NBA DOWNTIME- 7/25/05

I hope Everyone has seen The Gerald Green Dunk by now but for those who havent

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Hope everyone is having a good summer. I have been busy enjoying the best of what Massachusetts has to offer for beaches. Vegas was interesting, I tried to cover as many games as possible for all of you but it is Vegas so that is not really an option. (too many distractions).

Anyway , Here is What I Am Working On

1. NBA Impact Rookies- players who should get major minutes next year and contribute immediately. Projected Stats for all you fantasy players as well.

2. 2006 NBA Mock Draft- Yes, I will be posting a mock and Yes it will be completely ridiculous a year from now. As of right now it does not look like it is going to be a particularly deep draft but we all know that can change.

3.NBA Free Agency/Trade Updates

4. Historical NBA Draft Grades- I know some of you really enjoyed those I did on previous drafts. I am undecided on which draft to cover, any suggestions would be appreciated.

VEGAS SUMMER LEAGUE WRAP UP

Now that it is over here are my thoughts

My Vegas Summer League All League Team – First Team

PG Sebastian Telfair- Portland

SG Kevin Martin- Sacramento

SF Travis Outlaw- Portland

PF Dwight Howard- Orlando

C Chris Kaman- LA Clippers

Second Team

PG Chris Paul- New Orleans

SG J.R Smith- New Orleans

SF Ike Diogu- Golden State

PF Jason Maxiell- Detroit

C Channing Frye- New York

Third Team

PG Nate Robinson- New York

SG Marquis Daniels- Dallas

SF Tony Allen- Boston

PF Linas Kleiza- Denver

C Andray Blatche- Washington

Honarable Mention:

PG Alex Acker- Detroit

PG Travis Deiner- Orlando

PG Blake Stepp-Cleveland

SG Luke Jackson- Cleveland

PF Josh Powell- Dallas

SF Justin Reed- Boston

SG Francisco Garcia- Sacramento

SF Ryan Gomes- Boston

SF Antoine Wright- New Jersey

PF Sam Clancy- New Jersey

Straight To The NBDL Team (players with potential but not ready for NBA now)

PG Monta Ellis- Golden State

SG Gerald Green- Boston

SF Ron Slay- Phoenix

PF Brandon Bass- New Orleans

C Boniface N’Dong- Denver

Update From Las Vegas Summer League- 7/13

ALL Vegas Team coming Soon!!!!!!!!!!!!
ALL Straight to NBDL Team Coming Soon!!!!!!
Summer League Team Grades Coming Soon!!!!

A lot of teams have good reason to be happy with the performance of some of thier young players in this League. Here is a look at a few teams who have plenty of resaon to look forward to next season. More updates to come.

Portland

- Sebastian Telfair- Significant improvement from last year, is in line for a starting spot next season

- Martell Webster- showing a smooth outside stroke, needs to work on all other aspects of his game

- Travis Outlaw- looks ready to ger major minutes next year, too good for competition here

Boston

- Justin Reed- Doc Rivers better allocate some minutes for this kid next year, he is arguably one of the top performing players in the Vegas Summer League.

- Ryan Gomes- Soild but unspectacular so far, still in shock that Detroit didnt take Gomes with thier first rounder as Joe Dumars was really high on Gomes. He will be in Doc's rotation next year for sure

- Gerald Green- Shows extrodinary athleticism and good court awareness for his age but weaknesses defensively and playing in the flow of an offense are going to limit his minutes next season. Has a very bright future with the team.

Orlando

- Dwight Howard- Without a doubt I think he is the best player in this camp. Absolutely dominating performance on both ends of the floor. Is just too good to be here. Howards makes a huge leap next year.

- Travis Diener- Having a strong summer and makes the team no question about it. Should get decent minutes as well next year as a backup. Needs to build some muscle though. Great floor general skills.

New Orleans

- J.R Smith- After disappointing performances from Brandon Bass and Chris Paul (due to injury), J.R Smith has come through in a big way. Still inconsistent at times and out of control but his game has seen huge improvements all around. The shot is still superb butnow more effective as he now has improve his passing.

Vegas Summer League

Here is the rundown on the Studs & Duds in the Vegas Summer League to this point. Dwight Howard is the consensus best player here but other players have stood out. Check back for updates and my All Vegas Summer League Team.

Studs:

Travis Outlaw Portland- Could really break out this year.

Justin Reed- Boston- Last years second round pick looks like a real keeper for the C's. A do it all type of player.

Sebastian Telfair Portland- Showed excellent leadership skills, always found open teammates. Looked to create his own shot more, almost had triple double! Really excels in this style of basketball.

