The Contract Year

Every year random players play out of their minds in hopes of a lucrative contract at season's end. The contract year allows mediocre players to sign long term deals after one good season. GMs are too stupid to realize that these players are only playing for a payday, so phenoms like Erick Dampier end up with huge multi year deals.

It is the intrigue of these players' one year dominance that persuades GMs to shell out millions. And thankfully, there will always be someone stupid enough to do it (Mark Cuban with Erick Dampier) and do it again (Mark Cuban with DeSagna Diop)! So why give perennially average players 10 mill/year deals when their contract runs out? Because it gives GMs a chance to exercise every facet of their profession. From signing the player, to putting the player on the trade block, to trying to buy him out. Hey, I just described Steve Francis' career 3 times over!

A couple intriguing free agents this year are Shawn Marion and Carlos Boozer. Not because they are playing out of their minds for a payday, but because they are on the injured list, playing xbox and eating cheetos while hyping up their trade value. Together they have missed 44 games, which is apparently the best time to skip town and ask for a raise. Marion is suffering from a deadly strained groin from those long nights of hentai and rockstar energy drinks while Carlos Boozer tore his knee up probably because it was weakened from not moving while he played Halo 3 for a week straight.

Anyways, here's my (brief) analysis:

Shawn "Winning is Overrated" Marion

Shawn Marion is as dumb as they get. He was in the best running system since the Run-TMC days and he left because he wanted half a season off. Now he wants out again and I know why. The Heat have been led by a resurgence of Dwyane Wade; resurgence probably isn't the right word because he's playing better than ever. They have a couple rookies with a ton of potential and need a small handful of pieces before they are widely cosidered as a top 5 Eastern Conference team. Therein lies the problem.

Why would you be on a winning team if you're only allowed to take 10 shots a game? You can barely get into double digits in ppg with 10 shots a game. 12 ppg isn't sexy enough for the ladies, and Shawn Marion is all about the ladies. Marion knows that chicks dig the 3 point shot because they want him to go deep, they need him to go deep. He has made 7 threes all season and is shooting under 20% from 3 point range.

Picture this. Shawn Marion and Daequan Cook walk into a club. Shawn Marion takes a couple body shots, maybe a few jager bombs, he is the man. Daequan Cook just chills in the corner like the Ohio State drop out he is and is struglling to get down some fruity mixed drink. The night goes on and Shawn decides he wants to take a couple of girls and try for the 3 point play. Him and Daequan approach some females. Shawn is the man. They're totally into him. Then Daequan drops the bomb: "I shoot 6 threes a game and Shawn's made 7 all season lolz", Shawn is angry. He thinks about pulling a reverse Plaxico by putting his gun into Daequan's sweats and leaving the safety off. He is no longer the man.

At this point Eddy Curry might as well approach Shawn to be his new houseboy. It's that bad.

In summary: 1) Shawn Marion is the man. 2) Shawn Marion goes deep. Whether you like it or not. 3) Shawn Marion does not like winning.

So where will he end up when his contract is over? Somewhere like Memphis where he can get a fat payday from a dumb GM so he can sit out a couple weeks at a time to finish his story mode on Fable 2.

As for Carlos Boozer...

Carlos Boozer

Carlos Boozer has it all. He has a Hispaic first name, a cool last name, and several awkward white guys to make fun of on his team. So why does he want to leave? Technically, he doesn't, he just wants a raise. Which is great because I had no idea that sitting out more than half a season equated to a raise.

There are several people you should never trust in your lifetime. The devil, that guy who tells you heroine isn't addictive, the girl who says her STD isn't contagious, and Carlos Boozer.

Boozer is a terrible player to deal with when it comes to contracts. He's like that girl you ask out on a date but she says she's going to be doing homework all night. Then you see her making out with your best friend at some frat party (aside: **** you. you know who you are). He did the Cavs dirty by ditching them after verbally committing to a contract. So what does he expect in a contract?

Let's see, he doesn't play great defense, he's proven to be somewhat injury prone, he doesn't block shots, and he's a below average free throw shooter. Which means he's shooting for the max. Shoot for the moon Carlos because if you miss, you're still up there with those stars. Or in his case if he misses, he'll probably re-sign for the exact same deal with more incentives.

To summarize everything: Carlos Boozer + Shawn Marion = studs

Power Rankings 1-27-2009

The NBA is a league dominated by superstars. This is best seen in the top of the Eastern Conference through the struggles and triumphs of Dwight Howard, Kevin Garnett, and LeBron James. These teams can only go so far as these players carry them, which is intensified when they play each other. The Celtics thrashed the Magic because Dwight Howard pulled his best Chris Webber "stone hands in the clutch" impersonation and the Cavs seem to be almost completely dependant on LeBron's performances.

