Green, Ellington and Lawson set to return

Updated as of 6:oopm: Ty Lawson has announced he will also stay at UNC for another year. I am ecstatic, and it makes this next seasons team by far the top ranked team in the land. I could see them losing less than two games all season. He will join Wayne Ellington, Danny Green and Tyler Hansbrough as the backbone of this North Carolina club, who will only lose Quentin Thomas and Surry Wood off last seasons roster. Other players announcing they will not enter the draft are Texas' A.J. Abrams, Memphis' Robert Dozier, UAB's Robert Vaden, Jannero Pargo's younger brother from Gonzaga Jeremy Pargo and Alabama guard Ronald Steele.

Yeah, once again something I wrote came true. Both Wayne Ellington and Danny Green will be coming back for another season at UNC. No word yet on Ty Lawson, but I'm expecting him to go after having decent camps. Should be interesting to see where Carolina is ranked now. I'm guessing they should be at the top in the first polls. Definitely a huge win for a program that is almost always towards the top. The deadline for players to undeclare for the draft is 5pm, it will be interesting to see how many other players pull out after learning they won't go in the first round.

~Aaron Jackson

Jogging Diary: NBA Finals Edition

The Sox won today, the US Open is coming down to the final shot, and the potential last game of a Celtic’s-Lakers NBA Finals is tonight. Plus, there is a decent baseball game on ESPN. This calls for an impromptu Jogging Diary. As always, thanks to Bill Simmons for the idea.

8:49 pm: Both Tiger and Lee Westwood are on putts to tie them with Rocco Mediate. Westwood just missed it, now its Tigers turn. Should be interesting to see what Tiger does. I say he misses it, but if anyone can make it it’s Tiger. He’s taking a long time setting this putt up, and the announcers are all whispering. I’ve never understood that. They are far enough away that no golfer could hear them unless they were yelling, even then they probably couldn’t. No need to whisper.

8:53 pm: Tiger makes it, and then humps the air repeatedly. The knee looked fine on that hump; apparently his sex life is still fine. The announcer just said it will be Rocco and Tiger for 18 holes tomorrow. Rocco watching says “Unbelievable, I knew he’d make it.” No actually Rocco, it isn’t unbelievable if you knew he would make it. That would make it believable. Now what I don’t understand is why they don’t just start playing playoff holes right now, first guy to lose a hole looses. Oh well, time for basketball.

9:00 pm: Has anyone read the article that John Hollinger wrote stating that Dwayne Wade is the best player ever in the Finals? Could anything be more ridiculous? Michael Jordan is, and always will be, the best player ever, regular season and Finals. If you wanted to say something like Dwayne Wade and the NBA refs were the best player ever in the Finals, then I’ll talk to you. But to just say Dwayne Wade was the best Finals player ever is probably very offensive to the refs that helped him so much. They deserve credit too.

9:05 pm: I wonder who will be with Jack tonight. The blond girl he had with him for game 3 was hot, not sure he could top her, but if anyone can do it it’s him.

9:13 pm: I’ve already seen five travels. At this rate we could travel from here in Maine to Mexico by the end of the game. Boom Boom CHHHHH. Lame I know.

9:18 pm: Lakers up 18-5. Black Mamba (Kobe) is happy right now, high fiving his teammates. Give him ten minutes till Pau Gasol has a pass go off his hands. Still not buying Kobe as a team player, and loved that Curt Schilling called him out on it. The guy has been, and always will be, an asshole. Still a great player, but that can only take you so far. You need to have your teammates behind you, and they haven’t been this consistently this series.

9:23 pm: Kobe’s got 14 already. This could be one of those games where he just takes over. I thought before hand it would come back to Boston, and if he does that and puts up 50+ they probably will.

9:25 pm: Jeff Van Gundy just brought up the fact that the fans in LA still chant MVP and that he already won it, they don’t need to. I wasn’t going to bring it up because Bill Simmons already did, but since Van Gundy said something I guess I can. Fans in LA have no idea what they are doing, it’s that simple.

