Worst Warriors Pick #5 Joe Smith

Believe it or not there was a time when the Warriors striked gold and they won the lottery as was the case in 1995. This was a draft that was rich in talent see K.G but unfortuntaely like a broken record another draft day selection was made and the fanbase was forced to suffer the consequences for 12 years. Even though this selection has at least carved out a career(Now with the Cleveland cavaliers) he is a serviceable, yet unspectacular power forward

Unfortunately for Smith his most memorable moment was off the court where he signed an illegal contract that broke the league's salary cap rules even though the Timberwolves were just at fault for believing the guy was worth 86 million. It cost Minnesota a 1st round draft pick for each of the 5 years But aside from the incident, Smith never did live up to the expectations of a #1 draft pick. He peaked in his second season (18.7 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 1.1 BPG) and never came close to numbers like these after being shipped off to Philly at the trade deadline the following year then being shipped off to the Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls and now Cleveland. The ultimate journeyman.

Just for the record let's look at who the Warriors passed up:

#2 Antonio McDyess
Before the unfortunate injuries McDyess was an EXPLOSIVE near elite power forward. Let's just say having McDyess wouldn't have been all that bad.

#3 Jerry Stackhouse
A solid 20ppg scorer.

#4 Rasheed Wallace
You probably remember this guy from the Pistons finals... he's good AND crazy.

#5 Kevin Garnett
10 years later passing KG for Joe Smith is embarrassing, but let's cut the Warriors a little break here. In 1995 KG was the first high schooler to come straight to the league since Moses Malone, so NBA GM's were treading unfamiliar territory. At this point it was pretty much unheard of to go the high school route. Many people forget that Joe Smith was actually less than a year older than KG. So who would you take? The young guy who tore it up against other high schoolers or the young guy who had a great season against college hoopsters? Okay, enough with the excuses-- can you imagine what the past 10 years as a Warriors fan would be like with KG?

#7 Damon Stoudamire
He's no superstar, but he was a backup PG for the Spurs this past year. Can you believe he took the Rookie of the Year honors for the 1995 class?

#9 Ed O'Bannon
Okay, just joking. Ordinary Joe definitely had a more "illustrious career."

#10 Kurt Thomas
The man's solid and smart plus he was a servicable backup Forward for the Spurs this season.

#13 Corliss Williamson
If only Joe Smith had a little "Big Nasty" in him.

#15 Brent Barry
I'm actually a little surprised the Warriors didn't go after this Slam Dunk Champion/ 3 Point Shootout Champ. They could have gone back to their Barry roots. You know looking back it's a little strange the Warriors didn't take him #1 overall. He's Mike Dunleavy on steroids. Okay, that's probably not strong enough- Brent Barry has been a solid pro, while Dunleavy has well... done-nuthin.

#18 Theo Ratliff
Shot blocking MACHINE! A great defensive player and a very limited offensive one.

#21 Michael Finley
A pretty nice All Star SG for most of the past 10 years.

#28 Greg Ostertag
Okay, maybe I'm pushing it on this one, but you could make an argument he's had a better NBA career than Joe Smith.

#43 Eric Snow
A pretty solid passing and great defending PG. Most guys don't mind having someone like Snow on their team.

So the big question remains- why didn't Joe Smith develop into a good NBA player? Why did he turn out to be "Just an Ordinary Joe"? He was a young (just a little bit older than KG), athletic player. At the top pick people were debating between Joe Smith, Stack, and Rasheed so it's not like Joe Smith was a ridiculous pick. Coaching? Did Joe just not have the desire? Bad losing atmosphere? The Warriors world will never know.

Worst Warriors Draft pick #1 Chris washburn
Worst Warriors draft pick #2 Todd fuller
Worst Warriors draft pick #3 Carlos Rogers
Worst Warriors Draft pick #4 Adonal Foyle.

Honourable Mentions
Billy owens
Steve Logan
Mike Dunleavy
Russell Cross
Joe Barry Caroll

Worst Warriors Pick #4 Adonal Foyle

It's tough being a Warriors fan. They've missed the Playoffs 13 out of 14 years, have the worst owner in Sports. But this year I can promise you that there is indeed reason for optimism. Why? Because the Warriors are picking 9th, not 8th.

How does that make any sense?

Well think of it like this:
#8 = Adonal Foyle
#9 = Tracy McGrady

We had to dig back into the San Francisco Chronicle archives to bring you this one: Warriors Take Shot-Blocker: Colgate's 6-9 Foyle goes 8th

Here's a look back at what has to be the most embarrassing interview that former Warriors Coach P.J. Carlesimo ever gave in his entire life. This is pretty shameful. How else can I put it? When it came to the 1997 NBA Draft, P.J. CHOKED.

Should have been T-Mac

Just to point out this post isn't criticizing Foyle the wonderul community man that he is it's to seriously question some of the drafting decisions and projections of the Warriors (mis)management back in 1997. So here we go.

But he believed all along that he would have a choice between Colgate center Adonal Foyle and forward Tracy McGrady, the high school star from Durham, N.C. Given that choice, Carlesimo passed on the raw, talented youth in favor of the player that would fill the greatest of the Warriors' many needs. He went for Foyle, a 250-pounder who's either 6-foot-9 or 6-10, depending on who's measuring him -- and a big-time shot- blocker and rebounder.

11 years later Foyle is [drumroll, please]... raw and untalented. Adonal has not filled the Warriors' greatest need, but instead helped create the Warriors' biggest need.

And if there's one thing above all else the Warriors lacked last season, it was any type of physical defensive presence inside.

11 years later the Warriors lack [drumroll, please]... a physical defensive presence inside.

McGrady, who at age 18 has drawn comparisons to Scottie Pippen, went one pick later to Toronto, and few doubt that he will be a star -- some day. That isn't what this team coming off a 30-52 season needs, Carlesimo said, even as he acknowledged that former general manager Dave Twardzik passed last year on high schooler Kobe Bryant in favor of the safer big man Todd Fuller."

9 years later few doubt that passing up Kobe Bryant for Todd Fuller and passing up Tracy McGrady for Adonal Foyle in back-to-back lottery appearances is the most embarrassing 2-year draft run in NBA history. Instead of the second coming of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, the Warriors had two F's. And that doesn't refer to just the beginning of their names.

There's a chance that Tracy's going to be a fabulous player,'' Carlesimo said last night. ``But there's a chance Adonal's going to be terrific for us.'

