NBA
RE: RE: The Territorial Pick
Filed under: NBA, Random Musings | Tags: NBA, territorial pick
Comments (1) Edit BrownManOfColour,
Allow me to take to task your line of specious reasoning against my rallying call against the lottery pick. Since your quibbles are so numerous, why don’t I tackle the three biggest issues you raise?
Issue #1 – Isn’t there a lack of sure-fire local stars?
Your first argument against it is that the “player would have to be pretty special” and that “There aren’t many” of such players. Exactly – a territorial pick system shouldn’t be abused and allow a team such as, say the Bobcats, from cherrypicking every single intriguing player that permeates the ACC (primarily Duke, UNC and Wake Forest). Instead it should be a rarely used provision which allows teams to select local megastars who are almost sure to help local teams both on the court and at the ticket office. Since sure-fire picks are few are far in between, teams would have to select wisely.
I can already anticipate the follow-up argument against my logic forming. The question is, “But what’s to STOP Charlotte from taking a lottery stud if they have a low draft pick?” Hmmm, good point (I always ask the best hypothetical questions). Thing is, I’ve ALREADY thought of a solution to this question – make the territorial pick a calculated, weighted risk.
You can always get around the fairness issue by forcing lottery teams contemplating using the territorial pick to forfeit a package of picks (maybe two unprotected future 1st rounder selections) in order to take the local star. Additionally, you could mandate that territorial picks get paid the same amount as the #1 overall pick in order to placate the union and to ensure that there is also financial sacrifice in making a territorial pick.
But putting measures such as these in place, you would ensure that local teams really weigh the odds and select only the crème-de-la-crème. If you were a NBA GM, wouldn’t you definitely think VERY carefully before giving up two future picks for one just one guy? You would if you were a good GM.
Argument #2 – Don’t small-market teams have less local talent?
Your second argument seems to be that these small-market teams would be at a considerable disadvantage when faced with a territorial pick. You claim that small markets generally do not enjoy local stars. I call BS and question your knowledge of amateur hoops in America. Let’s take a look at a couple of the smaller markets just to give a few examples of possible territorial picks. A team like Oklahoma City could have selected a guy like Blake Griffin from Oklahoma State this year and solidified their title as the league’s hottest young team. Charlotte would have access to North Carolina’s rich lineage of college hoopsters (Chris Paul as an example). The Pacers would have a crack at the studs coming out of IU, IUPUI and Purdue (how good would Eric Gordon look under Reggie Miller’s retired number?). Sacramento could finally land a young talent to compete with the in-state Lakers (O.J. Mayo in Sac-town is surely preferable to him rotting in Memphis).
I could go on but I just wanted to point out the ludicrousness of your statement. America is a hoops hotbed – Almost everywhere. Sure, there may be concentrations of talent in certain urban areas (NYC and Chicago come to mind) but if each team has access to the same limited number of territorial picks, it’s not like the Knicks would get EVERY local superstar – they would have to think hard and choose just ONE. In almost every single geographical area, there is at least one good college or player either produced or developed.
As for international players, I would favour this solution. Earlier, you mentioned that certain markets may get screwed by the inherent weakness of the talent produced in their local areas. I don’t agree but let’s say it is so. Why not then allocate international players to teams in regions where the local talent is adjudged to be weaker? To make it fairer, why not analyze drafting trends and if there has been a paucity of NBA talent coming from the region over the past ten years, allow the NBA teams in those regions first crack at international players? Wouldn’t this solve two problems with one stone?
Think out of the box, man! Oh, that’s right, you’re not smart enough for that.
Argument #3 – Wouldn’t local stars just bolt after their rookie contracts?
Yeah, so? How exactly does that differ from the current system where rookies leave their horrible clubs after their initial contracts?
Look, I don’t really give a damn whether the territorial pick chooses to re-sign with the club. Free agency is free agency and it’s the player’s right to choose. But tell me, how does the current system where random ping pong balls determine where a player might end up seem fairer to you than local teams getting a shot at established local stars? If they put in a few years with their hometown club and then choose to find the bright lights of the “storied” clubs you mentioned, how is that different from the current system? At least under the purview of the territorial pick, local teams would get a chance to benefit from the local talent the area produces rather than watch them get drafted far away and possibly buried on the bench or over-exposed on a 12-win ballclub.
