The number of players who made the jump from high school basketball to the NBA without playing in college can be divided into four eras. Starting from Tony Kappen and Connie Simmons in 1946 through to Brandon Jennings here in 2009, prep stars have made an impact, both positive and negative, on the NBA. Let’s take a look at the history of preps-to-pros players:

PHOTO GALLERY: From High School to the NBA

1946-1962: In 1946, the inaugural season of the Basketball Association of America (which became the NBA in 1949 after merging with the National Basketball League), Tony Kappen became the league’s first player without any college experience. Later that first season, Connie Simmons joined the Boston Celtics as a teammate of Kappen’s and became the second player in the BAA without college experience.

Kappen played just that one season and averaged 6.5 points per game. Simmons, however, enjoyed a 1o-year career and finished with averages of 9.8 points and 6.2 rebounds a game. He won championships with the Baltimore Bullets in 1948 and the Syracuse Nationals in 1955.

Joe Graboski was a contemporary of Kappen and Simmons and was the third NBA player without college experience. Graboski played in the league for 13 seasons and and finished with career averages of 11 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.

***

PHOTO GALLERY: From High School to the NBA

1963-1994: In 1962, Reggie Harding became the first player to be drafted into the NBA directly from high school when his hometown Detroit Pistons took him in the fourth round. Harding, however, didn’t enter the league until the 1963-64 season. He averaged 9 points and 9.1 rebounds per game in four NBA seasons. His career was cut short by drug addiction and off-court problems. Harding died in 1972 at the age of 30 after being shot at a Detroit intersection.

After Harding, another player didn’t go from high school to the NBA until 1976. Moses Malone signed a letter of intent to play at the University of Maryland in 1974 but changed his mind after the American Basketball Association’s Utah Stars drafted him that same year. Two years later, the ABA merged with the NBA and Malone played until 1995, enjoying a Hall-of-Fame career that resulted with one championship and three league MVP awards. He remains one of the most successful players to make the jump from high school.

Darryl Dawkins and Bill Willoughby were two of Malone’s contemporaries, as both were taken in the 1975 NBA draft. Dawkins was the fifth overall pick and played until the 1988-89 season, but never fully lived up to expectations. He averaged 12 points per game for his career and his best remembered for being a ferocious dunker (video evidence below) who nicknamed his slams. Willoughby, the No. 19 pick in ‘75, had a journeyman career, playing for six teams in eight seasons and can probably be considered as the first prep-to-pro player to be a bust, strictly based on his high draft position. He became the last high school player drafted for the next 20 years.

No high school players were drafted from 1975 to 1995. However, there were several players who enrolled but never played in college before turning pro. Shawn Kemp was by far the most successful of this group of players. Kemp committed to the University of Kentucky in 1988 but never played for the Wildcats, leaving before the season started because of academic trouble. He enrolled at Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, Texas, but arrived too late to be able to play. Kemp declared for the 1989 NBA draft and was taken by the Seattle SuperSonics with the 17th overall pick. He led the Sonics to the NBA Finals in 1996 and was a six-time All-Star during a 14-year career where he averaged 14.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.

***

PHOTO GALLERY: From High School to the NBA

1995-2005: This decade saw the number of high school players drafted rise dramatically, which undoubtedly influenced the NBA in its decision to enforce an age limit. The era of drafting based on potential was ushered in by the Minnesota Timberwolves when they took 1995 USA TODAY national player of the year Kevin Garnett with the fifth overall pick. Garnett gradually developed into one of the NBA’s best players and turned the Timberwolves into a perennial playoff team. A 12-time All-Star, Garnett has won an MVP award and a Defensive Player of the Year award while being a regular honoree on the All-NBA and All-Defensive teams. He won his first NBA championship as a member of the Boston Celtics in 2008.

In the years following Garnett, the list of preps-to-pros drafted has its fair share of stars:

1996
- Kobe Bryant (No. 13)
- Jermaine O’Neal (No. 17)

Analysis: Bryant is arguably the NBA’s best player and has won four championships, two scoring titles, and one MVP award. He is an 11-time All-Star and a regular member of the All-NBA and All-Defensive teams. Though his career started slowly because he was on a talent-laden Trail Blazers team, O’Neal hasn’t been too shabby himself. He is a six-time All-Star and has a career scoring average of 14.3.

Class rating: The only preps taken in ‘96, both Bryant and O’Neal were well-worth their draft positions. Both have had embarrassing moments (Bryant with his sexual assault case and O’Neal for the role he played in the infamous 2004 brawl with fans in Detroit) but they’ve enjoyed a great amount of success. Two-for-two gives this class a 100% rate of success.

1997
- Tracy McGrady (No. 9)
- Stephen Jackson (No. 43)

Analysis: McGrady is a seven-time All-Star, has been named to seven All-NBA teams, has two scoring titles, and was named the league’s most improved player in 2001. Jackson averaged a career-high 20.7 points per game this past season and is a career 15.4 scorer.

Class rating: The biggest knock on McGrady has been his inability to win playoff series. In recent years he has also had to contend with injury problems. Jackson wasn’t ready when the Suns took him in ‘97 and didn’t make his NBA debut until 2000 with the Nets. He has stuck around and prospered despite seeing trouble away from the court. He was suspended 30 games by the NBA for his role in the same brawl with Pistons fans that O’Neal was involved in (see video below). That incident was followed in 2006 with Jackson being charged in a shooting after a fight broke out at an Indianapolis strip club. Since we’re not judging character here, but only what a player brings to the table, 1997 also gets a 100% rate of success.

1998
- Al Harrington (No. 25)
- Rashard Lewis (No. 32)

Analysis: Harrington has been solid with a career average of 13.8 points per game, including a career-high 20.7 with the Knicks last season. Lewis, though, has been the most successful of the three preps taken in ‘98. He is a two-time All-Star and averages 17 points a game for his career. The third prep taken that year was Korleone Young, at No. 40 overall by the Pistons.

Class rating: Harrington and Lewis are solid pros, if not borderline stars in the NBA. Young on the other hand, appeared in just three NBA games and if not for his lower draft position, would easily be considered one of the biggest busts among preps who tried to turn pro. Two out of three gives this class a 66.7% rate of success.

1999-2001

Analysis: Of the nine preps taken during this dry three-year stretch, none can really be considered to be among the upper echelon of NBA players. In 1999 we saw Jonathan Bender (No. 5) and Leon Smith (No. 29). In 2000 there was Darius Miles (No. 3) and DeShawn Stevenson (No. 23). Finally, in 2001, the five preps taken were Kwame Brown (the first prep to go No. 1), Tyson Chandler (No. 2), Eddy Curry (No. 4), DeSagana Diop (No. 8), and Ousmane Cisse (No. 46).

Class ratings: Bender never played a full 82-game season in an injury-plagued seven-year career, thus making him one of the biggest prep-to-pro busts. Smith didn’t actually play in the NBA until 2001, and even then only saw action in 15 games for the two seasons he was in the league. Behavioral and personal issues cut Smith’s career short. Miles has been OK, averaging 10.1 points per game for his career. He hasn’t played a full season since 2001-02 because of injuries and inconsistency, in addition to a variety of off-court problems. Stevenson has been a role player his entire career and has also seen his name on the police blotter. Brown remains the poster boy for high school players who were busts. Already with his fourth NBA team, his career average is just 7 points per game. Perhaps no other prep player was more unprepared for the NBA than Brown, as evidenced in this Washington Post piece. Chandler has carved a niche in the league as a rebounder and defender but hasn’t lived up to such a high draft position. The same can be said of Curry, who at 13.4 points per game is a solid scorer, but has struggled with conditioning and for someone who is 6-11, 285 lbs., he averages a paltry 5.3 rebounds per contest. Diop is a massive disappointment with a career average of just 2.1 points. Cisse never appeared in an NBA game.

