And With The 61st Pick

Yeah kid, I understand the pain.

So it has been a few days since the NBA Draft, and the fallout has been fairly low key to say the least. No OJ Mayo/Kevin Love like trades, no superstars have been traded since O'Neal, Carter and Jefferson and of course free agency has yet to kick in to gear. So here are The Sixteenth Man's Top 5 Winners and Losers of the period surrounding the 2009 NBA Draft.

WINNERS

1. San Antonio Spurs. Within the last seven days, the Spurs dealt away an ageing and declining small forward, a role playing center who was playing BEHIND Matt Bonner at stages during the season, and an ageing back up power forward to Tim Duncan. Who do they gain? A starting small forward/shooting guard who can produce an automatic 20 points every night and a lottery quality draft pick (at #37 overall). The Lakers should be prepared to take notice.

2. Orlando Magic and Vince Carter. With Hedo Turkoglu opting out of his contract, Orlando made an instant move in filling the whole he would leave, with what many believe to be an even better scorer. Not only does Carter provide scoring, but the problems at the point guard between Alston and Nelson have been negated well before the 09-10 season starts. This deal really should solidify Orlando within the top three teams in the Eastern Conference.

3. Los Angeles Clippers and Blake Griffin. The Clippers are somewhat relevant again with Griffin who was without a doubt the best talent in this draft. They have someone who will drastically change the attitude and work ethic of the entire roster, and Baron Davis may finally have a reliable scoring big man to team up with. There is no doubt that they will have a losing season again, but Griffin is definitely a step in the right direction.

4. Shaquille O'Neal. Shaq wins by being dealt to the Cavaliers. He gets out of Phoenix where players like Steve Nash were starting to sound their displeasure with the perennial All-Star. Teaming up with LeBron, a change of scenery and the genuine possibility of a final championship ring are all positives for O'Neal. Was this the right move for Cleveland? Well, they certainly didn't have to give up very much, but finding the balance between Shaq and the rest of the roster will no doubt be initially difficult.

5. Oklahoma City Thunder. James Harden and BJ Mullens are two more pieces to the puzzle that is Oklahoma City. The young talent which the Thunder have accumulated over the years in Durant, Green, Westbrook and now Harden has got many NBA fans excited for a viable playoff push in the next few years. Talking about the talent on the team is certainly better than talking about the move away from Seattle, or the failure that is their brand.

LOSERS

1. Ricky Rubio. The Timberwolves aren't the losers here, because if they end up trading Rubio I am sure that some team will pay some ridiculous price for him. For example, I saw an offer from Houston that was Battier and Brooks, a highly efficient defender and a point guard on the rise, for a #5 draft pick, who hasn't played an NBA game yet, and who only averaged single figure points and assists last year in Europe. The whole saga regarding whether or not Rubio will suit up for the Wolves or go back to Europe just enhances my opinion that Rubio will be the next Ron Artest or Stephon Marbury. Greedy and selfish.

2. The Stoudemire rumours. As much as I like the sound of the deal, which would send Stoudemire to the Warriors for Biedrins, Randolph and either Curry or Azubuike, without O'Neal, I see keeping Amare as a must. The Warriors would definitely gain a franchise player, and the Suns would receive a glut of young talent with sky high potential. Is the move necessary? Will this move lift either team back into playoff contention? I would just like to see the Suns and how they would travel with Amare and without O'Neal.

3. Yao Ming. Rumours circulating that Yao could be out for the whole of the 09-10 season and potentially part of the 10-11 season. The injury is a re-fracturing of his navicular bone, which he suffered in the playoffs. With this injury comes grave concerns about the future of not only the Houston Rockets but Yao Ming.

For more on the injury, here is The Sixteenth Man's regular health and injury expert; Dr. Jan Itor.

