"The '06 NBA Playoffs"

Upcoming NBA Draft

Hey Tennis Balls, Daffy and other NBA fans...

Since my team the Raptors (no laughing please) are nowhere close to the NBA playoffs right now I was wondering if anyone had the inside track on the top 5 or 6 prospects for this years NBA draft. The papers are reporting that the Raptors are serious looking a big centre out of Italy or somewhere in Europe. Personally I liked Morrison (not his moustache though lol) during March Madness. I thought he looked as ready as anyone in the tournament to be able to contribute at the NBA right away which is what the raptors really need.

Anyone have any thoughts on the draft?

Cheers,

Maple Leaf

p.s. Great quote Tennis ball - that is from the movie Kpax right? :thumbsup:
 
Maple Leaf said:
Anyone have any thoughts on the draft?

yo Maple Leaf.

Maybe the Raptors can finally compete now that Canadian dollar has gained some strength. I posted the odds for the top draft picks earlier in this thread. I thought maybe Morrison would go #1 but the oddsmakers say no and they no best.

I think the Raptors would do well to focus on getting some more international players on their roster. That way they won't have to put up with the priggish prima-donnas like Vince Carter who think they're too cool for Canada. I must admit I don't know much about Raptor management, so perhaps they share some of the blame?

They could always swing a deal with Chris Mullin and the Warriors. No worries that Mullin will out-think you and get over on a trade.

I think Morrison is da shizzle and will be a perenial all-star.
 
Raptors

Morrison is a star. But trading Vince Carter wound up being one of the worst trades in NBA history. Who did they get for him? Aaron Williams! lol And who else? I know he didn't want to play there anymore but this guy is a star and you have to shoot for equal value.... Yeah horrible trade..Raptors are a young team with some potential. But I don't expect them to get it together and be a contender anytime soon.

Dirk choked big time at the free throw line and this could cost the Mavs the Series. He has to make that free throw. Dwayne Wade is an absolute star and is carrying this team while Shaq helps a little. Shaq's weight is catching up to him and it is very hard for him to have even a 20 pt game these days.

Watchout for the Knicks in 2007!! This team is going to be a real contender, lol What a joke Isiah Thomas and James Dolan are...Getting rid of a hall of fame coach to put a "Horrible" G.M. in as coach!!! lol This move is BADDDDD
 
ssssssup Tdoggy-dog:

The trade of Vince Carter was bad, but Vince had them over a barrel. If they didn't trade him, he would have just become even more of a cancer and brought the whole team down. Vince Carter reminds me of Jerry Stackhouse. Both have endless skills yet somehow find a way to hurt the team. I realize that's easy for me to make that remark now that Stack will probably get suspended for game 6 due to that ridiculous tackle of Shaq. (but I did sort of call the Stack melt-down before the series)

One thing I will give Vince credit for is the way he played down the silly comparisons the media used to try and make between him and Jordan.

I think the little general may have a melt-down either before or during game 6. I know I'll be rooting for that! ;)

My ideal scenario would be for Avery to get tossed early and then see the Mavs get hot and beat the Heat without Stack. Is that too much to ask?
 
Mavs

Yeah Avery didn't seem to happy. Got to think he is ready to explode. Especially if his team plays as bad as they did in game 4. They were horrible.

The Stack attack on Shaq was a joke.. He's lucky Shaq didn't step on him lol... Stack plays well at times. But can also be a cancer. Take it from A Knick fan who has dealt with "one of the worst cancers" of all time in Stephon marbury :-(

This series could go 7. But your right the Mavs might play better with Stack Suspended. Got to think he will get hit with at least 1 game. That was horrible.
 
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tennis_balls

I think Morrison is da shizzle and will be a perennial all-star.


He's another guy I'm rooting for, despite what I'm about to say. I think he'll make a couple All-Star games earlier on in his career (based on hype more than anything else), but I'm expecting less and less from this once can't miss "superstar". It's been well documented that he sucks at defense. I'm not just saying that, if you watched him play "D", it would have been the first and only time he's done so. His defense is about on par with Wang Zhi-Zhi. That... is NOT good.


As tough as he seems, he's not a very good rebounder, in fact for a small forward, I'd lean towards him being slightly under-average. He's a moderate passer, and the Larry Bird comparisons should stop right there. Bird was a great rebounder and a great passer.


