Baby Steps

We'll just cover transactions since the last regular season game and accept the organization's 64-98 record as a meager excuse for a "season." Their twelfth losing season in a row was marked with the usual post-all-star break slide and kids from AA Bowie getting their cup of coffee.

The MLB Off-season is always the most exciting time of year for Baltimore baseball fans because we can spin any transaction without seeing the direct, or failing, results play out on the diamond. Undoubtedly people will call in to sports talk-shows clamoring that the Birds will win 95 games and finish second in the division.

I'm not going to pretend that I myself am not a member of this misled and always disappointed group so let's see which moves will take the hometown team to their first playoff berth in over a decade.

Kevin Millwood was acquired through trade for Chris Ray and LHP Ben Snyder, small potatoes for someone who is sure to be a two or three starter in our rotation. He nearly pitched 200 innings and the 3.67 ERA Millwood posted in the Bandbox in Arlington is surely promising. If he can keep that up, Millwood is bound to net us 14-16 wins and Charm City would crown him the next Cy Young after Jeremy Guthrie led the O's with an eye-popping 10 wins.

Garrett Atkins looks like he could take over at third for Melvin Mora which he better because if I have to see Frat Boy Wiggins at third for 120 games my TV will have an early demise. Assuming he wins the starting job, Atkins' stats have all dropped significantly since 2006 when he managed to garner some MVP votes and was touted as the next Mike Schmidt. He's leaving hitter friendly Coors and the NL, also known as quadruple-A to face two of the best pitching staffs in the league 18 or 19 times each. I still think this is a good move by McPhail, it's only for one year and sadly he's at the top of the free agent crop when it comes to third basemen.

Mike Gonzalez had a great year in Atlanta and threw twenty more innings than any year previously in his career. The only qualm I have with this move is I hope it doesn't go down like the Danys Baez contract a few years back. Well at least the front office is getting away from signing old relief pitchers to multimillion dollar...what? We're paying him $12 million over two years?!? Invite all of Frederick up for Spring Training and have an open tryout, it's not like a middle reliever is worth $6 million a year for a team like us where Brian Roberts is tipping the books at $8 million. The only way this can be worth such a lucrative contract is if Trembley plugs Gonzalez in to close and he's relatively successful in the role.

What I wish we would have done, but this is probably why I'm not the GM:

• Throw millions around like it was Monopoly money to John Lackey, what better pitcher would a team let go? He's instantly our #1


• I was going to say offer the most money to Chone "The Chode" Figgins but he's almost 32, although it would be cool to see him and Roberts at the top of the order for a year or two


• As much as it hurts to say, look into dealing Roberts. We probably aren't going to win in the time he has left here and let's get something while his value is still high and who wouldn't like to see B-Rob get into the post-season?

2010 Hopes: Get out of the cellar into 4th place...baby steps Baltimore, baby steps

2009 National High School Hoops Festival

December 12th - one day event this year

The matchups -
Paul VI (VA) vs Wise (MD)
National Christian (MD) vs Mountain State (WV)
St. Mary's Ryken (MD) vs (#5 in country) Montrose Christian (MD)
(#16 in East) O'Connell (VA) vs West Charlotte (NC)
(#7 in country) DeMatha (MD) vs. Benedictine (VA)

Notable Players (Rank out of class according to ESPN)

SR SF Terrence Ross (39) - Maryland (Montrose)
SR PG Kendall Marshall (19) - North Carolina (O'Connell)
SR SG JT Terrell (47) - Wake Forest (West Charlotte)
SR SF Jerain Grant (95) - Notre Dame (DeMatha)
SR PF Joshua Hairston (27) - Duke (Montrose)
SR C David Nyarsuk - 90 overall West Virginia (Mountain State)
SR SG Victor Oladipo - 88 overall Indiana (DeMatha)
SR SF Ayodeji Egbeyemi - 86 overall (National Christian)
SR PG Can Korkmaz - 77 overall (Mountain State)
SR SG Justin Drummond - 75 overall (Mountain State)
SR PG Maurice Williams - 70 overall (O'Connell)