Nate Robinson New York- Robinson is going to get himself some minutes this year no matter who is on this NY team ahead of him. Natural scorer, maybe best athlete in the Vegas Summer League.

Andray Blatche Washington- Love the potential of this seven footer. Once he starts getting his name out there the KG comparisons will be everywhere. Needs more minutes to show what he can do but he has excellent handle and can step back and hit the NBA three.

Travis Diener Orlando- Secured his roster sopt with a blazing 6-7 shooting night. Natural leader.

Duds:

Devin Harris Dallas- For a player who went #5 in the draft he should be showing more of the potential that got him selected that high. Turnover machine, gets overpowered on defense. May be a bust.

Pavel Podkolzin Dallas- Another Dallas player but this one isnt expected to contribute this year like Harris is. This big oaf is really bad right now, out of shape, too slow for the NBA. Will not contribute anytime soon, if not ever.

Darko Milicic Detroit- This is supposed to be his coming out party. 7 points on 2-7 shooting in 28 minutes is not going to cut it against against Phoenix. His second game is today so he may be able to improve his stock. I'd bet strongly against it.

Keeping an eye on:

Martell Webster- Portland

Gerald Green- Boston

Felipe Lopez- Dallas

Shaun Livingston- LA Clippers

2005 NBA DRAFT GRADES-7/2/2005

Drafts can’t seriously be graded for 3-5 years after the fact but I’m going to do it anyway.

With round; pick number in parentheses

Atlanta: 1 (2) Marvin Williams, f, North Carolina; 2 (31) Salim Stoudamire, g, Arizona; 2 (59) Cenk Akyol, g,
Grade: C
It would be hard for Atlanta to screw this draft up considering where they were picking but after the obvious Marvin Williams pick I’m not quite sure about the rest of their picks. Stoudamire is a great shooter but not a PG, which they need badly. Akyol is marginal NBA prospect who shouldn’t have even been in the draft!

Boston: 1 (18) Gerald Green, f, Gulf Shores Academy (Houston) HS; 2 (50) Ryan Gomes, f, Providence; 2 (53) Orien Greene, g, Louisiana-Lafayette.
Grade: A+
Easy grade here for the Celtics. Green fell to them, but credit is still due for picking him as more NBA players were still on the board at that point and the Celtics could have easily passed on the high school stud who was expected to go top 5. Gomes was considered a first rounder by many and worked out for 22 teams but none like him enough to select him which baffles me. At pick #50 you cant ask for much more than a proven college superstar with good all around skills. The other Greene is a defensive specialist with size at the PG position which the Celtics desperately need. He has a good chance of making the team.

Charlotte: 1 (5) Raymond Felton, g, North Carolina; 1 (13) Sean May, f, North Carolina.
Grade: C-
Charlotte had one of the weaker drafts in my opinion considering how high their picks were. Both picks were reaches as #5 is a little high for Felton and May has no business whatsoever being drafted in the lottery. I don’t think both are busts by any means but I think they could have done better. The picks were obviously made to sell tickets as Charlotte had the second worst attendance in the league last season.

Chicago, Dallas: None.

Cleveland: 2 (44) Martynas Andriuskevicius, c, Zalgiris (Lithuania).
Grade:C
I think this guy is going to be huge bust but at pick #44 he may be worth the small risk taken. Would’ve gone top 5 if he declared last year.

Denver: 1 (20) Julius Hodge, g-f, N.C. State; 1 (22) Jarrett Jack(traded for Linas Kleiza), g, Georgia Tech; 2 (52) Axel Hervelle, f, Real Madrid (Spain).
Grade:C
Not a big fan of this unspectacular draft either. Flamingo Legs Hodge is a good player with no upside, which is okay and his selection at #20 is about right where he should be. The rest of the draft was Kleiza who Denver has been drooling over, and Hervelle who has no chance at making this team.

Detroit: 1 (26) Jason Maxiell, f, Cincinnati; 2 (56) Amir Johnson, f, Westchester HS (Calif.); 2 (60) Alex Acker, g, Pepperdine.
Grade: C
Maxiell was a real winner in this draft. Detroit already has a solid team and Joe Dumars takes a guy who is a 6”6 PF who plays with more passion and aggressiveness than any player in the draft. I like Maxiell the player, but the pick was a reach. The rest of the draft was a throwaway. Amir Johnson is a huge prospect NBDL bound and Acker should have went back to school.

