2009 Draft Review

Now that it's over, can we all admit to ourselves that this was the weakest draft we've had in years? When Jrue Holiday-- a 6'4'', moderately athletic guard who averaged around 9 points in his one year at college-- is considered the "steal" of the draft, and 2 of the top 7 picks (Rubio and Curry) can't grow facial hair , something's not right. This is not to say that there weren't quality players in the draft, there were, it's just that many of them were overshadowed but a bunch of future NBDL-ers. A guy like Ty Lawson was drafted behind Terrence Williams and James Johnson. Christian Eyenga was drafted ahead of DaJuan Summers, Sam Young, and DeJuan Blair. The theme of this draft: familiarity breeds contempt. I usually dismiss anything that Dicky V says, but apparently he agrees with me on this. With this in mind, here are the best, and worst, pics of the draft.

Best Picks:
Tyler Hansborough, Indiana: A lot of people in Indiana might be upset today, but in 7 years when Earl Clark, Austin Daye, and James Johnson are out of the league and Crazy Eyes is still a big part of their team, they'll be happy to have him. People seem to forget that he is arguably the best Tar Heel of ALL TIME. To me, that is a far better indicator of what he'll be in the pros than a 40 inch vertical or a good work-out could ever be. Kudos to Larry Bird and Jim O'Brien for making the most unsexy, but possibly the safest, pick in the draft.

DeJuan Blair, San Antonio: Big Baby Blair was 9th on my list and 14 on Jay Bilas', yet somehow he slipped all the way to 37. He was by far the best offensive rebounder in the draft and will get a lot of minutes for the Spurs next year. Their draft, combined with the trade for Richard Jefferson, makes San Antonio the most improved team heading into July.

Johnny Flynn, Minnesota: After drafting Rubio, the Wolves could have shied away from Flynn. Instead, they got the best available player in a weak draft. Think of Flynn as a more athletic Jameer Nelson.

Sam Young, Memphis: Memphis might have had the best draft of any team. They were looking for solid, defensive minded players who could contribute immediately, and they got them. Young's game reminds me a lot of Trevor Ariza's--a long, athletic defender who can knock down the 3 consistantly.

Worst Picks:
Christian Eyenga, Cleveland: I'll admit that I don't know much about this dude. That being said, I'm going to go ahead and assume that he can't shoot and that he's not going to contribute this year. With that in mind, they could have landed a shooter like Sam Young, Jodie Meeks, DaJuan Summers, Chase Buddinger, or Jack McClinton. Any of those guys would have contributed to a Cavs championship run and been a great compliment to Prince James. Instead they wasted a roster spot.

James Johnson, Chicago: Chicago really needed a scoring guard and instead chose a big man who isn't going to see the court this year. They should have drafted Jrue Holliday, Ty Lawson, or Jeff Teague, with the 16th pick. Then, if they really loved this dude, they could've gotten him with the 26th pick. A wasted pick that could have really helped a team that is likely to lose Ben Gordon and/or Luol Deng.

Biggest D-Bag:
Brandon Jennings, Milwaukee: I can't believe he had the nerve to show up 4 picks late, take the stage like everyone was waiting for him, and ruin Earl Clark's moment. Jennings reeks of douchebaggery.

With regards to the Manny news, all I have to say is this: the DEA must be VERY bored if they're investigating a couple dudes who sell woman's fertility drugs.

Rich getting richer?

In an attempt to upstage the sad, small-market, teams in the draft lottery (Knicks excluded), the NBA's juggernauts are making big moves.

The Cavs traded for a washed up Aristotle. This move makes very little sense to me. While his 14 points and 10 rebounds might look snazzy on paper, Shaq is going to clog the lane and make it much harder for Lebron to get to the hoop. Also, the dude can't guard the pick and roll, the go- to play of the Magic and Celtics. What the Cavs really need are consistent shooters (read: Hedu Turkoglu) to complement Lebron's drive-and-kick style of play.
There's obviously a reason--other than money-- that the Suns are trading The Big Cactus for a dude who is most likely retiring (Ben Wallace), the 30th pick, an inconsistent "shooter" who doesn't play defense (Pavlovic), and half a million dollars. The dude's washed up.

