Welcome Back!

Hey, remember when I ran a blog about the Hornets? Yeah, those were fun times.

So, all sarcasm aside, I suppose its time we jumped back in to this whole "basketball" thing. Curry and I are extremely sorry about disappearing for the playoffs (but so did the rest of the team, so no big deal right?... too soon?), but we are back and fired up for another off season of (hopefully useful) drafting/trades/acquisitions and the like.

Before we jump into things, I've got a couple of good links for you. If, for some reason, you've been mentally checked out as long as we have, and somehow managed to miss these nuggets, now would be an opportune time to catch up on some great writing:

* Great @TH post on Posey and his contributions.

* Another piece on our good ol' boy Pargo.

* Hey, there was a draft last night... who knew? Ok, we did. But since our draft recap won't be up until Sunday, you'll just have live with @TH's Draft Day Thread for now.

* Even though the draft's over, Ryan down at Hornets247 has a great piece on the value of a draft pick

* A slightly older piece from Ryan about possible trade scenarios and rumors. We'll be sure to pick up where he left off with a little more insight from last night's shenanigans.

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See you Sunday. Peace.

2008 Draft Prospectus 2.0

Ok, first off, let me apologize for Curry's ongoing attempts at funny headlines. Moving on.

So, the plan was to do another round of draft prospectus (ergo the title), but as Curry pointed out, the Hornets have traded their one and only pick in this draft for cash considerations. "Why?" you may ask. I have no idea. I'll have to look into it more. My guess (like Curry's) is that Bower thinks he can take care of the team's needs with free agent signings. The move does concern me a little since, even though this draft class isn't that strong, next year's looks to be even weaker. Never mind that we could have drafted CDR or Courtney Lee to help fill out the wing or even Nathan Jawai or DeAndre Jordan to strengthen the front court (Chad Ford seems to think that Jordan will drop as far as pick 28). But, you know what? I trust Jeff Bower. For now, at least.

Even with the Hornets taking a day off tomorrow, we at HH still have a vested interest in the draft. This year's group has been hard to peg since, after picks 1-4 (which are by no means set), the remaining 26 picks in round 1 could fall any which way. I was going to write that the Hornets should be targeting the following players in the following order: CDR, Lee, Jordan, Jawai. But now, that's irrelevant. I just thought you should know. Just in case.

Really, the saddest part of this day is that the Hornets have ruined one of the best fan ploys in the history of fan ploys. After drafting Courtney Lee this year and Stephen Curry next year... well, let's just say that the crew at HH would have been sporting some sweet jerseys. Alas.

Starting at guard: Lee and Curry!

The projections below are a cross between what teams might do and what I think they should do (you know, GM Lee just donning advice for multi-million dollar corporations in his spare time). Also, with the exception of the Hornets trading their pick, this prospectus does not take into account the possible trade rumors. Too many hypotheticals if we accounted for those. We've got enough as it is.

***

1. Chicago Bulls: Derrick Rose (PG, Memphis)

2. Miami Heat: Michael Beasley (PF, Kansas State)

3. Minnesota Timberwolves: O.J. Mayo (SG, USC)

4. Seattle Sonics: Russell Westbrook (PG, UCLA)

5. Memphis Grizzlies: Kevin Love (PF, UCLA)

6. New York Knicks: Jerryd Bayless (PG, Arizona)

7. Los Angeles Clippers: Eric Gordon (SG, Indiana)

8. Milwaukee Bucks: Danillo Gallinari (SF, Italy)

9. Charlotte Bobcats: Brooke Lopez (C, Standford)

10. New Jersey Nets: Joe Alexander (SF, West Virginia)

11. Indiana Pacers: D.J. Augustin (PG, Texas)

12. Sacramento Kings: Darrell Arthur, (PF, Kansas)

13. Portland Trailblazers: Alexis Ajinca (C, France)

14. Golden State Warriors: Anthony Randolph (PF, LSU)

15. Phoenix Suns: Brandon Rush (SG, Kansas)

16. Philadelphia 76ers: Kosta Koufos (C, Ohio State)

17. Toronto Raptors: Donte Greene (SF, Syracuse)

18. Washington Wizards: Marreese Speights (C, Florida)

19. Cleveland Cavaliers: Robin Lopez (C, Stanford)

20. Denver Nuggets: Roy Hibbert (C, Georgetown)

21. New Jersey Nets: DeAndre Jordan (C, Texas A&M)

22. Orlando Magic: Courtney Lee (SG, Western Kentucky)

23. Utah Jazz: JaVale McGee (PF, Nevada)

24. Seattle Sonics: Serge Ibaka (PF, Congo)

25. Houston Rockets: J. J. Hickson (PF, NC State)

26. San Antonio Spurs: Ante Tomic (Croatia)

27. Portland Trailblazers: Nicholas Batum (SF, France)

28. Memphis Grizzlies: DeVon Hardin (C, California)

29. Detroit Pistons: Chris Douglas-Roberts (SF, Memphis)

30. Boston Celtics: Jamont Gordon (SG, Mississippi State)

***

For those of you who can't get enough draft talk, I'd suggest Hollinger's draft class PER predictions for big men and wing men (the idea was to predict each draftee's PER after three years in the pros using college/international statistical data). Also, be sure to check out Andy Katz's draft day trade rumors.