Golden State: 1 (9) Ike Diogu, f, Arizona State; 2 (40) Monta Ellis, g, Lanier (Miss.) HS; 2 (42) Chris Taft, f, Pittsburgh.
Grade: A+
Love the draft by the Warriors. Ike Diogu is a beast down low with a long wingspan. He can also can shoot well for a big man, great pick for an already loaded team. Ellis could have cracked the first round easy with one or two years of college ball. He slipped because he is not ready for the NBA anytime soon. NBDL bound but a good pick in the second round. Taft is a low risk/high reward pick this late in the draft. Taft was projected to go top 3 in the draft before this season so getting him at #42 is a steal/

Houston: 1 (24) Luther Head, g, Illinois.
Grade A-
Solid pick here that fills a need for Houston. Head was an overlooked player on a team with Dee Brown and Deron Williams but without Head there is no way they get to the NCAA championship game. Should play a lot of minutes next year.

Indiana: 1 (17) Danny Granger, f, New Mexico; 2 (46) Erazem Lorbek, f, Climamio Bologna (Italy).
Grade: A
Indiana may have gotten the steal of the draft in Granger. Why he slipped I have no idea because he may be the most NBA ready player in this draft. He has a good shot at NBA rookie of the year. Lorbek is one of the best young players in Europe and will stay over there for 1-2 years. Good pick at #46.

L.A. Clippers: 1 (12) Yaroslav Korolev, f, CSKA Moscow; 2 (32) Daniel Ewing, g, Duke.
Grade:D
The promise to Korolev was indeed fulfilled to the surprise of no one. I don’t like the pick at all considering who was on the board. Korolev will not be ready to play in the NBA for years and for a team like the Clippers I would have rather them draft a proven college player like Warrick or take a chance on a Gerald Green. Ewing is an interesting prospect who I believe will make this team.

L.A. Lakers: 1 (10) Andrew Bynum, c, St. Joseph's HS, Metuchen, N.J.; 2 (37) Ronny Turiaf, f, Gonzaga; 2 (39) Von Wafer, g, Florida State.
Grade: B
This grade reflects the fact that I like the Bynum pick even if it doesn’t pay off this year. He is a legit center prospect that you have to roll the dice on when someone of his caliber comes around. Turiaf was one of the best college players who has a spot on this team and big minutes as well. I think will be one of the surprises next year if he stays healthy. Wafer has character concerns but has NBA talent. Should make the roster.

Memphis: 1 (19) Memphis, Hakim Warrick, f, Syracuse.
Grade:B+
At #19, Memphis’ selection of Warrick is solid. On a deep team Warrick will find his niche coming off the bench as a high energy guy who should score the majority of his points on putbacks and dunks. Good pick, low risk pick. Lawrence Roberts was also acquired on draft night but probably wont make the team.

Miami: 1 (29) Wayne Simien, f, Kansas.
Grade: A
Simien is a perfect fit in Miami. With Haslem’s status uncertain, Simien as long as he is healthy should be able to step right in and fill Haslem’s spot. At the end of the first round Miami gets a steal.

Milwaukee: 1 (1) Andrew Bogut, c, Utah; 2 (36) Ersan Ilyasova, f, Ulker Istanbul (Turkey).
Grade: A
Players like Bogut don’t come around often and if you get the chance you have to make the move to get him. Bogut is only 20 years old and already possesses good skills down low and is a great passer for a big man. He should only get better.. Ersan is another good pick who was considered a first round talent but injury concerns curbed that. Milwaukee will bring him over when he’s ready to play SF at the NBA level.

Minnesota: 1 (14) Rashad McCants, g, North Carolina; 2 (47) Bracey Wright, g, Indiana.
Grade: B
I’m not a fan of McCants but Minnesota needs a player like him with Sprewell’s status up in the air. McCant’s is a top five talent with a undrafted free agents character and injury concerns. If he can get it together he may be the steal of the draft. Wright is not NBA material, too small, unathletic, cannot create his own shot. Should have stayed at Indiana.

New Jersey: 1 (15) Antoine Wright, g, Texas A&M; 2 (43) Mile Ilic, c, BC Reflex (Serbia & Montenegro).
Grade: A-
Wright at #15 is a great pick. The smooth shooting guard should be able to get minutes right away at the SG/SF position off the bench. Kidd makes everyone around him better anyway but Wright will benefit much like Jefferson has and has a all rookie first team written all over him. Ilic is another great pick but is not ready to play at NBA level yet. He is 7’1 270 so partnered with Kristic could be total devastation.

New Orleans:1 (4) Chris Paul, g, Wake Forest; 2 (33) Brandon Bass, f, LSU.
Grade:A+
In my opinion New Orleans got the best PG in the draft if not the best overall player in the draft with the fourth pick. Paul will start right away and has to be considered one of the favorites for Rookie of the Year. Bass, although undersized is first round talent who should be in the NBA for a long time. Cant complain with this draft at all.