The Magic, anticipating Turkoglu's departure, also traded for a washed up superstar. They'll send Courtney Lee and the expiring contracts of Rafer Alston and Tonie Batie to the Nets for Vinsanity and Ryan Anderson. They're taking a win now approach by trading their most promising player (other than Dwight) for a 32 year old, 8 time all star with bad knees.

On the flipside, I love this trade for the Nets. The trade makes an already impressive young squad even more promising. With Devin Harris, Brook Lopez, and Courtney Lee, this team is stacked with young talent. Not only that, but this trade brings in two expiring contracts, and frees up Vince's 33 million over the next 2 years. Sorry Knick fans, but this makes the Nets the front runner in the Bron Bron sweepstakes. The prospect of Lebron teaming up with all these young stars is very, very scary.

Lastly, The Lakers, showing supreme confidence in Sun Yue and Adam Morrison, sold the 29th pick in tonight's draft to the Knicks for 3 million dollars, sighting a lack of roster space. Does this mean we're resigning LO and Ariza? Sounds like it.

YES!

Courtesy of Toltzis:

Doom Bizzle's Top 10 Prospects

Because all the hype around Ricky Rubio is pissing me off:

1. Blake Griffin -- A more athletic Carlos Boozer
2. Hasheem Thabeet -- At worst, Theo Ratliff. At best, Mutumbo. Either way, he'll be productive for a lot of years.
3. Tyreke Evans -- The only "raw" draftee that I think will be productive in his freshman campaign
4. Johnny Flynn -- Most over-looked player in the draft. Has an NBA-ready game.
5. James Harden -- Reminds me of a young Grant Hill.
6. Stephen Curry -- Dude's ridiculously quick release will allow him to get his shot off in the NBA
7. Jordan Hill -- A banger down low with sweet hair
8. Gerald Henderson -- I'm predicting 12 ppg and 6 rpg in first year. Perfect fit for a team like the Bulls.
9. Dejuan Blair -- Stronger, more defensive minded Elton Brand (assuming his knees hold up)
10. Ricky Rubio -- When was the last time a European this hyped was actually good?

5 other dudes who will make an impact next season:

1. Tyler Hansborough -- He's a tool, but he's fearless.
2. Wayne Ellington -- UNC guards who stay in college for more than a year are always good.
3. Jerel McNeal -- Great scorer off the bench for a playoff team (read: Hornets, Suns, Sixers)
4. Darren Collison -- Shut down defender who can run with the best of 'em
5. Sam Young -- Got better in each of his 4 years at Pitt

Poll on ESPN...pshhhhh

"Was a 2-0 win against Spain a game-changing moment for the sport of soccer in the United States?"

Yes, for the next 48 hours until we get smoked by Brazil and everything goes back to normal. I've heard this hundreds of times--after our run in the 2002 World Cup, after we beat Brazil in a friendly a couple years ago, after David Beckham came to America, etc. Unlike Europe, the only soccer team that anyone in the United States has a vested interest in is the national team. Because of this, soccer's popularity in the US is, and will continue to be, directly correlated with their success. So while we're all excited today, this will all be a distant memory come Sunday when we lose to Brazil. Let's be real, soccer (and lacrosse) will always be a secondary sport in America because the only people who care about it are skinny white dudes (picture above excluded).

The Forgotten Weaver

From Wikipedia: "Signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent in 1991, Weaver made his Major League Baseball debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 30, 1998, and appeared in his final game on August 17, 2000."

P.S. He's not related to the other two.

Rambo vs The Zen Master

Taking a page from Vin Scully's book, Phil Jackson is consideringg only coaching some away games, leaving the majority to Kurt Rambis.

This seems like a ploy on Phil's part. It would allow the Zen Master to cash in on his 12 million, while holding a part-time position. For 12 million dollars not only should he coach every single game, whether here or in Kabul, but he should act as the equipment manager.

