Looks like you guys get another update sooner than I expected.
2007/08
Taking control of a newly, re-tooled New Orleans team with No. 1 pick Greg Oden, things were definitely looking up for the team that finished the 2006/07 season with the 2nd worst record in the league. It was an up-and-down season which resulted in the Hornets finishing one game shy of the Western Conference playoffs. Whilst it was a big improvement over the previous season, with the team in place, the playoffs should have been achievable. I don't know how Portland ended up, however I do know that they didn't make the playoffs. Guess it hurts not having me running the show
Other notes from the regular season: Bobcats PF
Robert Skrnjug had a successful season that included starting the whole season in the frontcourt next to Emeka Okafor & Carmelo Anthony. He also picked up Rookie of the Month honours in November & December 2007, as well as earning himself a starting spot on the Rookie Team. Almost on cue, Bulls PF
Mark Negone also earnt himself a reserve place on the Rookie Team & Rookie of the Month honours in February & March 2008. Mavericks' C
Makis Hassakis, now a starter & key member of his team, was the sole NLSC (albeit former) member of the Sophomore team, in what was an otherwise disappointing season for the NLSC Class of '06.
For the All-Stars, out East Emeka Okafor really stepped his career to the next gear as he started for the Bobcats after averaging 19.5ppg, 11.0rpg, 2.14bpg & 1.52spg. He was flanked in the frontcourt by Shaq & 2006/07 MVP Paul Pierce. The backcourt is when everything starting going zany as Ricky Davis & Jamaal Tinsley were the starting duo. I tell no lies. The rest of the Eastern team went to form, with the exception of newcomers, Eddy Curry & Al Jefferson, who both seem to be living up to their potentials.
Out West, the shocker was that Earl Boykins was the team's starting PG. Sit is gonna pee his pants I think after hearing this. Only other notable inclusion was Utah's Mehmet Okur, but that's no boilover. The boilover is that Yao didn't make the team.
The regular season awards were as follows:
MVP: PF- Kevin Garnett (Min) - 20.8ppg, 14.1rpg, 5.3apg, 2.17bpg, 1.45spg
DPOY: SF- Andrei Kirilenko (Uta) - 19.0ppg, 10.8rpg, 3.2apg, 2.07spg, 1.97bpg
ROY: C- Greg Oden (NOH) - 18.1ppg, 10.2rpg, 1.97bpg, 1.24spg
6th: C- Patrick O'Bryant (Orl) - 9.8ppg, 5.4rpg & 1.24bpg
MIP: SF- Andres Nocioni (NOH) - 18.6ppg, 10.4rpg, 1.48bpg, 1.21spg
All-NBA 1st Team:
C- Shaquille O'Neal (Mia)
PF- Kevin Garnett (Min)
SF- Tracy McGrady (Hou)
SG- Kobe Bryant (LAL)
PG- TJ Ford (Mil)
All-NBA 2nd Team:
C- Marcus Camby (Den)
PF- Elton Brand (LAC)
SF- Ron Artest (Ind)
SG- Ray Allen (Sea)
PG- Kirk Hinrich (Chi)
All-Defensive 1st Team:
C- Marcus Camby (Den)
PF- Kevin Garnett (Min)
SF- Andrei Kirilenko (Uta)
SG- Manu Ginobili (SAS)
PG- Chauncey Billups (Det)
All-Defensive 2nd Team:
C- Ben Wallace (Det)
PF- Emeka Okafor (Cha)
SF- Ron Artest (Ind)
SG- Kobe Bryant (LAL)
PG- Gilbert Arenas (Was)
All-Rookie 1st Team:
C- Greg Oden (NOH)
PF- Mark Negone (Chi)
PF- Robert Skrnjug (Cha)
