10 Awesome Things That Happened This Weekend (10/17-10/19)

10. Carmelo Anthony Claims It’s Unlikely He’ll Win Scoring Title in Triangle Offense

            Apparently, he’s never heard of Michael fucking Jordan.

9. NBA Tests 44 Minute Game During Celtics-Nets Preseason Tilt

            We’re all for things taking less time, so kudos to the most progressive league in American sports for giving this a try.

8. Penguins Right Winger Patric Hornqvist Puts Up 2 Goals, 1 Assist, and 12 Shots Against the Islanders
            Yours truly is very happy to employ Hornqvist on both of his fantasy hockey clubs this season.

7. Detroit Rallies, Defeats New Orleans
            Like the majority of the league, the Lions have been incredibly up and down on a week-to-week basis, but if they continue to tread water while Megatron gets healthy, they’ll be poised for a deep playoff run in the NFC.

6. Star Players Deliver For Dallas

            DeMarco Murray broke Jim Brown’s record for the most consecutive 100-yard rushing games to start a season. Dez Bryant dominated the Giants secondary in the second half. Both of their efforts contributed to another efficient performance by Tony Romo. It would have been easy for the Cowboys to have a let down after their stunning win in Seattle, but kudos to them for taking care of business in an important division game.

           

5. Florida State Wins Thriller Over Notre Dame

            We’re on board with Jameis Winston and the hate-able Florida State Seminoles. As flawed as they may be, they are the best hope at preventing the SEC from winning a national title.

4. Aided By Awful Call, Rams Earn Upset Win Over Seattle

            This game might have been the best representation of how messed up the NFL is this year.

           

3. Jimmie Johnson Will Not Win a Seventh Title This Year

2. Brad Keselowski Delivers

            It’s a close call on which one of these results gave us more joy, but we’ll give a narrow edge to Johnson being eliminated from championship contention.

1. Peyton Manning Sets All-Time Touchdown Pass Mark

            In case you were wondering, Peyton Manning is really good at football. Even more important in relation to the 2014 Denver Broncos, they are clearly the class of the league.

10 Awesome Things That Happened This Weekend (1/24-1/26)

10. Pro Bowl Sort of Resembles Real NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE Football or Something
            Still played a game of Scrabble instead of watching it though.

9. Stan Wawrinka Upsets Rafael Nadal at Australian Open

            During a tournament that will be most remembered for big names failing (on both the men’s and women’s side), it was fitting that Wawrinka beat Nadal for the first time in 12 meetings. 

8. Miami Wins Championship Rematch With San Antonio

            Even more significant than this result was the return of Dwyane Wade. Even in a bench role, his health is critical to Miami’s chances of pulling off a three-peat.

7. Rangers Blow Out Devils in Yankee Stadium
            This game will be best remembered for New York getting approximately 38 two-on-one breaks in the second period.

6. Coach K Nets 900^th Win With Duke Blue Devils

            We celebrate Duke losses as often as possible in this space, but we have to give Mike Krzyzewski his due.

5. Donald Cerrone Delivers the Kick of the Year
         

 

            Ouch.

4. After Taking a Night Off, Kevin Durant Puts Up a Triple-Double
            Durant’s shoulder wasn’t an issue as he carved up the 76ers. He’ll possibly have sidekick Russell Westbrook back in just over a week.
        
3. Ducks Dominate Kings in First Outdoor Game in Los Angeles
            Incredibly, Los Angeles had better ice than New York did on Sunday.
       
2. Pierce and KG Return to Boston
            It’s been sad for me all year to see the key components of the 2008 title team wearing black, and Sunday wasn’t any better.

 

1. Carmelo Sets Knicks Single Game Record With 62 Point Barrage

            New York desperately needs Carmelo to get on a hot streak, and with 35 more points on Sunday, looks to finally be getting on a roll.

NBA Mid-Season Review: Teams That Need The Playoffs

            The NBA is right around the halfway point, and we are breaking up our annual mid-season power rankings into three parts. Today we will look at teams that desperately need to make the playoffs (spoiler alert: it’s the smallest group).

 



24. New Orleans Pelicans

16-25, 12^th in Western Conference
Good News = Anthony Davis officially made “THE LEAP”, and is a bona-fide franchise player New Orleans can build around for the next decade.
Bad News = The roster around him currently makes no sense, they were fleeced in the Robin Lopez deal with Portland, their most trade-able asset (Ryan Anderson) is likely out for the season, and oh ya, they don’t own the rights to their number one pick in the most loaded NBA draft in over a decade during a season they are definitely going into the lottery.
What They Should Do = New Orleans went all-in for an effort to make the playoffs when they shipped next year’s first round pick for Jrue Holliday (not to mention this year’s first round pick, Nerlens Noel, who should be solid when he recovers from ACL surgery), but unfortunately a deep Western Conference has done them in. The goal should be to try to build a contending team by the end of 2016 so they can convince Anthony Davis to resign. Anderson was going to net the greatest haul, as it wouldn’t of been hard to convince a desperate club to ship a first round pick to land a stretch four. Moving Eric Gordon for a future first rounder would help (he’d fit nicely in Indiana if the Pacers were willing to flip them Danny Granger. New Orleans would clear a ton of salary in this move. We’ll talk more about possible Granger landing spots later), as his shaky injury history makes him a risky player to build around. Whatever New Orleans can do to solidify their strength in the 2015 and ’16 drafts, plus clearing cap space, is the best course of action.

21. Cleveland Cavaliers

15-26, 10^th in Eastern Conference
Good News = They were able to parlay Andrew Bynum (who was miserable during his short stay with the Cavaliers) into Luol Deng, who besides being a player who can help drag them into the top eight in the east, also is an expiring contract.
Bad News = Besides the next team we’re about to discuss, there isn’t a more dysfunctional roster in the NBA, highlighted by the hatred between Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters. Things aren’t helped by Anthony Bennett, who’s currently on pace to be the worst first overall pick since Kwame Brown.
What They Should Do = Unlike 60% of the teams in this group, Cleveland actually owns their first round pick, so the logical thing to do would be to tank. Unfortunately, Cavs owner has made it abundantly clear that he wants his team in the playoffs this year. Furthermore, a playoff berth could go a long way in luring Lebron James back to Cleveland. Despite all the dysfunction, Cleveland with Lebron James would be better than Miami with James next year. Unloading Waiters for a future draft pick could immediately make the team better, but they would need some form of perimeter shooting in return. If things really go south and they are too far out of the eighth spot, Anderson Varejao would draw interest from any of the championship contending clubs. Standing pat makes the most sense, as there is enough talent here to get this team into the playoffs. It would be irresponsible for them to ship out their first round pick this year, unless they are solidly in the top eight shortly before the trade deadline.