JR SG Michael Gbinije (22) - Considering VT, UVA, Bama, WF, Miami and other offers from Arizona, Boston College, Clemson, Florida State, Georgetown, Indian, Maryland, Villanova, Oklahoma State, Syracuse, Temple and West Virginia (Benedictine)
JR PG Quinn Cook (19) - Considering Maryland, Duke, Georgetown, Villanova, Ohio State (DeMatha)
JR PF Mikael Hopkins (42) - Considering Georgetown, Maryland, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Xavier (DeMatha)
JR SG Erik Moody - 91 overall (Benedictine)
JR SG Trey Davis - 91 overall (Benedictine)
JR PF Larry Savage - 86 overall (O'Connell)
JR SG Jordan Burgess - 86 overall (O'Connell)
JR SG RJ Price - 84 overall (Benedictine)
JR PF James Bourne - 81 overall (O'Connell)
JR SF TyQuane Goard - 77 overall (Mountain State)

SO SF Justin Anderson (6) - Considering Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, Texas, Oklahoma (Montrose)
SO C Obij Ajet - 93 overall (Mountain State)
SO SG Julius Hamilton - 83 overall (West Charlotte)

Early 2010 NBA Mock Draft

Just for fun - its never too early, right?

Note: Please don't pay much mind to the draft order.

1. Minnesota Timberwolves - John Wall, PG, Kentucky

Right now, John Wall should be number one on every single team's draft board - even a team that drafted three PGs in the first round last year and signed another in free agency to a $16 million deal. "Even" may not be the right word. Maybe it should be "especially" since it seems they like PGs so much.

Kahn is a guy who likes to acquire assets and would employ the BPA strategy here. This situation would be on the same comedic level as when the Detroit Lions were staring at the best player in the draft, Calvin Johnson, and decided to take him even though they had made blunders by taking Charles Rodgers and Mike Williams. Taking Megatron was the right thing to do and it has paid off (well sorta) for the Lions.

Of course they would most certainly end up trading a PG. I wouldn't trade Wall, as he has the potential to turn around a franchise. This seems like the perfect time to employ my theory that says that Kurt Rambis is breeding a PG in the triangle offense to eventually trade to the Lakers. Why do I think this?

1) Jerry West spoon fed his former team Pau Gasol. McHale did the same thing for Boston by giving them KG. Now it is Rambis' turn to pay back the team that got him his head coaching job.

2) Why else would they have some many f'in point guards?

3) The league is stacked with great young point guards but the best team in the NBA currently has Derek Fisher starting for them. They really need to get their hands on one of these young PGs...

I think either Sessions or Rubio makes sense. Both are good defenders with high IQs that make them a good fit for the triangle. It doesn't look like Sessions is one of Rambis' favorites so he would have no problem trading him. Rubio would immediately do whatever he could to get out of Europe and play for the best NBA team which also resides in a very Spanish-oriented community.

Not buying it yet?

Then don't, just wait and see...

2. New Jersey Nets - Derrick Favors, PF, Georgia Tech

Favors has some deficiencies, but nothing that a good coaching staff can't fix (which is why he needs to get out of Georgia!). I was able to see him last year in person and saw him travel three times in a row (only two were called). His footwork definitely needs work, but besides that we are looking at an athletic freak with more upside than anyone other than Wall. He brings star potential to a sorry team that guys like Ed Davis, Evan Turner, Greg Monroe, and Cole Aldrich lack.

3. Utah Jazz (from the New York Knicks) - Al-Farouq Aminu, F, Wake Forest

I'll leave out a jab - just pick your favorite. There will likely be a lot of trade talk centered around this pick as the Jazz may want a piece that could potentially make them a contender. For now, we'll give them Al-Farouq Aminu. He'd fit well in a Jazz offense that focuses more on cuts and finishing at the basket than dribbling and shooting.

Check out this article by Jonathan Abrams if you still believe the Jazz are a pick and roll team - http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/sports/basketball/20pick.html?_r=2.

4. Memphis Grizzlies - Evan Turner, SG, Ohio State

Lionel Hollins indirectly provided good reason today one why not to draft for need when you are as bad as the Grizzlies...

"Every year people can say that all those guys who were in the top 15 in the draft or the top 10, discussed about where we were or who we should take, Brandon Jennings was probably the least talked about because he had been overseas and hadn’t played very well. But everyone thought that Tyreke (Evans) was going to be a good player, and Jonny Flynn. You had (James) Harden. All the guys who were up there drafted were discussed and debated. With our team the way it was last year, we felt we needed to add some wing players and we needed to add some defensive players. Hasheem was the guy who was blocking all the shots in college and we felt like he would be able to do that in the NBA and still feel that way."

