Author: John Paulsen (Page 849 of 937)

Couch Potato Alert

July 1, 2006 / John Paulsen

The World Cup quarterfinals continue this weekend. Fox has several interleague baseball games this weekend, while ESPN has the Yankees/Mets tilt on Sunday night.

World Cup
In Progress: England vs. Portugal – ABC
Sat, 3 PM: Brazil vs. France – ESPN

MLB
Sat, 1:20 PM: NY Mets @ NY Yankees – FOX
Sat, 1:20 PM: Houston @ Texas – FOX
Sat, 1:20 PM: Chicago Sox @ Chicago Cubs – FOX
Sat, 4:05 PM: LA Dodgers @ LA Angels – FOX
Sun, 8:05 PM: NY Mets @ NY Yankees – ESPN

Auto Racing
Sat, 7:30 PM: NASCAR Pepsi 400 – FOX

General Sports, MLB, Television

Bucks trade Ford for Villanueva

July 1, 2006 / John Paulsen

The speculation for weeks now were that the Bucks were offering up Jamaal Magloire and Mo Williams in the hopes of landing an athletic power forward. With that in mind, Milwaukee started dealing with Toronto, but the Raptors wanted T.J. Ford instead, and they got their man.

Ford averaged 12.2 points and a team-high 6.6 assists in 72 games last season following a spinal-cord injury that sidelined him for a season and a half.
The 6-foot-11 Villanueva, selected seventh overall in the 2005 draft, averaged 13.0 points and 6.4 rebounds in 81 games for the Raptors. The former Connecticut star set Toronto rookie records for points with 48 on March 26 at Milwaukee and rebounds with 18 on April 2 against New Orleans.
“Acquiring Charlie takes care of a primary need we had going into the summer,” Harris said. “He’s a gifted power forward who knows how to score both inside and outside. … The outstanding rookie season he had last year is only the beginning of what he’s capable of achieving.”

Ford is a dynamic player and a fan-favorite in Milwaukee. There will be many Bucks fans that will be upset about the move. In Ford, the Raptors got a Steve Nash-like point guard to fill the same role in GM Bryan Colangelo’s up-tempo system.

Pending another move, the Bucks could start Williams, Michael Redd, Bobby Simmons, Villanueva and Bogut, giving the team one of the best young lineups in the league. It is important for Milwaukee to lock up Williams before his stock gets any higher.

NBA

Good values in free agency

June 30, 2006 / John Paulsen

NBA free agency starts tomorrow and teams have a two-week span in which to negotiate with players. No formal contracts can be signed until that period is complete. Unrestricted free agents can sign with any team they wish, while restricted free agents can sign an offer sheet with any team they like, but their current team has the right to match the contract and keep the player. This makes signing a restricted free agent a dicey proposition. You want to get the player for as little as possible, but you want the contract to be big enough to scare off their old team.

ESPN’s Chris Sheridan has a list of the top free agents, but here are five guys that I think will be undervalued this summer:

Jared Jeffries, WAS (restricted)
The stock of this 6’10” swingman rose significantly with his defensive play on LeBron James in the playoffs. He’s rangy and can defend without being too physical (and having to foul.) He’s not a big scorer, but wasn’t asked to take many shots with Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler on the team. Still, he shot 45% from the field and 32% from the 3PT line. His FT% (59%) is the only major hole in his game. I envision him signing a contract with a $5 M-$7 M average salary.

Marcus Banks, MIN (unrestricted)
Banks’ play after the All-Star break – 12.2 ppg, 5.2 apg, 47% shooting – earned him many admirers around the league. But there are plenty of point guards available, so his value will be somewhat depressed this summer. He’s young (24) and he’s more of a pass-first point guard, which makes him worth mid-level money ($5-$5.5 M per season). Whoever locks him up should have a good point guard for years to come.

Chris Wilcox, SEA (restricted)
In 29 games with the Sonics, Wilcox averaged 14.1 points and 8.2 rebounds, while shooting 59% from the floor and 79% from the free throw line. He proved that all he needed was consistent minutes to be productive and that the main reason he didn’t play for the Clippers is that he was buried behind Elton Brand and Chris Kaman. My guess is that Wilcox will sign a contract averaging in the $7 M-$9 M range, and he’ll be worth every penny.

Speedy Claxton, NO (unrestricted)
Claxton might end up being the best value on this list. He’s not the best shooter (42% lifetime), but he’s more of a setup man than a scorer. He averaged 12.3 points and 4.8 assists playing alongside Chris Paul for the Hornets. In three games as a starter, he averaged 20.7 points and 9.3 assists on 51% shooting. Speedy is a great guy to bring in if you have a few other stars you want to feature. I wouldn’t be surprised if he, like Banks, signs for mid-level money ($5 M-$5.5 M).

John Salmons, PHI (restricted)
If the Sixers do trade Allen Iverson away, they’d be smart to re-sign Salmons soon. He played very well as a starting guard, averaging 10.6 points and 5.2 assists per contest, and played even better in games that Iverson missed. A team that needs a complimentary, versatile swingman could sign Salmons to a deal in the $5 M-$7 M range and get good value for the duration of the contract as he continues to improve.

There aren’t as many quality big men available this summer, so four of the guys on this list are guards or swingmen. Expect the price of centers to be extremely high, especially considering the contracts that Tyson Chandler and Samuel Dalembert signed last summer.

NBA

Draft winners & losers

June 29, 2006 / John Paulsen

It’s impossible to accurately judge a draft until three (or more) years after it happens, but we still have opinions about who had a good night and who didn’t. Here’s a list of a few winners and losers from last night, though as the players develop, all bets are off.