These are just three rebuttals I have to your uneasiness with the reintroduction of the territorial pick system. I can think of more but I’m tired and I think I’ve schooled you enough for one night.
Are my plans radical? Yes, but I also think that there is a method to my madness. Not only would my solution create stronger local bonds between NBA franchises and their fans but I suspect tangible increases in local TV revenue, attendance and merchandise sales would be realized by NBA franchises from drafting home-grown talent.
Listen, I realize that the “brainiacs” who run the NBA would never implement this system in a million years. My question is, “Why not?” If this system was good enough during the early years of the NBA and attracted local fans to a fledging sport, why wouldn’t it work now and augment lagging local and national NBA viewership? Not every game can be Kobe vs. Lebron after all.
I can’t believe you have an issue with my solution to the talent distribution inequality across the NBA and then advocate an incompetence tax. Great idea, genius – give bad teams (a) even less funds to try when trying to right the ship or (b) give miserly owners even more of an excuse to cut costs on player salaries in order to “balance the books”. You couldn’t see a good solution if it was right in front of your nose.
But then again, I guess I can’t blame you not being able to see the things right in front of you given the shadow cast by your prodigious schnozz. It must be hard casting a permanent eclipse of the sun.
Cheers,
YellowSun
Re: The Territorial pick
YellowSun,
Let me tell you why it wouldnt work (other than that youre an imbecile). Lets examine the territorial picks more closely shall we?
Lets say that we re-introduce the territorial pick, allowing a team to forgo its draft pick to pick a player from its locality. First of all, for a team to want to forgo a draft pick to select a player from its locality has to imply the player is pretty special, at least a lottery pick. Otherwise he wouldnt have sufficient upside to be able to draw crowds, build local support, and be worth giving up its draft pick. Now, lets look through history to see how many such players have been drafted in the neighborhood of small market teams. There arent many. Which means that either the radius around a small market team has to be pretty big, or we have to build some other provision in. And at this point, you know the other owners are going to throw a hissy fit, so something like this would be very difficult to implement.
While I agree its very difficult to lure big names to small market teams, a lot of that has to do with the culture and reputation of the organization in question. A look at the Spurs or Kings (from the early OOs) or even Oklahoma City (to some extent, and especially in the next year or so) proves my point. They built an organization that players wanted to come and play for, regardless of the size or state of the city. Furthermore, what good is drafting a local superstar if the moment his rookie contract is over he bolts for another team? Look at what Lebron has done to Cleveland. Its entertaining for everyone outside of Cleveland, but within it, people are genuinely terrified he’ll bolt for New York and win his championships there and break their hearts. Given how often small market teams are mismanaged, Id say this is the more likely outcome. They select a great player, try to build around him and fail, and he bolts for another team, leaving his former team in disarray.
Your argument also relies on the fact that the player would want to stay with the local team, and if the team drafts him against his wishes and he really doesnt want to play there, what then? And if youll argue that most kids would want to be local heros, Id say thats true to some extent. But how many kids have fantasized about playing for LA, Boston, New York or one of the other storied franchises? There are two sides to that coin.
Finally, how do we deal with the influx of international players? Wouldnt the NBA Players Association object to local players potentially being restricted by the territorial pick while international players get to go anywhere in the draft? I see the problem small franchises face and its a very real one, but I dont think its something that a territorial pick could solve. Perhaps an incompetence tax? If you miss the playoffs for three straight years then you have to pay a percentage of your payroll as tax (accommodations for injuries and players leaving to go play abroad can be made). How does that sound?
Additionally, let me just say one thing, I do not play with Lego, I collect it. Theres a difference. Its geeky, like collecting stamps, but not childish. And like collecting any trinket, its eccentric, but still a hobby. Just because your hobbies involve finding your nose or trying to see the world around you through those slits you call eyes, mine involve collecting.
BrownManOfColour.
Richard Jefferson’s NEW nickname is…
Filed under: NBA, Random Musings | Tags: NBA, nickname, Richard Jefferson, wedding
Comments Off Edit
BrownManOfColour and I have been trying to figure out a nickname for Richard Jefferson since he moved to San Antonio this summer. We figured that he needed a new nickname considering that (a) he’s a talented player and (b) he’s on a relevant team again.
