Learning from the Experience of Others

A guest post from Blazer's Edge

Earlier this week I sent out a question to Dave at Blazer's Edge asking him what the Grizzlies have in store since Portland had recently undergone a youth movement of their own which turned out pretty well. I intended to quote him in a blog of my own on what to expect this season. However his response was so perfect by itself that I decided to run the reply as a blog in itself. So without further ado here is Dave's response.

Memphis is going to experience the joys and trials of youth, that’s for sure. Speaking from some experience with the Blazers, it’s a roller coaster.

The joys are great. There’s nothing quite like seeing a guy develop young and knowing he’s yours. Some of these guys could become your next franchise players. Swiping someone else’s free agent just doesn’t inspire passion in the same way. Also young athletes like Gay and Mayo are exciting to watch. There will be plenty of gaffes, but on the nights when everything comes together Grizzlies fans will be buzzing and out of their seats.

The trials of youth are long, however. The first truth Grizzlies fans need to come to grips with is that not all of these players are going to make it. Some will play elsewhere, some won’t play well at all. There are few heartaches like having the guy you pinned your future hopes on not pan out. Every young player is a crap shoot no matter how talented he is. Every night, every season, is like rolling the dice. Teams that roll the dice in the NBA don’t win consistently either. Opposing teams aren’t interested in rolling against you. They just take your dice, pop you in the nose, and tell you to come back when you’re better. Young teams, even young talented teams, lose. Memphis’ veterans right now are Warrick, Milicic, Ross, and Jaric. Are these guys going to be your team leaders? Are they going to impart winning wisdom to the youngsters? Somehow I doubt it. That’s a problem.

Portland has been through all of this. We’ve had our prospective stars who didn’t work out (Sebastian Telfair, for instance). We’ve had our stars who did work out but weren’t winners or right for our team (Zach Randolph). We’ve had veterans who weren’t interested in making the team better (Ruben Patterson). We’ve had youngsters with talent who still haven’t learned how to play winning basketball (Travis Outlaw). We’ve had a lot of losses and a lot of failed dreams. It’s been a long road.

The end of that road back to respectability only came when we made a few commitments:

1. Every draft pick counts. Use them wisely.

2. “Wisely” means on players who are smart and team-oriented as well as talented. Sacrifice a few headlines, maybe even a few extra wins, now in order to build the right way.

3. Acquire veterans who know how to play and are willing to guide the team either from in front or in the locker room. Do not overspend for quick fixes!

4. Getting fortunate with a Greg Oden-like pick in the lottery doesn’t hurt, but honestly the Blazers would probably still be a playoff team in 2-3 more years without him with the likes of Brandon Roy, Lamarcus Aldridge, and Rudy Fernandez.

5. Don’t hesitate to get rid of players who don’t fit even if they rack up stats.

Also here are some helpful lessons I’ve learned as a fan of a young team:

1. Anybody can score 20 on a given night. Consistency is the only thing that really matters. 25 on Wednesday and 3 on Thursday is losing basketball. Until it’s 18.5 every night don’t think you have a player.

2. Wins are not always the best barometer of success when you’re young. The team better not be going for anything but wins, mind you, but fans can judge teams incrementally instead of taking a “win or nothing” attitude. Look for improvement in players month to month and year to year.

3. Summer League and Pre-Season are interesting, but ultimately mean little. Even with young guys it only counts when it counts. If you’re going to judge off-season play, you have to compare apples to apples (last Summer League to this, or last Pre-Season to this, for instance) in order to accurately gauge progress.

4. Offense without defense from a player or two can be an effective situational dagger. Offense without defense from a team is losing basketball.

5. Non-scoring aspects of a player’s game are more valuable than you think. Young players who already know what to do when they don’t have the ball or the camera on them are gold.

6. You are not getting better as soon as you think, so chill out with the highs and lows. Over-hyping a player or your team will only lead people to complain about them more when they can’t live up to expectations.

7. It’s not the coach’s fault as much as you think.

Here are some signs that your team might be getting good again:

1. You have a set rotation that nobody is arguing about…you just take it for granted.

2. You’re talking about what players have brought and definitely will bring again, not what they might or could bring.

3. You’re not depending on your latest draft pick or 10th player to come through and set the world on fire. You start thinking about your 10th man like San Antonio thinks about theirs.

4. The off-season starts getting boring to you instead of being your greatest hope.

5. The national media remembers your name every once in a while. They don’t know your team nearly as well as you do but they do tend to notice broad trends and are more objective about them.

6. You have a star who is the first “him” instead of the “Next Somebody Else”.

7. Your team ranks in the middle of the league or higher in most, if not all statistical categories instead of having a couple highs and a couple disasters. A positive PPG Differential is the best single statistical indicator of winning basketball. After that Field Goal Percentage Allowed, Defensive Rebounding, and Turnover Differential are usually good indicators. If you stink in one or more of these four big categories, be careful.

As far as Memphis goes, I think a lot depends on Gay and Mayo right now. Are they the “first thems” that will form the heart of your team? Are their games complete enough? Can they take games over and wring the life out of them, bending them to their will? Can they do all this while playing as a part of a cohesive whole, making their teammates better as well?

