Jul/086
Why Mayo Is Right and Love Is Wrong
The professor gives too much credit to Kevin McHale and his ability to find talent in a draft. The fact that McHale likes Love should be reason enough to question the draft pick as McHale has never drafted an All-Star (except Garnett a HS project that happened to work out 13 yrs ago and some All-Stars he traded away on draft day).
The problem with drafting Love is that you don't get any upside. What you get is a predictable 6' 10" guy who won't change defenses. NBA history has shown little success for heavier set power forward types over the years. The power forward position has turned into small forwards converted for mismatches or centers converted for mismatches. You have Duncan, Garnett, Dirk, Bosh, Boozer, Jermaine O'Neal, Gasol and Jamison. Everyone of these players is more athletic than Love.
When Love was graded for the draft in 12 categories he scored well except in quickness and defense. I think this scouting report says it best:
Weaknesses: At 6-9, he is undersized and he also lacks great athleticism to offset this size deficiency ... Was not in the greatest shape this season, often being the last man up the court and getting winded very quickly ... Needs to work on fitness, could stand to lose some weight and put on more muscle ... Weight and speed could always be an issue, as even when "in shape" he lacks great speed in the floor or laterally ... Was able to get away with overpowering opponents in college, yet questions remain how his game translates against bigger, quicker and more athletic opponents at the next level ... At times this season he struggled getting his shot off against taller defenders, more specifically the Lopez twins of Stanford, who forced him into off-balance shots and uncharacteristic turnovers ... His one-on-one arsenal in the post is a bit predictable, as he almost always operates on the right block and prefers to turn to his left shoulder often finishing with a right hook ... He gets into trouble when trying to do too much off the dribble because quicker defenders are able to slide over and force him into turning the ball over ... Defensively he will have trouble matching up as he is undersized and because he has less than ideal lateral quickness ... His lack of speed will make it extremely difficult for him to play for a running style of team ...
Well the good news is the Timberwolves aren't a running team. The one thing that comes up again and again is quickness. That's one of the only things that matters in the NBA, at 6-10 he will have no height advantage like he had in college.
In college over his Pac10 season he shot more and more 3's. Boozer shot 1 in three years of college. If you take away Love's 3 pointers he average about 15 a game. I see Jamison and Dirk as shooters because of their quickness or height, I don't see Love doing much of that in the NBA.
I'm not saying he can't be a solid 10 points, 8 rb's a game kind of guy, but that's exactly what you are going to get. We now have 2 power forwards on our team with the exact same game. I just don't see how a Love will get you 10-20 more wins each year.
I'm not declaring Mayo will be the next great shooting guard or small forward, I'm just saying there is a better chance that someone in that position can make a bigger impact on a team vs. a Love type player. You look at the 2008 NBA All-Stars and you see Wade, Kidd, Allen, Billups, Hamilton, Joe Johnson, Pierce, Bryant, Roy, Chris Paul and you think Mayo could be one of of those players. In the NBA it's easier for him to produce those type results with his style game than it is for a Kevin Love to join Duncan and Garnett.
This is one case where I do think taking a very slight risk on a Mayo could potentially get you 10-20 more games a year. Taking a Love no matter how great he becomes won't accomplish that type difference. The NBA is not a place for 3 pt shooting power forward white guys.
If nothing else you seriously have to question the man running each draft and wonder why he really likes a guy, for 13 years that has been a horrible sign.
Jul/081
Ode to the Newest ‘Pup
Ok, 'California' Kevin Love isn't flashy like OJ Mayo, but he absolutely has the potential to be a Carlos Boozer-type power forward next to Big Al, and Mike Miller might be our highest scoring player for the next 5 years. Meanwhile, Mayo absolutely has the potential to be the next Larry Hughes or Ricky 'Avis..
Apr/080
Jared Allen what? Doesn’t anyone care that the Gophers got new uni’s?
I know that the NFL draft is tomorrow and I didn't really break it down like I did last year. Well, I guess that's because second round projections aren't that interesting. Here are my two scenarios: 1) Vikings trade down to the late second or early third round to get an additional 4th round pick. They then use their first two picks on the offensive line (tackle, center, guard or tight end) or wide receiver. 2) Vikings keep the 47th overall pick and take Fred Davis from USC. Shane Co. was a huge bust last year and we really need a TE that can run the seam route to keep the opposing safeties honest covering Berrian and Rice.