Be sure to pop in tomorrow night for the live blogging battle between Curry and myself as we duke it out trying to project each pick. There will be many bad puns, silly references, and Miller High Life (no that was not a product placement, no we do not get paid to mention that stuff; if we did, we'd be buying better beer). So stop by for entertainment guaranteed to be more enlightening fun than whatever's being broadcast.

Peace.

2008 Draft Prospectus

Ok, so I have no idea whatsoever about anything scouting related. However, I have been reading tons of Chad Ford et al articles about the upcoming draft. Does this make me any wiser? No. Does this make me think I should post my own Round 1 predictions? Yes. Does the answer to the last question make me stupid? Probably.

I've always hated these types of articles. You make one guess, then make a another guess that's predicated on the correctness of the previous guess and so forth and so forth. So, by the time you land on the Celtic's pick (at number 30), you're basically suggesting that Boston would take so-and-so (Ibaka, if I'm the one talking)… oh, but that's only in this one highly unlikely scenario I've drawn up. Awesome.

1. Chicago Bulls: Michael Beasley (PF, Kansas State)
You couldn't go wrong with Rose, but Chicago is desperate for a real scoring threat in the front court. Plus they have a good enough point man in Hinrich — and he's got a contract that'll make it hard to move him.

2. Miami Heat: Derrick Rose (PG, Memphis)
The heat are lucky: they have so many positions to fill that any player in the lottery would probably be a good fit. The addition of Rose, however, would do wonders for this team. Of course, if Beasley fell to them, no one would be complaining (except for Udonis Haslem).

3. Minnesota Timberwolves: Brooke Lopez (C, Standford)
It's feasible that that the Wolves might grab Mayo or Love here, but what they really need is a big, defensive-minded addition to their front court since Al Jefferson only really does that offensive thing.

4. Seattle Sonics: Jerryd Bayless (PG, Arizona)
The Sonics need a capable point guard more than another scoring machine (i.e. Mayo). Bayless is the best in the draft after Rose.

5. Memphis Grizzlies: O.J. Mayo (SG, USC)
It seems unlikely that any team (even Memphis with its overloaded back court) could pass on Mayo. Or maybe they could pass the Mayo… or hold the Mayo. Wow. That's not going to get old. Actually, the most likely scenario is Memphis drafting Mayo then immediately trading him to the Lakers for Colby Karl and a $20 gift certificate to Del Taco.

6. New York Knicks: Danillo Gallinari (SF, Italy)
Supposedly D'Antoni isn't too high on this Italian star, but Danilo is a talented and intelligent player who could easily thrive under this coach. The question is can thrive next to everyone else on the roster.

7. Los Angeles Clippers: Eric Gordon (SG, Indiana)
A lot of the analysts are picking Westbrook to go here, but with Maggette and Brand possibly leaving, it would seem that the Clips would need a stronger scoring option than Westbrook. Plus Livingston should be back from injury to helm the point.

8. Milwaukee Bucks: Donte Greene (SF, Syracuse)
Most people insist that even though the Bucks need a SF, Greene has too many question marks to take this high. Ford even suggested that they'll probably just take the best talent on the board and then work the phones all summer. Bottom line: when your options at the 3 are Bobby Simmons and Desmond Mason, why not gamble on Greene?

9. Charlotte Bobcats: Kevin Love (PF, UCLA)
This guy's stock just keeps rising, and since it appears that Sean May might never come back (did he ever even show up?), Love is a great option to compliment Emeka in the front court and take some of the pressure off of Crash. Randolph is also a good option here.

10. New Jersey Nets: Anthony Randolph (PF, LSU)
Sean Williams was good int he first half, Krstic can't stay healthy, and Josh Boone is… Josh Boone. So, the Nets need help in the front court. Randolph is great fit for this young team's fast-paced play. He just needs to add a few pounds to his Tayshaun-ish frame.

11. Indiana Pacers: Russell Westbrook (PG, UCLA)
The Pacer's need a point guard like nobody's business. Even though Jamaal Tinsley is locked up for another few (expensive) years, Westbrook would be a perfect addition to this squad if he fell this far.

12. Sacramento Kings: D.J. Augustin (PG, Texas)
Udrih was good, but the Kings are looking for someone to really fill Bibby's shoes, especially now that there are scorers to pass to in Sactown (read: K. Mart 2.0). If there aren't any good points left on the board, look for the Kings to grab Darrell Arthur to replace what's left of Shareef Abdur-Raheem.