'
9 years later there's still a chance that George W Bush will convert to Buddhism and stop the violence, but we all know that's not going to happen. On a side note I'd like to add that at least Adonal is terrific for democracy!

Passed on them both ouch!

And they would like for him to be terrific as soon as possible. But considering Foyle rang up huge numbers in a very small-time league (the Patriot) against underwhelming competition, there is lots of room for skepticism about Carlesimo's inaugural pick with the Warriors.

11 years later Orlando's still waiting for Adonal to be terrific. 11 years later there's skepticism that Carlesimo's inaugural pick could put up big numbers in the WNBA.

Foyle probably will be a power forward at some point in his career (``I think I'll just leave that up to Coach,'' he said of his preference for center or forward), but even that will be an improvement, because Joe Smith, at 6-10, moved his game more and more to the perimeter last season. Spencer and Fuller, last year's first-round pick, were hardly the answer in the middle, and the Warriors became known as one of the NBA's soft touches, allowing opponents to score 104.4 points a game and shoot 47.5 percent, both among the worst marks in the league.

11 years later the Warriors are even softer in the middle. Adonal does have quite a nice soft touch for airballs though!

Foyle, meanwhile, averaged 12.7 rebounds and 5.66 blocks a game in his three-year career (he left Colgate after his junior year). His 492 career blocks are an NCAA record, 11 more than the first overall pick, Tim Duncan, and 39 more than Alonzo Mourning, both of whom played four years.''

9 years later saying Foyle in same sentence with Duncan or Zo is usually preceded by "Duncan dunked on..." or "Zo dunked on...". Actually, I take that back. Tim Duncan doesn't dunk, so it would be "Duncan hit a boring shot over...

But, said Carlesimo, ``The key to the draft was Adonal being there. He had recruited Foyle while a coach at Seton Hall three years ago. Foyle's workout in Oakland impressed him, too, as he exhibited the wingspan of a man 7- foot-6 and showed good hands and footwork -- two areas that other scouts had downgraded.

10 years later the key to the Warriors winning was eventually Foyle being bought out Seriously was P.J. blind?

If nothing else, Foyle will bring to the Bay Area one of the more charming personalities of this year's crop. Foyle grew up in the Caribbean island of the Grenadines, and offered this geography lesson to the curious media: ``You remember when you guys invaded Grenada?'' Foyle was brought to the United States during high school, to upstate Hamilton, N.Y. by a sponsor family.

11 years later Foyle is the most charming personality on the Orlando sports scene.


He did not start playing basketball until 10th grade; before that, he said, ``I played -- or tried, I won't say I played -- cricket, and I was pretty bad at it. And when I played soccer, they stuck me at goalie. If I hadn't found basketball, I don't know what I would have done.''

12 years year careslimo made up for the Franchise damagibg passing T-Mac mistake by selecting Kevin Durant with the second pick of the 2007 Draft but considering it was a two man Draft he would have hadto be an idiot to pass on him. He should never be allowed near a NBA Franchise Front Office.

Worst Warriors Draft pick #1 chris Washburn
Worst Warriors Draft Pick #2 Todd Fuller
Worst Warriors Draft Pick #3 Carlos Rogers and Clifford Rozier

Worst Warriors Draft Pick #3 Carlos Rogers and Clifford Rozier

The 1994 draft was the crucial building block of the 1990's. Everything looked so promising back then. Despite a sweep at the hands of the Phoenix Suns the core of (Timmy, Webb, Spree, and Mullin) coming back healthy next year meant the 1994 NBA Draft was the crucial final step towards the Warriors being western contenders. However, the 1994 draft signaled the downward spiral that would haunt this franchise for the next 12 years evident by the following two picks.



Ironically Rogers wasn't actually drafted by Golden State he came via trade the Sonics. The deal was Carlos Rogers, Ricky Pierce, and two 1995 second round picks for Byron Houston and one the most popular Warriors Sarun Marciulionis. Common sense getting rid of scrubs that did little in way of depth but the problem was for a lottery pick once again there was little in return. Injuries became a common problem his ankle, back, and knee ever since donning an NBA jersey prevented him from playing with the explosiveness for which he was drafted.

-Rogers received numerous chances to find a role on an NBA team, but every time he showed flashes of his ability, he suffered an injury which would sideline him and eventually set his progression back further. As the final lottery pick taken in 1994, Rogers has to be considered a major bust for failing to never even start more than 20 games in one season.

Clifford Rozier




-Rozier had personal issues which prevented him from living up to the explosive, raw ability he brough with him from Louisville. After struggling to handle the responsibilities of an NBA player, Rozier was released by Minnesota in 1997 and ended up with the USBL in 1999. Mental problems kept him from maintaining a career in basketball and Rozier was eventually driven to crime. Rozier who has been arrested 5 times since 1999, is now in jail after being convicted of grand theft auto in 2001.
Grade: F

Whoa! We're not messing with that.


You might ask "It's just the 16th pick. You usually don't get a great player. Who cares?" And there's some truth to that, but still it's interesting. So who did the Warriors pass up in taking Rozier with the 16th pick? Former 6th man of the year winner Aaron McKie went next, sharpshooter Wesley Person went at 23, NBA mainstay Charlie Ward was drafted at 26, solid backup Howard Eisley got picked at #30, and 3 point champ Voshon Lenard was selected in the 2nd round #46 overall.

This was the draft that started the most infamous "streak" in NBA draft history.

Worst Warriors draft Pick #1 Chris Washburn
Worst Warriors Draft Pick #2 Todd Fuller

Worst Warriors Draft Pick #2: Todd fuller

Imagine how worthless this Card is?


The 1996 Draft. Only the 1984 one can equal in talent but even then it really is a toss up. To put it this way this is the sort of draft that changed the NBA for years to come produced so much depth and entertaining stories and it had Kobe.

The Superstars: Allen Iverson, Steve Nash, Ray Allen, Kobe Bryant, Jermaine O'Neal

The All Stars: Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Antoine Walker, Peja Stojakovic, Steve Nash, Zyndrunas Ilgauskas

The Solid Role Players: Marcus Camby, Kerry Kittles, Erick Dampier (admit it- he's decent when healthy and feels like playing), Tony Delk, Derek Fisher, and Jerome "Junkyard Dog" Williams, Othella Harington, Moochie Norris, Jeff McInnis, Malik Rose,

Even some of the scrubs won titles or went deep into the playoffs: Samaki Walker, Travis Knight, Shandon Anderson

And in this great draft who did the Warriors take?