19. New York Knicks

15-27, 11^th in Eastern Conference
Good News = Somehow they are only 2.5 games out of the eighth seed.
Bad News = J.R. Smith used up any good luck he had last season, as he’s had an abysmal 2013-14 campaign. Amar’e Stoudemire is the most un-trade-able asset in the league. Lastly, Carmelo Anthony can opt out after this year. Yikes.
What They Should Do = This will never happen (because the Knicks ownership is too stupid), but they should really blow this thing up. Just to show some light at the end of the tunnel, look at the money that currently is slated to be coming off of their books at the end of the 2015 season.

Amar’e Stoudemire - $21.7 million

Carmelo Anthony - $21.4 million per year (has a player option that he can exercise to become a free agent this year, which will likely happen)
Tyson Chandler - $14.1 million
Andrea Bargnani - $11.9 million

            For those of you that are not mathematically inclined, that’s $69.1 million. If I were running the Knicks, I’d be willing to move any of these guys. Stoudemire won’t be an option for trade until next year (when he officially will be referred to as Amar’e Stoudemire’s Expiring Contract), but the other three have value. Anthony would net the greatest haul. Here are a couple of fun hypothetical salary dump trades courtesy of the ESPN.com Trade Machine.

Anthony to the Phoenix Suns for Emeka Okafor ($14.5 million expiring contract), Marcus Morris ($1.9 million for the next two), the rights to their first round pick this year and the Wizards first round pick this year, plus a future protected first round pick

Anthony to the Dallas Mavericks for Shawn Marion ($9.3 million expiring contract), Brandon Wright ($5.0 million for two years), Wayne Ellington ($2.7 million for two years), Jae Crowder ($0.8 million for two years), and two future first round picks

            Both Phoenix and Dallas are struggling to hang on to playoff spots in the West, and while Dallas would probably get a negligible boost this year, but would finally have another star to pair with Dirk Nowitzki. For my money, Phoenix is the most interesting destination. Okafor would provide major salary relief, and it’s never a bad thing to stock up on draft picks from a team that is never a consistent contender. Neither of these deals will probably happen (you might’ve been able to talk Phoenix into it if Eric Bledsoe hadn’t of gotten hurt), but it’s fun to dream. Chandler would be the premier defensive big-man on the trade market if New York puts him there, and Bargnani has value as a stretch four or five. I forecast the Knicks stubbornly hanging onto their core and either sneaking into the playoffs or finishing ninth in the East. 

17. Brooklyn Nets

18-22, 7^th in Eastern Conference
Good News = Somehow they are currently locked into a playoff spot in the Leastern Conference.
Bad News = Their all-star center is done for the year, their all-star point guard is in and out of the lineup with a bum ankle, and their former all-star point guard is a shitty head coach.
What They Should Do = I’m genuinely disappointed with what has happened with the Nets this year, as injuries never let the roster get off the ground. Even with the infusion of old Celtics, the team was still built around Deron Williams and Brook Lopez. Williams looks like he’ll never regain his elite form from his days in Utah, but if he can ever figure out his ankle issues he’s not to old to have a resurgence. Brooklyn is severely limited in what they are able to do for the foreseeable future, with only Paul Pierce’s contract coming off the books for next season. Even with him making $15.3 million that still leaves them roughly $28 million over the salary cap. Pierce is their only realistic trade chip, but unless he would fetch a first round pick, it’s not worth shipping him out of town. Brooklyn’s best bet is to plug away with what they have, make the playoffs (remember, no first round pick next year, or for approximately the next fourteen), and try to regroup after the off-season.

11. Minnesota Timberwolves

20-21, 11^th in Western Conference
Good News = Kevin Love has righted himself after an injury plagued 2012-13 campaign.
Bad News = Ricky Rubio is historically awful and shooting, and Kevin Love is probably leaving after next year.
What They Should Do = Minnesota is like the classic Phillip Rivers’ era Chargers teams where the advanced metrics say they are good, but their record is mediocre. The Timberwolves have the fifth best point differential in the Western Conference, but incredibly are 3.5 games out of a playoff spot. They still have their first round pick, which makes tanking an option, but they need to make some sort of impression on Kevin Love to convince him that Minnesota is the place for him to sign long term. Unlike any other team in the league, I’ll recommend that the Timberwolves should actually shop their first round pick. Statistics say that Minnesota’s record should stabilize and put them into a playoff spot, and an upgrade at small forward would help them. Furthermore, there is the chance that their pick ends up in the lottery, so they could get an immediate starter in return. We’ll end this post with some fun trades that will probably never happen.

Timberwolves trade Dante Cunningham (expiring contract), Shabazz Muhammad (troubled lottery pick, but still talented), Ronny Turiaf, A.J. Price (expiring contract), and 2014 First Round Pick to Celtics for Jeff Green – Celtics pipe dream trade that would net them another draft pick

Timberwolves trade Corey Brewer, J.J. Barea, Dante Cunningham, and Ronny Turiaf to Pacers for Danny Granger – Indiana adds depth to their bench, and if Granger returns to 80% of his former self, Minnesota gets almost an All-Star caliber 3. I don’t think Minnesota would have to throw in their first round pick for this offer to be fair.

Timberwolves trade Dante Cunningham, A.J. Price, Robbie Hummel (all three are expiring contracts), and 2014 first round pick to Jazz for Gordon Hayward – Let’s get this trade to the commissioner’s office right now. It makes too much sense.

 

 

10 Awesome Things That Happened This Weekend (4/19-4/21)

10. James Harrison Signs With Cincinnati
            It isn’t on the scale of Brett Favre playing for the Vikings against Green Bay, but seeing Harrison against the Steelers will be pretty weird.

9. Gonzaga Center Kelly Olynyk Enters NBA Draft

            No one is more excited about this than Mavericks center Chris Kaman, who after a decade long run will finally have competition for the distinction of ugliest player in the NBA.

8. Pacers Clobber Hawks

7. Lakers Can’t Score Against Spurs
6. Heat Dominate Bucks
            None of these games were particularly watchable, but No Credentials always has room in the weekend review to celebrate a successful three-team teaser.