This three-year stretch of bad draft picks caused heartache for many NBA owners and general managers. A lot of money was spent and very little was received in return. Perhaps nothing had a bigger influence on the NBA changing its policy than the disappointing return from these three years. Only because Chandler and Curry are serviceable starters, this three-draft class is two-for-nine for a 22.2% rate of success.

2002
- Amare Stoudemire (No. 9)

Analysis: Stoudemire was named the Rookie of the Year and is a four-time All-Star. He was named to the All-NBA First Team in 2007 and averages nearly a double-double for his career.

Class rating: Though he recently suffered a serious eye injury that will require the use of protective goggles, Stoudemire is a superb talent at power forward. Since he was the only prep taken in ‘02, the class gets a 100% rate of success.

2003
- LeBron James (No. 1)

Analysis: James (AP photo) won Rookie of the Year, a scoring title in 2008, and was named league MVP this past season. He is a five-time All-Star and regular honoree on All-NBA teams. Preps drafted with James were Travis Outlaw (No. 23), Ndudi Ebi (No. 26), Kendrick Perkins (No. 27), and James Lang (No. 48).

LeBron James, who appeared on magazine covers before he was a senior in high school, is probably the best example of a preps star who was ready to play in the NBA right away.

Class rating: James’ name comes up in every conversation about who’s the NBA’s best player and his top-pick status was definitely warranted. Ebi and Lang played in a combined 30 NBA games. Outlaw is an integral, if not spectacular, player for the Trail Blazers who has averaged double figures the last two seasons. Perkins, known more for his rebounding and defense than his scoring, won an NBA title with the Celtics in 2008 and is their starting center. James, Outlaw, and Perkins give this class three out of five for a 60% rate of success.

2004
- Dwight Howard (No. 1)
- Al Jefferson (No. 15)
- Josh Smith (No. 17)
- J.R. Smith (No. 18)

Analysis: Howard is a three-time All-Star and was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year this past season. Jefferson’s scoring average has gone up with each season, including a career-high 23.1 this past year. The Smiths are double-figure scorers and play key roles on their respective teams. Joining this class were Shaun Livingston (No. 4), Robert Swift (No. 12), Sebastian Telfair (No. 13), and Dorell Wright (No. 19).

Class rating: Howard’s game gets better each year as he asserts his place as the NBA’s best center. Jefferson suffered an ACL injury that ended last season prematurely but should have many bright years ahead. The Smiths should continue to have value wherever their careers take them. Livingston has had an injury-marred career thus far and has averaged just 7.3 points per game, making him a bust thus far. Swift is an even bigger bust and has never played more than 47 games in one season. For a 7-1 center, his averages of 4.3 points and 3.9 rebounds don’t justify his high selection. Telfair has started his fair share of games but poor shooting and turnovers make him an average point guard at best. Wright was slowly showing signs of improvement but spent most of last season injured and remains a bit-part player for the Heat. This class hit on four of the eight picks so it gets a 50% rate of success.

2005
- Andrew Bynum (No. 10)
- Monta Ellis (No. 4)

For an in-depth summary on how the class of ‘05 turned out, read this earlier post. When healthy, Martell Webster (No. 6), Bynum, C.J. Miles (No. 34), and Ellis are starters for their teams. Louis Williams (No. 45) has averaged double-figures off the bench last two seasons and is primed to start for the 76ers this upcoming season while  Gerald Green (No. 18), Andray Blatche (No. 49) and Amir Johnson (No. 56) will need to show more. Thus, this class hit on five of the eight picks for a 62.5% rate of success.

***

PHOTO GALLERY: From High School to the NBA

2006 and beyond: Since the NBA changed its draft eligibility policy beginning with the 2006 draft, 26 of the 240 picks (or 10.8%)  in the last four drafts have been one-and-done players. If we count sophomores as underclassmen, which they are generally viewed as, then 58 of the 240 (24.2%) picks, or one out of every four have been spent on players with two or less years of college experience. The percentage would be even higher if we were to count foreign players, many of whom start playing professionally as teenagers.

One player did not figure into the above tallies. Who is he? Brandon Jennings, of course. The No. 10 pick by the Milwaukee Bucks in this year’s draft, Jennings opted to take a different path to the NBA, and one that many more players will consider in the future. After being unable to pass an entrance exam in order to play at the University of Arizona, Jennings decided to bypass college and play in Europe for one year before entering the NBA draft. He signed with Italian team Lottomatica Virtus Roma and made over $1 million during his one season abroad according to adviser Sonny Vaccaro.

Already, the ripple effect from Jennings’ move is being seen. Earlier this year, Jeremy Tyler, a standout from San Diego, announced that he was skipping his senior year of high school to play in Europe for two years before entering the NBA draft.  In July, Latavious Williams, a preps star from Humble, Texas, backed out of a scholarship to play at Memphis to announce that he too would pursue an opportunity to play overseas. This is only the beginning and the flow of American youngsters overseas will only continue until the NBA and NCAA confer and come up with an age policy that can benefit both their institutions and the talented players involved.

When the waning moments dwindled to a close in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, LeBron James immediately left the Amway Arena. Upset and confused over why the team with the best record in the NBA had been upset by a trio of men named Pietrus, Lewis and Turkoglu who all answered to one: Howard. Cleveland was favored to run through the East, a conference suffering the loss of Kevin Garnett and everyone expected Cleveland to have a home court advantage similar to Duke in college basketball.

For the Cavaliers, the fans of Cleveland, an economically downtrodden city which on home games, the city reels in a million dollars, this loss wasn’t supposed to happen for Cleveland, a city suffering a championship drought of 45 years. The expectation wasn’t too much for James, but too overwhelming for the cast of teammates who were inconsistent in the Conference Finals and couldn’t come up clutch when needed. Mo Williams struggled mightily throughout the first three games, not even averaging 10 points a game and turning the ball over more than he ever had. Zydrunas Ilgauskus was no match for Dwight Howard, who muscled his way, sometimes even fouling Big Z but they never call a foul on him, to the bucket and was the reason for the Finals clinching win where the former #1 overall pick poured in 45 points and 18 rebounds.