WINNERS

Portland Trail Blazers
The Blazers really overhauled their roster, jettisoning Sebastian Telfair (who was the reason they passed on Chris Paul in last year’s draft) getting Brandon Roy in return. Roy is considered the best all-around player in this year’s draft and represents a nice comeback (at this point) from the Paul mistake. LaMarcus Aldridge gives them a player to build around in the middle. They also drafted two international players – point guard Sergio Rodriguez and power forward Joel Freeland. Both have good upside.

Memphis Grizzlies
Jerry West turned the Rockets’ misfortune into his gain, getting Rudy Gay along with Stromile Swift for Shane Battier. I’m not a huge fan of Gay’s competitiveness, but he does have all the physical tools to be a star. West also drafted Kyle Lowry (Villanova) to play the point and got the athletic Alexander Johnson (Florida State) as a power forward prospect. Overall, this is a great draft and really improves the team’s speed.

Utah Jazz
The Jazz needed an athletic shooting guard to compliment Deron Williams in the backcourt and got their man in Arkansas’ Ronnie Brewer. Due to an old arm injury, Brewer’s shot is jacked, but he made 44% from the field, so he’s somewhat effective. His defense and creative skills are just what the Jazz needed. Dee Brown gives them a point guard with good speed and Paul Millsap is a decent inside player.

Charlotte Bobcats
Though I think Brandon Roy would have filled the gaping hole at shooting guard, Adam Morrison has the inside track to be the Rookie of the Year next season. I wonder how they’ll work Morrison and Gerald Wallace – one of the most effective players in the league – into the lineup together. Ryan Hollins has a chance to be a good frontline backup in the league.

LOSERS

Houston Rockets
I like the addition of Shane Battier, but at the cost of the #8 pick and Stromile Swift? Ouch. The Rockets got the short end of the Roy/Foye debacle. In the second round, Steve Novak can shoot, but that’s about it.

Phoenix Suns
With some good picks still on the board, the Suns traded away both of their first round picks for cash considerations and cap relief. Phoenix fans must be scratching their heads, hoping that these moves allow the team to re-sign Leandro Barbosa and Boris Diaw, while keeping Shawn Marion in a Suns uniform as well.

Sacramento Kings
With shooting guards Kevin Martin and Francisco Garcia already on the roster, why take another shooting guard, Quincy Douby? Isn’t it time to find a suitable backup for Mike Bibby? Rajon Rondo, Marcus Williams, Kyle Lowry, Jordan Farmar and Rodriguez were all still on the board. The Kings’ haven’t had a good backup point guard since Bobby Jackson left in free agency.

NBA, NBA Draft

Three things overheard at last night’s draft

June 29, 2006 / John Paulsen

Blazers: “We didn’t pass on Morrison, honest!”

The Portland Trail Blazers pulled a fast one on their fans, passing on “Draft the ‘Stache” inspiration Adam Morrison without actually passing on him. Portland made a deal with Chicago, exchanging the draft rights to the Bulls’ #2 pick, LaMarcus Aldridge, for the draft rights of the Blazers’ #4 pick, Tyrus Thomas, along with Viktor Khryapa. The Blazers could have easily told the Bulls to draft Morrison #2 and traded Thomas for him, but they wanted Aldridge instead, and they got their man. They avoided some bad press when Charlotte took Morrison #3. That way, the Blazers never actually passed on him.

I don’t know if these details will be lost on Portland fans. Certainly anyone who was passionately hoping that Morrison would land in Portland will be able to see through the trade. The bottom line is that the Portland fans wanted him but the franchise didn’t. Morrison is certainly a capable player, and would have been a good fit in Portland, not to mention immensely popular. If I were part of the “Draft the ‘Stache” movement, I’d feel pretty slighted today.

Timberwolves: “Oops.”

I was a bit perplexed by Minnesota’s drafting Brandon Roy (#6) and trading him to Portland for Randy Foye (#7). If you’re the Wolves and you want Foye, why don’t you just draft Foye at #6? Other than a slightly cheaper rookie contract, there’s no upside at all.

The word is that after the Blazers traded away Sebastian Telfair and Theo Ratliff for the Celtics’ #7 pick, Raef LaFrentz’ bloated contract and Dan Dickau, they got wind that the Timberwolves were going to trade Roy to Houston for Foye, who the Rockets would take at #8, along with Luther Head. So Portland took Foye, forcing the Wolves to trade Roy – a player the Blazers really liked – to them in exchange for Foye. In effect, they got Roy for Telfair (wow!) for taking on an extra year of a fat contract. (LaFrentz’ deal runs through 2008-09 while Ratliff’s runs through 2007-08.)

Rumors continue to fly that the Celtics are still trying to land Allen Iverson, and may be using Telfair in a trade to get the longtime Philadelphia star. Danny Ainge has proven to be a very capable GM, so unless he sees something in Telfair that the rest of us don’t, he’ll probably be used to get AI. Giving up the #7 pick for Telfair doesn’t seem like a good trade on the surface, but if the Sixers are a big fan of the young point guard, and are willing to give up Iverson to get him, it would give the Celtics the other superstar to play alongside Paul Pierce.

Rockets: “Damn.”

After the Blazers stole their guy (Roy), Houston was stuck with the #8 pick. They ended up taking Rudy Gay, a guy they obviously didn’t like all that much, and traded him, along with Stromile Swift, to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Shane Battier. Battier is a great fit in Houston (or anywhere, really), but the Rockets gave up two players with a ton of upside to get him. I get the feeling that they were stuck between a rock and a hard place and had to take the best deal they could get.

It’s interesting that Swift ends up back in Memphis after leaving the Grizzlies for Houston last summer.