NBA News/NBA Fantasy News 2007/2008

[Hache Man]

Rivers Needs To Right C's Ship

The Cavaliers beat the Celtics again in Cleveland on Monday 88-77 to tie the series at 2-2. LeBron James had one of the best playoff dunks you'll see with about 1:45 left in the game, which pretty much sealed the deal, leaving the Cavs up by nine at that point. LeBron didn't shoot it much better last night, but he didn't need to. He finished with 21 points on 7-of-20 shooting, and for those of you scoring at home, that makes him 20-of-78 in the four games against Boston. Despite that fact, the Cavs had a chance to win both games in Boston (especially Game 1), and held on to easily win their two home games. They've held the C's to less than 90 points in all four games, making everyone wonder which team is supposed to be the defensive juggernaut.
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Meanwhile, Ray Allen's poor series continues, as he hit 4-of-10 shots and is now 12-of-36 in the series. Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce combined for just six points in the second half, as the Celtics missed seven of their final eight shots, allowing the Cavaliers to break open a close game. Charles Barkley said after the game that he's annoyed that the new stars in Boston are being called the Big 3, and he's got a point, as the Celtics have certainly not dazzled anyone in the playoffs. They got a scare from the Hawks (of all teams) and are in the process of getting another one from the Cavs.

As my Rotoworld baseball colleague, Matthew Pouliot, pointed out to me shortly after the game, Doc Rivers had just one player with a "plus" for the night (Kendrick Perkins), and he sat out the entire fourth quarter. Meanwhile, the Cavs Mike Brown went with the five guys with the best plus-minuses over the first three quarters and played them the entire fourth quarter. The rumblings have been floating around the internet that Doc could blow it for the Celtics in the playoffs, and his team's performance in Atlanta and Cleveland don't seem to be quieting his critics. The Celtics will probably win this series, but you never know. Doc would not hurt himself by adapting on the fly and getting Allen on the bench if he's not going to hit shots or play defense.

Game 4 tidbits, in case you missed it

LeBron's dunk was out of this world, although I will tell you that it was more impressive watching it live as opposed to the replays. But any way you slice it, he made a textbook power move and sent the crowd (and himself) into a frenzy. It's not on Youtube yet, or I would have linked it.

LeBron also made some headlines by getting tangled up by Paul Pierce late in the first half, which resulted in the two stars stumbling into the stands. The incident wouldn't be worth mentioning, except for the fact that LeBron's mother was sitting right there. She got involved, jawing with Garnett and Pierce, before LeBron told her to "sit your beep down," in a not so loving tone. Good move by LeBron, as we've seen what kind of PR damage mommies can do at sporting events.

Delonte West left the game with eye irritation for a few minutes, retreating to the locker room. He returned and looked fine. Daniel Gibson, Wally Szczerbiak and Anderson Varejao all played well for Cleveland, but Boston's box score just isn't much to look at this time around.

News and Notes

David Stern said tonight that he's not a fan of the fireworks, noise and smoke that have made their way into pre-game introductions in the NBA, and would like to do something to stop them. "I think they're ridiculous." Stern said. "It may be that these are the maniacal rantings of a fan from a different era and I recognize that, but you know I'm sitting there waiting for the next cannon to go off and then the fire heats up the arena," Stern said, "so the temperature in the arena raises by 15 degrees. That's if you can see it because you're still waiting for the smoke, which is chemical, to clear." Good stuff. Ben Wallace has taken to staying in the tunnel until the smoke clears after he nearly fainted recently, in part because of what Stern is talking about.

Kobe Bryant's back is not right, but it will take a lot more than some back pain to keep him out of Tuesday's Game 5. He's using electro stimulation on it around the clock, but you can bet he's ready to go on Wednesday night. In other Lakers news, Ronny Turiaf avoided suspension for his Flagrant 2 on Ronnie Price. utahjazz.com

Chauncey Billups will be a game-time decision with his hamstring injury, but I think it's crazy for the Pistons to even consider using him tonight. The Magic have almost no chance of winning three straight games, with or without Billups in uniform, and I would want him at 100 percent for the next series. If I'm Flip Saunders, I'm sitting Billups until the next round. That said, Saunders says he'll play Billups tonight if he's ready to go. If Billups were to aggravate the injury against the Magic, and the Pistons go on to lose in the Eastern Finals without him, Saunders will catch more heat than we can probably imagine. If you haven't figured it out by now, the Pistons have a 3-1 lead and play the Magic in Detroit on Tuesday.

Mike D'Antoni will be introduced as the head coach of the Knicks on Tuesday at 1 p.m. I expect a lot more news to follow, as Donnie Walsh, D'Antoni and owner James Dolan start to tweak their roster in preparation for the future. The Knicks aren't going to be repaired over night, but they'll be a much better team a year from now.

The second Tuesday game is the Spurs at the Hornets for Game 5. This has been a very entertaining series, led by the two stud point guards, but the Spurs come into this one with the momentum after crushing the Hornets in Game 4. I would not be surprised to see the Hornets lose in six games, although that's not a prediction. If we get a Game 7 out of this series, it's going to be one for the ages. The Spurs may have figured out how to slow down David West, and are content to let Chris Paul score as much as he wants. My playoff prediction was Spurs over Celtics…So far, so good, although I'm not convinced the Celtics are going to get out of the East. At some point though, they're going to start playing well again. But Celtics fans have to hope it happens sooner than later.

[Hache Man]

Big W, Tough Loss For McDyess


Hornets Take 3-2 Lead Over Spurs

The Hornets, led by David West's playoff-career highs of 38 points, 14 boards and five blocks, beat the Spurs in New Orleans to take a 3-2 lead in their best-of-seven series. West added five assists and two steals on 16-of-25 shooting after scoring just 10 points in two of his three previous games in the series. Chris Paul added 22 points and 14 assists in the win. The Hornets out shot the Spurs 45 to 38 percent, and also won the turnover and shot-blocking battle tonight. West's back was in pain during the game, and his mobility was limited as a result. But there's no way he misses Game 6, and I doubt you'll even be able to tell he's in pain on Thursday.

The Spurs got just 10 points on 5-of-18 shooting from Tim Duncan, while Manu Ginobili hit just 5-of-15 shots, but scored 20 points and added seven assists. Duncan did have 23 rebounds, but it didn't matter. Game 6 is Thursday in San Antonio. And if they win that one (like they should), Game 7 is scheduled for Monday in New Orleans.

The Hornets' D was key in this victory, along with the fact the Spurs didn't have an answer for West. Tyson Chandler left the game early with a left toe injury, but says he'll be ready for Thursday's Game 6. Stay tuned. San Antonio's Robert Horry also passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most playoff games played at 238.

Pistons Close Out Magic 4-1

Rip Hamilton hit six straight free throws down the stretch to help hold off a late run by the Magic and score 31 points as the Pistons closed out the Magic 4-1 on Tuesday. Hamilton added four steals and was 16-of-16 from the free throw line. Rodney Stuckey played well in the absence of Chauncey Billups (hamstring), finishing with 15 points and six assists on 5-of-10 shooting. Antonio McDyess added 17 points and 11 boards for the only double-double for the Pistons, who will get some rest while the Celtics and Cavs finish out their Round 2 series. McDyess played well despite the fact he learned of his grandmother's death shortly before the game, which was especially tough since she raised him. Billups is hoping to be healthy for the next series, and possibly could have played tonight if this would have been the NBA Finals. The best news for the Pistons is that they won't play again until Tuesday at the earliest, meaning Billups is going to rest until then.

Tayshaun Prince had a great block on Hedo Turkoglu that brought flashbacks of his block against Reggie Miller a few years ago. Dwight Howard had 14 points, 17 boards and three blocks, but Rashard Lewis will probably be the goat in this one, hitting just 4-of-13 shots and committing six turnovers in the loss. He hit some key threes late, but it wasn't enough. All five starters scored in double figures for both teams, but the difference was turnovers. The Magic committed 21 of them, while the Pistons had just had just three, despite the fact they started a rookie (Stuckey) in place of Billups. The Pistons shot just 36 percent, to Orlando's 48 percent, but the turnovers were the deal breaker.

Tonight

Cleveland @ Boston Tied 2-2
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Boston will try to stay perfect at home for the playoffs in what has to be seen as a must-win game for the Celtics. The series is tied at 2-2 with the C's still holding the home-court advantage. The world is still waiting for Kevin Garnett to step up and put up a monster line for Boston, while LeBron James is also due for a 40-point night when he flirts with a triple-double. Sam Cassell, who is 0-of-15 since the second half of Game 2, will likely be benched in favor of Eddie House, according to Doc Rivers. James Posey's defense will also be a key in this one, while Ray Allen also needs to start hitting his shots and playing some defense. This series feels like it will go seven games, but the Celtics have to win at home on Thursday to increase the chances of that happening.

And for the record, here's is what the Big 3 and LeBron have done so far in this one.

Garnett: Hasn't had more than 17 points or 12 boards in last three.
Allen: 12-of-36 FG (33%), three 3-pointers, 10 ppg and no D in 4 games.
Paul Pierce: 18-of-52 FG (35%), three 3-pointers, 12.5 ppg in four games.
LeBron: 20-of-78 FG (26%), 6 boards, 9 assists, 2.5 steals, 1.75 blocks per game.

Jazz @ Lakers Tied 2-2
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Kobe Bryant's sore back is making headlines, but he should be good to go in this game. He's had round-the-clock treatment since Sunday night and I would be shocked if the Lakers lose this game. Trevor Ariza (broken foot) has finally been cleared for full-contact practice, and could make a surprise appearance for defensive purposes, but I don't see any way he plays until Round 3.

The Jazz are a formidable opponent and this series is far from over. But if the Lakers can win on Wednesday night, you have to think they'll be able to win either Game 6 in Utah, or Game 7 in L.A.

Coach's Corner

Mike D'Antoni was introduced to the New York media on Tuesday and quickly won them over with his humor. Donnie Walsh and D'Antoni have already started the wheels in motion to overhaul the roster, but it will be a slow process. Priority No. 1 is to trade Stephon Marbury, but if they can't find a suitor, the Knicks will be comforted in knowing his contract will run out at the end of the year. The Knicks and Marbury should both benefit from this situation.

Jerry Reinsdorf ripped D'Antoni for leaving the Bulls hanging, but wouldn't have had to do so had the Bulls actually come to the table with an offer in mind. Instead, they basically said "let us sleep on it," and D'Antoni went with Walsh and the Knicks, which is where he was leaning after his initial meeting with Walsh. "I felt he came to get me,'' D'Antoni said of his new boss. "When you're getting divorced, when somebody finds you attractive, you kind of like that.'' Really, the Bulls never had a shot at him once Walsh and D'Antoni met. John Paxson is catching a lot of heat in Chicago, but the apathy starts with Reinsdorf, as far as I'm concerned.

Rick Carlisle will be introduced as the Mavericks coach on Wednesday and will start looking for a staff before tinkering with the roster. As I've already said many times, Mavs fans better start stocking up on NoDoz.
As for my new blog, The Driftwood? I have been updating it daily, and am guessing I'll be ranting about NBA stuff more often than I originally thought I would have time for. Check it out and throw your comments out there. I have a feeling I'll be in there on a daily basis throughout the summer. If you're a hoops junkie, it will at least give you a place to (hopefully) get some hoops-related entertainment while you're looking for something to do besides prepare for your next meeting at work.

[Hache Man]

Are the Spurs Dirty?

Sorry there was no Dose on Thursday. It's a long story, but I'm back. I'm sitting here watching Mike and Mike, where Erik Kuselias is filling in for Greenie. I am not too familiar with Kuselias, but after hearing his thoughts on the Robert Horry shot to David West's back, I'm not going to go out of my way to see what he has to say on a daily basis.

In case you missed it last night, Horry went to set a screen on David West, who has a bad back. West "let his guard down," jumped to try to intercept a pass and came down directly into Horry's path, who was lying in wait. Horry braced himself for the contact, moved his arms into place, and leaned into West's back as he came down, resulting in a hard pick/check/foul that sent West directly to the floor and then the locker room.

Horry had about 2 seconds (at the most) to prepare for this play, and no one knew that Manu Ginobili was going to pass the ball instead of drive. I'm guessing Horry had about 0.5 seconds to make the decision of how hard he was going to hit West. But regardless of all that, the fact remains that Horry's shot to West's back was legal and nothing more than a "playoff basketball play."

Kuselias is either just playing devil's advocate or is delusional, saying that the league will review this play and then take action against Horry, whether it be with a fine or a suspension. I guess it's possible, but if that happens the league will be setting a precedent that says you can't set hard screens on guys who have gimpy backs. From where I sit, there's about a 2 percent chance the league will have anything at all to say about the play, if that.

Was it a dirty play? I really don't think it was. It was a hard foul, but not, as Kuselias argued, a moving screen. Since the day the NBA started, guys go after injured players. Not as much as they used to, but if you're out on the court with a finger injury, you have to be ready to have it slapped at more than usual. If you're out there with a back injury, you have to be careful not to put yourself in a position to have your back exposed. After the game, West acknowledged as much.

"It was almost like when you see that blindside of a quarterback," West said. "He just caught me really clean, and my guard was down, because I didn't know anybody was behind me."

That says it all. I'm not saying this was in anyway West's fault, but had he been more careful, Horry would have never been in a position to jack up his back like that. And the argument that this warrants some sort of suspension for Horry is laughable. Especially when you consider this resulted in two free throws. Nothing more, nothing less.

If West can't go in Game 7, Horry will be seen as a hero in San Antonio and a villain by everyone else. But the guy simply set a hard screen in an era where hard screens have become a thing of the past. Rick Mahorn made a living setting hard screens and was never accused of being a dirty player. He was accused of being a bad a**, but that's about it.

Bruce Bowen is a different story. He is a guy who appears to have put some time and effort into finding ways to do things to his opponents that will result in injury. I think my favorite was the flying karate kick to Wally Szczerbiak's head, but he's done some pretty shady things throughout the years. Here's a look back if you're interested.

As for the game, Manu Ginobili scored 25 points and hit six treys and Tim Duncan had a complete line as the Spurs pulled away late for the easy win. Game 7 is Monday in New Orleans, and I would not be surprised to see anything happen in that one. The Hornets are not happy that the Spurs' crowd was chanting Horry's name for hurting their star, and are going to play with fire in their veins. But I've been sleeping on the Hornets all season, so I might as well stick with that game plan and predict a Spurs win. If it happens, it will be just the second road win of Round 2. And as of now, West is day-to-day with his injury, but I have a pretty good feeling he'll be ready to go by Monday night. Regardless of who wins this series, it's been a good one and Game 7 should be a classic.

Celtics @ Cavs
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Wednesday night saw the Celtics beat the Cavs behind big lines from Rajon Rondo, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to stay perfect at home. They'll try to win at Cleveland tonight to close out the Cavs, but if they don't, Game 7 is Sunday at Boston. LeBron scored 23 in the first half, when the Cavs looked like they were finally ready to get a full 48 minutes from their star, but he scored just four points in the third quarter and eight in the fourth as the Celtics easily pulled away for the win.

Lakers @ Jazz
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The Lakers beat the Jazz at home on Wednesday and will now try to end the series by winning at Utah tonight. You have to think at some point that road teams are going to start winning, and we could get two of them tonight. Pau Gasol appeared to push off to get a clutch rebound and follow-up jam to seal the Game 5 win, but in the playoffs, it was just a basketball play. Deron Williams, Mehmet Okur and Carlos Boozer all double-doubled in this one, but it wasn't enough.

Chuck

Charles Barkley owes Steve Wynn $400,000 and is not happy about the way they asked him for the money. Barkley says that he made a mistake and would have happily paid up had they just called him and asked for the money. Instead, legal action was threatened, the word felony was thrown around and Barkley's name has apparently been dragged through the mud for no reason. There could be more to this story than we're hearing, but I kinda feel for Barkley if his side of the story is true.

[Hache Man]

LeBron Can't Handle the Truth

The table is set for the Conference Finals – Almost. Tonight we'll find out if the Hornets are going to prove many critics wrong and take Game 7 on their home court. If it happens, the Spurs will go home early and the dynasty is probably over. If the Spurs come back and beat the Hornets in New Orleans tonight, they might end up being the favorites to win it all.

Weekend in Review

Celtics Close Out Cavs 4-3
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The Cavaliers managed to hang on to beat the Celtics in Cleveland on Friday night, forcing yesterday's classic Game 7 matchup. LeBron James and Paul Pierce both put on offensive shows as the Celtics were able to hang on to win, despite LeBron's 45 points. He hit 14-of-29 shots despite missing 8-of-11 threes on the day, and added five points and six assists. I think it's safe to say that had he shot the ball this well the entire series, the Cavs would have probably won. The Celtics certainly never looked dominant, we never saw the supposed Big 3 and they just did enough to win a few games at home. Pierce was a monster yesterday, going off for 41 points, four boards and five assists, and hit 4-of-6 threes. The two stars guarded each other for the most part, and both were hitting tough shots for most of the day. The difference in the game might have been the fact that Pierce hit 11-of-12 free throws, while LeBron, as usual, hit just 14-of-19 freebies.

It's inexcusable that LeBron is not a better free throw shooter. It hurts the Cavaliers and limits his fantasy value each year. I am hoping that he finally gets a wake up call from this and spends his summer (when he's not filming commercials or traveling to Beijing for the Olympics) shooting free throws. Unlike many big men who can't shoot free throws, LeBron appears to have all the tools to become a good foul shooter. Here's to hoping it happens. For the record, LeBron missed 23 free throws in the series, and while there's no doubt he's right when he says Cleveland "needs to get better," him becoming an 83 percent shooter from the line would be a good place to start. I'm just saying.

P.J. Brown deserves some props too. He hit a key jumper late in the game and played some solid D on LeBron in the fourth quarter as well.

The Celtics will now hope to fight their way into the NBA Finals, but will have to continue to win at home against the Pistons. The series starts on Wednesday in Boston, and while the Celtics have yet to win on the road or lose at home, we do know the Pistons can be had in Detroit, as the Sixers proved. This should be an excellent series and, obviously, whichever team can breakthrough on the road will the series. And if neither wins on the road, the Celtics will advance to the Finals.

Chauncey Billups should be near 100 percent from his hamstring injury for this one, while Sam Cassell has a bad back, and has fallen out of favor in Boston, with Eddie House taking over his role. That's not to say Doc Rivers doesn't go back to Sam-I-Am, but for right now, it looks like he's done.

Lakers Close Out Jazz 4-2
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The Lakers finished off the Jazz on Friday night in Utah, but blew a 20-plus point lead before hanging on for the 108-105 win. Kobe Bryant had 34 points, eight boards and six assists to lead six Lakers in double figures, Pau Gasol double-doubled and Lamar Odom just missed one with 13 points and nine boards.

But the Jazz came on strong late, despite the disappearance of Carlos Boozer, who had 12 points and 14 boards on 5-of-16 shooting before fouling out. Boozer later apologized for his poor play in this series. Deron Williams had 21 points and 14 assists, as six Jazz players also scored in double figures. Andrei Kirilenko didn't do much in this one until the final minute, when he hit two key 3-pointers that left the Jazz with a chance. But Williams and Mehmet Okur both missed 3-point shots that could have tied the game near the buzzer.

Kirilenko's threes removed some of the heat from his shoulders, but there's still a long way to go to clear the air. For the second straight year, upcoming vacation plans created a stir and controversy in Utah. Last year, Williams accused many of his teammates, AK-47 included, of worrying more about their summer vacations than winning their playoff series, and by all accounts, he was right. Kirilenko got things turned around this year to have a nice season, shooting as well from the floor as he ever has and having a relatively controversy-free season. Personal shooting coach Jeff Hornacek played a big part in that. And the Thursday trip he had scheduled to San Francisco should not have caused any problems, but it did. Coach Jerry Sloan pushed practice back to 11:30 (instead of 10), which caused a conflict with his flight to the embassy in San Fran. And the whole reason he was going to the embassy to begin with was to set up a family summer vacation to France. I don't know the details of his travel plans, nor do I care. But no matter how you slice this, it would appear that his priorities might be a little out of whack. Even if practice would have gone off at the original time, does one of your starters really need to be traveling via airplane to another state to set up a summer vacation the day before an elimination game? Absolutely not. I'm not sure what the answer is here, but don't be surprised if the Jazz use AK's decent season to get rid of him once and for all.

Tonight

The Lakers will await the winner of tonight's game (Spurs – Hornets) for their date in the Western Conference Finals. In other Lakers news, Andrew Bynum will have left knee surgery on Wednesday. They'll do some exploring, as well as some scraping and a timetable for his return won't be known until after the surgery. I don't think this is a microfracture situation, but you never know. We'll have to see what the verdict is after the surgery, but rest assured, Lakers brass are holing their collective breath.

David West says his back is close to 100 percent, but I doubt that's the case. I'm guessing in reality it's at about 75% and he'll just hope to avoid any cheap shots from Bruce Bowen or Robert Horry tonight. And by the way; The NBA reviewed Horry's foul on West and guess what? No suspension. No fine. No reprimand. And no surprise, unless your name is Erik Kuselias.