Ok, now that the draft speculation is out of the way - the Gophers got new uniforms! Believe it or not, Gopher Football is about to be relevant in the next year or two for the first time in my 28 years on this planet. They are building a new on-campus stadium, which will attract not only a huge contingent of fans; and also better players. http://www.gophersports.com/ViewArticle In addition, they have updated their look for the 2008 season. http://www.gophersports.com/PhotoAlbum. Personally I only like white on white, maroon on maroon, and maroon on gold; but I guess they might use the other 3 combinations as well, against my will.
Mar/089
March Madness
| http://thegoldseat.mayhem |
Group Name: thegoldseat
Group Password: gophers
Each user can fill out 2 brackets. Once you fill out the first and save it, you'll see a link in the top right above the orange bar that says add bracket.
Scoring and Rules:
The rounds are worth 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 plus the total of the seed, so if the 12 seed beats the 5 in the 1st rd, you would get 1 pt + 12 = 13 total points for picking that game correctly.
The tie breaker is the final score of the championship game.
Each user can fill out 2 brackets, so hedge your picks well.
Aug/0710
The New Timberpups: Part IV (Ryan Gomes)
By now even the deafest timberwolf fan should have heard the news that Kevin Garnett has been traded to Boston. It is a trade that I agree with in principle, but am sad about from a nostalgia standpoint. It’s the end of an era in Minnesota sports history that began with so much promise and ended with too many regrets. To avoid shedding a tear over the recent developments, I will focus on which players the Wolves got in return for sending KG to finally play with Ray Allen. Before I get started, here is a refresher on what the trade entailed: Kevin Garnett for Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair, Ryan Gomes, Theo Ratliff, the first round pick that we gave Boston in the Davis/Szczerbiak trade (likely a 2009 pick), and Boston’s 2009 pick.
Ryan Gomes scored 12.1 ppg and grabbed 5.6 rpg in 73 games for Boston last year, and is generally acknowledged to be one of the classiest players in the league. Overlooked in the 2005 NBA Draft (50th overall) much like Craig Smith in the 2006 Draft, Gomes will be a pleasant surprise to Minnesota fans who have yet to become familiar with his talents. What Gomes will give the Timberwolf faithful is well above average rebounding and jump shooting. When you watch Gomes play, what you come away with are two things. The first is that he has a really good feel for rebounding; he is constantly getting into position and getting his hand on balls (giggety..). The second thing you will notice about Ryan when he steps foot on the Target Center floor is that he is virtually automatic from 15 to 19 feet. Ala Sam Mitchell and Malik Sealy (God bless the dead), Gomes will knock down that 19th footer consistently, which will force defenders to stay honest and leave the lane open for the likes of Foye, Ricky, Shaddy and Brewer.
Despite a highly successful career as an All-America power forward at Providence College where he also played with prospect Herbert Hill in the Big East Conference, the 6'7.75" Gomes fell in the 2005 NBA Draft to the late second round. His size and abilities did not fit scouts' prototypical image of either a power forward or a small forward. Celtics' director of basketball operations Danny Ainge, however, felt that Gomes' track record and work ethic were enough to take a chance on the local product with the 50th pick overall
2005-06 season
Wearing number 4, Gomes was expected to play off the bench in his rookie season spelling Celtics star Paul Pierce. His playing time and statistical impact were limited early in the season. However, on January 26, 2006, the Celtics executed a multiplayer trade with us that freed up roster space for Gomes to play. Soon after that, fellow Celtic Kendrick Perkins was injured and Gomes was inserted in the starting line-up.
After becoming a starter, Gomes excelled, and kept his job even after Perkins returned. On February 24, 2006 he collected 17 rebounds and scored 13 points. Gomes scored at least 10 points in 21 of the 29 games he started in 2006, and in 7 of those games he also had at least 10 rebounds. The second half of his rookie season was a definite success.
