Hmmmm....

While watching tonight's broadcast of the Orlando/Atlanta game I came across this interesting stat courtesy of Sun Sports:

Records vs. Other Top 4 Teams:

Orlando Magic: 6-3

• 2-1 vs CLE
• 2-0 vs LAL
• 2-2 vs BOS

Los Angeles Lakers: 4-2

• 2-0 vs CLE
• 2-0 vs BOS
• 0-2 vs ORL

Boston Celtics: 4-5

• 2-1 vs CLE
• 0-2 vs LAL
• 2-2 vs ORL

Cleveland Cavaliers: 2-6

• 0-2 vs LAL
• 1-2 vs BOS
• 1-2 vs ORL

Exactly. Hmmmm....

J.A. Adande Chat

Here are the Orlando related questions and answers from J.A. Adande's chat over at ESPN.com.

St. Nick (Fayetteville, NC) [via mobile]: Am I wrong for thinking the Celtics will be more dangerous even without homecourt if they have everbody back healthy. I say that because after Garnett got hurt they gained valuable experience for people like Glen Davis, Leon Powe, House, and Marbury. The bench seemed weak after Posey left town, but now seems just as strong as last year. So that combined with a healthy Garnett I think will get them another ring. What do u think?

J.A. Adande: (3:03 PM ET ) Their thought was they could go into Cleveland and get a game if they had to, so they weren't that pressed. But if they have to go to Orlando, AND Cleveland AND L.A., don't you think that will catch up with them? In addition to the actual travel, it takes a lot of physical and mental energy t win playoff games on the road. Having to do too much of that is taxing (yeah, yeah, 95 Rockets, I know. But that gantlet wasn't as tough as what the Celts could face)

Derek (Lake Mary, FL): Hi J.A!! My vote for MVP goes to Lebron, but why is Dwight not even mention on the MVP talks? He should at least get some recognition from the media.

J.A. Adande: (3:08 PM ET ) He should. Don't forget about CP3 either. And hasn't Chauncey Billups' presence in Denver and absence in Detroit defined "value"? I think if LeBron hadn't distinguished himself so much it would be much more fun to really open up the field. But it's hard to work up a passion for a "should be in the discussion" argument. Even in Mike Bianchi's well-done piece advocating Howard he still had to concede LeBron should get it

Zlatko, Macedonia: Hey J.A. Who is the team to beat right now? I still have the Lakers cause they swept the Cavs and C's plus beat pretty much every great team away, unlike the cavs. Not to mention they are the only team that beat cleveland away. Cavs or L.A?

J.A. Adande: (3:12 PM ET ) Right now it's the Cavs, even after last night's loss

Alright, now that last one was just silly. Someone forgot that Orlando swept L.A. this year. I'm not saying they are the best team, but they should be in the conversation.

DPOY: So obvious, even an idiot can pick it

Most of the debate concerning this years awards have centered around the MVP. Lebron? Kobe? Wade? However, believe it or not there are other awards to be given out. Of those, the one that doesn't even require a debate is Defensive Player of the Year.

Call me bias, or a homer, or whatever, but the DPOY is Dwight Howard. End of discussion.

Unfortunately, everyone doesn't see it as clearly as I do. For example, take this from Ball Don't Lie:

BDL reader "Tony J." on the MVP debacle: "I've been thinking about this whole NBA MVP race, and I see a potential problem around the corner. Let me explain. Okay, the big race is for the NBA Defensive player of the Year. The reason I say that is, because it appears to be an award that D-Wade is the favorite to win. Well, if that happens, and he leads the league in scoring, while leading his horrible team to the playoffs, it really creates a problem in naming anyone else the league MVP. As of today [Monday], he has more points, assists, steals, and blocks than the other leading candidate! It's going to be a really tough decision, and I hope the league doesn't choose to not give him the Defensive player award because they see the potential problem."

Wrong. Dwayne Wade will not be named the DPOY. Again, it's Dwight Howard. It's hard to make the argument that Wade should win considering his team is not only weaker defensively, but is also 16.5 games back in the division.

