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August 23rd, 2006
Citizenship Award to Be Renamed to Honor Deceased Owners
By Turtle Chase
When he found out that he came in 2nd for the citizenship award then-Seoul Owner Andre Dec gushed “I’m just glad that people are able to appreciate me enough to vote for me.” Former Arkansas owner Tim Richards was so enamored with the league that he was always online trying to improve his team, and always eager to speak with other owners. Both teams had promising futures, with both making some critical moves to improve their teams. But tragedy struck the WBA world not just once, but twice, and in the process left owners to come to the realization that Dec and Richards would not be back for another season.
The wounds were still deep that Arkansas owner Tim Richards had died of a heart attack just six weeks prior; when another cryptic email came around the league that Seoul owner Andre Dec had died of a seizure. Both had deep ties to the league, and both were well liked within the league. It led to Commissioner Rondall Reynoso announcing on Monday August 21st, that he has decided to rename the citizenship award to honor the two coaches for all of their work in the league. The award, won by Oregon owner Kevin Harper, will now be known as the Richards-Dec Citizenship award.
“It was just something I had to do,” said Reynoso, who also runs the Brooklyn Rage. “Both men brought a lot to the league. Andre was a great person to talk to, and although I didn’t speak to Tim as much, he was also a great person, and both will be missed.”
“I considered both of them friends. Despite being rivals, I chatted with the two of them a lot, and I will miss them both,” said Las Vegas Owner Steven Goodstadt. “For Rondall to rename this award was the perfect thing to commemorate two men who really cared about the league and made the league more fun. It will be hard to replace them.”
Richards, who replaced Sam Plummer as owner of the Washington Monuments after season 9, moved the team to Arkansas before the start of season 11. During his three years as coach he had 99 wins and 143 losses, while making it to the 2nd round of the playoffs once. He started off strong, but had some problems getting his team to work together, not being able to find a rhythm among his players. He was on the verge of making his team younger for the new season before he passed on. He was always having fun in this league, despite the misfortune of the last two seasons. He will be replaced by his son, who is looking forward to keep going on the legacy of his father.
Dec joined the league at the same time as Goodstadt before the 12th season began. He worked long and hard and after a rough 27-53 season, he had retooled his team completely, putting himself in shape to contend. He had brought a journalistic edge to the WBA, writing articles nearly every day, trying to bring something that had been lacking over the past few seasons. As his team has not been given to a new owner just yet, Goodstadt
remembers the friendly competition that they had.
“We had pushed each other, to make each of our teams competitive. We knew about each others proposals, talked about players, and gave each other advice on how to succeed,” said Goodstadt. “It just won’t be the same, because Andre was going to make the playoffs this season.”
In just six weeks, the WBA had been hit hard with bad news. Two owners, two owners who were well liked, passed on, leaving the rest to move on. But, with the Richards-Dec Citizenship Award, Reynoso has showed how much these two owners meant to this league, and with that, they will never be forgotten in this league.
“As long as this award remains in circulation, it will never be lost how much these two guys contributed not only to the league but on a personal level. These were genuinely good guys,” said Reynoso.
“It will be weird next year with the new coaches. It will be very hard to come close to the involvements of Richards and Dec. Renaming this award really shows just how much these two involved themselves, and it will be hard to match. They will be missed,” said Goodstadt
June 30th, 2006
Season Awards
MVP
Bishop Stein, Oregon
2-Javier Vasquez, Paris
3-Abdiel Gordon, Capetown
Rookie of the year
Omar Raoumbe, Gabon
2-Ian Tilmon, Oregon
3-Justin Hill, Las Vegas
Defensive player of the year
Lou Gonzalez, Oregon
2-Bobby Egan, Sacramento
3-Cordell Parks, SLC
6th man of the year
Elvis Harris, Gabon
2-Kurt Beck, LI
3-Kelvin Boice, Colorado
Most improved player
Abdiel Gordon, Capetown
2-Walt Jackson, Toronto
3-Javonte Bolk, Rochester
Executive of the year
Brad Bangerter, SLC
T2-Michael Esposito, LI
T2-James Borbath, Toronto
Coach of the year
Gustavo Follana, Paris
2-Sam Plummer, Charlotte
3-Patrick Fullum, Cancun
All-WBA
PG-Omar Jefferson, Brooklyn
SG-Bishop Stein, Oregon
SF-Heiko Van Brandt, Rochester
PF-Abdiel Gordon, Capetown
C-Javier Vasquez, Paris
All-WBA 2nd team
PG-Austyn Williams, SLC
SG-Mario Bailey, Brooklyn
SF-Walt Jackson, Toronto
PF-Roy Base, Nebraska
C-Lou Gonzalez, Oregon
All-WBA 3rd team
PG-Parker Mason, Cancun
SG-Dave Williams, Rochester
SF-Shane Strom, Brooklyn
PF-Kent Mercer, Cancun
C-Craig Bradshaw, Cincinnati
All-Rookie team
PG-Ian Tilmon, Oregon
SG-Casey Pointer, Mexico City
SF-Omar Raoumbe, Gabon
PF-Kyle Hawkins, NY
C-Senecca Redd, Las Vegas
All-Rookie 2nd team
PG-Jermaine Lee, Alaska
SG-Damien Bohm, NY
SF-Justin Hill, Las Vegas
PF-Jeremy Sims, Las Vegas
C-Trevor Ellis, London
All-Rookie 3rd team
PG-Shermar Mahara, London
SG-Arturo Fonzarelli, Baltimore
SF-P.J. King, Alaska
PF-James Boone, Seoul
C-Alexej Peska, Omaha
All-defensive team
PG-Parker Mason, Cancun
SG-Bobby Egan, Sacramento
SF-Cordell Parks, SLC
PF-Greg Lacy, Colorado
C-Lou Gonzalez, Oregon
All-defensive team 2nd team
PG-Austyn Williams, SLC
SG-Mario Bailey, Brooklyn
SF-Lonnie Gerson, Cancun
PF-Roy Base, Nebraska
C-Mike Bennett, Frankfurt
All-defensive team 3rd team
PG-Eric Manning, Capetown
SG-Brandon Morfeld, Toronto
SF-Heiko Van Brandt, Rochester
PF-Mark Miller, Sacramento
C-Al Herbert, Brooklyn
Citizenship award
Kevin Harper, Oregon
2-Andre Dec, Seoul
3-Michael Esposito, LI
June 27th, 2006
Seoul Searching: A Discussion with Brian Armstrong
It was a season of highs and lows for all the players who wore a Seoul
uniform. While the end result for the season was a disappointment, at least
one of the rookies is anticipating what can be done next season to improve
the team.
"I've been working out since the season ended," center Brian Armstrong said.
"Pushing myself to be a little tougher up close under the basket, facing off
against the league's big men. I think that next season, people are going to
be surprised at what we can do."
Armstrong played in seventy three games this season, backing up Joe Siebert
and Michael Huryta, primarily as a center. He logged the most minutes of any
of Seoul's rookies this past season, averaging out to sixteen minutes a
game. "Joe and Mike have been great at teaching me the ins and outs of the
league, and the more time I spend working with them, the more I really see
what I can do out there on a pro level."
Armstrong said his first year was "satisfactory", but expects better of
himself next year.
"All of us came into the league figuring we'd get a chance to make a pretty
immediate impact. Ryan, Jarion, Bo, Eiji and I each got a few looks, got a
few chances to prove ourselves, and while the vets got most of the playing
time, it felt great knowing that they could turn to me. When Joe got hurt
this year, they could've easily put Michael in there, given Boonesy the
start at PF...but they trusted me and I'd like to think I did a good job in
my first tour as a starter."
