back-to-back Spartans for the Nets. The really need a center and Davis is a skilled one, who can also draw defenders outside.

24) Memphis Grizzlies - Jordan Farmar PG UCLA. He is a very good player, and Memphis could use a PG.

25) Cleveland Cavaliers - Oleksiy Pecherov F Ukraine. I don't know a thing about him, but the Cavs could use a forward, and hell, maybe he's friends with Zydrus Illgauskus or something.

26) L.A. Lakers - Sergio Rodriguez G Spain. The only Sergio I know is Sergio Garcia, the golfer. He is also Spanish. Coincidence? I think not.

27) Pheonix Suns - Saer Sene C Senegal. They say he is a mystery guy. Big (7'0") and long (9'4" reach from the ground with his hands over his head), but a work-in-progress. Maybe the Suns will turn him into something.

28) Dallas Mavericks - James White F Cincinnati. A big, athletic player. Dallas doesn't need much, but he could add some depth to an already deep team. The guy can jump out of the gym. "White is the closet thing to flight" is what the signs read at the college dunk contest.

29) New York Knicks - Alexander Johnson F Florida State. Another guy I don't know much about, but the Knicks could draft a sack of potatoes and it would probably be a good pick right now.

30) Portland Trail Blazers - Daniel Gibson G Texas. A very skilled player, outside shooting needs to be worked on though. Portland is another team with a ton of needs.

As Close As We May Ever Get

After witnessing Dwayne Wade turn the NBA Finals into his personal playground, I (a Chicago kid) am reminded of another basketball great who turned the NBA Finals into his own personal showcase. Of course, it is Michael Jordan. The comparisons have been flying between numerous players and Jordan every year since he retired (hell, even when he was in the league) players have been called the heir to the throne. It’s been Allen Iverson, it’s been Kobe Bryant, it’s been Vince Carter, it’s been Tracy McGrady, it’s been Carmelo Anthony, it’s been LeBron James, and now it is Dwayne Wade. Out of all of those names, Wade is the closet I have seen to Jordan. The reasons being how laid back and natural the game appears to Wade, how the fourth quarter has become “D-Wade Time” and how he made the NBA Finals his statement to the sports world.

When I watched Michael Jordan play basketball, it seemed like whatever he did on the court was supposed to happen. Only a handful of times did I see him force the action and look out of control (usually this happened when Jordan had a bad game and the Bulls were losing, a combination that was rare to see). Wade is the same way. When I watched Jordan I thought every shot he took was going in; Wade is the only other NBA player I have watched where I thought this same thing.

Both players owned the fourth quarter. I always remember that Jordan would start out slow, and usually wasn’t the Bulls leading scorer at halftime (usually that was Scottie Pippen), but by the time the game was over, Jordan was usually the Bull with the most points next to his name. The second half, namely the fourth quarter, were his. Whenever Jordan had a big first half (say, 20 points) you knew he was going to have a huge game (somewhere between 40 and 60). Wade is very similar. In the finals against Dallas, he routinely made the fourth quarter his own. Making clutch basket after clutch basket, and big free throw after big free throw.

The NBA Finals was both players time to shine. Jordan was in the Finals six times, and won six Finals MVP trophies. Wade has been there once and has one Finals MVP trophy. The moments that Jordan is most remembered for happened in the NBA Finals. The gliding lay-up where he switched hands mid-flight happened against Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers in his first Finals appearance. In his next he gave his famous shrug against the Clyde Drexler and the Portland Trail Blazers after draining six consecutive three pointers. He hit a famous buzzer-beater in Game 1 of his fifth Finals to defeat Karl Malone and the Utah Jazz. And, perhaps the most famous of all, was his “Last Shot” against Malone’s Jazz one year later. An image that has become a great final signature on his career, (many people, myself included, don’t even count those two years he spent with the Washington Wizards) it was the perfect way for him to walk away. Wade does not have that lengthy resume, not yet at least. But he does have a game-winning shot, in overtime, against Dallas in Game 3 of this year’s Finals. Not to mention numerous 30 and 40 point games. Will Wade become what Jordan once was? Probably not. Those are some large shoes to fill, and people always admire the man who came first. But Wade is on the right path. He is the new heir apparent, and he might be as close as we ever get to seeing another 23.

Credit Where Credit is Due

OK, OK. Normally the Boston Red Sox are not on my list of teams to praise, because they receive so much praise from ESPN as it is, but in some cases they do deserve to be acknowledged for making great baseball moves. Previously, I mentioned Jon Pappelbon, the man who turns out more lights in Boston than any one individual in recent memory. They deserve credit for another big-time ballplayer. This one is not even close to under-the-radar (as Pappelbon still is). He is David Ortiz, and is one of the top five sluggers in the game today.

