Back before oversized cigars and really oversized blazers became his fashion accessories of choice, a young MJ rocked some classic 80’s duds. Unlikely source for an NBA story, Street Carnage, has more pics here.

Posted by: Alex

In exciting news for Australian fans of the NBA, big Nathan Jawai has been traded today to the Minnesota Timberwolves – joining his third team prior to starting his second season of NBA basketball.

Originally drafted by the Raptors in 2008, Jawai was traded in the offseason to Dallas as part of the Shawn Marion sign and trade bonanza.

Jawai’s move to the Timberwolves is timely for the Aussie seven footer. With a bevy of injuries plaguing Minnesota’s young front court, Jawai is well and truly in the frame for a starters role or big minutes off the bench. With Kevin Love down until at least early December and Al Jefferson looking like his ACL injury is wreacking havoc on the rest of his body, this is one of the better spots for the young centre to find himself in.

With Pecherov and Hollis potentially still in front of Jawai, we look forward to seeing this positional battle playing out – and hopefully seeing big Nate staking his claim to becoming yet another elite Australian big man.

Posted by: James

Let’s first acknowledge there’s a lot right with the game. Indeed, the reviews have been almost overwhelmingly positive, lauding the mechanics, graphics, and gameplay. It’s a good game.

Unfortunately, video game reviewers often tend towards the complimentary, foregoing any serious criticism in favour of being the first to talk up a new feature (we saw this when Madden 10 was released, when each and every review seemed to dedicate three paragraphs to the new ‘Pro-Tak’ feature — a fairly inconsequential element that amounts to little more than new animations — instead of actually reviewing the game).

So, let’s look at what’s wrong with NBA 2k10. What needs work? How far are the developers from a legitimate simulation of the game of basketball?

NBA 2k10 has some flaws.

The Navigation: Confusing & Ugly

By far the most baffling shortfall comes as soon as the disc starts spinning:the menus are terrible. Completely unintuitive, tedious to navigate, and totally lacking in any sense of tiers, or levels.

The benchmark for sports navigation is, of course, Madden 10, which boasts clean, uncluttered and — most importantly — easy-to-figure menus, with unobtrusive backgrounds. There’s a distinct sense of consistency and cohesiveness, with tiers — Play Now, Game Modes, etc. — vertically listed, like the contents of a book. The aesthetic is clean, iPod-modern, with shining silver menus coupled with well-integrated game photography.

2k10, on the other hand, is black and grey, ugly as sin, looking more like a gothic-themed Geocities website than a highly touted sports simulation. Instead of an index-style menu, we get 9 mini-panels, placed 3 to a row, taking up the entire screen.

And selecting those mini-panels is far more difficult than it needs to be, as your selection reverts back to the middle panels as soon as you let go of the left control stick, as if the game doesn’t trust you to make a selection, think about it, and then select it. (And if all of this sounds confusing, that’s because it is). The lack of linear, logical menus — especially when they’re so aesthetically sub-par — is a serious oversight.

My Baller: A Great Idea, With Aggravating Problems

The definite highlight of 2k10 has to be ‘My Baller,’ in which you create a player who is relatively terrible, and try to struggle your way to the NBA, through summer leagues, the D-League, and — if you’re lucky — a training camp.

The idea is a near-masterstroke,  combining the motivation-heavy ‘leveling up’ elements of role-playing geek favourites like World of Warcraft with basketball.

But there are problems. Significant ones. You’re graded after each match by a Stephen A. Smith-looking pseudo-agent. The concept is excellent — you really do want positive feedback — but the execution often falters, as you’re chastised for ‘letting your man light you up’, when your opponent has dropped a paltry four points on you. Or you’re told off for taking bad shot choices — like completely open, unguarded mid-range jumpers.

You’re also forced never to call for the ball, even if it’s a completely appropriate time to do so. If you’re playing shooting guard, and your struggling centre has been doubled in the post, and you’re looking for a kick-out for an open three, you better not call for it. If you do, you’ll find your ‘Teammate Grade’ — a school-style mark, from A down to (I presume) F — slips quickly.

Basketball is a tough game to simulate, with its ebbs and flows and odd rhythms. Of course, accurately trying to grade your play will be difficult. But we’re talking about flaws here, and the dubious — and incredibly difficult — leveling up system certainly is one.

Looks real enough; doesn't quite feel it.

The Gameplay: Sort Of Basketball, Sort Of Not

I’ve mentioned how difficult basketball is to stimulate, but it’s a serious issue for a game trying to do just that.

American football is clinical, calculated, the roles of each player obvious and clearly delineated. Tennis is even easier; the ball will travel from one racquet to the other. Basketball is, for the most part, the exact opposite. Like hockey, movements are relatively free, often improvsied.