So of course, look for Memphis to focus on their "one" problem to get them over the hump! Based on 82games.com's "production by position" stats, they are doing OK in most areas, but are absolutely getting killed defensively in the backcourt (opponent's PER at PG/SG combined is at 48.7!).

Evan Turner would provide them with a good character kid who plays hard on defense and unselfishly on offense. I would hate to poison a good kid like him by putting him in Memphis...

5. Philadelphia 76ers - Wesley Johnson, SF, Syracuse

"What! Another SF for Philly?" is the obvious question. Here is how I would respond:

"One that actually fits their system. Johnson can shoot, has a well-rounded game, and is ready to contribute right away. Iggy is fine at the 2. Fitting Thaddeus in Jordan's offense just isn't working - he's probably better off at the 4 (82games.com backs that up thus far - also according to their production by position, SF is the weakest of the 5 spots on the floor)."

I also wouldn't be surprised if Caron Butler's name starts to be thrown around with the Sixers. Why?

1) Abe Pollin's favorite player was Caron. With him gone, there is a better chance the Wizards are willing to trade Caron.

2) Gilbert Arenas accused Caron of playing for himself. Apparently, they settled their differences, but there still has to be tension.

3) The fit. Caron doesn't fit well into Flip's offense. In Eddie Jordan's however, he has thrived. Both teams are struggling and need to shake up their rosters a little.

6. Indiana Pacers - Cole Aldrich, C, Kansas

The Pacers go with the BWPA (best white player available). Taking Cole would definitely signal a style change for Indiana. They have already have to start slowing down due to the emergence of Hibbert, plus the recent personnel additions seem to fit better in a slow offense. What I like about Aldrich is he has the versatility to be able to play at center or power forward with his improving outside shot. Him and Hibbert would form a formidable defensive pair and also complement each other on offense. Plus Aldrich is white.

7. Washington Wizards - Willie Warren, G, Oklahoma

As a rule, the Wizards have to ignore defensive capability and draft an offensive guy with loads of potential. Warren fits the bill. So far, the Wizards have been getting horrendous production for their two guards (Foye, Young, and Stevenson) so he fills a big need. Of course, he won't really help the Wizards get a championship unless he turns into D-Wade, but since when did the Wizards care about hoisting the O'Brien trophy?

8. Los Angeles Clippers - Ed Davis, F/C, North Carolina

Ed Davis can't slip any farther than this. I think he'll be a great glue guy for a playoff team, but I see his career being closer to a Brendan Haywood (although I think he'll be able to average 10+ ppg a little easier) than a Josh Smith type. He simply doesn't have a makeup of a star player. He'll provide a team with great defense and smart offensive play while being a good teammate off the court. I'd take a guy like him any day.

9. Sacramento Kings - Donatas Montiejunas, F, Lithuania

Has Petrie gotten his mojo back? After hitting the last few draft picks, he can take a swing for the fences with Montiejunas. Petrie has a long track record of drafting Euros including: Casspi, Songalia, Turkoglu, and Stojakovic. He's definitely had his best success with European forwards and Montiejunas could be added to that list. Currently, he's being coached with the intent of him being a small forward. We will see how that works out.

10. Golden State Warriors - Greg Monroe, PF, Georgetown

Chris Webber #2? I wouldn't go that far, but I could see Don Nelson trying to make him into a center. Monroe's skill set is intriging but he has to start taking over games for Georgetown.

11. Charlotte Bobcats - Solomon Alabi, C, Florida State

The Bobcats have been trying to find a shotblocker to be the backbone of their defense for the past few years under Larry Brown. Ajinca isn't making big enough strides and Chandler is looking like he's going to injury prone for the rest of his career. Heres to another chance with a 7'1'' center!

12. Chicago Bulls - Xavier Henry, SG, Kansas

First off, love the Bull's choice of Taj Gibson in the 2009 draft. He's so far advanced in help defense for a rookie in the NBA. Fun to watch.

Bulls would love to have a guy who can stroke it from outside to open of the lane for Rose and Deng. Henry can do exactly that and he also has the potential as only a freshman to be even better. The Bulls seem to love players who were on successful college teams (Hinrich, Rose, Deng, Noah, Gray, etc.) so I like this fit! Maybe their success will actually translate to championships someday.