Of course, this being us we just ended up coming with wholly inappropriate nicknames which didn’t fit too well. Clutching at straws, I suggested going after his kind-of-pubescent voice. While his Mickey Mouse voice still deserves mocking (no man taller than 6′6″ should be a soprano), mercifully Jefferson has given us something else to mock.
It appears as if “good guy” Jefferson did the most honourable thing a man can do* and dumped his fiancée - days before his wedding. Of course, Jefferson compounded this most excellent decision* by not informing anyone until, literally, 2 hours before his supposed wedding. Confused guests supposedly showed up in full regalia to his swank non-wedding. At least he had the sense to give his boys his Amex Black card and carte blanche.
In honour of this ludicrous story, Richard Jefferson will henceforth be known on this blog as ALTAR BOY. Serves him right for tarnishing his squeaky-clean image. I want him to relive this weekend every time Marv Albert says “and the Altar Boy scores”.
Tell me why this nickname wouldn’t stick.
YellowSun
* sarcasm, ladies
* again, sarcasm
Bring back the Territorial Pick!
Filed under: NBA | Tags: Canada, free agent, Hedo, NBA, Raptors
Comments Off Edit
BrownManOfColour,
Apologies for the slow updates but I have been moving house. For most people this entails the investment of time, energy and some monies though I assume that you do not understand since your belongings could fit in the back of a Toyota Corolla – Except your toy collection of course. (Readers, please complete this sentence: Grown men playing with Lego is (a) juvenile, (b) disturbed or (c) better than the Michael Jackson tribute.)
Speaking of Jacko, I flat out refuse to talk about (or respond to) the Jackson media love-in. Suffice it to say that the world lost its best modern entertainer as well as a man who had sleepovers with little children. I’ll miss one and not the other – there’s no dichotomy in that.
Let’s just talk about the NBA instead. First off, I have to respond to your lame attempt to give Richard Jefferson a nickname. Your nickname, which I will not repeat due to its poorness, would imply that there is a certain way that black men should look and we all know that’s simply not true (right BrownManOfColour?). He does, however, sound a bit odd (not in a black/white way by the way) so maybe we should concentrate on that.
By the way, before I continue, I’d like to point out that Jessica Alba is not partially African-American. She is instead a delightful mixture of French Canadian, Danish and Mexican American and a glowing tribute to the wonders of the American melting pot (in terms of hotness, not acting ability).
Now that that’s done, let’s just ignore the rest of the NBA manoeuvres you just mentioned. Yes yes, I’m sure Artest will be slightly better than Ariza just as I’m sure that Vince Carter will still jack up 30 foot jump shots in Orlando and that Shaq will single-handedly murder the English language on Twitter.
The real news is the Hedo to Portland-no-wait-Toronto move. Think about this for a minute – a highly touted free agent (yes, I am aware that this FA class is terrible) decides to forsake a contending team in the U.S. to freeze in Canada. This is major and unprecedented news! The fact of the matter is that the Raptors regularly could not attract top-tier free agent talent to Toronto for a number of reasons – the taxes (which will wipe out any financial advantage the Raptors offer had over the Blazers’ btw), the weather, the fact that many Americans inexplicably seem to think that playing in second-tier American markets like Sacramento will bring more visibility than playing in the 4th largest media market in North America.
But this is the first time that a player in his prime has decided to go to Canada and proves, over 10 years later, that the NBA’s plan for global expansion is working (in another 200 years, NBA players might actually consider playing for somewhere even more foreign and exotic than Canada).
There are, however, two facts which should temper the enthusiasm for Raptors fans. Firstly, Toronto wildly overpaid. Sure, the Blazers’ offer was close in terms of money and length but that doesn’t make Bryan Colangelo’s move any easier to swallow. Hedo is a nice complementary player but he’s being paid like a borderline superstar and I’m not ever sure about investing that kind of money and time into a 30-year-old coming off a career year.
Secondly, Hedo isn’t American. Don’t get me wrong, I love talent irrespective of its origin but Hedo’s move doesn’t establish Toronto as a future FA hotspot for NBA superstars just yet. Let’s explore Turkoglu’s logic behind going to Toronto – he and his wife liked that Toronto had a big Turkish community. That’s it. While that’s nice for Hedo somehow I can’t imagine Americans like Lebron or D-Wade putting as much stock into the ability to get good baklava when they consider their respective FA destinations in 2010.