The navicular bone is one of the tarsal bones, found in the foot. Its name derives from the bone's resemblance to a small boat, caused by the strongly concave proximal articular surface.It is located on the medial side of the foot, and articulates proximally with the talus, distally with the three cuneiform bones, and occasionally laterally with the cuboid. My prognosis? If he was a horse I would put him down. Is he a horse? It is hard to say, that is something that I will leave for the courts to decide.

I look forward to hearing from Dr. Itor in the future months.

4. Jay Bilas. Ok, so I watched all 60 picks of the draft. According the gospel of Jay Bilas' ESPN expertise, all 60 picks were good. All draftees have massive upside. All draftees are going to secure an NBA roster spot. Ignore the glut of European players who won't even play in the summer league let alone come anywhere near an NBA court in their lives. I stuck through the four and a half hours of coverage just to listen to the drivel that Bilas spewed out. Not good times.

5. Brandon Jennings. I'm ready to call shenanigans on this guy. Lets look at this rap list so far;

• Calling Ricky Rubio "all-hype". I agree with that to a certain degree, but is it his place to come out and say this?
• Refusing an invitation to the NBA Draft after failing to be promised he would be taken as a lottery pick. Watching the draft at home, he immediately left for the Garden when he got drafted, arriving late and having one of the most awkward entrances and photographs with David Stern in draft history.
• Supposedly part of a YouTube video with some rapper called Joe Budden (no fuckin idea who he is). He dissed Ramon Sessions, the Knicks and his new coach Scott Skiles. Great start heh?

TSM

I Am An Arschenhaller

Coming To A Court Near You.
TSM

T-Minus Zero

Only going to be a short entry with the draft taking place in just under nine hours time. The final mocks have been posted, trade rumours are flying round, the the foundations of the Eastern Conference have been shaken by a 325 pound behemoth. Shaquille O'Neal got dealt to the Cavaliers for Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic, the 46th Overall Pick and some dollar dollar. Cost cutting for Phoenix so they can make a run for a free agent next summer, and an obvious move by Cleveland to overcome Orlando and Boston this coming season.

Will Shaq Daddy make the championship influence in Ohio? Will he and LeBron gel? Where will this leave Zydrunas Ilgauskas? What new pregame introductions will the Cavaliers show off next season? Time will tell I guess.

Also of note, the Warriors and Hawks made a deal. Jamal Crawford for Speedy Claxton and Acie Law. Makes sense on both sides, with the Hawks picking up some more depth, something that the Warriors will want to achieve with today's draft fast approaching.

I will be doing another Best/Worst entry for the events surrounding Draft Night. If Patrick Mills gets drafted, dont expect an entry for a couple of days. I will be jacking off over another Australian in the NBA.

Have fun with that mental image.

Oh and major props to The Basketball Jones on THIS video. Yet another quality piece of vlogging.

TSM

Here It Goes Again, OK Go (2006)

Oh, What Could Have Been

In the last 24 hours we witnessed a preview to what the NBA Offseason provides. Draft implications, new logos and uniforms and just the overall shaking of the NBA and many fans' foundations. In this entry, I am going to run through the three recent trades that occurred, the rumours surrounding Rajon Rondo and finally the re branding of the Philadelphia 76ers. First of all, lets look at the deals that went down:

Spurs Receive: Richard Jefferson

Bucks Receive: Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas and Fabricio Oberto

Analysis: Obviously a CAP shedding move by the Bucks. Like I said back in my Unphenomenal Swagger Of A Champion entry, I am not a fan of teams surrendering talent and thus their immediate future just to make some financial gains for the following free agent period. The Bucks loss of a legitimate inside/outside scoring option is the Spurs gain, who will now pose one of the scariest rosters in the league, with Parker, Jefferson, Ginobili, Duncan and to an extent Drew Gooden. If the Spurs can sign another scoring or defensive big man in Free Agency like Rasheed Wallace, then the Lakers will once again have a legitimate threat.