13. Milwaukee Bucks - Durrell Summers, SG, Michigan State

Hammond may opt to skip this pick in fear of diminishing his repitation. If they do happen to get their pick in, maybe Hammond will take a player who has been hyped in Michigan even back when he was still in the state working with Dumars. Summers is an insane athlete with long, rangey arms which make him capable of defending on par with Skiles' demands. This season is very important for Summers' stock, but so far, so good.

14. New Orleans Hornets - Devin Ebanks, F, West Virginia

Blah. Getting to the point where these picks have a 5% chance of happening. I'm not even sure the Hornets will pick in the lottery now that Bower has taken over and started playing Thornton and Collison. They do need a slasher though.

15. Miami Heat - Patrick Patterson, PF, Kentucky

Talented player who can fit in with stars. Riley reaches back to his alma mater.

16. Detroit Pistons - Larry Sanders, PF, VCU

I'm not a fan of drafting for need, but the Pistons NEED to get a big man. A true PG would also work, but they missed the boat last year. Abdul Gaddy '11! Or another PG from Washington by the name of Isiah Thomas? Nah..

17. Miami Heat (from the Toronto Raptors) - Avery Bradley, G, Texas

Good shooter who gets after it on the defensive end. I saw him guide Findlay Prep to the NHSI championship in DC. Sounds like a Riley guy to me! He'd complement Wade well with his shooting.

18. Oklahoma City Thunder - Malcolm Lee, G, UCLA

Little known fact: Sam Presti and I have been in sync with the last few picks he's made. I'm predicting that he'll go with another UCLA guard this time. Book it.

19. Minnesota Timberwolves (from the Utah Jazz) - Craig Brackins, PF, Iowa State

Skilled forward could work well in Kurt Rambis' attempt at the triangle. They could also try to get a legit wing player, but I prefer to watch Ryan Gomes get blown by for dunks every night.

20. San Antonio Spurs - James Anderson, SG, Oklahoma State

Can't say I'm his biggest fan. His basketball IQ seems to be lacking and he has bad handles. He makes me think of a real poor Jason Richardson. He could probably fill the Michael Finley role though.

21. Oklahoma City Thunder (from the Phoenix Suns) - Jerome Jordan, C, Tulsa

*channeling my inner Sam Presti* "You know what we need? A big man who could potentially be a shot blocking presence and has a somewhat existent post game! Also, make sure he doesn't have tatoos or any character problems. Another thing, it wouldn't hurt if he was a local guy..."

Mr. Presti, I think I've got your guy!

22. Cleveland Cavaliers - DeMarcus Cousins, PF, Kentucky

Now that Calipari has convinced him he's a big man and not Carmelo Anthony, I feel better about Cousins' pro potential. I wouldn't be surprised to see him jump up into the lottery after an Ed Davis/Cole Aldrich-esque NCAA tournament apperance.

23. Houston Rockets - Tyshawn Taylor, PG, Kansas

I forget why I put Taylor here. I don't know think Darryl Morey's computers will like his first few games this season. Trevor Booker must look good to the Rockets, but they already have to many small power forwards, right?

24. New Jersey Nets (from the Dallas Mavericks) - Quincy Poindexter, SF, Washington

Let is be known that I love this guy. Hard working, great character guy who was one of few NBA prospects to lace his sneakers up for Team USA. He's also an incredible athlete. Something tells me he will find a way to put that athleticism to good use in the pros.

25. Orlando Magic - Kalin Lucas, PG, Michigan State

Its hard to make the Magic these days if you are a big man. With their backup PGs combined age at 69 though, they may want to add some youth.

26. Portland Trailblazers - Jan Vesely, F, Czech Republic

When it doubt, give the slipping international player to Portland! Thats the only rhyme or reason for this pick, hopefully I'll get a chance to watch Vesely soon.

27. Memphis Grizzlies (from the Denver Nuggets) - Sherron Collins, PG, Kansas

One wonders if Collins can stay motivated after he gets paid. Each offseason he balloons up 30 pounds.

28. Atlanta Hawks - Kyle Singler, F, Duke

Basically the exact opposite of Josh Smith. May work out nice. Wouldn't be bad either to have a Dukie to push Marvin Williams.

29. Boston Celtics - Kenny Boynton, G, Florida

Why does Boynton come out? Doc Rivers gives Boynton a first round promise so his son won't have any competition in two years when he becomes a Gator. Duh.

30. Memphis Grizzlies (from the Los Angeles Lakers) - Vladimir Dasic, F, Serbia

The customary "not enough room for three 1st round picks" pick. Don't ask me to write a paragraph on Dasic either.

