Weez

too early to make the comparison really. Look at the time frame over which you posted Babcock's resume...ten years or so right? You fail to really mention the playoff years after acquiring Deke or other 'good moves' that Babcock (yes, I'm saying this) made. Babcock was a HORRIBLE drafter. That much is without question really, especially in ('99?) where we had FOUR first round picks, all of whom essentially sucked. PB was decent at trades, something I'll applaud him for (with the HUGE caveat of the 'Nique trade). Basically, to this piont, I would 'characterize' Pete as a more savvy trader than BK, but a much poorer evaluator of talent/draft manager. Regardless, in making this argument, one has to also factor in the baseline of the team when the gm came aboard, what moves were made (and WHY!) ~ anything less results in a very poor analysis of the moves/administrators.

how is Shelden having 'less talent' than any of our other young swings a 'detriment' to him? do you mean that he has fewer 'overall/ all-round skills' than our other young players? the ones that 'supposed' to be able to play some time on the wing/back-court? maybe you could parlay this into your reasoning for the first detriment...but as a stand alone complaint, it's pretty weak. das for the third one...how is his being here going to make it more difficult to resign any of the other three, given that they're up for contract extensions before him? if he pans out to the point that we're trying to 'save money' to resign him (and we'll have his bird rights), then I'd say that would be justification for his having been a VERY good pick...

2k7 every year since '03...imo it's simply a better game/ more accurate.

for once I'm actually in complete agreement with wBHD here...if he's 7'1, you've never heard of him, he's only being invited to camp...the odds are he sucks. Case in point...John Edwards was ALREADY on a ROSTER when we acquired him

you need to go review the tapes from the past several years...especially the year before against Detroit...Shaq didn't step it up at the line then! I still can't believe he won't try the underhanded granny ft...it was good enough for Rick Barry, Shaq always likes to make a commotion/ be the comedian...and it was a good enough method for Wilt ~ so it has that oging for it, which is nice...

Quote: we had a somewhat rested JJ on the floor AND we had someone that was somewhat capable of not letting the game get away while JJ spent a few minutes on the bench, then he needs to come out at some point in the game. that is what Ty Lue is for us. He proved this last year and throughout his career to a degree. While I will certainly attest that Lue bugged the hell out of me many times as a starting pg (as he has a tendency to pound the air out of the ball at times), he's NOT prone to turnovers, is well conditioned/schooled in coming off the bench and remaining fresh, is aggressive enough on O to keep defenses honest... When this happens, much like last year, I think you'll see JChill in the game (the two should almost be considered a bc unit when Lue's in the game, unless paired WITH JJ)...

I guess more than anything it's missing our supposed 'new starting pg' through camp/ perhaps the first few games of the year...at a time when, at long last, the circus ISN'T in town and we're not sailing off on our annual 'kill your record by starting off against western conference powers' road trip'...

Glenn Robinson vs. Gary Peyton...those are by far my top two... GRob was completley exposed once he arrived here and was best known for dribbling the ball off of his own foot... Peyton..refused to report. was waived. now wears a championship ring because of it.

what were the circumstances of when he started vs. when he came off the bench? just curious...nice stat work though (seriously).

I have no doubt/ worry of Chill continuing to get solid minutes at the swing positions...I was simply commenting on the reply-to-post that listed Chill as only playing sf (with Salim listed as the second-in-line at sg). I think that Salim's going to really have to become more consistent, both in his shots and ability to at least handle the ball SOME in the backcourt if he plans on getting ANY more minutes than he received last year... quite simply, we now have three 'small' bc players (Salim, Lue, and Speedy), as well as Ivey (who can't be considered a sg any way you slice it), thus creating a lot of competition for bc pt...

Memphis TN...for AT LEAST the next 4+ years, and now a 'bundle' season ticket holder for the Grizz; I'm originally from Lilburn (Atlanta suburb) and Brookwood HS graduate ~

so you're saying that you only (or the vast majority of the time) want to utilize Chill as a sf/ not play sg (to back up JJ or pair with him for a bigger bc)? you realize that that will dramatically reduce his minutes (to probably less than 10 a game)...???

their (Vegas') estimation of the Hawks' over/under last year won me some big money.....

