.:| RFTA • Back In Black |:. Vote new team!

[kibaxx7]

you have my info right?

Do you have my info?

Have I sent mine to your or not? I can't remember.

I have: Martti (Martti Must) :: anthony22 (J'Anthony Cousins) :: Cartar (Chikichaka Mugabe) :: dare (Julian Martin) :: hova (Chris Hova) :: Sit (Will Sit) :: Lamrock (Liam Washburn) :: TomCat (Todd Cooper) :: De8 (Don Elliot) :: Mark (Mark Moore) :: Valor (Leo Lai) :: C-77 (Carl Cruz) :: Azzdogs (Aaron Moore)

Reggie back with the Pacers I doubt you can be as lucky as OKC in my association though top 10 might be realistic

A top 10 would be huge for me. Hope I can do a nice duo with Reggie and lead the team back to the playoffs, but I need some FA's first.

[Martti.]

Add me too. I'm pretty sure you get'll the 13th pick

[kibaxx7]

• With a core of O.J. Mayo, Rudy Gay, Zach Randolph, Michael Conley and Marc Gasol, the Memphis Grizzlies expected to be in the playoffs, not the lottery. This will ease the sting a little.

The Grizzlies won the NBA's draft lottery yesterday, giving them the right to choose between this draft class stars: John Wall, Derrick Favors, Evan Turner, even Al-Farouq Aminu or Cole Aldrich. Coming off a miserable 32-50 season, worst record in the West, the Grizzlies rose from the No. 2 spot, where they had a 19.9 percent chance of landing the top choice. “After this season, we needed a break and I think we just got one tonight,” said Lionel Hollins, Memphis head coach, who represented them on the podium. Memphis will almost certainly choose between Wall, Turner or Favors.

The biggest losers on this night were Washington, Detroit and Minnesota. The Wizards, who had a 25 percent chance of landing the top pick thanks to their NBA-worst 28-54 record, fell to fourth, exactly what happened to the Sacramento Kings one year ago. The Pistons will pick fifth, dropping two spots, while the Timberwolves fell from fourth to sixth. But a lucky breeze blew all the way from Indianapolis to Secaucus, as the big winners of the night were the Pacers, who only had a 0.6% percent of chances to land the first pick, but beat the odds and vaulted from the 13th spot to secure the third selection. The other team who ended up the night with a smile was Utah, who advanced two spots to pick 2nd behind Memphis. Oklahoma City will pick seventh, followed by New Jersey, Chicago, Sacramento and Golden State; New York has the 12th pick, and last but not least, Miami and the LA Clippers. The lottery settled the top three spots, and the remainder of the first 14 picks are determined inverse order of their record. The NBA draft will be held June 26 in New York.


Whomever the Pacers decide to draft with the No. 3 pick, there's a good chance he won't stick for a long time, checking its recent draft history: Tyler Hansbrough and A.J. Price (2009 -- both on trade rumors); Jerryd Bayless and Roy Hibbert (2008 -- Bayless is now at Portland); Shawne Williams & Alexander Johnson (2006 -- Williams is a free agent and Johnson plays in the D-League); Danny Granger & Erazem Lorbek (2005 -- Granger's the only one at Indiana, Lorbek is in Spain); David Harrison & Rashad Wright (2004 -- both free agents); James Jones (2003 -- at Miami) and Fred Jones (2002 -- in Italy).

Pacers player development coach Thierry Tirieux, who represented the Pacers at the lottery, arrived at the NBAE studios to receive his credential and begin the evening. Each team was assigned a representative from the NBA to escort them around the studio for the evening and make sure everyone made it to their assigned spots on time. Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird represented the organization at last year’s event. “Everybody was picking us to go miss the playoffs last year, but I bet no one was thinking of us to get the third pick,” Tirieux said. “We have a very exciting good group of young players, and we hope to add another college superstar to that mix with this pick. Now we will get a chance to add another great player, a really great player. So it is very exciting for us.” Indiana got the No. 13 pick (Hansbrough) and No. 11 pick (Bayless) the last two years at the draft, but now they got the lucky shot. Tirieux gave a fist pump early on when he realized the No. 7 pick was being selected and realized the team was picking way better than predicted before; then took a deep breath and pumped both fists after beating out the Wizards, represented by Gilbert Arenas, for the 3rd pick. Though the lottery is weighted to give teams with the poorest records the best chance to win, the long shots keep finding a way.