And as I blogged on Friday, why West was in that game with the Hornets down 21 points late makes no sense. John Hollinger first pointed it out, and it's a great question. Everyone in the arena knew that West's back was gimpy and the game was clearly over at that point. So if you want to blame anyone for West being out there to take that shot to his back from Horry, blame Byron Scott for not getting him on the bench as a precaution.

This week, we've got the Pistons @ Boston on Tuesday, but prior to the game we'll have the draft lottery at 8 p.m. That will determine who gets first crack at Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley, and will be one of the most important draft lotteries in Knicks' history. They've got Donnie Walsh. They've got Mike D'Antoni. They're on their way to getting Patrick Ewing back. Isiah Thomas is scouting in Siberia. And they could be on the verge of locking up the No. 1 or 2 pick in the draft. Stay tuned.

Enjoy tonight's Game 7. It should be a good one.

[Hache Man]

Don't Sleep On The Spurs!

There was only one game on Monday, which saw the Spurs beat the Hornets 91-82 in New Orleans to make the home teams 22-3 in Round 2. This marks the first time the Spurs have advanced past Round 2 the year after winning it all, and they'll now face the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.

Manu Ginobili led the way with 26 points, a lot of late free throws, and four threes to go along with five boards and five assists, while Tim Duncan added 16 points and 14 boards despite hitting just 5-of-17 shots. Tony Parker also struggled with his shot, hitting 7-of-17, but hit some very clutch mid-range jumpers late, helping the Spurs hang on and finishing with 17 points and five dimes. Kurt Thomas had just two points, but grabbed six rebounds, which may have been the key to the win, as the Spurs held a 51-42 rebounding edge.

The Hornets got 20 points and nine boards from David West despite a gimpy back, while Chris Paul (8 boards, 14 assists) and Jannero Pargo each scored 18. Tyson Chandler showed up with 13 points and 15 boards, but the Hornets didn't get much off their bench other than Pargo's points. It was a great run for the Hornets, but the Spurs' experience and ability to stop the Hornets' fast break were the keys to the win.

Taking a look at my predictions at the start of the postseason, I'm pretty happy with the way things have gone so far. I entered my picks into NBA.com's Pick 'N Roll game, and here's where I stand.

170 points, 8,229th Overall Ranking, 84th Percentile

Round 1

Lakers vs. Nuggets – Had Lakers in 6, Lakers won in 4

Jazz vs. Rockets – Had Jazz in 7, Jazz won in 6
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Spurs vs. Suns – Had Spurs in 7, Spurs won in 5

Hornets vs. Mavs – Had Mavs in 7, Hornets won in 5 (oops)
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Celtics vs. Hawks – Had C's in 5, C's won in 7 (I originally had C's in 6, but changed it) bostonceltics.ws

Cavs vs. Wizards – Had Cavs in 6, Cavs won in 6

Magic vs. Raptors – Had Raptors in 7, Magic won in 5 (oops)

Pistons vs. Sixers – Had Pistons in 5, Pistons won in 6 (who saw that 76ers W in Det. coming?)

Round 2

Lakers vs. Jazz – Had Lakers in 6, Lakers won in 6
Spurs vs. Mavs (Hornets) – Had Spurs in 7, Spurs won in 7

Celtics vs. Cavs – Had C's in 6, C's won in 7
Pistons vs. Raptors (Magic) – Had Pistons in 6, Pistons won in 5

What's Left

I have the Spurs beating the Lakers in 6
I have the Celtics beating the Pistons in 6

Finals

I have the Spurs beating the Celtics in 7

I'm pretty thrilled to be in the top 84 percent of players entered, and to have the final four teams correct.

I'm pretty disappointed that I went with the Raptors in an upset because I didn't feel good about it when I put in the pick. I'm not sure why I was giving the Raps so much credit, but maybe if T.J. Ford would not have come back, it would have worked out. Sleeping on the Hornets against the Mavs? I don't feel bad about that one, but was a little scared that NO was going to take out the Spurs. I used to always root against the Spurs, calling them boring, dirty, machine-like, etc. But since then, I've come to terms with the fact they have the veterans who know how to win and one of the best coaches the league has ever seen. Parker is underrated (and not an especially great fantasy player), Ginobili is the guts of the team and Duncan is probably the best ever at his position. In my advanced age, I guess I've learned to appreciate the Spurs.

Do I feel good about having the C's beating the Pistons? Not especially. But I doubt the Celtics can play poorly in three straight series, and now that they've gotten by the teams they were overlooking, I'm guessing they step up their game against Detroit. They'll never admit it, but the Celtics slept on the Hawks, and then lost faith in themselves against the Cavs. But now they're right where they should be, regardless of how many games the inferior teams pushed them too. I'll also admit that I didn't really enjoy the Celtics' attitude/actions/play over the last few weeks, and am not as much of a "fan" as I once was. But I'm keeping an open mind and can only hope they start playing defense, get the stars back where they belong and make Boston proud of who they are as players. There's still time for that to happen, and no team should make it easier for them to do this than the Pistons. Do I trust Doc Rivers? Nope. And much like the Spurs, I have come to respect the Pistons. But if Ray Allen decides to show up (at all) and Kevin Garnett becomes aggressive, the C's can beat the Pistons in 6. Obviously, home court is key.

Regardless of what happens, the Final 4 is going to be an entertaining ride. The Pistons and Lakers have the momentum right now, but it can be argued that the Celtics and Spurs are the better teams. Let's get it on.

Lastly, if you are a Pavement or Stephen Malkmus fan, check out my latest name-dropper of a blog here. And if you already read the blog, sorry for sending you back again. Just allow me to glow in the fact one of my indie-rock heroes reads me on a daily basis. And SM – If you're reading this – I need you in the Indie Rock and Roll Fantasy League (along with Janet and Joanna). Come on, man! I've got some serious hoop junkies signed up so far!

The Week Ahead

I'm going to watch Tom Glavine and the Braves today at 1 p.m. (against the Mets) with my daughter, who is totally psyched. Am I a bad dad for pulling her out of school for this one? I think the opposite is true. The girl has perfect attendance anyway, and deserves a day off. Besides, they're probably just going to watch movies, as it's the last week of school, so it's not like she's going to miss anything. She's already seen The Water Horse.

But I'll be back Tuesday evening for the Draft Lottery at 8 p.m., which I plan on blogging at the Driftwood. Be there or be square. And then the Celtics will host the Pistons at 8:30.

And we're then treated to the Spurs at the Lakers on Wednesday, which should be a nice battle.

Lastly, congrats to my buddy Ben and his girl Liz, who welcomed Annabelle Elizabeth into the world on Monday morning. If you read enough of me, you know exactly whom Ben is.

I hope your teams are doing well, especially if you're playing in fantasy playoff leagues.

[Hache Man]

Is Hinrich on his way out?

Celtics beat Pistons in Game 1

The Celtics looked pretty good last night, despite another disappearing act from Ray Allen. But the Pistons didn't get much from Rasheed Wallace and Chauncey Billups, either. Don't be surprised to see the Celtics get it turned around now that they're playing a team they can't afford to overlook.

Deep Thoughts While Watching Game 1

Thank God the Celtics were able to get Sam Cassell. "He's going to give us playoff experience. He's going to take the big shots at the end of games. He's going to inspire the kids. He'll have a cool head to run the offense late in important games." Oops. Eddie House looks just fine out there to me. Not to mention how good Rajon Rondo has turned out to be. The only thing Cassell has done is pushed borderline C's fans over the edge with his non-stop and annoying chatter, and made them officially root for the Pistons.
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Thank God the Celtics were able to get Ray Allen. Seriously. How much longer can he be this bad? No defense + no offense = where in the hell is Tony Allen?

Thank God the Celtics have Doc Rivers as coach. Otherwise, these last couple series would have been boring instead of seven-game thrillers.

Is Tony Allen buried under the new Yankee Stadium? If I wouldn't have seen him play 25 seconds last night with my own two eyes, I wouldn't have been surprised to see him hauled out from under the visitor's dugout soon.

Where do Rodney Stuckey and Rajon Rondo go in your fantasy draft next year? I'm not sure I've got the answer yet, but Rondo is going to be a Top 12 or so point guard, if not higher. He had five steals last night and is going to be among the league leaders for the next 10 years or so. As for him not being able to shoot? He hit 42% his rookie season, and 49% this year. It's time to give the kid some credit. Stuckey is having a very nice rookie year and just needs a chance to play next season. Even if he's still stuck on the bench, he's probably worth drafting in the 10th round or so. He should turn out to be the steal of last year's real draft.

Western Conference Finals Game 1 – Spurs at Lakers

These two teams have combined for seven championships in the last nine years, with only the Heat and Pistons also winning it all since 98-99. Derek Fisher hit one of the all-time greatest shots in playoff history to beat the Spurs back in 2004, although the shot Tim Duncan hit over Shaq with 0.4 remaining was almost as good. This is going to be a great series and Game 1 is in L.A. tonight at 9 p.m. EST.

Draft Lottery – Bulls Win, Bulls Win, Bulls Win!!!

The lottery was last night and the Bulls pulled off the biggest upset of the playoffs thus far by stealing the No. 1 pick. They already had a very good nucleus of players and can now add PG Derrick Rose, F Michael Beasley, or package any number of players or the pick in a trade. The possibilities are endless. Congrats to the city of Chicago and the Bulls. Steve Schanwald may be made a lifetime representative for the team, which would make sense since he's been with the organization since 1987. And as I blogged last night, Doris Burke actually introduced him as Stan instead of Steve, but I'm guessing he's OK with that. I'm also guessing he'll be known around the Bulls offices as Stan for a while, as it certainly turned out to be a good luck charm.

The Heat will pick second (hello, Beasley) and the Timberwolves will pick third (hello, O.J. Mayo?).

[Hache Man]

Rip Leads Pistons in Road Win

Celtics Lose At Home Despite Rare Appearance By Big 3
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Ray Allen broke out of a slump, Kevin Garnett had a double-double and Paul Pierce chipped in with 26 points as the "Big 3" combined to score 75 points, hitting 29-of-51 in Thursday night's Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. With numbers like that, and considering the Celtics out-rebounded the Pistons by eight, I would have bet that the Celtics won the game easily. But while we finally saw the so-called "Big 3" all get on the same page offensively, the Celtics gave up 103 points to the Pistons and lost by six. This was the first time the Celtics gave up 100 points in a playoff game this season, and the Pistons now hold home-court advantage in the series.

It's not the end of the world for the C's, as there was little chance they were going to stay undefeated at home, but they will now definitely have to win their first road game if they're going to beat Detroit. The good news is that Allen finally broke out of his slump, hitting 9-of-16 shots and two threes on his way to 25 points. He likely would have topped 30 points, but was in foul trouble for the entire second half of the game. "I would rather be sitting here saying I can't make a shot but we won the game," Allen said. "I knew at some point my shot had to drop." The C's got nothing from their bench and Rajon Rondo struggled against Chauncey Billups, hitting just 2-of-9 shots, but still nearly had a triple-double with 10 points, nine boars and eight assists.

Billups appeared to tweak his hamstring injury at one point, but played through it, finishing with 19 points, seven assists and two threes. Six Pistons scored in double figures and were led by Richard Hamilton's 25 points, while Rasheed Wallace added a double-double. While the Pistons are now in control of the series, they're certainly not invincible at home. The Sixers beat them in Detroit in Round 1 for their only home loss of the playoffs.

On Wednesday, the Lakers beat the Spurs 89-85 in a big comeback win at home. The Spurs were up 20 in the third, but were outscored 44-20 to close out the game. Kobe Bryant scored just two points in the first half, but went off for 25 after the break. Several players on both teams struggled a little (Derek Fisher, Lamar Odom, Manu Ginobili, Michael Finley), while Kobe and Tim Duncan (30 points, 18 boards, four blocks) put on a show. If the Spurs are going to beat the Lakers in L.A., Manu is going to have to be better than he was on Wednesday. That said, he tweaked his ankle injury in Game 1, and was hurting a little. Tony Parker also played well, going for 18 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, with Game 2 tonight in L.A. The Spurs really blew an opportunity to back the Lakers into a corner and will still have to win a game at L.A. if they're going to win the series.

Draft Fallout

The Bulls have the No. 1 pick, but still don't have a coach. They're interviewing a lot of assistant coaches, but may not be close to reaching a decision. I still think they're going to take Derrick Rose with the pick, leaving Michael Beasley for the Heat at No. 2. But now Chad Ford is hinting that the Heat love O.J. Mayo, and may pass on Beasley. While it's completely possible that ends up happening, I am not buying it. Unless something weird happens in individual workouts, I can't see either the Bulls or Heat passing on Rose and Beasley. But there's no doubt that Mayo's stock is back on the rise, even if he did have to let his agent go yesterday.

Redd

The Bucks are shopping Michael Redd and he could end up in Cleveland. The Cavs need an outside shooter and scorer like Redd, and he would be at home in Cleveland. He was born in Columbus, went to school at Ohio State and nearly signed with the Cavs when he was a free agent a couple years ago. My guess is that Redd is exactly what the Cavs need.

I saw Indiana Jones yesterday. I was fairly entertained, but am not really sure how I feel about it. I'll leave it at that. I'll be back on Monday. Have a good weekend.

[Hache Man]

Mock - Coming Up Roses
In honor of Tuesday's Pre-Draft Camp in Orlando, here's a mock draft I threw together for the lottery picks in this year's draft, which will take place on June 26. It was at last year's Orlando camp that all the chatter started because Kevin Durant could not bench press 185 pounds and ranked 78th out of 80 players in overall performance. Obviously, he came out of it OK. The first two picks were pretty easy to come up with, but the rest of it involves some pretty serious guesswork.

As for the playoffs, the Pistons evened things up at Detroit on Monday night in a relatively easy win over the Celtics. Game 5 is set for Wednesday night in Boston. The Spurs will look to even things up with the Lakers in San Antonio on Tuesday night.

1. Chicago Bulls

PG Derrick Rose, Memphis

I don't think there is a question of who is the No. 1 pick this year. Rose looks like the real thing and no team wants to risk missing out on the next Deron Williams, Chris Paul, etc. Especially the Bulls. What will be interesting is seeing who the Bulls hire as their coach, how many more times Joakim Noah will be busted with weed in his career, and where Kirk Hinrich ends up. But given the fact the Bulls were already shopping Hinrich before they (literally) won the lottery, he should be good as gone. Ben Gordon is also a candidate to be shipped out of town, but we'll have to see.

2. Miami Heat

PF Michael Beasley, Kansas State

Beasley is said to be this year's Al Horford, in that he's ready to play right now and will be a double-double machine. I can't imagine the Heat passing on such a sure thing, but Pat Riley has hinted that the Heat are taking a serious look at O.J. Mayo, whose stock is definitely back on the rise. A year ago, Mayo was the guy and he could end up being the best player in this draft. Then again, he could end up being a bust. Along with figuring out who to take with the No. 2 pick, the Heat are waiting to see if Shawn Marion is going to opt-out of his contract in the next few weeks. But regardless of what Riles is saying right now, unless something crazy happens this week in Orlando, look for Beasley to go to the Heat.

3. Minnesota Timberwolves

C Brook Lopez, Stanford

Almost everyone has the Wolves taking Lopez here, although I don't thinks it's as much as a lock as some others do. But the bottom line is that the Wolves need a real center to pair with Al Jefferson and already have a stable full of up and coming swingmen. Anthony Randolph is also a possibility here, but Lopez makes more sense for Kevin McHale and his crew.

4. Seattle Supersonics

SG O.J. Mayo, USC

The Sonics aren't thrilled with Luke Ridnour and Earl Watson at point guard, but once Rose is gone, the fourth pick is probably too high to take Russell Westbrook or D.J. Augustin. If the Wolves and Heat pass the Mayo, he looks like a nice fit for Seattle, as Kevin Durant can slide over to small forward to allow Mayo to play SG. Anthony Randolph also makes sense here, but Nick Collison and Chris Wilcox will likely continue to clog the middle with mediocrity in Seattle again this year. I think Mayo's stock will get higher and higher as draft night approaches, and he really could go anywhere from the No. 2 to No. 10 pick, but No. 4 to Seattle seems to make the most sense.

5. Memphis Grizzlies

PF Anthony Randolph, LSU

Randolph could be just what the Grizzlies need after giving Pau Gasol away and then realizing just how awful Darko Milicic and Stromile Swift are. Oh, and don't forget about Kwame Brown. You can usually find some way to defend a team for making a terrible trade, but not this time. The last thing the Grizzlies need is more guards (although they're looking to move Mike Miller), but if Randolph goes at No. 4, they're going to be stuck with taking one. My guess is that they're hoping to see Randolph on the board when they pick.

6. New York Knicks

SG Jerryd Bayless, Arizona

Whatever he is (point guard, shooting guard, small forward), he's a great athlete and a very good shooter. Depending on how things go this week, Bayless could see his stock rise and could be taken at No. 3. The Knicks need a little bit of everything so I'm guessing they take the best player available. And Bayless should fit the bill, even if the Knicks already have several shoot-first, pass-second players. Mike D'Antoni wants a point guard, but unless they pull off a blockbuster trade with the Bulls, the one he's looking for is not in this draft.

7. Los Angeles Clippers

PG D.J. Augustin, Texas

This is too high for Augustin, but the Clippers still don't know what will become of Shaun Livingston and they're set at most other positions. They should take the best point guard available, which will either be Augustin, Bayless or Russell Westbrook.

8. Milwaukee Bucks

SF Joe Alexander, West Virginia

The Bucks are set at center and Ramon Sessions looks good at point guard, while they also have Mo Williams there. Michael Redd's name is hot in trade rumors, so they may be in line for getting another shooter, and they've got a lot of guys who can play forward, including Charlie Villanueva, Yi Jianlian, Bobby Simmons and Desmond Mason. Given their needs and the number of questions surrounding the team, the Bucks could really do anything here. But Alexander's stock has been on the rise and it wouldn't be shocking to see the Bucks take him here. They could also be looking for a shooting guard, in which case they'd probably take Eric Gordon.

9. Charlotte Bobcats

C DeAndre Jordan, Texas

The Bobcats probably don't want to take another power forward here after spending their 2004 and 05 picks on Emeka Okafor and Sean May, but May's career might be over and Okafor has yet to blossom into the all-star we've all been waiting for. Kevin Love might be the pick here, but do you really think the Cats want to go into next season with Nazr Mohammed as their center? The Pacers aren't going to be happy about it, but I doubt Jordan makes it past the Bobcats at No. 9.

10. New Jersey Nets

PF Kevin Love, UCLA

The Nets have taken a couple bigs in the last few drafts (Sean Williams and Josh Boone) and the results have been mixed. But Love is probably the best player they're going to get at No. 10, although Alexander, Darrell Arthur or DeAndre Jordan could end up here. Love appears to be a good fit for the Nets, who could use a big man who can score, but also need a shooter. Danilo Gallinari could end up in Jersey if they don't take Love.

11. Indiana Pacers
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SG Eric Gordon, Indiana

The Pacers really need a center with Jermaine O'Neal's knees being such an issue, and Jeff Foster being Jeff Foster, and all. But I don't think DeAndre Jordan will still be around when they pick. If he is, I don't see the Pacers passing on him. If he's gone, look for them to take hometown hero Eric Gordon. Gordon's stock isn't nearly as high as it was two years ago, but he's a very good player. He nearly led North Central High School (my alma mater) to a state championship and was named Indiana's "Mr. Basketball" in 2007 before a solid freshman season at IU. The Pacers have needs at nearly every position and Gordon will probably be the best all-around player on the board when they pick. Might as well keep him in Indy. If not, look for them to take the best point guard available, which would probably be Augustin or Russell Westbrook.

12. Sacramento Kings
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F Danilo Gallinari, Milan

It's tough to figure out if Gallinari is a small or power forward, but at 6-10, 220, he can play either position. He might have been set up for a Top 5 selection, but Andrea Bargnani and Yi Jianlian have scared people off for the time being. He's not the most athletic guy around, but there's no doubt that he knows how to shoot and pass. At No. 12 there's very little risk with taking Gallinari and the Kings could use another shooter, as well as a young power forward. If the Nets take Gallinari, the Kings could take Love.

13. Portland Trailblazers

PF Darrell Arthur, Kansas

Arthur is 6-9, 230 and quite athletic. He should be a decent NBA shot blocker and could become a double-double machine. He's not a great free throw shooter and is going to be foul prone as a rookie. In other words, it's probably going to take him a couple seasons to figure out how the NBA works. But he looks like a lottery pick and would appear to be a good fit in Portland.

14. Golden State Warriors

PG Russell Westbrook, UCLA

Westbrook is a super-sleeper and his stock just keeps rising. The Warriors may need a point guard if Baron Davis bails out, and are stocked at most other positions. Westbrook makes perfect sense here, if he's still available. The Pacers and Kings are also said to be interested in Westbrook.

