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Old 06-11-2008, 04:47 PM   #65
Izulde
Head Coach
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
So Anaheim won't take me back because I voluntarily left the job.

After reviewing the other D-League openings (Dakota beat Idaho for the title last year, by the way, meaning we lost to the Runners-Up), I call up the Austin Mammoths owner and Michael Masters readily agrees to take me on.

I'm shooting for the playoffs again, though I weirdly get a call from Cliff Gross, who's the Celtics owner, asking how we'll do and what kind of salary cap we'll be under. Evidently he thought he was calling his GM.

Mike Montgomery is kicked out as the Knicks head coach and Larry Brown is heading them up again after signing a 2 year, $5.5 mill. deal. Heh. They bring in a whole new coaching staff, in fact.

Much as in Anaheim, I leave the coaching staff alone.

The NBA Mock Draft has a number of schools with 2 or 3 prospects, but nothing like the absurd numbers of last year's Utah Six, which I'm quite happy about. It's actually looking like a really weak class overall and I strongly disagree with the mock draft's rankings. My own personal opinion is that the best player and the one I'll be following, is 21 year old PF Federico Gomez out of Argentina. He's projected to go 11 to the Heat and if that happens, they'll have a real steal on their hands. PG Kevin Carter from Indiana, a 23 year old senior, looks really good too.

2009 NBA Draft 1st Round
1. SG Rob Robinson - Washington Wizards (The projected #1 in MD)

Ironically enough, the analysts ripped the pick and suggested they should've taken Carter.

2. C Narcyz Malinomowski - Memphis Grizzlies
3. PF Nate Bonner - Seattle Seahawks
4. PG Kevin Carter - New Jersey Nets

Heh, that's exactly the player I'd have taken if I were given the Nets GM job. New Jersey just got themselves arguably the best player in the draft.

5. C Marcel Mance - New Orleans Hornets
6. PG Johnny Willias - New York Knicks
7. PG Major Drayton - Minnesota Timberwolves
8. C Daniel Wilder - Dallas Mavericks
9. SG Mike Tice - Orlando Magic
10. C Jayson Alexander - Atlanta Hawks
11. PF T.J. Roberts - Miami Heat
12. PG Mikhel Zukauskas - Philadelphia 76ers
13. PG John Aylsworth - Utah Jazz
14. PG Zelipe Gama - Seattle Supersonics
15. SG Josh Amaker - Charlotte Bobcats
16. PF Federico Gomez - Boston Celtics

Irony abounds. My favorite team takes the player I think will be one of the biggest impacts of this draft.

17. PF Patrick Pastner - Indiana Pacers
18. PF Mike Patterson - Toronto Raptors

They'd been talking about Patterson for like 10 or 11 picks, so he really bombed from where he was expected to go.

19. C Hayward Voskuhl - New York Knicks
20. PG Gabe Rosen - Los Angeles Clippers
21. PF Karim Webber - Detroit Pistons
22. PG Cherokee Waterman - Cleveland Cavaliers (Ironically from Duke).
23. SF Donte Whiting - Denver Nuggets
24. C Tremaine Mouton - Milwaukee Bucks
25. C Ashley Davis - Sacramento Kings
26. SF J.J. Tucker - Chicago Bulls
27. C Kenneth Holland - San Antonio Spurs
28. SF Julian Wadley - Los Angeles Lakers
29. PG Mackel Greenleaf - Houston Rockets
30. SF David Anderson - Phoenix Suns

A lot of old guy changes in free agency, though I'm amused to see Steve Francis sign with Detroit for 2 years, $3.1 mill. Talk about coming down from the rarefied heights of $20 mill. a year to a lousy $1.55 mill. a year.

But that's not the biggest brow-raiser.

Starbury signs with Atlanta for 2 years and $6.68 mill.

Wally Sczierbiak goes to Phoenix for 5 years and $32.2 mill as the Suns try to get their title back. Mike Bibby inks with the Bulls for $5.5 mill. this season, setting off a rash of suicide watches in Sacramento. Rasheed Wallace joins the Lakers for 4 years and $24.7 mill, while Darko hooks up with Orlando for 4 years and $26 mill after having been a half-time starter at C for the Spurs for two years.

Chicago has to be considered the overwhelming favorites in the East after signing Bibby, by the way. They just added another 25-27 points a game and the guy who's been the All-NBA 2nd Team PG the last two seasons.

The D-League draft is up next, but I'll do that later.

What a drastically different NBA landscape this is turning into.
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