Howard will finish the year as the league's top shot blocker and rebounder, and is the anchor of what has become a damn good defensive team. This is not news to TPASTBM readers, as we have touched on this before. I'll say it again:

• Orlando gives up only 5.4 3's a game... 4th in the NBA.
• Teams only shoot 34% from beyond the arc against Orlando... 2nd in the NBA.
• Opponents average 43.0% from the field... 3rd in the NBA.
• Orlando scores the 8th most points in the league (102.1), but at the same time they give up the 8th least amount of points (94.8).
• Orlando leads the league in the amount of points per shot they give up (1.14).
• The Magic lead the league in adjusted field goal percentage (explanation here).
• And to tap into Hollinger's numbers, Orlando is right behind Boston in defensive efficiency... That's the number of points a team scores per 100 possessions.

Hmm... It sure does seem that their defense is what carries these boys. The scary thing about the Magic is that there is really only one defensive star on the team, Mr. Dwight Howard. Jameer Nelson and Rafer Alston were never known for their lockdown defense. Courtney Lee has a ton of potential but is only a rookie. Who knows what Hedo does. Rashard Lewis has met the challenge of playing out of position and has improved his defense but certainly isn't going to make any all-defensive teams any time soon.


That leaves us with Dwight, who is undeniably the best defender in the league. He makes everyone around him better. He changes the way the other teams play offense.

The best example of this was the last time Cleveland came to town. Check out the shot chart. Lebron ended up with 23 points on 10 of 27 shooting. A vast majority of his shots were jumpers. Now there is no way of knowing this for sure, but don't you think the man in the middle might have played a role in keeping Mr. James from taking it to the basket as he does so well? In their other matchup of the season Cleveland won the game and Lebron scored 43 points. Of his 27 shots in that game, 19 were out of the paint. To give it some perspective, in last nights loss to the Wizards, Lebron was 11-18 from the field... And 5 of 6 from inside the paint. So, against the Wizards 33% of his shots were in the paint and against the Magic (let's use the average of both games) only 22% of his shots were taken from the same area.

In conclusion, anyone who tries to argue that any player other than Dwight should win the Defensive Player of the Year award should be publicly humiliated.

Credit the AP for the image of Dwight and Dwayne and ESPN for the shot chart.

Magical Look-alikes

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably either noticed or heard that Stan Van Gundy and Ron Jeremy bare resemblance. What you may not know, is that he isn't the only Magic coach or player that has a look-alike. Let's take a look at some of the other players/coaches for the Magic that have a celebrity counterpart.

Mickael Pietrus & President David Palmer (Dennis Haysbert)

Mickael Pietrus aka Air France aka Peaches aka Mr. Injury has been a solid 6th man for the Magic this year, after losing the starting job to Courtney Lee during his "Let's see what I injure next" tour. The late David Palmer was the president of the United States with a backstabbing wife, a nuclear threat on his hands, and a career in All-State commercials.

What else do the two have in common? Looks, and that's about it.

Hedo Turkoglu & Leon (Jean Reno)

Hedo Turkoglu is the starting SF for the Magic. He is the master of the Turkofade, and will either lose a game for you in the 4th, or win it. Either way, he will drive you crazy. Leon is a professional assasin who befriends a young Natalie Portman and likes plants. He is also pretty badass.
What else do they have in common? Hedo likes to plant crazy shots in defenders faces, while Leon likes to plant...plants.

Brendan Malone & Judah Friedlander

Brendan Malone is the assistant coach of the Orlando Magic, and former head coach of the Toronto Raptors. He enjoys trucker hats with witty phrases on them. Judah Friedlander stars in the hit comedy show 30 Rock, and likes to give hugs.

What else do they have in common? See above, minus the hugs.

Tony Battie & Tony Todd

Tony Battie is the reserve "power" forward for the Orlando Magic. Tony Todd is the rocket man, and has scared children and adults on 3 separate occasions as Candyman.

What else do they have in common? They both scare the crap out of children and adults alike when they show up on your television set, albeit for different reasons. [see Battie's jumpshot and Todd's hook]

Steve Clifford and Superman: The Animated Series version of Mr. Mxyzptlk

Steve Clifford is an assistant coach for the Orlando Magic, and likes to smile in photos and turn red during games. Mr. Mxyzptlk is an arch enemy and sometimes friend of Superman, and has a very annoying name that you have to say backwards to vanish him to his dimension.