Many gave James flack for his early exit in both the playoffs and the arena, but there was reason behind it. James, who works as hard as anyone in the NBA, has had a very rough offseason to date. First he received harsh criticism for leaving Amway and the bashing got worse when tapes came out that he was dunked on by Xavier’s Jordan Crawford. When Nike refused to release the tapes, most pointed the finger to the King, calling for his head. In reality, the holding of the tapes was a company policy and James wasn’t even dunked on, another attempt by ESPN to tarnish the image of James, who has never done anything bad in his career. After not showing up at the ESPY’s, an overrated event hosted by washed up actors that need something to do, James was picked on by Samuel L Jackson who by the way just purchased another pair of sunglasses. With ESPN favorite Kobe Bryant in the house, the event, hosted at the Staples Center, imagine that, James was put down for his inability to win a title. For the first six years in his NBA career, LeBron has had a large task at hand. Put the entire state of Ohio on his back, carry the 16 win Cavaliers of 2002 into the playoffs and turn the frowns of a depressed city upside down. Coming into his rookie season in 2003, the King as he was proclaimed by ESPN in his senior year of high school, had expectations like no other. With the injury plagued Zydrunas Ilgauskus being the only player from the team that season, LeBron has been the epicenter of a new movement for Mike Brown’s Cavaliers. GM Danny Ferry has been criticized often for his lack of trades, signings,etc but if you look at it, Ferry has done an outstanding job. With LeBron in ‘03, the Cavs had no other scoring options, or at least consistent options with Ricky Davis, Darius Miles, Dajaun Wagner and Jeff McInnis being the top scorers. If you recollect, Davis has been a bench player for a number of years, Miles has been in and out of the league, Wagner who suffered a career ending disease in ‘04 hasn’t played since and McInnis has been with as many teams as the Royals’ Bruce Chen. Ferry has built a good ball club at least for Cleveland, who had the worst football team in the AFC North last season, and a baseball team who is last in their division and just completed the transition to a minor league team, giving away the reigning Cy Young winner and the only clubhouse leader the Indians have had in recent years. In a city still bringing up the days of Jim Brown and Otto Graham, LeBron will once again try to represent Akron, rise for Richfield, fight for Chiagrin Falls, gamble for Glenville, battle for Berea and owe it all to Ohio for a Cavaliers championship in the upcoming season. With a reloaded roster that boasts the signings of wing players Jamario Moon and Anthony Parker but the biggest acquistion of all is the King’s new witness, four time champion Shaquille O’Neal. Shaq will be there for the King to help him deliver a title and will do more than witness when LeBron is holding court. Expected to body Dwight Howard and get in the head of Kevin Garnett, Shaq who took down the Big Show on WWE the other night, will be another scoring option for a team that has one of the best teams in the Association. With LA losing Trevor Ariza but signing headcase Ron Artest, the task at hand is very tough but LeBron has shown he is up to the challenge. Remember “The Shot?” Nobody in the history of the Cavaliers has ever made a shot so difficult and the images last in the minds of fans everywhere. Even in a series where LeBron averaged over 40 points a game, he still put the team on his back. With three new weapons that last season combined to score 33 points, 22 rebounds and 6 assists a game, anyone in Cleveland’s way better move or be moved. Shaq may be nearing the light at the end of the tunnel, but with every dark cloud there’s a silver lining, he knows. When critics said the Heat made a bad move trading for him from the Lakers, when Kobe showed how selfish he is driving him out of town, Shaq took superstar Dwyane Wade to new heights and gave South Florida something other than drugs and murders to talk about.

When people compare LeBron and Kobe, there really isn’t any comparison. As a whole, LeBron has done more through his first six years than Kobe ever did and just imagine what he will be able to do in the future. Throughout each players entire career, James has averaged more points, rebounds, assists, game winning shots, points in the paint, and the only thing Kobe beats LeBron in is rape. The whole comparison is brought on by ESPN, who in recent months has been criticized for not reporting on Ben Roethlisberger and letting Pete Carroll have his way. It’s about time someone sums up the debate right here, right now. First off, LeBron was expected to do much more than Kobe coming out of high school and has proven to be everything he was hyped up to be. With no pressure, Kobe eased into the most talented team in the NBA with the Lakers and couldn’t win a title until MJ took his six rings and left the Windy City. Kobe had a very talented team and had the presence of a younger, swifter and more athletic Shaq that made up for the flaws in the Black Mamba’s game. Bryant is one of the most selfish players in the league, averaging the most shot attempts a game for the past six years, calling out his teammates and coaches on the air and demanding a trade for the player who without him, Kobe wouldn’t have done anything in his career.

On the other hand, LeBron took a team that had the worst record prior to his rookie season, a team full of players with less than a years worth of college experience and a coach that seemingly didn’t care. Winning 32 games in his rookie season, James helped continue the upward movement while playing hard each game and being the first one in and the first one out of the gym. Through the years of ‘05-07, James played on a team that won at least 45 games each season. When Larry Hughes was expected to be his wingman, the signing of the St Louis alum didn’t go as expected. Yearning for the spotlight, Hughes was detrimental for the team and James could have acted like Kobe, crying for a new team and asking for Hughes to be traded. But he didn’t. Patience is a virtue and that’s what the King took to heart, Hughes and a cast of others were finally removed and a new mold was in the process of completion for a team that plays each night in Quicken Loans Arena, THE BEST arena in the NBA that has such a home field advantage, the Cavs only lost two games at home all season.

For LeBron, his game and way of life is more than basketball, it’s for pride. Bryant grew up with a father making good money playing in the NBA and never was faced with the struggles that young men in rough neighborhoods have to face. Growing up in several different homes, James went through his childhood without a father, a mother that gave birth to him at 16 and in the fourth most dangerous city in Ohio. With the only father figure in his life incarcerated for robbery, James could have very easily circumvented into the life of drugs, money and crime but James proved to be better than that. Patience is a virtue, and James waited it out. When he was given his first play hoop at the age of three, James dunk on it at the highest level. Viewing sports as a way out, James saw the light at the end of the tunnel. Similar to the song “Tie My Hands,” James was surrounded by dark clouds but each one of them had a silver lining, dominating every sport he played in up until his freshman year of high school. Recruited by every school in the country for football, James was the second rated player in the state of Ohio behind Maurice Clarett, a disadvantaged young man that has found a new way of living serving a five year sentence in prison. Clarett is another example of a Northeast Ohio depression filled story, as an All-Big Ten freshman RB his freshman year in 2002, leading Ohio State to their first national championship since 1968, Clarett could not end his marriage to the streets and that led to his downfall. In his blog, on wordpress, Clarett has found a new way of being and imagines doing good. James had this vision all along, it wasn’t what he looked at in his life, it was what he saw. Realizing his abilities and putting them to full use, James has led his career exactly to where it is at. So when you put down this young man, yes he is only 24, first go back and realize where he has came from. Leaving the Amway Arena may be disrespectful but this man never cheated on his wife, he never was charged with robbery and he never raped a woman. LeBron has come from a rough background and through basketball had made screensavers all across the country. As the third richest athlete in the world and most popular athlete on the planet, James found a way out and kept his head up through the bad. So when you say the Eastern Conference Finals loss was a heartbreaker for LeBron, realize the strength of this man. On his fifth Christmas in Akron, James’ grandmother dropped dead and was never coming back. With LeBron and his mother, Gloria, living in the house supported by his grandmother, this was the beginning of hardship, nothing compares to that tragedy, not even basketball.

With a little support anything can happen, and with the moves Danny Ferry has made throughout the past year, LeBron has a team that can take down anyone in the NBA. So when you go out and say LeBron will never win a title and accomplish anything other that his stats, he will prove you wrong just like the haters and people that tried to bring him down growing up in Akron. You’re no better than them, and the King will hold court once again, this time on the home floor of Quicken Loans Arena, hoisting something other than the MVP Award, this time the NBA Title.

In case you’re wondering, yeah, the Starbury show is still going on.

And, no, I’m not going to talk about Lamar Odom until he actually signs.

All right. So a couple of big moves happened over the past week or so.

***ANDRE MILLER TO PORTLAND***
Why do I NOT like this move? He seems like a perfect fit. He would provide good veteran leadership to the young Blazer guys, right?

Is he starting? I read Steve Blake is still the starting point guard. That’s great and all but what are they going to do with Jerryd Bayless, who has LOADS of potential? I definitely know tha Miller doesn’t have a very reliable outside shot and won’t be part of any all-defensive teams anytime soon. I’m almost thinking Clippers of 2003 all over again where Miller was supposed to be the missing piece that would put the Clippers in the playoffs. But that move cost them Darius Miles, which made Clipperland very unhappy… and not to mention the injuries that killed the team. These Blazers have this same youthful exuberance like the Clippers circa 2003 but they’re way more polished than those Clippers so this has a better chance of working.