Those are the first questions to ask. Assuming an affirmative, then you have to ask who else on the team fits with them. I’m not convinced all of those supporting players do. In fact I’m not sure anybody knows yet what the supporting cast will turn out like…a pitfall of having an all-youngster team. Once the team has talent established and direction, acquiring a couple key veterans will be important. After that, it’s acquiring more talent to fill in the cracks and developing an identity. It’s a multi-season, multi-step process and the Grizzlies are still only halfway through Step 1.

Portland is transitioning through the final, identity step after five years of struggling and we still haven’t made it through. In short, prepare for the long haul, appreciate the small victories while you wait for the large ones, and hope your team commits to doing things the right way instead of just selling more tickets or making headlines.

hype it up!

Interview with the Enemy: The Lakers Nation

Last week, we exchanged questions and answer with The Lakers Nation, a great blog that follows the Los Angeles Lakers. Our answers are up on their site right here. Here are the queries that we had for their lead writer, Jonathan Somers-Harris.

3 Shades of Blue: If Kobe, Lamar, Pau and Bynum all expect to participate in the offense, how do you think the attitudes/egos will mesh?

The Lakers Nation: Well, I think it will be easier than most people think. Kobe is the undisputed top dog, there's no question about who's taking that final shot. Pau is a very good 2nd option, and in fact you could probably argue that he's more comfortable in that 2nd option role than as a first option. That just leaves Lamar and Bynum. Lamar would be happy averaging 10/10/8, scoring or not scoring isn't going to hurt his ego. The only problem i can see would be Bynum. Right before he got injured, he was showing great promise as an offensive option (not just put-backs and alley-oops). He was regularly scoring in the 17-25 point range while picking up 13-16 rebounds leading up to the injury. (No center, no matter how good, scores 17-25 points a game on put-backs and alley-oops alone)

He may turn out to be a pretty selfless guy, and he shoots such a high percentage that he may not need a whole lot of touches, but he's the one guy that i can see having a problem being the 3rd option in his contract year. (I wouldn't be happy either if a 5year/80M contract was on the line)

3SoB: If Kobe's finger forces him out during the season, will the Laker faithful be kind to him or not?

TLN: Lakers faithful: we're faithfully fickle. The same people who are praising him now for his "competitive spirit" or whatever they want to call it will be cursing his poor judgment. I don't think it will stop us from loving him though. I will liken the situation to that of Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United. before he came back from Injury, people were saying how they wouldn't cheer for him anymore. However, as soon as he was ready to start warming up for his first game back from injury. (even before he was introduced as a substitute) the crowd went crazy for him.

In the same way, we might grumble a bit about the surgery, but in the end, we need him to much to not be kind to him.


3SoB: Last year the Lakers bench was critical to the team's success, but disappeared in the Finals. Is there any concern that the bench won't live up to that level with so many big name players in the starting lineup now?

TLN: This all depends if Lamar comes off the Bench or not. if he doesn't come off the bench, our projected "bench mob" will be

PG: Farmar
SG: Sasha
SF: Ariza
PF: Powell
C: Mihm

The only real difference between this year and last would be Powell replacing Turiaf (I will miss that man) and Mihm replacing Mbenga. Either way, Gasol is still expected to see some time at C and Lamar is expected to see some time at PF too, so there's not a whole lot of drop off from this year as there was last year. A bigger concern for the Lakers is that if both Lamar and Ariza are playing the SF position, then Kobe won't be able to slide over the the SF slot, and the three guard lineup that was so effective last year (Farmar/Fisher, Sasha, and Kobe) won't get a lot of court time.

3SoB: When do you expect Jordan Farmar to claim the starting PG role? Is it Derek Fisher's spot for the foreseeable future?

TLN: It's up to Farmar to claim the starting PG role. Fisher performed far beyond expectations the last year, but the Lakers cannot continue to expect that from him, as age will have to affect his performance at some point. That being said,Farmar needs to make the next big jump in his game in order to take the starting gig from Fisher outright. Farmar had a great first 60 or so games last season, and during that time he was getting about 24MPG. For whatever reason though, his production tailed off dramatically after that, and Fisher was forced to play upwards of 30MPG for the rest of the season/playoffs.

I think we'll see Fisher average 20MPG this season as a starter, and the probably the transition will happen in the 2009-2010 season

3SoB: Should Lamar Odom start at SF or come off the bench as a 6th man this season?

TLN: He should definitely start, if only so that the Lakers can see how a big, yet fast, line up works. If the "Lamar as a starting SF" experiment fails, then we can move him to the back up PF roll. there won't be a huge learning curve there because Odom has played the PF position for the Lakers for the best part of 3 years now, plus he's usually the only starter playing the the bench players during line-shifts, so he's already used to having to run the show/being a first option.

Speaking of big line ups, if you will indulge me for a second, I've been really excited about the possibility of Sun Yue (6'9") winning the starting PG spot at training camp this year. Imagine a starting line up where your shortest player was Kobe Bryant at 6'6"?

PG: Sun Yue. . . . . . . 6'9"
SG: Kobe Bryant. . . . 6'6"
SF: Lamar Odom. . . 6'10"
PF: Pau Gasol . . . . . 7'0"
C: Andrew Bynum . . 7'1"

It probably wouldn't work, but its exciting to think about.

3SoB: Which team in the Western Conference concerns you most as a potential playoff opponent next spring?

TLN: New Orleans, without a doubt. Fisher does a good job staying in front of bigger guards like Deron Williams and Jason Kidd, but Chris Paul is an absolute nightmare. I'd like to think that Gasol and Bynum gives us too much size for them to cover, but that won't matter if we can't stop Chris Paul.