11. Golden State - C Todd Fuller, North Carolina St.

I can't even began to describe how painful this was. You pass up on Jermaine O Neal ok that hurts a little. But to pass up on Nash or Kobe is a collective stab in the back towards the fanbase and really exposed the front office as clueless. Fuller is probably the only player in NBA history who's College GPA is higher then his PPG. Let's look back and try and wonder what the hell GM Dave Twardzik was thinking in June of 1996...

Everything was slammin' about this draft except for the Warriors' #11 pick.

Twardzik: "Todd Fuller, I really like him. I see him becoming the next Bill Walton. Did you know he was a Rhodes Scholar finalist this year as a Math major?!"

Asst. GM: "Umm...okay. I don't know, boss. He seems like a stiff. Kobe Bryant has star potential written all over him, maybe we should take a closer look at him."

Twardzik: "Nah. We have a great kid in Latrell Sprewell who promises to be a model citizen in Oakland for years to come."

Asst. GM: "What about this kid playing in Greece-- Peja Stojakovic? I heard he's a Eureopean version of Chris Mullin. Maybe Mully could help bring the kid along?"

Twardzik: "Nonsense. Mully isn't ready to take a backseat. He's still got 4 or 5 good years left in him."

Asst. GM: "Well what about a point guard? We could really use a talented and seasoned college player like Steve Nash after you traded Tim Hardaway to the Heat for a bag of pretzels?

Twardzik: "Steve who? I told you I'm going after Mark Price this summer. Nobody will suspect a monster comeback season from him after he missed 109 games the last 2 seasons."

Asst. GM: "Well maybe we should consider giving a look to at least one of these high school players. I hear this kid Jermaine O'Neal is a real project, but the upside is undeniable."

Twardzik: "C'mon. Joe Smith is a future Hall of Famer and Clifford Rozier is going to be a great back-up for years to come. What we need to do is trade away Donyell Marshall-- is Adam Keefe available?"

Asst. GM: (Slams head against the wall) "I don't think we should give up on Donyell just yet. We'll talk about that later, but if you really want a center, let's at least work out Todd Fuller against that gigantic Lithuanian."

Twardzik: "Yeah, I've already scheduled it. Priest Lauderdale will be going up against Fuller on Friday."
Asst. GM: "Not him, I meant Zydrunas Ilgauskas. I think he's got a lot of potential."

Twardzik: "I'm not drafting a guy who's name I can't pronounce. Listen to me-- everything is under control. I've been doing this for years! Trust me, Fuller is the real deal."

I'll have more on the Worst Draft Picks tommorow and I alo plan to write about the Front Office's that have caused this mess. Keep checking in each day!

Worst Warriors Draft Pick #1 Chris Washburn

Worst Warriors draft Pick #1: Chris Washburn

Well I said i'd do a draft profile of each of the all time horrible Warriors draft picks in tune for this years NBA Draft and here we go. A section that is designed to name and shame the people that passed on future Hall Of famers and decent players in favour of guys that faded into oblivion or are simply journeyman. So what better way to start then the Warriors all time worst selction Chris washburn.

Of all the most peculiar drafts the 1986 one is probably the most noticable. Indeed 4 of the second round selections (Mark Price, Dennis Rodman, Kevin Duckworth, and Jeff Hornacek were all stars compared to just one from the 1st (Brad daugherty). It was certainly the most famous for use of substances e.g. the Len Bias death, Roy Tapperly and William Bedford also fell victim. So in essence even though the Warriors had nothing to lose when they picked Washburn (Face it harper and Salley weren't terrific) it was still such a bad pick that a surging Ron harper would have solved problems in the backcourt that year.

This is a hard pick to explain. As a 6'11 Center Washburn was highly recruited until he choose North Carolina State. Even then his mindset wasn't right for College his refusal to go to classes as well as stealing a stereo, which netted him 46 hours in jail, a five-year suspended prison term and five years of probation it really was mind bloggling to see how he wasn't kicked off campus. Even his SAT scores made Vince Young look like a genuis!. As good as jim Valvano was as a coach and person this was probably his first and only mistake his refusal to see the flaws in Chris Washburn on the court and off meant Chris never had a shot at redemption. Even when Washburn got 27 points on a nationally televised game as NC State upset the Tar Heels it didin't really to enough to savage his College days.

Still Washburn went to Golden State at #3 the Warriors hopoing they could end a 9 year Playoff drought. Karl noe the Nuggets coach made one of his many mistakes as a NBA Coach and decided a 6'11 center with a dodgy College career would be worth taking. A few months later Washburn was continiously late for Practice, spent most of his rookie season on the bench his greatest game was a 17 point effort in a 32 point loss to the Lakers. To be fair Larry Smith regarded as one of the best Rebounders of the 80's never helped his cause but if Washburn had any motivation he could have tried and beaten him out for a starting job. It never happenned. As the story goes in a game in Clevleand Washburn had two plays called for him but totally forgot about then resulting in two consecutive Turnovers. A lottery pick he was not.

A young George Karl never realized washburns limitations

In January 1987 Washburn went to a rehab clinic finally admitting he had a coacine problem and it pretty much confirmed his NBA career was almost over. The worst part of it was during the final stretch of the 1987 NBA season where he had one last chance of redemption he played like he didn't care acting as if he wanted to be out of Oakland as quick as possible. Even a young Karl kept him out of the rotation during the playoff push.

A change of scenery was what washburn needed as he went to the Hawks bbut it did him little good averaging 3.1 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. Eventually he was banned from the NBA for life in June 1989 after failing three drug tests in three years. For a guy who looked like Karl Malone in physical appearance his moral fiber and work ethic did not match. He was last seen trying to scrape together a basketball career in various minor professional leagues. What bugs me was with all the tape work of washburn done by George Karl and the Coaching staff why they didn't realize why Chris's struggles in College wouldn't translate to the NBA. How difficult is it to study a players character issues. Or did he ignore it and hope that they would go away once he withstood the rigours of the NBA. One will never know

Don't Bust Out!

Sports Illustrated.com has a photo gallery of the top 20 NBA Draft Busts. Warriors fans probably won't be too shocked to see the team coming on strong in the worst way on this list.

18. Todd fuller-Warriors

No. 11, First Round –- 1996

An Academic All-American who couldn’t put two and two together on the court, Fuller was one in a series of disappointing Golden State picks. The last selection of the ill-fated Dave Twardzik Era, Fuller was taken ahead of Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Peja Stojakovic, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Jermaine O'Neal. Ouch. Fuller averaged around four points and three rebounds in five NBA seasons.