How did it feel watching Michael Huryta getting the minutes over several
established power forwards, like Rojas, Nash, and King?
"Michael's a big guy who never got the chance to shine. There was always a
better center out there who pushed him to the background. Bill Cash took him
aside and said he wanted to see what Michael could do as a power forward,
and Michael filled in the gap pretty well when nothing else seemed to be
working."
Has he considered changing positions?
"I don't think I'm ready to start looking at another position just yet.
Right now, I want to make sure I'm ready to make my mark next season, pick
up whatever lessons I can along the way. Joe's already told me when the time
comes for him to retire, Seoul's going to need someone ready to step in and
take charge. I'm going to do everything I can to make sure I'm ready when
that day arrives."
June 27th, 2006
FINALS BREAKDOWN
Analyzing the matchup, position by position.
PG: Ian Tilmon v. Charlie Meyers
Oregon's Tilmon has been one of the most dynamic rookies in the WBA. As
such, the level of skill he's presented playing for the Western Champions
has been nothing short of phenominal, especially for a rookie. The problem
is, matched up against Charlie Meyers, the polished rookie has looked raw
and inexperienced. Meyers remains a premiere point guard, and has been
absolutely dominating throughout the playoffs for Paris. Ian's chief source
of relief, Cole Bayo, has not fared well as a shooter this offseason and
this is a place where the disparity comes through quite clearly: not only
does Meyers have more assists per game than Bayo and Tilmon combined, but he
also is averaging more assists and rebounds per game than the jewel in
Oregon's crown, Bishop Stein. If Meyers continues to outperform Tilmon on
the floor, Paris may have found the weakest link in Oregon's powerful
offense to exploit.
ADVANTAGE: PARIS
SG: Bishop Stein v. Scott Lio
Closer than one might expect...well, no, not really. Scott Lio is an all
star caliber player who ranks among the most impressive shooting guards in
the league. He's mortal, however, and Bishop Stein is a legend. Calling Lio
a weakness is like calling a man who runs a five minute mile "ordinary".
There are some forces that cannot be rivalled in the WBA, and Lio has done
an admirable job this season showing the fans that he may one day be the
player Bishop Stein is now. But to paraphrase Jim Croce, "You don't tug on
Superman's Cape, and you don't mess around with Stein."
ADVANTAGE: OREGON
SF: Marquez Houston v. Al Lee
Here's a matchup that provides a little more intrigue, though there remains
a clear cut victor between the two statwise. Lee is a skilled small forward
who's good at rebounding and keeping the defensive pressure up on opposing
players, and in the playoffs has shot both cleanly and effectively from the
field. Houston, however, has averaged a double-double and is an integral
part of Oregon's success, both during the season and throughout the
playoffs. While Lee has the skills to make this a closer matchup than the
guards face, the advantage still clearly goes to Houston for what he can
accomplish.
ADVANTAGE: OREGON
PF: Corey Mosley v. Anthony Curtis
An inversion of the small forward mix, wherein Mosley has posted excellent
numbers throughout the playoffs, as well as the season, but remains the mere
mortal facing the top offensive weapon the opponent has to offer. Curtis has
sunk over half his shots these playoffs and is perhaps the best power
forward in the game today. Mosely's biggest advantage is in terms of
rebounding ability, but if the shots go in, there aren't as many rebounds
available to pull down. Mosely is gifted at getting the ball moving and
creating the opportunity for others to score, while Curtis makes the shots
he takes. Mosley is a talented player, but Curtis dominates the floor.
ADVANTAGE: PARIS
C: Lou Gonzales v. Jay Vasquez
The closest matchup of the five positions, the advantage accrued over the
playoffs by Jay Vasquez remains by a slim margin in all categories. Gonzales
shoots an obscene 59% from the floor compared to Vasquez' 50%-no small
number itself. On any other team, Gonzales could average 30 points a game,
but behind Bishop Stein, his numbers pale just a little. Gonzo is not in the
same tier as a rebounder, however, and his ability to pass the ball has been
secondary to whittling away that time on the shot clock . He is an
impressive blocker, averaging four per game in the playoffs. Vasquez ekes
out a victory here in head to head competition, but if Bishop Stein goes
down with an injury, expect Gonzales to not only pick up his own play, but
to keep Oregon just as competitive as they currently are.
ADVANTAGE: PARIS (by a very narrow margin)
6th Man: Scott Nicholson v. Shawn McKick
Assists vs. points, back court vs. front court. McKick vs. Nicholson. It's
one of those puzzles that, on the surface, makes a player look less
effective in comparison when that just isn't the case. McKick's four assists
per game in under twenty minutes is better than his chief rival's (Cole
Bayo). Nicholson, however, provides that spark in three positions where he
still throws down ten points a game. McKick's shots are rare but clean, and
Nicholson just bangs his way into position to score again and again. The
advantage here goes to Nicholson, but it's not as large a margin as points
alone would indicate. McKick knows he's a lame duck finishing out his
contract, which means in a league where point guards are recognized for
passing first and shooting later, someone will offer him job security based
on what he does at the end of the year.
ADVANTAGE: OREGON (by a slimmer margin than one would expect)
BENCH:
Neither team utilizes their benches a great deal, but Paris keeps a steady
stock of young talent available just in case the need arises. Wilson, Fox,
and Liu have all seen action in every playoff game this year, while Quinten
Pitt is the only Oregon player other than the starting five, Nicholson, and
Bayo to see more than five games in the playoffs. Oregon's veteran bench has
the edge in experience, but Paris has the better depth and is better
prepared if an injury were to occur.
ADVANTAGE: PARIS
Seven categories, and a four to three edge for Paris. An inversion of last
year? Perhaps, but at this level, it becomes impossible to write off any
aspect of the two finalists as unimportant. Paris is hunting for revenge for
last year's game seven, and Oregon is looking to establish a dominant legacy
in the WBA record books. The Paris Juggers have become a legitimate threat
with a balanced lineup that is solidly improved over last year's model,
while Oregon seems to be pushing toward a rebuilding phase as several
players get older and young stars from around the league are looking for the
chance to join one of the top teams in the WBA. What does that amount to
this year? Who's hungriest? Watch for a first time champion to be crowned
after the defending champs make it a contest to remember.
PREDICTIONS:
Paris over Oregon, 4-2
Finals MVP: Anthony Curtis
June 26th, 2006
Free Agency Preview: Part IV
Omaha: Five potential free agents
Dontae Evans has to be considered the most key member of the potential free
agents to draw interest on the market. Coming off a reasonably priced deal,
Evans is not a premiere player but will be intriguing to any number of teams
looking to upgrade at PF for a season or two. This is said even knowing that
Ramiro Watts outscored him and frequently outperformed him on the court.
Omaha will likely make a solid push to re-sign both Evans and Watts, but if
it comes down to one or the other, expect a secondary bid to be made during
free agency on the other. This past season, Omaha was outrebounded by an
average of five boards a game-not awful numbers, until you consider they and
their opponents had roughly the same shooting percentage and outscored them
on average by six points a game, and the disparity becomes clear. Pending
free agents who may be of some interest to them to counter this disparity
include Bennie Armstrong and Donovan McCormick. Expect the amateur draft to
play a large role in determining what Omaha does during free agency. They
have a lot of money to spend, but may opt to improve via trade instead of
gambling on finding the right price.