[Hache Man]

Don't Sleep on the Blogs
This column is a fake. It's an exact replica of the blog I posted late on Wednesday night-Thursday morning. But because it's showing up here, chances are you'll read it. I'm going to keep this short and sweet, but if you're not reading what Rotoworld has to offer on the Blog front, you're probably missing out. Our blogs are only written by the editors for each sport: (FOOTBALL, BASEBALL, BASKETBALL and HOCKEY) and should be fun to read, as we can generally be a little more frank than we can be in general columns. They just aren't featured at the top of the page yet. And honestly, the news we're throwing up in our blogs should be just as witty and helpful as the news we're putting out there via columns. When it comes to Marvin Harrison's knee, Isiah Thomas' Siberian vacation or the mindset of Elijah Dukes on a tour of the White House, our blogs are probably the place to be. They're easy to find, as you simply have to cursor over the word "BLOGS" near the top of the Rotoworld home page and click appropriately, or click on the link provided above and bookmark accordingly. I'm guessing we're all updating them more often than we thought possible, but in any case, check them out and post some comments. We're waiting.

Incredibly, the NBA has released a statement that the officials missed the call in Game 4 on Tuesday night, when Derek Fisher appeared to foul Brent Barry on the game's final play.

"With the benefit of instant replay, it appears a foul call should have been made," said a statement by NBA spokesman Tim Frank.

Really? The Spurs, the entire TNT crew, Rotoworld, NBC, ESPN and the rest of the free world (outside of San Antonio) agreed that the no-call was the right call, yet the NBA decides to chime in and rub this in the collective face of Spurs' fans after the fact? So why don't we get a replay of the final play like the Heat got against the Hawks earlier this year? Why don't we just let Barry shoot his free throws prior to Game 5?

I am fine with the call being made or missed live, as it was close and up for debate. But for the NBA to come out the next day and publicly declare that the wrong call was made, when everyone had pretty much decided to move on? And with no "correction" offered? Now I'm wondering what the league's motives are and if there's not something to all these conspiracy theories? This is one of the most baffling things I remember seeing in the league, and my guess is David Stern did not give the OK for Frank to make his statement. The right thing for the league to do was to say, "Yes, there was contact with Barry, who chose to dribble the ball instead of shoot it. No, we did not feel like it warranted an automatic foul call, although it could have gone either way. But in light of the situation and the play at hand, we felt our officials did the right thing by not calling a foul."

Don't be surprised to see Frank soon leading the dog-sled team that is pulling Isiah Thomas through the Siberian mountains right about now. And really, NBA? You want to make this statement when Joey Crawford is officiating against Tim Duncan exactly one year after he threw him out of a game and challenged him to a fist fight for simply laughing while sitting on the bench? Really?

I'm in shock and don't know what else to say.

Nice win for the Celtics on Wednesday, although they still look (to me) like a young team that doesn't understand how to close out a game. Remember when Kevin Garnett was an angry young man and would ram it down his opponents' throat? Now he's a timid, middle-aged man who would rather pass, or shoot a fadeaway-J, than drive to the hole. He hit his shots tonight, so it didn't matter. But if the C's don't win it all, it will probably be because of KG's suddenly limited ideals on offense. I mean, the dude has shot nearly 50% from the floor and averaged 11.something rebounds per game for his career. You'd think he'd spend some time in the paint in the Eastern Conference Finals, right? bostonceltics.ws

The Celtics still have home court all the way through the Finals, and should still be considered the favorites to win it all, unless Detroit beats them back-to-back home and away this weekend.

The NBA also announced tonight that they will be fining players for flopping next year. While I'm all for the principles here, just wait until the first time someone is run over by Bruce Bowen, legitimately, and is fined for flopping. My money is on Pau Gasol getting crushed by Bowen in Week 1, and Gasol getting a bill for $5,000 while recuperating from the hit in the hospital for "flopping." The NBA...Where flopping draws penalties, unless it's the final shot of a crucial home playoff game and the offensive player doesn't do a good enough job of "selling" the foul to the officials." Huh?

Oh, and as for Joey Dorsey's claim that he knows the Bulls and John Paxson will take Michael Beasley with the first pick. Um, no Joey, incorrect. I guarantee you Paxson hasn't even had time to focus on that draft pick, as he's still trying to shuffle things together and find a frickin' coach! Once he does that (um, Mike D'Antoni is no longer available, Jerry Reinsdorf), then Pax and his mystery coach can get together and talk about whether it's Beasley or Derrick Rose (I say Rose - Duh). But out of all the stories I've heard, I believe Paxson. No way he has even given serious consideration to his draft choice at this point. He still needs to find a head coach, who will also have a say in the matter. And as for Reinsdorf still being in charge in Chicago? Turn the page.

[Hache Man]

Kobe Leads Lakers to Finals

The Lakers wrapped things up against the Spurs last night, taking the series 4-1 and setting up an "NBA dream matchup" against the Celtics in the Finals next week. Of course, the Celtics still need to dispose of the Pistons between now and Sunday, but the odds are certainly in their favor.

The C's will try to knock off the Pistons in Detroit tonight, and if they don't get that accomplished, they'll try again at home on Sunday.

Kobe Bryant, as usual, led the Lakers last night, finishing with 39 points in a big second half. For the second time in the series, the Lakers overcame a big deficit, coming back from 17 down last night. They also overcame a 20-point hole in Game 1. These playoffs have seen a lot of big "what if" situations, as a few bounces of the ball could have resulted in a completely different scenario.

What if Tim Duncan doesn't hit that 3-pointer against the Suns in Game 1? We could easily have had a Suns-Lakers matchup in the Western Finals.

What if the Spurs don't blow leads of 20 and 17 points against the Lakers? And what if Brent Barry shoots instead of dribbles while being fouled by Derek Fisher in Game 4?

What if Carlos Boozer had shown up for the Jazz against the Lakers?
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What if Gilbert Arenas had been healthy against the Cavaliers?

What if the Hawks would have gotten lucky and actually competed in one of their four games in Boston?

Anyway, now it's looking like the Lakers are going to win it all. They just seem to be dialed in on both ends of the court and Kobe is on a mission. And after complaining a year ago about the talent surrounding him on the Lakers, and demanding a trade every other day, Kobe is sitting in a dream situation. He finished second in the scoring race to LeBron James, his team posted the best record in the West and second-best record in the NBA (behind the Celtics, who faced inferior competition), and he'll finish the postseason as the league's leading scorer in the playoffs. He was the All-Star MVP in Vegas in 2007, but played just three minutes in this year's game due to a finger injury. And guess what happened? The West was throttled by the East, further adding evidence that Kobe drives that train. Now Kobe is primed to win his fourth ring and will then go to Beijing, hopefully wrapping up his year with an Olympic gold medal. Not bad.

I'm guessing many of you are able to look at Kobe without thinking about the incident in Colorado. And if you can do that, you can probably overlook the recent rumors about his alleged affair with a Lakers girl named Vanessa. Yep, she shares his wife's first name. And you have probably forgotten about the "I'm sorry, baby" million-dollar ring he gave Vanessa 1 after the Colorado incident. Everyone makes mistakes, but it was just a little strange last night hearing Jerry West talk about what a great role model to children Kobe is, etc.

The Lakers weren't thinking of him as a role model a year ago, when he indicated that his relationship with the team was damaged beyond repair. Or when he verbally destroyed Andrew Bynum in a mall parking lot. Or when he belittled Mitch Kupchak and the rest of the Lakers brass all summer. He would still probably be complaining if the Lakers wouldn't have been given the gift that keeps on giving all year long – Pau Gasol.

But love him or hate him, there's no doubt Kobe's the best player on the planet right now. We haven't seen someone exude so much confidence and ability in the clutch since Michael Jordan. And after watching him drop 81 points on the Raptors a couple years ago, I usually don't miss a chance to watch him play. But it would probably be a more rewarding endeavor if he didn't come with so much baggage.

The Lakers seem poised to win it all. You have to think they'll win all three of their remaining games at L.A., which means they'll need to win just 1-of-4 games at Boston or Detroit. It just doesn't seem to be that difficult of a task for Kobe and company, and I'm guessing you can go ahead and chalk up another championship for the Lakers.

News and Notes

Doug Collins should be named the next coach of the Bulls in the very near future, unless talks break down over the weekend. I'm not sure how I feel about this one. Collins isn't much different than Scott Skiles, who was run out of town, while there may not be a coach in the league more opposed to running than DC. And as you know, running is the name of the game in today's NBA.

Clippers point guard Shaun Livingston has still not played basketball since his devastating knee injury but is getting closer to doing so. Even if he looks good when he finally does get on the court, the Clips are still going to be thinking point guard at the draft.

Just before posting this column, the Detroit Free Press reports that Richard Hamilton will play through his elbow injury tonight. I originally had this take, before the news. Rip Hamilton remains a mystery for tonight's game with an elbow injury. My guess is he starts and tries to play through it, but will be extremely limited. If this weren't an elimination game, my guess would be that he would not suit up tonight. Even though we now know there's a good chance he plays tonight, he's probably not going to be anywhere near 100 percent.

Rasheed Wallace was fined $25,000 for his post-game tirade against the officials Wednesday, when he was quoted as saying "those bleepity bleepin' bleeps bleeped my bleep out of the bleeping bleepity bleep, bleep bleepit," or something like that. In any case, Sheed's now just one technical foul away from a one-game playoff suspension, although it may not matter. I have a gut feeling the Celtics are going to win tonight. And f not tonight, they should win Sunday at home.

For the Celtics, Tony Allen will miss his second straight game with an Achilles' injury, not that it matters. He surprisingly wasn't playing much anyway.
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Donnie Walsh is said to be prepared to trade the Knicks No. 6 draft pick. He's also supposedly ready to draft Danilo Gallinari or Anthony Randolph with the pick.

On the rules front, Hack-A-Shaq will still be legal next year, but fines will be levied for flopping and instant replay will be used on more of a "common sense basis," which is probably a good thing. I am generally in support of the "no-flopping rule," but am not convinced that it's going to be easy to enforce. That should produce plenty of controversy next season.

The Hawks named Rick Sund their new general manager, and his first move will be to help decide the fate of Mike Woodson and his staff. Once that task is out of the way, they'll focus on figuring out how to keep both of their Josh's (Smith & Childress) around. Both players are restricted free agents this summer.

The Suns are still interviewing people for their head-coaching opening. They might be in the process of setting some sort of record for number of candidates interviewed, as no stone has been left unturned.

My wife got suckered into one of those annoying "Sex And The City" parties tonight, which would be fine if I wasn't going to be left stuck to deal with four kids while I try to enjoy the game. Oh well. On the plus side, I'm looking forward to there not being a game on Saturday night, now that the Western Finals are over

[Hache Man]

Top 24 of 2008-09 - Edition 1

With a break from the playoffs before the finals start on Thursday, now seems like as good a time as ever for the Top 24 list for this fall's fantasy drafts. Last year at this time, I left Dwyane Wade out of the Top 24, and caught some heat for it. I also caught some heat for constantly telling you all to sell high on him this year, with the gloom and doom assumption that he would be shut down early.

According to the good folks at BasketballMonster , Wade finished at No. 21 overall on a per-game fantasy basis and when you mix in the fact that he shut it down after just 51 games for the second straight year, he was a huge waste if taken in the first or second round of your draft. And on the flip side, Chris Paul was not in my Top 24 at this time last year, and finished as the best fantasy player on the planet. Oops. However, I did eventually have him as a second-round pick in the Draft Guide. I'm not sure I've got anything quite as groundbreaking on this early Top 24 list, but I'm sure some of you will take issue with it.

I'm ignoring turnovers and counting free throw percentages. Obviously, if you're in a league that doesn't count turnovers and uses free throws made instead of percentage, go ahead and put Dwight Howard in the No. 1 slot.

Also, if you're in a league where center values are inflated because you have to start two of them, take this with a grain of salt. Obviously, depending on your league's rules, lists will vary. I did not give the center position much, if any preferential treatment here.

Where each player ranked per game and cumulatively for this season is included.

Round 1

1. LeBron James – F – Cavaliers
Ranked No. 3 per game, No. 4 cumulative

LeBron was not the No. 1 fantasy player this year. He also wasn't number two either, but I don't care. His free throws are obviously his biggest problem, but I suspect he's going to get better from the line at some point. He's built like a Mack truck and has missed just 19 games in five seasons. Reliability is possibly the most important aspect when picking your fantasy team, and LeBron has it. He also gets it done in scoring, rebounds and assists, while also putting up nice numbers across the board. He may not finish as the No. 1 fantasy player again next season, but there's almost no way he's not in the Top 5. And I'm not betting against him.

2. Kobe Bryant – G – Lakers
Ranked No. 2 per game, No. 2 cumulative

This year's MVP should pick up another ring and a Finals MVP award in the next couple weeks, and then win a gold medal this summer. Unlike LeBron and his free throws, Kobe doesn't really have any weaknesses in his game. His rebounding and assist numbers aren't as strong as LeBron's, and he doesn't block many shots, but he also won't hurt you anywhere and you know he's going to have the ball in his hands as much as any player in the league. He also doesn't miss games and played in all 82 this season. Just keep in mind that after his run to the Finals and Olympics, he could come into the season tired.

3. Chris Paul – PG – Hornets
Ranked No. 1 per game, No. 1 cumulative

If Paul was easily the No. 1 fantasy player last season, why is he not No. 1 on this list? It's a great question. You can pretty much throw the Top 3 up in the air and pick whichever one you like best. It's very trendy to build your team around a point guard right now, and Paul is the cream of the crop. He led the league in both steals and assists, doesn't turn the ball over, and his percentages are great. All indications are he's going to be even better next season, so he can be taken anywhere from No. 1 to No. 3. He still feels a little fragile to me, but he only missed two games this season. I like LeBron and you might like Paul. I just feel like LeBron (and possibly Kobe) are a little safe picks than Paul, but you can't argue with what the kid did this year.

4. Amare Stoudemire – PF/C – Suns
Ranked No. 4 per game, No. 3 cumulative

Stoudemire has really earned my respect after coming off of microfracture surgery the season before last. He remarkably played in 82 games that season, and then came back and was good for 79 games this year. Now that I'm finally on board with him, I could see knee problems arising this year, but it's tough to argue with what he has done over the last two campaigns. He averaged 25 points, nine boards and two blocks this season and shot it very well from both the field and the line. He also knocked down five treys this season and could push that number up to 10 this season, if his new coach will let him fire from downtown. It should be interesting to see what Stoudemire can do in a full season without Shawn Marion around.

5. Dwyane Wade – G – Heat
Ranked No. 21 per game, No. 87 cumulative

Wade was not healthy coming into the season or when he shut it down after just 51 games. However, he's on pace to be at full strength for the Olympics, and barring any setbacks, should be good to go for the upcoming season. He was Top 10 in both per game and cume ranking during the 2005-06 season, and on a per game basis in the 06-07 season, he was No. 1 overall, but played in just 51 games. The bottom line is, if Wade is healthy, he's an elite fantasy player and possibly worth the first pick in your draft. I think the chances of him staying healthy all year long are rather slim, but I also don't expect him to need surgery during the upcoming season. If he makes it through the Olympics in one piece, he should be worth a Top 5 pick this Fall.

6. Gilbert Arenas – G – Wizards
Ranked No. 57 per game, not ranked cumulative

Will I be taking Arenas at No. 6 this year if I have the pick? I'm not sure. His return to the Wizards is up in the air, as he's set to opt out at the end of the month, and we'll have to make sure he's healthy going into the year. If he's still a Wizard and is 100 percent healed from his knee injury, there's no reason he shouldn't be worth a pick this high. The question is, will you be brave enough to take him in front of guys like Steve Nash, Shawn Marion, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Garnett and Allen Iverson? Arenas could end up being further down the list come draft time.

7. Steve Nash – PG – Suns
Ranked No. 12 per game, No. 7 cumulative

Nash missed just one game this season, despite struggling with back and shoulder issues for much of the year. Paul averaged more assists on the year, but Nash was close behind, while the rest of his numbers remained steady, although he scored less than 17 ppg (16.9) for the first time in three seasons. He's still a great shooter and has proven to be very reliable from a health standpoint. There are no sure things in fantasy hoops, but Nash is pretty close to it.

8. Shawn Marion – F – Heat
Ranked No. 7 per game, No. 32 cumulative

Marion played just 62 games this year, explaining his low cumulative ranking. He wasn't exactly dominant in his time with the Heat, showing more inconsistency than anything else. But it's a new season and the Heat have a new coach, a high draft pick and should have a healthy Wade. Marion probably could have finished the season if he was playing for a contender and should come into the season at full strength. There's no guarantee that he'll be playing for the Heat this year, but regardless, he should return to having solid fantasy value again. But his final pre-season value won't be determined until we see what happens this summer.

9. Dirk Nowitzki – F - Mavericks
Ranked No. 11 per game, No. 10 cumulative
dallasmavericks.com
Despite the Mavericks' early exit from the playoffs (again), Dirk's season ended on a much better note than it did last year. He played well for the entire season and was also solid in the playoffs, allowing Josh Howard to be this year's scapegoat for Dallas. Dirk's lack of blocks and threes from where they once were is annoying, but is also just a fact of life. I am not sure if I'll have Dirk at No. 9 at the end of the summer, but it sounds about right for him. If not, he could show up closer to No. 12 than No. 9.

10. Kevin Garnett – F - Celtics
Ranked No. 10 per game, No. 15 cumulative
bostonceltics.ws
KG missed 11 games with his abdominal strain and looked much better during the regular season than he has in the playoffs. His recent lack of determination on the offensive end of things is disturbing to potential fantasy owners, as the last thing we want to see him do is pass up open 5-footers on a nightly basis. His free throw shooting hasn't been too clutch recently and his fantasy numbers during the regular season took a hit with the arrival of Ray Allen and strong play of Paul Pierce. Garnett is still a beast, but you have to think all the minutes he's played since 1995 have taken their toll. If he can stay healthy next year, no. 10 sounds about right.

11. Allen Iverson – G - Nuggets
Ranked No. 8 per game, No. 6 cumulative

Iverson didn't miss a single game this season, which is hard to believe given the fact it was his 12th season and he only made it through one other one (02-03) without missing a game. The days of the Answer averaging 30-plus points per game are probably over, but his shot selection is much better these days. In fact, he just missed setting a career high by hitting 45.8 percent of his shots last year. I always worry about injuries with AI, but he is a true warrior, and played through a nasty finger injury for much of the past season. We'll need to see what happens with Denver this summer, but for now, I'm guessing this will be the last year that Iverson will still be worthy of a first-round fantasy pick.

12. Josh Smith – F - Hawks
Ranked No. 23 per game, No. 12 cumulative

Smoov, in his fourth season, averaged career highs in scoring, steals, assists and field goal percentage, and should only get better from here on out. If you owned him, you probably loved him, except for the occasional dreadful shooting night. He also attempted nearly one less 3-pointer per game last season, which was part of the reason his field goal percentage was the best of his career, and his first respectable number since his rookie season. I am obviously biased on Smith, but it's hard to argue with nearly three blocks and 1.5 steals per game, to go along with 17 points, eight boards and three assists. And it would not be surprising to see all those numbers go up next season. Throw in the fact that he doesn't miss games (for the most part) and he's a fantasy star on the rise. There's a chance he could be playing for a contract in the upcoming season as well, and if that's the case, I'll probably bump his pre-season ranking even higher.

Round 2

13. Baron Davis – PG - Warriors
Ranked No. 5 per game, No. 5 cumulative

Last year was a big deal for Davis, who stayed healthy all season and actually played in every single game for the Warriors. Well, we'll call it 81.5 after Nellie sat him for that one controversial half. We still don't know if he'll return to the Warriors next season, and now that we know for sure that Nellie's coming back, it's possible that Baron may try to get out of town. I'm still not sure why, but I never started telling everyone to sell Davis high last year, even late in the year. I just had a feeling he was going to make it through most of the season. That said, the odds of him making it through another one without incident are slim to none, and his late-season collapse should not be ignored. As of now, I'm back to the philosophy that you should draft Baron early, use him up by January, and then trade him for whatever you can get.

14. Deron Williams – PG - Jazz
Ranked No. 15 per game, No. 9 cumulative
utahjazz.com
Williams has established himself as one of the best point guards in the league, and should be treated as such by fantasy owners. I'm thinking No. 14 might be a little to low for Williams, and I can see bumping him up the list by the end of the summer. Then again, I'm not sure how much better he can get and last year's numbers support taking him early in Round 2. I'm not sure how he did it, but Williams hit a career-best 50.7 percent of his shots last season, and finished with career highs across the board. Yes he can get better, and surely will, but I'm not sure he outdoes those numbers by much, if at all, in the upcoming season.

15. Caron Butler – G/F - Wizards
Ranked No. 5 per game, No. 35 cumulative

Obviously the huge differential in Butler's rankings is due to the fact he played just 58 games last season, but was productive when he played. And the fact he was No. 5 per game was likely a direct result of the fact that Arenas was down for most of the year. But Butler has proven to be worthy of at least a second-round pick over the past couple years and should be solid again this season. If Arenas somehow ends up somewhere other than Washington, Butler's value will increase. Injuries have become a bit of a concern with "Tough Juice," but not enough to have much of an impact on his fantasy draft position.

16. Marcus Camby – C - Nuggets
Ranked No. 14 per game, No. 8 cumulative

Like Baron Davis, Camby was able to make it through most of the season without a significant injury, missing just three games and dominating several big-man categories on his way to winning Defensive Player of the Year. I'm not sure that Davis and Camby can catch lightning in a bottle and stay healthy for two straight seasons, but Camby will be a steal at No. 16 if he plays in 76 games or so.