In essence, Toronto still has not attracted ONE premier American free agent in its nearly 15 year existence. While you can chalk up at least 10 of those years to the fact that Toronto was terrible, and that terrible teams outside of LA and Miami generally don’t attract top talent, the fact is that Toronto couldn’t get anyone to join it even when Vince Carter was lighting up the NBA.
As sad as it is to say, foreign teams like Toronto and small-market teams like Milwaukee will always have trouble attracting big-name American players. It’s just natural that U.S. players would want to play for big U.S. teams just as every Southern Ontario boy dreams about playing for the Maple Leafs or every frustrated Jersey actor dreams about working in “the City” – everyone wants to fulfill their childhood dreams of being rich and famous in their own localities.
For that reason, I am a proponent for bringing back an old pro sports practice – territorial picks. As Wikipedia tells us,
“A Territorial Pick is a type of special draft choice used in the NBA Draft from its inception in 1950 until 1965. As the NBA was still trying to build fan support in its local markets, players from teams’ local areas seemed to be a natural way to draw fans to the arena. A draft of first-year players made that difficult, however, as a popular local player could be drafted by another team. To help teams acquire local players, territorial picks were instituted. Prior to the league’s draft, a team could forfeit its first round draft pick and select a player from within a 50 mile radius.”
Obviously, given the paucity of Canadian talent, Toronto’s territory would have to be expanded to include all international players but tell me why this idea wouldn’t work. Small-market teams would regularly get talent influxes from local-area schools making them more competitive, fans would be able to follow local talent for at least the first part of their pro careers and owners would get attendance boosts from having a marketable local star. Everyone wins right?
I’m at over 1000 words now so I’ll stop. I just want you to respond with one reason why territorial picks wouldn’t work.
By the way, please stop talking about my penis every time we talk. Your not-so-subtle fascination with my manhood is getting obsessive at this point. Oh, and implying that another man’s penis is real original by the way – it’s totally not evident that you’re simply covering for your own deficiencies.
YellowSun
Deals, Deals and more deals
Filed under: NBA | Tags: Cavs, Kobe Bryant, Lakers, Lebron, NBA, Phil Jackson, Rockets, Ron Artest, Shaq, Suns, trades
Comments (1) Edit And you thought the NBA offseason would be boring? Already we’ve had some fun in the draft, so we wont talk about that, but with the NBA offseason officially starting yesterday, theres been a flurry of activity and some really interesting trades.
Let’s start with the deal everyone is talking about. Ron Artest to the Lakers. For those who dont know yet, Ron Artest signed for probably (the deal isnt finalized as yet) for 3 years at the mid-level. To do this, the Lakers let swingman Trevor Ariza walk. In an interesting twist, Ariza signed with the Rockets to replace the hole Artest left. While most commentators think this is a pretty fair deal, I think it was a little lopsided in the Lakers favour. Now I know the Lakers took an immense risk in signing Artest. But hes been on good behaviour since leaving Indiana, hes only signed for 3 years, and they have the greatest coach of all time and the best coach to work with egos in Phil Jackson. With that in mind, the deal makes complete sense. Plus, the worst thing the Lakers could do was stand pat. With the arms race that was going on between the Magic and Cavs(more on this later), the Lakers wouldve had to make some upgrade. Plus, now they have someone to throw at Lebron, Vince, Roy, Carmelo, Ginobli or Jefferson on their way through the playoffs next year. From the Rockets perspective, the deal was decent. Yao Ming’s foot injury is still suspect and could prove to be career ending, McGrady just walked into free agency and potentially retirement, and Artest just signed with the Lakers. In the face of all that, the Rockets had to do something. Signing Ariza to 5 years and the mid-level exception was a good way to plug the hole, but lets face it, Ariza is no Artest. Artest is a physical, lock down defender and can create his own shot. Ariza had a stellar playoff run, but he was feeding off Kobe. Who wouldn’t put up decent numbers? I think the Rockets may have overpaid a little for Ariza. And with the team essentially in rebuilding mode until Yao’s injury is sorted out, it wouldve been more worthwhile to pursue one of the other marquee free agents on the market.