If Phil is actually considering this, then it's time for the Zen Master to throw in the towel and hand the reins to Rambis. Although he probably wouldn't accept, Kupchak should offer him a front office job or a spot as an assitant coach. I can't imagine a team with two head coaches would ever work.

Sad Day in the Western Conference, Good day for tacos

News of the Spurs trading Bruce Bowen has got me kinda blue. He has been a mainstay on the Spurs through their championship seasons, and through many heated battles with the Lake Show. I've always respected, and even liked, Bowen and, quite frankly, I feel bad for him. Going from a perennial contender to Milwaukee in the golden years of his career isn't ideal. The dude got a raw deal.

Don't get me wrong, anyone in their right mind would have made the trade from the Spurs' perspective. This is most likely the beginning of some significant change in San Antonio--they're clearly looking to go younger and more athletic. The trade gives them a pretty scary lineup when Parker, Ginobili (assuming he's healthy), Jefferson and Duncan are on the floor. At the same time, the losses of Oberto and Kurt Thomas drastically shorten their bench. It'll be interesting to see what they do the rest of the offseason.

On another note, the dudes who stole Lance Armstrong's bike are getting 3 years in jail while Dante Stallworth is set to serve 30 days......ummmmmm

AAAAANYWAY, I had some bomb ass carne asada tacos last night. My buddy Andrew and I made the trek down Pico to East LA to eat at El Parian. I ordered 3 carne asada cos and Andrew ordered 2 carne asada and one goat-type-thingy. Really, really delicious and authentic. If you're ever in East LA, and you like tacos like I do, check it out.

A sign that they're about to release the names on the Mitchell report?

Mannyquerque!!!

After months of getting his hair did (--->) and eating sushi, Manbone will finally make his first appearance since his suspension as an Albuquerque Isotope--the Dodgers' triple A affiliate. Amid speculation that Manny would be making an appearance in Albuquerque, the club "sold almost 7,000 tickets [Friday], compared to a typical pre-game reserved sales in the hundreds for a midweek series in June". Can you say Mannyquerque?

With only nine games left on his suspension, the Big Club sits 8 games ahead of the Giants (who are, surprisingly, 6 games over .500). LA's other Zen Master now faces some tough decisions. Does he:

A) Take Pierre out of his everyday role despite his incredible production? I really hope not. This would put a struggling Furcal in the leadoff spot and completely change the dynamic of a lineup that has been very productive over the past 41 games.

B) Move Pierre back to center, Kemp to right, and Ethier to the bench. Personally, I think this is our best option. Pierre has about as much arm strength as an adolescent Chad Pennington, but what he brings to the Dodgers offensively outweighs what he takes away in the field.

C) Trade Pierre. I'm not sure what we could get for him, but if the Dogs can land some fresh arms for the bullpen, it might be worth it. Torre's "excessive" use of Troncoso and Belasario has been well documented, and perhaps the Dogs could get some hurlers to help ease their burden. More arms now means fresher arms come October.

I only wish we were in the AL.

DB

Dodgers Spank the Rally Monkeys

Five things that made me happy about tonight's win:

1) The number of Dodger fans in Anaheim. Turns out Artie Moreno's marketing strategy in Downtown was a failure.

2) James Loney hitting his second home run of the series. Jar Jar entered the series with 3 on the year.

3) Clayton Kershaw. No explanation necessary.

4) Kobe rooting for the Dodgers, and staying the whole game.

5) Big Brox finally getting some love outside of LA. I quote: "He's become the best closer in the National League"-- Jon Miller

Brutal loss last night, made worse by the way we lost. It's never easy to swallow a come-from-behind loss against a rival. Not to mention my new favorite Dog, Mitch Jones, went 0-2 and got hit by a pitch. I'm not sure why Torre put in Mota over Troncoso and Bellisario in the 8th. I'm assuming he was planning on the game going to extra innings and wanted to have his go-to arms available later on. Or maybe it was because of THIS.

Anyway, I left my house after the game in a bad mood. A buddy of mine and I went to see the band Chief perform in Hollywood. Real solid. As I was entering the venue, some kid came up and explained to me how I ruined his baseball career by hitting so many home runs off him. It was awesome. For sure the highlight of my night. The venue was an abandoned warehouse that had been taken over and refurbished by a theater company. It was pretty cool and the music was excellent.