13. Billy Owens, Kings

The Next Larry Bird? He was barely the Next Ken Norman. Owens was a jack of all trades, master of none, unless you count floating through practices and tipping the scales to be admirable qualities worth mastering. Drafted by the Kings, Owens became part of a Danny Ferry-esque deal between Sacramento and Golden State that saw the Warriors give up future Hall of Famer Mitch Richmond for Owens' rights

4. Joe Smith, Warriors

Average in name and game, Smith has parlayed his status as a top overall pick into a serviceable career for five different teams, but later selections Antonio McDyess, Jerry Stackhouse, Rasheed Wallace and (especially) Kevin Garnett all have had better careers. Smith's selection changed the way NBA teams look at lottery picks -- do you take the fully-formed All-American from the ACC or the rail-thin project out of high school? Unfortunately for the Warriors, in '95, orthodoxy was out the window.

2. Chris Washburn, Warriors

Of the dozens of busts in the '86 Draft, most either fell victim to obesity (William Bedford) or drug problems (Roy Tarpley). Somehow, Chris Washburn combined the two in one glorious, spiraling descent out of the lottery and into oblivion. The N.C. State product scored a grand total of 222 points in 72 career games.

Will write out another piece about each of these players soon but 5 years from today when we're talking about the 2013 NBA Draft let's pray we aren't joking about the Warriors 2008 lottery pick.

Baron Davis to the Knicks, Seems Far fetched to me

Future Team for Davis?

I'm not sure whether it's a case of NBA silly season beginning early or a Point Guard desperate to play for a coach who favours the same type of offense as Nellie but either way Newsday released a very interesting article suggesting Davis made inquires about a sign and trade with the New York Knicks.

It seems pretty convincing that all this will he opt out talk is just contract speculation. That being said there is the possibility that Davis is sending a message that " “I’m just crazy enough that I might opt-out, so you better negotiate an extension with me.” talk. Baron's agent realises that no one has the 17 milion required for his services so a sign and trade is the best option. Having said that if 'm the Warriors Davis might be a shadow of himself the next few years. If a long term extension is to be negotiated you did for the belief he could be a leader for people like brandon Wright, Marco and future draft picks and be a posisitive force even if his knees didn't hold out. This could have been bought as a possibility in my blind sense of opptomism but Baron's agent just killed that pipe dream.

To be fair the he most the Knicks could offer Davis in unrestricted free agency is the mid-level exception, which would start him at $5.7M and that’s a lot less than $17.8M. If it was to be a trade neither Randolph,Curry or Marburry offer any suitable replacement. There's another way BD doesn’t opt-out or doesn’t indicate either way by draft night, but Warriors and Knicks agree to a deal, Knicks pick 6th for Warriors then wait until July 9 to finish the trade, BD for Marbury plus drafted player. I’m highly dubious that would pass NBA muster.

Unfortunately thought the real dissapointment though in this likely non starter rumour has been Baron who has a me first attitude.Telling the Warriors you’d risk losing $12 million to escape the team doesn’t seem like a great way to convince them that you’re the right leader for the future. Likewise, it might make more sense to spend time talking about what you could do to improve the Warriors’ system than dreaming out loud about how much you’d enjoy playing even less defense in Mike D’Antoni’s rotation. He also admittely didn't have the best of timing a month after missing the Playoffs and joining the Lottery for the upteenth time he then publicly lobbies about how the team has underrated your value. A bit of context has been lacked.

The comments coming from him though indicate he woud lilkely want to move regardless of the Knicks woeful situation. Even though it would hurt I was more dissapointed on the fact the Baron of 06-07 was lacking the last few months scrapping, running, and pushing the team to frantic victories was the enduring image Dubs fans had of him that season. Unfortunately this season there were glimpses of a a player more focused on his individual battles than the success of the team. It's showing evidently again

Mocking you: NBA Draft 2008 1st edition

We're mocking you. A small pathetic humour at the Miaimi Heat. who's attempt at tanking for Beasley didn't work?



Why no. It's a new segment at Irish Warriors that gives you an insane amount of gossipy NBA Mock Drafts all in one easy to swallow pill.

Even though this blog has been set up since last October the Draft will defintely be one of it's specialties Heck, the Warriors OWN the draft. Well, not in the sense that they draft well (that's FAR from the truth), but in the sense that the NBA Draft Lottery and the NBA Draft are usually the equivalent of the playoffs for the Warriors.

With the warriors coming off a Lottery appearance once again the question lies on Will Nellie work some lottery magic a la Latrell Sprewell at #24 in 1992 and Josh Howard #29 in 2003? Will the Warriors make a blockbuster draft day deal. Anyway Let's get this fresh new "We're Mocking You" segment kicked off with a survey of some of the full 2008 NBA Mock Drafts out there right now and who they have the Warriors selecting.

ESPN (Chad Ford)#14 DeAndre Jordan

At some point you just draft talent. The Warriors don't have a huge need in the middle, but Jordan's too talented to let slip any further. He has the body and athletic skills of Dwight Howard. But his lack of motivation is scaring a lot of GMs away right now.

SI.com (Ian Thomson)#14 Anthony Randolph

Terrific upside but is a couple of years away from producing. He appears to have a lot in common with current Warrior Brandan Wright, but Golden State won't be able to pass on his open-court talent -- though Randolph will have to separate himself from the disappointing legacy of fellow LSU big men Stromile Swift and Tyrus Thomas

.

NBA Draft.net #14 Russell Westbrook

HoopsHype #14 Kosta Koufos- Kosta Perovic part 2?