What else do they have in common? They both are involved with Magic.

Marcin Gortat & Duane "Gillberg" Gill

Marcin Gortat aka Warlock aka Polish Hammer aka he can be called whatever he wants since I fear him is the backup center to Dwight Howard, and destroyer of worlds. Duane Gill has built a career on jobbing in professional wrestling, and mimicking the "Goldberg" character.

What else do they have in common? They will both destroy you easily with their death stares.

A brief Q&A with Hoops Head North before the festivities.

Just like any other blog on the internet, we at The Puns... read other blogs, and are excited to find out that other bloggers are reading ours. So naturally, we jumped at the opportunity to do a little Q&A exchange with Hoops Head North, a great Raptors blog. While our answers to their questions are already online(located here), we were happy when they agreed to answer a few of our questions regarding their team and about tonight's matchup between the Magic and Raptors.

1.What happened to Toronto? [Jackie Moon & Paul Ego]

You tell me. Everyone and their grandmother projected this team to be a 40-50W team that would put up a fight in the second round of this year’s playoffs. Bryan Colangelo had hyped this team up to be the best Raptors roster on paper. But this season has become far from that, as it has turned into one big season of disappointment, disarray and confusion. You have the Jermaine O’Neal trade that didn’t work out, you have the coaching change, you have the inconsistent guard play and then you have a team of talented players playing without confidence.

Firstly, the Jermaine O’Neal trade was a dud. Bryan Colangelo has been widely criticized on how that trade panned out, and in an effort to correct his mistakes, Colangelo traded for Shawn Marion but it happened just a little too late. Either way, although Marion hasn’t been as good as expected, he did help fill a void of a good defensive swing man who could score. Guys like Jason Kapono, Jamario Moon, Anthony Parker and Joey Graham have been so inconsistent this season and the inconsistency of the swingmen had caused a lot of issues before Marion's arrival. There was a lot of tinkering with the lineup and the Raps struggled to find the right mix. And it was a domino effect, as the Raps struggled to find the combo that worked (along with injuries), the losses piled up, and as the losses piled up, the Raptors just lost their confidence and it snowballed. The Raps became famous for blowing leads, they would go on streaks, win 2 games but then drop 7 and could never get any momentum going…….until now. Just 70 games too late.

2. Next summer. Bosh is set to leave, he tells them, I want to go to Orlando, but I don't want to leave you guys with nothing in return. Make a sign and trade happen. What does Toronto ask for? Or at the trade deadline.

I’m horrible at these trade scenarios, let’s say Rashard Lewis? Oh......and the Polish Hammer, gotta have the Polish Hammer or no trade. I still wouldn't be a fan of this though as I'd want a franchise player in Toronto. But if we had to, I'd say Rashard and the Polish Hammer. The Polish Hammer would be a hit in Toronto. I don't even really know who the Polish Hammer is but he's got one cool-*** nickname. I'll throw in Patrick O'Bryant as well.

3. Who is your coach next season...My guess is Marc Iavaroni. [Maxwell Effort]

Iavaroni has definitely hanging around the Raptors lately as a “consultant” but I believe you’ll see him on the bench either as the head coach or one of the assistants next season. The rumblings around the Raps nation is that Jay Triano may still be the coach next year with stronger assistant coaches. I like Triano (especially because he's Canadian) but I've got mixed feelings about having him as head coach next season.

4. What do Raptors fans think when they see Dwight Howard coming up on the schedule? [Jareth Cutestory]

For me, I get scared. Big men like Shaq, Yao, Dwight Howard can do serious damage on the Raps. I will never forget that game against the Suns, it was like King Kong going up against a bunch of curly straws. It really exposed how thin we were upfront, Shaq dropped 45 points on the Raps and the Suns scored 90 points in the paint. But I think the Raps know how to play the Magic this time around, they know the Magic like to shoot the ball so the key is stopping Dwight Howard from getting those offensive boards. We've got a little more size now too, we've added Patrick O'Bryant but we've also got an impressive former D-Leaguer in Pops Mensah-Bonsu, who likes to crash the boards, and has been compared to the likings of a Junkyard Dog or Charles Oakley type of player.

