NBA: My MVP Ballot
Eric Engberg is here to give you his top five MVP candidates for the 2009-2010 season. There are no real surprises here and it really is not even much of a debate over who this season's MVP is.
Categories: Basketball, NBA, Pickle's Picks, Sports Tags: Basketball, Carmelo Anthony, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Dwight Howard, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers, MVP, NBA, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic
NBA MVP Watch
LeBron is the clear front runner for the NBA's MVP Award, find out who we have second in the race, it could surprise you. PopPickle's Eric Engberg breaks down the top five MVP candidates as we head down the stretch of the NBA's regular season.
Categories: Basketball, NBA, Sports Tags: Basketball, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, MVP Candidates, NBA
NBA: Shots From Behind the Arc
As the NBA season ramps up and gets going this week I have had a few thoughts running through my head about the upcoming season. Here are some random thoughts and maybe a few predictions about the league as the season gets going this week. What are the elite teams in the league? Which players should fantasy owners keep an eye on? Which rookies are good fantasy bets and which ones should you stay away from?
Categories: Basketball, Fantasy Basketball, Sports Tags: Aaron Brooks, Al Harrington, Andrea Bargnani, Antonio McDyess, Basketball, Blake Griffin, Boston Celtics, Brook Lopez, Charlotte Bobcats, Chicago Bulls, Chris Bosh, Cleveland Cavaliers, David Lee, DeJuan Blair, Demar DeRozan, Denver Nuggets, Fantasy Basketball, Gerald Henderson, Golden State Warriors, Greg Oden, Hasheem Thabeet, Hedo Turkoglu, Houston Rockets, James Harden, Jeff Green, Jonny Flynn, Jordan Hill, Jrue Holiday, Kevin Durant, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Manu Ginobili, Marreese Speights, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Michael Beasley, Minnesota Timberwolves, Monta Ellis, NBA, Nenad Kristic, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Portland Trail Blazers, Richard Jefferson, Russell Westbrook, Ryan Anderson, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Stephen Curry, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Toronto Raptors, Ty Lawson, Tyreke Evans
Breaking Down the 2009 NBA Draft
The 2009 NBA draft is in the books and the Pickle has the breakdown on how each team fared in the draft. Check out who the Pickle thinks got better and who could have done better.
Categories: 2009 NBA Draft, Basketball, NBA, Sports Tags: A. J. Price, Ahmad Nivins, Amare Stoudamire, Atlanta Hawks, Austin Daye, B. J. Mullens, Ben Gordon, Blake Griffin, Boston Celtics, Brandon Jennings, Charlotte Bobcats, Chase Budinger, Chauncy Billups, Chicago Bulls, Chinemelu Elonu, Chris Paul, Christian Eyenga, Cleveland Cavaliers, Courtney Lee, Dallas Mavericks, Danny Green, Dante Cunningham, Darren Collison, DeJuan Blair, DeJuan Summers, Demar DeRozan, Demarre Carroll, Denver Nuggets, Derrick Brown, Detroit Pistons, Earl Clark, Eddie House, Emir Preldzic, Eric Maynor, Gerald Henderson, Golden State Warriors, Goran Suton, Hasheem Thabeet, Henk Norel, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Jack McClinton, Jamal Crawford, James Harden, James Johnson, Jeff Green, Jeff Pendergraph, Jeff Teague, Jermaine Taylor, Jodie Meeks, Joe Johnson, Jonas Jerebko, Jonny Flynn, Jordan Hill, Jrue Holiday, Kevin Durant, Kevin Martin, Kirk Hinrich, Lester Hudson, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Marcus Camby, Marcus Thornton, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Mike Bibby, Mike Miller, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Monta Ellis, Nando De Colo, New Jersey Nets, New Orleans Hornets, New York Knicks, Nick Calathes, Oklahoma City Thunder, Omri Casspi, Patrick Beverley, Patrick Mills, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, Randy Foye, Ricky Rubio, Robert Dozier, Rodrique Beaubois, Roy Hibbert, Russell Westbrook, Sacramento Kings, Sam Young, San Antonio Spurs, Sergio Llull, Sergiy Gladyr, Stephen Curry, Taj Gibson, Taylor Griffin, Tayshaun Prince, Terrence Williams, Tim Duncan, Toney Douglas, Toronto Raptors, Ty Lawson, Tyler Hansbrough, Tyreke Evans, Tyrus Thomas, Utah Jazz, Victor Claver, Washington Wizards, Wayne Ellington, Zach Randolph
NBA Draft Preview
The NBA draft is less than a week away and the Pickle is here to break it all down for you. Who is your favorite team looking at and where are your favorite players likely to end up? Read further to get the skinny on the upcoming NBA draft.