True Center with great Size and length. Mobile big man with great hands. Poccesses an extremely high skill level both facing and with his back to the basket. Terrific shooter with excellent touch from anywhere on the court. Huge wingspan aids him as a shotblocker and Rebounder. Not terribly explosive shot selection and Left hand needs work. A poor Passer who doesn't know his limitations. Lateral quickness is average. Still a work in progress

Draft Express #14 Joe Alexander

College Hoops.net #14 JaVale McGee. Firdt Warriors player named Ja Vale

HoopsAddict #14 Nicolas Batum With Mickael Pietrus most likely headed elsewhere this offseason, the Warriors have a big void to fill if they are going to continue cultivating their French fanbase

Golden State rode the wave of their 2007 playoff elimination of Dallas a season ago as an eighth seed with record attendance in 2008. “Nellie-ball” went on to win 49 games and failed to suit up in the post-season as an encore, rendering the Oracle Arena to a barren edifice. The Warriors have had fascinating drafts the past three seasons with little production from sundry first-round elections. In 2005 the Warriors with the ninth overall pick drafted forward Ike Diogu who currently plays for Indiana. In the 2006 draft, Golden State, again with the ninth pick, drafted Patrick O’Bryant who has played 40 NBA games and 33 games in the NBDL. On Draft Day 2007, Golden State executive Chris Mullin drafted Italian shooting guard Marco Bellinelli 18th overall. Marksman Marco played in 33 games last season and averaged 2.9 points per game. Brandan Wright, the eighth overall pick by the Charlotte Bobcats last year, was acquired for long-time Warrior guard and former Slam Dunk champ Jason Richardson. Wright, plagued with injuries, played in 36 games and averaged four points per game. Therefore the Warriors need a player that can play more than half the season and contribute as coach Don Nelson’s dictates. That player is Frenchman Nicolas Batum, a transition impala with play-making attributes in the transition sequence. With free agents Matt Barnes and Mickael Pietrus on their way to new NBA locales, Batum’s services are a necessity. While Baron Davis, coming off a stout season, pursues a big bucks infusion, Golden State enters that vulnerable franchise crossroad. With the magical season of 2007 buried in the “what have you done for me lately” NBA, the Bay Area awaits Mullin’s moves to transform the Warriors to more than just a one hit wonder. Chris Mullin fiends for drafts pick that won’t be buried on Nellie’s bench and the suitable solution is singling Nicolas Batum

Also See

NBA Draft lottery: Should the Warriors take Robin Lopez? [College Hotline]

With the 14th pick, the Golden State Warriors select [Inside the Warriors]

Stuck at 14, But Do We Keep The Pick? [Fast Break]

The mock draft links in this feature are going to grow exponentially as we approach the June 26h date. Stay tuned for a whole lot more mock drafts that probably won't come true! (But honestly, how can you not love these silly mock drafts especially now that the NBA season is over?)

My thoughts summarized in 3 simple words: BEST. PLAYER. AVAILABLE

NBA Lottery 2008 Reaction

The annual sweepstakes are over. Here are the winners of the Beasley-Rose sweepstakes.




Chicago With just 1.7% chance of getting the top pick of the 2008 Draft the Bulls lucked out and now face a months decision of whether Beasley or Rose is the man for them. I see them taking Beasley for more of a defensive pressence. They have enough Offense with Gordon and Deng 2 potential 20 point scorers. This really helps the new direction the Bulls are really willing to take which is get back into the mediocre East.

Miami: Two years afer an NBA title the Heat are in Lottery land but despite not getting the 1st pick the potential stardom of a top 2 pick means more ticket buying in South beach and I bet the season ticket representatives will be busy today taking new orders. The question is how do they get better. They still haven't fixed the departure of Posey or Walker and Marion could opt out as well as Ricky Davis.



Mitch Ritchmond No we didn't get a decent Draft standing but Mitch looked good in his Orange tie!



David Stern
Is this a message from The Commish to teams thinking about tanking the season? If you tank the season, to get a top pick, you will not be rewarded. In one of the most hyped lotteries since Yao Ming and before that Tim Duncan, the winners were not one of the 3 worst teams. Stern might have got some flack if one of the teams that tanked it won the whole thing. Maybe it was luck, but by not rewarding the teams that tanked it, I think it's a good message in upcoming seasons that tanking doesn't always help your team.

Losers/Nightmares

Seattle What a sad day for Seattle fans. The worst possible scenario happened, they ended up with the lowest possible pick, #4. How will the fans recover? They'll still have a shot at some excellent talent, but they didn't get the franchise player they were dreaming about. I just hope they don't screw up The Kevin Love Movement and take my favorite prospect. If they team up a talented SF or PF from this draft with Durrant , you still have a very competitive team.

Bucks
Outside of Bucks fans, does anyone really care about the Bucks? No? Okay. From top 3 pick to #6. Michael Redd, you should have gone to Cleveland to play with LeBron instead of staying in Milwaukee. They'll still get a baller at #8. In fact Eric Gordon might just be there and he would fit nicely into where Bobby Simmons was supposed to. Mo Williams, Redd, Gordon, Bogut, Villanueva. Gotta like that lineup especially in the East.

Now that the order is finally set, mock drafts will pop up all over the place. One of the more popular ones is NBA Draft.net.

#1 Derrick Rose Chicago
#2 Michael Beasley- Miami
#3 Brook Lopez- Minnesota
#14 Joel Alexander- Golden State

Drop your winners and losers of the Lottery in the comments

NBA Lottery 2008

Time for another edition of the NBA Draft Lottery. Many of the usual participants are noticably there ahem New York Knicks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Portland Trailblazers, Charlotte Bobcats but there's new faces such as the Miami Heat the NBA Champions from two years back and the New Jersey Nets who looked lifeless once the Kidd trade went down.

Unforutnately for mullin and company the Warriors return back to the promise land of the Lottery. Having missed the playoffs 13 out of 14 years 5he Dubs have been a cornerstone of the NBA's late May NIT (Not In Tourney) Classic. Indeed with the 14th pick the Warriors have a 0.5% chance of being selected to get Beasley but hey we can dream. NBADraft.net one of the best draft sites on the web have a comprehensive breakdown on the 2008 Draft.

Indeed here is the best percentage chance of getting the number 1 pick for each team.

Miami Heat (25.0%)
Seattle superSonics. (19.9%)
Minnesota Timberwolves (13.8%)
Memphis Grizzlies(13.7%)
New York Knicks (7.6%)
LA Clippers (7.5%)
Milwaukee Bucks (4.3%)
Charlotte Bobcats (2.8%)
Chicago Bulls (1.7%)
New Jersey N.E.T.S (just end the season) (1.1%)
Indiana Pacers (0.8%)
Sacramento Kings (0.7%)
Portland Trail Blazers (0.6%)
Golden State (0.5%)

If he smiles like that you know we have the Number 1 pick

We need a miracle but more then likely our name will be announced and the whole front Office will be spending the next few weeks just wondering how they can savage their mediocre drafting reputation by picking either a decent Big man. However if they got a top 3 pick Beasley or Derrick Rose would more then likely be on their way.