5. Is Rashard overpaid? or has he been the guy that put us over the top by learning a new position and being a nightmare on offense against traditional 4's? [El Fantasma]

Rashard Lewis's game is similar to Andrea Bargnani in the sense he’s not one of your traditional big men. He can shoot the three and stretch the defense but can also take it to the hole. Overpaid? Probably. But the Magic are one of the best teams in the L, and Rashard Lewis is a big part of the reason why.

Prediction: Who ya got tonight?

Something's just clicked for the Raptors lately. They're too far from the playoffs and they're too far from that top lottery pick, I say they screw their season even more and beat the Magic. It'll be close, I say like a five point game but they'll win.

Best of thanks to Hoops Head North for giving us their time and answers. We're looking forward to tonight's game, just as we're sure that they are as well.

Credit: ESPN.com for the photo

A Fan Experience

Earlier in the season the Magic held a contest in which the winner won the opportunity to sit next to the Magic radio broadcasters during a game. The winner, Brian, wrote the following about his experience:

Hey guys, cool blog, I enjoy reading it.

Anyways, I was asked to write a little blog about my recent courtside experience with Dennis and Richie. Long story short, I won a courtside seat for the Magic/Nets game on 3/6/2009, and got to sit next to Dennis Neumann and Richie Adubato for the entire radio broadcast.

It was quite an experience... I never realized quite how frantic the radio broadcasts are. Behind the scenes, there are people yelling facts about the game (Magic on a 10-0 run, Turk has scored the last 8 points for the Magic, etc.), through the microphones, which Dennis has to absorb and then spit back whenever he gets a spare second.

During every timeout, someone (presumably from the Magic's front office) runs an updated stat sheet out to the guys.. and they were kind enough to print one out for me each time. So I have a huge stack of papers saved in a file folder, including a media guide for the Nets, and about 20 stat sheets.

Dennis Neumann was probably one of the nicest guys I have ever met. He was sincerely interested in speaking with me, and dropped my name on air several times over the course of the game. Richie was... just as you would expect Richie to be. Funny, but at the same time, extremely knowledgeable. It was quite an honor to get to talk X's and O's with him (as I am quite a basketball buff myself)

At the end of halftime, I got the opportunity to go live on the air to ask Richie a question, which he answered without hesitation (note that they did not ask me what my question was going to be prior to me going live on the air.. I guess they trusted me!!! Haha)

Also, right before the 3rd quarter started, Dwight Howard came over, as Richie wanted to give him a word of advice on guarding Brook Lopez. Dwight noticed me there, and I got to shake his hand. He's an absolute monster.

The game went down to the wire, but thankfully Orlando won... from where we were sitting, Vince Carter's last second 3 looked like it was going to fall straight in after clanging off the back of the rim, but thankfully, it fell harmlessly to the ground.

Afterwards, I shook hands with the guys, and some friends that took my season tickets (since I was courtside!) came down to visit. Dennis and Richie shook their hands, and spoke with them as well.

I got them to sign my press pass, which I now have proudly hanging in my office.

All in all, it was an amazing experience. Dante (who is also on the radio) kindly escorted me to my seat before the game, and everyone really tried to make me feel comfortable.

I'm only 23, but I've literally been a Magic fan since I was 3 years old. This is an experience that I will never forget.

2008 NBA Draft Redux

Sometimes you pick a winner, other times you pick Kwame Brown. I could only imagine how many times NBA teams have kicked themselves for passing on a proven player, for a player they felt may or may not blossom. It's easy to say "Well, we should have picked that guy knowing what we know now", so, that's what we're going to do today. This draft is based on team need or long term potential based off what has been exhibited this season, and does not involve any trades. Rosters are based off current rosters in the NBA. Go ahead and feel free to comment, as I'm sure you won't agree with every pick or reasoning, which is what makes this sort of thing so great.

1. Chicago Bulls: PG Derrick Rose (Memphis)
   Who was picked: Same
   The Bulls pick up their PG of the present and the future. Rose is still unquestionably the most talented player in this group.
   
