NBA BeatDown 04.15.08: OJ Mayo's Future, Eastern Conference Scoop, More
Posted by BL Anderson on 04.15.2008
Find out the scoop on the (L)Eastern Conference, What kind of pro OJ Mayo will be, the future of the OKC Sonics, and the return of the BeatDown Q&A!
NBA BeatDown 04.14.08
Hello everyone I'm BL Anderson and this is the NBA Beatdown. Lot's of good playoff-type basketball this week. Great to be back here on 411. A little later in the column, we'll have the return of (by not-so-popular demand) the BeatDown Q & A with 411mania forum participant and all-around great guy Anthony Escobar aka Rawmaniac.
That's right…it's the Eastern Conference Playoff Picture. Or as I like to call it…basketball shit sandwich.
-Around the League
USC Freshman OJ Mayo Declares for NBA Draft
This week OJ Mayo declared for the NBA draft after only one year of playing college ball at Southern California. Most folks predicted that he probably would go pro, but many felt like Mayo did not live up to the lofty expectations that he was heralded in with after being "The Next LeBron" or some nonsense like that. Michael Beasley, Derrick Rose, Eric Gordan, and to some extent Bill Walker all performed at the same level, or higher than Mayo this season. Mayo was a good college player. Will he be able to translate his upside to true talent as an NBA player? Will Mayo blossom into the star that he was predicted to be? Or will he fizzle out? Or will he be a solid NBA player, just not what was originally expected? Here are how some of the drafting website are projecting Mayo's draft future:
So if we take the average of what we've got here, that makes him a 5th Overall selection. We'll see what happens come draft day.
Next!
Report Surfaces Stating Owners of Seattle Supersonics Intended to Leave Seattle Immediately After Team Purchase
And this one isn't surprising at all, considering the report of own of the owners telling people that the plan was to move the Sonics to Oklahoma City all along. The Sonics may have played their last game in Seattle, of which they beat Dallas the other night. Good way to go out.
One of the interesting items surrounding this story is that the NBA is allowing the city of Seattle to keep the Seattle Supersonics name, logo, and history, for when another investor comes in wanting to expand on the legacy of Seattle Pro Basketball.
Meanwhile, this team will be moving to OKC. This is actually good for the franchise as a whole, in my opinion, as the deal with Oklahoma City will be much sweeter, and the city has proven that it can sell out the Ford Center, which is about to experience renovations to harbor a full-time NBA team. If you recall, the New Orleans Hornets played most of their games in Oklahoma City last year while their own arena was being fixed after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. They sold the damn thing out every night! In most NBA cities, you'll find at least a few empty seats, even in the biggest games (save the playoffs).
The Sonics will do well in OKC. I think that they've got a good young core of guys with Chris Wilcox, Nick Collison, Luke Ridnour or Earl Watson (whoever they decide to keep), and of course Kevin Durant. They need pieces, but the foundation is set for them to improve for years to come. The potential is certainly there.
Kansas State Freshman Michael Beasley Declares for NBA Draft
Everyone knew that Beasley was going to declare for the draft, as he was the most dominant player in the NCAA this year. The kid averaged 26 PPG and 12 RPG. I mean…in the Big 12? That's decent. And I don't even think that we'll need to speculate on what pick he will be, as the only competition for the #1 spot would be Derrick Rose. Besides that, Beasley is nearly a lock for the top pick, and has the type of NBA-ready body and style to come in and be an impact player right away. Attitude issues aside…how bad a kid could he be? He still likes Sponge Bob…as long as he isn't on the same team as Ricky Davis, things should be all right. Well…I am sure that there are other bad influences around the league other than Ricky Davis, but Ricky Davis is the one that we are going to pick on, so that's how that is going to be.
What about Beasley? Where would he be a good fit? It's difficult to pass up a big man, and most teams are in need of one (especially the ones that lose a lot of games, thus the reason why they are in the lottery.)I figure that Beasley has a rude awakening coming to him, however, the first stretch that he has to match up against Amare, Duncan, Garnett, Dwight Howard, Al Horford, etc. Let's see how dominant he thinks he is after that, when he is so sore that he can barely move. But then again…he could prove me wrong. I don't see Beasley dominating on the regular in his first year. If he can get a grasp of what needs to be done every night in the NBA to survive and thrive, I certainly see Beasley as a future all-star, and I don't think there is any question about that.
-(L)Eastern Conference Playoff Picture (As of 04.14.08)
Last week we profiled briefly why the Western Conference was the dominant conference, with most of the teams getting in the playoffs having 50 wins or near 50 wins. This week we'll take a look at something a little less…exciting. Well, I mean, it's exciting if you like to watch teams lose and walk the ball up the floor EVERY STINKING TIME!