9:42 pm: This series is over, Chris Mihm just came in. Lakers will win the series now for sure. The announcers on Mihm; “This is the first playing time Mihm has gotten the entire playoffs,” “ He can shoot, score, he’s bigger than people think, he is good he just got slowed by injury,” “Mihm is a good player.” Clearly Bill Walton gave them something to smoke before the game. The only way this could be better is if Brian Scalabrine came in to guard Mihm. That would be amazing.

9:44 pm: Vujacic just tackled Posey out of bounds going for a loose ball and the ref gave the Lakers the ball back. I’m starting to hate him as much as Manu Ginobili. Oh, and Mihm just airballed his first shot then committed his second foul. Van Gundy “I wonder if when Phil yelled “MIhm” Mihm yelled back “Who?”.

9:47 pm: “High gas prices. Love em, hate em? Next caller.” I wish I knew that guys number in that commercial. Who the hell actually is enjoying the high gas prices? Well, besides the oil speculators driving them while laughing their way to the bank. By the way, if you don’t think our government is screwing most of us over, consider this; World leaders at the global hunger summit dine on puff pastries with corn and mozzarella, pasta with pumpkin and shrimp, rolls of thinly sliced veal, cheese mousse, parmesan risotto, lemon mousse with raspberry sauce, and white wine. This is at a global hunger crisis summit. Seriously. Here is the link.

10:00 pm: They just showed a replay of Kobe throwing a pass to no one then yelling at Gasol for not getting there. May I remind you I predicted that earlier in this post? By the way, the score is now 43-39 LA.

10:03 pm: Sam Cassell is the black hole of basketball at this point. He gets the ball and he shoots it. I think they would be better off playing 4 on 5 than let him play, yet they continue to let him shoot.

10:05 pm: Before I admit this, let me just say I HATE cheap beers. I like Magic Hat, Sam Adams, and I can deal with Corona. That being said, I do like the Bud Light Lime. It’s decent tasting, and it is pretty cheap at this point.

10:12 pm: Well, Jack has an old ugly guy with a Lakers jersey and ridiculous hat next to him. I guess that solves the issue of hottest person with him sideline. You win blond girl from game 3. Good to see Ms. Swan from Mad TV has been at all the games sitting next to Jack as well.

10:16 pm: 55-52 at the half. If it goes over 100 in regulation Lakers win, if it is under the Celts win. I’m calling it now. I’m going to switch over to the Braves-Angels game; I’ll give you something about that after I take a quick break.

10:39 pm: The Braves-Angels game was over when I got to is, so nothing to talk about. Time for the second half.

10:46 pm: I’m pretty sure Gasol was just wafting a fart. Seriously, he was waving his hands in a fanning motion towards his face, then they zoomed in on his face and it looked like he shit his pants. I can’t think of any other reason for that series of events.

10:48 pm: Another close up of Gasol. Apparently his face always looks like that. My bad Pau, I shouldn’t have judged you for your extremely ugly looking face.

10:55 pm: Derek Fisher has to be the luckiest player ever. He just got knocked down on a terrible heave, and not only does he get the foul but he also has the ball somehow go off the glass and in. It seems like every year he has that play. Now Radmonovic nails a three and it’s a seven point game.

11:05 pm: Sam Cassell has been in for about a minute and has taken 3 shots. He actually made one of the three. If we were playing baseball that would be fantastic; in basketball not so much.

11:12 pm: Lakers leading by nine going into the fourth. They are on pace to just top 100. Celtics need to slow it down, the game is starting to become faster paced and they can’t afford to have that happen, especially with Rondo out.

11:19 pm: The Yukon commercial is one of the worst commercials I have ever seen. The guy is annoying as hell, and he is talking to someone inside the vehicle that no one knows. Well, I think we all know it’s Dwayne Wade doing yet another commercial, but they don’t show it. They were probably too cheap to actually get Wade, so they faked it all.