New York: 1 (8) Channing Frye, f, Arizona; 1 (30) David Lee, f, Florida; 2 (54) Dijon Thompson, G, UCLA.
Grade:D
Absolutely cannot stand this draft by the Knicks. The only thing that saves it is the fact that Nate Robinson was selected by Phoenix and traded to NY, but when is he going to play? Frye does not look like a player that deserves to be selected with the #8 pick in the draft but should get his chance right away to prove me wrong. I happened to see Arizona play a lot over the last couple of seasons and not once did I think he would be drafted this high. David Lee was never a dominating presence in college and will never be in the NBA.

Orlando: 1 (11) Fran Vazquez, f-c, Unicaja Malaga (Spain); 2 (38) Travis Diener, g, Marquette;
Grade: B
Orlando fills a need with NBA ready Vasquez who slipped a little heading into the draft due to poor workouts. I see him being solid but unspectacular for Orlando, ten points, eight rebounds per game type of player. Diener is a great shooter but is really undersized, may or may not stick in the NBA. Could be a superstar overseas.

Philadelphia: 2 (45) Louis Williams, g, South Gwinnett HS, Snellville, Ga.
Grade:C
With only one pick at #45, I think Philly could’ve done a lot worse. Whether Williams will pan out or not remains to be seen, but with this low of a pick I think he’s worth a look.

Phoenix: 1 (21) Nate Robinson (traded to NY), g, Washington; 2 (57) Marcin Gortat, f-c, RheinEnergie Koln (Germany).
Grade:C-
This grades reflects the fact that Phoenix traded Robinson who would’ve been amazing coming off the bench for Phoenix next year. Q Rich really wore out his welcome so they really had no choice but to include Robinson in the deal to get Kurt Thomas. Gortat is a mystery to me.

Portland: 1 (6) Martell Webster, g, Seattle Prep; 1 (27) Linas Kleiza(traded to Den), f-c, Missouri; 2 (35) Ricky Sanchez( traded to Den), f, IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla.
Grade: B-
Portland got one of the best shooters in the draft but it will take some time for him to develop and at #6 may have been a bit of a reach. Jarrett Jack was also acquired and he should be able to play some major minutes next year. Telfair is still the future but I think Jack starts next year.

Sacramento: 1 (23) Francisco Garcia, f, Louisville.
Grade: B
Sacramento selected Garcia who was one of the best college players in the country. If he keeps improving defensively this could be a great pick. Garcia is already a superb shooter and should make immediate impact for Sacramento.

San Antonio: 1 (28) Ian Mahinmi, f, STB Le Havre (France).
Grade: Incomplete
I’m not touching this one as I haven’t heard or seen anything on this guy. The Spurs have a pretty good history so it wouldn’t surprise me if we start to hear about this guy in a major way in a couple of years.

Seattle: 1 (25) Johan Petro, c, Pau Orthez (France); 2 (48) Mickael Gelebale, f, Real Madrid (Spain); 2 (55) Lawrence Roberts(traded to Memphis), f, Mississippi State.
Grade:B
Interesting picks, both foreign players who need a lot of time to develop. I like the picks due to the fact that they might pay off 2-3 years down the road when Ridnour and Swift start to reach their full potential.

Toronto: 1 (7) Charlie Villanueva, c, Connecticut; 1 (16) Joey Graham, f, Oklahoma State; 2 (41) Roko-Leni Ukic, g, KK Split (Croatia); 2 (58) Uros Slokar, f, Snaidero Udine (Italy).
Grade: C
Toronto made the reach of the draft by taking Villanueva at #7. He adds depth to a position that didn’t really need it, that pick alone would have got an F as Villanueva is one of the riskiest players drafted in the first round. What saves them are the two following picks: Joey Graham, who is a Richard Jefferson type player who should help right away, and Roko Ukic, a legit first round talent who may be a surprise next year. Slokar doesn’t have a chance.

Utah: 1 (3) Deron Williams, g, Illinois; 2 (34) C.J. Miles, g, Skyline HS, Dallas; 2 (51) Robert Whaley, f, Walsh U.
Grade:B
Utah got the point guard that they wanted. I had Williams as the fourth rated prospect in the entire draft. He is going to be a special player but not a superstar like a Chris Paul for example. After that the rest of their draft is a total crap shoot. I like the risk/reward potential of both of their second rounders but both will not have an impact next year.