The Pacers now have a busy offseason planned, first hiring and adding Tirieux and legend Reggie Miller to their coaching staff, they have more than $21 million in cap space for the free agency frenzy. Now they've got another decision: Favors? Turner? Wall? The Pacers huge leap should quickly restore interest in the underachieving team. “What I see right now, is that you've got at least four players who are different and every one of them has their unique strengths. One is a point guard, a natural leadership position on a team, something every team covets. You have a shooting guard with the ability to create his shot. Then you have a power forward who puts the ball in the basket. A small-forward with both close and long field goal making,” Tirieux added. “All of them showed that they can help their team win games. All of them showed maturity to be dominant. This is certainly something the team won't throw itself into and do it quick.” Only time will tell.

Tirieux holded a post-lottery briefing with the Indianapolis media, then broke off to do a sit-down interview with Charles Barkley and Steve Smith. Bird, Miller and Tirieux are now beginning to bring in players for individual workouts.

(There's me, top row, between Bulls and Wiz )

[|)e8*]

Is it possible to reupload the pics? Imageshack is blocked for somereason

[dare]

Is there a way to cheat draft lottery?

[Lamrock]

Yeah, you keep re-loading your game over and over until you finally get a decent pick, which there is a 99% chance he did.

[kibaxx7]

Is it possible to reupload the pics? Imageshack is blocked for somereason

They look perfectly for me

Is there a way to cheat draft lottery?

Yeah, you keep re-loading your game over and over until you finally get a decent pick, which there is a 99% chance he did.

Guys, looking at NBA.com, I had 8 chances out of 1000 to get the 3rd pick. You think I could re-load the save 992 times? You just don't trust me, that's cool Of course, I was aiming at a top 10 pick, but getting the 3rd pick, with this shitty roster besides Granger, couldn't say no.

[Lamrock]

Nobody cares that you cheated the draft lottery. In almost every dynasty, the player seems to fall down a couple slots. Your odds at a top three pick are what, 2%? You wouldn't need to reload the save 992 times.

Good for you.

[Azzdogs]

Lucky now who will you get with the 3rd pick?

[kibaxx7]

Nobody cares that you cheated the draft lottery. In almost every dynasty, the player seems to fall down a couple slots. Your odds at a top three pick are what, 2%? You wouldn't need to reload the save 992 times.

Good for you.

In fact, 0.8%... I made the wrong calculation, not 992

Lucky now who will you get with the 3rd pick?

As I said in the article, either Favors, Turner or Wall.

Anyone saw me at the podium?

[|)e8*]

Man....none of your pics are showing up....oh well fuck my country blocking imageshack

[Martti.]

Yeah, not your best photoshop work fitting yourself there.

You really got lucky. Now hope that Memphis picks Aldrich and you can get Turner.

De8, maybe you just blocked images from imageshack?

[|)e8*]

Well Facebook and Youtube are blocked here so it would be no surprise if imageshack is blocked

[kibaxx7]

Man....none of your pics are showing up....oh well fuck my country blocking imageshack

Well Facebook and Youtube are blocked here so it would be no surprise if imageshack is blocked

I'm gonna start a Photobucket account then, for when I start with game recaps.

Yeah, not your best photoshop work fitting yourself there.

You really got lucky. Now hope that Memphis picks Aldrich and you can get Turner.

Lol, that's because it's a small guy in the pic In the game pics I have my face and Miller's to paste with a sticky tape I already have my SG covered (FA hype ) so I hope I can get Wall.

[Valor]

A top-three pick could catapult Indiana back into the mix in the East.

Hum....too much of a coincidence?

If you get Wade i'll kill you, he belongs to Chi-Town

[kibaxx7]

Hum....too much of a coincidence?

If you get Wade i'll kill you, he belongs to Chi-Town

As Lamrock said, no one cares if I cheated the draft lottery. The thing is, I didn't

I already have my 2010/11 roster done, just like Jae did, but I ain't posting it yet. ** MAJOR SPOILER ** And yes, I signed Wade.

[Valor]

And yes, I signed Wade. [/b]

Ok, time to boycott

[kibaxx7]

Ok, time to boycott

Aw, no need for a spoiler alert with that. I wouldn't have boycotted yours if you signed Manu, man (I know you wouldn't anyway)

[Valor]

Ok, time to boycott

Aw, no need for a spoiler alert with that. I wouldn't have boycotted yours if you signed Manu, man (I know you wouldn't anyway)

opps, i'll hide it then. And it's not because of that, it's I just can't stand watching Wade on one of my disliked teams
and yeah, i'll never sign Manu

[|)e8*]

Thnx man.I really appreciate it

[kibaxx7]

• Hi Pacers fans, Thierry here and welcome to the inaugural post of my blog here at Pacers com. It's officially the busy season for NBA executives and scouts when June comes. All this guys realize how crucial the next three weeks will be in making off-season moves for their teams. This is when final evaluations are being put together, and the detailed testing begins. Most teams operate in a similar fashion at this point, but clearly, some do it better than others. As Indiana has shown, there is an art to building a team through the draft. Some will look to better themselves through trades, and of course, draft picks will be swapped around between now and draft day. As things stand right now, the Pacers will enter the draft holding picks number 3 and 40. We all expect the team to use both picks, but there's always a market for second-round selections.