17. Carlos Boozer – F - Jazz
Ranked No. 19 per game, No. 11 cumulative
utahjazz.com
Boozer faded out in the playoffs, likely due to fatigue, but has put injury concerns behind him after missing eight games last year and just one game this season. His rebounding, scoring and shooting are all nice, but he doesn't block many shots for a big man. He also has some competition for rebounds and shots with Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmet Okur on the same team, but Boozer seemed to be the alpha dog of that trio this season.

18. Rudy Gay – F - Grizzlies
Ranked No. 38 per game, No. 26 cumulative

The numbers say Gay was a solid third-round pick last season and nothing more. That's true, but no player seems to have as much upside for the next two seasons as Gay does, either. There's really nothing he can't do, from blocking shots, to hitting threes, to grabbing steals and to scoring points. After the first month of the season, he only failed to hit double figures in scoring in three games. He played in 81 contests this season, and I recorded at least two blocks 19 times, two steals 34 times and two 3-pointers 38 times. Several of his statistical categories doubled between his first and second seasons, and his third year, which is the upcoming season, should see him fully breakout. The sky's the limit for Gay, and I would not hesitate to grab him at almost any point of the second round.

19. Carmelo Anthony – F - Nuggets
Ranked No. 16 per game, No. 19 cumulative

Melo improved his rebounding to the point he's become very reliable second-round pick, but I'm not sure he's well-rounded enough to become a first-rounder any time soon. It's concerning that his scoring dropped by more than three points this year, but his rebounds, steals and blocks all went up, while he committed less turnovers per game. Melo's a good shooter and should not hurt you anywhere, making him a safe and consistent second-round pick.

20. Manu Ginobili – G - Spurs
Ranked No. 13 per game, No. 18 cumulative

Perhaps no player is more misused from a fantasy owner's perspective than Manu. On a "per-minute" value scale he comes in at No. 5 overall, although that's misleading since Jerome James and Ian Mahinmi come in at No. 1 and 2. However, No. 3 is Chris Paul, No. 4 is Amare, No. 5 is Manu and No. 6 is Kobe. So, if Manu could ever get more than 31 minutes from his coach, his value would skyrocket. That said, he averaged a career high 31 minutes per game this season and averaged career highs nearly across the board. Changes are likely coming for the Spurs which could result in Manu seeing more run. But until we know for sure, treat him like the second-round pick he is. And he's not getting any younger, either, as evidenced by that growing bald spot.

21. Chris Bosh – F/C - Raptors
Ranked No. 17 per game, No. 33 cumulative

Ironically, just as I started to write up Bosh, the Family Feud that my wife happened to be watching was some NBA stars against their moms for charity. Bosh sealed the win in the final round, which was thrilling. Bosh's knee is always going to be a concern for potential fantasy owners, and injuries held him to 67 games this season. He'll hit the occasional three and is a good free throw shooter, to go along with the typical big-man categories. I thought he'd be a little more beast-like with blocks, but he comes in at just 1.0 per game. And while his scoring is extremely consistent from year to year, his rebounding fell off this season, as he came in at just 8.7 per game, down two from last year.

22. Paul Pierce – F – Celtics
Ranked No. 22 per game, No. 12 cumulative
bostonceltics.ws
Pierce missed just two games and was clearly the member of the Big 3 with the most consistency for the Celtics this season. He's going to be another year older and may not have the same drive if the Celtics win it all this year, but that shouldn't be a major concern with the Lakers being favorites to take the title. Pierce would have to have another season of not missing games next year to stay in the Top 24, and I could see him being replaced on this list by a guy like Andre Iguodala or Joe Johnson at the end of the summer.

23. Danny Granger – F - Pacers
Ranked No. 25 per game, No. 17 cumulative
indianapacers.com
Granger just missed being Top 24 on a per-game basis, but he belongs there next year after his breakout season. His field goal percentage took a hit, but I expect it to bounce back next year. Twenty points, a block, a steal, two 3-pointers and six boards per game is nothing to sneeze at. And it's hard to imagine Mike Dunleavy having back-to-back big years, so I would not be surprised to see Granger flirt with having first-round value next season. Don't be surprised if he's not higher on this list in the Fall.

24. Al Jefferson – F/C - Timberwolves
Ranked No. 39 per game, No. 25 cumulative

I originally had Jason Richardson here, but with the arrival of Larry Brown and the fact he's another year older, I just couldn't do it. I'm also not sure Jefferson belongs here, but the only thing really holding him back is his free throw shooting, and it's not really that bad. He came in at 72% last season. He seemed to run out of gas near the end of the season, but he's only going to get better from here on out. Taking him in Round 2 feels more right than sticking him in Round 3. And you can say the same thing about Tim Duncan, Dwight Howard and Yao Ming. But Duncan's got to lose his edge at some point, Howard's free throws and turnovers qualify as disastrous, and Yao's constant leg problems for the last three years are just scary. Jason Kidd, Andre Iguodala and Gerald Wallace are some other guys, along with Richardson, who could end up cracking the list by the end of the summer.

Crazy Train

I'm taking the kids to the Braves game tonight and they love riding the MARTA train into downtown. (Video probably not safe for work/swearing) I'm just hoping that this person isn't on the same train tonight.

[Hache Man]

Agent Zero Opts Out

It's a strange time of year for fantasy hoops junkies. It's too early to start planning for next year, but there's not much going on outside of the Finals and upcoming draft. But I just got my Rotoworld Football Draft Guide in the mail and despite the fact I'm in the industry and should be getting to the point that I'm burnt out on actually playing fantasy sports, it always feels like Christmas morning when I get that magazine in my hand. As far as I know, there is no grading system for fantasy hoops mags, but there are some for the football guides. And Rotoworld's was ranked No. 1 by two web sites, as well as given an award by the Fantasy Sports Trade Association.

One of my leagues is a 12-team keeper (keep 5) and I've got the following guys to choose from: Adrian Peterson, Joseph Addai, Larry Johnson, Torry Holt, Roy Williams, Lee Evans and Eli Manning. I'm obviously keeping AP and Addai, and am leaning toward going with Larry, Holt and Williams. I'm a little concerned about not having a decent QB once I finally get a pick, and am actively trying to trade Larry, which would also free up my first-round pick. But in a keeper league this deep, the first pick of the draft will basically be for about the 40-50th best player. I was already concerned about LJ being a total bust this year and after reading the Guide yesterday, I've never seen a guy who is almost guaranteed to go in the first round surrounded by so much negative energy. But it's not like he was helpful to fantasy owners last year before his foot injury, either. Now I just have to hope the guys I'm trying to trade him to aren't reading this. Anyway, let's talk some hoops.

Finals

The Celtics have a 2-0 lead over the Lakers with Game 3 tonight in L.A. Game 4 is Thursday and Game 5 is Sunday, and are also in L.A. I'm still not sure why the NBA is using the 2-3-2 format for the Finals, when they use the 2-2-1-1-1 format for the rest of the playoffs. Yeah, it's East vs. West and some travel time is involved, but it's not like the old days when teams had to figure out how to get a bus into Fort Wayne, Indiana, either. In the era of team planes and charters, there's no reason not to give the team with home-court advantage games 1, 5 and 7 at home. If the Lakers are going to pull this off, they're basically going to have to win four straight games. Good luck with that one.

Doc Rivers has done a great job of managing his team thus far and the Celtics D has finally risen to the occasion. I think they were playing down to their competition in the first three rounds and it took Kobe and company to light their defensive fire. The Lakers will need for Derek Fisher, Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol to all elevate their games starting tonight, while it's arguable that no team starting Vladimir Radmanovic deserves to win a championship. He's one of those players that I avoid in fantasy like the plague and I still can't believe that Luke Walton is not a starter for that team. Maybe that's Phil Jackson's biggest mistake in the Finals?

Leon Powe scored 21 points in less than 15 minutes on Sunday and was immediately placed into Celtics history and folklore, alongside guys like Scott Wedman, M.L. Carr and Cedric Maxwell. Powe's story is pretty amazing, as he came out of an incredibly tough childhood to make it to the NBA. I remember my buddy Kelin telling me a couple years ago that Powe was a super-sleeper in the draft. I think I may have bumped him up a bit in my rankings, but I don't think anyone could have predicted he'd have such a huge impact in the Finals this year. If Kevin Garnett wasn't around, Powe would be a nice sleeper for next season, but he can only do so much in a reserve role.

Agent Zero

Gilbert Arenas officially opted out of his contract on Friday and is now an unrestricted free agent. The Wizards say they will do whatever they can to re-sign both him and fellow URFA Antawn Jamison, while Agent Zero has even said he'll take less money if it helps keep Jamison around. We'll know soon enough if Arenas is telling the truth or not, but all indications are that both parties want to keep him in Washington. Arenas is going to likely go to the highest bidder though, and is looking for six years and $120 million clams. Arenas will be an automatic first-round pick next year in Washington, but as with other soon-to-be free agents, his value could take a hit if he were to sign with the wrong team.

Coaching Carousel

The coaching carousel appears to be grinding to a halt, although we're still waiting to learn the fate of Mike Woodson and his staff in Atlanta. I get the feeling Rick Sund is going to keep them around, but who knows?

Jerry Reinsdorf is catching a ton of heat in Chicago for letting Mike D'Antoni and Doug Collins get away, and then signing the least expensive guy possible in Vinnie Del Negro. Vinnie has never spent a second on an NBA bench as a coach, but was the assistant GM in Phoenix. Prior to that he was in the Suns' radio booth and a player for the Spurs. The Chicago media has been brutal on Reinsdorf, who seems to care much more about his baseball team than he does his hoops team. I guess the same could be said of some fantasy owners playing multiple sports, but we don't have the entire city of Chicago wanting our head on a platter. Personally, I tend to agree with the critics and think that Reinsdorf should have waited and try to hire Tom Thibodeau after the Finals, or should have taken a look at Avery Johnson or hired Dwane Casey. I can't imagine any Bulls fan looking at the Del Negro hiring and thinking to themselves, "Sweet!"

Terry Porter will get another chance in the NBA with the Suns. He was run out of Milwaukee after less than a couple seasons and should have better luck after being handed Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, Shaquille O'Neal and company.

Michael Curry is now the Pistons coach and should do a nice job. He already has the respect of his team, which is more than can be said of Flip Saunders. Saunders lost the team and Chris Webber deserves some credit for throwing that out there at halftime on TNT a few weeks ago.

Tidbits
Carmelo Anthony, Michael Redd, Rasheed Wallace and Chauncey Billups are all being mentioned in numerous trade rumors, although Melo's agent came out and said that Melo's not being traded. The Nuggets probably have to do something to shake things up, so I would not be surprised to see Melo get moved.

UNC point guard Ty Lawson made the dumbest move since Marshawn Lynch last weekend, getting pulled over for thumping his sub woofer too loud and then getting busted for drinking and driving. Several teams were targeting him between the 10th and 20th picks, but he might be headed back to Carolina now. I know the Pacers won't be willing to take a chance on him now, as they've got enough public relations concerns without adding Lawson to the mix. But I also know they were looking at him before the bust. And the same can probably be said about the Nuggets, who have been burned by several non-flattering Melo moments over the past several years.

The latest news on Shaun Livingston's not great. He still needs 90 minutes of therapy before he can participate in non-basketball drills and still isn't playing full court basketball. I would love to see him make a comeback, but it's hard to imagine his knee ever being strong enough to do so. I mean, he was fragile and injury prone before his knee turned sideways. There's now talk of him coming back as a small forward, but that would still require him to run and cut on his knee. Hopefully I'm wrong, but I'm not sure we'll ever see him play in the NBA again.

Dwyane Wade says his knee is feeling great and he should be ready for the Olympics. Hopefully he comes out Beijing in one piece and can go back to being a fantasy stud again next season.

Josh Smith and Josh Childress are restricted free agents, and along with figuring out who their coach is, the Hawks have to come correct with some big offers for these two young studs if they want to keep them around. If the Hawks fail to sign them to big deals this summer and they end up signing qualifying offers, they're gone after this season. And as a Hawks fan, that won't sit well with me. Here is a free agent list for you to think about this summer.

Restricted Free Agents – Guys who will be "playing for a contract" if they sign a one-year qualifying offer with their team. If they do so, they'll become unrestricted free agents next summer.

Hawks - Josh Childress, Josh Smith, Salim Stoudamire, Mario West
Celtics - Tony Allen
Bobcats - Ryan Hollins, Emeka Okafor
Bulls - Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Demetris Nichols
Cavaliers - Daniel Gibson, Dwayne Jones, Delonte West
Mavericks - Jose Barea
Nuggets - Yakhouba Diawara, Bobby Jones, J.R. Smith
Pistons - Walter Herrmann
Warriors – Andris Biedrins, Monta Ellis
Rockets – Carl Landry
Pacers – David Harrison, Andre Owens
Clippers – Paul Davis, Shaun Livingston
Lakers – Ronny Turiaf, Sasha Vujacic
Grizzlies – Andre Brown, Juan Carlos Navarro
Heat – Chris Quinn, Dorell Wright
Timberwolves – Ryan Gomes, Chris Richard, Craig Smith, Kirk Snyder, Sebastian Telfair
Nets – Nenad Krstic
Knicks – Randolph Morris
Magic – James Augustine
Sixers – Louis Amundson, Herbert Hill, Andre Iguodala, Shavlik Randolph, Lou Williams
Blazers – Von Wafer
Sonics – Mickael Gelabale, Robert Swift
Raptors – Jose Calderon, Carlos Delfino
Jazz – C.J. Miles

Unrestricted Free Agents - These guys are free to sign with any team this summer. Not a great summer for big-named free agents.

Celtics – Sam Cassell, Eddie House, Scot Pollard
Bobcats – Derek Anderson
Bulls – Shannon Brown, Chris Duhon
Cavaliers – Devin Brown
Mavericks – Malik Allen, Devean George, Juwan Howard, Tyronn Lue, Jamaal Magloire, Antoine Wright
Nuggets - Anthony Carter, Eduardo Najera
Pistons – Juan Dixon, Jarvis Hayes, Lindsey Hunter, Theo Ratliff
Warriors – Matt Barnes, Austin Croshere, Patrick O'Bryant, Mickael Pietrus
Rockets – Dikembe Mutombo
Pacers – Kareem Rush
Clippers – Dan Dickau, Quinton Ross
Lakers – Ira Newble
Grizzlies – Kwame Brown, Casey Jacobsen
Heat – Earl Barron, Ricky Davis, Alonzo Mourning, Jason Williams
Bucks – Royal Ivey, Michael Ruffin, Jake Voskuhl
Timberwolves – Michael Doleac
Nets – Darrell Armstrong, DeSagana Diop, Bostjan Nachbar
Hornets – Ryan Bowen, Bonzi Wells
Knicks – Fred Jones
Magic – Carlos Arroyo, Keyon Dooling, Maurice Evans, Pat Garrity
Sixers – Kevin Ollie
Suns – Gordan Giricek, Sean Marks, Eric Piatkowski, Brian Skinner
Kings – Anthony Johnson, Beno Udrih, Lorenzen Wright
Spurs – Brent Barry, Michael Finley, Robert Horry, Kurt Thomas
Sonics – Francisco Elson
Raptors – Primoz Brezec
Wizards – Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison, Roger Mason

Option Players - PO = Player Option. Player can opt out of contract and become unrestricted. TO = Team Option. Team decides whether to re-sign or make player unrestricted free agent. ETO = Early Termination Option. Player can end his contract and become unrestricted free agent. This is where most of the big names are lurking (Iverson, Brand, Maggette, Marion, etc.)

Celtics – James Posey (PO)
Bobcats – Jermareo Davidson, Othella Harrington (TO)
Mavericks – Eddie Jones (PO)
Nuggets – Allen Iverson (ETO)
Warriors – Kelenna Azubuike (PO), Baron Davis (ETO)
Rockets – Steve Francis (PO), Steve Novak (TO)
Pacers – Stephen Graham (TO), Jermaine O'Neal (ETO)
Clippers – Elton Brand, Corey Maggette (ETO), Smush Parker (PO)
Lakers – Trevor Ariza, Chris Mihm (PO)
Heat – Shawn Marion (ETO)
Bucks – Awvee Storey (TO)
Nets – Stromile Swift (PO)
Hornets – Melvin Ely, Jannero Pargo (PO)
Knicks – Stephon Marbury – (ETO)
Magic – Keith Bogans, Adonal Foyle (PO)
Sixers – Calvin Booth (PO)
Suns – Grant Hill (PO)
Blazers – James Jones (PO), Raef LaFrentz (ETO)
Kings – Ron Artest, Kenny Thomas (ETO)
Spurs – Jacque Vaughn (PO)
Raptors – Rasho Nesterovic (PO)
Jazz – Jason Hart (PO), Paul Millsap (TO)

NBA Draft Lottery Mock - This one varies slightly from the last one I posted, which is here. I'm sure I'll change my mind again next week. The killer is Memphis. They've got enough guards already and would love to see Lopez fall to them. But I don't see Lopez getting by Minnesota, leaving the Grizzlies with a Kevin Love or Anthony Randolph at No. 5. Or they can take the best player available, which would be O.J. Mayo or Eric Gordon. The Bobcats are also confusing, but could really use a center. I'm just not sure that DeAndre Jordan is the answer. I could also see them taking Danilo Gallinari at No. 9. Out of all the mocks I've seen, I've got Gallinari the lowest, but I just can't find a place to put him. If I wasn't convinced the Clippers will take a point guard, it would probably make things easier on me. Most mocks have the Clips taking Gordon, who can probably play some point guard in the NBA. Gordon's more of a scorer and I'd rather take a true PG like Westbrook or Augustin if I'm locked into taking one. But in the scheme of things, I think Gordon might end up being the third best player in this draft. We'll see. Draft night should be fun, as I don't remember there being this many question marks in previous years. I'm almost certain I won't get off to the blistering start I did last year, when I picked 8-of-8 to start and just had No. 9 and 10 reversed. I don't see that kind of success coming my way this time around, but things may become a little clearer once the Finals end and the beat writers start digging deeper into draft coverage.

1. Bulls – PG Derrick Rose (Memphis)
2. Heat – F Michael Beasley (Kansas State)
3. Wolves – C Brook Lopez (Stanford)
4. Sonics – G Jerryd Bayless (Arizona)
5. Grizzlies – F Kevin Love (UCLA)
6. Knicks – G O.J. Mayo (USC)
7. Clippers – PG Russell Westbrook (UCLA)
8. Bucks – SG Eric Gordon (Indiana)
9. Bobcats – C DeAndre Jordan (Texas A&M)
10. Nets – F Anthony Randolph (LSU)
11. Pacers – PG D.J. Augustin (Texas)
12. Kings – F Danilo Gallinari (Italy)
13. Blazers – F Darrell Arthur (Kansas)
14. Warriors – F Joe Alexander (West Virginia)

2008-09 Fantasy Top 24 Update I left Elton Brand off last week, so here's a quick revision. A "maybe" next to a player's name means they might be on the verge of becoming a free agent.

Round 1

1. LeBron James – F – Cavaliers
2. Kobe Bryant – G – Lakers
3. Chris Paul – PG – Hornets
4. Amare Stoudemire – PF/C – Suns
5. Dwyane Wade – G – Heat
6. Gilbert Arenas – G – Wizards (maybe)
7. Steve Nash – PG – Suns
8. Shawn Marion – F – Heat (maybe)
9. Elton Brand – F – Clippers (maybe)
10. Dirk Nowitzki – F - Mavericks
11. Kevin Garnett – F - Celtics
12. Josh Smith – F – Hawks

Round 2

13. Allen Iverson – G – Nuggets (maybe)
14. Baron Davis – PG – Warriors (maybe)
15. Deron Williams – PG - Jazz
16. Caron Butler – G/F - Wizards
17. Marcus Camby – C - Nuggets
18. Carlos Boozer – F - Jazz
19. Rudy Gay – F - Grizzlies
20. Carmelo Anthony – F - Nuggets
21. Danny Granger – F – Pacers
22. Chris Bosh – F/C - Raptors
23. Paul Pierce – F – Celtics
24. Al Jefferson – F/C – Timberwolves

My Morning Jacket's new record, Evil Urges is out today and I really like what I've heard, although I'll admit I haven't had enough time to fully absorb it yet. The two songs they played on Saturday Night Live last month (Evil Urges and I'm Amazed) are here, and are probably my two early favorites on the disc. The third song, Highly Suspicious, is generating a lot of buzz on the internet due to the fact it kinda sounds like Jim James is channeling Prince in one of the most experimental songs the band has ever put on record. It's definitely a different sound, but it's growing on my quickly and is kinda fun. You'll know what I'm talking about when you hear James sing the lyric "peanut butter pudding surprise!" for the first time. It really reminds me of the first time I heard It Ain't Nothin' To Me on Tom Petty's Southern Accents. It was different and didn't seem to fit in, but I wouldn't have that song removed from that album even if I could. It belongs there and I want it there.

Evil Urges will definitely play well as a live record and I can't wait to see them play 'Suspicious live, as I'm guessing it will bring smiles from all in attendance, including the band. EU sounds like a new MMJ record to me and is perfect for the summer, as I get the feeling it should be listened to outdoors. They're playing Bonnaroo this weekend and if you're lucky enough to be going, send me a note and tell me about your weekend.