11:27 pm: Doc is finally playing the lineup of House, Posey, Allen, Pierce and Garnett, but it’s probably 3 minutes too late.

11:30 pm: Sam Cassell just won’t stop shooting, only right now he’s made a couple. Interesting. And now the NBA has been pre-empted for…Seinfeld re-runs. Don’t get me wrong, I love Seinfeld, but that is unacceptable. Good thing I work for ABC and know who to call to get it fixed quickly. We almost had a newer version of the Heidi game.

11:42 pm: 92-91. Anyone’s game right now. Kobe has not done anything since the first quarter.

11:52 pm: Garnett misses his last three free throws. He is quietly showing people why he has never won in the playoffs, only they are winning in spite of his choking. At some point he needs to come through though.

11:56 pm: Black Mamba steals the ball without even touching it. He does however manage to hack Pierce pretty badly and not get called for it. I AM SO SICK OF THESE YUKON COMMERCIALS. They play them all the time and they suck.

12:02 pm: Lakers hit 100. I called that the ballgame over point earlier and I’ll stick to it here. This one will be going back to Boston.

12:07 pm: Ballgame over. 103-98. Couldn’t have called it more perfectly at halftime. You better believe I’ll be looking to tickets to game 6.

~Aaron Jackson

A Sportsmen's Renaissance

I know, I know and I know. 

This has been my answer to my editor for not posting anything on the website for the last couple of days (okay so maybe it has been more like a couple weeks). In the meantime I have been watching a lot of sports, A LOT of sports. During this classic, nostalgic NBA Finals, I have been watching classic games from the 60's and 80's when the rivalry was really hot. Like no time since the early 90's (when Michael was destroying Craig Ehlo and Mark Price and I was loving every second of it over and over again on VHS). This has been the renaissance of the NBA for me in a sense, it is like an old friend with the faces and the voices hearing them all over again. Though I never completely divorced the Association, like a lot of other I got driven way by what I can only think to call the "Iverson Era". (I do take jabs at A.I a lot, mostly to get Jackson's goat, but here it's just a name. As far as you know. This season has brought me back to watching more than just the Boston Celtics, I can watch almost any team playing nationally on any night, except for San Antonio, and this needs no explanation. The combination of the Celtics in the Finals and the re-airing of classic games on NBA TV and ESPN Classic have made this week nostalgic to say the least. 

The other thing that has brought this all together is being back in my home town with my best friend growing up, my buddy Zach. He's home for the time being as well, and with little else to do but watch sports. We have been getting together to watch games again just like we did all the time when we were kids. Growing up he was the biggest Celtics fan that I knew. He has the posters of Bird on his wall, I mean his room was painted green for crying out loud. Last month he and I were out at a bar watching game 3 of the Hawks series and someone called him a bandwagon Celtics fan, we both laughed pretty hard, until he realized that he should be offended. At which point, I had to restrain Zach from McHale-ing this guy's Rambis. (Like that My Boy's commercial they show every five seconds on TBS, I like to make names into verbs. I can't wait to Swen Nater somebody soon). We kept in tough in college, separated by only eight miles we probably didn't do as good of a job as we could, but now we are in the midst of the Renaissance of our glory days. It's all coming together.

First Annual NBA Draft Part 3

Alright, so this one has been a long time coming, but with the amount of work I've been putting in I haven't had time to continue such an in depth thread, so I decided to just write nothing. The good news is this is the last part of the preview, and after this I can write smaller posts that require significantly less research. This last section particularly is difficult, because it is where foreign players start to get picked by contenders. That means two things...I have no clue who some of these guys are, because unfortunately I don't have foreign scouts to go by, and I can't fly out to watch them. Obviously. The second problem is that you never really know what contenders are thinking. They could be looking for a polished foreign player to play right away, or they could be happy with their current roster and pick an unpolished guy that will stay foreign for a few years to develop. I will still project the picks, but for some of these foreign guys I can't provide much of my own analysis, I can only rehash what other people have written. While I don't mind doing that some, expect the analysis of those players to be much less in depth. Here we go...