In this case, Portland signed him for three years ($21 million total). I suppose this is one experiment they can afford to do. But I just can’t help but have a bad feeling about this.

So, yeah, the biggest question mark for me here is the chemistry. But I could be easily wrong here. I’m sure Portland fans are looking at me like I’m crazy.

Does this give you nightmares, Peter?

***TYSON CHANDLER TO CHARLOTTE and EMEKA OKAFOR TO NEW ORLEANS***
When I first heard about this, I tried to make some sense into this trade.

Didn’t the Hornets want to cut payroll? By adding Okafor, they take on an even more monstrous contract. He signed an extension last summer and he’s only going into the second year of a six-year, $72 million deal. Ouch. Tyson only has two years left on his deal… and he has the player option to walk away next year (he won’t). So I guess Charlotte regretted signing Okafor to that huge deal?

It’s almost like they traded for the same player. Okafor is not as athletic or as tall as Chandler but he can block shots and is slightly better offensively (not saying much). Not sure if Chris Paul can turn him into an alley-oop machine like Chandler, who was perfect for that. Chandler is a strong presence in the middle WHEN healthy. And, again, he’s one of the more mobile and athletic 5’s out there… WHEN healthy. Maybe that’s why New Orleans got rid of Chandler? Because they’re not sure if he’ll be 100 percent soon?

At least, to the Hornets fan base, it’s a “basketball” move, right? Not a salary dump. And as for Charlotte, well, I don’t know. Is this a Larry Brown move?

Okay, whatever. I still don’t get this trade.

Follow me on Twitter. The name is @TheNoLookPass. I’m awesome!

With all the teams that made draft day trades, which included guys like Vince Carter, Shaquille O’Neal, and Jamal Crawford being dealt, not to mention the New York Knicks essentially buying a first-round pick (for $3,000,000 in straight cash), I am somewhat surprised that the Sixers stayed at 17, picking UCLA’s Jrue Holiday at that spot.  However, the more that I think about it, what other choice did they have?

Why the Sixers Didn’t Move Up:

Why? The 2009 draft was widely regarded as the worst, talent wise, since the 2000 NBA draft, where the “bust” label is often used with the guys were drafted in the lottery that year ( Stromile Swift at 2, Darius Miles at 3, Marcus Fizer at 4, DeMarr Johnson at 6, Chris Mihm at 7, Joel Pryzbilla at 9, Keyon Dooling at 10, Jermome Moiso at 11). Well, I doubt these new guys will be that bad, but outside of Oklahoma PF Blake Griffin, the talent drop-off from the rest of the lottery picks to a potential second-rounder (DeJuan Blair) was not enough for the Sixers to move up. With the Sixers targeting a point guard, again, there was no reason to trade up. While Ricky Rubio, Johnny Flynn, and Stephen Curry (combo-guard) and Brandon Jennings were being placed in the top-10 consistently in most mock-drafts, guys like UNC’s Ty Lawson, VCU’s Eric Maynor, UCLA’s Jrue Holiday and Derrick Collison ,Wake Forest’s Jeff Teague, and France’s Rodrigue Beaubois, who are more of the true point guard type Sixers’s GM Ed Stefanski was looking for as an eventual replacement for PG Andre Miller, were projected to fall anywhere between the middle of the first-round to the beginning of the second-round. Therefore, in a PG heavy draft, there was no reason to trade up for a guy like Flynn or Jennings, where you could get a player like Holiday staying at 17, which the Sixers ended up doing.

Why the Sixers Didn’t Trade Down:

Even though there were potentially 10 NBA-projected point guards that went in the first round, it seemed like the Sixers picking Holiday at 17 opened the floodgates of sorts in regards to point guards being taken. In fact, after Holiday, Lawson, Teague, Maynor and Collison were picked in order right behind Holiday at picks 18-21. If the Sixers weren’t sold on Holiday, which the obviously were, rumors before the draft were saying the Sixers were content with both Lawson and Teague at 17, whoever fell to them at that point of the draft. Well both of them fell to 17, along with Holiday, who was being considered  by the Knicks at 8 and the Bucks at 10, so the Sixers had a tough choice. My guy tells me they were probably considering at one point to trade down, in hope that they could grab a 2009 second-rounder and a later first-round pick (New Orleans at 21 comes to mind) from a team that wanted to trade up to grab Holiday. Obviously, either the Sixers were high enough on Holiday to take him at 17, or they didn’t want to trade down to later in the first-round in fear that they wouldn’t get Lawson or Teague, which was a good assessment, because Lawson and Teague were the next two picks after Holiday, in which the Sixers probably would have missed out on them.

Jrue Holiday: Was He the Right Pick?

The only answer that is valid at this time is “Time will tell.” With the selection of Holiday, who is only 18 years old, one year removed from being the 2008 Gatorade National Boys Player of the Year, it’s pretty clear, at least to me, that the Sixers are trying to lure back PG Andre Miller for at least one more season. That’s not to say that Holiday won’t be a good player, because in the end, I think he will be. Holiday was a top recruit going to UCLA last year, but floundered a bit in Ben Howland’s complex offensive system. After being a PG for all four years of high school, Holiday had to move to SG at UCLA to ensure optimal playing time, therefore not taking minutes away from incumbent starting PG Derrick Collison. Needless to say, Holiday struggled a bit playing out of position, especially on the offensive end, only averaging 8.5 points per game, while starting all 32 games for the Bruins. By leaving UCLA after one season, scouts were unsure that Holiday’s 2009 play would translate into a first-round draft grade. However, his pre-draft workouts were excellent, as teams were drawn in by his athleticism, defensive promise, and size (6′4  205 pounds). After his workouts impressed many, according to ESPN’s Chad Ford, it was possible for Holiday to be drafted as high as fourth overall, and his lottery status was “solidified”. When the lottery didn’t happen and  he fell to the Sixers at 17, his size, and the potential at his young age was probably too much to pass up. For fans saying that the Holiday pick means the Sixers don’t care about winning now, if the Sixers do in fact resign Andre Miller to a one or two-year contract, that point is invalid, because Miller’s play was one of the main reasons the Sixers made the playoffs and came within a Hedo Turkoglu buzzer-beater of going up 3-1 on the eventual Eastern Conference champs (Orlando Magic). Miller would be a great tutor for Holiday, and if anything, re-signing Miller would make for great competition between to the two. However, if the Sixers are not planning on resigning Miller, they are either looking at putting Lou Williams or Willie Green at PG to start the season, or they’ll throw Holiday into the fire, making him the starting PG at the start of the regular season. If that’s the case, drafting a more NBA ready PG such as Ty Lawson and Eric Maynor probably would been a better choice.

For John Paul “Sonny” Vaccaro, there are three things more important than anything else in life: “The God you believe in, your family, and earning a living.”

Vaccaro certainly made good on the last point, spending nearly three decades as a highly successful shoe company marketing executive and trusted adviser to some of the greatest basketball players ever seen.

The man who signed Michael Jordan to his first sneaker deal in 1984 and has served as a close confidant to the likes of Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady and LeBron James, to name a few, stepped away from his professional career two years ago.

Vaccaro, however, remains an influential figure in basketball. With Vaccaro’s assistance, Brandon Jennings, a talented point guard from Compton, Calif., left to play professionally in Italy after high school last year, forgoing college altogether.

Earlier this year, Vaccaro gave the same blessing to Jeremy Tyler, a 17-year-old standout from San Diego. Tyler, though, is not just skipping college but also his senior year of high school.