[Hache Man]

Free Agent Breakdown

This early in the offseason – oops – it's not even the offseason yet. Despite the fact it's mid June and your fantasy hoops league has likely been over for two months and the winners have received their checks, the season is still lingering on. Free agency news will pick up in the next few days as players will start opting out and then negotiations can start in July. Here's a look at this summer's restricted free agents, unrestricted free agents and option players, who could end up back with their teams or a free agent.

Restricted Free Agents – Guys who will be "playing for a contract" if they sign a one-year qualifying offer with their team. If they do so, they'll become unrestricted free agents next summer.

Hawks - Josh Childress, Josh Smith, Salim Stoudamire, Mario West
Celtics - Tony Allen bostonceltics.ws
Bobcats - Ryan Hollins, Emeka Okafor
Bulls - Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Demetris Nichols
Cavaliers - Daniel Gibson, Dwayne Jones, Delonte West
Mavericks - Jose Barea dallasmavericks.com
Nuggets - Yakhouba Diawara, Bobby Jones, J.R. Smith
Pistons - Walter Herrmann
Warriors – Andris Biedrins, Monta Ellis
Rockets – Carl Landry
Pacers – David Harrison, Andre Owens indianapacers.com
Clippers – Paul Davis, Shaun Livingston
Lakers – Ronny Turiaf, Sasha Vujacic
Grizzlies – Andre Brown, Juan Carlos Navarro
Heat – Chris Quinn, Dorell Wright
Timberwolves – Ryan Gomes, Chris Richard, Craig Smith, Kirk Snyder, Sebastian Telfair
Nets – Nenad Krstic
Knicks – Randolph Morris
Magic – James Augustine
Sixers – Louis Amundson, Herbert Hill, Andre Iguodala, Shavlik Randolph, Lou Williams
Blazers – Von Wafer
Sonics – Mickael Gelabale, Robert Swift
Raptors – Jose Calderon, Carlos Delfino
Jazz – C.J. Miles utahjazz.com

Restricted Free Agent Notes - Josh Smith, Emeka Okafor, Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Andris Biedrins, Monta Ellis, Carl Landry, Andre Iguodala and Jose Calderon are the big names on this list. Teams are going to come calling, but most of these players will remain with their current teams. Their offers will be matched by their current teams, they'll work out a new deal with their new teams, the offer won't be matched and they'll move to a new team, or they'll sign a qualifying offer which will allow them to become unrestricted free agents next summer.

Unrestricted Free Agents - These guys are free to sign with any team this summer. Not a great summer for big-named free agents.

Celtics – Sam Cassell, Eddie House, Scot Pollard bostonceltics.ws
Bobcats – Derek Anderson
Bulls – Shannon Brown, Chris Duhon
Cavaliers – Devin Brown
Mavericks – Malik Allen, Devean George, Juwan Howard, Tyronn Lue, Jamaal Magloire, Antoine Wright dallasmavericks.com
Nuggets - Anthony Carter, Eduardo Najera
Pistons – Juan Dixon, Jarvis Hayes, Lindsey Hunter, Theo Ratliff
Warriors – Matt Barnes, Austin Croshere, Patrick O'Bryant, Mickael Pietrus
Rockets – Dikembe Mutombo
Pacers – Kareem Rush indianapacers.com
Clippers – Dan Dickau, Quinton Ross
Lakers – Ira Newble
Grizzlies – Kwame Brown, Casey Jacobsen
Heat – Earl Barron, Ricky Davis, Alonzo Mourning, Jason Williams
Bucks – Royal Ivey, Michael Ruffin, Jake Voskuhl
Timberwolves – Michael Doleac
Nets – Darrell Armstrong, DeSagana Diop, Bostjan Nachbar
Hornets – Ryan Bowen, Bonzi Wells
Knicks – Fred Jones
Magic – Carlos Arroyo, Keyon Dooling, Maurice Evans, Pat Garrity
Sixers – Kevin Ollie
Suns – Gordan Giricek, Sean Marks, Eric Piatkowski, Brian Skinner
Kings – Anthony Johnson, Beno Udrih, Lorenzen Wright sacramentokings.com
Spurs – Brent Barry, Michael Finley, Robert Horry, Kurt Thomas
Sonics – Francisco Elson
Raptors – Primoz Brezec
Wizards – Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison, Roger Mason

Unrestricted Free Agent Notes - Matt Barnes, Mickael Pietrus, Kwame Brown, Ricky Davis, Bonzi Wells, Fred Jones, Carlos Arroyo, Gordan Giricek, Beno Udrih, Michael Finley, Kurt Thomas, Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison are the guys on this list who will garner some attention. Obviously, Arenas and Jamison are easily the cream of the crop here, and both players are talking about re-signing with the Wizards. But anything can happen between July 1 and the start of the season, so it's impossible to try to predict what will happen with these players. Dikembe Mutombo hopes to return to the Rockets, while Alonzo Mourning doesn't want to shut it down just yet, hoping to return to the Heat. We'll see.

Option Players - PO = Player Option. Player can opt out of contract and become unrestricted. TO = Team Option. Team decides whether to re-sign or make player unrestricted free agent. ETO = Early Termination Option. Player can end his contract and become unrestricted free agent. This is where most of the big names are lurking (Iverson, Brand, Maggette, Marion, etc.)

Celtics – James Posey (PO) bostonceltics.ws
Bobcats – Jermareo Davidson, Othella Harrington (TO)
Mavericks – Eddie Jones (PO) dallasmavericks.com
Nuggets – Allen Iverson (ETO)
Warriors – Kelenna Azubuike (PO), Baron Davis (ETO)
Rockets – Steve Francis (PO), Steve Novak (TO)
Pacers – Stephen Graham (TO), Jermaine O'Neal (ETO) indianapacers.com
Clippers – Elton Brand, Corey Maggette (ETO), Smush Parker (PO)
Lakers – Trevor Ariza, Chris Mihm (PO)
Heat – Shawn Marion (ETO)
Bucks – Awvee Storey (TO)
Nets – Stromile Swift (PO)
Hornets – Melvin Ely, Jannero Pargo (PO)
Knicks – Stephon Marbury – (ETO)
Magic – Keith Bogans, Adonal Foyle (PO)
Sixers – Calvin Booth (PO)
Suns – Grant Hill (PO)
Blazers – James Jones (PO), Raef LaFrentz (ETO)
Kings – Ron Artest, Kenny Thomas (ETO) sacramentokings.com
Spurs – Jacque Vaughn (PO)
Raptors – Rasho Nesterovic (PO)
Jazz – Jason Hart (PO), Paul Millsap (TO) utahjazz.com

Option Player Notes - Jermaine O'Neal will be "opting in," meaning he'll stay with the Pacers unless he's traded, and then become a free agent next summer.

Elton Brand, Shawn Marion and Baron Davis are the big question marks here, and could be opting out. Allen Iverson, Corey Maggette, Stephon Marbury and Ron Artest seem to be leaning toward opting in, but you never know. Gilbert Arenas already opted out, so he's in the UFA group now.

Keith Bogans is said to be opting in, while Adonal Foyle will opt out with the Magic

[Hache Man]

When I Win the Lottery

Ty Lawson is headed back to Carolina, along with teammates Wayne Ellington and Danny Green, making the Tar Heels the early favorite to win the NCAA title next season. Lawson's return was a surprise, but he apparently wasn't able to get a guarantee that he'd be taken in the Top 20. His recent alcohol-related arrest certainly didn't help his cause. Chase Budinger is also heading back to school, and in honor of the draft class being set, here's my shot at the top picks we'll see on June 26th at the NBA Draft.

1st Pick: Chicago Bulls – Derrick Rose, PG, Memphis

The Bulls worked out Michael Beasley on Tuesday and liked what they saw. I still think Rose is the No. 1 pick in this draft, but it would not be shocking to see Beasley go here instead. There's a little bit of pressure on the Bulls here, as they could make a huge mistake by taking the wrong player, if the other turns out to be a full-blown superstar. My money is on Rose playing in Chicago.

2nd Pick: Miami Heat – Michael Beasley, F, Kansas State

If the Bulls don't take Beasley first, the Heat almost have to. Yes, there has been some O.J. Mayo chatter here, and it's also very possible the Heat could trade the pick. But if they don't, Beasley should be their man.

3rd Pick: Minnesota Timberwolves – O.J. Mayo, G, USC

I have been predicting big men in this spot, but it's starting to look like Kevin McHale is going to go with the surest thing he can get with the No. 3 pick, which would appear to be Mayo. He's already got a core of young guards with Randy Foye, Rashad McCants, Corey Brewer and Sebastian Telfair, but the reality is Mayo could end up being the best player in this draft. But if they draft by need instead of taking the best player available, Kevin Love or Brook Lopez should go here.

4th Pick: Seattle Supersonics – Jerryd Bayless, G, Arizona

This pick looks to be a sure thing, but you never know. It seems like everyone in cyberspace has Bayless going to Seattle, and I have had it that way for a few weeks now.

5th Pick: Memphis Grizzlies – Brook Lopez, C, Stanford

I have no idea what Memphis will do here, but a big man like Lopez or Kevin Love makes sense. Pau Gasol was given away, Kwame Brown is possibly the biggest bust in the history of the league, Stromile Swift is…I'm not even going there. And Darko Milicic appears to be ready to give Kwame some competition for his ugly title. And now Memphis is doing a lot of talking about bringing Gasol's brother, Marc, over, although who knows when and if that will happen? They need a big man, and Lopez or Love fit the bill.

6th Pick: New York Knicks – Eric Gordon, G, Indiana

I think the Knicks really, really want Mayo here, but he should be long gone. I could also see them taking a big man like Anthony Randolph or a point guard like Russell Westbrook here. But I think Gordon will be the best player on the board here and he is trying to convince people he can play point guard, as well as shooting guard, which should highly interest the Knicks.

7th Pick: Los Angeles Clippers – Russell Westbrook, PG, UCLA

Yes, Shaun Livingston has been cleared for basketball exercises. No, he's not close to playing at full speed again yet, and may never be again. The Clippers have a gaping hole at point guard and I'm not sure they can afford to pass on Westbrook or D.J. Augustin here.

8th Pick: Milwaukee Bucks – Kevin Love, F, UCLA

I have no idea what the Bucks are going to do here. There are rumors they'll trade the pick, there are rumors that they're going to trade Charlie Villanueva and Yi Jianlian, there are rumors Michael Redd is going to Cleveland and they've got a new GM. They don't really need a Love at this point, but might if they make some moves. Joe Alexander is going to the Bucks according to Chad Ford, but there is too much uncertainty in Milwaukee to really nail this one down. And if Eric Gordon is still sitting out there when the Bucks pick, go ahead and put him in a Bucks jersey.

9th Pick: Charlotte Bobcats – Joe Alexander, F, West Virginia

The Bobcats are another mystery team who would probably gladly take Love or Lopez if they're still available at nine. That would allow Emeka Okafor to focus solely on playing power forward. They could go point guard to find some relief for Raymond Felton, or they could need Alexander if they end up trading Gerald Wallace, as some rumors say they're going to do. I could easily see the Bucks ending up with Alexander and the Cats then taking Love, but we'll have to wait and see.

10th Pick: New Jersey Nets – Danilo Gallinari, F, Italy

If you believe the chatter coming out of Dave D'Alessandro and New Jersey, the Nets have promised to take Gallinari at 10. That doesn't mean that another team, including the Bobcats, couldn't take him before that. But as of now, Gallinari to the Nets is about the closest thing we have to a sure bet, along with Bayless to Seattle.

11th Pick: Indiana Pacers – D.J. Augustin, PG, Texas
indianapacers.com
The Pacers could use a little bit of everything. They are still trying to replace Reggie Miller, Jermaine O'Neal is on his last legs and is about to be put out to pasture, and Jamaal Tinsley is about as welcome in Indy as Michael Vick is at the humane society. I think PG is their top priority, but they could take Love if he's still on the board, or Anthony Randolph. But if Augustin, Westbrook or Gordon are still available here, look for them to take that player.

12th Pick: Sacramento Kings – Anthony Randolph, F, LSU
sacramentokings.com
The Kings have a boatload of power forwards, but they're all pretty bad. I'm not sure Randolph will even get by the Knicks at No. 6, but if he's on the board when it's the Kings turn, is looks like a match made in heaven.

13th Pick: Portland Trailblazers – Darrell Arthur, PF, Kansas

Arthur is 6-9, 230 and quite athletic. He should be a decent NBA shot blocker and could become a double-double machine. He's not a great free throw shooter and is going to be foul prone as a rookie. In other words, it's probably going to take him a couple seasons to figure out how the NBA works. But he looks like a lottery pick and would appear to be a good fit in Portland. But there's also a great chance the Blazers will trade this pick.

14th Pick: Golden State Warriors – Brandon Rush, G, Kansas

I haven't had Rush listed in the Top 14 up to this point, but he will probably be a lottery pick. Had he not hurt his knee last year, he might have been a lottery pick then, as well. Monta Ellis is a free agent and things have gotten dicey between Don Nelson and Baron Davis. Rush should be a very solid pro and the Warriors may need a good shooting guard in the near future. Especially after the Sarunas Jasikevicius and Marco Belinelli experiments failed over the last couple years.

Ongoing Ranking Lists

Other sites run a fantasy list of the Top 50 or so fantasy players, updated constantly throughout the year. I've considered doing something similar, but it doesn't seem to make much sense since there are so many scoring formats. Dwight Howard, for instance, is ranked so differently depending on your format.

Per Basketballmonster.com:

Leagues counting 9 cats, inc. TO and FT% - 87th
Leagues counting 8 cats, no TO, and FT% - 49th
Leagues counting 8 cats, no TO, and FTM - 2nd

So my question is, would you guys like to see an ongoing rankings list for the Top 100 or so, or are you like me, and think it's basically useless unless we created three or four lists, one for each of the most popular scoring systems?

Tiger

While it's off topic, I'll say a few words about Tiger Woods, since most of you probably couldn't help but follow the action for Monday's historic playoff win against Rocco Mediate.

I've seen several online takes that A. Tiger's knee injury will end his career before he gets Jack Nicklaus' record, and B. That he's not the greatest athlete of all time because he plays golf, which isn't a "real sport."

I don't know if Tiger is the greatest athlete in history or not. Muhammad Ali, Pele, Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, maybe a pre-roids baseball player or two, might have something to say about that. But in my mind, he is the greatest clutch performer in the history of sports. And he is easily the most talented golfer we've ever seen. Like his dad says in the new commercial. "Tiger, I promise you that you'll never meet another person as mentally tough as you in your entire life. He hasn't, and he never will."

As for the knee injury, yes, it is a concern. But keep in mind the guy hadn't played in a couple months, let alone even walked 18 holes. He was fresh off of knee surgery and knew he was playing much sooner than he should have been. But unless he did more damage to the knee by playing, once he lets it fully heal, he should be good to go. He's had three knee surgeries, but that's one of the benefits of being a golfer. He doesn't have to run or cut on it. Torque is obviously his No. 1 enemy at this point.

He's only four major championships short of Jack's record, and I still think he's going to break it, even if he only plays six times per year the rest of his career. I really haven't watched much golf at all this year, but am really pleased with the return on the investment of my 10 or so hours in front of the television on Sunday and Monday.

[Hache Man]

The Final Mockdown
I've been watching a lot of NBA Drafts of days gone by lately, and they always make for some interesting viewing. While you often hear folks defending the Blazers for taking Sam Bowie instead of Michael Jordan (they already had Clyde Drexler), the chatter about Bowie's injury history as he was selected was spot on. The guy was never healthy, and everyone seemed to know there was a pretty good chance of that being the case when he was drafted.

On Monday night, I watched the following players get drafted ahead of Kobe Bryant: Lorenzen Wright (Clippers), Kerry Kittles (Nets), Samaki Walker (Mavs), Erick Dampier (Pacers), Todd Fuller (Warriors) and Vitaly Potapenko (Cavs). Kobe was finally taken at No. 13 by the Charlotte Hornets before being sent to the Lakers for Vlade Divac. And some other guys who were actually drafted after Todd Fuller and Kobe? Steve Nash, Peja Stojakovic, Jermaine O'Neal and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Crazy stuff. Of course, Kobe and agent Arn Tellem weren't going to play for anyone but L.A., but I'm guessing the Warriors would have rather had Divac instead of Fuller in hindsight.

I also enjoyed seeing a robust Charles Barkley say that he wasn't mad at coach Bobby Knight for cutting him from the Olympic Team, agreeing with Knight that his defense wasn't good enough to make the team.

As for this year, once Derrick Rose is taken by the Bulls and Michael Beasley goes to the Heat, all bets are off. Last year's draft was predictable enough that even a guy like me could figure out who the Top 10 were going to be, but that won't be the case this year. Expect the unexpected on Thursday night. Here's my best guess. And once we get the draft out of the way, we'll start taking a look at sleepers, busts and everything else you might care about fantasy-wise as we start thinking about the 2008-09 season.

Final Mock Draft – 2008

1. Chicago Bulls - PG Derrick Rose, Memphis

It's Rose or Beasley here, but I don't see John Paxson passing on Rose.

2. Miami Heat - F Michael Beasley, Kansas State

There was some early Mayo talk and the Dwyane Wade trade rumors are still swirling, but Beasley seems like the most obvious, and easiest, route to take for Pat Riley.

3. Minnesota Timberwolves - G O.J. Mayo, USC

Mayo could be the most talented player in this draft and Kevin McHale can't afford to get this wrong. Look for him to take the safe way out. There's also a decent chance this pick could be traded.

4. Seattle SuperSonics - G Eric Gordon, Indiana

The Sonics were said to be taking Jerryd Bayless since day one, but things have apparently changed in Seattle. Bayless is still a real option to go here, but so are Eric Gordon and Russell Westbrook. The Sonics still have several point guards on the roster, though not many of them are very good. Gordon could fill the void at shooting guard, allowing Kevin Durant to move to his natural position of small forward. Then again, Gordon could also play point guard if necessary. But honestly, I have no idea who the Sonics are going to select here, and I'm not sure they do either. Oh, and just like with every other first-round pick, this one is up for sale as well.

And don't put it past the Sonics to take another center (Brook Lopez?) with a high pick. They're recent center-drafting history is laughable: Nick Collison at No. 12 in 2003, Robert Swift at No. 12 in '04, Johan Petro at No. 25 in '05 and Mohammed Sene at No. 10 in '06. Thankfully, Kevin Durant stopped the madness last year.

5. Memphis Grizzlies - F Kevin Love, UCLA

There's some talk of the Grizzlies taking a guard here, but the simple fact is they need a big man, and already have Kyle Lowry and Mike Conley in the backcourt, just to name a few.

6. New York Knicks - PG Russell Westbrook, UCLA

The Knicks want a point guard, so Westbrook or Bayless seem to make sense here. There's some Danilo Gallinari chatter out there, but I don't see the Knicks going there if Westbrook is sitting there.

7. Los Angeles Clippers - PG Jerryd Bayless, Arizona

The Clips are going to take a point guard, so whoever is left on the board when they pick is whom they're going to take. My guess is they'll be thrilled to come out of this with either Bayless, Westbrook, Mayo or Gordon. And if all four of them are gone, D.J. Augustin could get a very high selection from the Clips.

8. Milwaukee Bucks - F Joe Alexander, West Virginia

They've had him in twice, appear to be done with Charlie Villanueva and all signs are pointing to Alexander here.

9. Charlotte Bobcats - C Brook Lopez, Stanford

The Cats want a point guard, but the sure things should all be off the board by the time they pick, with the exception of D.J. Augustin. And he's not thought to be a sure thing. They need a center so that Emeka Okafor can play power forward, and Lopez could be a steal this late.

10. New Jersey Nets - SF Danilo Gallinari, Italy

The Nets reportedly have made a promise to Gallinari, and should take him if the Knicks don't grab him at No. 6.

11. Indiana Pacers - PG D.J. Augustin, Texas
indianapacers.com
The Pacers would love to see Westbrook, Gordon or any other potential PG here, but they're likely to all be gone. Jamaal Tinsley's career in Indy appears to be over, so Augustin looks like the pick.

12. Sacramento Kings - PF Anthony Randolph, LSU
sacramentokings.com
The Kings have several under-performing power forwards, so Randolph looks to make sense here. It may be a little high for the big man, but that is where I'm going.

13. Portland Trailblazers - PG Mario Chalmers, Kansas

The Blazers want a point guard, but Chalmers may not be the answer to that question. If any first-round pick is almost guaranteed to be traded, it's this one. But if they keep it, Chalmers or Brandon Rush seem to make a little sense here.

14. Golden State Warriors - SG Brandon Rush, Kansas

Baron Davis won't be around forever and Monta Ellis may be their point guard of the future. They seem to be set at C with Andris Biedrins, so Rush looks good here. Plus he could be a very good NBA player to be taken at the end of the lottery picks.

15. Phoenix Suns - C Kosta Koufos, Ohio State

Freestylin' Shaquille O'Neal isn't going to be around forever, and Koufos could end up replacing him down the line. It's really tough to tell what Phoenix will do here, but Koufos or Rush appear to be likely draft candidates. Koufos has been impressive in workouts this summer.