Gomes hustles relentlessly, and Celtics television color commentary man Tommy Heinsohn described Gomes as the best offensive rebounder on the Celtics' roster. Despite his relatively small size, Gomes positions himself well on the court to rebound, and uses his hands well for easy put-back buckets and lay-ups. Gomes was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team for the 2005-2006 season, and chose to play in the Celtic's 2006 NBA summer-league team. Gomes was named to the summer league all-first team for the second consecutive year--Joining Foye and Craig Smith with that honor.
2006-07 seasonGomes continued to make a significant impact starting 60 games for the Celtics in the 2006-07 season. Gomes averaged more than 30 minutes played, scoring 12.1 points per game, along with 1.6 assists and 5.6 rebounds. On November 8, 2006 Gomes recorded his first career triple-double collecting 10 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists against the Charlotte Bobcats in the Celtics' first win of the 2006-07 season after an 0-3 start. On January 20, Gomes scored a career high 31 points in an overtime loss to the Washington Wizards. Coming off the bench on March 4, 2007, Gomes tied his career high of 17 rebounds and scored 21 points while playing a total of 51 minutes in a double overtime victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
On March 7, Gomes sprained his left foot and did not play in the second half of the game against the Houston Rockets. He sat out the following 7 games, and returned to the Celtics' roster playing limited minutes beginning on March 21. Near the end of the season, Gomes began regularly shooting three point shots, making 14 of 34 in April, after shooting only 5 for 17 in his career to that point.
Gomes attracted the attention of the national media for comments he made following a Celtics' loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on April 13. Neither Gomes nor starting point guard Rajon Rondo played in the game's final, decisive minutes. After, Gomes said, "I probably (would have played), but since we were in the hunt for a high draft pick, of course things are different." This was the first public comment by a Celtic in 2007 implying that the team was losing games purposely, to enhance their status for the 2007 NBA Draft. NBA Commissioner David Stern reportedly sought to speak with Gomes regarding his comments.
On a related note, watch for my next post which will be entitled: "Why the hell didn't we get Rajon Rondo????????????? Are you freaking kidding me, McHale!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Here are some career highlights from Ryan Gomes:
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Aug/078
The New Timberpups: Part III (Sebastian Telfair)
By now even the deafest timberwolf fan should have heard the news that Kevin Garnett has been traded to Boston. It is a trade that I agree with in principle, but am sad about from a nostalgia standpoint. It’s the end of an era in Minnesota sports history that began with so much promise and ended with too many regrets. To avoid shedding a tear over the recent developments, I will focus on which players the Wolves got in return for sending KG to finally play with Ray Allen. Before I get started, here is a refresher on what the trade entailed: Kevin Garnett for Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair, Ryan Gomes, Theo Ratliff, the first round pick that we gave Boston in the Davis/Szczerbiak trade (likely a 2009 pick), and Boston’s 2009 pick.
Certainly the most enigmatic piece of the trade is Sebastian Telfair. Telfair began as a high school hoops legend, becomming the shortest high school to NBA player in league history. After bursting on the scene as a high school freshman at the Adidas ABCD camp in 2000, Telfair became one of the most well known high school basketball players in the country. There was even talk that he might become the best point guard to ever come out of Brooklyn; a borough that produced Marbury, former North Carolina star Ed Cota, and Indiana Pacers' guard Jamaal Tinsley. The cousin of New York Knicks guard Stephon Marbury, and the half-brother of former NBA player Jamel Thomas, Telfair led Lincoln High to three New York City PSAL titles and one state championship. He was the first player in history to win three PSAL titles. He finished his high school career as New York State’s all-time leading scorer, surpassing Kenny Anderson. Telfair was the 13th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. He had committed to the University of Louisville and coach Rick Pitino during his senior year, but decided to turn professional instead.
Unfortunately, the success Telfair experienced as an amateur has not translated to the professional level. Sebastian's pro career has been highlighted by controversy and underachievement. Many believe Telfair is one of the strongest cases for the new minimum age requirement of the NBA.