13. Portland Trailblazers: Joe Alexander (SF, West Virginia)
Other than Love, this guy's stock has soared over the past few days. Truthfully, Portland is really solid at the 2, 4, and 5 so look for them to grab Alexander at the 3 or possibly Augustin or Westbrook at the 1 (if they fall this far).

14. Golden State Warriors: DeAndre Jordan (C, Texas A&M)
This is the most logical pick for the Warriors. However, even if they do gamble on Jordan, Nellie probably wouldn't play him anyway, as big men who play defense well do not quite mesh with the 2 seconds or less philosophic structure of Nellie Ball. I mean, last season he only played Biendrins twenty-seven minutes a game for crying out loud. Still, Jordan would give them a strong front court presence who is young enough to run and gun.

[So, that was the lottery. I won't break down the rest of the picks since each one gets more and more absurd as we go (on uninformed decision on top of another), so I'll just list them. If the all of the 14 above players are off the board, here's how I'd draft the rest of them.]

15. Phoenix Suns: Darrell Arthur, (PF, Kansas)

16. Philadelphia 76ers: Marreese Speights (C, Florida)

17. Toronto Raptors: Robin Lopez (C, Stanford)

18. Washington Wizards: JaVale McGee (PF, Nevada)

19. Cleveland Cavaliers: Kosta Koufos (C, Ohio State)

20. Denver Nuggets: Ty Lawson (PG, NC State)

21. New Jersey Nets: Chase Budinger (SG, Arizona)

22. Orlando Magic: Brandon Rush (SG, Kansas)

23. Utah Jazz: Roy Hibbert (C, Georgetown)

24. Seattle Sonics: Bill Walker (SF, Kansas State)

25. Houston Rockets: J. J. Hickson (PF, NC State)

26. San Antonio Spurs: Nicolas Batum (SF, France)

27. New Orleans Hornets: Courtney Lee (SG, Western Kentucky)

28. Memphis Grizzlies: Nathan Jawai (PF, Australia)

29. Detroit Pistons: Chris Douglas-Roberts (SF, Memphis)

30. Boston Celtics: Serge Ibaka (PF, Congo)

So, to recap, none of this will probably happen at all. I do hope, however, that the Hornets have the sense to draft one of three players at the 2 (Rush, Douglas-Roberts, or Lee depending on who's available) or grab Nathan Jawai to help fill the black hole caused by the tandem of Ely/Bowen. I'll be thrilled for next season no matter what, but any of those picks would make me happy.

Thanks for stopping by.

The Links, vol. 1

To our beloved readers,

We at Hometown Hornets sincerely apologize for not providing coverage of the first two playoff games in what is turning out to be an extremely fun series against Dallas. We realize that by adding another writer to the staff (of one) it should hypothetically be easier to churn out fascinating posts covering games, off the court activities, and whatever other crazy stuff we find. This is apparently not true, as the Hornets' recent successes has prompted us to more often be twelve sheets to the wind instead of waxing philosophic on the mental toughness and brilliant performances of CP3 in his NBA playoff debut.

As rabid fans of basketball, we understand your insatiable need for copious amounts of unnecessary, biased, and ego-centric writing. Since we have failed you in providing this service as of late, we offer you these here links and the possibly flimsy promise of doing better in the coming weeks.

Take these and love us again:

1. Hollinger has done an excellent job as the ESPN writer assigned to our series. His coverage of Game 1 and Game 2 of the Dallas series has been phenomenal, especially since it strokes every Hornets fan's ego six ways from Sunday.

2. Scoop Jackson has started drinking the Cresent City koolaid as well. His recent article is somewhat heavy-handed in its conceit, but how can I say no to something so beautiful. Scoop uses a great quote by Mark Jones concerning CP:

Don't be fooled by the angelic face; there's a killer inside.

3. Great article by Ian O'Connor of MSNBC commenting on the irony of Byron Scott effectively "bum rushing" Jason Kidd out of the playoffs four years after their famous run-in. The last paragraph floored me:

He [Byron]has the Hornets playing defense and making life miserable for one of the great playmakers of all time. If Kidd offers to shake his hand at the close of this series, Byron Scott should do what Kidd used to do best: Pass.

4. ESPN the Mag published the results of some of their recent research and compiled a pretty cool Franchise Rankings for all of professional sports. Hornets koolaid anyone?

5. And finally, if you happen to be focused enough to see beyond the playoffs (or perhaps your team isn't participating in such events) and you're looking forward to May 20 and June 26, here's a Mock Draft Listing. Again, this kind of prediction and analysis is about as reliable as my insights on curling, but it's still fun to yell at your computer screen when various writers make dumb (albeit fake) picks.

XOXOXO,
HLD & CWS