1) Boston Celtics (65-16)
2) Detroit Pistons (57-23)
3) Orlando Magic (50-30)
4) Cleveland Cavaliers (46-36)
5) Washington Wizards (43-38)
6) Toronto Raptors (41-40)
7) Philadelphia 76ers (40-41)
8) Atlanta Hawks (37-43)
First and foremost, let's have a look at the legitimate contenders in the Eastern Conference:
Leading the pack is the Boston Celtics, who set a franchise record for the biggest turnaround in team history after will just 24 games last year. The Celtics took major steps last off-season and went into "We want to win NOW" mode by acquiring Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, two perennial all-stars and one is a perennial MVP candidate, to go along with the perennial all-star that they already had in Paul Pierce, who was just WAITING to get some worthwhile help. Well…he got it this year, and boy has it paid off! The Atlantic division was won by a far and wide margin, as the Sixers are the closest thing to them…23 games back. Pierce has excelled in Boston this year, but the real story is Kevin Garnett changing the culture in Boston from lottery winners to division winners, and probable Eastern Conference winners. Of course, adding a shooter such as Ray Allen didn't hurt their ambitions either, as he is money from the charity stripe, and one of the most prolific three-point shooters of all time. Their chances of winning the East? Good. Very, very good. There is only one true challenger to their Eastern Conference title aspirations, which takes us into our next whole paragraph about….
The Detroit Pistons. Now, Detroit has all of the tools: athleticism, deep bench, talent, great coach, players that have been there before. But the problem with the Pistons? Well…they tend to get lax about things. You see…they tend to believe that they can flip a magical switch, which would enable them to win a championship, or at least the conference, with relative ease. Granted, the Pistons have been the most dominant regular season team in the Eastern Conference this decade. However, they only have the one (1) championship to show for it, back in 2004, when they also had Ben Wallace in his prime, an up-and-coming Turk by the name of Mehmet Okur, and the player that used to be Mike James coming off the bench. Now? They've still got a great team, with the core of a calmer, gentler Rasheed Wallace, Rip Hamilton, and 2004 Final MVP Chauncey Billups, but what about that bench? Jason Maxiell, who is a beast down low. They have the corpse of Antonio McDyess being rolled out, which is STILL good enough to start in the NBA, and Tayshaun Prince is always on defensively, even if his offense is up and down. Point being? (Yes…I do have a point) Detroit is the only team that can present, in my opinion, a true challenge to Boston. However, Detroit was beaten by Cleveland, of all teams, last year. Can they get it done this year? Do they have enough fire in the tank to put work in and get that 2nd title? Well…probably not.
So…who else is there in the East? Well…some folks like to talk about Cleveland. I don't. Why, BL, why?! LeBron is TEH GRETEST! Well…last time I checked, mindless LeBron fan, basketball was a team sport, and never has a team won the big one riding just one feller. NEVER. LeBron's #2? Well…Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Here's the problem, because I like Big Z…Big Z isn't getting the job done in the playoffs. Big Z is a center, who is over 7-foot, which makes him injury prone, unless he's Tim Duncan or Kevin Garnett, which he isn't. Who's after Big Z? Ben Wallace? No. Wally Szczerbiak? Great shooter, tries real hard. (Ben Wallace isn't even trying anymore, is he? Really?) Daniel Gibson? Still an unproven, and mostly two-dimensional commodity (shoots, scores…those two dimensions). Sasha Pavlovic and Anderson Varajao have decidedly NOT improved over their previous seasons, and have declined, as a matter of factly. (Microsoft Word says ‘Factly" isn't a word…but I SAY THEE NAY!) Now…Cleveland DOES have a chance? How much of a change? Well, much less than the Pistons. And actually…less than the 4th team that we'll talk about here…
The Orlando Magic! Yes…the Magic. With the best frontcourt in the NBA! Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis, and Hedo Turkoglu create match-up problems out the wazoo, which is a big deal for a 7-game series in the playoffs. Of course, the Magic also have the worst backcourt in the league (Jameer Nelson is a PG…gimme a break. At least Maurice Evans is trying!) Howard is a double-double machine, and will assuredly elevate his game in the first playoff series of his young career. Turkoglu is one of my favorite players this year because of efficiency: the ability to make good plays from the forward position, including making great passes, great shots, and normally setting up the offense. Turkoglu is also a leading candidate for Most Improved Player. Look for the Magic to get to the second round, and give whoever they are playing a run for their money, at least.