What Morrison can do, is score. On a team without a primary scorer, he could be that guy. I can't see him being much more than a 22 PPG player, which is very good actually. But that's best case scenario. I project him to fall more in the 17-21 PPG, similar to Keith Van Horn (with a pulse) in his earlier years. Morrison isn't overly athletic either, so there's only so much top-side to this guy. The best thing going for him, aside from his scoring instincts, is his relatively long wing-span (he looks like a slightly beefier version of Tayshaun Prince). In time, he could improve his defense with enough dedication. The problem with that, at least to me, is that too many people assume that you can become a good defender if you put a bit of work into it. I think that's bullshit, because it's REALLY hard mastering the art of becoming a great defender. It can certainly be taught to you, but there's more to it than just that. To me, a great defender in this day and age, is more valuable than a 20 PPG scorer.


I'm rooting for him - believe it or not - because he has lots of obstacles and detractors (such as myself) to overcome/win over. He's not the most athletic guy, but he's a very passionate player, and he somehow seems retro cool. In a nutshell, I think he can be a very gifted scorer on a lousy team, he can't make a loser team into a winner (he's not a savior), but he can certainly be the key ingredient to a team needing a 2nd/3rd scoring option to win it all.


For the record, I wouldn't want the RAPTORS to take him with the 1st pick overall. If they elect to trade down a few spots in the draft to take him, then I'm all for it. He may be NBA ready compared to what else is out there, but the other players that are projected around him aren't that far off now, and they have lots of room for improvement. For the life of me, I can't see Morrison getting much better.


Steed

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Maple Leaf

Anyone have any thoughts on the draft?


Plenty.


Actually, just as a team, I've been a RAPTORS fan since their 1st Draft when they went with "Mighty Mouse" over Ed O'Bannon (to a chorus of boos).


I happen to think that Morrison would be a nice fit on the current RAPTORS roster, but again, he shouldn't be the guy they take 1st overall because it's public knowledge that his stock is dropping (trade down and gets some other greats assets for the team). This is starting to remind me of the Shane Battier draft, where he seemed to be a lock to the the 1st overall pick way back when.


I think they should draft LaMarcus Aldridge (PF/C), as he has been working-out over the past several weeks with Chris Bosh. Bosh is a huge fan of his, and the RAPTORS are trying to do everything they can to keep Bosh. That would be a great move. In fact, Aldridge makes perfect sense, because he's a center. Bosh can play center, but he's more of a PF, and that's where he's most happy. Charlie V is quite big, but frankly, the way he rebounds and plays defense, he's really more of a small forward. I think that Bosh and Aldridge's strong work ethics will rub-off on Charlie V. I don't think that the RAPTORS are that far away from being a major player in the NBA, despite their record last year. Actually, they made some huge strides last year, and could have finished-up MUCH stronger had they not lost Bosh for the last few weeks. Remember how many games this team lost to start off the season, and by the end of March, they were generally in every game that they'd played.


About Aldridge, he's young and he's a monster on defense. The RAPTORS need that, much like almost every other team out there does too. Having three long players in the frontcourt, can ONLY make a team a contender if they play together long enough. Ask any GM how to build a great team, and if none of them said that you need a strong frontcourt, they wouldn't have the job that they have.


Andrea Bargnani isn't a sure thing, and if he's another Pau Gasol - which is pretty darned good - I wouldn't take him 1st overall. I'd take him in the 3rd-6th spots, no higher. To those who say he'll be the next Nowitzky, he could be, and Adam Morrison could be the next Larry Bird. I hope for them that that's true, but I REALLY doubt it.


If I have a favorite player here, I'm going with Ronnie Brewer. He could be this year's Paul Pierce pick. He may not drop to 10th, but I think his game will explode on the big scene.


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Closing thoughts on Jerry Stackhouse. I agree that earlier on in his career, he was a cancer. Comparing he with fellow Tar Heel V-Carter makes sense in a way, but I'll give Stackhouse this. To me, he's been under-appreciated for what he can do, whereas Carter is generally perceived as a player with no limits as to what he can achieve. In a way, this is still true today. For all of the crap that's plagued Stackhouse throughout his career, he never gave-up on his team in order to get traded. He may have fought with teammates, he may have been selfish at times, and he may be a head-case, but he didn't quit on his teams. I think today he has a better understanding about what "team" means, which may have been lost on him since the time after he stopped playing for Dean Smith.