Oregon: Seven free agents
Oregon may prove to be a bigger player on the free agent market than
anticipated, based on their efforts to move Scott Nicholson's contract.
While there have thus far been no nibble, the Season 11 champions may opt to
simply eat the remaining salary and enter free agency with 75% of its value
to spend in cash. In other words, $10.58 million to spend over six
positions, plus one amateur pick in the low 20's in the draft. The rumored
shopping of Ian Tilmon for future draft picks has also lead some to question
which point guard will be drawing their attention in free agency. Lou
Gonzales, having a phenomenal year, is growing older, as is Corey Moseley,
and while neither is at a point where Oregon needs to worry, the need is
rising for them to find the right complements for Stein, Houston, and
Tilmon. A number of young talents are available on the market for the right
price, and the pedigree of back to back (to back?) championships will
certainly draw the attention of any number of players. Expect Nicholson to
be moved, either in trade or by release, if for no other reason than Oregon
building for the future from a crop that will include Bohuslav Hruska, Lenn
Marella, and Quade Nash. The future will be scouted today.
Paris: Seven free agents
Charlie Meyers is sticking around. Don't act surprised, as this is something
Paris had been promising since last season. The attempts to move Shaun (of
the Dead) Busch for the sake of salary have become less of a murmur and more
of an outright shout. One of these two will not return to the Juggers
lineup, and Charlie's not shopping his condo in Grenoble at the moment. A
rumored deal has sent Scott Curtis out of town as well, bringing in premiere
small forward Obafemi Mabruke. There will be little cash to spend on the
free agent market, and Paris has already dangled Liu (not Lio-sorry, other
owners) for a second round pick or two. Arkansas has reportedly offered the
#59 and #60 picks for Liu, but the rumor has not been confirmed by either
side. Paris has a young, strong lineup that will be in place for quite some
time to come-as such, their movements on the free agent market will be
sorely limited.
Rochester: Nine free agents
Four draft picks, two top ten, and nine openings. It's not hard to see where
this will be headed. Heiko Van Brandt and Dave Williams represent the only
significant contracts remaining, and Ramon Phelan is rumored to have
tentatively agreed to a contract extension that will keep him in Raiders
gear for another five seasons. Davion "Get me out of Long Island" Stahl will
be returning, but is rumored to be shopped with one of the non-lottery picks
in order to gain at least one more premiere player. Rochester has positioned
themselves for greatness, and it's not hard to see why they are one of the
most feared franchises in the East. Watch for them to make active bids at
most of the free agents of note.
Sacramento: Eight free agents
Cameron Sampson will be hitting free agency running and will not be looking
back. Sacramento, in turn, will not be chasing him all that hard. Samir
Sheth, John Van Horne, and Mark Miller make up the bulk of the team's
salary, while the fourth horseman, Edgar Kamara, is being shopped to teams
willing to eat a nine million dollar a year salary. Sacramento has a number
of openings but not a lot of cash to work with. Expect to see them more
active on the trade market than the free agent market during the offseason.
Salt Lake City: Eight free agents
See Sacramento. The primary difference is, Salt Lake knows what it has, what
it wants to keep, and how to go about doing so. The eight positions will be
filled by draft or one year contracts to players overlooked in the draft or
veterans looking to back up some of the best in the business. Expect very
little activity here, but watch for the roles to be filled by "the best of
the rest."
Seoul: Four free agents
Seoul gains the benefits of an expanded cap and the curse of a poor first
season. Jalen Bell has already indicated a willingness to remain in the
expansion city, meaning that two spots will be filled in the draft and one
free agent slot to be filled with the expanded cap. Seoul has indicated that
Brody Liang is available for trade for very little, and he will not likely
start the season with the club, despite good numbers following his arrival.
Angel Rojas has opted for all out free agency, and neither Scott Jacoby nor
James Boone are expected to return. Seoul will attempt to fill one of their
two glaring holes in the draft and the other by throwing money at it. There
will be some activity from this team during free agency, and it will make or
break the team next season.
Toronto: Two free agents
Two free agents of low return, two first round draft picks. Toronto will not
re-sign Nash or Fenstermacher, opting instead to fill the holes with the
amateurs turning pro. This does not preclude them making offers to other
players on the market, but Toronto is in something of a luxury position
right now-the balance of youth and veterans, contracts set to expire soon,
but not all at once, gives them the chance to avoid most of the free agent
gaffes that come back to haunt other teams for years down the road. Toronto
has discussed potential trades for Coomas Neetar, but the likelihood is that
they will keep what they have and gamble on an improvement in record as the
young get better fast.
June 23rd, 2006
Seoul Searchng: Post-Season
Dragons General Manager T.D. Swagger announced today that combination guard
Jalen Bell has signed a one year contract extension to remain with the
franchise. Bell, acquired just before the trade deadline from Salt Lake City
in a deal for Eugene LaMaitre, is a veteran talent in the back court who is
pleased to be returning to Seoul.
"Players like to know the teams they're with are interested in keeping them
around. After two and a half years with Salt Lake and four years with
Budapest, it means a lot to me to be part of something that has some
consistency to it." The thirty year old Bell said. "Getting a chance to work
with Daren Benson in the back court also gives me the chance to work with an
up and coming superstar. You don't get that chance every day."
Bell's contract was reported to be worth $7.8 million dollars, and he's
content with a one season deal.
"I know why they wanted to keep the deal short, and it honestly doesn't
bother me at all. They're paying Joe (Siebert) and I a hefty chunk of their
cap space this season, so I can't say I want five years or I walk, or three
years or no dice, or anything like that. If they want me back the following
year, we'll go through all of this again, and I really hope they do want me
back. It's a classy organization, especially the way they treated Murph's
family after I got here."
Bell, referring to the late Chuck Murphy, his former teammate in SLC, has
requested to switch his number from 14 to 41 to honor his friend. Sam
Plummer currently wears #41, but has been willing to discuss an exchange
with Bell.
"He'll be in town next week. There's some contractual things that need to be
adjusted-he's worn that number since he was in high school, and people get
attached to certain parts of their games. Numbers, pre-game rituals, and so
on."
In a related note, Tiziana Murphy, Chuck's widow, and their son Ky will be
the guests of honor for Seoul's home opener next season. Ky, 10, has
aspirations of one day following in his father's footsteps and playing
professionally in the WBA.
-In other contract news, Angel Rojas has officially filed for free agency,
turning down the proposed five year contract extension proposed by Seoul.
"It was a good offer, but I want to see what kind of success I can have as a
free agent. I know there are a couple of teams out there that are looking
for a power forward, and my agent seems to think I can get what I'm looking
for out there."
Rojas was acquired from Mexico City with Ajan Estay and Brody Liang for John
Gaiser, Odibe King, and a 2nd round pick.
June 22nd, 2006
Maybe you want to be a WBA champion ?
By Gustavo Follana of the Paris Juggers.
If you are reading this I hope that what you want is to be a WBA champion. Even if you have already won, I hope you have the hunger for more, because what makes this game fun is the competition. The competition is the desire of all owners to get better and to bring that killing team that will show off your coach skills.
Inside this article I am going to write what I think is needed to get a good team in the WBA. And I am talking with the knowledge of an owner that started, turned a good team into a bad one, and got his head out of the water. It took me two full seasons to understand the game better, and from then on things started to get harder.
I am going to avoid certain things that have been said before and I am going to talk about talent evaluation and chemistry.