5. Darrelle Revis Acquired By Tampa Bay Buccaneers
            Because you know, paying a cornerback who just had ACL surgery six months ago $16 million a year makes a ton of sense.

4. Matt Kenseth Dominates Kansas

            Other than the car-crunching collision between Kyle Busch and Joey Logano, the only other noteworthy moment of this race was Kenseth briefly racing his former car, now driven by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. A late caution during a pit cycle put the #17 deep in the field, and gift-wrapped Kenseth’s second win with Joe Gibbs Racing.

3. Carmelo Goes Bonkers Again, Leads Knicks to Game 1 Win Over Boston
            Boston had a win brewing through three quarters, but an eight point fourth quarter did the Celtics in.

2. 98 Year-Old Nuggets Point Guard Andre Miller Leads Thrilling Game 1 Win over Golden State

            Incredibly, Miller didn’t need to use a walker to make his game-winning lay-up.

1. Boston Wins

            Starting with the terrifying manhunt that ended in an alert man’s boat, and culminating in a stirring pre-game ceremony at Fenway Park that was emphatically concluded by David Ortiz, the citizens of Boston have a lot to be proud about after the dramatic events of last week. B-Strong Boston.

10 Awesome Things That Happened This Weekend (4/5-4/7)

10. Rob Gronkowski Needs Further Surgery
           No word yet on whether or not Gronkowski’s infection originated from an Irish pub, a strip club, or a house party.

9. Cubs Strip Carlos Marmol of Closer Role

            Is two days the shortest leash a closer has ever had in MLB history?

8. Louisville Women Join Men’s Team in Championship Game

7. Connecticut Finally Beats Notre Dame, Makes Women’s Title Game
            I could give a shit about women’s basketball, but I had a hard enough digging for seven things to put on this list, so filling two spots here is worth the plug for women’s hoops.

6. Jimmie Johnson Dominates Martinsville

            No Credentials has a hard team thinking of a race he looks forward to less than one at the track that Jimmie Johnson dominates at more than any other.

5. Clippers Clobber Los Angeles
            I’m not sure which stat is more incredible, that the Clippers won their first division title in franchise history, or that they swept the Lakers for the first time since 1974-75. 

4. Carmelo Continues Going Bonkers, Leads Knicks to Win in OKC

            New York is looking more like the team that started the year as the greatest threat to the Heat in the Eastern Conference.

3. Will Middlebrooks Racks Up 3 Dingers
            For those not in the know, that’s a lot of fucking home runs.

2. Michigan Tries to Choke, Hangs on to Beat Syracuse
            All Syracuse needed was a Michigan player to do a Chris Webber and call a time-out they didn’t have to push the Orange into the Championship Game.

1. Down 12, Louisville Rallies Past Wichita St.

            If my bracket is any indication, the following prediction is probably awful, but No Credentials sees Louisville winning by double digits tonight.

10 Awesome Things That Happened This Weekend (1/25-1/27)

10. Danica Patrick and Ricky Stenhouse Announce That They Are Dating
            I have high hopes for Stenhouse, so hopefully this doesn’t derail his career.

9. Juan Montoya Clinches Another Rolex 24 Win For Chip Ganassi

            I’m not emotionally invested in sports car racing (the cars are cool, but they get to spread out for my liking), but mentioning Montoya is the perfect excuse to show what happened to him last February at Daytona.

 

8. Lebron Celebrates $75,000 Half-Court Shot With a Fan

            Thanks to the lovely tax code, Michael Drysch will only get to keep $53,000 of it.

7. Saturday Night Live Mocks Ray Lewis

            The only thing this skit missed was a steroids reference.

 

6. Villanova Stuns #3 Syracuse

            Here is this week’s “Major College Basketball Upset That No Credentials Doesn’t Give A Shit About”, sponsored by VAGISIL.

5. Kobe Learns To Pass

            If this were still 2012, I’d say it was another sure sign of an impending apocalypse.
         
4. Northern Illinois Scores Four First Half Points In a Division I Men’s Basketball Game
            Thankfully, they exploded for 21 points in the second.

3. Ashley Wagner Wins U.S. Figure Skating Championship

            I don’t know where my life went wrong, but I watched roughly an hour of this event, and was thoroughly entertained.

2. Carmelo Drops 42 On the Hawks

            Anthony had been crushing the field goal percentage of my second fantasy basketball team for weeks, so Sunday’s explosion was much appreciated.

1. Celtics Outlast Heat in Double Overtime, Then Find Out Rondo Has Torn ACL
            A potentially season saving win was marred by the news that Rajon Rondo blew out his knee in Friday night’s double-overtime win over the Hawks.

10 Awesome Things That Happened This Past Weekend (4/6-4/8)

10. Isaiah Thomas Gets Fired…Again
            Isaiah Thomas is rockstar. He actually had the stones to come out and say that getting fired from Florida International University was the first time he had been canned for “basketball reasons”.

9. Kanye West Seen Canoodling With Kim Kardashian

            If these two procreate, I’m moving to Uranus.

8. Steven Stamkos Reaches 60 Goals

7. Lionel Messi Reaches 60 Goals
            Both feats are impressive, but Messi achieving something that hadn’t been done in 39 years earns him one spot higher on this weeks list over Stamkos.

6. Milwaukee Bucks Beat Lowly Bobcats By 5

            Loyal readers may recognize this item as “The Weekly Shameless Plug of the Team No Credentials Picked in the Sportsbook Survivor Pool This Past Weekend”.

5. Carmelo Anthony Drops 43, Leads Knicks to Victory Over Bulls

            Sure the Knicks were at home playing against a team led by a very rusty Derrick Rose, but did anyone in the NBA need to have this kind of game more than Carmelo Anthony? Me think not.

4. Boston College Wins NCAA Hockey Title

            I would’ve ranked this higher, but BC beat some school named Ferris St. in the championship game, which is a college that I would need at least five guesses to figure out which state it is located in.

3. (Devil) Rays Rally Against the Hammer of God, Eventually Sweep Yankees

            I’d be more excited about New York’s 0-3 start, but the last time they lost their first three games they went on to win 114 games in 1998.

2. Red Sox Blow Two Saves in One Game, Get Swept By Tigers

            We are only in the first week of the season, but No Credentials is feeling pretty confident with its third place finish prediction for Boston.

1. Bubba Watson Wins 2012 Masters on Second Playoff Hole

            Despite no Tiger Woods, and a pedestrian performance by Phil Mickelson, this year’s Masters will be memorable thanks to Bubba Watson’s incredible second shot at 10 during the playoff. That shot would be hard to pull off in a video game, much less during a playoff hole in the biggest golf tournament on Earth.  