Now the other trade everyone is talking about, Vince Carter to the Magic. Has there ever been a greater instance of one-upsmanship than this? Just hours earlier, the Cavs nabbed Shaq (more on this later), and then the Magic upgraded big time with Vince. All in all, the Magic clearly made a better trade than the Cavs. Carter is a proven offensive force, and a reasonable defender (especially when motivated, and you’d have to think being on a contender in his home state would motivate him), plus hes a legit 3 point threat and a pretty good closer. The Magic may have to give up Gortat, which could be a serious problem if Howard runs into foul trouble, but other than that, the Magic gave up no one of real importance. Alston was clearly going to lose minutes to Nelson and start sulking so it was better to get rid of him sooner rather than later. As for the Nets, theyre obviously in cost savings mode and willing to make the franchise the laughing stock of the NBA in the process.
Shaq to the Cavs. While Cleveland didnt give up much to get Shaq, it isn’t clear to me they came out the winners in this. Shaq is well past his prime, and while he can still put up some pretty good numbers, I’m not sure he was worth the $20 million in salaries the Cavs took on. Plus, we all know how well Shaq plays when he doesnt get touches. Not to mention, his physical fitness is seriously in question as he hasnt played all 82 games in a season in a while and youd have to wonder how much he has left in the tank for one more long playoff run (and it will be long if the Cavs are gonna get through the Celtics, Magic and maybe even Wizards just to get a crack at the Lakers). The Suns on the other hand seem to have taken a page from the Nets book and have detonated the team. Theyre shopping Amare, and just shipped out Shaq and took no star players back in return. Poor Nash. Hes the NBAs Jennifer Aniston. He was supposed to have it all with Amare and Marion, an uptempo team and a championship. And instead hes contemplating retirement. Stoudamire is his Brad Pitt. The guy who was supposed to give it all to him, but couldnt because of injuries, defensive lapses, and a lack of discipline.
Jefferson to the Spurs. I hope the league is watching because the Spurs are putting on a clinic on how to run a successful franchise. They gave up Kurt Thomas and Bruce Bowen (and may get them back if they can negotiate buy outs from the Bucks) to get Richard Jefferson and just like that, theyre back in the elite in the West. Jefferson gives them an excellent around-the-rim scorer, a long athletic wing and a reasonable defender and some new blood in a team that was aging pretty badly. With Popovich at the helm, next year’s Western Conference playoffs look fun indeed as it essentially comes down to the Lakers, Nuggets and Spurs (with the Blazers, Mavs, and Hornets as maybes depending on what happens next).
Last but not least, the Wizards. It has to be a busy week in the NBA when a deal like this is completely forgotten. The Wizards got Mike Miller and Randy Foye from the Timberwolves for Etan Thomas, Darius Songaila, Oleksiy Pecherov and the fifth overall selection in the 2009 NBA Draft. Even if Arenas doesnt come back at full strength, with Jamison and Caron Butler it still gives the Wizards an awful lof of firepower. And with offensive minded Flip Saunders at the helm, youd expect the Wizards to do a lot better than they did last year and be one of the top teams in the league offensively. And if they can play defense, look out. For the Twolves, what can I say? Theyre shopping Al Jefferson, just got rid of a bunch of great role players, and didnt re-sign McHale as head coach. For all of McHales deficiencies as GM, the one role he flourished in was head coach and had a pretty impressive record in that capacity.
Thats the NBA for you.
I-cant-believe-hes-black-man
YellowSun,
Youre right. Richard Jefferson does need a nickname. But Dicky J isnt it. In fact, thats what you call your penis, so its a little lewd (and I do mean little). I dont think initials ever counted as nicknames. And initials with your number were even stupider. Honestly, CP3? CB4? KB24? Did all the creativity in the world just die that we have to rely on players giving themselves nicknames? What happened to names like the Iceman, Clyde the Glide, The Admiral, MDE, His Airness, Magic, The Dream, The Round Mound of Profound? Richard Jefferson deserves better.
I propose we call him I-cant-believe-hes-black-man. Because lets face it, when you look at him, thats the first thing you think. Like when you look at Jessica Alba and think the same thing but quickly forget when you realise how hot she is. If thats too long for you, then how about this, Under the Radar? Because hes played under the radar his whole life, is now going to a small market team that plays under the radar until April when everyone realises how good they are, and is going to be playing with players that are, well, under the radar. I think its appropriate.
BrownManOfColour.