Pistons Receive: Fabricio Oberto

Bucks Receive: Amir Johnson

The Pistons receive a nice big man who on a good night can provide 10 and 10...make that a really good night. The Bucks appear to be making their natural progression back to mediocrity.

Wizards Receive: Randy Foye and Mike Miller

Timberwolves Receive: No. 5 pick in '09 Draft, Etan Thomas, Darius Songaila and Oleksiy Pecherov

Ok, so lets weight this together. The net worth of Thomas, Songalia and Pecherov is pretty much zero. So I am going to look at this as Foye and Miller for the 5th Overall Pick. The Timberwolves now have consecutive picks (5th and 6th), and depending on who is available, they could make a real impact in the draft. The Timberwolves had obviously finally given up on Roye, so this move can be seen as a step in the right direction for the franchise.

What do the Wizards gain? They now have a legitimate point guard who can either back up a healthy Arenas, or take over the starting role if Arenas were to fall to injury again. Miller also provides a solid scoring option behind Butler.

Moving on. It was revealed that the Boston Celtics made a trade offer to the Detroit Pistons along these lines;

Celtics Receive: Rip Hamilton, Rodney Stuckey and Tayshaun Prince

Pistons Receive: Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen

I can see why the Pistons rejected it. No doubt that Rajon Rondo would be a massive upgrade over Rodney Stuckey, but Ray Allen for Hamilton and Prince? C'mon, Dumars isn't that stupid. Prince can be called the the Pistons MVP (with Billups gone), and Hamilton is far more consistent than Allen. Ok so no harm done, but what I question is why in the blue hell are the Celtics shopping Rondo around? The only reason I can see is that they are testing the market to define what he is worth, as the likelihood of him being stubborn during new contract negotiations is high. Unfortunately, I can see Rondo being traded on Draft Night, taking him away from the team where he developed so strongly would be a disappointment for many. Watch this space.

Finally, as I previwed yesterday, the Philadelphia 76ers announced yesterday that they were going retro, changing their logo back to what they used from 1978 to 1997, with a secondary logo, wordmark and jersey set being released later on in the year. Great move by the organisation. The logo (and I am sure the jerseys) will look clean and sharp, but better than the bland jerseys and rather cluttered logo they have been using for the last twelve years.

Until next time.

TSM

I'm Not As Think As You Drunk I Am

Draft Night is on Thursday night American time, Friday morning hear in Australia. Apart from the first twenty or so picks, the rest of the night is fairly mundane, unless you are following a certain player, which of course which will be Australian Patrick Mills for me. Draft night last year was pretty crap. I was following Nathan Jawai, wanting to see where he got drafted. OK, so he got drafted by the Pacers (eh) and got traded to the Raptors for Roy Hibbert. Worst thing was, they showed all picks except his. What a waste of 2-3 hours on a Friday morning. Now if you are reading this and live in the States, why not invite some friends over and make a night out of it with some Al-A-A-Al-A-Alcohol. Here is The Sixteenth Man's Draft Night Drinking Game!

ONE DRINK EVERY TIME/IF:

• A white player (especially Tyler Hansbrough) is called a hard worker.
• A black player is called a natural athlete.
• A draftee's mother is seen on camera crying uncontrollably.
  
• A draftee thanks God.
• A draftee looks visibly pissed off after he is drafted by an undesirable team.
• David Stern or Russ Granik screws up at the podium.
• A poor quality "highlights" package of an international player is shown (a Ricky Rubio or Brandon Jennings)
• The Portland Trailblazers make a trade.
  
• The phrase "Number One Pick Blake Griffin" is used.
• Blake Griffin is referred to as the "hybrid power forward".
• Draftees are seen swapping Caps after a trade.
• A draftee has "great upside".
  