Blow-Out the Budget 2011-12 NBA Preview

            No Credentials spent (way too much) time reviewing every roster in the NBA. Here are the qualifications for the three levels of players we assigned.

A-Level = A man capable of being the best player on a championship contending team with the right personal around him, or a player with the potential to be that type of guy.

B-Level = A man capable of being the second, third, or fourth best player on a championship contending team, or a player with A-Level talent that has personality traits that prevent them from reaching that level.

C-Level = Players capable of delivering 15-25 solid minutes off the bench, or former A and B-Level players that have slight chances of bouncing back.

30. Charlotte Bobcats

A-Level = None
B- Level = SF/PF/C Boris Diaw
C- Level = PG D.J. Augustin, SF Corey Maggette
Rookies = PG Kemba Walker, C Bismack Biyombo
Reason for Optimism = Probable top-5 pick in loaded 2012 Draft.
            Michael Jordan wasn’t a hard-line owner in the lockout because he cared about the economics of the NBA. I think he just wanted to cancel the season so no one would have to see his crappy team attempt to play basketball. It would be wise for Charlotte to give plenty of minutes to Kemba Walker to see if he is a viable NBA player. His size forces him to play the point, but he doesn’t have the natural passing instincts of Stephen Curry to make the transition be as smooth.

29. Cleveland Cavaliers

A-Level = None
B-Level = PF Antawn Jamison, C Anderson Varejao
C-Level = PG/SG Ramon Sessions
Rookies = PG Kyrie Irving, PF Tristan Thompson
Reason for Optimism = New foundation is under construction.
            I don’t see Kyrie Irving developing to a point where he is on the level of a Paul/Rose/Williams type player, but Irving could eventually be the second or third best player on a contending team. Odds are Cleveland will end up with another high first round pick for 2012. A core of Irving, Tristan Thompson (who looks like a project player at this point, but could be a force in two or three seasons, and one of the top rookies from the 2012 class will be something for Cavs fans to look forward too. Flipping Varejao and Jamison to contending teams for future draft picks would speed the rebuilding process even more.

28. Detroit Pistons

A-Level = None
B-Level = SG Ben Gordon, C Greg Monroe
C-Level = PG/SG Rodney Stuckey, SF Tayshaun Prince, SF Austin Daye, PF Charlie Villanueva
Rookies = PG Brandon Knight, C Vernon Macklin
Reason for Optimism = They have to fire Joe Dumars soon…right?
            If the NBA title were awarded to the team that acquired the most mediocre players that play the same positions, Detroit would easily be the championship favorites. Joe Dumars is like the owner in your fantasy football league who drafts two quarterbacks in the first four rounds. Resigning Tayshaun Prince will only take away minutes from promising youngsters like Austin Daye. 

27. Toronto Raptors

A-Level = None
B-Level = SG DeMar DeRozan, PF Andrea Bargnani
C-Level = PG Jose Calderon, PG Jerryd Bayless, SG Leandro Barbosa, PF Amir Johnson, C Ed Davis
Rookies = None
Reason for Optimism = The Maples Leafs are back!
            My wife loves DeMar DeRozan. She drafted him in the sixteenth round in our fantasy draft last year. She loves that he has two capital letters in the middle of his first and last name. She loves that he didn’t use props or gimmicks in last years dunk contest, and then called out the people who did. Needless to say, it wasn’t surprising that she took DeRozan about 25 picks earlier than she needed to in our draft this past Sunday.

26. Washington Wizards

A-Level = PG John Wall
B-Level = C JaVale McGee
C-Level = SG Nick Young, SF Rashard Lewis, PF Andray Blatche
Rookies = SF Jan Vesely, PG Shelvin Mack, SF Chris Singleton
Reason for Optimism = Jan Vesely’s girlfriend.
            John Wall should take a major step forward in his development, but there isn’t enough talent around him to fully take advantage of it. Washington would be wise to tank the season in order to get a second banana for Wall (think a Harrison Barnes, Anthony Davis type player).

25. Phoenix Suns

A-Level = None
B-Level = PG Steve Nash, PF Channing Frye, C Marcin Gortat
C-Level = SG/SF Jared Dudley, SG Shannon Brown, SF Grant Hill, C Robin Lopez
Rookies = PF Markieff Morris
            This looks like the year the Phoenix Suns will finally hit rock bottom. Nash still has the ability to make everyone on the court with him better, but it’s going to be a challenge for him to hold up through the condensed schedule. I don’t see a guy on this roster that will be able to get his own shot (unless Shannon Brown has some skills we don’t know about). Hopefully for the sake of Nash the Suns have the decency to ship him to a contender.

24. Milwaukee Bucks

A-Level = None
B- Level = PG Brandon Jennings, SG Stephen Jackson, C Andrew Bogut
C-Level = SG Mike Dunleavy, SF Carlos Delfino, SF Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, PF Drew Gooden
Rookies = SF Tobias Harris, PF Jon Leuer
Reason for Optimism = Greg Jennings will be back after the bye!
            Milwaukee plays real hard defense, but had a terrible time trying to score last season. I’ll be polite and say that Brandon Jennings’ shot selection was questionable. He’ll benefit from having Stephen Jackson on the team, which hopefully well allow him to stay out of hero mode on a nightly basis. The only thing that will save the Bucks from lottery-ville will be Andrew Bogut returning to his 2009-10 form (pre-elbow injury).

23. New Jersey Nets

A-Level = PG Deron Williams
B-Level = C Brook Lopez (out 4-10 weeks), PF Kim Kardashian’s Ex-Husband…oh I’m sorry he has a name…Kris Humphries
C-Level = PG Jordan Farmar, SG Anthony Morrow, SF/PF Shawne Williams, C Mehmet Okur
Rookies = SG Marshon Brooks, C Jordan Williams
Reason for Optimism = A couple of months of Dwight Howard trade rumors before he ends up with the Lakers.
            I wrote a couple of flattering things about the Nets a couple of nights ago (and a joke about how they could trade Brook Lopez and a bag of dog poop for Dwight Howard), but now Lopez will probably miss at least half of the regular season. Ouch.