2. Miami Heat: C Brook Lopez (Stanford)
   Who was picked: F Michael Beasley
   The Heat has struggled at the Center position ever since Shaq was traded to the Suns. To put a player with the scoring, rebounding, and shot blocking ability on a team with Dwayne Wade is scary. With averages of 13ppg/8rpg/2bpg, he can only improve with time. It doesn't hurt having a player of this caliber in the same division as Dwight Howard.
   
3. Minnesota Timberwolves: G Russell Westbrook (UCLA)
   Who was picked: G O.J Mayo
   The Timberwolves have been desperate for a PG since Randy Foye has proven to be better suited for the 2 spot. The Wolves pick easily the 2nd best guard in the draft, with the defensive talents to go along with his superb athleticism. A backcourt of Westbrook/Foye could have been dynamite for a young Wolves team.
4. Oklahoma City Thunder: C/F Kevin Love (UCLA)
   Who was picked: G Russell Westbrook
   Speculation says that the Thunder will draft Blake Griffin if awarded the no.1 pick in the 09 draft. Why wait until then? The Thunder get a legit double/double guy in Love to place alongside Kevin Durant while still keeping Jeff Green at the 4. They miss out on a PG, but with the 09 draft stocked with guards, they can afford to pass on one this year.
5. Memphis Grizzlies: G O.J Mayo (USC)
   Who was picked: C/F Kevin Love
   The Grizz get their man without trading away Mike Miller with the 5th pick. Mayo has been dynamite for the Grizz this year, leading all rookies in scoring. He still helps move Rudy Gay to small forward, and doesn't allow Greg Buckner to become the starting shooting guard, which is scary.
6. New York Knicks: G Eric Gordon (Indiana)
   Who was picked: F Danilo Gallinari Gallinari, D
   The Knicks currently have Larry Hughes and Quentin Richardson at the 2. That alone could be enough to justify this pick, however, Gordon justifies this pick with his scoring ability and knack for being a tough defender. He is currently averaging nearly 16 points for a bad Clippers team. Add about 10 points to that playing for D'Antonio and you have a dynamite pick.
7. Los Angeles Clippers: PG DJ Augustin (Texas)
   Who was picked: G Eric Gordon
   The Clippers have a good for around 50-60 games Baron Davis and then.....Fred Jones? With this pick, they get a speedy Augustin to groom behind Davs, and eventually take our the teams starting guard spot.
8. Milwaukee Bucks: F Michael Beasley (Kansas State)
   Who was picked: F Joe Alexander
   I have a hard time watching Beasley slide this far based off his potential, however, having watching him this year he still looks to be a work in progress. Many experts believed him to be the frontrunner for rookie of the year, though his lack of defense has kept him from getting big minutes for the Heat. The Bucks pick him up, and while Skiles is all about defense, he needs someone else to score besides Richard Jefferson and Charlie V. After those 2, there isn't much depth. Beasley also brings some hype to a Bucks team that is often overlooked in the NBA, unless a player of theirs tweets.
9. Charlotte Bobcats: F Jason Thompson (Rider)
   Who was picked: PG DJ Augustin
   With Emeka Okafor moving back to the center position since acquiring Boris Diaw, the Bobcats have little depth at the 4 spot. Despite Vladimir Radmanovic being 6-10, he is more suited at SF. The Bobcats pick up a legit 4 in Jason Thompson, who has shown to be one of the steals of the draft, averaging 10/7 in under 30 minutes a game.
10. New Jersey Nets: F/C Marreese Speights (Florida)
    Who was picked: C Brook Lopez
    The Nets miss out on Lopez, however, they get a promising big in Speights. Questioned about his work ethic coming out of Florida, Speights has quickly shown he is for real, averaging the highest PER out of his class at 19.08. Speights also fills a team with little quality depth at the 4 and 5, with Sean Williams not panning out the way the Nets envisioned.
11. Indiana Pacers: F Anthony Randolph (LSU)
    Who was picked: PG Jerryd Bayless
    Randolph has been inducted into the HoF by Lamar Odom already, but in reality, the forward has shown moments of brilliance in his young career. At the tender age of 20, his lack of maturity is one of the only things holding him back from prospering. He joins a Pacers team that already has Danny Granger at the 3, but an oft-injured Mike Dunleavy and good but not great Marquis Daniels as depth.
12. Sacramento Kings: PG Mario Chalmers (Kansas)
    Who was picked: F Jason Thompson
    Probably one of my easiest picks, the Kings have been desperate for a PG to either replace Beno Udrih, or back him up. Chalmers was originally picked in the 2nd round, but has proven to be a 1st round talent, leading all rookies with 1.9 spg, and is 3rd in assists with 4.8 a game.
13. Portland Trail Blazers: F Danilo Gallinari (Olimpia Milano)
    Who was picked: G Brandon Rush
    Many experts wonder what this team would be like with Kevin Durant at the 3 to go along with Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge. The Blazers pick up a legit prospect at small forward, all while keeping everyones golden boy Greg Oden. Gallinari has battled back issues, but has shown flashes of why he was picked so high in the real draft. With the young Blazers having Travis Outlaw and Rudy Fernandez capable of playing the 3, they can bring Gallinari along slowly to be ready for the future.
14. Golden State Warriors: F J.J. Hickson (North Carolina State)
    Who was picked: F Anthony Randolph
    Despite rarely playing them, it appears the Warriors love to stockpile young bigs on their bench. Hickson is an athletic rebounder who could help a team that isn't known for having guys like this. The Warriors are currently starting Stephen Jackson at the 4. Enough said.
15. Phoenix Suns: C/F JaVale McGee (Nevada)
    Who was picked: C/F Robin Lopez
    McGee is a legit 7 footer who could run the floor and block shots with the best of them. Sitting behind a Shaq couldn't hurt the big man either, as he wouldn't have to be rushed into playing time so quickly.
16. Philadelphia 76ers: G/F Courtney Lee (Western Kentucky)
    Who was picked: F/C Marreese Speights
    It pains me to watch the Sixers pick up one of my favorite players, but with Willie Green and Kareem Rush as your 2 guards, it's an absolute no brainer. I was tempted to put Courtney higher, but felt this would be a great fit for a Sixers team with one of the worst SG rotations in the league. The do it all rookie has proven to be one of the biggest steals in the draft, originally falling all the way to the 22nd pick.
17. Toronto Raptors: C DeAndre Jordan (Texas A&M)
    Who was picked: C Roy Hibbert
    No knock on Hibbert, who could easily be picked here again, but Jordan fell all the way to the 2nd round after being compared to Dwight Howard in many mock drafts. Jordan stepped in well when Marcus Camby was injured, grabbing 20 boards in a game against the Warriors. Jordan is still very raw, but shows enough potential to be chosen by a team that has a lack of quality big men besides Bosh and Bargnani.
18. Washington Wizards: PG George Hill (IUPUI)
    Who was picked: C/F JaVale McGee
    With Gilbert Arenas battling injuries, and only having journeyman Mike James and young but raw Javaris Crittenton as your PG's, the Wizards pick up George Hill. Like Courtney Lee, Hill comes from a small school, but immediately has stepped up and contributed siginificantly to a title contending team.
19. Cleveland Cavaliers: G/F Brandon Rush (Kansas)
    Who was picked: F J.J. Hickson
    Missing out on depth at the 4, the Cavs pick up depth at the 2 spot. Sasha Pavlovic has regressed, and the Cavs lack much beyond Delonte West. Rush has been somewhat of a disappointment, but this slot is much better suited for him. Playing for LeBron James may benefit him as well.
20. Charlotte Bobcats: PG Jerryd Bayless (Arizona)
    Who was picked: C Alexis Anjinca
    This was one of my toughest picks. Bayless falls way harder then I really believe he would, but I just couldn't put him on any other team. Sure, the Warriors might have picked him up, but they don't need him with all their guards already. He also could have went to the Raptors, with Calderon being their only quality PG. Bayless immediately backs up Raymond Felton, and plays a similar role that DJ Augustin is this year.
    
