Boozer was asked on ESPN 1050 if he was a better player than Lee.
“Absolutely I do. I think he’s a very good, young player though,” Boozer said. “I think he’s had a great season and he was the all star this year. I think he has a great upside to him I just think I’m better, but I mean that’s for you guys to debate about, I don’t worry about that kind of stuff.
“I just go out there and play all for my team and try everything I can to win games and win a ring. David Lee is a great young player, a good friend of mine, and of course I wish him the best of luck as well with whatever he does, if he stays in NY or if he also goes elsewhere.”
Lee just turned 27 while Boozer turns 29 in November, so Lee is about 1.5 years younger. I agree with Boozer that he’s (a little) better when he’s healthy, but that’s a big condition. Lee has missed three games in the last three years while Boozer missed 45 games during the 2008-07 season and another 80 games from 2004-2006.
Boozer is a better post up player, but the two are about the same on the glass and neither player is terribly good on the defensive end. Moreover, Boozer is (probably) going to command a starting salary of $14 million per season on his next contract while Lee will likely be $2 million – $3 million cheaper per year.
Bottom line — I’d rather have Lee because he’s younger, cheaper, more durable and almost as productive.
Suddenly, the future for Washington D.C. baseball looks awfully promising.
A year after taking pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg with the No. 1 overall pick, the Nationals took catcher Bryce Harper with the top selection during Monday’s MLB draft.
Harper doesn’t even turn 18 until October, but he hit .417 with 21 dingers in 51 games at a junior college last season. While his natural position is catcher, the club actually announced him as an outfielder when they selected him. Catchers usually take longer to get to the big leagues because they have to learn how to handle a major league pitching staff. But if Harper can play the outfield, he’ll likely spend less time in the minors.
While it’s important not to expect too much too soon out of them, if both Strasburg and Harper live up to their potential, the Nationals have two pieces in which they can build their franchise around for years to come. If nothing else, this will be an exciting team to watch over the next couple of seasons with the amount of young talent they’ll have coming up through the minors.
Ray Allen hit a Finals-record eight three-pointers last night, and went 7-for-7 in the first half. The following video is meant more for entertainment purposes rather than breaking down how and why he got open, but I’ll do my best.
Make #1: The Lakers played some bad perimeter defense last night (especially in transition) and this is a good example. Glen Davis set a ball screen on Derek FIsher as part of the Celtics’ secondary break and Fisher just stopped on the pick instead of fighting over the top of it. Also, Pau Gasol was playing way off of Davis instead coming up and jumping out on the screen.
Make #2: This one was in the half court and the defense was still bad. Fisher made the mistake of trying to go ball side of the screener (Kendrick Perkins) instead of chasing Allen on the screen. With a player like Allen, you always chase, chase, chase. He is so good at reading the defender that anytime the guy tries to cheat and go over the top, he’s just going to fade to the corner, creating some extra distance, and spot up for three.
Make #3: The Celtics killed the Lakers in transition. Shannon Brown did a terrible job on this play of locating Allen. You can see from the shot from above just how far he was away from Allen when he caught the ball. The #1 rule for the Lakers in transition should be to stop the ball, #2 should be find Ray Allen. This make was especially impressive because Rajon Rondo’s pass was off target.
Make #4: This is another secondary break that ends well for the C’s. This time, it’s Jordan Farmar who fails to pick up Allen in transition. Remember, Ray-Ray is looking to spot up all the time, even on the break.
Make #5: Three point shooters love it when their big guys get on the offensive glass and kick the ball out. It’s a great time to get open because the defender turns and watches the shot/rebound instead of locating the shooter. Essentially, they think their job is done, but once the offensive rebound is complete, it’s almost like another mini-break. Shannon Brown never should have left him. Doc Rivers’ expression after the make was priceless.
Make #6: This was probably my favorite of the bunch, because I’m sure Kobe was all pissed off at his teammates and felt the need to guard Allen and try to shut him down. Then he proceeds to make the same mistake that Fisher made by trying to go over the top of the screen. Chase, chase, chase. Always chase. Always. Also, notice the little jab step/push off that freezes Kobe for a second. Then, as soon as Allen sees Kobe go ball side of the screen, he fades to the sideline and spots up. It’s a think of beauty.
Make #7: Here’s another example of how dangerous Allen can be on the break. Derek Fisher ends up coming over to help on him, but he’s too late because he was also the one who stopped Rondo’s dribble. The blame could fall on Brown’s shoulders, who is standing in the lane while a guy who has just hit six-straight threes is jogging down the right side of the court unguarded. But the blame is really on Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol — neither player got down the court fast enough to cover the big (I can’t tell who it is) under the basket. Brown didn’t want to leave a guy standing wide open right at the hoops, so he stayed home. That’s on Bynum/Gasol.