16. Philadelphia 76ers - PF Darrell Arthur, Kansas

The Sixers could use a solid forward after the Chris Webber disaster and with guys like Louis Amundson, Shavlik Randolph, Herbert Hill and Reggie Evans on the roster. Arthur could end up starting and can score in a variety of ways.

17. Toronto Raptors - C Alexis Ajinca, France

The Raptors are looking to add size and toughness down low. I'm not sure Ajinca is the answer, but it looks like Robin Lopez or Ajinca could get the call here. Then again, this pick is up for sale and there's still the possibility of a T.J. Ford for Jermaine O'Neal swap, which would likely include this pick if it happens.

18. Washington Wizards - C Robin Lopez, Stanford

The Wizards could go any number of directions here, but with Etan Thomas' heart concern and the likes of Brendan Haywood, Oleksiy Pecherov and Andray Blatche still awaiting the verdict of the jury on the rest of their pro careers, Brooks' brother could get the call. If they keep Antawn Jamison and Gilbert Arenas, they should be set at most other positions, making a flier at center plausible.

19. Cleveland Cavaliers - C Roy Hibbert, Georgetown

The Jazz desperately want to see Hibbert available four picks from now, but his stock appears to be on the rise. Zydrunas Ilgauskas seems to be winding his career down and the Cavs are going to need a big sooner than later. I like Hibbert, and Chad Ford also sees him landing in Cleveland.

Here's where things really get dicey. At this point, we're not sure what teams will be thinking, and the talent pool is dwindling quickly.

20. Denver Nuggets - C Marreese Speights, Florida

Marcus Camby's career is starting to wind down and Speights is a talented big man who might be ready to contribute right away. With Nene's health concerns and Camby's age, Speights could be called into action sooner than later.

21. New Jersey Nets - PF JeVale McGee, Nevada

If the Nets take Gallinari, they're going to probably be looking for a big body here, with McGee and J.J. Hickson looking like the two most likely candidates. McGee is all upside, but he'll have plenty of competition from guys like Josh Boone, DeSagana Diop, Sean Williams, Nenad Krstic, and dare I say, Stromile Swift. If the Nets are intent on moving Richard Jefferson, SF Donte' ****** could go here.

22. Orlando Magic - SG Chris Douglas-Roberts, Memphis

The Magic need a shooting guard with Maurice Evans's status in limbo (free agent) and most of their other shooting guards on the free agent market, so Douglas-Roberts seems to fit a need. J.J. Redick is still around, but I just don't think he's the answer.

23. Utah Jazz - PF Jason Thompson, Rider
utahjazz.com
The Jazz would like to see Hibbert or McGee here, but I don't see it happening. Therefore, Thompson or J.J. Hickson makes sense. But even taking a big man with Paul Millsap, Mehmet Okur and Carlos Boozer around doesn't make complete sense. Maybe they'll target a shooting guard instead?

24. Seattle SuperSonics - PF J.J. Hickson, N.C. State

Chad likes Sam Presti getting creative and taking Serge Ibaka out of the Congo here, but after the Sene debacle, I'm thinking maybe they'll play it safe. Hickson is a big body and will probably end up being a better version of Chris Wilcox and Nick Collison…When the Sonics tip it up in Oklahoma City. That ain't right.

25. Houston Rockets - SF Donte' ******, Syracuse

******'s stock has been in a free fall, as scouts say the shooter just isn't ready yet. We'll see. He could still be surprise lottery pick, but I don't think he's going in the Top 20. I'm not sure he fills a need for the Rockets, but I also can't see him falling any further than this.

26. San Antonio Spurs - PF Serge Ibaka, Congo

If anyone knows how to make the most out of overseas picks, it's the Spurs. Tim Duncan won't be around forever and the Spurs can always use another big man. Should Fab Oberto really be an NBA starter? Ibaka, DeAndre Jordan or Ante Tomic make sense here.

27. New Orleans Hornets - SG George Hill, IUPUI

The Hornets have to find a quick replacement for SG Morris Peterson, who was nothing short of terrible last season. Hill, the Summit League Player of the Year, has been solid in workouts and his stock has climbed to the point it would be surprising to see him passed over in the draft. He fills a need for the Hornets and it would make sense for him to end up with Byron Scott, Chris Paul and company.

28. Memphis Grizzlies - C DeAndre Jordan, Texas A&M

I'll be a little surprised to see Jordan fall this far, especially after all the early talk of him being a lottery selection. But the reality is that he averaged eight points and six boards last year, and is probably a few years away from making an impact. If the Grizzlies really are bringing Marc Gasol over, Jordan would have some time to learn the game behind him as a long-term project.

29. Detroit Pistons - SF Bill Walker, Kansas State

This pick looks like a done deal for the Pistons, if Walker's still on the board. His health is a big question, but there's no doubt the talent is there. The Pistons usually pick wisely (Darko be damned), especially once the big names are gone, and Walker looks like a great fit.

30. Boston Celtics - SG Courtney Lee, Western Kentucky
bostonceltics.ws
Chad and I agree on this one and the Celtics could use a young shooting guard to help back up Ray Allen, as Eddie House, who is more of a shooting guard than a point guard, is past his prime. If Lee is gone, George Hill could end up with the champions, which would make for a helluva story for the Indianapolis product.

[Hache Man]

D-Day Is Here: Another Mock
I thought I had posted my final mock draft on Tuesday, but several trades since then, some hedging in Miami, and some lost sleep over inexplicably putting Eric Gordon at No. 4 has me back for more punishment.

The Pacers sent Jermaine O'Neal to the Raptors for T.J. Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, an unnamed player and the No. 17 pick in the draft, giving them a second first-rounder to go along with No. 11.

The Bobcats picked up the Nuggets' No. 20 pick for a future first-rounder.

And the Blazers bought New Orleans' No. 27 pick, supposedly to use on F Ante Tomic.

So, now that cooler heads have prevailed (well, except in Miami), here's what I hope is my final mock draft, at least until the fantasy mocks start rolling out.

1. Chicago Bulls – PG Derrick Rose – This is the only thing we're certain about, and the reality is they could still shock the world and take Michael Beasley. But don't count on that happening.

2. Miami Heat – F Michael Beasley - Do I think Beasley will play for the Heat? Not really. Pat Riley has decided that he is going to do whatever he can to trade this pick. Trade Shawn Marion, trade Beasley, trade D-Wade, sell his championship rings…whatever. But regardless of how much Riley doesn't want Beasley, he has to take him here. Beasley is a friggin' stud and is going to be a great pro. There's no reason for Riley to be acting this way, except that he's going to try to turn Beasley into three solid players. We'll see if he can pull it off. As much as Riley doesn't want to take Beasley here, he simply has to. But don't be surprised if Beasley gets traded for O.J. Mayo, Jerryd Bayless, Russell Westbrook, Eric Gordon, D.J. Augustin, Mike Miller, whoever.

3. Minnesota Timberwolves – G O.J. Mayo - The Wolves could take Brook Lopez or Kevin Love, but after all the hullabaloo about Mayo, I'm not sure even Kevin McHale can pass him up. If he does take Lopez, it probably changes the rest of the draft dramatically and messes up all my picks.

4. Seattle SuperSonics – PG Russell Westbrook - Jerryd Bayless was the pick here for weeks, but the Sonics have soured on him. I threw Eric Gordon in here on Tuesday, but never felt right about it. They may very well go Brook Lopez or Love here, but that would be a bad omen after the last four center busts the Sonics have drafted over the last five years. So I'm gonna go with my gut and say they're going to take the second most exciting true point guard in the draft.

5. Memphis Grizzlies – C Brook Lopez - Memphis is wheeling and dealing and very well may not be making this pick for themselves. Maybe they're paring things down in preparation for a sale? I'm just saying. Lopez makes sense, Love makes sense and Gordon makes sense. Most mocks have Gordon going to Memphis, but I'm going to buck that trend and have them take a center to help replace Gasol. But things are so up in the air here, as they are getting calls from every team in the league…and they're listening.

6. New York Knicks – PG Jerryd Bayless - Everyone now has Danilo Gallinari going here, but I am still thinking point guard. Donnie Walsh would really like to see Westbrook or Mayo available here, and he might make a trade to move up. But if they stick with the pick, Bayless looks good to me.

7. Los Angeles Clippers – G Eric Gordon - Gordon could easily go higher than this, but I feel better having him at No. 7 instead of No. 4.

8. Milwaukee Bucks – F Joe Alexander - He's listed here in every mock on the planet, so go ahead and pencil the Bucks in for someone else.

9. Charlotte Bobcats – F Kevin Love - Love, who is the nephew of Beach Boys singer Mike Love, could easily go before this pick. But who knows? The Cats want a point guard or center, but Love will probably be the best player available. They could also pull off a surprise and go with point guard D.J. Augustin.

10. New Jersey Nets – F Danilo Gallinari - Call me crazy, but all signs 10 days ago said the Nets and Gallinari had poked some needles into their hands and shook on it, blood brother style. There's a new twist though, as the Blazers are said to have offered Jarrett Jack, No. 13 and 33 in exchange for this pick. And with that pick, they'd take D.J. Augustin to run the point in Portland. One high-ranking Portland executive even said something to the effect that Augustin was better right now than any point guard they had on their roster. Stay tuned.

11. Indiana Pacers – PG D.J. Augustin - Even though they have Ford, he's not exactly a guarantee with his chronic neck and back problems. Jamaal Tinsley is done in Indy and Travis Diener, is, um, Travis Diener. If the Blazers do sweep in and take Augustin at No. 10, I have no idea what the Pacers do here. Anthony Randolph? www.indianapacers.ws

12. Sacramento Kings – PF Anthony Randolph - Yeah, he's skinny and his stock is falling. But a lot of teams still love him and he makes perfect sense here. sacramentokings.com

13. Portland Trailblazers – G Mario Chalmers - There's almost no way they have this pick in the end, but if they do, Chalmers seems to make sense.

14. Golden State Warriors – SG Brandon Rush - Baron is as good as gone in the next 365 days, if not sooner. Eventually slide Monta Ellis to PG and then throw Rush out there at the 2?

15. Phoenix Suns – C Kosta Koufos - Shaq's career is winding down.

16. Philadelphia 76ers – PF Darrell Arthur - Reggie Evans is old.

17. Indiana Pacers (traded) – C Roy Hibbert - Pacers love Hibbert and might break Wizards' heart here. Coming out of the draft with Augustin and Hibbert would be viewed as a success. www.indianapacers.ws

18. Washington Wizards – C Alexis Ajinca - Ajinca will add to mediocre big-man collection in Washington, but they'll take Hibbert if he's there.

19. Cleveland Cavaliers – C Robin Lopez - Anderson Varejao may not be in Cleveland much longer, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas is reaching the end of the road.

20. Charlotte Bobcats (traded) – C Marreese Speights - Cats want Hibbert here, but I bet he's gone. Speights could be a steal here and they want someone to fill the paint so Emeka Okafor can play power forward.

21. New Jersey Nets – PF JeVale McGee - Add McGee to the cluster of Nets big men.

22. Orlando Magic – SG Chris Douglas-Roberts - Would be a steal for Orlando here.

23. Utah Jazz – PF J.J. Hickson - They don't need another big, so might look at Donte' ****** instead. www.utahjazz.ws

24. Seattle SuperSonics – C DeAndre Jordan - Better to take a shot at center here instead of at No. 4.

25. Houston Rockets – SF Donte' ****** - Great shooter, but can he do anything else?

26. San Antonio Spurs – F Ryan Anderson - Anderson's stock has been climbing and would make sense here. Great shooter and ready to play in the NBA. Spurs may be foaming at the mouth over this one, even though I didn't even include him in my last mock.

27. Portland Trailblazers – F Ante Tomic - Supposedly bought this pick with Tomic in mind, and have been eyeing him for years.

28. Memphis Grizzlies – SG George Hill - Best player in the draft you've never heard of, out of tiny IUPUI in Indy. If Conley, Lowry or Mike Miller get moved, Hill might make it.

29. Detroit Pistons – F Bill Walker - A solid prospect and possibly best late-value pick on the board - If he proves to be healthy.

30. Boston Celtics – G Courtney Lee - Indy product via Western Kentucky could evolve into solid backup for Ray Allen. bostonceltics.ws

[Hache Man]

Nets big winners on Draft Day
Thursday's draft was pretty entertaining for me, although it's a pretty busy night when you're posting 60 picks and a few trades worth of news blurbs. Anyway, I got the first four picks right and seven total, which actually isn't too bad for this one. It was tough to call, especially when Michael Jordan and the Maloof brothers were involved.

By my calculations, Chad Ford had eight picks correct in his Wednesday edition, and nine picks correct in the mock he released at 7:12 p.m. yesterday, just as the draft was getting ready to kick off. Ford had Lopez going at No. 4 to Seattle, but I was on top of that one, nailing the Russell Westbrook pick. Had I put one final mock out at 7:12 last night, I know I would have had Kevin Love to Memphis (instead of Brook Lopez) and we also knew that the Magic were going to take Courtney Lee at 22. And I might have finally been convinced that the Knicks were going to really take Danilo Gallinari. I think I knew it all along, but just didn't want to believe it. So I'll call that 9.5 picks correct, although I may have changed a couple that would have gone against me. Who knows?

But once the Bobcats took D.J. Augustin instead of Brook Lopez, and once the Kings reached for Jason Thompson at No. 12, it got messy quickly. I was pleased to see George Hill go to the Spurs at No. 26, as I had him going to the Grizzlies at No. 28. Chad didn't have Hill going in the first round, but then again, I didn't have Thompson there, and he ended up being a lottery pick.

Given the fact that I don't really have time to watch college hoops during the season and don't start cramming for the draft until the lottery rolls around, I usually do all right. I guess that's the beauty of the internet, and more proof that trying to predict what these teams are going to do is mostly a crapshoot.

Five Draft-Day Surprises

1. The fall of Darrell Arthur – Arthur was in the green room when the Kings took Thompson, which was just bizarre. He apparently failed to turn in some test results regarding his kidneys, which was supposedly the cause for his fall. Whatever the cause, I know he's better than several guys taken in front of him, and it was kind of cool to see David Stern clapping for him when he finally went at No. 27. It's not often you can use the words 'cool' and 'Stern' in the same sentence, but I did it. Arthur's fall and the subsequent trade-fest that followed were a blurb writer's worst nightmare. He was drafted by the Hornets for the Blazers and then traded to the Rockets before finally landing in Memphis (I think).

1b. The fall of Chris Douglas-Roberts – Almost everyone had him as a first-round pick, but it became pretty clear he should have stayed in school when he was taken by the Nets with the 39th pick.

2. Jason Thompson at No. 12 – The Kings shocked the world by taking Rider's Jason Thompson in the lottery. Rider is not a big school, and it will be interesting to see if Thompson can back up the solid numbers he produced in college, but the odds are clearly not in his favor. The nice thing about being picked well ahead of when you're projected is that people generally want you to succeed (see Renaldo Balkman). So if he sticks around in the league for a few years and pulls down some boards, the Kings will probably be given a pass. Then again, this is the same group of folks who knew what they were doing when they drafted Kevin Martin, so maybe Thompson will turn out to be worth every bit of what he got. But 12 was a stretch.

3. D.J. Augustin at No. 9 – The Bobcats had been hinting they wanted a point guard, but I didn't think Augustin was going to be the pick. And when Brook Lopez was staring them in the face, I had already written up a sweet blurb as to why that was a great thing for the Cats, Lopez, Michael Jordan and Emeka Okafor's fantasy owners. Oops. I understand that Augustin is a true point guard, but they already had a decent one in Raymond Felton, who is now either destined to be traded or eventually become Augustin's backup. I would have taken Lopez here, but what do I know? Jordan, who is already pretty famous for the Kwame Brown debacle, is going to take another pretty big hit if Lopez ends up being as good as most people think he will.

4. Seattle ends up with Serge Ibaka – The Sonics finally drafted a point guard instead of a project at center early, but still didn't let us down. The Westbrook pick was controversial, and many people don't like it, but he's a heckuva defender and I think he has a chance to develop into a solid point guard one day. Then the Sonics went for the great Serge Ibaka with the 24th pick instead of Arthur. Really? Ibaka had already put out a memo to the league that he'll be in Spain for the next five years, and even if he's not going to stick to that plan, do the Sonics really need another 7-0 project? That makes a relatively obscure, first-round big man in five of the last six drafts for Seattle, and I wouldn't be surprised if we never see Ibaka in the NBA.

5. Pacers send Jerryd Bayless to Blazers for Brandon Rush – I like Rush, but to me, Bayless seemed like a perfect fit for Indiana. I think this one might be coming back to bite them, but then again, Rush could end up being a dominant scorer in the league. And if Jarrett Jack wasn't good enough to run Kevin Pritchard's offense, I'm not sure why Larry Bird thinks he'll be good enough to help run his.

I was going to grade every draft, but I think I'm just going to throw out some opinions on winners and losers. I am tired.

Winners

The Nets

They added Yi Jianlian, Bobby Simmons, Brook Lopez, Ryan Anderson, Chris Douglas-Roberts, while only losing Richard Jefferson.

Not only did they get great prospects in Yi, Lopez, Anderson and Douglas-Roberts, but added a solid veteran (if healthy) in Simmons. And then you throw in the fact that they cleared a boatload of cap space to make a run at LeBron James in 2010, and the Nets had a big day. Jay-Z and Bron may be tag-teaming in Jersey in a few years after all.

The Heat

The Heat made the list the second they stopped the nonsense and took the best player in the draft – Michael Beasley. Then you throw in the fact they got some much-needed point guard help by stealing Mario Chalmers in the second round, and it's a winner. Chalmers is Riley's kind of guy and could even be a fantasy sleeper this season. In addition, Darnell Jackson is a true sleeper with nothing but upside. Things are starting to look up for the Heat. And don't forget there's a very good chance Shawn Marion is going to be traded, which should bring some more big names to South Beach.

The Bulls

The Bulls get the obligatory nod here simply because they defied the odds and landed the No. 1 pick, which they used on Derrick Rose. Omer Asik and Sonny Weems are probably nothing to write home about, but it doesn't matter.

The Clippers

The Clips got Eric Gordon at No. 7. Maybe I'm biased because he went to my high school, but he's a great shooter and the Clippers have no backcourt. Gordon should make for a very intriguing fantasy player next year, and even has an outside shot at ROY. I'm not convinced he can be a true point guard, but the Clippers aren't exactly set at shooting guard with Cuttino Mobley, who's not getting any younger. They also got DeAndre Jordan, who some folks thought might be a first-round pick, along with Mike Taylor in the second round.

The Grizzlies

They added O.J. Mayo and Darrell Arthur, but also swapped some baggage for baggage an eight-player deal with the Timberwolves. They got rid of Brian Cardinal's awful contract, but took Marko Jaric's back, which might be even worse. But at least Memphis will get a supermodel in that package. And now they'll have the pleasure of dealing with Antoine Walker, and also picked up Greg Buckner. They sent Kevin Love to the Wolves, along with Mike Miller and Jason Collins. The Grizzlies are still a long way from being a good team, but Mayo has star potential and Arthur was a steal.

Losers

The Bobcats

I hated the way the Cats drafted, especially for a team who wants to start thinking about getting into the playoffs right now. I would have taken Brook Lopez over Augustin, allowing Emeka Okafor to focus solely on playing power forward, which would also be a good thing for his fantasy owners. And if Lopez were gone, I would have taken Bayless. As much as the Bobcats want to blame Felton solely for their troubles, they can't. Now they have a point guard controversy and a rookie who is going to take a couple years to develop. Add in Alexis Ajinca and Kyle Weaver, and this just doesn't look intriguing to me. Let's see what Jordan can turn Felton into on the trade market. David Lee would be a nice place to start.

The Knicks

Adam Morrison has been reborn in New York. Danilo Gallinari is a good shooter, can't play defense and will need a few years to bulk up and learn the NBA game. I hated the Morrison pick last year for the Bobcats and I'm not a fan of the Gallinari pick for the Knicks. Once Westbrook and Mayo were gone, the Knicks decided to go with the Italian Stallion instead of drafting a guard like Eric Gordon, which would have been a much better pick. I've been assuring Knicks fans that their troubles are coming to an end with Donnie Walsh in charge, but I think Mike D'Antoni got to Walsh and "brainwalshed" him on this one. Maybe I'll be wrong and Gallinari will be the next Dirk Nowitzki, but I just don't see that happening.

That said, if the Knicks end up trading David Lee for a good point guard, I might change my mind. And speaking of Lee, it really sounds like he's officially done in New York. He's a valuable asset and the Knicks don't want to pay him when he's due for an extension, as it will cut into their plans for LeBron in 2010. But Lee is probably the most popular player on the team, and moving him is going to raise some eyebrows from the faithful. If they move Lee and Gallinari stinks it up this year, Donnie is going to be feeling the heat quickly from the fans.