With the pre-draft camp finishing yesterday, teams now have the opportunity to invite players for personal workouts. These will be much more detailed than what the execs learned in this pre-draft camp, where it was more about basic testing. Now, teams can look to cap off what they already know about the various prospects. Head coach Reggie Miller and I keep a “book” on the invited players: it has written the individual player's body of work to this point, be it in the college game, or in Europe, and involves stats, strengths, weaknesses and anything else that might help decide whether or not a player is worth additional time; no stone is left unturned. The reports have comments from me, Reggie or even team scouts, teammates, and others recommenders. With all these measurements, strength tests, and agility drills, come a myriad of "x-factor" exams. This is where things vary from team to team, as it can involve written exams, chats with mental coaches, or casual coversation over dinner with the general manager. Too invasive? Not when you're investing millions of dollars in these young players.

Of course, the pre-draft workouts in Indianapolis this year will have a lot of attention, a lot more than we've seen in the past summers. Last year, we watched players like Joe Alexander, Marresse Speights, JaVale McGee among others, attempt to impress Indiana's coaches and scouts. Be honest, these players don't exactly have "superstar" potential for years to come, but, I mean, there have been some tremendous players taken at 13, and there also have been some busts. The biggest workouts for the Pacers in last years will happen this month, of course, when names like John Wall, Derrick Favors and Evan Turner work out for the team. We may never seen a pre-draft evaluations covered like these three in the coming days. Now then, let the poking, prodding, and testing begin! (Part 2 coming tomorrow with 4 other prospects and a huge 5-on-5 scrimmage).

JOHN WALL • PG • KENTUCKY (Shootaround)


With Earl Watson gone, and D.J. Augustin and A.J. Price the only PGs in the team, Wall is a no-brainer if he's available at 3rd. Simply a freak athlete who I believe is a Dwyane Wade + Derrick Rose hybrid; he has Wade's ability to find creases and use the spin move effectively, and an athleticism and creativeness to finish tough shots at the hoop with ease. His build is slinder like that of Rose, with long arms and large hands, and loves to find teammates as he penetrates to the basket. The first thing Reggie and I noticed in John, is his incredible speed, and believe me, the word “incredible” doesn't do him justice, there simply is not adjective in a dictionary to describe truly how fast John is.

But with strengths, there's weaknesses, and that's his jumpshot and his defensive side; you can see him practicing some shots, in the pics I took with my digital camera. This should not be a concern however; John's a terrific talent, those we don't get a chance to see every day. There's is nothing holding John back from being the number 1 pick in the draft; let's just hope he doesn't.

Great size and shot blocker for a point guard ... Not many players at his position have the combination of speed and athleticism that he has ... Explosive player and incredible leaper ... Finishes strong above the rim, both in transition and traffic ... His extremely long arms make him a serious threat in the passing lanes ... Possess good instincts and because he consistently gets into the lane, he is very good at finding teammates when the help defense comes over.
Needs to improve his 3-point outside shot, not a threat from beyond the arc ... Very prone to turn the ball over; some passes have no way to find its target ... Needs to become a better defender; he has the athleticism and length to be a good defender, but is not very dedicated on it ... very doubtful in pick & roll situations ... more effective in transition as a playmaker; if the tempo slows down, he's more probable to struggle making a read.

DERRICK FAVORS • PF • GEORGIA TECH (1-on-1 vs. Roy Hibbert)


If the Tyler Hansbrough trade rumors come true, Derrick Favors would an instant and a way better replacement. The key words to describing Derrick are potential and upside. I strongly believe he needs another year in college, but the draft is loaded with underdeveloped prospects, and it's mostly about what a player can become, so he can be the No. 1 draft pick with no problems. Favors simply relied on brute strength and super human like athletic ability in highschool, but at times find it very difficult on the college level, because most big men are equal to his abilities.

The couple games that I observed him, he seemed to be very comfortable shooting out to about 15 feet, but shows that he can expand his range. At the next level, the game will be very physical as he would really need a little more bulk, but does have a mature physique at this stage. I arranged a 1-on-1 with Roy Hibbert for Derrick and it was a battle of dunks and blocks everywhere. Roy started the game 6-1 and even made a 3-pointer, but Derrick had a 8-0 run to go 9-6 and end up winning 11-9.