First, talent evaluation is the second hardest part of this game. The first one is chemistry. But what is it talent evaluation? It is been able to see how a player can fit on your team and what will be his real value for you. A good thing is to look at the player's stats for the last season, and at the player's ratings. Is he overachieving because he is in a bad team, or is he underachieving because he is badly coached? Does he have some great points? What are his weaknesses?
A good sample is Magic Toby. Great scorer, good passer, good shot blocker, but lousy rebounder … He was playing season 5 with New York getting 27 wins, he was traded to Texas (now Paris) and the team went from 29 victories to 46. All of this while being out rebounded… Everyone on that team had a clear mission. Toby was to score. He only put 22.5 points shooting 54%, but helped the team with 4.5 assists, 2.5 blocks and 1.7 steals a game. Toby was a player that used to go from team to team, and there people started to look at him as a possible winner. During the playoffs we went to the second round and he put 29 points a game!! Just wonderfull!!.
His value as a player increased because I showed what he could do, but that was not the only thing to make the team rebound and start winning games. The other thing is to get on your team what your team needs. If you don't score a lot, look at why don't you score instead of bringing a scorer. Do you shoot too low a percentage from the floor? Or is it that you don't go to the line? No threys at all? If you put several scorers together their numbers will go down as there is a limited number of shots to take.
Look at that player. His FGA is bigger than that of your best player? Then he will take more shots. The worse thing you can do is to get a player that shoots a lot and has bad FG%. I have seen several of those players and I think it is suicide to use them. A player that shoots little and bad is not great, but it is a problem that can be overcome. At then end remember that scoring is as you win matches. So if you put the best players in the field, but they cannot score, you will lose. No matter how many rebounds, steals and blocks you get… (in measure, if you block every shot they take they can not win, but that won't happen in the WBA…)
Talent evaluation exercice :
Who is the best choice for you ?
Steals 143, Turnovers 259
Steals 54, Turnovers 170
Steals 60, turnovers 210
Steals 255, Turnovers 999
And the answer is…. It all depends on your team, but they should be players A or B. If you steal a lot player B will be better, if you steal little, player A will be better. Difference quite small. You don't agree with me? That is your problem not mine, this is my way of seeing things…
Chemistry is the ability to put 5 players playing on the field but obtain results that would need 6 players on the field. It is the ability to get more out of your players. To find the missing person to make your team what it is.
The bad thing about chemistry is that is personal. Players that do play well with my coaching style will not work with others. I am always in wonder of Brooklyn. He has a style completely opposite to mine. And yet he gets great games from a team that I would not coach to that level. On the other side, I bring out everything I can out of my team. I pick the players that go well for it (like Scott Lio, a wonder SG only second to Bailey and Bishop). I got much heat out when I traded Heiko Van Brant. He was MVP during season 11 and a key piece of my attempted run at the title last year. But I traded him because I wanted a harder defense, I knew it was going to cost me wins but I wanted to defend better. And I got my wish on Anthony Curtis a great scorer, but a great defender too. With him I made Paris the defensive team of the year and we got 63 wins nonetheless.
Will it be enough to win the title? Maybe, maybe not. So far I have ten straight wins during the playoffs and I am one win away from winning the East conference finals. Let's finish this first and then we will see.
Where is the chemistry on all of this? It is that I bring players that help my team and help me coach better. My team has only 1 good rebounder in Jay Vasquez, yet I am one of the best rebounders of the league. Easily done if you make it a priority to have players that do rebound.
Knowing what you want before they tell what you want is the key. If someone comes around make offers think why do they want that player, what are you getting and how will that change your team. Think twice. Talk with someone about it. Roll a dice. Take a nap and then take another look. Don't let them make the trade for you. Make it only if you think it is going to help you.
A few samples of chemistry. Season 12 Long Island. They where a bad team until they brought Kadeem Reed back. Why is he so important? Because he is the floor general. He distributes the ball, he rebounds and he makes few mistakes. He is just a great PG. His addition is what turned LI from a so so team into a 49 wins teams. He is bringing more than just his stats, he is making the rest of the team play better.
Salt Lake City and Sean Ashman and Eugene LaMaitre. Before bringing this two players (at different times) Salt Lake was a joke, now they hurt. Ashman is one of the best Centers on this league, period. LaMaitre even if he starts to be old he is still an above average SG.
You may think they are not good examples because they got kicked out of the playoffs, but I can tell you by experience that the first times you get into the playoffs things usually go badly. Remember, you are going to play the best of the best for a few games, so it is nothing to be ashamed to be kicked out. It was my fifth time on the playoffs before I could arrive to the conference finals… and I got kicked 4-0 by Oregon before he played Budapest and won the championship.
Conclusion. Evaluate what a player will bring and take away, on every stat!! Think of what your team is missing and bring it. It will allow you to play above and beyond what others would expect. Recruit for your taste, coach for your taste, live for your taste and everything will go better.
June 20th, 2006
Today's report will be on the potential free agent SF's in the upcoming off season pool. I use the word potential because any of these players could be extended or retire. There will be a couple of really nice players at this spot for team looking to make a change, but not a lot of depth at this spot that has starter potential.
Abegunda Abasi-- Abasi had a lot of potential when he first entered the league to be a breakout star, but he has taken the long route on the road to that. Most likely he will be signed up as a back-up at the small forward or power forward spots. His shooting is pretty poor and he shoots too often for his abilities. He is also slightly weak as a rebounder to be playing the forward positions. His defense is probably his best asset, but he is still only average at these. He can get into trouble with fouls and turnovers at times also.
Luke Benner-- This guy isn't even on a roster anymore this season which amazes me. He is definitely worth a contract and could even be a starter for some of the weaker teams in the league. He is a solid shooter from all places on the court which makes him worth the money to begin with. He is also a decent passer for a guy that scores so well. His defense is below average, but he does well at stopping his man without committing fouls. He also isn't bad at controlling the ball. I really think he is an under rated player and needs to be on a roster somewhere.
Tyrell Clay-- Clay is a bit small as a SF, but he is easily capable of doing the job. He is still very young, so he would be a great pickup for a team that is building on potential. He's already an average scorer and with some focus on his shooting he could be a nice threat from all over the floor. His rebounding is weak, but again this is an area that has potential to increase. His biggest asset is his passing which is as good as most point guards. He is excellent at finding his open teammates on the wings. His defense is adequate and he is right at the league average for fouls and does a pretty solid job of not turning the ball over.
Frank Constantini-- Frank has never been starter caliber just because he isn't known for his stamina. Or perhaps he is known for it, but not in a good way. He's a solid scorer off the bench for any team which makes him a valuable sixth man. He's a pretty good rebounder for an old guy. His defense has slipped a bit through the years, but you can count on him to commit no fouls and play smart with the ball. He is a veteran that won't make dumb mistakes that cost his team the game. He'll give you solid minutes every night.
Lonnie Gerson-- This is another player that is under estimated in a big way. His scoring ability is solid mainly because he is great at penetrating the lane and drawing contact. This also makes him valuable in that he can get the other team into trouble. His rebounding is also a strength and he is great at getting into the right position on the court. Now, he won't block any shots, but he is a great close up defender that has quick hands and the fastest reaction time in the league. To go along with that you won't have to worry about him getting into foul trouble himself. He is also great with the ball and is a smart player that knows where to be on the court.
Jon Morgenland-- Jon is a lot like Constantini in that he is a career back-up, but he is a darn good one. He is a huge scorer that loves to get the ball in the paint and challenge opponents. But as good as he is on offense, he is every bit as bad on defense. He has to score a ton in order to justify his poor effort on the other end of the court. At times he spaces out defensively which can lead to some dumb fouls because he gets into trouble. He also shies away from contact under the boards which means he won't get many rebounds. You won't have to worry about turnovers with him though, which is in large part due to the fact that he doesn't pass the ball much.