The reason behind the pioneering moves made by Jennings and Tyler? The NBA’s 2005 collective bargaining agreement, which required that beginning with the 2006 draft all American players be at least 19 and a year removed from high school.

“In the easiest way to describe it, it was unfair. It wasn’t right because a precedent had been set very successfully in kids who do this,” says Vaccaro. “They don’t have the right to discriminate against your ability to earn a living. I just don’t believe that. Nobody. In any part of society.”

The precedent Vaccaro’s referring to is a 10-year period from 1995-2005 which saw many of the best high school players bypass college for the NBA. In total, 39 preps were drafted in that span, including stars such as Bryant, James, McGrady, Kevin Garnett, Dwight Howard, Al Jefferson, Rashard Lewis, Jermaine O’Neal, and Amare Stoudemire.

Making his case

Vaccaro has his own theories as to why the NBA would enforce an age limit.

“I think the most important reason they did it was that David [Stern], the NBA, can save on the contracts. If you make it 18-plus-one, or any discriminatory age, you automatically delay the future contracts by two or three years,” says Vaccaro. “It’s the third contract that’s the $100 million contract, it’s not the first rookie-based contract. There’s only four years guaranteed and two of them are team options. It’s the delaying the paying of the money, and David Stern and the NBA and the players’ association realize that they can delay the entry level of these kids.”

Vaccaro thinks the change is squarely about the money. He points out that NBA teams can save by holding on to veteran players at mid-level, or even minimum-level salaries, rather than having to open up their wallets for talented younger players.

Vaccaro also bristles at the notion that high school players aren’t ready for the grind of the NBA. To prove his case, he refers to the Cavaliers, Lakers, Magic and Nuggets – the final four teams (hypothetically, the four best teams) in this year’s NBA playoffs. Cleveland’s James, Denver’s J.R. Smith, Los Angeles’ Bryant and Andrew Bynum, and Orlando’s Howard and Lewis – all key contributors to their teams – made the jump from high school.

“Six of the key players, six of them. And they’re not just players,” says Vaccaro excitedly. “So how do you in good faith argue the point that they weren’t ready?”

Sonny Vaccaro signed Michael Jordan to his first shoe deal.

If only it were that easy. For all the success stories, there have also been some colossal failures. Names like Jonathan Bender, Darius Miles, Kwame Brown, DeSagana Diop, Shaun Livingston, Robert Swift, and Martell Webster were all lottery picks that haven’t worked out. Others such as Korleone Young, Leon Smith, Ousmane Cisse, Ndudi Ebi, and James Lang barely even broke a sweat in the NBA or saw trouble off the court.

Still, Vaccaro thinks the blame should not rest on the players, successful or otherwise.

“If the professional bodies, the pro teams themselves, don’t think these kids can do it, don’t draft them. Don’t employ them! The thing that’s missing, and even to the public, is the very people who don’t want them to come play in their league, are the very people that draft them,” says Vaccaro.

Responding to criticism

In a May 12 USA Today story, Wally Renfro, an NCAA vice president and senior adviser to NCAA President Myles Brand, spoke negatively of Vaccaro.

“He helped create an environment in which the value of high school and college education has been diminished in the minds of many young basketball players,” Renfro told the newspaper.

When asked about Renfro’s comment, Vaccaro claimed a double standard.

“Wally Renfro’s group [the NCAA] took more money from shoe companies than any other organization in the history of corporate sponsorships. … If he thinks I did these things, then why did he not think I did these things in 1978 when we signed our first colleges?”

Indeed, Vaccaro was the first person to pay college basketball coaches for exclusive apparel deals. He later orchestrated similar agreements with the schools.

“So Wally’s blaming me, and I accept … I publicized and marketed the kids, I accept that. But I also want him to say in the same breathe, ‘Thank you Mr. Vaccaro and Nike for publicizing and marketing Maryland and Georgetown and North Carolina,’” says Vaccaro. “They all sell our products. We’re on their bookshelves, in their bookstores. They let me in the door! No matter who wants to say I demonized or didn’t demonize, it all got its start 30 years ago when they [the NCAA] took the money.”

The future

Vaccaro believes that the NBA will eventually lift the age requirement. If — as Jennings and Tyler have done — more players decide to play in Europe before gaining eligibility, Vaccaro thinks the league will have to react and come up with a resolution to its collective bargaining agreement.

“What Jeremy Tyler did is open the door to a wider spectrum of people. You know, now you’ve got 17-year-old kids who want to do it,” says Vaccaro.

The easy money is certainly hard to argue against. According to Vaccaro, Jennings made over $1 million in salary and endorsements during his one season playing in Italy. That is money “very hard for normal people with college educations to achieve with their degrees,” says Vaccaro.

The alternative is to go to college and become a ‘one-and-done’ player, or one that leaves for the NBA right after becoming eligible. There are a growing number of ‘one-and-done’ players and the ramifications of the NBA’s 2005 rule change are slowly becoming evident. Young NBA stars such as O.J. Mayo and Derrick Rose have been in the news recently for investigations of NCAA rule violations that have been black eyes for the basketball programs at Southern California and Memphis.

Vaccaro makes it very clear that he is not against youngsters getting their educations. For most of his clients, going to college to forward their basketball careers is the right decision. Only a very selective group of high school players is physically capable and talented enough to make the jump to the NBA. For the few preps that fit that description and come from humble means, the choice between going to college or turning pro is often very clear.

“How do they [critics] beat me up? How do they beat this whole system up? When someone can take themselves off of welfare basically and have money in the bank,” says Vaccaro. “Isn’t it interesting? These kids are doing it the right way; they’re trying to make a living with their talent. We’re talking about people capable of earning money legally — without resorting to any criminal activity!”

Denver Nuggets – 54-28, 1st in Northwest, eliminated in Western Conference Finals
Nuggets salaries at HoopsHype

The Denver Nuggets had a spirited playoff run, and while Chauncey Billups is often credited for leading the charge, the supporting cast was just as important. Chris Andersen, Dahntay Jones and Anthony Carter are all unrestricted free agents and should be wanted back by the organization (Sonny Weems and Jason Hart are likely gone). SF Linas Kleiza was a forgotten man in Denver for a huge chunk of the season, but his playoff performances may have earned him another stint with the team. However, I feel that he is low on the priority list for Denver, below money management. Linas’ reduced role makes him expendable, so the Nuggets could opt not to extend a qualifying offer to him. However, if Jones walks, keeping Kleiza becomes more important. Expiring deals of Steven Hunter, Antonio McDyess and Renaldo Balkman can be used to fill any voids, though Denver seems to like Balkman’s energy. The Nuggets’ only draft pick is at #34, and an additional swingman or PF could be targeted. With the uncertainty of the SF spot on the team, look for a player like DaJuan Summers (Georgetown) or Danny Green (North Carolina) that can hit an open shot and defend.

Portland Trailblazers – 54-28, 2nd in Northwest, eliminated in First Round
Blazers salaries at HoopsHype

The Trailblazers crashed the playoff party this year, and gave us a glimpse at what they can become very soon. They are in an enviable position, with tons of cap room and young superstars in Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge that don’t make much money yet. Plus, they have a $9M expiring deal from the departed Darius Miles to deal, along with expiring players Steve Blake and Travis Outlaw that can contribute to a team looking for a role player. I’ve heard the Blazers linked to several free agents, including David Lee, Trevor Ariza and Andre Miller. A good team with a young core and no glaring holes should be a popular player in the market this offseason. With the #24, #33, #38, #55 and #56 selections in the draft, they are poised to pull the trigger on a big trade before or during the draft. For the picks they choose to keep, look for them to take the best player available.