PF- M. Castle
SG- A. Dehere
All-Rookie 2nd Team:
PF- Tyrus Thomas (NYK)
SG- Johnny Dumars
C- Patrick O'Bryant (Orl)
PG- E. Hawk (Bos)
C- D. Askins
The NLSC-er's stats for the regular season were as follows:
SF- Zac Mousoulis (Atl) - 2.5ppg, 1.8rpg
SG- Sam Anurak (Bos) - 2.4ppg, 1.4rpg
PF- Robert Skrnjug (Cha) - 8.2ppg, 9.3rpg, 1.52spg, 1.31bpg
[Starter]
PF- Mark Negone (Chi) - 12.2ppg, 8.1rpg
[Starter]
PG- Mark Moore (Cle) - 4.5ppg, 1.7apg
SG- Jing Xu (Cle) - 2.8ppg, 2.4apg
C- Makis Hassakis (Dal) - 9.8ppg, 8.4rpg, 1.55bpg
[Starter]
PG- Travis Toon (Hou) - 3.1ppg, 1.0apg
C- Will Sit (Ind) - 4.7ppg, 2.6rpg
PG- Flo Ruf (Phi) - 2.6ppg
SG- Andrew Watson (Por) - DNP (NBDL)
SG- Alex Buckley (Uta) - 2.5ppg, 1.3apg
PG- Anthony15 (Uta) - 1.9ppg, 1.1apg
PG- Paul Watson (Was) - 0.7ppg, 0.6apg
For the first time since 2003/04, the Spurs & Pistons did not face off in the NBA Finals, which was good news for all fans. Even better news was that the two teams playing for the title were Phoenix & Cleveland. Amare, Marion & Nash vs James. I wonder who would come out on top. In a tough series that needed all 3 games to determine a winner, the Suns outlasted & outgunned the Cavaliers to win 2-1 & take their first ever NBA title. Steve Nash added a Finals MVP to his 2004/05 regular season MVP as he had a sublime series, averaging 26.4ppg, 8.3apg & 1.89spg. Perhaps the Cavs would've been smart to put the quick, young Mark Moore on him, but they foolishly went with the vet, slow-as-wet-weak Eric Snow, and in the end, they paid for it. PG
Mark Moore (5.5ppg, 2.9apg) was strong in limited minutes, as was SG
Jing Xu (3.0ppg, 2.0apg) & both would've likely been successful defending the likes of Nash, Kozlov & Barbosa. Maybe next year boys. For the Suns, it was a team effort that got the job done, but it was the guy that I mocked, '06 1st Round draftee Kozlov (15.2ppg, 3.4rpg, 3.7apg, 2.33spg) who proved doubters wrong & proved to be the difference in the end. A new reign of the NBA has begun & it involves the Cavs & the Suns. Let's see if these teams can stay at the top for years to come.
The NLSC-er's stats for the playoffs were as follows:
SF- Zac Mousoulis (Atl) - Did not make playoffs
SG- Sam Anurak (Bos) - 0.5rpg
PF- Robert Skrnjug (Cha) - 7.0ppg, 5.5rpg, 1.50bpg
[Starter]
PF- Mark Negone (Chi) - Did not make playoffs
PG- Mark Moore (Cle) - 5.5ppg, 2.9apg
SG- Jing Xu (Cle) - 3.0ppg, 2.0apg
C- Makis Hassakis (Dal) - 13.2ppg, 11.4rpg, 4.0apg, 3.00bpg
[Starter]
PG- Travis Toon (Hou) - 3.8ppg
C- Will Sit (Ind) - 3.7ppg, 1.7rpg
PG- Flo Ruf (Phi) - 2.0ppg
SG- Andrew Watson (Por) - Did not make playoffs
SG- Alex Buckley (Uta) - Did not make playoffs
PG- Anthony15 (Uta) - Did not make playoffs
PG- Paul Watson (Was) - Did not make playoffs
2007 OFF-SEASON
The X's luck didn't strike twice in the 2008 lottery as he settled into the No. 12 pick, as the Hornets will pick one slot behind the Blazers. Orlando, Atlanta & New York have the top 3 picks of this year's draft.
The Hornets tried to re-sign JR Smith, but couldn't agree to terms during the FA resigning period.