Why does Boston deserve credit? Because they took a chance on a guy whom nobody else wanted. If you are a fan of any of the other 29 teams in baseball, you can boggle your mind with huge dreams about what could have been, and if you are a general manager of one of those 29 teams, you can kick yourself square in the behind (if you can bend that way). Ortiz was a guy nobody wanted. In this week’s Sports Illustrated (in which Ortiz’s mug graces the cover) Tom Verducci tells the tale of a man who was cast-off by the Minnesota Twins (because they felt he had injury problems) and who, when placed on the “trading block,” received zero interest from other teams. Eventually the Twins cut him and the Red Sox gave him a shot with a $1 million plus contract (a bargain basement value for the kind of numbers Ortiz put up; he has now received a hefty raise to the tune of 4 years and $52 million), and the rest is home runs and a World Series ring.

How can a guy who was not wanted turn into one of the most feared hitters in baseball? I don’t know. The article mentions the Twins philosophy of small-ball, that could have hampered Ortiz, but really it is unknown. In Boston he was given the right opportunity and he passed the test as an everyday player with flying colors. By adding Ortiz, the Red Sox created the most fearsome 1-2 punch in all of baseball (RBI-machine Manny Ramirez hits 4th to David Ortiz’s 3rd). Yes, other teams boast some pretty formidable power: Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi (not to mention Gary Sheffield and Hideki Matsui) of the Yankees, David Wright and Carlos Delgado of the Mets (plus Carlos Beltran), Jim Thome and Paul Konerko of the White Sox (throw in Jermaine Dye too), even Ken Griffey, Jr. and Adam Dun of the Reds or Vernon Wells and Troy Glaus of the Blue Jays, but none of those twosomes have both players putting up 40-plus homers and 140-plus RBI. Last year Ortiz had 47 HR and 148 RBI on his way to a second-place in the MVP voting (and I thought he should have won instead of Alex Rodriguez), and Ramirez had 45 HR and 144 RBI. Nobody else has a duo like that. Many say the reason Boston won the World Series two years ago was because of the 1-2 punch of Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling; I think it was the 1-2 of Ortiz and Ramirez. Nobody wants to face one of those guys, let along both back-to-back. Red Sox fans shouldn’t be grateful to God or some other higher power for their World Series ring. They should thank the Minnesota Twins for cutting David Ortiz loose in the winter of 2002.

Lights Out (In Boston)

Jon Pappelbon is a rookie closer for the Boston Red Sox. Normally, I can’t stand the press that the Red Sox and Yankees rivalry creates. Everyone is going to be a star; every move puts whatever team makes it over the top. While many turn out to be flops, or free agent busts (Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright of the Yankees and Edgar Renteria for the Red Sox come to mind). But this kid is for real. He has given up just one earned run this year and leads all of baseball in saves with 20. His E.R.A. is 0.28. When he comes in, it is game over, lights out, and head to your car. In 32.1 innings this year, the big right-hander has allowed just 21 base runners, or 0.65 base runners per inning pitched (the league average is roughly 1.30 base runners per inning). Not only has he just given up one measly run, but he gave it up a long time ago. It happened on May 3 against the Toronto Blue Jays. He went all of April without giving up a run, and has done the same so far roughly halfway through June. He just has that one blemish on May 3.

When Peter Gammons, ESPN analyst and Boston Red Sox fan, was drooling over Pappelbon last season, I thought there was no way Pappelbon could live up to the hype he was given by Gammons. I was wrong. He has blown away my expectations. The guy might be the best closer in baseball not named Mariano Rivera, and he could be even better than him. He has what it takes to be a closer, electric stuff (his fastball is in the mid 90’s and he has some devastating off-speed pitches) and the mindset to be a closer. In an interview he did for ESPN’s Baseball Tonight (back when he had around 12 saves) he said that he wasn’t nervous or worried at all when he entered games in Boston’s famed Fenway Park, or Yankee Stadium (one of the most intimidating places to pitch).

I’m looking forward to seeing Pappelbon pitch for a long time, I want to see what he can do for a career, this is a dominating start that reminds me of when Francisco Rodriguez emerged out of the bullpen on the Anaheim Angels (now Los Angeles Angles of Anaheim) World Series championship team. K-Rod, as he is called, emerged as a set-up man who blew batters away with incredible curveballs and sliders to go along with his 96 MPH fastball. K-Rod has been able to maintain his success, as he is now one of the better closers in the game, I wonder if Pappelbon can continue his early success, because right now it is lights out in Boston when he comes on.


Hey everyone, it has been a while, but I am going to try to keep this updated.