How do you quantify and manifest, as a video game designer, the difference between Rashard Lewis (nails treys, off-the-ball movement, spots up) and Carlos Boozer (bangs in the post, fights for rebounds, effective to 17-foot)? They both play the same position. But they’re well-apart points on the wide-ranging power forward spectrum.

It’s clear that the fundamental problems inherent in trying to capture such a free-flowing sport have been recognised by the 2k10 design team; the ratings are seriously detailed, in an attempt to fine-tune the process of differentiating players.

But the game just has to feel right. And, for now, it isn’t quite there.

Players still feel like they’re skating. Like running the ball in Madden, movement just happens — there isn’t the sense that you’re controlling a human body, dealing with gravity, reliant on twitching muscles, with force exerted from outside forces. 2k10 tries to capture the physics of athletics — like the FIFA series, changing directions takes time, and there’s a tangible ‘weight’ to players. But the intense transitions in basketball simply aren’t captured; the movement from being clogged in the post, body-to-body and then, all of a sudden, flying down the court in transition.

Perhaps this is, more than anything, a problem with technology. We can capture motion superficially, but we can’t quite capture the physics of motion. That isn’t surprising — physics aren’t easy.

But this what serious sports simulators aspire to, and 2k10 is well off. It’s a good way from the sophistication of Madden, and it’s lagging behind FIFA.

Random Problems & Bugs

Besides the macro, there are a number of isolated, micro issues.

Why, for example, did I play through a season in which the 6th leading scorer was Eric Padgett, a seemingly non-existent rookie playing with the Chicago Bulls? (For the record, Padgett won Rookie of the Year, over Blake Griffin). Great news for Chicago fans happy to live in an alternate world, but terrible news for video game users who can’t abide bizarre roster glitches.

And why, when you take the Knicks through to the summer of 2010, are you faced with the prospect of using all that cap space for either Joe Johnson, Carlos Boozer, or Rudy Gay? Why doesn’t Amar’e want to test the free agent market? Why does 2k10 assume LeBron and Wade and Bosh are staying put? And why — this is, by far, the most baffling development — did Eddy Curry decline his $11m player option? (One person will love that: Donnie Walsh).

Why, during a regular season game, did I sit there while Jeff Green, ready for an inbounds pass, simply gifted the ball back and forth between himself and a referee? For 2 minutes, the little Green sprite passed to the referee, who passed back to Green, who passed to the referee. It was only when Russell Westbrook accidentally walked into Green that bug fixed itself.

Why is Kevin Martin constantly on the trading block from Sacramento? Why, in my Knicks season, did Ben Wallace win both Most Improved Player, and Defensive Player of the Year? And why, of all the teams in the league, did the Atlanta Hawks win the championship that year? These aren’t isolated problems. These are consistent misfires that speak to a lack of sophistication in how the game simulates a season.

Posted By: Anton

Follow the Sport Count on Twitter for breaking news, fantasy analysis, and frustration when Ben Wallace dominates a game.

With the return of one of the NBA’s most enigmatic superstars for the 2009-2010 season, the world is asking the question: what is actually going to happen to Gilbert Arenas in the coming year?

Previously, we’ve been disappointed by injury, early returns, and re-injuries. But, this year, there is a genuine buzz and excitement building for the NBA’s forgotten superstar.

What will happen? Well, as diligent students of basketball and gambling, The Sport Count team has developed a book on potential scenarios for Gilbert’s upcoming season.

Is this the year Gilbert Arenas evolves? (Illustration: Ben Toupein)

Become an All-Star – 3:2

The odds of Arenas becoming an All-Star are pretty short, given fan voting and internationals will likely get him in there. The odds of him deserving an All-Star berth, however, are significantly slimmer.

Become an All-NBA player – 10:1

With a log-jam of talent ahead of him at guard, Arenas will struggle to dethrone some of the talent out there. Whilst barring injury, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and Brandon Roy will be locks for four of the six All-NBA guard spots — leaving third team honours up for grabs.

Arenas faces very tough competition from incumbents Chauncey Billups and Tony Parker — not to mention those who didn’t make it: Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, and Devin Harris.

Shoot Better than 45% from the field – 25:1

Gilbert has done this just once in his career — as a Warrior, in his rookie campaign, when he averaged 24mpg.

Whilst there’s been a lot of hype from the Gilbert camp about him amending his role so as to become a distributor, there is little, if anything, to suggest this is more than simply bluster.

While we’d love to see a more efficient Gilbert, the odds are indicative of the realistic chances of this happening. Once the bloodlust of shooting 40-foot three pointers starts to turn his eyes yellow.

Evolve – 20:1

The odds of Gilbert Arenas evolving are long, but well worth a flutter if you’re so inclined.