Patrick O'Connor-- Patrick is still young enough that there is potential here to round out his game. He will never be a big scorer, but he can become a decent shooter. His strength is his tenacity on the boards where few guys can get around him. It has more to do with positioning than on brute force or jumping ability because he doesn't block very many shots. He does a good job overall on defense though and will get an occasional steal. He won't commit very many fouls at all and he is above average at keeping control of the ball.
Ramon Phelan-- I think this guy might be one of the biggest secrets in the WBA. He signed for near the minimum a few seasons ago for Nebraska and is playing now for Rochester. He is very close to a breakthrough to becoming a solid scorer with all kinds of range. He is also a very good rebounder for a small forward who intimidates opponents with his blocking ability. But perhaps his best attribute is his control for such an intense player. You won't see him turn the ball over or get into foul trouble--two key elements that were instilled by his legendary collegiate coach.
Bill Rainwater-- Bill has always been a big name in this league, but he has always had a certain stigma around him that prevents him from becoming an elite player. He is one of the best scorers in the WBA and he does most of his damage right in the lane. This is what will always keep him on a roster. But what will always keep him on the bench will be his very poor defense and his inability to stay out of foul trouble. He constantly loses control on the court and is known for pushing the ball and wild passes. He just loses focus at times and it can really hurt his team. It has also been noted that he isn't a very good team player.
Asher Ward-- Ward is a guy that is still young and has some potential. I think he is best suited going to a team that can work on his abilities and develop him over the next few seasons. He's a solid scorer although it would be nice if he developed some range outside the paint and bettered his shot selection. His rebounding is adequate, but he won't wow anyone with his presence around the basket. He's also a pretty good passer for a forward which is a nice asset to have. His defense is also just average, but it helps that he doesn't commit many fouls so he can buckle down when needed. Perhaps his biggest weakness is that he can get careless at times and turn the ball over.
June 17th, 2006
Just Dilly-Dalling Around: Inside Scoop on Newest Gambler Point Guard:
By Turtle Chase
Reid Dall was always a big lover of Las Vegas. Upon turning 21, he immediately hopped a plane to the gambling capital of America and lost 1000 dollars. Upon hearing there would finally be an expansion team in Vegas, he immediately looked upon playing there when his rookie contract with Gabon expired at the end of season 12. However, it didn’t need to take that long. Upon being eliminated by Cancun in the first round of the playoffs, Gabon offered a full extension to Dall, 24, and subsequently traded him to Las Vegas for a pair of second round picks in upcoming seasons. Dall spoke to me upon his arrival at the Mirage hotel to gamble some of his new 6.1 million dollar contract for 5 seasons.
TC: Is this like a dream come true?
RD: It has been a dream to play for Las Vegas. When I heard they were getting a franchise I knew that it was something that I had to be a part of.
TC: Do you mind that this is only their second season?
RD: I have been in constant contact with Coach/GM Steven Goodstadt, and he has kept me informed on all of the moves, and I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of this team. He really knows what we need and has looked to fill all of the holes.
TC: We know about Vance Clopp (who came from Nebraska), can you tell of us of any other deals?
RD: (laughing) You know I can’t Turtle, but I am looking forward to playing with some of these players.
TC: Well then, as of now, this team is very young, with rookies Justin Hill, Jeremy Sims and Senecca Redd leading the fronts. How do you feel to be part of a young nucleus?
RD: It really is humbling to be the oldest and only be turning 25 next year. I have seen all three play during the season and I am very impressed with how they have turned out. I believe that Hill could be a star next season, and Redd and Sims will get there. It is very exciting to be a part of this team.
TC: Do you have any hard feeling towards Gabon coach Simon Drapeau for trading you?
RD: This is a business, and I know that I would be searching for a new team anyway as he told me he wouldn’t resign me. I am actually glad that he was able to trade me to the team that I wanted to be with.
TC: Do you expect the Gamblers to be in the playoffs next season?
RD: No doubt about it. This team looks ready for business.
June 16th, 2006
Draft Lottery
1) Andorra (Frankfurt's pick)
2) Las Vegas
3) Paris (Alaska's Pick)
4) Mexico City
5) Rochester (Arkansas' Pick)
6) Rochester (Boston's Pick)
7) Seoul
8) Cincinnati
9) Baltimore (Omaha's Pick)
10) Nebraska
11) Miami
12) Andorra
13) Gabon (New York's Pick)
14) Frankfurt (London's Pick)
June 16th, 2006
Swinging Either Way: Vegas Betting Guide for Conference Finals and Finals
By Turtle Chase
So, after a 3-1 picking of the last round, we are off to do the final segment of the WBA playoffs. This is a very boring as there have been no upsets and the top 2 teams in each conference remain to duke it out to get the prized trophy. Out of the four remaining teams Cancun, Oregon, Paris and Brooklyn, only Paris has not won a final, while Cancun and Oregon have won the last four (two apiece). (UN) luckily for Paris and Brooklyn, only one of them gets to play in the finals. But alas, after each team went relatively unscathed in the previous round (with only Brooklyn needing more than 5 games to defeat their opponent), it is time for some more Chase picks.
Western Conference Finals: (1) Cancun v. (2) Oregon
Oregon just finished dismantling a very impressive SLC team in 4 games, in which coach Kevin Harper was nervous of playing before the series began. However, he now should be nervous of facing Pat Fullum, the only 3 time WBA champion, and perennial coach of the year candidate. Cancun was able to easily knock off a surging Capetown team even without their starting center, Reed Moses, who is out for the rest of the playoffs. Despite splitting the season series at 2 apiece, it is very hard to pick a team who has no viable option to defend Lou Gonzales. However, with rumor that Fullum may be dismantling the team at the end of the season beginning by trading Kent Mercer, this may be this team’s last hurrah at a finals hope, making Fullum work extra hard to beat Oregon. Beyond that, Cancun still has Parker Mason and Ahmed Dougherty as well as Mercer and should still be able to put up viable competition. Also, if the game runs 7 games, Cancun should be able to use Issac Rice, acquire from Las Vegas who would be a massive help if it gets that far. Oregon on the other hand still has the two headed monster in Stein and Gonzales with a nice complements with Cory Mosley and Marquez Houston. This will be a very close series as even without Moses, Cancun should be competitive with the age-old Al Zarra filling in nicely. As hard as it is to pick against Oregon, if this series goes 7, which is very possible, Issac Rice could be a difference maker.
Cancun wins in 7
Eastern Conference Finals: (1) Paris v. (2) Brooklyn
After easily defeating Long Island, despite all of the calls for an upset, Paris will face an even tougher task in Rondall Reynoso’s Brooklyn Rage. The Rage, pulling together to beat a tricky Rochester team appears ready to head back to the finals, a place they haven’t been since season 9 in a loss to Cancun. Paris on the other hand was the runner up just last season to Oregon and hopes to make a return trip this year as well. Both teams have the talent to get to the finals and like the other series it will be very close. With Vasquez and Anthony Curtis, the Jugglers defintelty have an edge on front court over Al Herbert and Jarius Miles. But the Rage back court is ten times better than the Jugglers; however, Charlie Meyers had his own little coming out party against Kadeem Reed last round. Unfortunately he can’t guard for anything. And, going up against Omar Jefferson will not be fun as the kid can score. Another thing going against Gustavo Follana this time is that instead of facing off against LI coach Mike Esposito, he gets a formidable challenge in Reynoso, who is one of the top coaches ever in WBA history. Reynoso will be very tough to outcoach and he definitely has the talent to win. Like the other series, it will be very close, but it appears as if Paris will not be making a return trip to the finals. I don’t think that Gus will have enough gas to get through for another shot at glory.