A lot of people are surpised that I don't say the Rockets, but in truth, they don't worry me as much, and here's why. Unless they're going to effectively slap Shane Battier in the face and make him Ron Artest's back up, the Rockets are going to lack some defensive size. If they play all of T-Mac, Artest, aand Battier at the same time that limits the minutes that Luis Scola gets, and by extension valuable players like Carl Landry won't get time either.

3SoB: Your thoughts on Coby Karl, who looked like a future Hall of Famer in his Summer League game against the Grizzlies?

TLN: How did you know that Coby Karl was my favourite Lakers player? Honestly, If Sasha had left the Lakers I would have been fine with it, because I felt Coby Karl could replicate most of his production. I think he has a great career as a solid back-up in this league. Personally, I'm hoping he has the balls to ask for the No. 8 shirt coming into camp this season, because that would be the most amazing thing since. . man. . that would just be awesome.

3SoB: What were your expectations for Pau Gasol last year and how much have they changed for the upcoming season?

TLN: I expected him to be a lighter, more versitile Andrew Bynum on the S/R's with Kobe, everything beyond that was a bonus. this year, I'm expecting to see more of his short/mid-range game obviously. I think we underutilized him last year, hopefully this year we can incorperate more of his offensive skill set into the game plan.

3SoB: True or False: Jerry West is the best SG in the history of the Los Angeles Lakers.

TLN: In finished History, true. by the time Kobe is done, we might have to revisit this question. (see how i dodged that bullet? haha)

3SoB: If the Grizzlies and Lakers were to switch divisions, how much would that affect each of their records for the upcoming season?

TLN: Oh man. well, between not having to play Spurs, Hornets, Mavs, and Rockets that extra 1-2 times each (4-8 games) as well as being able to play the Clippers and Warriors that extra 1-2 times (2-4 games) or vice versa. I'd expect the Grizzlies to win about 5-8 more games, and the Lakers to win about 2-3 less (The Lakers had a great record against playoff teams in the West last year). It would definitely lower the winning percentages of all the teams in the Southwest division, and they would probably all still qualify for the playoffs. . that's just crazy to think about.

We want to thank Jonathan and The Lakers Nation for doing this interview and would love to be able to wish them the best for the upcoming season....except that it is the Lakers, so we'd rather die a slow painful death than to wish them anything but misery and doom. We can't help it -- it is ingrained in us to hate them with every fiber of our being.

Dining with the Enemy: Hornets 24/7

On Tuesday, Chip and I had the pleasure of eating lunch with Ron Hitley, the fantastic writer who created Hornets 24/7. He was in Memphis to avoid the wrath of Gustav, so we were excited to get the chance to actually sit down with a fellow blogger, rather than the usual contact we have with other bloggers across the nation via email, live blogging or instant messaging in today's age of technology.

We're in Memphis, the home of the World Championship BBQ Cooking Contest. This is the city of Corky's BBQ, which will FedEx their ribs to anywhere in the world. The home of Rendezvous -- known worldwide for their barbecue. So of course, we took him to Owen Brennan's, a restaurant known for New Orleans' style food. We're both oblivious and cliché at the same time -- it works for us though. Ron and I had the Catfish Boudreaux, which was excellent. Chip settled for the Meat Pie. Um...yeah. It was as appetizing as it sounds according to him.


We had a great time talking shop, sharing ideas on what each of us thought about our respective franchises, as well as our perceptions of each others' teams. We told him that he's going to love James Posey -- everyone loves Skittles when he's on your team. He asked us just how frightened we really are of Darko Milicic (VERY!!!) and what it is like to be able to meet and interview the team's owner and GM. It was a lot of fun, and I know that both Chip and I are looking forward to a future trip to The Big Easy to hang out on Ron's turf.

So go check out Hornets 24/7. Ron's still not settled back in as they continue cleanup down there, but our good buddy Ryan Schwan has been holding the fort down quite well in his stead.

Interview with the Enemy: L.A. Ball Talk

We continued our trek through the blogs of our opponents by catching up with Daniel from L.A. Ball Talk. He had some great insights for us on things in LaLa Land, including thoughts on former Grizzly Pau Gasol. He also had some good questions for us about Javaris Crittenton and the direction of our team, which you can read here. On with the show!

3 Shades of Blue: 1. The Lakers are only 1 game behind the Hornets for the top spot in the ultra-competitive Western Conference playoff race and expect to get F/C Pau Gasol back any day now. Will the Lakers get the #1 seed in the WC playoffs? Will that translate to a move beyond the first round -- something they have not done since trading Shaq to Miami?

L.A. Ball Talk: Not only because I am a fan myself, but simply because of the way the schedules are set, I feel that the Lakers have a great chance to finally not only win the Pacific Division but also the Western Conference title. New Orleans has a tougher schedule than the Lakers and the rest of the Western Conference at that with plenty of games still coming on the road, especially against teams such as Boston, Toronto, and Orlando. Also, they will have to face Golden State, Dallas, and Utah. The Lakers and Hornets also face up against each other at the end of the season; that game may well determine not only the Conference Champion but also the MVP. The Lakers only play three legitimate teams the remainder of the season, out of their ten games. Those teams include New Orleans, San Antonio, and Dallas. Dallas is struggling and the Lakers have managed to beat them the last two meetings, so hopefully that one can become an easy win for them as well. The return of Pau Gasol, hopefully in the very near future, and Andrew Bynum toward the end of the season, will mean that the Lakers will either be a very strong team with an amazing starting lineup (if Bynum is healthy enough to play as a starter) or they will be a solid team with just another option of the bench. The Lakers have the strongest bench on the team and if you truly take a look at it, this bench can be the starting lineup in about 5-7 years. I can see Farmar, Vujacic, Walton, Turiaf, and Bynum as a pretty strong starting line-up in a few years. Either way, the Lakers have all the fire power they need to compete for the championship, the rest is resting upon the shoulders of the players to deliver.