Vince Carter is a marvel of strength (actually, so is Stackhouse) and amazing athletic skills (second to none). Carter is also a brooder, a player who looks to gain other team's players respect and admiration (and friendship), but doesn't always put the team first. The way he played in his last 18 months as a RAPTOR, especially, the last 2-3 months as a RAPTOR was an insult to the game. Telling the opposing team about what play his team was about to run, is the worse thing you could do. I used to love Carter, and I thought back in '02, he was quickly climbing his way to greatness. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who didn't think he was the most amazing player around at that time. But in a nutshell, he's a dog. Talented player, but a mama's boy punk. End of story.


Steed

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what happened to ed o bannon?

he had a brother too as fas i remember. i never heard of ed in tne nba. did he quit bacause of some sort of injury

and there was the duke dio: cherokee parks and eric meek

never heard of them in europe either

as i said before

dallas will win 4-2

i have watched the italian player Bargnani live a few times.

i do not know if there really are people who compare him with gasol and even nowitzki, those people should get ready for a great deal of frustration.

on a very good day of his he might be compared with hedo turkoglu
 
4-2?

I doubt the Mavs will 4-2 win when the next game is in Miami? Mavs stunk in the last game. 4th Quarter was awfull. But lets see if they can bounce back and keep D.Wayde to below 30 pts. He is carrying the Heat to a championship. Riley is a mastermind and might just have Dallas figured out now.

Dirk has to step up and carry this team. He is falling off. Not good for the Mavs.

I say the Mavs win but in 7 games. Cant see Miami winning one in Dallas. But you never know.

Glad its now a good series. :thumbsup:
 
my bets today

under 11.5 made three pointers

over 6.5 points in 1st half by A Walker

under 31.5 points by D. Wade (having second thoughts about this one)

under 94.5 total points 1st half
 
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dreamtheatre

what happened to ed o bannon?

he had a brother too as fas i remember. i never heard of ed in tne nba. did he quit bacause of some sort of injury


Ed O'Bannon did in fact play in the NBA for 2-years - if you want to call it that - and pursed just under $4 million big ones in that time. Actually, he was paid for 3-years in total, but he didn't actually play in the '97-98 campaign because he was so banged-up by that point. His career never really happened because he had knee and leg problems prior to the '95 Lottery Draft. While it's true that he never did play even 20 min per game with N.J., his projected numbers over 40 min per game are quite awful actually. He was a great college player for sure, and he had tons of hype around him after his days with UCLA, but he was totally a college legend... nothing more.


His brother Charles, managed to be drafted by the PISTONS back in '97, and did in fact play 2 years before jumping to play overseas (from what I seem to recall reading). Like Ed, his numbers projected over 40 minutes weren't good either. He was only a role-player in the times where he did make an appearance.


and there was the duke dio: cherokee parks and eric meek

never heard of them in Europe either


Eric Meek was drafted in the 2nd round of the '95 draft by the Houston Rockets, but he never made the team. I'm pretty sure he played overseas for at least a couple seasons, and he was someone who jumped around the minors. I'm sure by now, he's completely off the radar.


Cherokee Parks DID have a career though. A good one? No. He's often pointed to as being a major joke. He was also selected in the '95 draft, although he was a Lottery Pick, selected in the 12th spot by DALLAS. He managed to get paid in 9-years, pulling-in just under $12 million in that time which was probably all used-up to cover his body with tattoos. His claim to fame - aside from his being a "name" at DUKE - was his commercial w/Kevin Garnett and "The FUN Police". I've certainly seen worse players over the years, but he sure got a lot of "Koncak" in his career. ;)


Steed

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Miami

Well Dwayne Wade proves he is the man. He put his team on his back and has won the last three games because of his greatness. Many people if had to chose between him K. Bryant, and L. james have chosen D. Wayde and we can all see now why. This guy wants his team to win and is willing to step up and make it happen. Now the big question can he steal one at Dallas? If he can then he is the Finals MVP and Miami goes home champions. Great game last night, but what a show put on by D. Wayde!!! Wow

where was Dirk???? Another bad shooting night from the whiteman from Germany....

Terry with a huge game...

And no stack hurt them...Devan Harris just couldn't replace him....

Dallas in big trouble. Lucky for them they go home for the next two games.... Boo to the new NBA finals setup...Would be much more exciting the old way :-(

Looking forward to the next game.... Pat Riley is one of the best coaches ever. He has figured out the Mavs....

I want to see a team finally come back from 0-2 and win it all!!!!

Go Miami!!!

4-2??? Knew that wouldn't happen....;)
 
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Tdoggy

Looking forward to the next game.... Pat Riley is one of the best coaches ever. He has figured out the Mavs....