21. New Jersey-Kosta Koufos: This pick is from Dallas, and I think they stick with picking for need and take Koufos here for the same reasons I had them taking Darrell Arthur earlier.

22. Orlando Magic-Chris Douglas Roberts: The biggest hole for this team is the two guard slots, and I consider this a toss up between Roberts and Mario Chalmers from Kansas. I give Roberts the edge only because I think they can live with Jameer Nelson, but their shooting guard slot really needs help, and Roberts certainly provides that. This pick really comes down to how much they have J.J. Reddick in their plans, and it seems like he isn't on the best of terms with the team.

23. Utah Jazz-Nicolas Batum: I don't know much about this guy, other than most people seem to think he can do just about anything on the basketball court. With Andrei Kirilenko being so hit or miss now, it seems like time to find someone to potentially help at the forward position, and certainly Batum could provide that.

24. Seattle Supersonics-Serge Ibaka: The GM of the Sonics comes from the Spurs, and while I think they could use a guard here, they may very well take Ibaka and let him develop overseas. The only guard left worth taking at this point is Mario Chalmers, and they already have him in Earl Watson. They know they are a year or two away from competing, so they will be more than happy to wait for a guy with lots of potential.

25. Houston Rockets-Bill Walker: This is the other guy from Kansas State that has a lot of talent. He didn't get much publicity because of the fact that he played alongside Michael Beasley, but I think he can definitely be a good pro. He can provide more offense when needed over Shane Battier, and can play in place of McGrady when he has his inevitable injury.

26. San Antonio Spurs-Robin Lopez: Unfortunately for the Spurs, I think their run is over. They have become obsessed with only acquiring players they think fit their system mentally, and while it worked for a while, the type of player they want just doesn't work in the NBA anymore. They probably take Lopez here because he's a big body with a very small ego that doesn't need the ball, but I don't think he ever amounts to anything.

27. New Orleans Hornets-J.J. Hickson: This guy has plenty of potential, and will provide a talented player to come in and play when David West needs a rest. They need big bodies and he certainly provides one, and is a good value late in the draft.

28. Memphis Grizzlies-DeVon Hardin: Another big guy with tons of potential, which is what the Grizzlies need. They know they aren't going to contend for awhile, and Hardin probably won't be a regular contributor for awhile either. He is a good pick for the future.

29. Detroit Piston-Mario Chalmers: I fully expect a big trade from the Pistons, and it could very well be the rumored deal with the Nuggets. That would mean they would trade off Rasheed Wallace, Tayshaun Prince, Chauncey Billups and this pick for Carmelo Anthony, Marcus Camby, Kenyon Martin and Chucky Atkins. If the Nuggets pick here they will definitely take Chalmers, and if the Pistons keep the pick and don't make that deal they still may take Chalmers as a back up guard to go with Rodney Stuckey.

30. Boston Celtics-Alexis Ajinca: The only thing I know about this guy is that he is foreign and would absolutely not be playing this coming year in the league. That's fine with the soon to be defending NBA champions, who don't need someone to play right now unless it's a point guard, and unless Chalmers falls to here they won't find that.

On a personal note, I fully expect that both Danny Green and Wayne Ellington will not stay in the draft, and will play at UNC another year. Lawson may or may not go, it depends on what he is hearing from teams. Regardless, the Heels have one of the best incoming freshmen classes, and keeping around those two and Hansbrough should propel the to the top this coming season.

~Aaron Jackson

First Annual Draft Preview Part 2

Heres the second part of the three part series on the NBA draft. Lets get right into it.

11. Indiana Pacers-D.J. Augustin: I absolutely love this guy. He led the Texas Longhorns deep into the tournament, and really didn't have a whole lot around him. That is the first thing I look at when I look at point guards. He certainly showed maturity compared to his first year, and went from effectively wild to just plain effective. If I was drafting for an NBA team he would be the third guy on my draft board. I believe in him that much. Not only is he a great leader, but he can also score, and is a very good shooter. It's too bad he could go to a team like the Pacers that no one watches, but I have a feeling his name will be a household name in a couple of years.