More interestingly is that despite two major injuries to big minute players, the Cavs find themselves on a 4 game win streak in dramatic fashion (last second wins at Golden State and Portland). As good as the Cavs have been, it seems like they will always be a step behind the Lakers, who are number 1 in my rankings.

1) Los Angeles Lakers
I hate the Lakers and even I can't deny that they are currently the class of the NBA. Kobe's stats are down this season because he's been a much better team player, more tenacious on defense, and a deadly closer down the stretch. It is remarkable that one of the NBA's best players does not completely dictate the outcome of his team. The lakers are still greatly dependant on him but if Kobe is having an off game, Pau and Bynum step up which allows Kobe to rest up for his closer role. Their depth is amazing and barring a team collapse from the inside I don't see the Lakers faltering any time soon.

2) Cleveland Cavaliers
This ranking should really read "2) LeBron" because he has single hadnedly kept the injury marred Cavs afloat. He helped slay a Warriors team that was rejuvenated by Monta Ellis' arrival and has been putting up a ridiculous stat line. Not many people fully grasp that LeBron is putting up numbers that a big time scorer/clutch shooter, a big man, a defensive stopper, and a PG would collectively total. He's playing better defense this season and his FT% is up. So...yea...he's ridiculous. Good luck containing him in the playoffs.

3) Boston Celtics
After going through their first ever losing streak in the "Big 3" era the Celtics have stepped up their game and beaten some perennial powerhouses lately (Phoenix and Orlando). They destroyed Orlando by running them off the 3 point line and containing Dwight Howard, which is impressive. With a bench that thin I don't see them winning the title this season. KG's play has diminished, Rajon Rondo still can't shoot, and Glen Davis should not be playing as much as he is. If they get a bench (which they could somewhat achieve with Marbury) then their chances look much better.

4) San Antonio Spurs
Never count Tim Duncan out. It should be a in scripture at this point. People are overreacting about their loss to the Lakers, but when you break it down, it's still just one game. They're a very stable team that ran into a very hot team who happened to be playing at home. Advantage: Lakers. I put them above the Magic because the Spurs are what they have always been, solid, but even moreso now. They have a strong bench now, have Bowen coming off the bench, and still have scoring from their "Big 3" which tells me that they could make noise in the postseason.

5) Orlando Magic
I know what you're thinking, "Why are the Magic so low? They got killed by the champs but the Spurs got killed by the Lakers!" My response would be, it's not the same thing. The Magic were supposed to beat the Celtics, but their reliance on 3 point shooting and Dwight Howard killed them. Simply put, Dwight cannot fade away in big games anymore. He opens up 3 point shots and gets random guys like JJ Redick a string of open shots to catch fire. Jameer Nelson has done a good job of creating for his teammates and growing as a player this season, but there is onyl so much you can do when your bench is as thin as Orlando's is.

6) Denver Nuggets
Carmelo needs to get healthy if this team wants to survive their road adventure coming up. Chauncey has been a great pickup but I, personally, think they are overachieving. By playoff time they'll start to cool off but for now they're one of the best teams in the NBA.

7) Houston Rockets
If they had Yao, T-Mac, Artest, and Battier healthy all season, they could have the best record in the NBA! (cue violin music)

8) Miami Heat
Probably a little controversial, but they're beating teams they are supposed to beat and beating teams that are much better than them. They are very thin, but a Shawn Marion trade could bring some much needed talent to this roster.

9) New Orleans Hornets
Never count CP3 out. Instead, count Tyson Chandler and David West (partially) out.

10) Portland Trailblazers
They're very talented, but they've been beating up on bad teams (Milwaukee, Chicago, New Jersey, Golden State, Washington) and losing to good teams (Lakers, Cavaliers, Philly, New Orleans). Because of this, I can't bring myself to put them any higher. They have a lot of potential though.

11) 76ers
Record with Elton Brand: 11-14 Record without Elton Brand: 10-8 hmm...

12) Hawks
The Hawks would be up one spot in my rankings if it werent for the Sixers Iggy led surge as of late. However, they're a great team that could jump anywhere up to 5 spots in these rankings if Josh Smith and Marvin Williams pick up their play.