Brooklyn wins in 6
Finals: (1) Cancun v. (2) Brooklyn
Battle of the mega coaches here. This is a rematch of the season 9 finals in which Cancun won. Both teams are great at all positions. Herbert is weaker than the other centers that Cancun had to face so it wont make much of a difference with the loss of Moses. And, Issac Rice will help out, exactly what Fullum wanted here when he made the trade with Las Vegas. It is very hard to handicap this series as both teams are very good at all positions and have very good backups and everything. And they even split the season series at 1 apiece, but again it was with Moses. As much as I really want to pick Cancun it is very hard to pick against Brookln. Strom, Bailey and Jefferson can combine for nearly 75-80 points, and Miles and Herbert will be able to put them over the 100 mark every time. I find it very hard for Mason, Dougherty and Mercer to top the production of the former 3. But Cancun is still a very formidable opponent, and Fullum is a very talented coach. But it appears if Reynoso and his Rage should be hoisting the Championship trophy when all is said and done.
Brooklyn wins in 6
A very exciting postseason this has turned out for season 12. With a final four of perennial championship contenders, each will duke it out for the coveted trophy. Unfortunately only one team can win. And for that, there will be some exciting basketball for the next few days. After that, the draft and free agency will begin, and it will be interesting to see who will be in this scenario next year. Could it be Vegas or Seoul? Maybe Alaska could have a winning season? The latter probably wont happen, but anything can happen in the crazy world of WBA
June 16th, 2006
The Magic of Bailey
By Ron Chambers
One of the curses and benefits of being in a major market is the amount of media attention that players and teams get. Take a look at the Brooklyn franchise. They are the second winningest team in league history and are led by the coach with the most career wins- one of only two who have over 600 wins and they have never missed the play-offs. They have been praised for all of these accomplishments but at the same time the capitol of the world expects more. One title and two trips to the championship have not been enough for New Yorkers and despite being tied for the fourth most play-off victories they have been labeled as a soft post season team. But, that is beginning to change.
Most followers of the WBA think of Mario Bailey as the force that he is today. Few people remember the skinny teenager who went un-drafted in Season 6. The youngster was quickly forced into the stating role as the team moved Shane Strom back to his natural position. Despite showing promise, Bailey struggled shooting only 39% and averaging 11.8 points a game. In the play-offs Brooklyn was swept by Washington and Bailey's really had a hard time as his average dropped to 9.7 points and he shot a mere 31%. Now, Bailey looks back on that series with a grimace on his face and say's “Eugene [LaMaitre] reminded me I was just a kid.” But, Bailey was a determined kid and worked hard in the off-season. The following season he raised his scoring average to 13.0 and raised his Field Goal percentage to almost 42%. He also continued to show that he was a good defender averaging 1.7 blocks and 1.2 steals. Perhaps most impressive though was at the young age of 21 he was able to raise his game in the play-offs scoring 15.1 points per game and averaging 1.8 blocks and 1.9 steals all while helping his team advance to the second round.
Season 8 was a test for the rising star. Management still had faith in the young player but Brooklyn has typically wanted to try to win it all now. So, they pulled in defensive specialist Michael Kutak in an attempt to try and win it all. It seemed to work as the team won the Division and went to the finals…only to loose in six games to Cancun.
The following year the franchise was not willing to pay Kutak the type of money he was now being offered and Bailey returned to the starting line-up. He showed that he had been a good study and that he really belonged in the starting role. He averaged 15.7 points on 49% shooting and also gave a balanced attack grabbing 5.2 boards and giving out 4.3 assists. At 22 he was now the age of many rookies and people around the league were really beginning to see his potential. He continued to show his competitive spirit in the play-offs by averaging 19.8 points on 52% shooting and helping his team to reach game seven of the second round.
It was in Season 10 when Bailey first started to be thought of as a star. The departure of Tom Perkins left Bailey as the second scoring option behind Shane Strom. The arrival of Omar Jefferson and Jarius Miles also showed that this team was going in a different direction and as a young player Bailey would have a long future in Brooklyn. He averaged 18.1 points during the season on a very impressive 56% shooting. But, in the play-offs he made a real statement. The young core was no were near talented enough to compete with Washington in the first round and were swept but Bailey was a huge bright spot shooting 69% and averaging 28.3 points. He also played well all around with 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 1.7 blocks.
Season 11 cemented Bailey as a star. He raised his scoring average for the first time to over 20 points averaging 22.8 points. As always he was a rounded player averaging 5.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.8 blocks. But, his most important achievement was dropping his turnovers from 3.7 a game the previous year to 1.7, to the competitive Bailey though the most important thing was to once again have a winning season. In the play-offs he once again raised his play averaging 25.8 points and leading his team to the second round. Sadly, though Brooklyn lost 4-1 to Paris who would represent the East in the Finals.
The continued maturation of Bailey, Omar Jefferson, Jarius Mile and Al Herbert along with the arrival of Paul Wilson and Bert Haug meant a return of Brooklyn to the elite status. But, the departure of Joe Siebert also meant it was a new era. Today not only is Brooklyn considered one of the best teams in the league but Bailey is arguably the best shooting guard in the league. His 23.2 points proved enough to be sixth in the league is scoring (but only second on his team…gotta love Shane Strom). He has certainly matured from the skinny 19 year old kid who struggled to average half of what he now effortlessly scores.
As always though, one of the most impressive things about Bailey is his competitive nature. In the first round of the play-offs, he showed his defensive prowess by holding the legendary Harry Jarvis to 133.7 points a game on 38% shooting in a sweep over Albacete. Incidentally, this was the first time Brooklyn had every beat Albacete in the play-offs. In the second round Bailey matched up with the Season 12 Scoring champion Dave Williams. No one expected him to shut down Williams and he didn't. Williams averaged 25.8 points but was held to a 5% lower field goal percentage than he had in the regular season. But, that wasn't what was impressive. Bailey once again is averaging more during the post season at 25.9 points and he is doing it on 60% shooting. But, his all around game has risen. He is averaging 7 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 2.8 blocks and 1.7 steals.
His ability to step it up though is what is really impressive though. Brooklyn and Rochester split the first four games and with the reputation of being soft in the play-offs fans started to get worried. Bailey on the other hand was confident and reassured the team and the fans with his play. In the final two games of the series, both of which Brooklyn won, Bailey averaged 32.5 points, 9 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 2.5 steals and 2 blocks all while not committing a single foul or turn over! That is pure Magic.
As the Rage look to rematch with the Juggers who dominated them in the play-offs last season there is a lot of talk about how Herbert's ability or inability to contain Vasquez will be the key. I can't argue with that. But, I have to add that we can't overlook the heart of Mario Bailey. He has shown that he has the ability and inclination to be a dominant force.
June 15th, 2006
Some Crow to Eat: Reviewing One Pick Gone Totally Wrong
By Turtle Chase
So, last week I guaranteed a Long Island victory over Paris, saying that Long Island was the much better team and that all Paris had going for them was superstar Jay Vasquez. However, four games later, my upset special was long gone, getting swept without putting up any sort of challenge, even at home. How did a team who had so much talent, fall so easily. After doing some investigative work, we at the Las Vegas Tribune apologizes to its readers for looking too much at the ratings, and ignoring who is behind the bench.