Categories: 2009 NBA Draft, Basketball, NBA, Sports Tags: 2009 NBA Draft, Acie Law, Andre Miller, Andrea Bargnani, Andres Nocioni, Atlanta Hawks, Austin Daye, B. J. Mullens, Basketball, Beno Udrih, Blake Griffin, Brandon Jennings, Brandon Roy, Brendan Haywood, Brook Lopez, Carlos Boozer, Charlie Villanueva, Charlotte Bobcats, Chase Budinger, Chicago Bulls, Chris Bosh, Chris Paul, Corey Brewer, DaJuan Summers, Dallas Mavericks, Darren Collison, David West, DeJuan Blair, Demar DeRozan, Demarre Carrol, Derrick Brown, Detroit Pistons, Devin Harris, Earl Clark, Emeka Okafor, Eric Maynor, Gerald Henderson, Gilbert Arenas, Golden State Warriors, Grant Hill, Hasheem Thabeet, Indiana Pacers, James Harden, James Johnson, Jason Kidd, Jason Thompson, Jeff Pendergraph, Jeff Teague, Jermaine O'Neal, Jerryd Bayless, Joakim Noah, Jonny Flynn, Jordan Hill, Josh Boone, Josh Heytvelt, Jrue Holliday, Kevin Durant, Kyle Lowry, Lamar Odom, Los Angeles Clippers, Lou Williams, Luke Ridinour, Marcus Thornton, Martell Webster, Memphis Grizzlies, Mike Bibby, Mike Conley, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Monta Ellis, NBA, NBA Draft, New Jersey Nets, New Orleans Hornets, New York Knicks, Nick Calathes, Oklahoma City Thunder, Omri Casspi, Patrick Mills, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, Ramon Sessions, Randy Foye, Richard Hamilton, Ricky Rubio, Rodney Stuckey, Roy Hibbert, Russell Westbrook, Sacramento Kings, Sam Young, Sean Williams, Shaquille O'Neal, Shawn Marion, Spencer Hawes, Stephen Curry, Steve Nash, Taj Gibson, Tayshaun Prince, Terrence Williams, Toney Douglas, Toronto Raptors, Travis Outlaw, Trevor Ariza, Troy Murphy, Ty Lawson, Tyler Hansbrough, Tyreke Evans, Tyrus Thomas, Utah Jazz, Vince Carter, Washington Wizards, Wayne Ellington, Yi Jianlin
Handicapping the NBA Draft: Picks 1-5
The NBA draft is rapidly approaching and it is time to start looking at how the draft may play out. The one thing we know for certain is the Clippers will be taking Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin with the top pick. They even went on record saying that they had decided Griffin would be the man if they ended up with the top pick this summer. So barring some sort of catastrophe or the Clippers getting an offer they simply cannot refuse from another team, which I do not see happening since Griffin is not one of those once in a generation players, Griffin will be a member of the Clippers a month from now.
After the top pick things get murky and could go several different ways. Accordin to PopPickle’s NBA Draft database the experts seem split on who the Grizzlies are going to take. Six mock drafts have them opting for Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio while five have them opting for Connecticut big man Hasheem Thabeet while Arizona State swing man James Harden is getting some attention here. Of the three mentioned Hasheem Thabeet fills the biggest need, Ricky Rubio has the most upside, and Harden seems the least likely to get the call unless Memphis is working a deal with another team to try and save some cash by not having to pay its top pick #2 money.