The Kings

I don't care if Jason Thompson turns out to be a solid NBA player. Twelve was just too early and there were many players that made more sense. The only good thing I can say about the pick is that they at least drafted for need. Check out this list of "power forwards" now grazing in Sacramento: Kenny Thomas, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Shelden Williams, Mikki Moore and Thompson. It's like a bad joke. They didn't address their need at point guard and then took two other players (Sean Singletary and Patrick Ewing Jr.) who might not be in the league in two years. If Ron Artest was only 90% sure he was opting out prior to the draft, you can bump that up to 99.5% after this.

[Hache Man]

Don't Sleep on Troy
Hello everyone. I'm sure you're glad to know I'm still alive. It pains me that I haven't posted in so long, but between some crazy travel arrangements, a new phone, seven people crammed into a three bedroom condo and the Draft Guide in full production mode, I just haven't had much time. Then again, with all the signings, trades and remaining questions, I'm not sure how much good a post would have done in the meantime.

I decided to get back into the swing of things by breaking it down team-by-team style. I envision this being a two-parter, so here's the first half of the league notes, alphabetically. The second half will (hopefully) hit sometime over the weekend.

Depth charts have been rough drafted on the site, but there are still plenty of question marks out there. Like who will start alongside Al Thornton at forward for the Clippers? And if you want a good laugh, take a look at the Warriors bench. Not pretty. And as usual, trying to figure out the Timberwolves starting lineup is sort of like trying to solve the Rubik's cube.

Atlanta Hawks
Not much to report here. No draft picks, no free agents, no nothing. However, they re-signed coach Mike Woodson and are awaiting for restricted free agents Josh Childress and Josh Smith to receive some pretty ginormous offers from other teams. The Hawks say they're going to match any offers, but as my buddy Rick Kamla said the other day, don't be surprised if the Hawks manage to blow one, if not both, of their prized free agent deals. As a Hawks fan, I certainly hope they're both back, but both players should get a sizeable offer from someone soon. Marvin Williams was suspended for the first game of the season for his flagrant foul on Rajon Rondo in the playoffs, so go ahead and mark him down for an 81-game season – if he can stay healthy.

Opening Day Projected Lineup - PG Mike Bibby, SG Joe Johnson, SF Marvin Williams, PF Josh Smith, C Al Horford. Sixth Man – Josh Childress

Boston Celtics
The Celtics are sitting around trying to figure out if they still have a shot at retaining James Posey. He's going to get a very big offer and is the most prized free agent still on the market. The list of possible destinations is long, so no one seems to have a clue where he might end up. But you can bet he's probably going to a contender. The Cavs seem to be a real possibility, which would be a huge score for Cleveland. They added a couple rookies via the draft in the form of guards J.R. Giddens and Bill Walker, but they won't see the light of day in Boston this season. Kendrick Perkins underwent shoulder surgery, but should be fine by opening night, while Paul Pierce is awaiting the results of an MRI on his knee. Hopefully he'll avoid surgery. www.bostonceltics.ws

Opening Day Projected Lineup - PG Rajon Rondo, SG Ray Allen, SF Paul Pierce, PF Kevin Garnett, C Kendrick Perkins. Sixth Man – James Posey/Eddie House/Leon Powe.

Charlotte Bobcats
The Cats will be coached by Larry Brown and shook things up on draft day, electing for Texas point guard D.J. Augustin instead of big man Brook Lopez. They also added big man Alex Ajinca, but you can put him out of your fantasy mind. Augustin will play, but Raymond Felton is still the starter, at least for now. Emeka Okafor is going to get a big offer from a team like the Clippers, but the Bobcats can match it. Adam Morrison is slowly making his way back from knee surgery, as is draft bust Sean May. Morrison is sporting a new ponytail and goatee, but he might not be ready to break it out on opening night. In fact, if he lost a step, he's going to struggle to play a lot of minutes this season. And it might take him until the new year to get his knee back to full strength. As usual, I'm not a big fan of Morrison, and won't be drafting him on any of my fantasy teams this fall.

Opening Day Projected Lineup - PG Raymond Felton, SG Jason Richardson, SF Gerald Wallace, PF Emeka Okafor, C Nazr Mohammed. Sixth Man – Matt Carroll

Chicago Bulls
Vinny Del Negro is the new Bulls coach, much to the chagrin of most folks in the Windy City. They landed Derrick Rose with the No. 1 pick, but he's already bothered by some right knee tendonitis that kept him out of their last summer league game. How the existing players mesh with Del Negro is the key to their success, but the Bulls figure to be much improved over last season's disaster. One of the big question marks of the summer is where Kirk Hinrich will eventually end up. If he stays in Chicago, you have to think he starts. Backup PG Chris Duhon signed with the Knicks, where he could start. The Bulls also appear to be interested in moving Andres Nocioni, but news out of Chicago has been unbelievably quiet thus far.

Opening Day Projected Lineup - PG Kirk Hinrich, SG Ben Gordon, SF Luol Deng, PF Drew Gooden, C Joakim Noah. Sixth Man – Andres Nocioni/Tyrus Thomas/Derrick Rose – Take your pick. Rose could also start at point guard, but we'll have to wait and see.

Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavs haven't done much in the offseason, but are trying to land James Posey. If successful, it will be a huge coup for the team defensively. They also came out of the draft with J.J. Hickson and Darnell Jackson – yawn.

Opening Day Projected Lineup - PG Delonte West, SG Wally Szczerbiak, SF LeBron James, PF Ben Wallace, C Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Sixth Man – Anderson Varejao (if he isn't traded).

>Dallas Mavericks
The Mavs have had a quiet summer, but have a new coach in Rick Carlisle, who replaces Avery Johnson. Josh Howard has managed to stay quiet this summer, which is a good thing, and the team brought DeSagana Diop back after losing him last year. That should create a timeshare at center between him and Erick Dampier. www.dallasmavericks.ws

Opening Day Projected Lineup - PG Jason Kidd, SG Jason Terry/Jerry Stackhouse, SF Josh Howard, PF Dirk Nowitzki, C Erick Dampier. Sixth Man – Terry/Stackhouse.

Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets pulled off one of the steals of the summer by re-signing starting point guard Anthony Carter for the league minimum. Carter might be a good late-round pick if you find yourself in need of a potential starting point guard, although inconsistency has been his middle name. Carmelo Anthony had some run-ins with the law and caught a two-game suspension for drunk driving, so you can start him off at 80 games before the season starts. Other than that, all is quiet in Denver, as the team continues to look for help at point guard. They're also hoping that Nene can return to full strength and become a solid contributor off the bench. The Melo trade rumors have died down, while Marcus Camby may still be on the trading block.

Opening Day Projected Lineup - PG Anthony Carter, SG Allen Iverson, SF Carmelo Anthony, PF Kenyon Martin, C Marcus Camby. Sixth Man – J.R. Smith

Detroit Pistons
All is quiet in Detroit, as they continue to make runs at free agents to no avail. Flip Saunders is gone, replaced by Michael Curry, who appears to the ultimate "player's coach." Rasheed Wallace showed up at his press conference, and despite vowing to break up the team, Joe Dumars has kept the team intact, at least up until now. But don't be surprised to see the Pistons pull off a blockbuster this summer. They came out of the draft with Walter Sharpe, who has a troubled past, but outside of that, things have been quiet in Motown. If the Pistons do make a trade, look for Rodney Stuckey to show up in the starting lineup and have a breakout season.

Opening Day Projected Lineup - PG Chauncey Billups, SG Richard Hamilton, SF Tayshaun Prince, PF Antonio McDyess, C Rasheed Wallace. Sixth Man – Rodney Stuckey.Golden State Warriors
Oh, the poor Warriors. Things were looking so good about a year and a half ago, but now Baron Davis is in La La Land and the team is painfully thin at every position. They're not done wheeling and dealing this summer, but replacing Baron with Corey Maggette and having Monta Ellis running the point is going to make things interesting. I love Monta as a fantasy player, but given the fact he's not really a point guard combined Don Nelson's unpredictability, this could get interesting. And it looks like they're going to get Ronny Turiaf, whose dreads will look good waving a towel from the Warriors' bench. Nellie will be as quirky as ever this season without any bona fide stars in tow, so look for him to shake things up even more than usual. The team is also reportedly trying to trade Al Harrington, which might leave the bench looking even thinner. The potential starters are listed below, leaving these guys next in line on the depth chart: PG C.J. Watson, SG Marco Belinelli, SF Anthony Randolph, PF Brandan Wright, C Ronny Turiaf. Ouch. Mickael Pietrus is now in Orlando, while Matt Barnes and Kelenna Azubuike are likely not going to return to the Warriors, either. Maggette will be a fantasy star, but his constant injury concerns are going to create some headaches for owners.

Opening Day Projected Lineup - PG Monta Ellis, SG Stephen Jackson, SF Corey Maggette, PF Al Harrington, C Andris Biedrins. Sixth Man – C.J. Watson

Houston Rockets
The Rockets are hoping that Yao Ming makes it through the Olympics with his leg in one piece. Yao has missed large chunks of three straight seasons with leg and foot injuries, and he may be rushing back to soon to represent China in the Beijing Olympics. We're not sold on Yao's health by any stretch, and will be dropping him on our fantasy cheat sheets. Carl Landry and the team aren't getting along too well right now, but he should return and could start at power forward, if he can beat out Luis Scola for the job. The Rockets are claiming Landry has a fairly serious knee injury, but he says he's healthy and is accusing the team of scaring potential bidders away. It also sounds like the Rockets are going to land Brent Barry, who is about on his last legs. They added Joey Dorsey, Maarty Leunen (not to be confused with Danny Noonan) and Donte' Greene through the draft, but it's unlikely that any of them will make a fantasy dent this year. That said, I do like Greene quite a bit.

Opening Day Projected Lineup - PG Rafer Alston, SG Tracy McGrady, SF Shane Battier, PF Luis Scola/Carl Landry, C Yao Ming. Sixth Man – Landry/Scola or Brent Barry.

Indiana Pacers
I am in Indy right now and the only thing these folks seem to care about are the Colts and the opening of Lucas Oil Stadium. Can you blame them? Yeah, the Pacers got rid of Jermaine O'Neal and are on the verge of buying out Jamaal Tinsley, both of them moves that will ease some of the public backlash. But the fans have turned on the Pacers and Larry Bird faster than I imagined possible. Super-thug Shawne Williams led the team in scoring in a recent summer league game and might get one more chance with the team, although Larry has stated that he is "on thin ice." My Indy crew loved the Jerryd Bayless pick (as did I), but they traded him (and Ike Diogu) to Portland for Brandon Rush and Jarrett Jack. Rush is a nice player, but Bayless looked like the better bet to me. Rush will compete with his brother, Kareem, for minutes at shooting guard, while new arrivals T.J. Ford and Rasho Nesterovic look like starters. Of course, that depends on Ford's constantly iffy health, and Nesterovic only gets the nod by default. Jack will compete with Ford for the starting job, while Travis Diener is the third stringer at PG. It's going to be another long year for the Pacers. At least they have Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy. Sleeper Alert: Troy Murphy should excel in a return to the starting PF position. www.indianapacers.ws

Opening Day Projected Lineup - PG T.J. Ford, SG Mike Dunleavy, SF Danny Granger, PF Troy Murphy, C Rasho Nesterovic. Sixth Man – Flip Murray or Jarrett Jack.

Los Angeles Clippers
I really feel bad for the Clips, who appear to have been bamboozled by Elton Brand and his agent, David Falk. Brand is now anchoring a suddenly vicious looking Sixers team, while Baron Davis, who was totally psyched about playing with Brand, has no power forward to help carry the load. I love the Eric Gordon pick, as he went to my high school, but I liked him a lot more before Baron arrived in Clipperland. I really can't figure out who is going to play power forward for this team, but I guess Tim Thomas gets the job by default. Cuttino Mobley isn't getting any younger, so it's possible Gordon could end up starting at shooting guard off the bat. We'll see. They also added center DeAndre Jordan in the draft, but he really looks like a long-term project.

Opening Day Projected Lineup - PG Baron Davis, SG Cuttino Mobley/Eric Gordon, SF Al Thornton, PF Tim Thomas, C Chris Kaman. Sixth Man – Gordon/Mobley.

Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers are going to lose Ronny Turiaf and are anxiously awaiting the return of Andrew Bynum, whose knee is still not fully healthy. He's starting workouts in Atlanta soon, and fantasy owners will want to keep a close eye on how he progresses. If healthy, he could go in the second round in many drafts, but I love him as a third-rounder. Kobe Bryant's finger is still not right, but he's putting off surgery to play in the Olympics. The Lakers have to be hoping that doesn't come back to bite them. There's also chatter of a possible Lamar Odom for Ron Artest deal on the table, which would give the Lakers some much-needed toughness. Pau Gasol has that "soft" label beside his name, and Artest would offset that. Then again, he would add a prime case of crazy to the team as well. A Kobe-Artest locker room brawl would be some sweet TMZ fodder.

Opening Day Projected Lineup - PG Derek Fisher, SG Kobe Bryant, SF Lamar Odom, PF Pau Gasol, C Andrew Bynum. Sixth Man – Vladimir Radmanovic/Luke Walton.

Memphis Grizzlies
Marc Gasol is now in Memphis and will challenge guys like Darko Milicic and Kwame Brown for minutes in the middle. The Grizzlies also pulled off a draft-day deal to get O.J. Mayo, but lost Mike Miller in the process. Antoine Walker's career is winding down, and it will be interesting to see what kind of role he gets with the Grizzlies. Marko Jaric, who has the hottest wife in the history of wives, is also now in Memphis, while Juan Carlos Navarro has elected to go to Europe for a ton of jack. Keep an eye on Mayo in the ROY race, although Greg Oden is the early favorite, followed closely by Michael Beasley and Derrick Rose. The Grizz are also hopeful that Mike Conley will emerge as a stud point guard this season, but that might be a long shot. If you're looking for a sleeper on this team, it's Hakim Warrick, who I think should start at power forward. Then again, he still needs to win the job, so watch camp closely. They also picked up forward Darrell Arthur in the draft, which was probably a late steal. In addition, Rudy Gay is no longer a secret, and his strong abilities as an eight-cat producer should make him a second-round fantasy pick this year.

Opening Day Projected Lineup - PG Mike Conley, SG O.J. Mayo, SF Rudy Gay, PF Hakim Warrick, C Darko Milicic. Sixth Man – Marc Gasol

Miami Heat
The Heat are still a bit of a mess with some serious questions about who will run the point in Miami. Dwyane Wade is also still not really at 100 percent, even though everyone associated with him will dispute that assertion. Simply put, the Heat are on pins and needles waiting to see if Wade comes home from Beijing in one piece. As of today, it looks like Chris Quinn is the point guard, while it sounds like Jason Williams is about to sign elsewhere, possibly with the Magic. They did re-sign underachieving Dorell Wright and added sharp-shooting James Jones, who is your Heat sleeper. If he gets minutes and the green light, he could lead the league in 3-point shooting. Oh. And they also added a tough power forward named Michael Beasley, who will have a strong rookie season and could average a double-double, as well as Mario Chalmers, who will likely play some point guard. There are more no-names on the Heat's roster than you can shake a stick at, and a Shawn Marion trade still seems fairly likely. But for now, here's what we're looking at.

Opening Day Projected Lineup - PG Chris Quinn, SG Dwyane Wade, SF Shawn Marion, PF Michael Beasley, C Mark Blount. Sixth Man – James Jones (who could start if Marion is traded).

[Hache Man]

Sleeper Alert on Pietrus
Here is Part 2 of the team-by-team offseason notes. If you missed Part 1, just click on the link.

Milwaukee Bucks
There have been plenty of changes in Milwaukee, where forwards Richard Jefferson and Joe Alexander are in and Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons (Nets) are out. They also have a new coach, as Scott Skiles is taking over the reins. Michael Redd is still with the team, but could be traded before the summer ends. I'm not sure how much better the Bucks look with Jefferson on board, and they've got a mini point-guard controversy brewing between Ramon Sessions and Mo Williams, but you have to think they've improved the team. Alexander should be a solid rookie. The biggest thing to watch is the battle at point guard (Mo-Will is the favorite) and to see if Charlie Villanueva can become a top fantasy player again - and he should be able to with Yi out of the picture. Andrew Bogut also re-signed for one of the largest contracts in Bucks history. Royal Ivey is suspended for the first three games of the season, not that it matters.

Projected Starting Lineup - PG Mo Williams, SG Michael Redd, SF Richard Jefferson, PF Charlie Villanueva, C Andrew Bogut. Sixth Man – Ramon Sessions/Joe Alexander/Charlie Bell. Sleeper Alert - Charlie Villanueva/Ramon Sessions.

Minnesota Timberwolves
The Timberwolves, just like last year, are one of the toughest teams to predict going into the new season. We know that Al Jefferson will be the main cog in the middle, whether he's playing center or forward. Randy Foye should start at point guard and newly acquired Mike Miller should start at shooting guard. The arrival of Miller hurts the chances of Rashad McCants having a big season. Forward is where the big question marks come in, with Craig Smith, Ryan Gomes, rookie Kevin Love, Rodney Carney, Kirk Snyder, Corey Brewer and Jefferson all demanding minutes at forward. Something has got to give, but I'm not sure what that something is. Smith and Gomes are restricted free agents, and the team has given them qualifying offers. Sebastian Telfair could also make a run at point guard, especially with Marko Jaric now in Memphis.

Projected Starting Lineup: PG Randy Foye, SG Mike Miller, SF Ryan Gomes, PF Craig Smith, C Al Jefferson. Sixth Man – Rashad McCants/Kevin Love. Sleeper Alert – Craig Smith.

New Jersey Nets
The Nets had a great draft and then cleared cap space to make a run at LeBron James in 2010 by trading Richard Jefferson to the Bucks. They got forwards Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons in return, and now have a logjam at every position except shooting guard. The point guard job is Devin Harris', but Marcus Williams is begging for minutes. He's on the trading block, so keep your eye on him. Shooting guard belongs to Vince Carter, with Trenton Hassell and Mo Ager backing him up. Small forward is up for grabs, with Simmons, Eduardo Najera (free agent signing), Bostjan Nachbar and Jarvis Hayes (free agent signing) all sure to get minutes here. If Simmons is healthy, he appears to be the front-runner to start. Power forward should see a split between starter Yi Jianlian and backup Sean Williams. The center position is up in the air between Nenad Krstic, Josh Boone and rookie Brook Lopez, who the Nets stole in the draft at No. 10. Krstic is on the trading block, which would probably clear the way for Boone to start. And rookies Ryan Anderson and Chris Douglas-Roberts should also get some minutes. We'll have to keep a close eye on the Nets this summer and in training camp before determining how this whole thing will shake down.

Projected Starting Lineup - PG Devin Harris, SG Vince Carter, SF Bobby Simmons, PF Yi Jianlian, C Nenad Krstic. Sixth Man – Eduardo Najera. Sleeper Alert – Bobby Simmons/Eduardo Najera.

New Orleans Hornets
The Hornets extended Chris Paul this summer and have a solid nucleus in place, but still need to address their problems at shooting guard. The Hornets beat the Mavericks in Round 1 of the playoffs and they could be one piece or two away of challenging for the whole bag of marbles. The bench is a little shaky and could mean guys like Chris Andersen, Bonzi Wells and Julian Wright could emerge with some nice value. I really thought Bonzi would replace Morris Peterson at shooting guard last season, but it never happened. It could this time around. It's also possible Byron Scott could get creative and start Peja Stojakovic at the 2, and then start Julian Wright at the 3. We'll see.

Projected Starting Lineup - PG Chris Paul, SG Morris Peterson, SF Peja Stojakovic, PF David West, C Tyson Chandler. Sixth Man - Bonzi Wells. Sleeper Alert - Bonzi Wells, Julian Wright or Jannero Pargo.

New York Knicks
Ahh, the Knicks. Things seem to be heading in the right direction finally, although as I've said before, I'm not sold on Danilo Gallinari. No. I have not see him play much, know little more about the guy than what I've read and might be going out on a limb by saying his lack of defense is going to be his downfall. But we've seen Euro "stars" fall time and time again. Many questions remain, like will Stephon Marbury and Zach Randolph be with the team on opening night? Randolph is trade bait and they seem to be leaning toward buying Marbury out. And if that happens, newly acquired Chris Duhon could start at point guard. The Knicks are focused on getting their finances straight in order to make a play for LeBron in 2010, which means Marbury, Randolph and Curry are all on the hot seat. And if new coach Mike D'Antoni didn't love Quentin Richardson, I'd slot Wilson Chandler into the starting small forward slot. If Donnie Walsh had his druthers, we're guessing he'd just assume throw a starting five of Duhon, Jamal Crawford, Chandler, David Lee and Eddy Curry (who is also trade bait) out there. That may be eventually what it looks like, and I guess it's even possible it could happen on opening night. If they move Curry, they desperately need some centers in return. In any case, here's my best bet on opening night.

Projected Starting Lineup - PG Chris Duhon, SG Jamal Crawford, SF Quentin Richardson, PF Zach Randolph, C Eddy Curry. Sixth Man – Wilson Chandler/Danilo Gallinari. Sleeper Alert - Wilson Chandler.