TWO DRINKS EVERY TIME/IF:

• Spike Lee is shown.
• Knicks fans boo their draft choice regardless of who it is.
• The ESPN analysts correctly predict who gets taken next.
• Someone refers to Twitter.
• Someone other than Blake Griffin is referred to as a franchise player.
• Someone is referred to as a steal.
• The words "LeBron" and "James" are mentioned within the same sentence.
• Stuart Scott ejaculates when introducing the emotional story of a late first rounder / early second rounder.
• A player is compared to a wild animal.
  

A SHOT IF:

• Hasheem Thabeet falls outside the first six picks.
• Ricky Rubio falls outside the first six picks.
• None of the rumoured trades involving superstars go through.
• A trade involving Amare Stoudemire for "some guys" takes place. You can replace Amare Stoudemire with any other All Star (Ray Allen, Vince Carter etc.)
  
• A top 5 pick is traded.
• Brandon Jennings says Blake Griffin is "all hype".
  
• Gerald Henderson ends up somewhere other than Charlotte.
  
• Brandon Jennings is wearing a black bow tie to match his flat top.
• The Timberwolves, Knicks or Kings mess up their pick.
• A montage of previous Number One Picks is shown.

BOTTLE OF SCOTCH WHEN:

• The Clippers don't take Blake Griffin with the #1 Pick.

So with all this is mind, try to survive the next however many days for you until draft night. You will find yourself reading really poor mock drafts and taking them as gospel, you will find yourself reading about the true lottery picks that are #2 right through to pretty much #60. The unpredictability of this years draft will of course be very refreshing, with only Blake Griffin being a total 100% lock, and of course the number of rumours surrounding perennial All-Stars can only lead to some excitement and shaking up of predictions for next year.

Also, based on this announcement on the 76ers website, expect an entry tomorrow regarding the re branding of the organisation. Hopefully they go back to their throwbacks they wore last year on a permanent basis. They were sharp.

TSM

Unphenomenal Swagger Of A Champion

With the sheer awesomeness that comes in an NBA Season, there is also the yearly dose of negatives, some more glaringly obvious than others. So here we go with the five worst, most embarrassing or just plain awkward events of the 2008-2009 season.

C - The general increase in what I like to call "douchebaggery". Ok, I could be totally bias here and just rag on Kevin Garnett and his numerous occurrences of being an All-Star douchebag this season. So I will. Taunting Jose Calderon as he was bringing the ball up court (and subsequently receiving a metaphorical bitch slap when Jose made a nice play), crawling as Jerryd Bayless brought the ball up court, taunting and trash talking the Bulls in the playoffs from the bench in a suit and most recently, guaranteeing Championship wins in the following two seasons.

Ok, I will be fair. Some other pretty douchey acts this season include;

• The Denver Nuggets during the playoffs, but specifically the Western Conference Finals. Dahntay Jones pushing and tripping Kobe Bryant, JR Smith throwing up gang signs and Kenyon Martin's whole online war with Mark Cuban.
• Josh Smith attempting a between the legs dunk against the Heat in the playoffs. Not bad enough? He missed it. Still not bad enough? He said if he was presented with the same situation, that he would attempt the same dunk again. FML.
• Mo Williams guaranteeing that the Cavaliers would defeat Orlando despite trailing 2-1. We all know how that ended up don't we Mo?

• Minor mentions to Rafer Alston bitch slapping Eddie House and Derek Fisher body checking Luis Scola

PF - The Allen Iverson trade. Yeah, I might be exaggerating slightly in ranking this as the second worst event of the entire season, however I guess I have a different perspective to many others. There is nothing wrong with making deals to establish financial prosperity for a future free agent period, however making a deal, as still somewhat of a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference, involving the face of the franchise, involving the player that holds the team together, just screams stupid to me. Especially when you compare Iverson with Billups, a shoot first compared to pass first point guard, the trade, in retrospect for the Pistons, was the cause for their fall to the eighth seed this season. Yeah that have an expiring contract this summer from Iverson, and can probably sign Ben Gordon or Hedo Turkoglu with it, but I just feel like they threw away the 08-09 season with this trade. At least Rip Hamilton will be glad he is the number one option again.