Outside of a couple of legendary football coaches, I would have to think that Pat Riley is the greatest motivator in pro sports over the past 50-years. Maybe not the greatest X's and O's coach (Doug Collins), not the greatest taskmaster (Larry Brown), not the greatest coach at getting great players over the hump (Phil Jackson), not the greatest at getting his players to best understand the fundamentals of basketball (Hubie Brown), but he is on another level for his motivational skills. George Karl has a bit of that talent, but his act grows thin, and he doesn't get as much respect as Riley would. If anything, I don't think there's any coach in any sport on the pro-level in North America that stands out as such a presence. Heck, the character "Gordon Gekko" was created by Oliver Stone with Pat Riley in mind (to play the part).


I happen to think that Riley's talents of motivation could have him coaching any sport. He's pretty much been the icon as to how good a coach could look in a 3-piece suit. :notworthy


Riley sorta' fell off everyone's radar in the last couple of years with the HEAT prior to the Stan Van Gundy years. The Mourning/P.J. Brown/Tim Hardaway years seemed productive, and completely draining. For those who think that Riley is simply a fast-break coach from his LAKERS days, clearly forgot everything he had done with above-average line-ups in the '90s, and how well he was able to squeeze every drop of defense out of them. The man can coach, and he doesn't need Ted Winter setting-up all of his plays.


I'm glad to see Riley back on the radar.

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Hmmm... While the series certainly isn't over, it's REALLY surprising to me that SHAQ hasn't had one SHAQ'esque game thus far. He did it in the N.J. series, and again against the PISTONS. What's up with not being able to do it again? I can't believe that Wade has been this "consistently" great 3 games in-a-row, on that M.J. level (well... as close as anyone is going to get).


Back to the point though, I think the HEAT could stay in the hunt as contenders for at least another year, provided that SHAQ could maintain what he's been doing lately WITH Wade continuously doing the unthinkable. But... that'll be pretty hard for Wade to consistently do w/o getting injured in the process. I think they need to convince Mourning to stay on as long as SHAQ is there. Sure, they're a bit long-in-the-tooth for b-ball (hardly the case as regular people walking the street), but they make a pretty effective and beefy tandem.


I'm thinking though, regardless if SHAQ gets in incredible shape or not (which he won't do regardless), that he'll ever be a 20/10 guy again in his career. He may be a 18 and 12 guy (PERFECT!!!), or a 22/9 guy, but the days of 20/10 as far as I'm concerned are probably done. What's really a shame, is that he could still be a 25/11 guy at this stage of his career if he had developed an effective way to launch free-throwns. Think about that for a moment. If he could be trusted in crunch time, he'd get another 5-6 touches at the end of games. If he was even able to increased his FT% to 70%, that would be enough to be counted on. As it stands, he's a liability at the charity stripe, so he's not getting as many touches as he SHOULD (COULD) be getting.


As far as SHAQ's inability to not be more of a force on the boards, well, everyone has to be disappointed by what he never really developed into. Intimidating? Yes. A force on defense? Yes, and no. When he was drafted 1st overall out of LSU, I thought he'd eventually develop into a 30/18 player, and that was worst case scenario at his peak. That never happened. He was still awesome, but not as awesome and determined as one would have hoped. I'm not even sure he's been much better than Chris Webber as a rebounder throughout their respective careers. Put him against the likes of Dennis Rodman or a Dwight Howard, and he doesn't even come close. If he really knew how to rebound, like how a Moses Malone learned how to rebound (smart positioning), there's no telling how much better O'Neil could have been down low, keeping his man away from the basket.


I would have expected just one BIG game out SHAQ Diesel, and maybe it'll come next game, but I just don't see that happening. At least not on that level we were sometimes accustomed to. Sadly, he's still (by far) the best center in the game today.


Steed

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Shaq

Yeah got to agree. Shaq is on his way down for sure :-( But he might just have enough to win one more championship! It's now or not for a long time with this Veteran team. Dwayne Wayde will be a star for a long time. But Shaq is at the end years of his career and so is Gary Payton and A. Walker.

I can't see anyone but D.Wayde putting up big numbers for this team. Even J Williams has been around for a while now.

Miami has to listen to Riley and keep up the good playing and they can win it all. :thumbsup:

Pat Riley is a great motivator. He gets the best out of who he has in the game. He is one of the best ever.

Shaq putting up 15 pts and maybe 8 boards for the rest of his career would be nice. As long as Dwayne Wayde keeps putting up 30+ pts a game :D
 
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I hadn't realized how talented Jason Terry was. :confused: Not only can he play basketball, but he can also do an incredible impersonation of "John Starks" circa '94!