My bittersweet relationship with the Celtics
Filed under: NBA | Tags: Ainge, basketball, Celtics, Lakers, Pierce, Red Auerbach
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Ahhhhh the Celtics. Basketballs most storied franchise. Winners of 17 NBA championships. The first franchise to feature an all black team. They had 128 All-Stars and some of the greatest players to ever play the game. A franchise steeped in success and tradition. But I despise them.
For one thing, Im a Lakers fan, but thats not why I hate them. Let me be clear, I respect the pre-2002 teams, and despise the ones after that. The pre-2022 teams were great. They were filled with Hall of Famers like Bird and Russell and provided epic playoff battles that basketball enthusiasts like myself could enjoy for decades. That was a franchise. You hated them, but you had to respect them. Then something happened in late 2006 that changed everything.
For the past several years the Celtics were a decent team at best, but nothing compared to the legendary teams of the 50s, 60s, and 80s. The franchise, like many others, was in the process of upgrading their arenas with Jumbo-trons and fan nights and so on. As many of you know, the Celtics never had cheerleaders because the legendary Red Auerbach, architect of 16 of the Celtics 17 championships, said he wouldnt have them. He thought they detracted from the game and had no purpose on a basketball court (and I agree). But in 2006, Red passed away. And not a full season had passed that there were cheerleaders wearing green mini skirts dancing in the Garden. The following season was dedicated to Red, aptly so for a man who gave so much to one franchise, city and sport, and Red’s signature was painted on the floor boards in front of the players bench. And there were cheerleaders dancing on it. Despicable. “Over my dead body”, those were his exact words when asked if the Celtics should have cheerleaders. I guess you should be careful what you wish for.
But lets step back for a minute and look at this objectively. Yes, Red hated cheerleaders, and yes, theyd have to come eventually. But did it have to be the season right after he died? They couldnt wait one more season? When Christopher Reeve died, they delayed the release of Superman Returns for a year and a half out of respect. Did Red get the same respect? No. In fact, its hard to find anything that wouldve been more disrespectful to the cigar-puffing patriarch. It wasnt like he was opposed to the Jumbo-tron or new speakers or executive suites or fan nights or something else that would’ve hindered the Celtics ability to compete in the NBA. He was opposed to cheerleaders. They dont do much in a basketball game anyway, and the Celtics have the most loyal fan base in all of sports, so it wasnt like thats why they did it either. But the real reason I hate the Celtics is because no one, not the fans, players, coaches or management, registered a peep as pom-pom wielding high school drop outs danced on Red’s signature. They may as well have pissed on his grave. Youd have to go pretty far back in history to find a similar instance of betrayal.
BrownManOfColour.
Dicky J and the Spurs
Now that Richard Jefferson has made his way to the Spurs, it’s officially time to stop ignoring Richard Jefferson. How is it that a career 18 ppg scorer and a dynamic wing presence still has the lame nickname of RJ 8 years into his career?
Sure, he’s not a superstar but lesser players enjoy far more nickname notoreity. Fred Hoiberg was “The Mayor”. Elden Campbell was “Easy E”. Joey Graham has TWO – “Golden Graham” or “Grammy Joe”.
Listen, these guys can’t hold Richard Jefferson’s jock. (Before I get angry letters from Easy E fans, let me ask you, do you think anyone has ever said “Boy, we better make sure we keep Elden Campbell from going loco on us tonight?” Didn’t think so.)
Richard Jefferson was a borderline All-Star for years and he’ll be joining a cast in the Spurs who have at least a 2-year window to keep winning championships. They have the greatest PF of all time in Tim “Captain Emotion” Duncan, a legit starting PG in Tony “Mr. Longoria” Parker and a second-banana scorer in Manu “Baldy” Ginobili.
Richard Jefferson catatpults this threesome into a dangerous foursome – something no NBA team has (unless you think Rajon Rondo is capable of becoming an equal to the “Big Three” in Boston). For that reason, we can’t have Richard Jefferson answering to RJ. We could ignore him on the Bucks but we can’t ignore him now, not when he’ll be on nationally televised games 800 times this year.
So, what is my new nickname for RJ? Dicky J. Can you imagine Mike Tirico rattling off that nickname for a devoutly religious family man? I can and it amuses me.
Think you can do better, BrownManofColour?
Cheers,
YellowSun