Check out
2008 NBA Draft Lottery
Warriors draft Lottery 2008
2008 NBA Draft/Lottery Coverage

Mullins Grade: How he did on the Lottery Picks

Well I haven't posted here for a long long time so I do apologize. Most of it is down to exams coming up but some of it is down to the actual tediousness of the Playoffs. Ignore all the game 7's we've had with the Celtics the shocking bit is an 0-5 record. The possibility of going the whole playoffs undefeated at the Boston Garden whilst winless on the road is still a strong possibility . All great teams win on the road and if Boston continue their struggles in Auburn Hills they won't be so fortunate. All the great teams the Bulls in 1998 when Jordan made that steal and shot, Kobe's heroics in 2001 when the Lakers swept the Spurs in the Western Finals and won the first two ames on the road or even the 1985 Lakers who were wallopped in 1985 148-114 at the Boston Garden by Bird, McHale and Parrish but took game 2 and cpntrol of the NBA Finals. Boston won't be along these great teams in NBA history if they can't win in Detroit or even LA. End of rant.





The draft Lottery is coming up an extremely unfortunate and familiar sight for Warrior fans around the world. It seems like yesterday we made our last pick but whats bothersome is fans continue to spend a dollar on an aimless product with an owner best suited to sueing the next guy who looks at him the wrong way. With the Lottery tommorow I thought it would be a great time to look at Mullins last 4 drafts 2004,2005, 2006 and 2007. Most of them have been flustered with opportunistic desperation picks but for every bad choice gems were ther as well. Here we go.


2004 NBA Draft Andris Biedrins #11

Andris Biedrins: He had two lacluster seasons which made warrior fans wonder if we ever would get a decent big man but indeed the last two campigns Biedrins has been a very solid and conistent player as well as being the best Rebounder. He can cut to the basket very easily and can finish in ways that not many other previous Warrior centers could. If you want to point out the negatives perhaps the lack of a jump shot or any go to offensive moves would hold him back but he's only 22. Still a lot of time for him to put up Al Jefferson numbers.

Passed on
#15 Al Jefferson- Superior big guy who came off a 21-11 campaign something Biedrins will undoubtedly never do.

#17 Josh Smith- He's only 22 but his wingspan and althletiscm means he has the chance to be a superstar the next few seasons.

#26 Kevin Martin- 23.7ppg ain't no joke. Should have won MIP two year ago

#31 Anderson Varejão- Not fun watching him but his hustle and energy would have been what the Dubs need

Overall grade A-
They passed on a lot of decent to excellent players but they got a starting Center with the #11 pick. Seattle's GM might want to take advice.


His ability to dunk the ball without looking was one of the many reasons Biedrins went this high


2005 NBA Draft Ike Diogu (#9), Monta Ellis (#40), Chris Taft (#42

Ike Diogu: Did mullin really brand this guy as untouchable for Ron Artest. Seriously with Artest on board you're looking at a 52+ win team of course with J-Rich on board. Instead this was Mullins bigger failure keeping Ike on board who has averaged the steady numbers of up 6.5 ppg and 3.3 rpg. His failure to beat out Troy Murphy and Mike Dunleavy means he'll never be starting material in the League. His low post moves and soft touch extending to about 18 feet means fans fell briefly in love with him but then once he was traded he was a mere footnote.

Always outmuscled

Passed on
#10 Andrew Bynum: Just one word Yuck

# 17 Danny Granger- If Diogu wasn't taken we would have drafted Granger.

#19 Hakim Warrick- This guy should have got more time in Memphis because he's more then capable of averaging 15 and 8 in 30 minutes. Would hope the Warriors go after him this Summer

#21 Nate Robinson- The Warriors would have DOMINATED the All-Star Slam Dunk tourney in the 2000's.


#27 Linas Kleiza- Why didn't the Nuggets trade im for artest as rumoured. Still better then Ike

#30 David Lee- Decent pick by Isiah. Imagine him and Biedrins on the glass!

#37 Ronny Turiaf- His energy and hustle means he's unguardable when playing the Dubs He'd give them some nice size and depth down low.

Monta Ellis: Greatest second round pick of all time and Mullin and company's best draft selection by far. Virtually ungurable on the fast break with uncanny finishing abilities and roadrunner like speed his Defense was atrocious last year but he holds a 53.1% FG percentage. I think that covers Mullins best pick.

Future Dream Teamer maybe in Bejinng?

Passed on:

No one- thank you very much!

Chris Taft: It shows you the value of mock drafts that many perdicted Taft was a lottery pick even perdicting he'd go to Golden State at #9 which ironically Ike was a bust anyway.



#45 Louis Williams- From afar seems like another quick combo guard in the mold of Tony Parker and Monta Ellis.

#49 Andray Blatche- Very intriguing young player that could be a great option off the bench for Nellie.

Overall grade C-. This was a tough one to grade fully. Obviously I could just as well give it a D considering Taft is out of the League and Diogu was traded without panning out but I'm giving this a C-. Monta saved this draft from being a dud.



2006 NBA Draft

Patrick O'Bryant (#9), Kosta Perovic (#38)

POB: The Notorious P.O.B. has the dubious distinction of being one of the first lottery picks to be demoted to the NBDL. Throw in the even more dubious honor of playing more minutes in the D-League than the NBA and you have yourselves Patrick O'Bust. Don't be surprised if he's not in the NBA in a few years a la Taft.

Super reflexes

Passed on:

#11 JJ Redick- Just seeing if you're paying attention.

#14 Ronnie Brewer- The Warriors could have used the depth.

#16 Rodney Carney- I thought the Warriors should have taken him at the time. He hasn't made a major impact, but I'm still willing to bet he has a better NBA career than Project O'Bryant.

#20 Renaldo Balkman- A potential future NBA All-Defensive team member.

#21 Rajon Rondo- How nice would it be having Rondo back up BD?

#23 Josh Boone- Pretty nice rebounder with some good size.

Kosta Perovic: I still don't understand the Kosta pick. At a time where the Warriors shot themselves in the foot by handing out the rephrensible contracts to Derek Fisher, Adonal Foyle, Troy Murphy, and Mike Dunleavy combined with Monta having a bad Rookie season give Perovic the midlevel exception for two years at $3.5 million (plus an Adonal Foyle-like contract team option for the third season) to play in the DLeague and be cemented to Nellie's bench.

Kosta the bust

Passed on

#42 Daniel Gibson Give me some boobie.

#47 Paul Milsap- Exactly what the Warriors need.