SF - The Shot. One second. One Man. One Shot. A great play by a great player in the form of MVP LeBron James, that kept the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference series for the time being. I don't have an issue with the play itself, that would be blasphemous. What really got under my skin was the self righteous, never ending orgasm that ESPN had over the play, and the ensuing coverage and pandering to LeBron James' godliness. Umpteen replays from every single angle, expert analysis of the inbound and catch-and-shoot, and the likes of Magic Johnson and Mike Wilbon predicting that the Cavaliers would win the series based off of this play alone. Of course the fact it was Lebron making the shot and not a Delonte West or Daniel Gibson led to the increased exposure, but everyone needs to stop riding Lebron like he has got a twelve incher. Yes, hyping up the play is needed, but the degree to which it was over-exposed reached a level of unprofessional ism.

SG - The Missing Links. Perennial bench riders such as Tracy McGrady and Elton Brand once again raise the issue about how much NBA players, and professional athletes in general get paid. Tracy McGrady once again missed out on the second round due to yet another physical breakdown. There were stages during the season where it appeared as though he lost interest. We all know what McGrady can achieve when his body allows him to play, but the Rockets have to ask themselves if he is worth a roster spot and millions of dollars anymore. Similarly, Elton Brand was a shock signing for the 76ers this off-season. However, shockingly it appeared as though that the 76ers performed far better when he was injured. Early season results with Brand in the lineup were mixed, and once he went down with his season-ending injury, Philadelphia appeared to go on a sustained run towards the playoffs, even challenging eventual Conference champions Orlando in the First Round.

PG - The Stephon Marbuy saga. This was pure off court drama. Starting off with a clash of personalities between Marbury and new Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni, the saga was never going to end well. Everything that followed just kept on making it worse. With neither party satisfied with a buy-out agreement, it reached a point where Marbury was dressed to play, asked by D'Antoni to play, but with Marbury refusing (this is the series of events that I decide to believe). Eventually when an agreement was made, the Marbury sweepstakes began. Many were asking where he was going to end up, while many many more were left asking, who really cares? Wait...the Marbury sweepstakes? This guy played 24 games in 07-08, had been on the rapid decline and clearly has personality issues. It was as if Jesus had risen again and wanted to play for what ended up being the Celtics. And of course his impact to the Celtics championship run was non existent. Leave for Europe or something please.

TSM

No Seriously, Amazing Does Happen Here

So with 1230 Regular Season games, All-Star Weekend and 85 Post-Season games, there have to be some positives right? Well, yeah of course there are. So lets hop in the DeLorean DMC-12, go back to October 28 right up until June 14 and countdown the Starting Five of the best moments of the season.

C - Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. Regardless of whether or not you love or hate Bryant and The Lakers, you can not deny that they were the most consistent team all season, and thoroughly deserved to win their 15th Championship in franchise history. The emergence of Trevor Ariza as a serious threat from both the bench and eventually as a starter, Lamar Odom accepting and embracing his role on the bench, and consistent contributions from Pau Gasol were the final pieces of the puzzle which the Lakers needed this season. Regardless of the injury and subsequent ineffectiveness of Andrew Bynum, Phil Jackson showed his coaching finesse in creating a balance between Kobe Bryant and the rest of the roster. Although they did not have to go through the Cleveland Cavaliers, the fact of the matter is that LeBron and Co. were simply not good enough when it counted most.

Special mention to Adam Morrison for joining Scot Pollard in the ranks of players who really don't deserve their championship ring. Props to DJ Mbenga too.