Washington: 2 (49) Andray Blatche, f, South Kent Prep, Syracuse, N.Y
Grade: B+
Good pick this late in the draft for Washington. Many thought Blatche was a certain first rounder so getting him at #49 is a major bargain. He will not pay any immediate dividends but as a pick for the future Washington made the right choice.

2005 Actual NBA Draft Picks

2005 NBA draft picks
June 30, 2005

With round; pick number in parentheses
Atlanta: 1 (2) Marvin Williams, f, North Carolina; 2 (31) Salim Stoudamire, g, Arizona; 2 (59) Cenk Akyol, g, Efes Pilsen (Turkey).

Boston: 1 (18) Gerald Green, f, Gulf Shores Academy (Houston) HS; 2 (50) Ryan Gomes, f, Providence; 2 (53) Orien Greene, g, Louisiana-Lafayette.

Charlotte: 1 (5) Raymond Felton, g, North Carolina; 1 (13) Sean May, f, North Carolina.

Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas: None.

Denver: 1 (20) Julius Hodge, g-f, N.C. State; 1 (22) Jarrett Jack, g, Georgia Tech; 2 (52) Axel Hervelle, f, Real Madrid (Spain).

Detroit: 1 (26) Jason Maxiell, f, Cincinnati; 2 (56) Amir Johnson, f, Westchester HS (Calif.); 2 (60) Alex Acker, g, Pepperdine.

Golden State: 1 (9) Ike Diogu, f, Arizona State; 2 (40) Monta Ellis, g, Lanier (Miss.) HS; 2 (42) Chris Taft, f, Pittsburgh.


Houston: 1 (24) Luther Head, g, Illinois.

Indiana: 1 (17) Danny Granger, f, New Mexico; 2 (46) Erazem Lorbek, f, Climamio Bologna (Italy).

L.A. Clippers: 1 (12) Yaroslav Korolev, f, CSKA Moscow; 2 (32) Daniel Ewing, g, Duke.

L.A. Lakers: 1 (10) Andrew Bynum, c, St. Joseph's HS, Metuchen, N.J.; 2 (37) Ronny Turiaf, f, Gonzaga; 2 (39) Von Wafer, g, Florida State.

Memphis: 1 (19) Memphis, Hakim Warrick, f, Syracuse.

Miami: 1 (29) Wayne Simien, f, Kansas.

Milwaukee: 1 (1) Andrew Bogut, c, Utah; 2 (36) Ersan Ilyasova, f, Ulker Istanbul (Turkey).

Minnesota: 1 (14) Rashad McCants, g, North Carolina; 2 (47) Bracey Wright, g, Indiana.

New Jersey: 1 (15) Antoine Wright, g, Texas A&M; 2 (43) Mile Ilic, c, BC Reflex (Serbia & Montenegro).

New Orleans:1 (4) Chris Paul, g, Wake Forest; 2 (33) Brandon Bass, f, LSU.

New York: 1 (8) Channing Frye, f, Arizona; 1 (30) David Lee, f, Florida; 2 (54) Dijon Thompson, G, UCLA.

Orlando: 1 (11) Fran Vazquez, f-c, Unicaja Malaga (Spain); 2 (38) Travis Diener, g, Marquette; 2 (44) Martynas Andriuskevicius, c, Zalgiris (Lithuania).

Philadelphia: 2 (45) Louis Williams, g, South Gwinnett HS, Snellville, Ga.

Phoenix: 1 (21) Nate Robinson, g, Washington; 2 (57) Marcin Gortat, f-c, RheinEnergie Koln (Germany).

Portland: 1 (6) Martell Webster, g, Seattle Prep; 1 (27) Linas Kleiza, f-c, Missouri; 2 (35) Ricky Sanchez, f, IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla.

Sacramento: 1 (23) Francisco Garcia, f, Louisville.

San Antonio: 1 (28) Ian Mahinmi, f, STB Le Havre (France).

Seattle: 1 (25) Johan Petro, c, Pau Orthez (France); 2 (48) Mickael Gelebale, f, Real Madrid (Spain); 2 (55) Lawrence Roberts, f, Mississippi State.

Toronto: 1 (7) Charlie Villanueva, c, Connecticut; 1 (16) Joey Graham, f, Oklahoma State; 2 (41) Roko-Leni Ukic, g, KK Split (Croatia); 2 (58) Uros Slokar, f, Snaidero Udine (Italy).

Utah: 1 (3) Deron Williams, g, Illinois; 2 (34) C.J. Miles, g, Skyline HS, Dallas; 2 (51) Robert Whaley, f, Walsh U.

Washington: 2 (49) Andray Blatche, f, South Kent Prep, Syracuse, N.Y