3SoB: 2. Who does your MVP vote go to? Is it obviously Kobe or is it a legit 3-man race between the Mamba, the King and CP3?

LABT: Kobe is my MVP. Kobe should me your MVP too. Lakers fan or not, you cannot let Kobe's accomplishments this season go unrecognized. The only guy that I would consider for MVP besides Kobe Bryant is Chris Paul. Chris Paul has led the New Orleans Hornets just as far as Kobe has led the Lakers. Chris Paul is easily the best point guard in the NBA, and he's still so young. The kid has so much potential it's ridiculous. He's putting up 15+ assists every game I watch and the feeds to Tyson Chandler are on point every time. The difference between Kobe and Paul is that Paul has had the opportunity to go through training camp, preseason, and the entire regular season with a set roster. Also, the injuries to the Lakers have been killer. This season alone, Bynum has missed more than half so far, Ariza has missed more than half so far, and Pau has missed several games leaving the Lakers with a full roster for only one game so far this season, and never with Pau Gasol. The argument regarding having a full roster applies to Keven Garnett as well. I have no doubt in my mind that the Lakers with a full roster of Bynum and Gasol the entire season would leave the Lakers with the best record in the NBA and in the pursuit of history. Kevin Garnett is good, but he's had two sidekicks right next to him the entire season. Lebron James was in the talk early but he's proved time and time again, given the opportunity to take his team higher in the standings, but the Cavs are barely ten games over .500 while the Lakers and Hornets are 25+ games over .500 each, in a much more competitive conference. Lebron's stats are good but his team's win-loss record prevents him from winning (that is if you hold him to the same standards that Kobe was held to the last two seasons).

3SoB: 3. In the limited time he has been with the team, what are your thoughts on Pau Gasol? Is he the perfect complementary player to Kobe in the triangle offense or will issues arise once Andrew Bynum is healthy?

LABT: Pau Gasol is a beast. I wrote an article many months ago when the Lakers were still amidst the "Kobe Bryant Trade Me Drama" that the Lakers best option would be Pau Gasol. He is a very large power forward that can shoot from outside of the paint, is extremely quick, and would be perfect in the triangle offense. Gasol and Bynum are the new version of the David Robinson and Tim Duncan duo. They are the new twin towers. I strongly believe that with Kobe, Pau, and Bynum running the triangle, other players will be left wide open. This team's success will be determined by the role players as the big names will simply free up the floor for open shots. Vujacis, Farmar, Fisher, Radmanovic will have to knock down the open threes that they will be given all day long. The other players such as Lamar Odom and Luke Walton will be amazing because they love to drive and kick. If we have the big three (the Lakers version) on the strong side, and a guy like Lamar driving down the baseline of the weak side, the defense is going to have to leave 2 or 3 players wide open at all times. I can't wait to see what happens but all the heat Kupchak took in the last few years (even from me) has paid off because he has done a superb job in stacking this roster with guys that complement the three headed dragon to perfection!

A big thanks to Daniel for taking the time to answer our questions, as well as posing some insightful queries to us. Go check out L.A. Ball Talk.

Interview with the Enemy: Sactown Royalty

Sactown Royalty's Tom Ziller is considered one of the best bloggers around the internet. He is a blogger for AOL Sports' Fanhouse as well as Sactown Royalty. I was most interested in this interview not only for Tom's well earned reputation but in the similarities between the two teams. Sacramento has been revuilding after a string of playoff appearances, has owners who seemed to want to move the team and are coached by a former player in his first season as a head coach in the NBA. Tom also asked me some questions that I answered (hopefully not as poorly as I answered Ryan Shwan at Hornets 24/7). Anyway, if you want to read the answers to Tom's questions, here is the link .

1) In the last few years Sacramento has lost Peja Stojakovic, Bonzi Wells, Mike Bibby and rumors are that Ron Artest is on the way out as well. Is Sacramento closer to the end of the rebuilding stage or the beginning?

Closer to the beginning, unfortunately. Trading Bibby was a huge step, though, in freeing up some backcourt minutes (for Udrih and Douby) and getting enough under the luxury tax to sign Udrih this summer. The team's still about a season from playoff contention, though.

2) The Kings seem to be putting together some nice pieces with Spencer Hawes, Quincy Douby, Kevin Martin, Francisco Garcia and Beano Udrih. They've accomplished this without the benefit of a top 3 draft pick and the supposed superstar status that comes with those picks. Do you believe that Sacramento can attract a Superstar or that one is needed on this team?

This team needs Martin to continue to improve, Hawes to become a 18/8 big man... and one more top-flight player to contend, along with keeping good defensive roleplayers who can score (like Salmons and Garcia) and adding a banger power forward/center to make up for Hawes's athletic deficiencies. Beno is an above-average offensive point guard, for suffers on defense and doesn't quite have that star-scorer streak. If they can get under the cap, they can attract a superstar. It's all ca$h in this game.