Thats a wrap, be sure to take a look at the archives in June to laugh at what a waste of time this was.

NBA Prospect Evaluation: Tulsa Center Jerome Jordan (vs Arkansas-Little Rock)

Jerome Jordan has played major minutes the past three years for the Memphis Tigers' biggest Conference-USA rival,Tulsa, but scouts are still skeptical to call him either a lottery pick or a bust.

Jordan had limited high school basketball experience which resulted in him not getting any attention from big schools. Tulsa decided to take a flier on the raw, mobile, seven footer and are now enjoying the benefits. He may have started playing basketball because he was tall and it got him into college, but he's now shown a dedication to the game that has seen him grow each year.

As a freshman, he rode the pine. The next year, however; he exploded and surprised opposing coaches by blocking 3.7 shots per game along with tallying 10.5 points and 7.9 boards. He became a known commodity last year and started receiving double teams and forcing the opposition into settling for jump shots. This was evident as his blocks dropped down to 2.5 per game even though the rest of his game continued to take off. He scored 13.8 ppg while increasing his rbs/g by .7. Despite having to carry more of the offensive load, he kept his turnovers where they were during his sophomore campaign and improved his FG% to 58%; up from 56%. This year, in his final year of eligibility, Jordan is the biggest star in Conference-USA and is looking to live up to preseason player of the year honors.

In this game against Arkansas-LR, scouts didn't get the chance to see him face another legit NBA center; but facing Mike Smith (6'7'' 266lbs), they did get to see how he handle NBA strength.

Jordan's biggest question at 7 ft 250 pounds (and a 7'6'' wingspan to boot)is his strength - especially in his lower body. Even in college, he is often seen getting handled by other big men - knocking him out of position for rebounds. His rebound rate still looks OK, but lets put his numbers in perspective with other, both successful and unsuccessful, small school big men that have been drafted into the NBA.

Jerome Jordan - 13/40 pace adjusted (last year)

Patrick O'Bryant - 12.3/40 pace adjusted (2005-06)

Yes Jordan rebounded better than O'Bryant, but thats misleading. O'Bryant is only three months older than Jordan so you have to figure if O'Bryant was still in college he would have better numbers. Its not fair to just dismiss Jordan though either because of this - not every player is going to have the combination of unluckiness and lack of drive that O'Bryant has had through his career. Another scary thing though is that they are listed at the exact same height and weight. Let's just move on to the opposite end of the spectrum...

Marcus Camby - 10.7/40 (not paced adjusted)

Different eras and roles, but Jordan still has a nice edge on the boards to him. Camby gives up weight to Jordan, but both play a similar finesse style (I don't think Jordan had much for, if any, more strength than Camby did back then. Either way, strength is not the reason either of them got rebounds).

Some may think this is way to generous, but I see Jordan's ceiling just slightly below Camby's career path. If Jordan were to succeed in the NBA, he would be the same type of player Camby was on offense (pick and pop/hustle points - not great finisher) while being a defensive presence. Living up to Camby's dominance on defense is highly unlikely, but Jordan still can be a "plus" defender. Both aren't the most athletic centers, but move well and have great timing to block shots. Jordan has shown a high defensive IQ - and early on this year has found a way to alter shots without fouling (a big problem in the past).

Anyway, we now bring you back to the game at hand.

On the offensive end, Jordan had nobody tall enough to contest his shots, but he was consistently double-teamed. It was a weak attempt to stop him. For one, the guard coming from the top always seemed uncertain about whether he should double or not so the double was never very aggressive (if you are going to double, be aggressive - otherwise you are just sitting in no mans land covering nobody). Besides that, Jordan did an excellent job of handling it. Most scouts are (legitimately) worried about him being too passive, but Jordan wasn't satisfied with just passing out of the double team to the open man. Instead he showed poise and patience - using an array of moves (hook with right hand, spin move, fadaway) to get his shot off.

When he wasn't operating in the post, he showed his range, hitting 2 of 3 long jumpers just inside the arc. Unfortunately, Tulsa doesn't use him much in the pick and roll, which is something that he must learn in order to be successful in the NBA. Jordan scored 15 of his 19 points in the first half(his teammates combined for only ten points in the half) while Tulsa was still establishing their lead (they eventually won by 14 points, 59-45) before taking a backseat to his fellow Golden Hurricane teammates. He hit all seven of his free throws and is shooting 74% from the line the past two years.