So…what about the rest of the blorks in the Eastern Conference? We've got Philadelphia, who lack the outside shooting presence to beat just about anybody in a 7 game series; we've got Toronto, who has basically underachieved all year for whatever reason, with a superstar and two good point guards; the Hawks have a really good shooting guard in Joe Johnson, and a good young core with Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, Josh Childress, and an experienced point guard with a lot of miles on him in Mike Bobby but lack…well, everything else to beat the Celtics. Washington has got a fine big three with Jamison, Butler, and Arenas, but lack the depth to challenge anyone except Cleveland. And…that's the rundown on the Eastern Conference! How pathetic…
BeatDown Q & A
BL: And here today for the return of the BeatDown Q&A we've got Anthony Escobar aka Rawmaniac from the Forums!
How we doing this week, sir?
Escobar: Doing pretty well, glad to be part of the beatdown! I've been wanting some more content on the 411 NBA side and apparently my wishes were answered. Good times.
BL: First things first, let's get right into the big stuff. This week, OJ Mayo declared for the NBA draft after one year as USC. What kind of player do you think Mayo will be? Will he be the type of star player that he was predicted to be prior to the beginning of the season, or will he be more of a role player? Or do you think that he'll fizzle out all together? Give us your thoughts on his announcement and future in the pros.
Escobar: I'm one of those "They should mature and age all 4 years before being thrown into the jungle" kind of guy. Theres no really way to determine how Mayo's success will go. We've seen too many good College players who've done well and gone on to suck in the NBA. It's on Mayo to hone his skills, learn the NBA style, and keep up with the other players.
BL: Next, let's talk about the Eastern Conference. We keep hearing on ESPN.com that the Pacers are still alive. Now, being the closest team to me in Louisville, KY, I have to arbitrarily root for the Pacers. However, I don't care about this, and neither should you. Do you think the Pacers can possibly uproot the Hawks and getting into the 8th spot, only to be slaughtered by the Celtics?
Escobar: Really doesn't matter whether they make it in or not because they won't beat the Celtics. So maybe they will, maybe not. Doubt it though.
BL: And who exactly would have a better chance against the C's, and why?
Escobar: Only Eastern team I really like that I believe have a chance is Detroit. Magic are good but not good enough to beat the Celtics. Detroit knows what they're doing, they have the players, only thing is the Celtics are a very powerful machine. But machines can be broken. Take away one piece of the machine and it breaks. I'm hoping someone can prove the Celtics wrong and defeat them, and the Pistons are the only one in the East that I believe can.
BL: Speaking of the east, and then we'll move on because all this talk of things that won't mean anything when it's all said and done is making me tired; Are there any teams besides Detroit in the Eastern Conference that you would consider a dark horse to get the Eastern Conference finals, and maybe even unseat the C's? Surely, you would jest if you said Cleveland...
Escobar: No. Bet on Celtics winning the entire conference.
BL: Over to the west, which is where the REAL action is! Quick answer, who gets in: Denver or Golden State, and why?
Escobar: Denver. They just scored a huge win against the Warriors and they I think they can at least stay a game ahead of the warriors in the last remaining three games.
BL: Some folks are going on and on about how the Spurs are over the hill, and that they have never won two championships in a row, blah blah blah. How do you figure that the Spurs stack up this year with the rest of the Western Conference playoff picture?
Escobar: The Spurs are the Spurs. They've been contenders for god knows how long. They know how to win, they know how to beat top tier teams and you can never count them out. They've always had good success against good teams like the Lakers and Suns. The Western Conference picture is so good right now, that any team can beat any team. I really cannot predict who is gonna come out on top. But I'm hoping its the Lakers!
BL: Last question, and then we'll get you out of here. You've got a choice...we'll say you are the Miami Heat, and you've got the #1 pick in the draft. Who are you going with? Beasley, Derrick Rose, or somebody that I'm not mentioning?
Escobar: I like Derrick Rose. He has the potential of being one of the NBAs premiere Point Guards but again I don't like that hes coming straight from freshman year. This guy truely has some talent though. Hes already being compared to be the next Dwayne Wade and Jason Kidd, so two Wades on one team? If he can stay healthy, this will also take some pressure away from Wade from being the focal point of the team and maybe give Wade some rest.
BL: Well Anthony, thanks so much for coming onto the BeatDown Q&A. Hopefully we'll get to chat with you again soon! Anything you'd like to plug, or state before I throw you out?
Escobar: Kobe For MVP. Nuff' said.
And I actually agree with him on that statement, but that's another column for another time.
-Please God…End this stupid column!
Well…that's all for me. Click next week for my thoughts on the MVP race, and the official who's in, who's out of the Playoffs.