The Hornets drafted sweet shooting SG Badu Alford (12th overall) & North Korean C A. Hayashi (42nd overall) who somehow dropped from the 1st Round into their laps. Here's how some of the draft panned out.
1. Orl: PF- Takanori Fujita - does bit of everything, but defense & strength are his calling cards
2. Atl: PF- Mordecai Hagan - excellent potential, high flyer, does a bit of everything
3. NYK: SG- Augustine Grand - shooting, scorer, good stealer, bad defender who was projected to go in late lottery
4. Den: SG- Danny Leclair (Wake Forest) - poor shooter, defensive guard, quick, can handle rock
5. Sac: SF- Evander Everson - all-around forward, shoots 3, defends a little, solid athlete
6. Uta: PG- Kayin Fortson - shooter, playmaker, scorer, what does this mean for Buckley & Anthony15?!?
7. GSW: PG- Clarence Hobb (Cincinatti) - shooter, playmaker, scorer
8. Tor: C- N. Friedman
9. LAC: SF- Hakim Nehanda - good shooter, great def aware
10. Chi: PF- Mark Negone (Texas)
11. Por: SF- Haji Choi (Duke) - solid, does a bit of everything
12. NOH: SG-Badu Alford - shooting, scorer, combo guard
13. Was: PF- A. Mah
14. Mil: PG- Nicholas Hui (Asia) - shooter, offensive player
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17. Phi: PG- Justin Gartner (Alabama) - can shoot, good defender, average speed, projected in Top 10, will compete with Flo Ruf for backup PG minutes
18. NJN: PF- Stephen Camby (Canada) - raw project with little upside, decent for size, was projected to go in top 3 but this pick indicates that he didn't warrant going that high
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24. Det: PF- Zelko Stumpel (Europe) - good shotblocker, poor rebounder for size, was projected to go in Top 10 but slid all the way to the Pistons
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42. NOH: C- A. Hayashi (North Korea)
During Free Agency, the Hornets failed to secure talent time & time again, losing out on JR Smith to Toronto & having quite a few offers rebuffed. Instead of just throwing their money away, the Hornets decided to add Maurice Evans as another swingman to ease the loss of JR Smith & Kirk Synder, & keep the rest of the $10M in cap space for future use.
After the off-season in which PJ Brown retired (& no, I did not retire his jersey), the Hornets had a starting lineup of Oden, Josh Boone (acquired in a deal for Brad Newley in '07/08), Nocioni, Dehere & Paul. On the bench, they have Speedy Claxton, rookie Badu Alford, as well as David West & Maurice Evans to name a few.
Retirements included Latrell Sprewell, Michael Finley, Brent Barry, Nick Van Exel, Damon Stoudamire, David Wesley, Bobby Jackson & Jalen Rose. 3rd year player Chris Paul evolved into a Playmaker Superstar during the off-season, as well as packing on an extra 6lbs of muscle onto his slight frame. Nbudi Ebi also continued to impress Hornets' coaching staff as he worked tirelessly in the off-season & appears ready to be an NBA rotation player.
In other off-season news for NLSC-ers, the Cleveland Cavaliers saw that Eric Snow was not going to get them a championship if they started him at PG, so they signed PG
Mark Moore to a 2 year deal worth over $9M. This should be enough time for the Cavs to see if Moore is their PG of the future of just some flash in the pan. Washington re-upped unused PG
Paul Watson (30 at this stage) to a 2 year deal worth roughly $4.5M. He'll never have to work another day in his life. As for the final NLSC free agent, SG
Andrew Watson (27 at this stage) got a rude shock in free agency. He came out of a successful D-League season & was asking for a 6 year deal worth $10.01M in total. Whilst he is one of the premier pure shooters in the league, I think that was a bit too much for the Blazers, especially they gave $60M last year to Eddie Griffin. Can't really blame Watson I guess, considering the deals floating around the league. The Blazers wouldn't bite though. Watson dropped his asking price to $9.15M over 6 years, but still the Blazers didn't bite. As free agency was about to close, Watson dropped his asking price to $8.63M over 6 years. In the end, we can all breath a sign of relief as Watson got resigned by the Blazers for a 4 year deal worth $6.61M. Not what he wanted, but no chump change nonetheless. Watson got his financial security & has extended his NBA career until he's in his 30's. I guess he figures it's his one chance to cash in & ride the pine into his early 30's.