Make #8: This was another offensive rebound kickout, this time from Glen Davis. Once again, it was Brown who fell asleep as Davis gathered the offensive rebound. It’s a no-no to leave Ray-Ray, especially when he’s shooting like this.
When Isaac Bruce officially retires on Wednesday, he’ll do so by holding every major Rams receiving record of all-time. He ranks fifth in NFL history in receptions with 1,024 and is second in all-time receiving yards with 15,208. He’s also ninth all-time in receiving touchdowns with 91 and was selected to four Pro Bowls.
But even though the former Ram and 49er set NFL stat sheets ablaze with his numbers, some don’t consider him a Hall of Famer because of the offensive systems he played in. From 1999 through 2001, the Rams led the league in passing yardage and they also set the record for most passing yards in a season in 2000 with 5,232. Therefore, many consider Bruce’s success a mere product of the Rams’ passing success in those three seasons.
While it’s hard to argue that Bruce didn’t benefit from the offensive systems he played in (as well as from lining up across from Torry Holt all of those years), it’s hardly fair to deny him entry into the Hall of Fame because of it. It’s not like he had a choice to play in those offenses during those years and besides, he still put up outstanding numbers.
Was Bruce a dominant player? No, but neither was Lynn Swann and he’s in the Hall (albeit after 14 tries). Bruce has the numbers, was fairly consistent (he racked up eight 1,000-yard seasons during his career) and played on some great teams.
He’s probably not a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but I believe Bruce should be elected into Canton at some point. Again, he wasn’t a difference maker but we’re talking about the best receiver in Rams’ history.
The 2010 MLB Draft starts tonight and in order to get things kicked off, SI.com’s Jon Heyman ranked the best and worst picks in the draft’s history.
Here are a few picks from each category.
Worst:
3. Matt Bush, SS, 2004, No. 1 overall, Padres. This pick was terrible in itself, but considering Justin Verlander came next makes it even worse. Bush not only never rose above Class-A, he is most memorable for the damage he and his buddies caused to Padres owner John Moores’ private box shortly after San Diego drafted Bush. This was one of those supposed cost-saving picks because real prospects such as Verlander, Stephen Drew and Jered Weaver were seeking much higher bonuses than the $3 million wasted on Bush. What makes matters worse is that Bush hailed from the San Diego area, so they should have known better.
5. Brien Taylor, LHP, 1991, No. 1 overall, Yankees. Taylor signed a record-setting bonus of $1.55 million and looked like a can’t-miss prospect until hurting his throwing shoulder in a fight defending his brother. Sadly, Taylor never pitched a game in majors, joining Chilcott as the second No. 1 pick never to play in the bigs.
12. Jeff Clement, C, 2005, No. 3 overall, Mariners. The Mariners gave away their No. 3 overall pick after they recognized he wasn’t going to be anything close to a star, trading him to the Pirates last summer. What’s worse is that the two players drafted immediately after Clements were Ryan Zimmerman (Nationals) and Ryan Braun (Brewers). Clement is hitting .197 as a Pirates first baseman this year and is a .223 career hitter.
Best:
1. Piazza, C, 1989, Dodgers, 62nd round. Hard to top a Cooperstown-bound catcher in round 62. Was a legacy pick at family friend Lasorda’s behest but he became a superstar.
6. Ryan Howard, 1B, 2000 Phillies, 5th round. This later bloomer was slow to be promoted to the majors, too, perhaps because of the presence of power-hitting Jim Thome. But as as soon as Howard arrived, he established himself as baseball’s top slugger.
7. Bay, OF, 2000, Expos, 22nd round. The Canadian was underappreciated almost right to the point where he signed that $66-million contract with the Mets. The Expos were full of good picks. This was one of their best.
Ha! Matt Bush. He’s so easy to root against in life.
How about the Expos finding Bay in the 22nd round? They probably had no idea what the hell they had, although as Heyman notes in the feature, they were actually one of the better organizations at drafting young players. (And then subsequently trading them away.)
Good list overall. There are always arguments to be made when rankings like these are released, but Heyman knows his baseball and I think he covers a wide spectrum of players. He also stays away from the most recent drafts, as one never knows if a player will fizzle after finding success early in his career. (Although I don’t think anyone would have bulked if Heyman mentioned Tim Lincecum among the best picks. He already has two Cy Young awards and the Giants showed guts taking him with the 10th overall pick despite his unusual throwing motion and small stature. Of course, I’m also a Giants fan, so take what I say at it’s worth.)