Oklahoma City
It's hard to describe how much it hurts to write OKC instead of Seattle, but that's life I guess. In any case, I'm pretty sure I know where to find Clay Bennett in about 20 years, and it's probably going to be a place with a very warm, or dare I say hot, climate. In any case, whatever the team is going to be called (Cowboys makes sense, no?), the foundation has been laid for them to put a decent team on the floor for the next few years. Young guns with potential are all over the place, like Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Russell Westbrook and any of the five young centers they've taken too high in recent drafts. Maybe the team is just warming them up and they'll sign somewhere else to become full-blown stars, but maybe not. Point guard Westbrook was a "surprising" pick at No. 4, although it's what I predicted prior to the draft. It will be interesting to see what happens with the new "red and black" franchise, especially in their inaugural season in OKC. And I'm guessing I don't have to worry about offending anyone from Oklahoma, as there's never been a reason for a person living there to read anything I've ever written before today.

Projected Starting Lineup - PG Earl Watson/Luke Ridnour/Russell Westbrook, SG Kevin Durant, SF Jeff Green, PF Nick Collison/Chris Wilcox, C Johan Petro/Robert Swift. Sixth Man - Damien Wilkins. Sleeper Alert - Jeff Green.

Orlando Magic
The Magic added free agent Mickael Pietrus, which was a huge move in my opinion. Pietrus is going to bring serious D and some 3-point shooting at the shooting guard position, while rookie Courtney Lee is also in the mix. J.J. Redick is the odd man out, but I'm not even sure he's tradable at this point. The rest of the positions are set, although the Magic are still trying to find a suitable third-string point guard, as Keyon Dooling is gone. Tony Battie should also be ready to go after taking a season off due to shoulder surgery.

Projected Starting Lineup - PG Jameer Nelson, SG Mickael Pietrus, SF Hedo Turkoglu, PF Rashard Lewis, C Dwight Howard. Sixth Man - Tony Battie. Sleeper Alert - Mickael Pietrus.

Philadelphia 76ers
Say hello to the new powerhouse in East. The Sixers did it right this summer, landing prized free agent Elton Brand (much to the chagrin of the Clippers and Mike Dunleavy). There's still the matter of re-signing Andre Iguodala, but all signs point to it happening, and they also added forward Marreese Speights via the draft. Iguodala will be playing out of position at shooting guard, but who cares?

Projected Starting Lineup - PG Andre Miller, SG Andre Iguodala, SF Thaddeus Young, PF Elton Brand, C Samuel Dalembert. Sixth Man - Lou Williams/Willie Green. Sleeper Alert - Thaddeus Young.

Phoenix Suns
Little has changed for the Suns this summer, except for the fact they have a new coach in the form of Terry Porter. The Suns are also talking about having Steve Nash limited to 70 games in order to maintain his health. That's almost enough for me to drop him into the second round in fantasy drafts, but we'll have to see how I'm feeling in September. The Suns also want Grant Hill to come off the bench, so we'll see if they stick to that plan and start a guy like Boris Diaw or Gordan Giricek at SF.

Projected Starting Lineup - PG Steve Nash, SG Raja Bell, SF Boris Diaw/Gordan Giricek, PF Amare Stoudemire, C Shaquille O'Neal. Sixth Man - Leandro Barbosa. Sleeper Alert - Leandro Barbosa, Boris Diaw, Gordan Giricek.

Portland Trailblazers
The Blazers will finally get to see Greg Oden in the middle if all goes well this summer and they added rookie point guard Jerryd Bayless, Nicolas Batum, Ike Diogu and Rudy Fernandez, who is coming over from Spain, to the mix. The Blazers don't necessarily want Travis Outlaw to play small forward, but if they want him to play and break out, they have no choice at this point. Martell Webster could end up winning the job though, which would push Outlaw to the sixth man role. Meanwhile, they drafted Brandon Rush and sent him, along with Jarrett Jack, to Indy for Bayless. The Blazers have a pretty intimidating front line in Outlaw, LaMarcus Aldridge and Oden (who is still eligible for ROY). And Bayless could end up starting at PG, but for now, we're going with Blake.

Projected Starting Lineup - PG Steve Blake, SG Brandon Roy, SF Travis Outlaw/Martell Webster, PF LaMarcus Aldridge, C Greg Oden. Sixth Man - Rudy Fernandez/Travis Outlaw. Sleeper Alert - Travis Outlaw.

Sacramento Kings
The Kings have the worst collection of power forwards in the league, the ongoing saga of Ron Artest at small forward, a traffic jam with John Salmons and Francisco Garcia coming off the bench, and a five-game suspension for center Brad Miller. Artest could be traded by the start of the season, but for now he's a King. They re-signed point guard Beno Udrih, who will be a popular fantasy pick once the big names are off the board. But Jose Calderon in Toronto is a better option. Spencer Hawes will start the first five games in place of Miller and could end up holding onto the job, although that's a long shot.
www.sacramentokings.ws
Projected Starting Lineup - PG Beno Udrih, SG Kevin Martin, SF Ron Artest, PF Mikki Moore, C Spencer Hawes/Brad Miller (suspended). Sixth Man - John Salmons. Sleeper Alert - Spencer Hawes/Francisco Garcia/John Salmons.

San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs drafted a backup point guard in George Hill out of tiny IUPUI, and will also add Roger Mason from Washington. I've got Michael Finley starting at shooting guard right now, but that could easily end up being Manu Ginobili or Ime Udoka once the season gets here. Finley's just not good enough anymore to be starting for this team, but he held the job last year. We'll see.

Projected Starting Lineup - PG Tony Parker, SG Michael Finley/Manu Ginobili/Ime Udoka, SF Bruce Bowen, PF Tim Duncan, C Kurt Thomas/Fabricio Oberto. Sixth Man - Manu Ginobili. Sleeper Alert - Ime Udoka.

Toronto Raptors
The Raptors pulled off a big-time deal with the Pacers and landed Jermaine O'Neal, who will play center, while shipping point guard T.J. Ford and center Rasho Nesterovic to the Pacers. The moves mean Jose Calderon is locked and loaded at point guard, especially since he's the only one on the roster. He is going to be a very hot point guard on draft night, and for good reason. Andrea Bargnani will come off the bench (probably) and Carlos Delfino is not likely to return to the team. Obviously, the health of Chris Bosh and O'Neal are going to be the keys to the Raptors success. And neither guy is the most reliable big man around.

Projected Starting Lineup - PG Jose Calderon, SG Anthony Parker, SF Jamario Moon, PF Chris Bosh, C Jermaine O'Neal. Sixth Man - Andrea Bargnani. Sleeper Alert - Calderon's too obvious, so I'll predict Andrea Bargnani will bounce back. Yikes.

Utah Jazz
The Jazz are still trying to lock Deron Williams up to a long-term deal, but he wants to make sure the team is willing to make the moves necessary to stay competitive for the long haul before committing. Not much has changed for the Jazz, but there are some questions at shooting guard, with marginal talents like Ronnie Brewer, C.J. Miles and Morris Almond floating out there. Kyle Korver could start at the 2, but the Jazz seem to like him more at forward.
www.utahjazz.ws
Projected Starting Lineup - PG Deron Williams, SG Ronnie Brewer, SF Andrei Kirilenko, PF Carlos Boozer, C Mehmet Okur. Sixth Man - Kyle Korver. Sleeper Alert - Paul Millsap – as usual.

Washington Wizards
The Wizards took care of business this summer, re-signing Antawn Jamison and Gilbert Arenas, while Roger Mason will head to San Antonio to be a backup point guard. Andray Blatche has talent, but the Wiz are deep up front, especially since Etan Thomas seems ready to return from heart surgery.

Projected Starting Lineup - PG Gilbert Arenas, SG DeShawn Stevenson, SF Caron Butler, PF Antawn Jamison, C Brendan Haywood. Sixth Man - Darius Songaila. Sleeper Alert - Andray Blatche.

[Hache Man]

I Could Sleep...
Hey everyone. Here are some quick hits on sleepers for the upcoming season. In the meantime, just to let you know, I've got a pretty full schedule and may be hard pressed to post columns as regularly in the offseason as I have in the past.

I'm going to spend most of the month of August in Connecticut at NBCSports.com covering Olympic basketball games. I'm still not sure exactly what that entails, but I have seen my schedule and will have a full plate while I'm there. That's Draft Guide crunch time and because the games I'm covering are taking place in Beijing, most of my "on hours" will be while you all are sleeping. It is going to be a busy, fun and interesting month for me, but should be a great experience.

If you're interested, here's a link to a little piece the Atlanta Journal Constitution ran on me last Sunday. You'll get an inside look at "my office," which doubles as a bit of an NBA museum from my shoe, autograph and jersey collecting days as a kid.

At the end of this column, I've thrown a couple stories out there about my concert hopping experiences this summer, for those of you who care.

Sleepers

My Hawks took a huge blow when Josh Childress grew tired of being disrespected by the hapless team and signed with Olympiakos in Greece for big money. It's tough to blame Childress for jumping ship, and they now have to focus on replacing him, along with getting Josh Smith signed without completely ruining that relationship. The Hawks are going to be "sleeper heavy" this year, but have just eight players currently under contract. And that means we still don't know who is going to be filling the many holes currently existing in Atlanta. And if the team fails to keep Smoov around, I'm going to have to find a new team to watch. Any suggestions?

Tony Allen – G – Celtics

With James Posey in New Orleans, Allen will fill his spot in the C's rotation and will be used for his defensive skills. Health is always an issue for Allen, and after falling out of the rotation last year, nothing is guaranteed. But the opportunities should be there this year, and he's a guy you'll want to target near the end of your draft. A true sleeper.

Chucky Atkins – PG – Nuggets

Atkins' season was ruined by a groin injury last year, but if he can stay healthy, he should see plenty of minutes at point guard and be a solid threat from downtown. Just like last year, he's worth a late-round fantasy pick. Especially if you need a point guard or threes at the end of your draft. He's going to challenge Anthony Carter for minutes and the starting job. Of course, this is almost identical to what I said about him last year, except that I was urging you to take him even higher. Oops.

J.R. Smith – G, Linas Kleiza – G/F, Nene – F/C – Nuggets

Smith played very well at times last year and should emerge as the Nuggets sixth man. He's a 3-point specialist and a high flyer, and might be ready to finally take the next step this season – if he can stay out of George Karl's doghouse. Linas Kleiza is another Nugget to keep an eye on, as he could see time at both forward spots, as well as shooting guard. And with Marcus Camby and Eduardo Najera gone, Nene is going to be needed to fill a big-man role off the bench. Again, no reason to target him early, and injuries are a concern. But he's certainly worth a draft pick in the later rounds, if not sooner.

Rodney Stuckey – G – Pistons

We still haven't seen the shakeup in Detroit that Joe Dumars promised, but there's a long way to go before the season starts. Stuckey is already possibly the hottest "sleeper" in fantasy hoops, despite not having a starting slot secured. If the shakeup does occur, his stock will climb even higher. Stuckey is a guy I wouldn't be afraid to drop a seventh-round selection on this year, at least as of today.

Marco Belinelli – SG, and the rest of the Warriors

The Warriors are dangerously thin at most positions and Belinelli could be called upon this year for heavy minutes. It really depends on what Don Nelson decides to do with Marcus Williams, Monta Ellis and Stephen Jackson. My best guess: Monta starts out the season at point guard, while Jackson starts at shooting guard. Nellie then tires of Ellis running the point and turning the ball over, and after Williams impresses him in practice, makes the switch. That should send Ellis to shooting guard, and Jackson to the bench. And if that happens, sparks could fly after the demotion. C.J. Watson is currently the third-string point guard, but is also someone who could emerge with some value.

And then there's Al Harrington. Don Nelson isn't a huge fan, but Chris Mullin is. Look for the Warriors to go back to using Harrington for his inside presence instead of a designated 3-point shooter. He's got Belinelli around for that now.

Jarrett Jack – G – Pacers

Jack can play both guard positions and should excel on the defensive end. Jim O'Brien is prepared to play him and T.J. Ford at the same time, meaning Jack should see plenty of minutes and touches.

Troy Murphy – PF – Pacers

Murphy should be the full-time starting power forward and could be as comfortable as he's ever been. I'd be very surprised if Murphy didn't return to the form he showed back in 2004-05, when he averaged 15 points and nearly 11 boards. His 3-point shooting gives him a lot of fantasy potential, but owners need to beware of the poor field goal percentage he brings along.

Al Thornton – F – Clippers

With Elton Brand and Corey Maggette gone, it's time for Thornton to step into the spotlight. He'll start at small forward, alongside Chris Kaman and Marcus Camby, and should be primed for a breakout season. He was at 16.5 points and 5.5 boards over the final couple months of the season last year and will be a very popular early mid-round selection this year.

Trevor Ariza – F – Lakers

Ariza got some limited minutes in the playoffs, but the fact Phil Jackson had enough confidence in him to play him after he missed most of the season with a broken foot speaks volumes. And since Vladimir Radmanovic and Luke Walton aren't exactly locked into Phil's plans, Ariza has a real chance at some minutes this season and could even start. He could have a big year, but at the very least, deserves some late draft-day consideration.

Hakim Warrick – F – Grizzlies

Warrick was useless for the first half of last season, but finished up strong by averaging 15.5 points and seven boards. There should be more of where that came from this season.

James Jones – G/F – Heat

Jones' value is dependent on what the Heat does with Shawn Marion, but Jones didn't sign a hefty contract to sit on the bench. He's slotted in as the sixth man and should hit a ton of threes this season.

Marcus Banks – G – Heat

Banks is currently penciled in as the Heat's starting point guard and is lightning quick. A hamstring injury shut him down last year, but he's worth a look once you've got two solid point guards locked up. I don't think the Heat are really thrilled that he's their guy at the 1, but it is what it is.

Charlie Villanueva – F – Bucks

CV should have a big year with Yi Jianlian in Jersey and his final few games of the season were very impressive. He averaged 18 points, eight boards and two threes in his final eight games last year and should be ready for a nice campaign. That said, I am worried about the Bucks having enough balls to go around with Michael Redd, Richard Jefferson, Mo Williams and Andrew Bogut also needing touches. But CV's job appears to be secure, as long as rookie Joe Alexander doesn't steal it in training camp.
Ramon Sessions – G – Bucks

Sessions was outstanding at the end of last season, averaging 11.5 points and 11.3 assists over his last 10 games. Wow! Of course, that happened when Mo Williams was out with thumb surgery. Mo-Will is the likely starter, but if he goes down, Sessions is going to be a very hot pickup. And we'll also want to keep an eye on this position battle in camp.

Randy Foye – G – Timberwolves

Foye should enter the season healthy this year and be a fantasy dynamo. He's not much of a sleeper, as many of you waited around for him most of last year. He got better as the season ended and should be ready to go off for his owners. He should be a popular point guard pick once the big boys are off the board.

Devin Harris – G – Nets

Harris is another sleeper who is not really a sleeper. The starting point guard job is all his for the Nets this year and he should be a solid fantasy starter in most leagues. If nothing else, you know the minutes are going to be there, and the production should follow. Sixteen points and seven dimes are not out of the question.

James Posey – G/F – Hornets

We had Posey penciled in as a starter, but it sounds like the Hornets are going to use him as the sixth man. That's fine, because that's the role he's used to, and given the fact that under-performers like Morris Peterson or Bonzi Wells will probably be starting, Posey is going to rack up some big minutes this year. He should excel in steals, threes and scoring, while kicking in some boards to boot. New Orleans didn't sign him to a four-year deal to have him sitting on the bench too much.

Julian Wright – F – Hornets

Wright could be a big factor if Peja Stojakovic isn't healthy. He showed a lot of promise as a rookie and 10 points and five boards are a possibility this year, even if Stojakovic is healthy. Watch him in camp. And if Peja goes down at some point, grab him.

Chris Duhon – PG – Knicks

The Knicks signed Duhon and envision him running the point for Mike D'Antoni. It's probably hard to fail at that job and Duhon will be a popular point guard pick this season. Just keep in mind that he's still Chris Duhon, but the guy will hit a ton of threes and should hand out a lot of dimes.

Wilson Chandler, Quentin Richardson – F – Knicks

Chandler might be the future of the Knicks, but he'll have to beat out Quentin Richardson for the starting small forward job. Q-Rich had his last great season under D'Antoni with the Suns, so this will be a battle worth keeping a close eye on this Fall. Both players should be worth drafting, but Chandler is the guy with all the upside.

And off the subject, I can't state strongly enough how much I don't like Danilo Gallinari – at least this season. I didn't like him on draft night, and I like him even less after he was banged up in just one summer league outing. He's too young, too skinny and if Clyde Frazier is even calling him a bust this early, I'm not going to argue with him.

Mickael Pietrus – G – Magic

Pietrus is going to get a ton of minutes for the Magic and should contribute in nearly every category. He'll also be guarding the opposition's best player, so the minutes are going to be there. He was a constant letdown with the Warriors, but I'd be shocked if he doesn't break out this year.

Thaddeus Young – F – Sixers

Young had his moments last season and should be locked into the starting small forward this year. He averaged 11 points and five boards over the final three months of the season and shot lights out from the floor. He doesn't hit threes, but his numbers could see a big boost this year. And if Andre Iguodala somehow doesn't end up back in Philly, Young's value will see an even bigger boost.

Matt Barnes – G/F – Suns

I'm still not sure if Barnes is going to start or come off the bench for the Suns, but he should be in line for a lot of minutes. He could go for at least 12 points, five boards, four assists, a steal and 1.5 threes per game if the stars align. A true sleeper if there ever was one.

Steve Blake – G – Blazers

Blake is likely still the starting point guard for the Blazers, giving him some value. But with newcomers like Jerryd Bayless, who killed in summer league, and Rudy Fernandez, Blake comes with some risk. But he should be a safe late pick when you find yourself desperate for a point guard late in the draft.

Spencer Hawes – C – Kings

Hawes will start the first five games of the season while Brad Miller is suspended, and it's not out of the question that he could end up stealing the job. It's not likely, but possible. Either way, he should at least be a decent fantasy role player at the center position. And if he starts more games than Miller this year, he should be a late-round steal.

Mikki Moore – F – Kings

The Kings have a bunch of bad power forwards, but Moore is probably the best of the bunch. He was disappointing last year and doesn't block shots, but did average almost 11 points and seven boards in 15 March games. Just keep in mind he started 79 games last year and was not all that impressive, so he's a risky pick.

Beno Udrih – G – Kings

Udrih, along with Raptors starter Jose Calderon, are going to be two very popular point guard picks this year. He's locked into the starter's job and shouldn't be challenged too much by Bobby Brown or Sean Singletary. Udrih's numbers were incredibly consistent month-by-month last year, when he averaged between 10 and 16 points, and four and six assists. He's going to be taken between the fifth and seventh rounds and should offer very solid value. And speaking of Brown, the guy's getting hyped like he's the next coming of Jordan. He's not, but he's worth keeping a close eye on in camp.

Jose Calderon – G – Raptors

Yeah, I know. He's not a sleeper. But he's also not Jason Kidd or Steve Nash (and some might argue he's better). He should have a big year and once the guys I mentioned above, along with young guns like Deron Williams and Chris Paul, are off the board, owners targeting a point guard are going to be looking closely at Calderon.

Celebrated Summer

I saw the Grand Archives before I left Georgia for Indy and was very impressed with their live show. The four-part harmonies and hype aren't as big as label mates the Fleet Foxes, but the record is pop bliss and reminds folks stuck in dreary Seattle of the Beach Boys.

I kicked off my Indy visit with a spur of the moment trip down the street to see Filter perform. I'd seen them a couple times and one show as fantastic and the other was a disaster. This time around it was simply a greatest-hits show in a small venue and a great time was had by all. Richard Patrick has still "got it."

Next up was Tom Petty. I had great seats, courtesy of my buddy Steve, and the show was top notch. The guy's got performing in large venues down to a science and does a nice job of mixing up the hits with some obscure stuff, and when he sang the whole "Indiana boys on an Indiana night" thing, he told the crowd he's been waiting for three years to be able to sing it in Indy. And it was a much better result than when I saw Robert Plant sing 'Going to California' and substituted 'Indiana' in one of the lines. That was a little strange. And I am quite content with seeing my bands in tiny, dirty venues where beers cost three bucks instead of 10. Are you kidding?

The last adventure was a four-hour drive to Chicago for the Pitchfork Music Festival. Tickets came courtesy of Lou Barlow, who I saw perform the Bubble and Scrape record with Sebadoh on Friday night. I loved it, but as you know, I'm kind of a Sebadoh psycho. The audience was confused by the constant instrument changes and long stretches between songs, but that's the way it had to be in order for them to pull off the record start to finish. I was standing just behind the person filming the video I linked above.

The night was capped off with Public Enemy performing Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back. Overall it was pretty damn cool, although when Flave announced himself as the greatest reality TV star of all time and then pimped his show, it lost some of it's luster and reminded me that you can't go home. I also thought Chuck D might have one of the S1W's take him out once and for all.

I saw the Fleet Foxes on Saturday and despite there being 17,000 people on hand, you could hear a pin drop while the acoustic-based set was happening – No one spoke during the set, at least where I was standing. I was pretty blown away by the show and you should check them out. It may put you to sleep if you like rocking, but it's a pretty amazing record. Their video is not from the show I saw, as I couldn't find any quality takes. But the Sebadoh and PE vids are from Chicago.

Hopefully I'll be back soon with some bust candidates.