In this spot, instead of some Gambler news, I will eat some crow and go in-depth on this failed series by Long Island, and how the Jugglers were able to fend off the Mayhem.
Game 1: Paris wins 113-90 in Paris (1-0)
What was crucial here was Wayne Taylor’s 4-11 shooting and 8 points. The season 2 #1 pick contributed 7 boards to the mix , but for someone making nearly 11.5 million, and been a major star in the league since he was 18, 8 points and 7 boards is not star numbers. We here give kudos to Al Lee for shutting down the WBA cover boy and himself putting up 17 points and 7 boards with 3 steals.
The big key to this game was rebounding. Paris had 51 rebounds led by shooting guard Scott Lio who cleaned the glass putting up 13 boards. That was more than the entire frontcourt of the Mayhem (Sheldon Gorman, Jim McCarthy and Kurt Beck) who compiled 12 between the three of them. That doesn’t lead to victories, and it was obvious by the end of the first quarter that Long Island was not winning this game.
Despite being a collective effort, Anthony Curtis deserved player of the game for this one. 30 points and 9 boards on nearly 50% shooting, he stuck it to his former team.
Game 2: Paris wins 102-91 in Paris (2-0)
With the injury to Oliver Doherty, Michael Esposito decided to take a page out of Alaska Coach Robert Williams’ playbook and play most of his starters all 48 minutes. Like Robert, he failed miserably although his team did play better. Taylor scored more but still lost the ball too many times. Curtis also put forward another big game with 24 points and 8 boards.
Jay Vasquez joined the party in this one as well, after fouling out in the 26th minute of the first game, put it to Jim McCarthy with 30 points and 12 boards in 43 minutes. Vasquez, one of the league’s premier players, was the only plus that I had given to Paris during my predictions.
Player of this game has to be Charlie Meyers. The point guard who had 18 points and 12 assists in the first game continues with 19 points 9 assists and 7 boards en route to outplaying his counterpart and help his team to victory again. Everyone thought that Long Island would be more competitive coming back home, but that sure didn’t happen.
Game 3: Paris wins 120-100 in Long Island (3-0)
What the heck is going on with Long Island? Such a strong team being annihilated by a team that isn’t too much better, doesn’t seem to right. For this we must praise the efforts of Paris coach Gustavo Folanna. Underrated as a coach, Gus has really gotten the best out of his players, especially Charlie Meyers. For the second straight game he takes down player of the week honors, this time putting 27 points and 10 assists against the Mayhem on their turf. Meyers couldn’t stop his counterpart Kadeem Reed as he dished out 14 assists, but Meyers was a difference maker leading to Paris’ 3rd straight victory in this series.
But as easy as it is to praise Gus, it’s hard not to fault Esposito for some lousy coaching. With Doherty returning it would be practical for Espo to revert to a different lineup, instead he doesn’t even play Doherty falling to 0-2 with his Robert Williams style of coaching, bad. McCarthy fouls out for the 2nd straight game and for the third straight game it was out of reach for Long Island quickly.
For game 4 it was just a formality as Long Island was completely outplayed. It was now just a matter as to when Paris would win the series, Long Island had no chance.
Game 4: Paris wins 106-105 in Long Island (Paris wins series 4-0)
This game looked close, but Long Island led the game only after the first basket, and was losing since the 7-6 mark in the game. It was a hard fought comeback by the Mayhem but it finally crashed and burned, and they were eliminated by the clearly dominant Jugglers.
Anthony Curtis was unable to be contained this series and he went on for his 4th straight 20 point game. Charlie Meyers had over 10 assists for the 3rd time this series and Jay Vasquez showed again why he should be considered an MVP candidate year in and year out with an impressive 17 points and 9 rebounds plus 6 assists. Though not his best game, he helped his team win again, and lead into the next round.
And again, Doherty, who averaged nearly 12 points in the regular season, rode the pine yet again. Sheldon Gorman, despite getting an added boost from a training camp just before the series really couldn’t match up to the ability of Curtis and put up a mediocre round of stats. Kadeem Reed was the only consistent member of the Mayhem putting up nearly 10 assists every game in a losing effort. Taylor was able to regain his form from a sloppy game 1 but even he wasn’t able to right the ship.
Conclusion:
It was a lousy pick made by me and I apologize to all my readers for the horrible pick. While Long Island is a better team on paper, coaching wise, Michael Esposito would have a hard time coaching the Detroit Pistons, with all of their talent. Maybe there is some idiot’s guide to coaching for Esposito to follow; following Robert Williams style will guarantee losses, not victories.
June 15th, 2006
Looking Back at the Season 12 Draft
Another season has come and gone, for good or ill, and as we move toward the future, the next generation of players watched as another bevy of their peers move into retirement. With one full season now under their belts, this past year's draft class has, in many ways, been overlooked because of one player, Ian Tilmon, who found success after being passed over during the draft itself. And while four players from the draft did not finish the season on an active roster, the rookie class of Season 12 has gone largely unrecognized. There have been flashes of brilliance, but for the most part people have recognized Tilmon, Omar Raoumbe, and the expansion lineup fielded by Las Vegas and nothing else when it comes to first year players fielded this season.
With the finals approaching, let's take a look at the stars of tomorrow and see how they fared this season. In the order they were selected:
1st Round Picks
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G MIN FG% FT% 3P% REB A PF BLK TO STL PTS
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1. A. Fonzarelli 75 13 33.9 84.2 41.2 1.1 1.6 0.8 0.5 0.2 0.3 5.8
2. Dan Kincaide 77 9 37.6 85.3 36.8 1.5 0.9 0.7 0.3 0.2 0.3 3.7
3. Alexej Peska 78 18 41.7 76.6 0.0 4.6 1.4 1.5 0.9 0.5 0.3 5.9
4. Shermar Mahara 79 33 33.0 83.2 38.8 3.1 4.9 3.3 0.5 0.5 0.9 11.9
5. Damien Bohm 52 15 42.3 82.8 47.2 0.6 1.5 1.6 0.3 1.3 0.4 7.3