21. New Jersey Nets: C Roy Hibbert (Georgetown)
    Who was picked: F Ryan Anderson
    The Nets get more big man depth with Hibbert. Playing in an Eastern Conference with Dwight Howard, it doesn't hurt to have a banger down low to pick up some fouls and rebounds.
22. Orlando Magic: F Ryan Anderson (California)
    Who was picked: G/F Courtney Lee
    The Magic get a better version of Brian Cook to fill some depth at the 4. I also had Luc Richard Mbah a Moute or Robin Lopez going here, but neither of them can shoot the 3 like Anderson, who is hitting a cool 36% as a rookie. We all know the Magic need to space the floor for Dwight, so this is the obvious pick over the other two.
23. Utah Jazz: F Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (UCLA)
    Who was picked: C Kosta Koufos
    I almost had the Jazz making the exact same pick, however, they recently sent Koufos to the D-League. This probably means they view him more as a project then an instant contributor. Instead, the Jazz get more defense, and pick up Mbah A Moute. He can can fill the depth needed as Matt Harpring gets older, and the Jazz battle injuries. Originally picked in the 2nd round, he has passed numerous players production wise picked before him already.
24. Oklahoma City Thunder: F Joe Alexander (West Virginia)
    Who was picked: F Serge Ibaka
    Alexander falls hard, but still has loads of potential. The Thunder continue the youth movement and pick him up to backup Kevin Durant at the 3.
25. Houston Rockets: F Nicolas Batum (Le Mans)
    Who was picked: Same
    The Rockets pick Batum again, but this time, keep him. With McGrady being injured 80% of the time, Batum fills a depth need at the 3, and continue the trend of the Rockets having great wing defenders.
26. San Antonio Spurs: PF Serge Ibaka (L'Hospitalet)
    Who was picked: PG George Hill
    The Spurs pick up a promising young big who has been compared to Shawn Kemp to store away overseas. The Spurs are good at this (See: Luis Scola)
27. New Orleans Hornets: F Darrell Arthur (Kansas)
    Who was picked: Same
    The Hornets pick Arthur again,but keep him this time. This team needs depth badly, and Arthur has proven to be able to play in the NBA, albeit still being raw. Putting up 6 ppg and 5 rpg, he is still way better then Ryan Bowen and Melvin Ely.
28. Memphis Grizzlies: C Robin Lopez (Stanford)
    Who was picked: F Donte Green
    The Grizz get a quality big with loads of potential to be a banger, but I feel was picked way too high in the draft. With the young Grizz, he can come along slowly, as opposed to being on a potential playoff team like the Suns.
29. Detroit Pistons: C Kosta Koufas (Ohio State)
    Who was picked: F D.J. White
    This may be too low for Koufas, but he is still very raw, and can learn from bigs such as Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess. His game also reminds me of Mehmet Okur, who the Pistons let get away from them. He turned out pretty good.
30. Boston Celtics: F Donte Greene (Syracuse)
    Who was picked: F J.R. Giddens
    The Celtics have lost Tony Allen to injury and James Posey to free agency. They pick Greene who has the potential to be a great scorer with tons of length. This is a no brainer, considering who is left.
    