#49 Leon Powe- PR-wise and hoops-wise it would have made so much sense to bring in this local fav, but the Warriors front office and ownership isn't interested in making sense, just cents.

Overall Grade F: Mullins worst draft by far. Completely inexcusable to have such a bad draft


2007 NBA Draft
Brandon Wright (#8), Marco Belinelli (#18), Stephane Lasme (#46)

Brandon Wright- Considering the Warriors gave up fan favourite J-Rich for Wright why does nelson have a complete lack of faith when the Warriors desperately needed depth at the forward spots this season. It is also peculliar as to how Wright weighs less then 20 pounds then the SG Marco Bellineli.

Unlike the Diogu and O'Bryant picks where I went on record saying I'd take a different player (Hakim Warrick and Rodney Carney respectively), I can't say I would've done anything differently with the #8 pick.

Another questionable pick

#42 Joakim Noah- After the first month of the season his rebounding numbers were actually pretty impressive. The Warriors could have used his 7.9 rpg (March) and 6.8 rpg (April) down the stretch.

#12 Thaddeus Young- The 76ers got a steal here.


#16 Nick Young- It would have been nice to have a shooter and scorer of Young's caliber this past year coming off the bench.

Marco Bellineli- Jiri Welsch- oops, I mean Marco Bellinelli didn't exactly set the hoops world on fire this past year. So far he's been nothing but pointless hype. You know it's bad when Nellie asks a rookie to go down to the DLeague and they straight up refuse. After all that offseason hype from the media and the Warriors organization, you'd expect more than a 2-guard with terrible defensive instincts and horrendous shot selection.

Can you believe some people had Belinelli penciled in the starter at the 2-guard spot over Monta this season? Can you believe some people actually thought he was going to be better than Jason Richardson this year?



#19 Javaris Crittenton- What's not to like about a young point guard with size who could back up BD this season?

#21 Daequan Cook- An up and coming athletic scorer.

#31 Carl Landry- There's a reason this guy made the All-Rookie team this season. I doubt the Rockets would have the success they had this past year without him.

#35 Glen Davis- He's probably the next Michael Sweetney and Nellie would never play him till he slimmed down, but it's a thought.

Stephane Lasme: NCAA swat machine Stephane Lasme didn't even last 1 full month with the Warriors. Props to Lasme though for working his way back to the NBA for some major minutes with the tank-job 2007-2008 Miami Heat. He actually wound up averaging 5.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 0.9 steals, and 1.5 blocks with the Heat which betters both Wright (4.0 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 0.2 steals, and 0.6 blocks) and Belinelli's (2.9 ppg, 0.5 apg, 0.2 steals, and 0.0 blocks) lines for the seasons. I'll be the first one to tell you that that's completely meaningless, but seriously who would've thought?



Overall Grade D- There's always the temptation to give this young draft class an incomplete, since it's too early to really say. But that's just a cop out plus very boring. This Warriors draft class has already produced 1 cut (Lasme), another DLeague level player in that not-so-fine Kosta and POB tradition, and one huge question mark in a skinny forward who doesn't have the bulk to play the 4 or 5 nor the jumper or footspeed to play the 3 in the NBA. We won't even get into that cheap and questionable 2007 Draft Day Jason Richardson and Brandan Wright swap here. Let's check back next year, but as of right now...
That's a lot of high draft picks from Mullin that haven't panned out and a lot of nice names they passed on. If it weren't for the solid Biedrins pick and the money Monta find, it would be a complete disaster as of now. It's way too early to judge that 2007 class or even Kosta Perovic, but it's pretty fair to make some strong assessments about the rest.

Overall Grade for 2004-2007 Golden State Warriors Drafts: C-

All eyes are focused on who the Warriors should hire to follow the legendary Don Nelson after this season, but few seem to be closely monitoring the status of Chris Mullin's current GM deal which expires in 2009. If I were the one deciding whether or not to extend Mullin's tenure in the front office, I'd put a lot of weight into the progress and performance of Kosta Perovic, Brandan Wright, Marco Belinelli, and the 2008 Warrior Draft picks this upcoming season. Coupled with his embarrassing contract negotiation history (Adonal Foyle, Derek Fisher, Mike Dunleavy, and Troy Murphy) I can't say I'm all that sold on Mullin being in the driver's seat of the Warriors' front office, especially if his drafting record doesn't take a huge turn for the better. As of right now it really looks like it's time to not only plan for a critical head coaching search in the summer of 2009, but possibly also a search for a new GM.

NBA playoffs: Day 19

76-72. That was the final score. Are you serious? Ray Allen scores 0 points? LeBron James and Paul Pierce make 2 field goals each? How did these two teams even score in the 70's? I didn't see the game, but I hear Habitat for Humanity is able to build a new home with all of those bricks. Sheesh. Add in the 38 combined turnovers and I'm glad I didn't watch it. That's not "playoff basketball", heck that's not even basketball. How can so many great players stink up a playoff game?





LeBron James nearly had a quadruple double!
12 points
9 rebounds
9 assists
10 turnovers...



76-72. That was the final score. Are you serious? Ray Allen scores 0 points? LeBron James and Paul Pierce make 2 field goals each? How did these two teams even score in the 70's? I didn't see the game, but I hear Habitat for Humanity is able to build a new home with all of those bricks. Sheesh. Add in the 38 combined turnovers and I'm glad I didn't watch it. That's not "playoff basketball", heck that's not even basketball. How can so many great players stink up a playoff game?


G3: (2) Detroit Pistons @ (3) Orlando Magic (Pistons lead 2-0)

Will Superman come out or will Detroit bring back the kryptonite they used at home? Or maybe Detroit can just bring along the game clock and scorekeeper they used. I expect Orlando to take this one with a big game from Superman.




G2: (4) Utah Jazz @ (1) Los Angeles Lakers (Lakers lead 1-0

Kobe's the MVP lakers in. Nuff said

NBA Playoffs: Day 18

While three of the four matchups in the second round are already underway, there remains a lone 7 game series that has yet to begin. And this series is arguably going to be the most entertaining of them all. (I know… we’ve said that about pretty much every matchup this postseason.)

But who can resist the powerhouse that is the Celtics versus the powerhouse that is LeBron? (I think he has some other guys playing with him as well…) Did Atlanta expose some serious chinks in Boston’s armor that the Cavs will be looking to exploit? Will the Celtics get over their inability to win outside of their house?

It’s all starting tonight. Witness for yourself.