After the show, my buddy and I stopped in to Los Tacos--a hole in the wall off Santa Monica, for some carne asada tacos. The meat was dry, salty, and overcooked. They tasted more like briscuit tacos, and we were greatly dissapointed, mostly because they looked delicious.

Tonight, the Weaver bros duke it out. Our Weaver hasn't started a game since May 20th and has pitched only 4 innings in June. Their Weaver is a potential All-Star starter. According to their parents, "Jered will pull for Jeff, and Jeff will pull for Jered. That's the way it's always been. One game won't change that". Sure, whatever.

Doom Bizzle

Where Are They Now: Stanislav Medvedenko

Stanislav "Slava" Medvendenko played with the Lakers for from 2000-2006 averaging 4.47 ppg and just over 2 rebounds per game. During his time with the Lakers, he was widely known for his infuriating desire to shoot every time he touched the ball, and his ability to agitate Steven A. Smith. In 2006, Slava suffered a herniated disc, forcing him to miss the entire season. In March of that year he was waived by the Lakers in order to make roster space for Jim Jackson.

After his speech at the 2001 Championship parade, Randy Newman sued Slava for copyright infringement (WATCH: HERE). He returned to Ukraine--$16 in his pocket and the shirt on his back-- the 15th richest man in the country and a national hero. The next year, a hard lesson and a little more English learned, he returned to the stage ready to make up for the previous year. The crowed waited anxiously for his turn to speak. The wait was well worth it, as his speech captured a nation (WATCH: HERE). The speeches created a frenzy, and Slava had found his calling.

For the past two years Slava has served as one of Obama's primary speech writers. His speeches are simple, yet deeply profound. In 2007, during some downtime at a campaign stop in Jefferson City, MO, David Axelrod bet him that he could not eat 10 sausages in 3 minutes. Infuriated, Medved responded "Yes we can!" The rest is history.

Catching up with the Blue Crew

Well, it's been over a week since we've written exclusively about our friends in blue, and for that I apologize. We, like the rest of Los Angeles, have been caught up in Lakermania. However, now that we've had the parade, it's time to take down our Laker flags and put up the Doggies.

So let's catch up...

Since the 10th we've gone 3-3, scored 19 runs, given up 22, signed a 18 year old Korean high schooler, avoided our first 3-game losing streak of the season, diagnosed Randy "Whooping" Wolf with a "persistent cough," optioned my man Jamie Hoffman, gotten pwned by Fatty "Andruw" Jones, and seen 31 year old rookie Mitch Jones get his first career hit. Alright, now that we're caught up we can look towards the future.

Tonight, Whooping Cough Wolf takes the mound, attempting to take the series 2-1 from the Oakland A's. After a very strong May--a month that he finished with a 2.35 ERA--the ginger hurler has struggled in June, allowing 11 earned runs in 17 innings.

Worst case scenario tonight: Wolf gives up 6 earned runs in 4 innings, goes on the DL with scarlet fever, Dodgers lose 8-3.

Best case scenario: Wolf has a Billingsly-esque performance--pitching a 5 hit shutout, coughs on Eric Milton who gets sick, goes on the DL, and is forced to retire. Dodgers win 5-0.

On another note, the Dodgers outfielders, probably feeling the heat as Manny's return approaches, have continued to hit the crap out of the ball. Pierre and Kemp are both batting over .300 and Ethier leads the team with 11 home runs and three walk-off hits--two of which were home runs. Manuel will make his single-A debut next week, once he recovers from a sore throat. Here's to hoping that his hitting mechanics, and not his sore throat or attitude, rubs off on the impressionable 18 and 19 year olds he's gonna be playing with.

Hasta la Pasta,

Doom Bizzle

Winningest Managers

1: Connie Mack (3731 victories)


2: John McGraw (2763 victories)


3: Tony LaRussa (2497 victories)


4: Bobby Cox (2357 victories)


5a: Sparky Anderson (2194 victories)


5b: Joe Torre (2194 victories)