    
    
    Credit: NBA.com, The Memphis Commercial Appeal, and the Washington Times for the photos.

*I have gotten emails and comments (see below) about Bust a Bucket doing a similar post the night before. I would like to take the time to direct viewers of this blog over there to see how their draft redux turned out, and publicly let everyone know that it was merely a coincidence that my post title was the same as theirs.
Trust me, we come in peace.

Music Monday

So, tonight the Magic are down in Miami to take on the rival Heat. It's a big game for the Magic who hope to jump past Boston and back into the 2nd spot in the East. In other words, the heat is on. Right, Glenn Frey?

The heat is on, on the street
Inside your head, on every beat
And the beat's so loud, deep inside
The pressure's high, just to stay alive
'Cause the heat is on

Oh-wo-ho, oh-wo-ho
Caught up in the action I've been looking out for you
Oh-wo-ho, oh-wo-ho
Tell me can you feel it
Tell me can you feel it
Tell me can you feel it
The heat is on, the heat is on, the heat is on
The heat is on, oh it's on the street, the heat is...on

The shadows are on the darker side
Behind those doors, it's a wilder ride
You can make a break, you can win or lose
That's a chance you take, when the heat's on you
When the heat is on

CHORUS

It's on the street
The heat is on, the heat is on, the heat is on
Yeah, it's on the street
The heat is on

Credit Lyrics Download for the lyrics.