22. Philadelphia 76ers

A-Level = None
B-Level = PG Jrue Holiday, SF Andre Iguodala, SF Thaddeus Young, PF Elton Brand
C-Level = PG Louis Williams, SG Evan Turner, SG Jodie Meeks, C Spencer Hawes
Rookies = PF Lavoy Allen, C Nikola Vucevic
Reason for Optimism = What will they get when they move Andre Iguodala?
            I’d like this group a lot more if this were a normal season, but can’t see Elton Brand holding up long. He’s not a guy that’s capable to survive a nine games in twelve days type stretch. My two main objectives this season if I were running the 76ers would be to see if Evan Turner can morph into a franchise player (he didn’t appear to have that potential last season), and then find a suitor for Andre Iguodala. Iguodala would be a valuable defensive force on a playoff team, but isn’t suiting to being your squad’s best player. He’s the classic “B-Level Guy Being Asked to be an A-Level Guy” example.

21. New Orleans Hornets

A-Level = SG Eric Gordon
B-Level = C Emeka Okafor, PF/C Chris Kaman
C-Level = PG Jarrett Jack, SF Trevor Ariza, SF Al-Farouq Aminu
Rookies = None
Reason for Optimism = David Stern is going to rig the draft so the Hornets end up with the top-2 picks next year.
            Gordon is poised for a monster season (think 27 points per game), but unfortunately there just isn’t enough around him this season for the Hornets to make the playoffs. Expect guys like Ariza or Kaman to eventually get flipped for future assets, and also expect the Hornets to look very scary going into the 2013-14 season. 

20. Minnesota Timberwolves

A-Level = None
B-Level = PF Kevin Love
C-Level = PG J.J. Barea, SG Wes Johnson, SF Michael Beasley, PF Anthony Tolliver, PF Anthony Randolph, C Darko Millcic
Rookies = PG Ricky Rubio, SF Derrick Williams, SG Malcolm Lee
Reason for Optimism = Plenty of assets to attempt to trade for star players that want nothing to do with playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
            GM David Kahn has taken a page out of the Joe Dumars playbook, and acquired all sorts of players that do the exact same thing. Most seasons that would be a problem, but in the 120 sprint the NBA has scheduled, an over abundance of depth might not be a bad thing. The Timberwolves will have no problem trotting out guys with fresh legs every night. Would you bet on the Celtics back-ups to beat Minnesota’s second unit (which will feature Williams, Barea, Tolliver, and Randolph to begin the season)? I wouldn’t.

19. Sacramento Kings

A-Level = None
B-Level = PG/SG Tyreke Evans, SG Marcus Thornton, C DeMarcus Cousins
C-Level = SG Francisco Garcia, SF John Salmons, PF J.J. Hickson
Rookies = PG Jimmer Fredette (JIMMER!), PG Isaiah Thomas, SF Tyler Honeycutt
Reason for Optimism = Fans get to watch the oddest collection of characters since “Arrested Development”
            I could probably write 3,000 words about how crazy this roster is. Jimmer must’ve thought he accidentally arrived at a halfway house when he showed up for Kings training camp. I’d like to see the go small with Jimmer and Thornton in the backcourt, Tyreke at the 3, and Cousins and Hickson working down low. None of those five guys would play defense, but the team would put up 115 per game. 

18. Utah Jazz

A-Level = PF/C Al Jefferson
B-Level = PG Devin Harris, PF Paul Millsap, PF Derrick Favors
C-Level = SG C.J. Miles
Rookies = C Enes Kanter, SG Alec Burks
Reason for Optimism = Great skiing!
            Utah is stuck with the same issue that screwed the Lakers up last season. Their three best players (Jefferson, Millsap, and Favors) usually can’t be on the court together. Things are even more complicated when you throw rookie Enes Kanter (who is a project player) into the mix. Millsap will reportedly see a lot of time at small forward, but that would be a disaster defensively. Look for Utah to move Millsap before the trade deadline, whether they are in contention or not.

17. Golden State Warriors

A-Level = PG Stephen Curry, PG/SG Monta Ellis
B-Level = SF Dorell Wright, PF David Lee
C-Level = None
Rookies = SG Klay Thompson, C Jeremy Tyler, PG Charles Jenkins
Reason for Optimism = The “sent” folder on Monta Ellis’ cellphone.
            Golden State will never be a contender until they move either Curry or Ellis. Neither of them can guard opposing 2-guards, which is tough when there is no one behind them to defend the rim (sorry Kwame Brown, there’s 10 years of evidence that you are not that guy). Ellis has a hint of Marbury, so he would be the guy I would try to move. 

16. Denver Nuggets

A-Level = None
B-Level = PG Ty Lawson, SG Arron Afflalo, SF Danilo Gallinari, PF Nene Hillario
C-Level = PG Andre Miller, SG Rudy Fernandez, SF Corey Brewer, PF Al Harrington, C Timofey Mozgov, C Chris Anderson
Rookies = SF Jordan Hamilton, PF Kenneth Faried
Reason for Optimism = Wilson Chandler is tearing it up right now…in China…until March…
               It’s amazing that Denver traded it’s franchise player away ten months ago, and lost three guys who decided to play in China, still looks this competitive on paper. If Gallinari or Lawson make the leap to A-Level status, we could be talking about a club that lands the third seed in the western conference.    

15. Houston Rockets

A-Level = None
B-Level = PG Kyle Lowry, SG Kevin Martin, SF Chase Budinger, PF Luis Scola
C-Level = PG Goran Dragic, SG Courtney Lee
Rookies = PF Marcus Morris, SF Chandler Parsons
Reason for Optimism = If we suck, we can blame David Stern from preventing Pau Gasol and Nene joining our team.
            For years, Houston has been hoarding assets. The hoarding of those assets finally appeared to pay off when the Rockets facilitated the Chris Paul trade to the Lakers. Alas, Stern vetoed the trade, Houston didn’t get Pau Gasol (and Nene, who apparently was set to join if Pau was acquired), and is now stuck with a bunch of pissed off players. As it stands now, Houston is a decent center away from being a contender in the west.

14. Orlando Magic

A-Level = C Dwight Howard
B-Level = SG Jason Richardson
C-Level = PG Jameer Nelson, SF Hedo Turkoglu, PF Ryan Anderson, PF Glen Davis
Rookies = SF DeAndre Liggins, PF Justin Harper
Reason for Optimism = Local amusement parks.
            No wonder Dwight Howard wants to leave Orlando. Big Baby was there big off-season move so far, which is even crazier when you factor in that they gave up a better player (Brandon Bass) to get him. It’s hard to tell if Orlando will stay strong in attempting to convince Howard to stay. If he does, they are looking at a four through sixth seed in the east. The earlier they trade him, the better chances of acquiring a top lottery pick. My advice for Orlando is to ship Howard out now to the highest bidder.