13) Dallas Mavericks
Dirk's having a great season despite a stupid offseason/inseason move (the Diop saga). They're still a team to beat out West, but after their destruction at the hands of the Celtics, it is obvious that they still have flaws. It's really obvious that you have flaws when you get stomped by Milwaukee.

14) Utah Jazz
This is the year of the injury in Utah, but this team would be in the top 5 if they were healthy. It's simply amazing that Jerry Sloan has kept this team afloat and they actually care about playing the game of basketball, which is more than can be said of the...

15) Phoenix Suns
They're lost in Terry Porter's system. It's as simple as that. Shaq destroyed the dynamics of this team, despite his great statistical season, and the Suns may no longer be a force in the NBA unless they start playing with some intensity.

16) Detroit Pistons
They have to mesh eventually...right?

17) Timberwolves
They've been surging after the New Year started. What the hell is going on out there? Does McHale actually know what he's doing? That Randy Foye trade might not end up being a complete bust if he can get his FG% and scoring average up. McHale's personal project, Kevin Love, has been playing great as well and is a surprise catalyst on the boards for the Wolves.

18) New York Knicks
Mike D'Antoni is an amazing coach. He's getting ridiculous play out of Duhon and Lee while elevating players like Nate Robinson and Wilson Chandler to new levels. Nate has been playing especially well despite his short stature, and with a superstar or two added to this core in 2010 they should be an almost immediate force. Al Harrington sucks.

19) Indiana Pacers
Danny Granger is good and Mike Dunleavy has turned into a fat chucker. He constantly chucks around 13 shots in under 30 minutes. He's not the player he was last season because the team actually has healthy studs. Doesn't help that Mike severed his vaginal bone before the season.

20) New Jersey Nets
Devin Harris and Vince Carter have carried this team and elevated their teammates' play. They could easily pass the Pacers, who I think suck more than Sasha "The Machine" Vujacic's shot selection.

21) Charlotte Bobcats
Larry Brown has this team, with little talent, playing well. However, they have little talent. You can only go so far with this roster, and to Brown's credit, he has almost optimized their talent.

22) Milwaukee Bucks
They lost Michael Redd, who was playing great. Now their best player is Richard Jefferson. Not looking good.

23) Toronto Raptors
Welcome to the bottom of the NBA. The 08/09 Raptors should be synonymous with the word "Fail" because they built a team around two studs, acquired a good big man, and still suck. Even worse than last year. Something tells me it wasn't all Mitchell's fault.

24) Chicago Bulls
I could name off players that have talent on this team, but then I'd just name off their entire roster. I could also say that they just need time to grow together and mesh, but we've been hearing that for years. They need real post players. Ben Gordon/Derrick Rose are a good duo at guard, but this team gets destroyed down low on offense and defense.

25) Oklahoma City Thunder
Kevin Durant > Danny Granger. Despite the record, he should be an all star.

26) Golden State Warriors
I couldn't logically put them above the Thunder when they've gotten thrashed by them twice this season. The Thunder have 9 wins. That's so awful. Don Nelson is a an awful coach at this point in his career, and player's like Jamal Crawford aren't helping the defensive efforts of this team. nelson needs to leave before progress can begin. but still...GO WARRIORS WOOOOO!!!

27) Memphis Grizzlies
OJ Mayo + Rudy Gay = 11 wins? Something's wrong there. They need to play an up-tempo offense if they want to optimize this team's talent.

28) Sacramento Kings
They have Kevin Martin which keeps them out of the deep cellar. To their credit, they have a shot to beat most teams below the top 15, which is something I cannot say the teams below them can do.

29) Los Angeles Clippers
Their entire starting lineup is injured. When their entire starting lineup is there, they probably still won't be any good. Mike Dunleavy is an awful coach. Their salary cap is screwed. What is there to look forward to in Clipper land? OH! Baron Davis just made a documentary about gangs featuring Snoop Dogg and Lil Wayne! COOL!

30) Washington Wizards
Oh God. Will Gilbert ever play a full season? Probably not. Which is odd for someone who is mostly a shooter.

NBA Draft 2009 Top 10

Seeing as the Warriors season is over, I thought I should get started on scouting for the NBA draft.

In my opinion this is a pretty weak draft, especially if Rubio sits out as expected and Jrue stays in school. Here's my top 10 with some brief analysis:

1) Blake Griffin
A weak draft means a player with obvious flaws could easily go 1st overall. He's a great rebounder, leader, scorer, and is a tremendous team player. However, he isn't as athletic as NBA coaches would like and he projects to be a Carlos Boozer type in my opinion. Not going to block a ton of shots but will make a big difference.