Utah Jazz – 48-34, 3rd in Northwest, eliminated in First Round
Jazz salaries at HoopsHype

The Utah Jazz battled injuries all season and never seemed to reach their full potential. Now, the franchise is going to have to make some tough calls moving forward. PF Carlos Boozer has made it clear that he will explore his options this offseason, although he has not officially declined his player option. However, the Jazz may decide that they’d rather keep restricted free agent Paul Millsap instead. Millsap filled in well while Boozer was hurt, and it will be difficult financially to keep both. I think the better option is signing Millsap, who will be cheaper, plays better defense, and is far less injury-prone, and letting Boozer walk. C Mehmet Okur and SF Kyle Korver also have early termination options, so they could be faced with signing these important pieces as well. Ronnie Price, Jarron Collins, Brevin Knight and Morris Almond are all unrestricted free agents. After already exercising a team option on C Kyrylo Fesenko, PG Ronnie Price seems to be the only sure keeper in the bunch, serving as an energetic backup for Deron Williams. Money under the cap is getting tight, so replacing players lost to free agency in the draft is a focus. If North Carolina PF Tyler Hansbrough or Ohio State C BJ Mullens are there at #20, I see the Jazz jumping on one of those two.

Minnesota Timberwolves – 24-58, 4th in Northwest, missed playoffs
Timberwolves salaries at HoopsHype

The Minnesota Timberwolves are in a state of disarray right now, perhaps even more than when actually on the court. They let the firing of coach Kevin McHale linger until last week, and Kevin Love and Al Jefferson aren’t too happy. There have been rumors of trading one or both players, but they are likely untrue. The Timberwolves do have over $25M in expiring deals to ship out (the only possible keeper I see is SF Rodney Carney), and five picks in the draft, including three first-rounders (6, 18, 28). Sebastian Telfair plays well at times, but pairing a young PG with combo guard Randy Foye would give them a young backcourt to keep around. I see Minnesota going with a PG at #6, with Jonny Flynn (Syracuse), Stephen Curry (Davidson), Tyreke Evans (Memphis), and Brandon Jennings (Italy) all possibilities. If there, I think Flynn will be the best fit of this bunch, being a true point guard.

Oklahoma City Thunder – 23-59, 5th in Northwest, missed playoffs
Thunder salaries at HoopsHype

The Thunder are a young team, and not much is expected of them right now. but they’ve been drinking their milk, and are growing big and strong and could give some teams some trouble in a year or two. Kevin Durant is turning into a superstar, and he’s paired with young studs in Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green. The Thunder have good role players, but they could definitely use a good shooter at SG and a hulking presence in the middle; though nice players, Nenad Krstic and Nick Collison aren’t going to cut it. With lots of cap space, I see the Thunder going hard after SG Ben Gordon. He’d be a perfect fit with this team, and would be able to start. PG Shaun Livingston could get a look in the backcourt with Westbrook. He played well last season, and seemed to be gaining some quickness back after the chicken leg incident (NOT for the squeamish).
With their #3 pick, the Thunder have plenty of options. While the conventional choice will be  Georgetown C Hasheem Thabeet, I don’t think that’s a good pick. I’m not sold on Thabeet, and the Thunder apparently really like BJ Mullens, so much so that they could trade a lower first-round pick to Detroit to move up and snag him and Amir Johnson in the process. I think the best talent available at #3 is Arizona State’s James Harden, and he’s not a bad consolation prize is they lose the Ben Gordon sweepstakes. If Harden is gone, Spanish PG Ricky Rubio would allow Westbrook to slide over to SG.

5. Deshawn Stevenson – Waving hand over face

Down by 20 points, Stevenson scores a contested 3 pointer with Lebron James’ hand over his face and proceeds to taunt James by waving his own hand across his face.  Would Deshawn’s friend Souja Boy approve?  Take a look.

No wonder David Stern got rid of those high school kids jumping to the NBA

Maybe Deshawn can’t shoot 3’s because he’s got his hand all over his face…and this guy was once compared to Michael Jordan on nbadraft.net.

4. Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson – Head Bump

According to Miles and Richardson, this has something to do with the fact that they come from Illinois.  I’m from Illinois and I’m convinced this is gang related.

3. Dikembe Mutombo – Finger Swat

Thank god Deke retired or else

2. Chris Anderson a.k.a. Birdman flys

Attempts to flap his “wings” like a baffoon.  In an interview to ESPN, he still won’t reveal the drug that he used before he got suspended but he narrowed it down to three: Meth, Cocaine or Heroin.  Also claims that Chris Anderson is different than Birdman.  This guy will give Michael Jackson a run for his money.

Almost forgot, also can’t dunk…

1.  Kevin Garnett – Barks like a dog?

Before

After

Garnett has gotten out of control in his 14 seasons in the league. Things have gotten so out of hand that individual players have stepped up to express they will no longer tolerate Garnett’s “bullying”.  Now that Michael Vick is fresh out of jail, he’s looking for some new pitbulls to train…

Darius Miles, former player for the Portland Trailblazers and Memphis Grizzlies, (the Grizzlies have indicated they have no intention on re-signing Miles as they believe him to be a poor influence on OJ Mayo) is free on bond today after he was arrested in St. Louis yesterday for posses ion of marijuana.  Police pulled over 27 year-old Miles, a native of East St. Louis, for “failing to use his turn signal” aka this guy in this ghetto ass car looks like he would have a bunch of weed.

Darius Miles has once again been arrested. Last night police in Fairview Heights, Illinois stopped Miles for failure to signal. Needless to say, a search of his car revealed that Miles was in possession of a small amount of marijuana. He was charged with misdemeanor possession and has already posted bail and been released.

The recent comeback Miles made with the Grizzlies was a great story. I was really pulling for the kid. Wait. He’s 27 years old now so let me rephrase that. I was pulling for the man.

Wait a minute! Darius Miles is an NBA player and he smokes marijuana? Wow. why am I even posting this? This is not news.

I can’t believe I wasted time even starting this post.

I know that I’m not the only one who tuned out the first round of the NBA playoffs.  One epic series between the Celtics & Bulls cannot make up for 7 other first-round series of mostly intolerable basketball.

But, the second round brings a new level of excitement and maybe some “Amazing” will actually happen more regularly for the duration of the next 6 weeks. 

Orlando and Houston both stole homecourt advantage from Boston and Los Angeles, respectively, last night.  Denver looks to extend its lead tonight against Dallas and Cleveland (with newly-crowned MVP LeBron James) opens its second-round series against Atlanta this evening as well.

I have to say that I like the news, notes, highlights, and generally readable format that the NBA utilizes to keep fans up-to-date on the playoffs here. 

Of course, they are not perfect at NBA.com.  I cannot fathom how, in this day and age, the editors cannot keep photos of active playoff participants up-to-date.  Just check out these photos from the player pages of Rafer Alston, Kyle Lowry, and Stephon Marbury.  That’s just embarrassing.  These are guys playing legitimate playoff minutes and none of them just suited up for their current teams yesterday.

NBA.com's current player page for Orlando's Rafer Alston (formerly of the Houston Rockets)

I noticed these (along with many others for players on teams not among the final eight) and actually took the time to point it out to the folks at NBA.com.  Here is the exchange from about one month ago:

C’mon, NBA.com – you are better than this!  A quick review of the player pages reveals outdated photos for Stephon Marbury, Darius Miles, Drew Gooden and others.  It’s inexcusable that you can’t keep photos current for the few hundred active NBAers in your database.  I encourage you to make these edits soon.

And the form response I received was returned in the following email:

Thank you for your comments about NBA.com.  We are continually working to improve the site and enhance the fan experience, and your feedback is essential to that process.