In other off-season news, the Miami Heat sent former 1st Round draft pick, PF Shelden Williams to the Utah Jazz for their 2007 2nd Round pick,
PG Anthony15. The Heat were slim at PG with Jason Williams' defection & had a plethora of options at PF. Still, this deal suggests that Anthony15's talent was better than what his selection indicated. The starting PG is his spot to lose. Not a bad job starting next to Dwayne Wade, where he makes everyone look good.
Looking towards the 2008/09 season for the NLSC-ers, Negone, Skrnjug & Hassakis retain their starting roles with their respective teams. Some new starters include Miami's Anthony15, Cleveland's Mark Moore (who finally dethrones Eric Snow) & Indiana's Will Sit who must have broken what is left of Jonathon Bender's fragile knees. The rest of the guys are slowly moving up the rosters & most figure to be key bench players for their teams this coming season.
More off-season highlights....
the Darko fiasco continues as he shops his ass around the league & has interest from the Lakers, Spurs & Rockets. However, none are prepared to pay him the 4 year, $7.07M deal he asks. In the end, he limps back to the Bucks who reward him by giving him over $1M more than he wanted with a 4 year, $8.02M deal....the Bucks are crazy I tell you....we can't talk about Milwaukee & not mention SG Reece Gaines who has somehow stayed in the league for yet another year as he has once again signed with the Bucks to a 1 year deal at league minimum....I'm interested to see how long he can stick in the league with this strategy....did I mention that JR Smith wanted 5 year, $35M deal so that's what I eventually offered him, only to see the Raptors overpay him & give him a 5 year, $41.6M deal, go figure....back to the Bucks, they signed Oberto....I wonder how many international bigmen that this team can get....I'm predicting one from each continent....money, money, money: Iggy gets 5 years at almost $11M per year, Artest does one better, 5 years at $12.5M per year....chances are that Chauncey Billups is happy with his 3 year, $37.31M deal, I would be....Devin Harris is locked up with the Mavs for the next 5 years at $8M per year....damn, I wish this game had luxury tax as Cuban would suffer, not that it ever bothers him, but still....Pavel gets 6 year, $12.74M deal to be the team's 15th man (seriously, that's what he is)....Ben Gordon, 4 years at $43M....ho hum....Loul Deng getting $8M per year over next 6 years....hey Sit, your Lakers resigned Kwame to a 1 year, $7.29M deal....I knew you'd be happy about that....they also re-upped Sasha Vujacic to a 3 year, $9.33M deal....those Lakers are going places I tell you....Nowitzki, $18M per over 3 years....Telfair is worth $53M over 6 years to the Blazers....that would've never happened under my reign of terror....& since when is Antawn Jamison worth $17M per year, you tell me?!? Shawn Livingstone is a Clipper through 2011 with a deal that pays him about $7.5M per....Sit's whipping boy David Harrison got rewarded with a 3 year, $10.84M deal by the Celtics....wonder what Sit will be in for....Earl Boykins made the All-Star team, yet he is still only worth $6.5M per year & the Nuggets weren't going to give him anything longer than a 2 year deal....poor Earl....Josh Childress re-upped for $8M per over 6 years....who gets more, Meka or Dwight Howard?!? much like the draft, Howard nips Meka by securing a 5 year deal worth $11M per, which is about $500k per year more than Meka will see....Raptors were thinking big when they signed Tractor Traylor to a 5 year, $18.63M deal....Gerald Wallace got a 6 year, $68.37M deal, but he's still only Melo's backup....
that was it for the 2007/08 season & the 2008 off-season....I hope you enjoy....future seasons to follow when I get time....
if anyone wants to know, I updated page 1 of the thread to adjust the NLSC Hall of Fame. Will adjust it as I go along.