On February 15, 2006, a loaded handgun was found in Telfair's pillowcase on the Blazers' private jet at Boston's Logan International Airport. Telfair told authorities the gun belonged to his girlfriend and that he inadvertently grabbed the wrong bag when leaving for the team's road trip. The gun was registered to Samantha Q. Rodriguez, Telfair's girlfriend of five years. On February 21, the Massachusetts State Police announced that no charges would be filed against Telfair in the incident (Massachusetts has very strict gun laws, the violation of which can lead to a prison sentence). On February 23, the NBA front office announced that Telfair would receive a 2-game suspension for breaking the league's collective bargaining agreement, which prohibits NBA players from carrying firearms while on league business.
Then, on October 16, 2006, Telfair had a chain reported to be worth $50,000 snatched from him while he was outside P Diddy's restaurant, Justin's. The following night, Telfair left a preseason basketball game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden to attend a police lineup, where he did not make any identification. A rumor began to circulate that he was seen making a phone call roughly an hour before rapper Fabolous was shot outside of the same club. Telfair voluntarily surrendered his cell phone records to police, and is not under investigation for any involvement, despite rumors to the contrary. It was later found that the chain belonged to Geonne Telfair, Telfair's younger sibling, and Telfair was reimbursed for the stolen property.
Apparently still not done playing with guns, Telfair and a friend, Al Eden Fuentes, were arrested early on April 20, 2007 and charged with felony possession of a weapon, after a traffic stop. The traffic stop was prompted when Telfair was spotted driving his 2006 Range Rover 77 mph on the Bronx River Parkway, a 45 mph zone. Telfair was driving under a suspended Florida license. When the police searched Telfair's vehicle, a loaded .45 caliber handgun was found under the passenger's seat. Both Telfair and Eden claimed to not have any knowledge of the handgun. Police have yet to determine the registration status of the handgun.
2005-2006
On January 1, 2005 Telfair had something of a breakout game by scoring 14 points on 5-11 shooting, making 4 of 5 free throws to go with 5 rebounds and 5 assists with only 1 turnover.
In February 2005, interim coach Kevin Pritchard promoted Telfair to the starting lineup. Although Telfair put up decent numbers, the Trail Blazers lost 23 of their final 28 games and finished with the team's worst record since 1975.
2005-2006
Under new head coach Nate McMillan, Telfair began the 2005-06 season as the starting point guard. He was occasionally paired in the backcourt with another high-school draftee taken in 2005, Martell Webster. Telfair's production was an improvement over his 2004-05 numbers, but it was still considered below par for an NBA starting point guard. As a result, he experienced increasing pressure from the Portland media. In December 2005, Telfair suffered a thumb injury and was replaced in the starting lineup by Steve Blake. Blake was less flashy but had fewer turnovers and more assists. Telfair returned to the court on January 9, after missing 12 games. Blake continued to start with Telfair coming off the bench. Although the Trail Blazers were eliminated from playoff contention, Telfair scored the winning basket against the Houston Rockets on April 5, 2006.
2006-2007
On June 28, the Trail Blazers traded Telfair along with center Theo Ratliff and a 2008 second-round pick to the Boston Celtics for guard Dan Dickau, center-forward Raef LaFrentz, and the 7th overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, Randy Foye, who was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves for the 6th overall pick, Brandon Roy. On April 24, 2007 Celtics managing partner Wyc Grousbeck announced that Telfair's nameplate on his Celtics locker had been removed and did not expect him back for the 2007-08 season.
2007-2008
On June 8, Danny Ainge stated that it is still possible Telfair will remain a Celtic. However on July 31, 2007 the Associated Press reported that Telfair had been traded (along with Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Ryan Gomes, Theo Ratliff, and two first-round draft picks) to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Kevin Garnett. Telfair will wear Wolves jersey number 3, which was used before by cousin Stephon Marbury--Great... that worked out well for us last time!
I guess our hope for the future is that Telfair can finally achieve his full potential under the bright lights of Target Center. At least our hope should be that he doesn't pull Foye, McCants or Al Jefferson into gun violence and gang wars...