13. Atlanta Hawks

A-Level = SF/PF Josh Smith
B-Level = SG Joe Johnson, PF/C Al Horford
C-Level = PG Jeff Teague, SG/SF Tracy McGrady, SF Marvin Williams,
Rookies = PF Keith Benson
Reason for Optimism = If the world ends next year, we won’t have to pay Joe Johnson anymore money!
            I’d like Atlanta much more if they found a live body to play center, which would allow Smith and Horford to switch to the four and three. They don’t have enough size to exploit a team like Miami, and not enough athleticism to hang with Chicago. The only hope for the Hawks is Jeff Teague. If he becomes a consistent top-15 point guard, Atlanta has the big guns to hang with the elite teams of the east.

12. San Antonio Spurs

A-Level = SG Manu Ginobili
B-Level = PF/C Tim Duncan, PG Tony Parker
C-Level = SG Gary Neal, PF Matt Bonner, C DeJuan Blair, C Tiago Splitter
Rookies = SF Kawhi Leonard, PG Cory Joseph
Reason for Optimism = Due to end up with the top pick in the draft and pick a seven-footer that will be a cornerstone of the franchise for 15 years.
            If there was ever a team that was not constructed to play 66 games in 120 days, it would be this one. San Antonio is going to need major contributions from Gary Neal and Tiago Splitter to hang in the playoff race out west. That’s the only way the burden can be taken off of the very old foundation. Don’t be surprised if the long rumored Tony Parker trade finally comes to fruition this season.

11. Los Angeles Lakers

A-Level = SG Kobe Bryant, PF/C Pau Gasol
B-Level = C Andrew Bynum (suspended first four games)
C-Level = PG Derek Fisher, SF Matt Barnes, SF Metta World Peace, PF Josh McRoberts, PF/C Troy Murphy
F-Level = SF Luke Walton
Rookies = PG Darius Morris, SG Andrew Goudelock, PF Ater Majok
Reason for Optimism = Stem cells.
            Here’s another team not constructed to play a sprint schedule. Los Angeles has slowly morphed into one of the least athletic teams in the league. Losing Lamar Odom (one of the most versatile players in the league who could also handle the ball) is a killer for a club that has a gaping hole at point guard. They’ll be dangerous in the playoffs regardless of seed. It’s just a matter of keeping Kobe, Pau, and Bynum healthy.

10. New York Knicks

A-Level = SF Carmelo Anthony, PF Amar’e Stoudemire
B-Level = C Tyson Chandler, PG Baron Davis (out for probably the first month with a back injury)
C-Level = PG/SG Toney Douglas, SG Landry Fields
F-Level = PG Mike Bibby’s Rotting Corpse, I Mean, PG Mike Bibby (it’s hard to tell he’s still alive sometimes)
Rookies = SG Iman Shumpert, C Josh Harrellson
Reason for Optimism = No point guard, no problem! (they hope)
            I’d like the Knicks so much more if they had Lebron James instead of Carmelo. Anthony will be asked to be primary distributor of the ball (at least until Baron Davis is healthy), which is a role he has never had. For the most part, he’s been a ball-stopping isolation player his entire career. It will be interesting to see if he has the ability and mind-set to do it. He’ll need to shoulder the load in order to keep Amar’e and his shaky knees healthy through the season.

9. Portland Trail Blazers

A-Level = PF LaMarcus Aldridge
B-Level = PG Raymond Felton, SG Wesley Matthews, SF Gerald Wallace, C Marcus Camby, PG/SG Jamal Crawford
C-Level = C Kurt Thomas, C Greg Oden, C Greg Oden’s Penis
Rookies = PG Nolan Smith, SG Jon Diebler, SF Tanguy Ngombo
Reason for Optimism = Brandon Roy (may his basketball career R.I.P.) is no longer being paid $1, much less $18 million.
            I really like Portland’s top-6, but have concerns about the rest of the bench. Nolan Smith needs to give 15 Eric Maynor-like minutes a night to stabilize the second unit. If they can get anything out of Greg Oden come playoff time, Portland will boast the deepest group of bigs in the western conference.  

8. Boston Celtics

A-Level = SF Paul Pierce
B-Level = PG Rajon Rondo, SG Ray Allen, PF Kevin Garnett
C-Level = SG Marquis Daniels, PF Brandon Bass, C Jermaine O’Neal, C Chris Wilcox
Rookies = SG E’twaun Moore, PF JaJuan Johnson
Reason for Optimism = The Patriots beat Tebow!
            Boston failed to trade for Chris Paul, and pissed off Rondo in the process (not sure how he’ll react to that, although things have gone well in the pre-season so far). David West spurned them and instead signed with the Pacers. The only positive move for the Celtics was upgrading from Big Baby to Brandon Bass (and saving a few bucks in the process). The Celtics would be wise to take it easy in the regular season to keep the Big 4 healthy, and then run at full strength during the playoffs. They will need all four guys playing at their best to have any shot of winning the title.

7. Indiana Pacers

A-Level = SF Danny Granger
B-Level = PG Darren Collison, SG Paul George, PF David West, C Roy Hibbert
C-Level = PG/SG George Hill, PF Tyler Hansbrough, C Jeff Foster
Rookies = None
Reason for Optimism = Pieces are in place
            I’m predicting that the Pacers will be my NBA version of the Milwaukee Brewers (I loved them in my MLB preview last spring). There isn’t an overwhelming amount of depth, but I really like their 8-man rotation. David West’s arrival filled a gaping hole in the post, and allows Roy Hibbert to focus more on playing tough defense and cleaning up on the offensive glass. The only things that could derail them is a Danny Granger injury (he’s had a few during his career) and a David West injury (he’ll be a season removed from an ACL tear while trying to play 66 games in 120 days). If health is in their favor, watch out for the Pacers.

6. Dallas Mavericks

A-Level = PF Dirk Nowitzki
B-Level = PG Jason Kidd, SG Vince Carter, SG Jason Terry, SF Shawn Marion, SF/PF Lamar Odom
C-Level = PG Delonte West, C Brendan Haywood
Rookies = None
Reason for Optimism = We’re the defending champs bitch!
            The more I think about it, I really like how Mark Cuban and his people put their title-defending team together. There’s the ability to play big or small (having Kidd-Terry-Carter-Dirk-Odom out on the court at the same time could be the fastest bunch of old dudes in NBA history), and have tons of shooters to surround Nowitzki. The Mavericks’ chance at a title hinge largely on how well Brendan Haywood can fill the void left by Tyson Chandler. A repeat is unlikely, but look for the Mavericks to be stronger than the experts think. Either way, Dallas has done a nice job building a competitive team along with cap space for next year’s free agent class.