:notworthy :notworthy :notworthy :notworthy :notworthy :notworthy :notworthy :notworthy​


I guess SHAQ must have relayed a message to Jalen Rose (to give to Terry), saying that if he makes any big shots in game 6, he was going to bitch slap him to death. Who'd'a-thunk that they'd win 4 games in-a-row sans any BIG game from the BIG Fella'? I can't wait to see what Mark Cuban will say this time. :D


Steed

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what happened???

talk about getting spanked. You cry and bitch and moan and kick garbage cans and then lose in your building??? lol What a joke....Pat Riley got his players to think positive and just take the trophy home in game 6 WOW!!!

What did Jason Terry shoot?? Good lord he was horrible... How many 3's did this guy put up, lol He made Stackhuse look good :D

Shaq didn't have to do much as D. Wayde and A. Walker both had great games and carried this team to a championship....

I hope Kobe was watching....boo hoo hooo Shaq has more rings lol :notworthy

Dirk was good but the rest of the team needs work. A young team that will probably be great again. If they keep everybody...

Mark Cuban is probably on his treadmill crying his eyes out....lol "Why did I let Steve nash go" What is wrong with me....2 time NBA MVP..... boo hoo hoo

Go Miami!!!! who predicted 4-2???? :lolup:
 
Hats off to those who picked Miami.
:notworthy :notworthy :notworthy :notworthy :notworthy

I was VERY disappointed with the refs in Game 5...

Free throws...Mavs 21-25 Heat 32-49

49!!!!!! How many games a year does a team go to the line 49 times???

Mavs took the last shot with the scored tied in regulation...Jason Terry and three defenders leaped just beyond the foul line...Haslem hit him on the right forearm...no basket...no foul.

With 9 secs left in overtime...Wade takes the inbound pass in the FRONT court and dribbles into the BACK court...drives thru three defenders with 2 ticks left...misses the layup and gets to shoot two...ballgame. Have seen that replay many times...have yet to see the foul...but I see the BACK court violation every time.

Mavs have some growing up to do...blowing a 11 point lead at the end of Game 3 was horrible and cost them the title. Lousy second half in Game 6 ended their season.

Ironic that Stackhouse was suspended for Game 5 (overtime loss) for "mugging" the biggest "mugger" on the court (Shaq).

We ridicule Mark Cuban, Bill Parcells, and Jerry Jones more here in Dallas than the rest of the country combined. Most of the radio sports shows here have impersonators that portray them in outrageous skits.

The "fake" Jerry Jones has predicted now that he has TO...Cowboys will win 7 Super Bowls, cure cancer in the Metro-plex, and bring Jesus back.

They have a "fake" American Airlines Center usher (Gerald)...who calls Cuban "the little retarded boy".

the dUck
 
Daffy said:
Hats off to those who picked Miami.
:notworthy :notworthy :notworthy :notworthy :notworthy

...but I see the BACK court violation every time.
the dUck

apparently this play was not a backcourt violation

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Mavs definately got screwed by that foul call though.

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call was horrible

Foul call was bad....

Dirk not a superstar yet... Superstars don't disappear in big games...

USA Soccer team was robbed!!! That foul call before the end of the 1st half was HORRIBLE!!!! Penalty kick goal BOOOOO

I seen some really bad calls so far :eek2:
 
"Dirk not a superstar yet... Superstars don't disappear in big games..."

2005-2006 avg 26.6 ppg (7th in NBA) avg 9 rbspg (16th in NBA)

Four games Mavs lost to Heat...avg 24 ppg & 10 rbspg...including Game 6 where he scored 29 with 15 reb.

I agree, he could have played better...but he played pretty close to his average. Terry, Howard, Stackhouse, and Harris should have done a little more...that was the key.

One more point about Game 5...an aggressive player like Wade plays last 10 min of regulation and 6 min of overtime with 5 fouls without fouling out???

the dUck
 
star

Wayde is an all out star. Yeah he didn't foul out because he played great and avoided all contact :) Way to go D Wayde!!!

Dirk is good but not a superstar. You can't just disappear like that. Superstars like "D Wayde" step up at the end of games and put their team on their back and Win!!!! Dirk where did ya go???? :-(

Dirk has yet to do that. Sure he puts up good numbers. But will he ever be a leader??? I hope so..But not as of yet....:-(

instead Jason Terry stepped up and took 5 million shots and missed well over 75% of them :(

People in Dallas should stop chanting M.V.P. He is not on that level yet...:(
 

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