3) The Maloof Brothers, owners of the Kings, have been rumored to be moving the team to Las Vegas or some other more lucrative city. Have the rumors been detrimental to the cities support of the Kings?

The rumors have stopped as the league stepped in to take over negotiations. This team won't be moving in the next two years, I imagine, if at all. Honestly, we as fans are maybe half as worried as we were over the last several years.

4) What are you thoughts on Reggie's first season and do you believe he is the right coach to turn things around in Sacramento?

I think Theus has had a certain degree of difficulty involved, that being Ron Artest. The defense under Theus has been much worse than it should be, but his game tactics seem good. He's a decent coach at worst, I think.


I had to throw that picture in for our female readers!

Interview with the Enemy: The Nugg Doctor

In our now world reknown Q&A with bloggers from other lottery bound teams (and yes we received an email about the Interview series from someone in Asia which qualifies this as world reknown now), we get to know probably one of the least likely teams to be an actual lottery team this season. Denver has been considered a shoe-in to sneak into the last spot in the Western Conference since January but still finds themselves 1.5 games out of the 8th spot with 10 games remaining. The Nugg Doctor was kind enough to take time from the NCAA Scouting Party to help us out this week.


1. The Nuggets currently have a former MVP (Allen Iverson), a world class All-Star (Carmelo Anthony) and the reigning Defensive Player of the Year (Marcus Camby) on the roster. How is it possible that they are outside the playoffs right now with that level of talent?

The Nuggets can lean on a number of excuses such as injuries and the West being so tough just to mention a couple, but the real reason the Nuggets are on the outside looking right now is because they are inconsistent. Not AI, 'Melo, or Camby so much (although you can say Marcus's scoring is a bit hit or miss), but sometimes finding that third guy who wants to step up his game is a struggle for the Nuggets. Even with AI and Anthony doing amazing things night-in and night-out they can't get it done alone. Some nights it can be Linas, J.R., or Kenyon, but for the most part there is no consistent third offensive option. The other problem the Nuggets have had is playing solid D. Not just in stretches, but over entire quarters and halves. See, they are so good on offense some nights that they rely too heavily on the ball going through the net and forget to stop anyone on th other end of the floor.

2. Whose team is it -- Melo's or AI's?

Tough question... I'll do my best Swiss impression and stay nuetral on this one. Some nights it's 'Melo's and on others it's The Answer's. It just depends on how the first quarter plays itself out. Honesty, both players could probably lead the league in scoring if they didn't play on the same team. Individually, they are both that gifted.

3. Who is the one guy on this Nuggets team that you hope and pray is gone for next year?

That's easy, Yakhouba Diawara! He needs a few years in the CBA. I've never seen a professional ball player look that uncomfortable with the ball in his hands on offense.

Interview with the Enemy: Posting and Toasting

We continue to make our way through the rest of the lottery bound teams, this time familiarizing ourselves with the New York Knickerbockers. The fantastic Knicks blog Posting and Toasting was all too willing to answer our questions and ask some of their own.

1) With the rumors swirling that owner James Dolan is looking to replace Isiah Thomas as the GM of the team (took him long enough!), out of the legitimately available names who do you feel would make the best GM to remake this team?

From the sounds of things, Donnie Walsh is the leading candidate and appears to be a worthy one. He's a New York guy with a respected name in the league. He's got an eye for talent and a successful hand in the trade market. I'm not picky, though. At this point, I'd take Chef Boyardee over Isiah.

2) If David Stern were to do another favor to the Knicks (like the Allan Houston Rule was supposed to) and gave them the opportunity to drop any contracts they wanted to, which players are you keeping on this team? Well, other than the basketball demi-god that is David Lee, of course.

I can't help but love Crawford and Nate, so they can stick around. Other than them (and Lee), I'm not particularly attached to anyone except for the young guys: Balkman, Chandler, Morris, and even Collins.

3) For all Isiah's faults, the man can draft with the best of them. David Lee, Renaldo Balkman and Wilson Chandler have all proven that they can be solid contributors in the NBA. With a lottery pick guaranteed in the upcoming draft, what players are you looking at with hopes and dreams swirling through your mind?

The consensus at P&T is that the Knicks are looking for a solid lead guard. Derrick Rose might be a pipe dream, but all the experts tell me that he's the ideal guy. Other than that, I really like Jerryd Bayless (without knowing much about him). D.J. Augustin and Russell Westbrook are two other guys of interest who aren't currently projected that high, but might get a bump with impressive play in the tournament. Eric Gordon is cool too, but might not fit the need well enough.

4) Eddy Curry is out for the season, Stephon Marbury is still in the doghouse and reports are that even Nate Robinson and Jamal Crawford are tuning out their coach. Coming from an expert in recognizing them - what a mess! Is there any way this team can move forward as long as Isiah is with the organization in any capacity?

Any capacity? Sure. Isiah could remain with the Knicks in the capacity of, say, waterboy without doing too much harm. Even then, he'd probably swap out the Gatorade for some purple Powerade or something.

5) Does Spike Lee still show up for every game or did he hire a stunt double? Just asking...

Spike's not at every single game, but his attendance hasn't faltered too much this season. Call the man what you want, but he's not a fair-weather fan by any means.