Defensively, he had a promising showing, anchoring a Tulsa defense that only allowed 45 points (21 of which were made from beyond the arc). He continues to impress me with his increasing IQ on the defensive end. He plays the pick and roll well (to a point where Little Rock stopped testing Jordan's ability to defend it), rotates (although he appears to be late sometimes but still manages to alter the shot), and makes opponents think twice before putting a shot up within his vicinity. He's no Dikembe Mutumbo but he does have NBA potential as a quality defender. Just like with the rest of his game, strength is the main factor.

It will take a huge season for Jordan to change the views scouts already have in their heads, but he's still going to be a solid bet for the first round. Scouts have seen his skills and know what they are getting - a project center with decent tools who has shown improvement. The thoughts among talent evaluators probably believe that he can be a quality 20-25 minutes/per game player if he doesn't become complacent once he gets his money and winds up in a good situation (i.e. not with Nelly and the Warriors). If he doesn't get the right coaching or show the drive to succeed, nobody will be surprised to see him out of the league in three years. Personally, I can't see him being as bad as Patrick O'Bryant, but I wouldn't take him higher than in the 20s.

Whats Better Than a Game Between Two Ranked Teams?

As I was preparing to set my TIVO for tomorrow's midday contest between Georgia Tech and Dayton I was absolutely shocked to find that ESPN was not carrying it - or any of its affiliates. Not even CBS College Sports or the local sport channels (MASN and CSN). I simply don't understand how they could leave this game to a local Fox affiliate. This is the first match up of the year between two ranked teams and it looks to be a real close(and high scoring)game as Vegas set the line to a "pick 'em". Not to mention a chance to introduce the world to the diaper dandy that is Derrick Favors.

Isn't ESPN the station that was airing Clemson/Liberty and Tulsa/Arkansas-Little Rock during the same time slots two days ago? Maybe there is some unknown TV contract that nobody knows about, but this seems inexcusable. Its not like ESPN doesn't think its worth it to take the trip down to Puerto Rico (the site of the game)...they are televising Villanova/George Mason which is the game that follows Georgia Tech/Dayton in Puerto Rico!

Still some good games on TV tomorrow:

#6 Villanova vs George Mason - 2 PM ESPNU
Indiana vs Ole Miss - 5 PM ESPN2
#24 Syracuse vs #12 California - 7 PM ESPN2
#4 North Carolina vs #15 Ohio State - 9 PM ESPN2

(If you want to still see GT/Dayton you can find it online. I'm going to give this site a shot).

Follow Up: Ravens Sign K Billy Cundiff

(wide right?)

Billy Cundiff will be the new Ravens kicker for the time being. The Ravens had already worked him out last week, so they were able to quick him signed quickly. Ravens fans should recognize that Cundiff isn't much of an improvement - during his time in Dallas (2002-05) he only made 73.1% of his kicks. His long of 56 yards shows promise for kickoffs, but by no means is Cundiff going to take away the uneasy feeling Hauschka brought when he trotted onto the field for an attempt.

Fans should still be holding out hope for Matt "Up and Over" Stover.

NBA Prospect Evaluation: UCLA Guard Malcolm Lee (vs Cal State-Fullerton)

The scouting world was able to see Malcolm Lee tested in a close basketball game sooner than they expected. Lee, a 6'5'' sophomore combo guard, didn't have a chance to log extended minutes in any relevant games last year, but that hasn't kept scouts from projecting him in the 2010 NBA lottery (Draftexpress has him listed as the 11th best prospect).

Watching Lee play, it doesn't take long to start comparing the similarities between two other combo guards who played off-ball in college for UCLA - Jrue Holiday and Russell Westbrook. Both became first round picks and now are on their way to being successful NBA players. Westbrook immediately came to the Thunder and took control of the PG spot, and while Holiday is less developed, he's drawing high marks from his head coach Eddie Jordan (Jordan is on record saying the Holiday will be the best guard ever to run the offense - hello Jason Kidd?).

A staple to Lee's predecessors was defense. It has only been one game, but its clear that Lee is following in their footsteps. He fought through screens, rebounded, and showed plenty of effort defensively. His long wingspan and quickness makes him tough on point guards and wing players alike. Ben Howland would agree with that, as he told the press that he has some "Westbrook" and "Afflalo" in him defensively.