We are all witnesses

G1: (4) Cleveland Cavaliers @ (1) Boston Celtics (Series tied 0-0)

Simple (KG + RayRay + Paulie)Home Court > LeBron

NBA Playoffs: Day 17

I'm all for the East Coast version of We Believe but seriously what was that Atlanta. Only 10 points in the 2nd quarter sigh. Still mad props for doing what no one thought they could do putting up a fight and installing a We Believe T-Shirt in their Locker room. Onto the seond round offically



Doc Rivers is arguably one of the worst coaches in the Postseason.



G2: (3) Orlando Magic @ (2) Detroit Pistons (Pistons Lead 1-0)

The Pistons had no fight from the Magic in game 1 Howard having one of his rare off nights. I perdixted before hand this could be an interesting series possibly going 6 in Detroits favour but now I'm reconsidering. There ar far too many mismatches for Orlando when Howards' in the middle. Rasheed Wallace Theo Ratliff and McDyess could easily hold Howard down. Detroit take game 2 and the series.

G2: (3) San Antonio Spurs @ (2) New Orleans Hornets (Hornets Lead 1-0) Looks like the Spurs have found their match. The Hornets did an amazing job containing Duncan with their double team . I was a big proponent of having BD on the cover of 2k8 this year, but after CP3's performance that man deserves it. This will be a much tigeter contest in New Orleans favour

NBA Playoffs: Day 16

Wouldn't it be great if the Snores (Sorry Spurs) were done early. Last night showed an air of vulnerability about them as David west and Chris Paul beat up on them in Game 1. Detroit pretty much did the same to Orlando the only thing really noticable to a Magic fan is JJ Reddick actually got some playing time. Woot!. Anyway read on for some short perdictions.

G7) Hawks at Celtics (Series tied 3-3): The Hawks have exceeded expectations by getting this far but it's too much to see them dethroning the Celtics at game 7. Doc rivers may be the most clueless coach in the League but Hotalanta's inability to play Defense means a blowout Celtics win.

(G1) Jazz at Lakers (Series 0-0): The Lakers look like a well oiled machine with a smooth offense with basically no faults. Whether they will get undone later on is the million dollar question but Gasol is indestructible, The current MVP is at the top of his game and Fisher is itching to get a shot at the former fans who booed him on his return. Lakers take game 1

NBA Playoffs: Day 15

I've watched at least 7 straight seasons of NBA Bsketball. In none of them have I seen a season so fascination and compelling as this one. Lets face it. Right after the Tim Donaghy scandal the NBA needed a unbelievable season to lift the gloom and by god has this one delivered. We've had teams come out of nowhere like the New Orleans Hornets, We've had an unbelievably competitive Western Conference Playoff Race where even a 48 win team misses out. We've had a star studded Boston Celtics team being taken to the limit by a Atlanta Hawks team, There have been some ridiclous trades Shaq to Phoenix , Gasol to the Lakers for Kwame Brown, Garnett to the Celtics for nobody. You get the drift. What a season.

But seriously Deshaun Stevenson and his stupid antics must be licking his wounds. He's had three straight years of being knocked out by the Cavs and LeBron James did it again while he had 3rd playoff triple double with 27 points, 13 rebounds, and 13 assists to lead the Cavs past the Wizards and close out the series 4 to 2. My attention though is on the Boston Atlanta series.. I don't know if the Hawks are the new Warriors but they have the Celtics and the hope of one City pinning on one game. The Pats didn't win Superbowl 42 so therefore the big 3 have gotta start scoring on Sunday otherwhise Atlanta will have the biggest upset in Playoff history. Go Hawks!.


Garnett has to start scoring otherwhise the Celtics could be going home

I feel sorry for T-Mac. I've always liked the guy and an unfortutnate fact of life is he'll have to go through so many critiscm from the Hosuton and mainstream media following the Rockets elimation to the Jazz. McGrady was simply fabulous having a near Triple Double of 40 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists but when Rafer alston goes down early you're effectively done. Jazz move on to face Kobe and the Lakers on Sunday in what was for me the anticicpated Double Header in a long time.

G4: (3) Orlando Magic @ (2) Detroit Pistons (series tied 0-0)

You can't perdict the winner of this series. but it's anyones game Playing in the rowdy Piston’s home court, I’m looking to see Dwight, Lewis, and Turk have a nice series against Billups, Hamilton, and Wallace. This series is anyones really.

G3: (3) San Antonio Spurs @ (2) New Orleans Hornets (series tied 0-0) This will be a series to remember. I’m first in line for the matchup bandwagon of Parker vs. CP3. Not a fan of either teams, but I’m definitely hoping this will be a great series and fun to watch. The Hornets keep surprising me after every game so I guess I can’t expect anything less, even though I peg the Spurs to go to the finals.

NBA Playoffs: Day 14

It's funny but yesterday when Jay Z released his Blow the whistle song it really did show how far Hip Hop has declined particulary the differences of the Kurtis Blow hit Basketball I posted and that.Where is the love for the game??? And people wonder why hip-hop is dead. But anyway.

The second round is almost here! Philly's gone fishing after getting blasted last night. I guess Detroit can turn it on whenever they want to against sub-par teams. I have to give props to Philly though for hanging in there for so long. Nobody gave them a chance (rightfully so) but they hung in there and woke up Detroit from their first round playoff slumber. Detroit just dominated them in the final 2 games though. Maybe Philly was the spark to get Detroit back into title contention status. Those games against Superman aka Dwight Howard and Orlando will be a lot of fun to watch.

Will T-Mac still be around after tonight?

G6: (4) Cleveland Cavaliers @ (5) Washington Wizards (Cavs lead 3-2)

It was the miracle of miracle's LeBron James buzzer beater rimmed out in game 5. It won't be a miracle tonight as the Cavs book their second round place




G6: (1) Boston Celtics @ (8) Atlanta Hawks (Celtics lead 3-2)


Is this the end for the atlanta Hawks? Do their bandwagon fans know that this is a best of 7 series? I'm picking the Celtics, but Joe Johnson and Josh Smith have proved to everyone that they're the real deal.



G6: (5) Houston Rockets @ (4) Utah Jazz (Jazz lead 3-2)


I didn't think this series would last more than 4 games, but if the Rockets can pull off a miracle tonight, we go to an "anything can happen" game 7. This is the game I'm most interested in watching. I just want to see TMac do well. Unfortunately, I think Utah closes it out tonight.