Interview with the Enemy: T'Wolves Blog

In the interest of lottery-bound teams sharing information, we traded questions with T'Wolves Blog about their team, their future and a certain Brazilian supermodel. A big thanks goes out to College Wolf and DeROK for their great answers. You can view the questions they asked us and our answers here.

1) In the off-season, Al Jefferson signed a 5-year, $65 million extension, which was actually less than what he was eligible to receive had he asked for a max contract. It was refreshing to hear a player say that he wasn't worthy of a max deal. What are your impressions of the young stud in his first season in Minnesota?

College Wolf - I can’t speak for all fans, but I’ve quickly become enamored with him. I’ve followed the Celtics for the past few years as my “other” team, so I already knew a good deal about “Old Skool” (as we affectionately like to call him.) Still, I did not foresee him coming in and immediately producing like he has been all season long. Before the season, if you would have told me that he’d average 20+ points, 10+ boards, and have the second most double-doubles; I would have said “no way.” Not only has his offense been superb, but we’ve seen him grow before our very eyes as a leader out on the court. He’s been much more vocal and passionate as the season has gone on, which is very exciting to see and is exactly what this young team needs in a leader. However, it is not all praise… because until he can improve his overall defense, he’ll never be considered a truly great player in this league.

2) How has the fanbase adjusted in the post-Kevin Garnett era?

DeROK - I would say for the first half of the season, most Timberwolves fans were still suffering from a KG hangover. The team's record was horrendous, hovering around the 5-30 mark, and none of the young players we received in the deal seemed to be living up to our expectations of them. There was honestly a point where I felt the Wolves had gotten completely taken in the trade and that Al Jefferson was nothing more than the next Shareef Abdur-Rahim. Then, things suddenly changed. It was right before the Wolves were scheduled to play Boston. As if someone had flipped on a switch, Al Jefferson began to completely dominate games and was consistently putting up the type of point totals we'd see Garnett score every two seasons. The team was able to build off of that momentum heading into the Celtics game and put on one of the best performances of the season. Had it not been for back-to-back meltdowns on inbounds plays, the last-place Wolves would have toppled the league-leading C's. After the game, Garnett had a celebratory tirade that didn't sit too well with most Minnesota fans. I think the team's gutsy performance coupled with Garnett's post-game reactions were what finally cut the last ties most of us had to the KG era. Garnett's still my favorite player and can't wait to see him in the playoffs again, but Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Corey Brewer, Randy Foye - those are "my guys" now. I'm happy with where this team's going and actually think we got the better end of the trade in the long-term. It really was the best thing for both the franchise and Garnett to part ways. I think almost every Wolves fan realizes this and, as a whole, we're at peace with the situation.

3) Rumors are that if Minnesota is looking to draft one of the top level PG's in the upcoming draft. Should they look to draft their PG of the future or is there someone you think they should trade for or sign as a free agent instead?

CW - This is a big bag of cookies that I’m not entirely sure we can fully dissect at *this point* of the season. There are still some “things” contingent on other “things” happening. I believe the draft is before the free agent signing period, so the front office needs to decide if they will be pursuing Telfair or not this off-season. That in turn affects whether they want to spend our lottery pick on a PG. Do they draft a second tier PG if Derrick Rose isn’t available? I’d say no. Do they draft Rose if he is available? I don’t see how they couldn’t… regardless of what they plan on doing with Telfair and Foye.

It wasn’t long ago that Foye was considered our “point guard of the future.” Who knows, maybe he will still end up becoming so. No one really knows right now. Much further evaluation is needed both upon the guys on our squad and the options available in the draft and free agency.

As for free agent point guards, I don’t really see any guys available (within reason) that I’m too interested in… especially considering our lack of available salary space. I’d prefer we don’t waste the MLE this season either. There’s nothing worse than spending the MLE just to spend it. I enjoy checking out fake potential trades and whatnot every now and then, but it’s largely a waste of time to pontificate about trades because our Front Office is just so unpredictable.*

* That was my nice term for “incompetent.”

4) Is Marko Jaric still dating Adriana Lima? If not, do you think you can get us her number?


CW - Fortunately for him (and unfortunately for the rest of us), yes, they are still dating. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but even if I had her number I’m thinking I probably wouldn’t share it with too many people. Here are some recent photos on The Big Lead of the seemingly happy couple. Extra Credit to Marko for looking like a stud in a flannel shirt.

5) Who is more maddening to root for: Antoine Walker or Ricky Davis?

CW - I think it’s hands down, Ricky Davis. I think the main reason is that he teases and tantalizes fans with his athleticism and the occasional “outbreak” game, only to revert back to his jumpshot clanging self the very next day. Seriously, RD has got to be towards the top of the list of players that could go out on any given night and either drop 40 points… or go 1 of 15 from the field. You know what you are getting out on the court with “The Toine.” Namely, a 31 year old player that looks like he’s 41, and plays like he’s 61. He can’t really shoot, defend, or do much of anything… hence there are little to no expectations. Anything he contributes is gravy. Ricky, on the other hand, is capable of averaging nearly 20 points a game, which has always baffled me. Another thing that made Ricky Davis more maddening to watch was the fact that he was basically our second option for a team trying to compete in the Western Conference. The most maddening thing about The Toine the past month has been his whining about not getting bought out…but I can live with that. I can’t wait to start referring to him as “Antoine Walker’s Expiring Contract” next season.