2) James Harden
In my opinion he's the most NBA ready player in this draft. He's an athletic player who can score and make the extra pass. However, his athleticism won't dominate at an NBA level but will be more than enough to get the job done. He'll do a decent job on defense but won't generate a ton of turnovers.

3) Jordan Hill
He's improved immensely this season but he still has a lot to learn. Basically a banger who can finish well and board with the best. Blocking 2 shots a game as well. After Hill, the picks in the draft have a ton of upside but also a ton of bust potential. I'm going to say right now that I don't like most of the players after these top 3 so my analysis will be biased.

4) Hasheem Thabeet
Will his body hold up at the next level? History of players his size says it won't. He has a ton of potential and is a surprisingly good shot blocker. Most players his size block shots just because of their height, but Thabeet does so with tremendous explosiveness and skill. Great defender.

5) Brandon Jennings
I have a mancrush on this guy. Don't let his euroleague stats fool you, he's actually getting better. In Europe they don't want to develop talent and embrace rookie mistakes like college teams would, they want to win now and don't tolerate rookies acting like rookies. Brandon was kicked out of the gym when the season started for half assing it in half court drills and discipline like that can do 1 of 2 things for him. The biggest knock on Brandon was that he had no discipline, he would make the flashy play when he didn't need to, so he could take all this as a learning experience and grow from it or get pissed off and give up. Hopefully it's the former.

6) Greg Monroe
He strikes me as a guy who will stop trying once he gets a contract. He has a ton of potential but needs to stay focused on improving if he wants to be a good NBA player. He gets pushed out of the post and lacks go to post moves. Talented as hell though and in this draft you can't pass up this much potential.

7) Jeff Teague
Think Stephen Curry, but a better ball handler who attacks the basket much more effectively. He can put up points in a hurry, but he really isn't a PG so his size might hurt him. If someone can teach him to take care of the ball better, he'll end up being a strong scorer in the NBA.

8) Stephen Curry
People give this guy way too much credit. Against bad teams, he absolutely destroys. Puts up around 30 and 7 against them. But against good teams he either goes 5/26 from the field (Purdue) or dishes out only 3 assists (Oklahoma). I think people will be disappointed by his true passing ability but I also know that his team absolutely blows so he's a very intriguing player to think about. Keep in mind that he's not great taking it to the hole and has a small frame.

9) DeMar DeRozan
Stay in school. Please.

10) Ty Lawson
He will be a steal if taken around 13-18. Probably will never start in the NBA, but will be a great defensive PG who can pass and score a little.

Also, they have an annual feature on ESPN.com that randomizes the draft lottery and generates a mock draft. Check it out here: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/lottery2009/mockdraft

Jermaine O'Neal for Shawn Marion?

A recent trade rumor has arisen out of the East that sends Marion to Toronto for Jermaine O'Neal. Around the trade deadline random fake trades are bound to pop up from time to time but this one makes sense for both teams and Pat Riley acknowledged that it is in progress. So what impact does this have on both teams? Basically, the Heat lose several times over and the Raptors can only improve.

Jermaine O'Neal has had an injury marred season thus far only playing in 29 games, so at the very least the Raptors get a healthy body. That's not the whole story though, O'Neal has been putting on his best Tyson Chandler impersonation when he was expeected to be the big difference maker in Toronto. Tyson Chandler is a fine player, but he's a high profile role player and Jermaine O'Neal seems to have settled into that designation this seaosn. He's still a good player, but his production is a far cry from his days in Indiana where he would carry his team through the season and play hurt.

Why would the Heat want a guy who hasn't been performing well and is constantly injured? They don't want Shawn Marion. Shawn Marion is one of those players that thinks he is better than he really is. I take that back, he doesn't think he's better, he thinks he's the best. He chose a horrible Miami team over a Finals contender in Phoenix because he wanted to be "the man" and that failed. He's the epitome of a glorified role player and for whatever reason he has fallen in love with the 3 point shot this season. Now he wants to be traded again so he can take more shots. If he doesn't get more shots, he might suddenly come down with a season ending injury.

This is a good trade for Toronto because Marion fits in with their up-tempo style, Bargnani has flourished as a C, and if it doesn't work then they can let his $18 mill deal walk in the offseason. That's the main reason why it is a dumb trade for Miami, Marion is gone after this season so why are they so eager to trade him for an under achiever?

I think the real problem is that both teams want to establish the epic dynasty that the Warriors have right now. It takes years of work to assemble the cast of all stars we have in Oakland, so don't even try.