6. Jermaine Lee 73 37 32.8 84.0 0.0 3.8 5.7 3.0 0.9 3.1 1.0 12.8
7. Omar Raoumbe 75 32 41.3 85.0 0.0 6.2 1.7 3.9 1.3 2.5 0.6 14.9
8. Dondrell Palmer 68 34 34.2 87.0 0.0 2.8 4.4 2.1 0.8 1.4 1.0 10.1
9. Casey Pointer 76 31 29.3 82.3 34.4 4.4 4.1 1.9 0.8 2.2 1.0 10.9
10. Ryan Rogers 62 12 34.4 90.4 0.0 2.6 0.9 1.0 0.9 0.4 0.2 4.1
11. Tony Henderson 67 16 35.6 87.7 13.9 2.7 1.8 1.0 0.5 0.5 0.5 6.6
12. Y. Tawaraya 59 9 32.2 74.5 0.0 0.9 1.3 0.7 0.2 0.4 0.3 2.3
13. Senecca Redd 77 33 36.9 87.2 0.0 6.8 2.2 3.5 2.0 1.5 0.8 12.3
14. Bohuslav Hruska 41 16 24.8 90.3 0.0 2.3 2.3 1.5 0.4 1.1 0.4 3.9
15. Coomas Neetar 54 6 45.9 89.3 48.1 0.7 0.4 0.6 0.1 0.2 0.1 2.6
16. Brian Armstrong 73 16 37.2 82.3 0.0 3.3 1.0 1.4 0.9 0.6 0.4 6.2
17. K. Carrington 65 15 42.1 74.1 0.0 2.6 0.9 1.5 0.6 0.9 0.3 5.7
18. Justin Hill 78 33 38.7 81.4 0.0 5.6 2.9 1.9 1.0 1.8 1.3 12.6
19. Tyris Mayes 47 9 42.9 82.1 41.7 2.2 0.7 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.2 3.5
20. Nathan Jackson 1 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
21. P. Dragunas 33 6 45.1 68.8 0.0 1.6 0.3 0.8 0.5 0.5 0.2 1.7
22. Andy Michelson 74 11 29.4 86.5 25.0 2.4 1.2 1.0 0.4 0.4 0.3 3.4
23. Pat London 58 10 45.1 67.6 48.6 0.9 1.0 1.2 0.2 0.5 0.4 5.3
24. Mike Lewis 63 10 29.1 80.3 28.8 1.2 0.8 1.0 0.3 0.8 0.3 3.3
25. Ajan Estay 18 14 29.5 83.3 46.2 1.5 1.5 0.5 0.2 0.8 0.1 6.1
26. O.J. Lofton 25 11 31.3 87.9 0.0 0.9 1.8 1.0 0.2 0.7 0.3 3.6
27. Jarion Harris 51 12 35.4 82.5 0.0 1.4 1.9 0.4 0.2 1.2 0.2 3.6
28. Tony Patrick 79 11 34.6 75.3 0.0 2.3 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.8 0.3 3.2
29. Jeremy Sims 76 24 39.4 82.9 29.4 4.9 1.9 2.4 1.0 1.3 0.4 9.6
30. Victor Pearson 63 14 38.3 85.1 4.8 3.4 0.8 1.9 0.7 0.3 0.3 5.1
2nd Round Picks
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G MIN FG% FT% 3P% REB A PF BLK TO STL PTS
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31. Eiji Yamaha 18 11 32.9 93.8 0.0 1.1 1.1 0.9 0.2 0.4 0.2 3.7
32. Justin Granvill 11 4 63.6 100.0 100.0 0.4 0.3 0.5 0.2 0.1 0.1 1.6
33. Matt Peterson 10 5 33.3 50.0 25.0 0.2 0.6 0.7 0.1 0.1 0.2 1.4
34. Jeff Childress 46 6 29.5 76.2 0.0 1.2 1.0 0.3 0.2 0.5 0.2 1.6
35. Adam Virgil 6 3 42.9 50.0 0.0 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.0 0.2 1.2
36. Timi Rambuka 66 12 25.1 82.7 31.9 1.5 1.3 1.1 0.2 0.9 0.3 3.2
37. Llewellyn Kinzer-Retired following a severe offroad crash
38. Trevor Ellis 78 18 42.5 79.9 0.0 3.5 1.4 2.3 0.9 0.9 0.5 7.0
39. Ryan DePina 27 16 30.8 87.2 0.0 1.9 1.5 1.2 0.3 0.6 0.5 6.4
40. Scott French 6 5 20.0 100.0 33.3 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.0 0.0 1.2
41. Kyle Hawkins 79 26 41.6 85.4 28.8 4.7 1.6 3.0 1.0 1.6 0.5 10.8
42. Andre Rawlings 57 5 33.0 78.8 14.3 0.9 0.4 0.6 0.2 0.4 0.2 1.6
43. Curtis Young 22 15 38.0 75.0 0.0 1.9 2.9 0.6 0.2 0.7 0.1 3.8
44. J. Prochazka 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
45. Stromile Watson 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
46. Dirk Kuefer 45 4 40.0 75.0 0.0 0.6 0.2 0.8 0.2 0.1 0.1 1.5
47. James Boone 27 13 36.0 65.1 0.0 3.1 0.8 1.7 0.3 0.6 0.5 4.7
48. Ulrich Kunze 26 13 44.6 75.0 0.0 2.5 0.8 1.8 0.6 0.4 0.3 6.0
49. Joe Cornell 11 4 61.5 100.0 0.0 0.4 0.2 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.3 1.5
50. Matt Morris 4 4 50.0 0.0 0.0 0.8 0.8 0.5 0.0 0.0 0.5 1.5
51. Shawn Jones 72 10 43.5 70.7 0.0 2.3 0.9 1.1 0.4 0.5 0.2 4.0
52. Mark Arceneaux 66 13 30.4 87.5 0.0 2.4 1.0 1.7 0.4 0.7 0.3 4.2
53. Kyle Trask- Currently playing in WBDL
54. Al Levy 51 19 34.6 81.0 34.3 1.1 2.6 1.9 0.1 0.6 0.5 5.6
55. Todd Kelly 16 3 23.5 83.3 33.3 1.1 0.1 0.2 0.0 0.4 0.0 0.9
56. Jimmy Hoyer- Currently playing in WBDL
57. Anthony Davis- Currently playing in WBDL
58. M. Fenstermac 77 14 42.1 80.0 0.0 2.5 0.9 0.8 0.5 0.3 0.3 5.1
59. David Ross 5 12 44.0 50.0 0.0 0.8 2.8 0.4 0.0 1.0 0.2 4.6
60. Fan Liling 4 7 53.8 66.7 25.0 1.3 0.5 0.3 0.0 0.3 0.0 4.8
OBSERVATIONS
Llewellyn Kinzer's retirement was the only one of the rookies drafted this past season. Kinzer, who was released from his contract following the deadline deal between Seoul and Salt Lake City, never fully recovered from an ATV crash.
While there has been some conjecture about sleeper picks, Kyle Hawkins at #41 has provenhimself to be quite valuable, and Manfred Fenstermac at #57 appears to have a bright future ahead of him in the WBA.
Seven players signed to contracts appeared in less than ten games this season, with two (Janacek Prochazka and Stromile Watson) not playing a single minute this season. Nathan Jackson of Capetown was the only first round pick to not see action in at least ten games.
The top three picks each performed far below expectations this season. Omar Raoumbe was not expected to drop to the number seven pick, but proved to be quite the addition for the hometown team.
Polykarp Dragunas was not signed following the draft and exposed to free agency before opting to sign a minimum contract with Colorado. Dragunas had requested a sizeable signing bonus from Colorado when he was selected, but when no other teams offered him the $2.5 million he demanded, he was forced to accept what was offered to him.
Las Vegas' young core of starters provided them with what could easily be an all star lineup within five seasons. The question is, who will those players be playing for when the All-Star Game comes calling?
June 15th, 2006
Paris keeps rolling
by Clark Lane
Even having half the press against Paris didn't stop the machine. Paris has swept LI. Yes, as you are hearing, even if LI is better than Paris on every position but center, Paris took them down. It may not have been nice, it may not have been pretty, but 4 games was all that needed Paris to go the East conference Final. Here he is waiting for Brooklyn and Rochester to battle it out. So far they are 2-2 and advantage to Brooklyn. But I am sure they are not feeling confident. One thing is for sure, whoever comes from there it won't be an easy biscuit to swallow.
On the east everything is pointing towards an Oregon-Cancun battle that will most likely allow Oregon to play their 3rd straight final. I won't go into that, because a final Oregon-Paris would make history. How? It would be the first time we get the same finalists in two consecutive seasons.
But let's not get ourselves too deep into the mud. Let's go back to our sheep. How is it possible that an inferior team beat a superior team 4 times in a row? The answer is easy. The “journalist” didn't do his homework. If you look at the season statistics you can see that Paris and Long Island ar