Again, a big thanks to the guys at T'Wolves Blog for commiserating our similar fates this season. Make sure you check out their quality blog for loads of great content.

Links: Linkstravaganza!

Sorry for the lack of updates and links lately. New job = new work schedule. To make up for it, here's an extra-large helping of links.

Rudy Gay is in the Sprite Rising Stars Slam Dunk Contest. He will be facing reigning champ Gerald Green, the man-beast who should have won last year in Dwight Howard and rookie surprise Jamario Moon. He is asking for all the help he can get, as he is requesting that fans offer submissions via YouTube that could assist him in capturing the crown. Go to http://www.youtube.com/rudygay22slamdunk for all the details.




The Ahwatukee Foothills News (real paper, I swear) has a great look at the story of Eric McMahon, known to the readers of this blog as "Grizz", the mascot of the Memphis Grizzlies. McMahon found out that he has Hodgkin's lymphoma in December and the article provides several details about his battle to recover. As a reminder, you can send cards and get well wishes to McMahon at 191 Beale St., Memphis, Tenn., 38103, or email him at grizz@grizzlies.com.

Ben Q. Rock over at Third Quarter Collapse has a recap of last night's game up that is fair, if a little harsh in its frankness. Actually, I think he's just happy that they blew us out last night, since we beat them on their home floor in the first meeting this year. It seems to have restored his faith in his team's postseason chances, even if he isn't willing to admit it.

While we didn't get a chance to meet up with Matt from Blog a Bull while he was in town for the MLK Day game, I did enjoy his recap of the experience, as well as his post this morning about the "return of Kirk", since Hinrich has been one of my favorite players going back to his college days at Kansas.

After you check out our postgame thoughts and comments, make sure you look at the recaps that the guys at Beale Street Beat and Grizzlies Locker have been putting up.

Warren Blatt asks the question, "Is trading Gasol the way to go for Memphis?". He reaches the same conclusion as most of the rest of the sports writing nation and offers the same stale proposal involving Chicago as a trade partner. Well better late than never on that bandwagon, I suppose.

It appears that at least one Chicago sportswriter isn't completely enamored with the idea of acquiring post player extraordinaire Pau Gasol.

Speaking of Gasol and trade rumors, at least he's not letting them affect him, according to this article from the Chicago Sun-Times.

Head over to David's Memphis Grizzlies Blog to see what a way-less-than-happy Grizz fan looks/sounds like.

Check out drewcasey.net for the viewpoint of a vocal fan/season ticket holder of the Grizzlies.

ESPN's David Thorpe covers which sophmore players are doing well, and not-so-surprisingly he came to the conclusion that Rudy Gay is pretty darn good, coming in at #2 on the list. Kyle Lowry also received mention, although Thorpe made the same classic blunder in his evaluation as most "experts" do, in assuming that Lowry needs to be moved since Conley is the starter.

FOX Sports' Mike Kahn with earth-shattering news: He thinks Darko Milicic is the biggest bust in the NBA since 2001. He reached that conclusion even when he had Nikoloz Tskitishvili in the discussion. The same Skita that is no longer even in the league. *sigh* Mike, I've never liked your writing, so thanks for allowing me to continue down that same path.

USA Today has a very good article titled "Foreign rookies face world of change" that looks at what international players have to deal with in terms of transitioning to the NBA and living in America. "La Bomba" is mentioned and you can see by the charts that JCN stacks up very well in comparison to the other foreign rookies.

Speaking of rookies, here is a post dedicated to those feeling the effects of the dreaded eventuality that is the "Rookie Wall".

While the Grizzlies might not be good right now, at least they aren't the Miami Heat. I can neither confirm nor deny my involvement with this piece of humorous writing, but I will say that I approve the intended message.

Hardwood Paroxysm released Part Two of the phenomenal saga that is the Birth of a Division.

We did our own Mid-Season Review, but I must tip my hat and bow before the majesty that is The Dream Shake for their 80's Mid Season Review which left me speechless. I thoroughly enjoyed Chris Herrington's mid-season report, as well. Make sure you go over to SI.com to see Jack McCallum's take on all 30 teams, too.

Blog/Website of the Day: The Wizznutzz

Chatting with the Enemy- Brian Windhorst

Brian Windhorst writes for the Akron Beacon Journal and has a well-respected blog about the Cavs on Ohio.com as well. He's sort of the Chris Herrington of Cleveland which means he provides insight into the team that most people don't catch except he doesn't review movies and writes more than once a month (we miss you Chris).

I was able to track him down by phone in the Atlanta Airport on the way to Memphis for tonight's game (he didn't know that he needed a restraining order) and talked for a few minutes about the Cavs and Mike Brown's new contract. Here is some of the comments I got down on paper.

3SoB: Brian, it is nice of you to take some time to talk to us. What do you think of the Cavs season so far?
Brian: The Cavs have had a false start of the season. It began with the Varejao and Pavlovic holdouts. Then LeBron and Hughes were both injured and the Cavs played the most difficult schedule to start the season. The team really lost the momentum they had coming out of the playoffs last year. The team has played well since.

3SoB: What about Varejao and Pavlovic. How are they doing after their summer of discontent?
Brian: Sasha isn't playing well. He doesn't have any confidence. He came back from his holdout out of shape and although he is in shape no he doesn't have any confidence. Frankly, the Cavs have the worst back court in the NBA. Sasha is shooting like 33% from the field and Hughes is about the same.