5. Los Angeles Clippers

A-Level = PG Chris Paul, PF Blake Griffin
B-Level = PG/SG Chauncey Billups, PG Mo Williams, SF Caron Butler, C DeAndre Jordan
C-Level = PG/SG Randy Foye, PG/SG Eric Bledsoe, SF Ryan Gomes, C Reggie Evans
Rookies = SG Travis Leslie, PF Trey Thompkins
Reason for Optimism = Blake Griffin, Year 2: Lob City.
             The Clippers are a really good that are a minor tweak or two away from being great. Their Achilles heal appears to be the ability to guard opposing 2-guards. Asking the combination of Paul/Billups/Williams/Foye do it for 48 minutes is a tall order. Moving Mo Williams to a team for a guy like O.J. Mayo would make a whole lot of sense. In addition, shipping Eric Bledsoe out for an additional big-man (Bill Simmons talked about how Anderson Varejao would be an excellent back-up for both Griffin and Jordan) would give this team depth across the board. Look for the Clippers to be very active before the trade deadline. Even after the Chris Paul trade, they have plenty of moveable parts left. 

4. Memphis Grizzlies

A-Level = PF Zach Randolph
B-Level = SF Rudy Gay, C Marc Gasol, PG Mike Conley, SG Tony Allen, SG O.J. Mayo
C-Level = PG Greivis Vazquez, SF Sam Young, PF Darrell Arthur (injured to start the year), PF Mikki Moore
Reason for Optimism = The return of Rudy Gay to a club that nearly made the Western Conference Finals last year without him.
            There isn’t a more underrated front-line in the NBA than Gay-Randolph-Gasol. All three are athletic, all of them can hammer the glass, and all three can score when the opportunity is there. The ceiling of the Grizzlies will be decided by whether or not they move O.J. Mayo, and what they get back in return. Personally, I think they should keep him as their sixth man and try to have him fill a Jason Terry-like role. Last year’s playoff run wasn’t a fluke. The Grizzlies are for real.

3. Chicago Bulls

A-Level = PG Derrick Rose
B-Level = C Joakim Noah, PF Carlos Boozer, SF Luol Deng, SG Richard Hamilton, PF Taj Gibson
C-Level = SG Ronnie Brewer, SF Kyle Korver
F-Level = PF Brian Scalabrine
Rookies = SF Jimmy Butler
Reason for Optimism = We finally have a 2-guard that can do stuff!
            The reason Miami overwhelmed the Bulls after Chicago’s Game 1 win in the Eastern Conference Finals was the inability of anyone other than Derrick Rose to create their own shot. Chicago has two potential sources of alternate offense this season. The obvious first choice is Richard Hamilton, who has spent the past two seasons in purgatory on the putrid Pistons. It’s unclear how much (if anything) Hamilton has left in the tank, but the early returns in pre-season have been good. The other source is the return to form of Carlos Boozer. Boozer battled injuries all last season, which eventually led to a loss in confidence during the postseason. By the time the Bulls entered the playoffs Taj Gibson was a much more effective player. Boozer has also looked great so far in pre-season, giving hope to Bulls fans that they will finally have the interior scoring they thought they were getting when they signed Boozer in the summer of 2010. 

2. Miami Heat

A-Level = SG Dwyane Wade, SF Lebron James
B-Level = PF Chris Bosh
C-Level = PG Mario Chalmers, SG-SF Shane Battier, SF Mike Miller, PF Udonis Haslem
Rookies = PG Norris Cole
Reason for Optimism = Not as much of the country hates the Heat as they did last year.
            The same depth issues Miami dealt with last season still exist today, but this appears to be the team in pole position to benefit from the return of the players stuck in China. Joel Anthony doesn’t strike fear in anyone (except Lebron when he sets up Anthony with a perfect look-pass only to see Anthony fumble it out of bounds), but imagine if they can add Kenyon Martin for the final month of the year and the playoffs? One of the China guys is going to take less money for a shot at a ring. The only thing that will keep Miami out of the Eastern Conference Finals is the health of Dwyane Wade.

1. Oklahoma City Thunder

A-Level = SF Kevin Durant, PG Russell Westbrook
B-Level = SG James Harden, PF/C Serge Ibaka, C Kendrick Perkins
C-Level = PG Eric Maynor, SG Thabo Sefolosha, SF Daequan Cook, PF Nick Collison, C Nazr Mohammed
Rookies = SG Reggie Jackson (not the MLB Hall-of-Famer)
Reason for Optimism = If there ever was a team prepared to play 66 games in 120 days, it’s this one.
            Oklahoma has so many things going in it’s favor this season that I’ll list all of them in their own bullet point.

-         If James Harden makes the leap to superstardom (which a few experts think is a possibility), the Thunder will be the only team with three elite scorers on its roster.

-         Except for Perkins, Collison, and Mohammed, there isn’t a dude over 25 years old on this team. Young legs will take you far this year.

-         There isn’t a more flexible team in the league right now. These guys can beat you big or small.

-         Eric Maynor would be starting for at least 10 other teams. I’d like to see the Thunder put him and Westbrook in the same backcourt. Imagine a small-ball line up of Maynor-Westbrook-Harden-Durant-Ibaka? Yikes.

-         A full-season of Perkins means a full-season of Serge Ibaka racking up vicious weak-side blocks.

            The only underlying plot that will prevent Oklahoma City from reaching it’s potential is the alpha dog battle between Durant and Westbrook. At some point, Westbrook has to accept that he is Robin to Durant’s Batman. If they can get to the point where they are running the pick and roll together, there will be no stopping Oklahoma City from winning the 2012 NBA Championship.

           

Blowing Up the NBA, Part 1

          I’m sick of the NBA Lockout. I hate the owners for using their leverage to try to hammer the players without little regard for whether or not there is a season this year. I’m sick of the players, who instead of continuing to negotiate after finally getting a fair offer from the owners, decided to disband the players union and take their fight to court. Neither side has come out smelling like roses.
          All the negativity going on with professional basketball has led No Credentials to find a way to have some fun with the NBA. Naturally this resulted in me going into “uber-nerd” mode. I’ve decided to do a fantasy draft for a “new” NBA. Here is how it will work.

