It’s a Kind of Magic (Holy 2nd Draft, Batman!)

(I wrote this on Easter, if that makes any more sense.)



Freddie Mercury, Jesus of Nazareth, and Shaquille O’Neal have all moved on to greener pastures. For the city of Orlando, this trinity tells a story of painful tragedy, heart-wrenching loss, and miraculous redemption. If The Daddy, the Son, and the Spirit of 80’s Rock have anything in common, it is that each in his own way gave people a reason to come together and believe.


The concept of the “second draft” applies perfectly to what Darko Milicic is doing in Orlando. The Magic chose to 1) dump a veteran banger in exchange for a 26-year-old PG who would start for many teams, and 2) trade a future first-rounder for a former first-rounder, essentially making him their draft selection because he still has untested upside despite being in the league for nearly 3 years. Still younger than many of this year’s rookies, what kind of potential does the snarling Serbian have left to break through all the nay-saying and unfulfilled expectations?




Darko at age 20, in 21 mpg:
8.0p, 4.4r, 1.1a; 0.4s, 2.2b
FG 53%; FT 60%;
1.3 TO, 2.4 PF



Dirk at age 20, in 20mpg:
8.2p, 3.4r, 1.0a; 0.6s, 0.6b
FG 41%; FT 77%; 3pt 20%
1.6 TO, 2.2 PF


Raise any eyebrows? Dirk put a few more free throws and three pointers on the board in his rookie campaign, but Darko’s block-party (2.2 bpg!) and shot selection (53%!) blow the blonde bomber out of the water. Of course, Milicic had three more years to understand the NBA game and understudy with the Wallace Brothers—but Nowitzki had the coaching staff behind him all the way, which is worth more than gold.

Really, it’ll get you a max contract.



Perhaps all a talented young Eurobig needs is a losing situation where a coach can comfortably give him 7th man minutes and encourage him to find his game. Don Nelson is a zany, offensively-unorthodox genius, the perfect general to take a three-point shooting 7-footer into battle against gawking fans and smirking media. The Detroit franchise was bent on a championship, and the Dumars-Brown contingent continuously reminded everyone they had big plans for their #2 overall pick, mentioning the eventual goal of “a European Bill Russell” in every other press conference. But delicate flowers can’t bloom under Larry Brown, much less in 553 minutes played.

Does Darko Defy the Daunting Dilemma of his Disappointing Detroit Days to Deliver Dirk-like Displays of Downtown Dynamism? Might Milicic Make Mighty GM Joe Dumars Lament His Latest Mistake?

Probably not. Will he breakout as a 17ppg starter next season as Nowitzki did? Doubtful. But starting next to Dwight Howard takes a lot of attention away from you, leaving you open for easy jumpers and allowing you to block slashers who unwisely drive at you to avoid your frontcourt mate. Pending draft decisions in June (I hope they get Roy or Carney) and preseason play next October, I’ll pencil DM in for14-7-2 on 50% shooting with 2.5 blocks in 31 minutes. Which is better than 10-year veteran and former minute-blocker Rasheed Wallace’s numbers this season. Go figure.



See Darko: The Future - http://freedarko.blogspot.com/2006/02/i-hear-its-all-just-horizontal-myth.html

A Glitch in the Matrix?

To keep or not to keep? The Odom question is central when thinking about the Laker’s offseason and long-term game plan to build a contender. Many LA bloggers say there’s only one player they’d rather have as the complimentary superstar to his soon-to-be-24-ness than LO: KG. If the Ticket demands for a transfer this summer, by all means deliver him to sunny CA. But would no one else play second fiddle better than Odom? Certain promising Toronto and Orlando-based bigmen come to mind. I could be persuaded to imagine a skinnier O’Neal in purple and gold if the Pacers decide to blow it up sooner rather than later. My affinity for single-named Brazillians might even force me to throw The Artist Formerly Known as Hilario into the mix.



http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dailydime-060511

But all-star, Olympian, and unique a talent as he is, I would not take Shawn Marion over Lamar Odom. I’ll take Marc Stein’s surprisingly on-base point one step further: the Matrix can be controlled. Unlike Neo, Shawn is incapble of dominating his surroundings when it matters most. It’s almost unnoticeable at first, but sure as those octopus ships will drill into Zion, playoff level defenses take away the powers that Marion so impressively exhibits during the regular season.



His one-on-one moves are worse than Kwame Brown’s. His handle is sub-Kaman. And if you close out so he’s forced to dribble into that little goose neck, his shot is as reliable as Quinton Ross’. He relies on inattentive defense to back-cut, flash to the middle, snag offensive boards—he finds himself in a whole new reality come May.

Ask yourself: is that really air you are breathing?

Requiem for a Dream

I feel your frustration, Kobe. The dream died, and it was such a pretty dream. Maybe changing your jersey number will fix the team. Maybe refusing to attack last Saturday will up the ante for teammates and management to do their part. Maybe giving Raja’s nose a few love elbows will give you the edge when you face them in the second round next spring. Maybe Kevin will demand more than spare parts this summer. Maybe.