PF - LeBron James winning Most Valuable Player. Say what you will. The man boy child monster beast deserved it. Beating out fellow Team-USA players in Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade, LeBron averaged a lazy 28.4 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 7.3 APG, 1.7 SPG and 1.2 BPG. Beating out Bryant by 474, The King won what will be no doubt the first of many MVP awards. Many had arguments for either Bryant or Wade to win the award, however I do not think anyone can realistically dispute the success that James experienced as an individual, and the subsequent success that the Cavaliers enjoyed as an organisation...for the regular season at least. Just a pity that Nike jinxed Lebron and the Cavaliers from making the Finals with their MVPuppets campaign.

SF - The Boston Celtics vs. Chicago Bulls Series. With a total eight overtime periods over the entire seven game series, the combination of Chicago's youth and brashness and Boston's playoff experience and expectation created one of the best playoff series in recent memory. Clutch plays from unexpected sources such as Joakim Noah and Glen Davis, the break out of Derrick Rose and the usual three point ability of Ray Allen were all features of the series, which regenerated interest in what was initially declared as a fairly predictable playoff series. The intensity and pace at which the games were played really epitomised what playoff basketball should be like. The only bad thing about the series, was having to deal with Kevin Garnett in a suit every game.

SG - Emerging Players. Each and every year, a new batch of players raise their hands and demand to be noticed. However this year, there were far more players than usual who burst away from mediocrity and experienced a taste of the NBA limelight. Most Improved Player Danny Granger, Devin Harris, Jameer Nelson, Rajon Rondo, Trevor Ariza, Chris Andersen and even Kevin Durant to an extent, all achieved that next level of success on court, looking to take yet another step in the 2009-2010 season. With the likes of Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Brandon Roy, Al Jefferson and Dwight Howard continuing to reaffirm their star status, the NBA appears to be in great hands when the likes of Kobe Bryant, Shaqullie O'Neal, Tim Duncan and Jason Kidd retire.

PG - Amazing Marketing. I don't exactly have the greatest exposure to all the marketing campaigns and efforts of the major leagues in the States, yet I think I would be safe in saying that the material that the NBA puts out is second to none. From the emotion stirring "Amazing" Playoff spot, to these graphically stunning CGI commericials and these simple black and white clips, the NBA knowns how to hype up their product. You only have to look back to previous years campaigns' such as "There Can Only Be One" and the Black Eyed Peas promotion to see just how effective and unique the NBA is in their marketing efforts.

TSM

Insert Coin To Start Game

I am Where Amazing Happens. Scrap that. I am Marcin Gortat's Jordan tattoo. I am Charlie Villanueva Tweeting at half time. I am Lamar Odom gorging myself on nothing but candy. I am Von Wafer's mohawk. I am the Portland Trailblazer's playoff beards. I am Josh Smith going between the legs against the Heat in the Playoffs. I am the Knicks making yet another bad decision on Draft Night. I am Kevin Garnett screaming for no apparent reason. I am Chris Andersen's entire look. I am Allen Iverson cutting the braids. I am Chuck Hayes taking free throws. I am any player who wears a shooting sleeve on each arm. I am the rebound that was taken off Lebron at The Garden. I am Monta Ellis on a moped. I am Philadelphia paying Elton Brand $82 million to ruin the team. I am Chris Bosh having his own iPhone app. I am Tracy McGrady blocking my own lay up attempt. I am the Pistons pre-game introduction (specifically Rasheed Wallace). I am The Sixteenth Man.

I am every single nonsensical, trivial and insignificant tid bit that makes the NBA great. I don't think there is any other league in the world that has the characters nor the freedom for those characters to express themselves like the NBA does. Those characters, and all the ludicrous things they do are going to be the basis of this blog. Couple this with a warped take on the regular goings on of the entire NBA and you get The Sixteenth Man.

Check back in at least every couple of days to have a look back on the 2008-2009 NBA Season, the prelude and fallout of the 2009 Rookie Draft, and the poorly written day time soap opera that is the NBA Off-Season.

So will this be a great blog? Or the GREATEST blog? I'll leave you and Mark Cuban to decide.

TSM