12. Sacramento Kings-Russell Westbrook: Westbrook probably isn't going to ever be a scorer, but he can become a top of the line defender, and should be able to lead a playoff caliber team. I think this is a little high for him because of the fact that he struggles at times to score, but I've always said that you can survive in the NBA by doing one thing great, and he can certainly do that with his defense. I wouldn't ever expect much more than a 15 and 7 from him, but in this spot you could certainly do worse.

13. Portland Trail Blazers-Joe Alexander: If this was two years ago, the Blazers would take Donte Green from Syracuse here, a player who has plenty of talent but is very raw. It isn't, and the Blazers have really had some good drafts lately. I expect Alexander to help them continue down that path. This guy really impressed me last season, especially in the tournament. He can shoot, although he does need to work on his range, and he has plenty of athleticism. He also fits this team perfectly, and will work with Travis Outlaw well. I definitely have him as one of my sleepers in the draft this year.

14. Golden State Warriors-Tywon Lawson: ESPN has Kevin Love going here, and that makes me laugh. Could there be a player that fits the Warriors style of play less? Maybe Roy Hibbert, as at least Love throws good outlet passes. For me, this pick makes so much more sense. Baron Davis may or may not be staying around, but even if he does he is always an injury risk. Why not get a guy like Lawson who can come off the bench and actually run the team faster than Davis? This is a match made in heaven as far as I'm concerned.

15. Phoenix Suns-Brandon Rush: I really thought this guy was overrated his whole career, but then I watched him during this years tournament and went completely the other way. I now think he's underrated, and he is a guy who can contribute right now. For the Suns that is gold. They can't afford to wait for a guy to develop, but they also can't afford to continue to be complete idiots and trade their draft picks away. They probably should have won an NBA championship already, but they keep getting rid of their draft picks for cash. I expect this year they finally change that trend.

16. Philadelphia 76ers-Kevin Love: This is a good spot for Love, because he his weaknesses on defense won't be exposed as much with Samuel Dalembert at center and Andre Iguodola at the other forward. He can also step right into the starting rotation for the Sixers, who need a good power forward. If Love can play well I expect this Sixers team to really contend in the East, as AI2, Dalembert, Andre Miller and Louis Williams are really coming together.

17. Toronto Raptors-Chase Buddinger: This guy is a pure athlete and can really put the ball in the hoop. He's listed as a shooting guard, but I consider him more of a small forward at 6-7. The Raptors could really use a center, but at this slot I really don't see one worthy of their pick. They make take Kosta Koufos from Ohio State here, but I don't see it.

18. Washington Wizards-Marreese Speights: This guy has plenty of potential if he could just take the time to work at it. He is similar to Elton Brand in that he has a very wide frame, but the comparisons end there. He doesn't have the range of Brand, and he doesn't have the work ethic of Brand. If he can work at his game and his athleticism he can be a good player.

19. Cleveland Cavaliers-Roy Hibbert: I don't think Hibbert will ever live up to expectations, and he certainly didn't in college. That being said, he can be a productive NBA player. If he can work with Zydrunas Ilgauskas to improve his range and use the athletic ability he has to be effective then he can be a good player. He isn't ever going to wow you with his athletic ability, but he can become a smart player that starts in the league. I never thought he would amount to anything in college, but I'm starting to come around to the belief that if he is willing to work hard he can become a decent NBA player.

20. Denver Nuggets-Javale McGee: I'll be honest here, I don't know much about McGee. I do know that he is long and athletic, and at 6'10" that is what the Nuggets need. Two months ago I would have said they needed a guard here, but J.R. Smith really came on strong, and I think he can come in as the starting shooting guard next year. McGee is raw, but he should be able to help some off the bench for a team really needing defense.

~Aaron Jackson