Street Ball Highlights:
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Through the Fire Mix:
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Jul/0716
With the number 7 pick in the 2007 NBA Draft the Minnesota Timberwolves select…
Corey Brewer. Let me lead off this post by saying that I stand completely behind McHale et al.'s selection of Corey Brewer. He was, in my opinion, the best available player when we picked. However, I was a little surprised that we didn't make a draft day trade for a shoot-first point guard. It just seems to be what the Wolves like to do. I kept expecting to hear "there has been a trade. The Wolves have sent Corey Brewer to Atlanta for Acie Law IV and future considerations or cash." One of the worst moves in team history, right behind Ndudi Ebi and the Joe Smith wink-wink ink-ink, was trading one of my favorite players of all-time, Ray Allen, to Seattle on draft day for Stephon Marbury. The Timberwolves followed the same blueprint last year when we made a draft day trade with Portland sending Brandon Roy there for Randy Foye and cash. For the record, I still support the trade last year, but it looks like a trend. A lot of people like to jump down McHale's throat about many issues, both deservingly and not, but our last two drafts have been fantastic. Foye is going to be a 15 year pro, Craig Smith would start on many teams this year (unfortunately for him he is really a 4, so unless we trade KG he will have a reserve role), Corey Brewer is a proven winner who plays steller defense, is slippery in the lane, and can dish with the best 3's in the league, and Chris Richard, also a proven winner, has looked like a taller version of Craig Smith in the summer league and is a team-first guy--imagine a strong, athletic Mad-Dog.
Speaking of the Foye trade, Brandon Roy was rookie of the year because he was put in a scoring role on a team with no guards and no hope. It's easy to have inflated stats when you are the only perimeter scorer on a bad team (see Mike James for Toronto in 2006). Marbury had a great first couple of years and Seattle looked like dopes for trading him for Jesus Shuttlesworth, but one or two seasons does not a career make. In hindsight Ray Allen has been one of the best players of his generation and Marbury has been a poison pill for every team he has touched.
My prediction is that the Foye-Roy trade will look similar in the long run. Brandon Roy is a solid pro, but doesn't have the upside to be the face of a franchise like Foye does. This year in the summer league Foye is doing a much better job of running the team like a true point guard and getting his shots in the flow of the offense and at crunch time. On Saturday night Foye scored 26 points in the flow of the offense against Memphis. Granted, they didn't have Pau in the lineup, but Foye was going against Mike Conley Jr. of Ohio State and in the summer league they only play 10 minute quarters. In my opinion, the second round choices of Smith and Richard have saved McHale's job for the next few years. In fact, Foye and Smith made the Summer League First Team, which was announced today. Yes, this was the same summer league that Foye was the MVP of last year, and that is played in by the likes of Roy, Kevin Durant, Greg Oden and Rudy Gay, to name a few.
McHale hasn't been as bad as everyone thinks. The aforementioned Joe Smith and Ndudi Ebi transactions were diseased, don't get me wrong, but McHale has done some good things too. Almost all of rube nation was behind McHale in 2003 when he signed Cassell and Spree. In fact, I was as happy as Pat Williams at an all you can eat Cajun Crawfish buffet about it. We were a Sammy C groin injury away from winning the NBA championship. It is not McHale's fault that Cassell got hurt and we lost in the Western Finals. It's not fair to go back now and criticize McHale for taking the risk to get Sam and Latrell, because we were all behind it at the time.
Also, McHale has been bound by Garnett's contract (who he never gets the credit for drafting, by the way) his entire tenure. Garnett keeps complaining that we aren't putting a good team together? Ok, let's redo your deal so you get the mid-level exception (still about 6 million per) and we'll sign Gilbert Arenas! Oh, I guess he's not THAT upset about losing. Every year all we have is the mid-level and the 1 million dollar ditty to sign new players. KG either needs to take less money so we can afford another (real) superstar, or he needs to start recruiting his friends to come play for the mid-level. Shaq went and got Antoine Walker and Gary Payton for the mid-level and the minimum, respectively, and they won the Championship. Maybe if KG didn't disappear for 6 months during the offseason we could make some progress. Even better, KG could take a pay cut AND recruit his buddies to play for the minimum to win a championship... I guess he hasn't considered that, because if he had thought of it he is such a team-first guy that he would undoubtedly have already done it. I don't know if you can say "unselfish, team first player" and "largest contract in league history" in the same sentence with a straight face. If you can, feel free to leave a comment...