1.      I hope none of you are fans of the Raptors, Bobcats, Kings, Grizzlies, Hornets, or Timberwolves, because those teams no longer exist in the No Credentials version of the NBA. It’s now a 24-team league with two 12-team conferences.

    
      2.      Each team is allowed to designate one player from their 2010-11 roster as it’s “keeper”.  

3.      The rest of each team’s roster will be determined in a 15 round draft. Round 1 will be the round each team picks its keeper player. The draft order will be determined by which franchises I deem most important to the NBA (in other words, in a perfect world, the teams the NBA would most benefit from if they are competitive. This mostly has to do with size of the local market, passion of the fan-base, ect.).

4.      Each team will have to stay below a $65 million salary cap. Salaries for each player picked from rounds 1-5 will be based on what is listed as their 2011-12 cap number on ESPN.com. Rounds 6-7 player salaries will be their 2011-12 number or $5 million (whichever is less). Round 8 will be the 2011-12 number or $2.5 million (whichever is less). Rounds 9-10 will be the 2011-12 number or $1 million (whichever is less). Rounds 11-15 will be $500 thousand.

5.      Each club must have a minimum of 12 players on its roster. If a club has spent too much of it’s cap on it’s top-5 picks, it’s limit for rounds 6-10 will be reduced.

            Without further ado, here’s each team’s keeper player for the 2011-12 NBA (as conceived in the delusional mind of No Credentials).

1-1.            Los Angeles Lakers – Kobe Bryant, SG = $25 million – Is he a little long in the tooth? Sure, but Kobe is still one of the most valuable players in the league, and has been the face of the Lakers for years. It would be a slap in the face if L.A. kept Gasol over Bryant.

1-2.            New York Knicks – Carmelo Anthony, SF = $19 million – Gets the nod over Stoudemire because of his more stable health. Hopefully for his sake we’ll build a better rotation around him than what the Knicks came up with last season.

1-3.            Boston Celtics – Rajon Rondo, PG = $10 million – It really kills me to use the Celtics keeper on a point guard who can’t shoot, but his salary combined with his age make him the clear choice over any of the Big 3.

1-4.            Chicago Bulls – Derrick Rose, PG = $7 million – Not that there was really any doubt here, but Rose has one more year on his rookie contract, which gives Chicago plenty of flexibility for the rest of this fake draft.

1-5.            Dallas Mavericks – Dirk Nowitzki, PF = $19 million – The reigning king of the NBA, Dirk probably wouldn’t mind if No Credentials drafts the rest of the 2010-11 Mavericks onto this club.

1-6.            Phoenix Suns – Steve Nash, PG = $12 million – The Suns roster is so barren in terms of young talent that a 37-year old point guard is the clear choice as the clubs lone keeper. We probably won’t see another Sun come off the board until the fourth round.

1-7.            Miami Heat – Lebron James, SF = $16 million – James is three years younger than Wade, plus he doesn’t come with all the injury concerns. Wade probably won’t make it back to Miami in the second round, but that may not be a bad thing.

1-8.            Washington Wizards – John Wall, PG = $6 million – It’s not out of the realm of possibility that Wall follows the same development pattern as Derrick Rose.

1-9.            Portland Trail Blazers – LaMarcus Aldridge, PF = $13 million – Aldridge showed in the second half last season that he can carry a team into the playoffs.

1-10.        Philadelphia 76ers – Andre Iguodala, SF = $14 million – I hate this keeper, but I’m not sure if Evan Turner will ever develop into a franchise player.  

1-11.        San Antonio Spurs – Tim Duncan, PF = $19 million – Keeping Duncan in this scenario doesn’t make much sense in terms of basketball (Duncan is in decline, which is what most athletes are at age 35), but you could argue that Duncan is the face of the Spurs as much (if not more) than Kobe is the face of the Lakers.

1-12.        Golden State Warriors – Stephen Curry, PG = $3 million – The fatal flaw of the Warriors the past two years is the inability of Curry and Monte Ellis to guard opposing backcourts (one of them always gets matched up against a bigger shooting guard and gets manhandled). We’ll fix that problem with this draft.

1-13.        Detroit Pistons – Greg Monroe, C = $3 million – Joe Dumars called and asked if he could forfeit his rights to keep a player and just redraft the entire team, but I told him it wasn’t allowed.

1-14.        Denver Nuggets – Danilo Gallinari, SF = $4 million – Gallinari is a homeless man’s Dirk Nowitzki who could develop into a poor man’s Dirk Nowitzki.

1-15.        Orlando Magic – Dwight Howard, C = $18 million – Even with mid-round picks, I’m guaranteeing I build a better team around Dwight than the Magic have. Still won’t be good enough to keep him from fleeing to Los Angeles though.

1-16.        Los Angeles Clippers – Blake Griffin, PF = $6 million – Here’s video evidence as to why the Blake-show is the clear choice.

1-17.        Cleveland Cavaliers – Kyrie Irving, PG = $5 million – Irving is the only rookie to be kept (remember that the Timberwolves don’t exist anymore in this fake league), which proves once again how terrible the 2011 draft class was.

1-18.        Utah Jazz – Paul Millsap, PF = $8 million – Millsap is 26 years old and makes just over $8 million per year. Al Jefferson is 26 and makes $14 million. We’ll keep Millsap.

1-19.        Houston Rockers – Kevin Martin, SG = $12 million – No club has done a better job of acquiring interesting parts that add up to nothing better than the Houston Rockets.

1-20.        New Jersey Nets – Deron Williams, PG = $16 million – I forgot that Kris Humphries played basketball until I opened up the Nets roster to see what William’s 2012 salary is.

1-21.        Indiana Pacers – Darren Collison, PG = $1 million – You’re not winning a championship with Danny Granger as your best player, so we’ll save $11 million for young prospects.

1-22.        Atlanta Hawks – Josh Smith, SF = $12 million – He can’t shoot, but Smith is a versatile defensive player that can anchor any team on that end of the floor.

1-23.        Oklahoma City Thunder – Kevin Durant, SF = $14 million – We’re not keeping him for his flag football skills.

1-24.        Milwaukee Bucks – Andrew Bogut, C = $12 million – This is another team that probably would’ve liked to pass on a keeper. Bogut gets the nod over Brandon Jennings because he’s seven feet tall, and also because Jennings can’t pass up a shot (kind of a problem when you play point guard).