Explosive athlete with an unique combination of power and quickness ... Possesses an extraordinary wingspan, claiming a 9-1 standing reach ... Frequent target of the alley-oop pass and seemingly nothing is out of reach for him ... Runs the floor showing great speed from baseline to baseline ... Finishes with power around the rim -- a dunking machine ... Has made huge advancements in his post game repertoire and footwork ... Cat quick in the post, displaying a deft touch with his left hand around the basket, almost inclined to use his off hand ... An absolute vacuum on both the offensive and defensive backboards ... A shot blocking menace ... His mere presence makes opponents think twice before driving inside ... Not a boastful personality, but rather allows his game to do the talking.
Has done a good job adding bulk to his frame, but needs to continue to get stronger ... Needs to increase trajectory on his jumper and increasing his range would be beneficial ... Ball handling is decent for a big, but must be improved to augment his face up game ... Continued advancement of his footwork and comfort level in the post ... Seems to predetermine moves rather than reacting to the defense ... Does not handle double teams well ... Not a great passer out of the post ... Can be lazy at times defensively and on the boards depending on his length and leaping ability ... His conditioning has been questioned, often tiring in the latter stages of games.

AL-FAROUQ AMINU • SF • WAKE FOREST (Shootaround)


Al-Farouq is the top rated Small Forward through most of the season, as he’s having a solid freshman season at Wake Forest. He’s played small forward, power forward and center this season, mainly due to his excellent athleticism and 7-4 wingspan; he is also an excellent rebounder, and with decent ball handling skills, improving as the year goes on. He's showing excellent potential but could use an extra year in college to work on his game, as he needs to work on his outside shot, improving on his outside range and consistency. Adding strength would also help him.

Forward with a terrific frame with a 7-foot plus wingspan, great agility and excellent versatility with the ability to do it all ... Has a nice set of skills offensively with the ability to create shots off the dribble ... Terrific form on his jump shot, has an acceptable range out from 3-point land ... Ball handling is very good for a 6-8 small forward ... A quality rebounder with the ability to rip down a board and go coast to coast ... Uses ball fakes well and has good moves around the basket ... Long arms make him a good shot blocker and rebounder ... Has no positional questions, as his skills and size are perfect for the small forward position ... Great in the open floor utilizing his speed athleticism and body control well.
Needs to get stronger physically ... Improved upper body strength will allow him to finish better at the rim after contact ... His outside shot is good, but needs more range and consistency; he's better off the dribble ... Must improve his consistency on the defensive end of the floor.

XAVIER HENRY • SG • KANSAS (1-on-1 vs. Gerald Henderson)


The X man is what they call him, and with a jumpshot like his, he definitely marks the spot. Xavier has a linebackers body and knows how to throw his weight around while attacking the basket. He may not be the best athlete around, and maybe not even a Plan C for a 3rd pick, but he is a lot more athletic than what he is given credit for and you don't know what could happen in the draft. What if both Wall and Turner are gone by our pick? Xavier has the kind of game that translates to the NBA, with a knack for scoring in bunches, but needs to solidify his handle a little more.

That's why I arranged a quick, 11-point 1-on-1 game for Xavier and Gerald Henderson. Xavier's not the best at defending, but was all the time over Gerald and didn't let him shoot comfortably, even had a huge block from behind and a couple of great dunks, and won 11-7. Gerald had a 3-pointer and two shots over Xavier that could have tied the game at 9, but Xavier was really good defending.

NBA ready body, built with tremendous strength ... Gifted scorer; confident shooter with a smooth release and deadly eye ... Maturity at a young age ... Gets to the free throw line regularly and is automatic ... Can be a terrific rebounding wing with his strength and freakish wingspan ... A thief when playing off the ball defensively, reading passing lanes and intercepting passes ... Refreshing positive attitude on the court. Always smiling, seeming to truly enjoy the game of basketball ... Hard worker and very coachable, which is rare for a player of his stature.
Lateral quickness; it is not ideal, but his strength and length can mask that deficiency ... Does not possess explosive speed, quicks or leaping ability, although his leaping ability is better than his foot speed ... His first step is mediocre and his face up game lacks creativity ... Ball handling needs to improve drastically. Turnovers have been a nightmare ... Needs to develop his right hand ... Settles for too many long range shots ... Possess the physical edge against any college SG or SF and would be wise to exploit it ... At times plays with excellent passion, and other times appears to be going through the motions.

[Mark.]

Would be mint if you get Wall with the 3rd pick, knowing the drafting logic of 2k10 that is highly possible!

[Clutch]

nice write ups really any of these cats will be good for your squad; agree with Mark though... a Wall-Granger combo would be wicked

[Azzdogs]

Agree with Mark and Clutch hope you get Wall

[anthony22]

i think youll get Favors,but I like Xavier more than the others