Rubio is seen by many as the top point guard prospect in the draft and many see him as #2 overall behind Griffin. The quandary here is what to do with Mike Conley, Jr. who really came on strong after All Star Break posting 14.5 points and 5.6 assists per game while nailing 43.5% of his 3 point attempts. Essentially, once Kyle Lowry was dealt to Rockets and it was Conley’s team his game took off and he started playing like the player Memphis thought it was getting when it drafted him two years ago.
With Rudy Gay and O. J. Mayo already in the fold there is no way Harden goes second unless the aforementioned trade comes to fruition. The Girzzlies already have a quality shooting guard and small forward and you don’t draft a 6th man with the second pick of the draft. Given the talent the Grizzlies currently have Thabeet makes the most sense. Marc Gasol led the team in rebounding and block shots with 7.4 and 1.1 per game respectively while Thabeet averaged 10.8 boards and 4.2 swats per game. Thabeet will likely never be an elite big man, he is just too soft and will get pushed around, but he should be able to give whoever drafts him rebounding and shot blocking due to his size alone.
The same three players being mentioned with the Grizzlies are all in play at number three for the Oklahoma City Thunder. As with Memphis Thabeet makes the most sense for the Thunder as well. The Thunder is loaded with good young talent at the perimeter positions with Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, and Jeff Green all averaging over 15 points per game and entering either their second or third seasons in the league. Taking a point guard does not make a lot of sense given that Durant handles the ball as much as he does and Westbrook proved more than capable in his rookie season. There is little chance Harden gets the nod given scoring from the wing is a strength of the team. What the Thunder really lacks is a strong rebounding and shot blocking presence. If Thabeet is gone then expect the Thunder to go with Rubio since he will be seen as the most talented player available.
After the Thunder things get even murkier. The only thing the experts can seem to agree on is the Kings will take a point guard with the 4th pick the $64,000 question is which one. Obviously if he slides to four then Rubio will be the guy but it seems somewhat unlikely that will happen. After Rubio, Memphis’ Tyreke Evans and UCLA’s Jrue Holliday seem to be getting the most attention. Both are still pretty raw and have a lot to learn about running the point at the next level. Evans started the season as a shooting guard for Memphis before being moved to the point while Holliday spent a lot of his time playing off the ball in deference to incumbent point guard Darren Collison. Evans appears to have the slight edge amongst the experts over Holliday but I would not be surprised if Holliday ends up being the guy over Evans as he seems to be more of a pure point guard whereas Evans is more of a point guard who looks to shoot first and pass second.
With the fifth pick the Wizards are likely to settle on either Jordan Hill or James Harden. The two biggest holes on the Wizards are the lack of a rebounder/shot blocker in the middle and someone to fill in for Gilbert Arenas. I would not be shocked if Arenas’ career is done for all intents and purposes and the Wizards need a back court player to take his spot. The Wizards floundered all season due to his and Brendan Haywood’s absence. Arenas is the team’s primary ball handler and go-to-guy while Haywood takes some of the rebounding pressure off of Antawn Jamison’s shoulders and provides a shot blocking presence on defense. Harden would give the Wizards that additonal explosive scorer out of the backcourt but he does not yet have the handle to be a primary ball handler in the NBA. He does not have a strong handle and is not a terribly explosive athlete. Hill, on the other hand, would give the Wizards some added size in the middle and can block some shots for you. However, he is still very raw offensively and his post game is still developing at the very least he would help pick up some of the slack under the boards for the Wizards.
Categories: 2009 NBA Draft, Basketball, NBA, Sports Tags: 2009 NBA Draft, Antawn Jamison, Blake Griffin, Brendan Haywood, Darren Collison, Gilbert Arenas, Hasheem Thabeet, James Harden, Jeff Green, Jordan Hill, Jrue Holliday, Kevin Durant, Los Angeles Clippers, Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies, Mike Conley, NBA, NBA Draft, O. J. Mayo, Oklahoma City Thunder, Ricky Rubio, Rudy Gay, Russell Westbrook, Sacramento Kings, Tyreke Evans, Washington Wizards