to actually attend games. Living in Memphis and having just purchased an 11 game weekend package (yes, they have a package that limits games to mostly/entirely on the weekends...and that happened ot be the only package that included the Hawks' one visit here...so it was a no brainer), I found this article to be pretty revolutionary. Kudos to the Grizz... 'Brutally' honest advisers give Grizzlies an earful Story Tools E-mail this story | Print By David Williams Contact September 14, 2006 They talked beer prices and traffic flow. They talked hip-hop music and halftime entertainment. It was the introductory meeting of the Grizzlies management team and the new Fan Advisory Board. But some of the board's 40 members seemed to be in regular-season form and ready to address the franchise's admitted challenges -- right now. Advertisement Season-ticket holder Michael Fahy, speaking amid some pointed comments from his fellow advisers, commended the team for having the "the guts" to assemble the board. "I've never heard of a professional organization reaching out and asking to have people be involved to, in essence, look over their shoulder and give them feedback," Fahy, president of Prime Development Group Inc., said after the two-hour session. Various comments during a question-and-answer segment suggested the fans will be honest with their feelings. "Brutally," Fahy said with a smile. One adviser suggested the hip-hop music heard at FedExForum is out of tune with the audience. Another suggested an old-school approach -- organ music. One lamented the lack of "can't-miss" halftime entertainment acts. Another wondered why players don't do more to acknowledge the fans. But during Tuesday night's meeting at FedExForum, the blunt talk wasn't limited to the advisers. "We failed at general concessions, I think everybody is going to agree," said Andy Dolich, Grizzlies president of business operations. "It only matters what you do. So all kinds of promises and all kinds of free food here (at the board meeting) -- you know what? That's nice, but that's not going to cut it. "The hot stuff should be hot, the cold stuff should be cold, and it should be served" -- with a snap of his fingers -- "like that. "And we have to get that right. No promises. We just have to do a better job." It was a continuation of the team's public acknowledgement that changes are necessary after attendance dropped by more than 1,000 per game last season. The Grizzlies have lowered many season-ticket prices, created an NBA-low $5-a-game season ticket, cut the price of bottled water, hired a new director of promotions and event presentation, remade the roster with a nod toward athleticism, and formed the advisory board. But Dolich also defended the franchise, saying that harsh critics make up a small part of the audience. He also noted that concession prices at a major league sporting events are naturally higher than elsewhere. Having attended a Washington Redskins NFL game, he reported a bottled water price of $5. The Grizzlies' $4 bottle of water was heavily criticized last season, becoming something of a symbol for all the franchise's flaws. The price has been cut to $3. Robert Garcia, assistant director of operations for Forum food-service provider Levy Restaurant, said a bottle of water and a hamburger are cheaper than at Redbirds games at AutoZone Park. After the meeting, candidates for the team's public address announcer job auditioned and were graded by the advisers. -- David Williams: 529-2310

potential's worth more when you're a pf/of fabled 'c'...then again, does Diaw now fit this type of label? Nevermind, Amare's coming back...there's so many reasons I could list that make paying him this kind of money ridiuclous if the Suns predict any semblance of the old Amare (pt/production) in the new-microsurgeried-amare.

Quote: You don't go sign a guy just because he had 1 good playoff series ... unless your name is Tim Thomas...

that's not even the most 'viable' list of starters... based on what I've seen and read so far, my current thoughts, etc., I'd prefer the lineup of speedy, JJ, JChill, JSmoove, Zaza... that is perhaps a 'too offensively minded' lineup, but it's the one that I'd be inclined to go with given the current state of hte sixers (our first game).

great post and information...but Edwards needs to be removed from the list/salary bottom lines...we traded him as well!

why all the animosity and 'hating' on BBallPrincess? what has she done to warrant such things?

one caveat you have to consider when bringing Brand into this argument...Cassell. You mention KG...but he's been (essentially) no where before or after Cassell... this has been a running trend in Cassell's career or hurts your argument about Brand's 'newfound' press and abilities...

so why do you believe that MW is a [championship caliber definitive player] and JSmoove to be an 'auxillary" one? should not the labels be reversed at this point in development/what they have shown?

I was jiving right along with your sentiments...then I realized something: how often do 7' centers, regardless of 'potential' really get traded? Granted, its not an infrequent event, but in considering the question, I realized that most 'centers', especially those with much 'value' are signed as FA's, not traded (and feel free to call me out on this). I'm not completely sure why...but it would seem that with centers, perhaps more than any other position in the league, is a profound representation of the old addage, "the grass is always greener"...

talent and player ARE NOT the same thing. TMac (and Vince) SHOULD be top five...but there's a reason they're not. Must be in the blood...

This thread can be restarted...as the Nuggets have just obtained Joe Smith for Kobestopper! That gives them another frontcourt player...making it much more likely that SOMEONE already under contract (frontcourt) will be moved soon... I don't want to start conspiracy theories, but Smith is somewhat like Camby in build (though not in quality); couple this with Maurice Evans stating that his return to Denver is his top choice...interesting!!

ahh...how I love the 'relatively undersized' quote...he's 6'11 (about average for most centers really) and 265... Zaza is NOT a pogo stick/ block machine...but considering that his 'pf' mate was the infamous 'my arms are too tired to lift them on defense' Al Harrington..do you think that that might have highlighted/exacerbated his apparent lack of defense? or the fact that he lead the league in o-boards last year... at 22 and being paid less than the MLE...yeah, draw your own conclusions (and then double check it with the going rate for centers in the league right now ~ and what they've 'accomplished' to 'earn' those contracts).