On the offensive end he showed his versatility. When Anderson was running the point for the Bruins, Lee did a great job getting open. This is something that Holiday struggled with some last year - Lee looked more like Afflalo with his ability to get open. Lee was able to run off screens to set him up for mid-range jumpers and get in position for offensive rebounds (he had four in the game).

His 3-pt shot has good form and arc, but is still inconsistent (7-28 career). Holiday was much of the same way last year. In my unprofessional opinion, I'd rather have a bad looking stroke and make shots then the other way around. If you have perfect form and still struggle making threes there is only so much you can do. Its only a small sample size from his limited playing time the past two years, but he's also struggled shooting free throws (12-27 career). Anyway, after air-balling his first from behind the arc, he only managed to hit one three after taking eight total.

Often a UCLA guard's play-making ability can get unnoticed in their offense that likes to work the ball around the arc and into the post, but when Lee was asked to make plays; he came through. He made a few nice drives into the lane and converted an "and one" play. His ability to get off the ground quickly proved useful when he got offensive boards and finished among the trees before they could jump again after trying to get the initial rebound.

When talking about so-called intangibles, the guy is top-notch. He's the kind of guy who impacts the game way more than is shown on the stat sheet. Reading his draftexpress profile, they rave about him defensively and how he even played defense in high school all-star games. They also referred to his body being very frail a few years ago, but now, at least on TV, he looks like he's put in work to change that. He apparently had hurt his ankle in practice the day before the Cal State Fullerton game, but there was no question to whether he was going to play (although it didn't seem serious at all, it may have effected his play slightly). During the game, he fought through cramps - twice having to sit out after being lifted off the floor. That didn't stop him from playing in crunch time and taking big shots in the overtime periods (Howland even trusted him to run point in the 2OT as Anderson rested).

Overall, Lee is a guy who scouts will rave about while stat junkies question why he's rated so high. It may be cliche, but Lee is a guy who will do anything to win. He'll do whatever is asked of him while playing great defense. The NBA can't have enough of talent yet unselfish players like him. He's definitely going to be on the AlmostTournamentTime radar for the rest of the year as a potential lottery pick.

Bangin' On Fools

The Maryland Terrapins celebrated their first AP poll ranking in about two years with a 29 point trouncing of the formerly undefeated Fairfield Stags who arguably had the best dressed coach in Division 1 basketball. Maybe he was going to the club for postgame?

Outfits aside, he had the Stags up to play early, hanging with the Terps until the end of the first half due to many missed lay ups which was the lone reason it wasn't a 40 point game. Greivis Vasquez had another atrocious night from the floor (3-11) and Eric Hayes was forced to pick up the slack with 14 points. After one of Vasquez's field goals midway through the second half, the Senior puffed his chest out and stared into the student section as if he had just hit a shot to send us to the Final Four. It was Fairfield Greivis, a middle of the pack MAAC team that you made look like a bracket buster coming out of the gate, turning the ball over a team leading four times.

Sean Mosely continued to impress and looks poised for a break out year as often happens in a players Sophomore season. Mosely was looking for his shot and finished in double figures again. James Padgett and Jordan Williams remain much more of a post presence than we had last year but let's see how they do against some of the ACC's top big men.

Hopefully Vasquez can step his game back to where it was at the end of last year because if this team wants to stay ranked and possibly move up, they'll certainly need him no matter how much fans may adore or revile him.

In other news: Former Club Basketball member Ersin Levent got in the books for his first point of the year and recruit Tobias Harris was at Comcast for the season opener against Charleston Southern and reportedly had a great visit

Make or Break Year for Paul Hewitt

Since becoming the head coach at Georgia Tech in 2000 after a three year stint at Siena, a Paul Hewitt coached team has never finished better than 9-7 in ACC play. Granted, the one time his squad did achieve an in-conference record above .500 they ended up playing Connecticut in the NCAA Finals; but they haven't even gotten back to the Sweet 16 since. Three of the past fours years they've missed the tourney all together and now Hewitt is coming off his worst coaching performance in his nine years as a Yellow Jacket (2-14 in conference).

Even after such poor performance last year, there is reason for optimism. Hewitt has lured yet another top freshman to come play for him (along with another top recruiting class as a whole). Derrick Favors, an unanimous top 10 incoming freshman, will form a potentially lethal inside combination with Gani Lawal; a preseason All-ACC choice by the College Basketball Blue Ribbon report (fun wiki fact: it takes his girlfriend Leslie forever to get dressed). Having two stud big men is rarely seen these days and could give any team a tough time. If the old adage "games are won in the paint" is correct, then Georgia Tech will be winning a lot of games this year.