As a man, I can comprehend Bryant’s decision to forfeit a foregone Game 7. As a coach, I cannot comprehend the inability of Phil Jackson or Mike Brown to impart a simple principle to their superstars: pass and cut. I have no problem with Kobe passing out of double teams instead of trying to beat them; I DO have a problem with him standing still after those passes. Impeccable conditioning and ultimate competitiveness DEMANDS that once you ditch the ball at the top of the arc, you cut to the high-post or set a down pick to free up someone else. Getting your teammates involved doesn’t mean voiding aggressiveness. Likewise, LeBron could create way more havoc on Detroit if he quickly cut after passing to get the ball back. As the Suns, Pistons, and Spurs demonstrate, ball movement and player movement can be crisp and decisive without causing turnovers and still ending up in a go-to guy’s hands. Receive the ball, make a move or hit the next guy. Pass, cut.

As Phil has reiterated, the Lakers don’t anticipate much action this summer. They need to see which pieces can develop. Talent injections are nice, but the LA feels free agency and the draft look much better next summer when they’re under the cap and abundant talent will fill the green room. Still, I see ways to meet needs in June and July. Virtually Gming follows thusly:



Option #1: Develop this Group, Add Small Pieces

Kobe and Lamar are where they need to be: a midrange Odom jumper would do Pippen proud. Bynum is a true low-post, shot-blocking prospect. With improved D and a more reliable threeball, Walton can be the perfect triangle SF. The 91-93 Bulls had two components the Lakers need to find—jump shooting bigs, and decisive, shooting PGs.

The frontline has Mihm, Kwame, Cook, and Turiaf to work with. I’d keep Mihm’s expiring $4M contract around as a more valuable asset come February and a reliable stand-in if Kwame regresses in the fall. Cook has the jumper, Turiaf has the fiery D—whichever one adds the missing skills first is the keeper. Darius Songalia has a nice midrange shot and can probably be snagged from Chicago for part of the MLE. Shot-blockers Saer Sene and Josh Boone will probably be available in the late first round, and even though they can’t shoot, such a presence certainly would have helped against Phoenix.

Smush and Sasha both have nice upside—neither looks like the Lakers starting PG of the future. Of all FA guards, Bobby Jackson or David Wesley would look nicest next to Kobe, but I wouldn’t prioritize them over minutes for S&V. Villanova’s Kyle Lowry could be a great steal in the draft. Rudy Fernandez could fit, but might be more Vujacic than Ginobili.

My Mitchery this summer would probably sit tight, draft Sene or Lowry, and sign Matt Harpring or Trevor Ariza with the MLE. Washington’s Bobby Jones is way under the 2nd round radar and would be a Ron Harper fit and a Bruce Bowen-like steal.

PG: Parker / Lowry / Jackson
SG: Bryant / Vujacic
SF: Walton / Harpring / Ariza
PF: Odom / Songalia / Cook / Turiaf
C: Brown / Mihm / Bynum / Sene



Option #2: The Big Splash

Obviously if Kevin Garnett is available, he would be the Greatest Second Banana of All Time to Kobe's phenomenal perimeter play. If Brian Grant's expiring $15M contract were included (and yes, you can trade such a thing), giving up LO would not only net KG but perhaps a Trenton Hassell or Marcus Banks as well. If the Pacers decide to blow it up, I wouldn't be opposed to using the same package for the skinnier O'Neal plus the spirited Saurunas Jasekevicius. However, I have a more likely and certainly more daring proposal:

PG: Ben Gordon / Smush
SG: Bryant / Vujacic
SF: Walton / Rudy Gaye
PF: Cook / Turiaf / Cederic Simmons
C: Brown / Bynum

Hear me out: Lamar Odom may be the best fit for this Lakers team at PF – but he may have reached his peak and it will take at least two more years to contend. Chicago is at the crossroands right now, and would a nickle’s worth of post-play now for ten cents of potential down the road. A Mihm-Odom deal for Ben Gordon and their two first round picks may be worth the risk for this LA franchise. Chicago loves Gordon, but has trouble starting him next to Hinrich and will certainly be hesitant to give him the starters money he will demand in ’08. On the other hand, LA loves Odom, but his passing and rebounding don’t quite make him a defensive pitbull and triangle assasain that Pippen was. Chicago gets the hard-working low-post threats they crave while retaining New York’s promising ’07 pick for the future. The Lakers get Pippen 2K6 in Rudy Gaye, a potential superstar guard who fits the triangle perfectly in Gordon, and the potential to infuse youthful talent around Bryant while remaining under the cap. It would be a step backward for LA, but provide a brighter future.

Removing Lamar lets Luke become the point-forward he was meant to be and gives more minutes at PF to sort out the young studs. Ben can easily take on LO’s scoring load and moves Smush to his more effective backup role. Draft Boone at #26 and you have Kobe playing with a UConn championship team (Gordon, Gaye, Boone, Bynum). Go Huskies!