We view our Web site as a critical component of our live games, and seek to compliment the on-court action by providing online the most interactive, up-to-date and accurate information about the NBA.   Last season alone, NBA.com had over one billion visits – with 60% coming from outside the U.S.  It is an integral part of how fans stay involved in – and informed about – our game.  

Thank you for your helpful feedback and support of the NBA.

Sincerely,

NBA Fan Relations

Yes, once again, the voice of the fan has been heard!  Oh well – maybe it’s just me, but it seems that somebody at the NBA would actually care about these things. 

Weren’t David Stern and his minions image-conscious at one time?  Stern’s bio says that he “leads a league that is a model for professional sports in league operations, public service, global marketing and digital technology.”  I would recommend that they start tending to the basics.

But I digress.  Let’s take it back to the hardwood – I would be remiss if I did not point out the unsung efforts in these playoffs of one Shane Battier. 

Shane Battier

I will forever hold it against him that he is a Dukie, but it’s impossible not to appreciate his game.  If you did not catch Michael Lewis’ brilliant story on him back in February (“The No-Stats All-Star”), I highly recommend that you take the time to read through it.  Especially if you are a Laker fan staring at a must-win Game 2 tomorrow night. 

Houston might just be building something – and Battier will be in the middle of it one way or the other.  One game at a time.

One of these things is not like the others...

We’re kind of nearing NBA draft time (sorta) , so here’s an arbitrary and incorrect list of the top 5 NBA players who should’ve been superstars, but weren’t.

5. Harold Miner

The best dunker you’ve never heard of, he won two dunk contests and still only managed a career high of 10.5 points a game.  He lasted just 4 years in the league, but holy crap could this guy dunk.  All the time dudes who can dunk jump to the NBA and learn how to shoot and pass etc.  Miner never managed to learn that stuff.  He just faded away to nowhere.

4. Omar Cook

Everybody loves New York point guards.  Omar Cook had so much hype coming into his freshman season, people were actually afraid of St Johns for the first time in years.  He played ok, but couldn’t shoot.  Despite getting mixed reviews, he jumped to the NBA.  He was drafted in the second round and is now out of the league.  This guy was supposed to be the next Isaiah Thomas long before Chris Paul (and I guess Deron Williams) came into the league.  According to Wikipedia, “He is currently playing at the point guard position with the pro club Unicaja Málaga.” So I guess he’s sorta doing ok.

3. Darius Miles

Was tall. Was athletic. Could dunk. Starred in a movie with Scarlett Johannsson.  Scored 47 in a game. Got hurt. Never really came back.

2. Christian Laettner

The great white hope from Duke played on the dream team with Michael Jordan and Larry Bird.  He is probably the greatest college basketball player of all time.  He’s scored more points in the NCAA tournament than anyone else.  He did have the most successful pro career of anyone on this list, but he was still a disappointment.  His career high of 18.2 points per game came in his first season.  He averaged just 12.8 points per game for his career.  Some enjoy that he sucked in the NBA, some prefer to remember this:

1. Dajuan Wagner

He scored 100 points in a game.  Really.

Sure it was in high school, but can you imagine scoring 100 points on a high level high school basketball team?  Recruiters would go nuts! And they did for Wagner, who ended up going to Memphis (like seemingly every other guy).  He only played one year and was drafted sixth overall by Cleveland. He averaged 9.4 points a game for his career, and he never played more than 47 games in a season (his rookie year).  He only played in 103 games over 4 years and now is somewhere in Europe.  So you can say injuries killed his career, and you’d probably be right.  However, if you watch the highlights, you can’t help but wonder if he was just more lucky, and maybe if he worked out more to avoid injuries, could he have been a top 3 pg in the NBA right now?  I think so.

The Grizzlies have decided to add Darius Miles for the rest of the season. No matter what you think about Miles this is great to see. I had the pleasure of watching a few of his games in High School and I’ve got to say that he definitely had the potential to develop into a special player. He made some poor choices early in his career and then he had the “career ending knee injury” so he never reached that potential. But I’ve followed his comeback all season hoping he’d make it back. And it appears that much to the dismay of the Blazers he’s made it.

In just 12 minutes a game he’s averaging a very respectable 5.7ppg, 2.6rpg, and just under 1 blk per game. Granted it’s not what you’d expect from the former number 3 overall pick but it’s good that after 2years he’s finally made it back into the league. He’ll never be a superstar and he may never be a starter again. But maybe just maybe, he’ll spend 8 more seasons in the league as a valuable bench player and possibly even a mentor to younger players.

Shaun Livingston is another player who’s potential seems to have been wiped out by injury. Livingston had one of the most horrific injuries I’ve ever seen.

He averaged just 2.3ppg and 1 apg in 4 games with the Heat this season. He was traded to the Grizzlies earlier this month. But he was waived soon after the trade. I really hope this 23 year old can return to form. But when you see that injury it’s hard to believe that he’ll ever develop into the star PG he was once destined to be.

Tonight the Memphis Grizzlies (11-29) travel to North Carolina to pay a visit to the Charlotte Bobcats (16-25). I will be live blogging during the game which starts at 7 pm est.

The starting lineups:

Memphis: PG – Mike Conley Jr., SG – OJ Mayo, SF – Rudy Gay, PF – Darrell Arthur, C – Marc Gasol

Charlotte: PG – Raymond Felton, SG – Raja Bell, SF – Gerald Wallace, PF – Gerald Wallace, C – Emeka Okafor

Pregame Notes

• Charlotte comes in winning 3 of 4 including victories over Detroit and Portland. Their one loss came Monday when Boris Diaw missed a game-winning three as time expired against the Spurs
• Charlotte guard DJ Augustin will miss tonight’s game due to an abdominal strain
• The Grizzlies enter tonight with a 6 game losing streak, the losing current streak in the NBA
• PG Mike Conley Jr. Will get the start replacing Kyle Lowry for the second consecutive game after losing his starting job on Dec. 5th
• In their last meeting, a 29 point loss for the grizz, the Bobcats erupted for 112 points on 65% shooting despite being 25th in the league in FG% and dead last in scoring

First Quarter

11:10 – Grizz start off with two nice defensive possessions forcing a deep three at the end of the shot clock and a tough reverse layup attempt. Watch out for the offensive rebounding tonight, the cats have a significant size advantage down low with diaw, wallace, and okafor SCORE 0-0

9:04 – very sloppy start to the game on both sides with team exchanging turnovers. Felton hits an open 3 to give the cats the lead SCORE 6-4 CHARLOTTE

7:39 – Gasol picks up his second foul on an illegal screen, Grizz playing small. Arthur picks up a foul on okafor SCORE 8-4 CHARLOTTE

6:54 – Warrick picks up his first foul. Look for the Cats to go inside and take advantage of the early foul trouble of the grizz big men. Bell hits a jumper. 9-2 Cats run. Timeout Grizzlies. SCORE 10-4 CHARLOTTE

6:19 – Arthur picks up his second foul – both queationable calls. Here comes DARIUSSSS. Diaw wit the layup, Conley with his second turnover leads to a breakaway layup. 13-2 run for Charlotte. Timeout Grizz. SCORE 14-4 CHARLOTTE

5:35 – Cats FINALLY pick up their first foul although nobody touched Hak… SCORE 14-6 CHARLOTTE

2:50 – Sloppy plays continues for the Grizz. 7 TO’s already and the Cats shooting 50% from the floor. Second unit checks in for the grizz. Timeout Charlotte. SCORE 18-8 CHARLOTTE

(side note: Villanova gives up an 11-0 run to Uconn and falls behind 27-24. go cats go!)