3SoB: Mike Brown just got a new contract and that raised some eyebrows around Cleveland and the league. Do you think it was a good idea to re-sign him now or not?
Brian: A lot of people don't think Mike is a good coach. They say that because he has LeBron as if they win despite him. Every great coach has had a great player. Phil Jackson wouldn't be thought of the way he is if not for great players. Pat Riley is the same. Fans look at Mike and only see his shortcomings. He did a great job against Detroit in the playoffs last year and that is when the team decided to re-sign him. It just took a while to get it done. It's hard to find great coaches and when you have one you need to keep him.



3SoB: There have been rumors that Memphis and Cleveland have talked about a trade for Damon. Do you believe there is any truth there?
Brian: Cleveland has no interest in Damon. They don't want small guards. Memphis approached Cleveland this summer about a sign and trade for Pavlovic but Cleveland wasn't interested.

3SoB: What is most remarkable about the Cleveland season so far?
Brian: Cleveland has 11 come from behind in the 4th quarter wins this season. They have trailed entering the 4th quarter something like 27 times. Obviously LeBron has something to do with that. He is big enough to drive the lane, can pass and hit the big shot. I don't know if Rudy Gay is big enough to drive into the paint like LeBron.

3SoB: What do you think of the Grizzlies so far?
Brian: I am disappointed in the team. I felt that coming out of the summer that they had some real strong young guards and the team would be more competitive. This team has to address some issues. I haven't really followed them that closely but from what I have seen it isn't good.

3SoB: I can't argue with that. Any predictions for tonight's game?
Brian: I can safely predict the Cavs will be losing heading into the fourth quarter.

Interview with the Enemy: Timberwolves Today

This is something new we hope will be a regular feature for 3 Shades of Blue where we get a chance to interview bloggers from other teams so that we can learn what other fans think of their own teams.

Today we have Neil from Timberwolves Today who was kind enough to answer some questions from ChipC3.

ChipC3: First off let me say I was at the Hanna Montana/Miley Cyrus concert with my 8 yr old daughter last night. I feel like I drank two pan galactic gargle blasters without the lemon twist. If you don't know what that is go read the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.

First question I have for you is simple. Minnesota traded Kevin Garnett for a group of players that probably attended a Hanna Montana concert this year and didn't bring their daughters. Do you think Kevin McHale has got the team on the right path with the young players or was this a terrible move for the franchise?

Neil: While every Wolves fan will miss everything that KG brought to the court night in and night out, the time was right for McHale to deal KG. Due to his enormous contract we could not bring in the help needed to be a legit contender in the wild west. After this season he would have opted out of his contract and we would have been left with nothing but cap space. When you look at past All-Star trades, (Shaq, AI, others) the team dealing the superstar, never gets back equal value. You can never expect to get back what KG offered. That being said, I think we did amazingly well with the deal we did get. Young prospects, draft picks and cap space is what we were asking and that is what we got. Al Jefferson is one of the brightest upcoming stars in this league. Gomes, Telfair and Green are serviceable role players. Two first round draft picks will boost our rebuilding process, and Theo Ratliff is 13 million coming off the books after this season. Sure we have the worst record in the league, but our current squad is young, energetic, and they play hustle ball all night. We have a core, anchored by big Al that could be something special in a few years.

ChipC3: Explain the hiring of Randy Wittman to me.

Neil: Randy Wittman has had a few tours as an assistant coach with the Wolves, as well as a couple failed seasons with Cleveland. He was hired after McHale canned Dwane Casey halfway through last season. It was kind of an in-house promotion for Wittman. It was always assumed that he would someday be a Wolves head coach if Casey did not pan out. In my opinion Casey should still be around, but alas Wittman is in charge. Randy Wittman is known for his no nonsense, hard-nosed philosophy. Times are tough right now in Wolvesville and the key word is patience, this must be applied to the head coach as well. Even if we end up with the worst record in the league this season, Randy Wittman's job is safe at least through next season. McHale and owner Glen Taylor are committed to giving Randy time to mold this team and realize that it will not happen overnight.

ChipC3: On a serious note, a small but serious group of Memphis fans were hoping that the Grizzlies would draft Corey Brewer in the last draft. So far I have not heard a lot about him. What do Minnesota fans think of the Brewer selection and will he be an impact player in the future or are his destiny more along the line of a defensive player who can't shoot?

Neil: Corey Brewer is a huge part of our rebuilding effort. Right now he is very rough around the edges on the offensive end of the court. His shot is simply not falling. However he has earned a decent amount of playing time due to his sheer hustle and defensive energy. He is a hawk in the passing lanes, swooping in and disrupting the oppositions offense, and wants to run the fast break every chance he gets. He will be a special player in the future, but to really be complete he has to work on that shot and his offensive decision making.

ChipC3: Finally, what do you think McHale has on the Minnesota owner to keep his job? Is it incriminating photos? Perhaps some information on his personal finances he doesn't want revealed? It can't be that the owner likes his sweaters can it?

Neil: My insiders tell me that Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor has a huge fetish about Wolves mascot, Crunch. Only McHale truly knows exactly what goes on between Crunch and Taylor, but I have heard some alarming things. This is why McHale still is, and will always be the GM of the Minnesota Timberwolves.