Besides Lawal, the Yellow Jackets return three other starters from last year's team.

Starting at PG will be the sophomore Iman Shumpert. The former McDonald's All-American had his ups and downs last season, but is expected to be much improved heading into the 09-10 campaign.

After working with him at the LeBron James Skills Academy, Jay Bilas had this to say about him: "A terrific kid, Shumpert has size, handling and passing ability, plus some real shake to his game. He gets by people and makes plays, and he has a great hesitation move. Although his name is pronounced 'E-mahn Shum-purt,' we started to call him 'Eye-mun Sher-bet.' I told him I would use the latter pronunciation on the air."

Look for Bilas to be saying "Eye-mun Sher-bet" a lot this year.

The shooting guard void by Lewis Clinch, the leading scorer on last year's team. While it may seem hard to replace his 15.5 ppg, his 37% shooting percentage won't be missed. Clinch's departure looks to be the classic case of addition by subtraction.

Taking his spot will be D'Andre Bell, a smart player who picks his spots, plays strong defense, and will help lead this young team. Bell was hurt all last year so he is more than ready to get back onto the court. He may not provide great outside shooting, but the Yellow Jackets now have a player by the name of Glen Rice Jr. - perhaps his name sounds familiar?

Small forward is the most questionable spot for Georgia Tech. Zach Peacock is expected to start, but last year he got more looks at power forward. A big key for the Yellow Jackets will be finding another player to log minutes here so Peacock can backup Favors and Lawal down low.

As already mentioned, Georgia Tech's bread and butter will be their two starting bigs - Lawal and Favors. It will be interesting to see how Hewitt handles the makeup of this team. Hewitt usually predicates his offense around guard play. Obviously it makes sense to feature his big men this year - but Hewitt hasn't always done what has made sense for his personnel.

In fact, he has mismanaged stars for years - Tech has always had talented players but still have yet to repeat the success of 2004-05. His misusage of players led to two of the biggest undrafted free agent signings in the NBA this decade - Anthony Morrow and Will Bynum - both getting considerable minutes for NBA teams this year. Alade Aminu, who graduated last year, could also find himself in a similar situation.

This year's team might just have too much talent though for even Hewitt to screw up. Favors and Lawal are surefire NBA draft picks no matter how Paul Hewitt uses them and Shumpert should avoid a sophomore slump. Still its Paul Hewitt, so if the excitement Derrick Favors is going to provide isn't enough for you, then you can enjoy watching Hewitt's facial expressions during the game (see picture above).

Hauschka's Time is Up

Fans who have been calling for Hauschka's head since he missed a 45 yard game-winner in Minnesota have gotten their wish. Last night's game against the Browns was the final straw for the Hauschka, the second year kicker out of North Carolina State, after he pushed yet another perceivable chip shot to the left and also had an extra point blocked.

It was his fourth missed field goal of the season which dropped his field goal percentage below 70% (9-13). Considering the league average on the year is 81% (407-502) a change is needed for the Ravens if they want to make noise in the ultra-tough AFC North.

A replacement will be announced in the upcoming days. An assortment of names have been floated out as possibilities including for veterans like Mike Nugent and Billy Cundiff. While their successes have varied, they both can say that they kicked for two of the most intimidating fan bases in the NFL (Jets and Cowboys, respectively). Another possibility is a name most Ravens fans are familiar with: Graham Gano. Gano battled Hauschka in training camp but had his only inconsistencies leading to his release. He has since had success in the unsuccessful UFL; making 9 of 11 field goals with a long of 51 yards. One thing is for sure, the UFL is not the NFL.

The eventual replacement might just happen to be coming to Baltimore by way of Indianapolis this week when the Ravens take on the Colts. Matt Stover, who is a big reason why Ravens fans were so impatient with Hauschka, will be returning wearing blue and white.

Stover is 6-6 so far for the Colts, performing spot duty while Super Bowl hero Adam Vinatieri recovers from knee surgery. When Vinatieri is fully recovered (he is set to return around Thanksgiving) the Colts will have to settle for just one of the two closest things the NFL currently has to Hall of Fame kickers. Stover is expected to be the one sent packing, but the Ravens would be glad to have either one of them making clutch kicks down the stretch.

Just hope it isn't too late by then.