2:21 – Kyle comes in and drains a three and leads the fast break with a smart pass to hak for the dunk. SCORE 18-13 CHARLOTTE

1:13 – Mayo picks up his second putting the grizz over the limit. 8 fouls for Memphis, 2 for Charlotte. SCORE 21-13

0:00 – Kyle drives and scores to end the quarter. Good little run to end the quarter and get the Grizz back in it. SCORE 21-15

Second Quarter

10:42 – Good team D leads to a fast break and two FT’s for Hak. Kyle really pushing the tempo and leads another fast break for two more FT’s for Darius. SCORE 21-19 CHARLOTTE

10:13 – MARKOOOO! playing great on both sides of the floor. The Grtzz are really attacking the rim in the second. Diop heads to the bench with two fouls but Hak misses a pair. SCORE 21-19 CHARLOTTE

9:03 – Kyle makes two FT’s and its tied! Grizz extend their D to full court and almost get asteal. A Chance for the lead with Rudy at the line and Charlotte in the penalty the rest of the way.  SCORE 23-21 MEMPHIS

7:45 – Rudy hits his first fg. SCORE 25-25

6:43 – Another great pass from Kyle that gets D-Miles to the stripe. Thats four “assists” that have lead to FT’s from Kyle. SCORE 30- 27 CHARLOTTE

5:13 – Kyle with the steal off some miscommunication between Raja and Boris and finishes with the oops-upside-ya-head to Darius. SCORE 32-31 CHARLOTTE

5:00 – Starters come back in and Hak picks up his 2nd foul to join Marc, Darrell, and OJ. SCORE 32-31 CHARLOTTE

3:45 – Hak picks up his third. I’m not so sure about some of these calls… is Violet Palmer in the building?? SCORE 37-32 CHARLOTTE

2:13 – Too many open looks for the Bobcats from the outside. Bell knocks down a three only to see Rudy blow by Morrison for the and-1 (yes the same adam morrison that was picked 5 spots ahead of rudy in the 06 draft) SCORE 42-37 CHARLOTTE

1:00- Grizz cannot stop the pick n’ roll. Okafor with 12 FT attempts already. SCORE 44-39 CHARLOTTE

0:00 – Bell hits another 3 and OJ runs the floor for the dunk to end the half. SCORE 47-41 CHARLOTTE

Halftime Headlines

• Raja Bell leads all scorers with 16
• Okafor has been a menace in the paint with 12 FT attempts already, many off those coming off pick and rolls
• Bobcats with 6 offensive rebounds compared to only 2 for the Grizzlies
• The Grizzlies bench is outscoring the starters 22-19 with Kyle Lowry and Hakim Warrick leading the way with 7 apiece
• The Grizzlies, who rank last in the NBA with just over 16 assists/game, have a meager 5 at the half. Only one of those have come from starting PG Mike Conley in 14+ minutes.
• OJ Mayo has four points and has only attempted 3 shots thus far. He averages 19 points on 16 FGA for the season.

Second Half Diagnosis

In order for the Grizzlies to pull out the W, stronger interior D needs to be played by the Grizz frontcourt. With Gasol, Arthur, and Hak all picking up multiple fouls in the first half, the Bobcats exploited the lack of a reliable post defender with fouls to give. Marc Gasol needs to be a little bit quicker getting back to his man after hedging on the pick and roll in order to prevent easy buckets. Watch for the Grizz to switch in and out of the zone in the second half if things start to slip away. Coach Iavaroni stresses going with the hot hand at PG so lets see how that situation develops. Kyle was definitely the better of the two in the first half.

Third Quarter

11:23 – Conley with the steal and the alley-oop to Rudy. Nice start to the half. SCORE 46-44 CHARLOTTE

9:18 – UNREAL. Mayo’s layup hits the backboard and gets swatted… goaltending? of course not…. SCORE 51-49 CHARLOTTE

8:16 – Grizzlies take the lead on the Rudy 3! SCORE 52-51 MEMPHIS

7:01 – Can anyone stop Raja Bell. 21 points already. Season high is 25. Rudy with a pretty scoop and score to cut the lead to one.  SCORE 55-54 CHARLOTTE

6:17 – Lots and Lots of turnovers. there have been at least five possessions where one team would get a steal only to turn it back over on the ensuing fast break. thats has to drive a coach nuts… Timeout Bobcats. SCORE 55-54 CHARLOTTE

(side note: nova down 71-64 in a shootout up in conneticut. 9:14 remaining lets get a strong push here cats)

6:05 – Dear Memphis D,

Raja Bell is on fire. Please guard him. K? Thanks.

SCORE 57-54 CHARLOTTE

4:38 – Conleyyy for THREEEE!! Rudy picks up his fourth foul to go along with his 7 turnovers. please no… not buckner…. oh oh… its buckner =( SCORE 64-60 CHARLOTTE

4:00 – Conley picks up his dribble 35 feet from the basket with 10 seconds left on the shot clock and proceeds to throw it to gerald wallace. problem is, hes on the wrong team. outlet pass and another fast break layup for you guessed it Raja Bell. id like to see Kyle now. Timeout Grizz SCORE 66-60 CHARLOTTE

2:46 – Diaw with a great look to Okafor for the dunk. Bobcats have 18 assists on 23 FGM. SCORE 68-62 CHARLOTTE

1:34 – Another steal by the Grizz only to turn it over on the break, again. Thats 12 steals for the Bobcats starters. SCORE 70-63 CHARLOTTE

0:29 – Clear patch foul on Morrison after a great hustle play by OJ. Grizz fail to score on the free possession. I wish Kyle could be more consistent with his finishing at the rim. End quarter SCORE 70-64 CHARLOTTE

Fourth Quarter

11:07 – Hak misses the jam, Morrison hits a 3. I really really really dont like that guy. SCORE 73-66 CHARLOTTE

9:30 – Great D by the Grizz but Singletary hits a tough fadeaway over Kyle.

7:42 – Turnovers still killing any hope of a grizz comeback. Two straight by Kyle makes that 20 on the night. the Grizz are down 7 with 8 minutes to go. SCORE 77-70 CHARLOTTE

Taking a break to watch the end of the nova game….. they lost of course. freaking big east…

5:50 – Mayo with a nice fallaway to cut the lead to six. Bobcats in the penalty the rest of the way. look for the Grizz to attack the glass hard. SCORE 81-75 CHARLOTTE

4:57 – Diaw hits a three and the leads grows to double digits. The Grizz needs lots of possessions or lots of 3’s to get back into this one. Every trip down the court matters… NO MORE TURNOVERS! the ball is not a pancake or hamburger (or tofu burger for my vegans out there) SCORE 86-75 CHARLOTTE

4:01 – Another steal, thats 15 for the Cats starters. Rudy with 5 fouls. SCORE 88-79 CHARLOTTE

2:00 – This one looks all but over. Okafor gets his double-double and increases the lead to 13. At least we played hard. I wish trying was a stat… SCORE 96-83 CHARLOTTE

FINAL SCORE – CHARLOTTE 101 MEMPHIS 86

The under-handed dealings of  Blazers’ president Larry Miller did not start with the threatening e-mail that he sent to other NBA teams.  Word has leaked that the e-mail was only his panicked response to the NBA rejecting his attempt to claim Darius Miles off of waivers. 

Miller planned on doing that so no other team could sign him and he would rot away on Portland’s bench. 

This is not about the money. Miles will get his money regardless.  This is about a guy getting the opportunity to do what he loves.  Thankfully the NBA didn’t let Miller take that away.