Evolution can occur in Pokémon for several different reasons, the most common of which is gaining enough battle experience. There are many other factors that can determine if, when, and into what, different Pokémon will evolve.

For example, some evolutions will only occur if the Pokémon is holding a certain item; at a certain time of day; if the Pokémon’s Loyalty is high enough; if the Pokémon is a certain gender; and if it is traded to another player. The player can choose to halt evolution at any time before the animation is finished (only by level up), simply by pressing the B button, unless the evolution was purposely initiated using an evolutionary stone.

Posted by: James

Illustration: Ben Toupein

We’ve already checked in with Steve Kerr (and his daughter, Miranda), Mike D’Antoni (and his friend, director Steven Soderbergh), and Andris Biedrins (on set with Ice T). Let’s take a further look around the league.

Spurs shooting guard Manu Ginobili having a very good time, yesterday.

‘It is, in San Antonio, not good for party,’ says Manu Ginobili, taking a break from festivities with his Argentinian friends. ‘Tim, I love him, but he is not crazy, you know? For this off-season, I must find fun for me.’ Ginobili loves nothing more than partying in the traditional South American fashion: great food, cold drinks, and the humor innate in putting a plastic fork in your mouth.

Troy Murphy, chuffed to have completed a flight into space.

Troy Murphy, the sharp-shooting power forward for the Indiana Pacers, spent his off-season somewhere special: the depths of space.

‘Growing up in Jersey, you always wonder what’s out there,’ Troy tells us after arriving safely back on earth. ‘And what’s more out there than space? Nothing.’

Murphy arranged the trip through NASA, becoming one of the less-than-20 private citizens to float aimlessly through the darkest of skies. What did Troy think about up there? ‘Nothing matters,’ he says, staring blankly into the distance. ‘Who cares if the Pacers win or lose, ultimately?’

Sport-loving rapper Lil' Wayne, with his protegé, Marcus Banks.

Toronto point guard Marcus Banks met Lil’ Wayne while sitting on the bench in his Miami days.

‘They were tough days, dude,’ Marcus explains. ‘I wasn’t getting court time, and Weezy helped me through that.’ The two would chat constantly, thought Wayne did most of the talking. ‘He’d tell me about how dogs can actually talk if you listen, and how the shotgun is the most powerful gun, and everything.’ They became so close, then-Miami coach Pat Riley would have to threaten Banks with fines to get him to listen during timeouts, so reticent Banks was to leave the side of his new best friend.

‘I spent all my time off with my boy,’ says Banks. ‘He’s been teaching me to spit fire on the mic. I can’t ball forever.’

Monta Ellis, taking a brief break from the slopes.

‘If I ain’t allowed to ride the moped, what the fuck else am I s’posed to do? I ski, son.’

Posted By: Anton

Follow the Sport Count for all the breaking off-season news.

Allen Iverson has made some audacious claims since coming to Memphis. The latest, in an extended interview with Scoop Jackson, involves Iverson claiming that even a playoff berth for the Grizzlies would not be enough to satisfy him — he wants a championship!

"I came for the music, but I'll stay for a championship."

These aspirations have been generally received by the illustrious blogosphere as preposterous, the rumblings of a 34-year old mad man. However, let’s take Iverson at his word for a second. Is it, in fact, possible for this rag-tag bag of youngsters and selfish veterans to take home the Larry O’Brien trophy next June?

5 steps to success for the Memphis Grizzlies:

1. Hasheem Thabeet becomes a defensive beast

By beast, we’re talking Mutombo levels of beast.

If Thabeet were to become the best defensive big man in the game, he’d hide the glaring defensive weaknesses of Zach Randolph. If you take Zach’s inability and unwillingness to rebound out of the equation, he’s actually a solid contributor — 20/10, even if those 20 points are at a very bad clip for a big man (46.6% over his career).

2.Allen Iverson’s cult of personality

Allen Iverson must be loved by this team –- and he needs to show love back.

Iverson, in his prime, was capable of leading a band of misfits (starters included George Lynch, Tyrone Hill, and Aaron McKie) to the NBA Finals, and even taking a game off one of the best teams of a generation, the 2001  Lakers. A lot is said about Iverson’s ball hog attributes and negative locker room personality — by the media. Rarely, if ever, is Iverson criticised by teammates. If Iverson can unite the team behind him, and figure out a way to get the guys involved, Memphis just might make a playoff run.

3.Mike Conley wins most improved player of the year

After being taken with the 4th overall selection in a stacked draft, Conley has failed to live up to his potential. Plain and simple, he’s being overshadowed by young guns like Jameer Nelson, Rondo and Rose, not to mention Paul and Williams, to the point where he’s not even in most conversations about young point guards.

Conley must become a competent and solid double figure assists player, getting easy baskets to his wing players in transition and hitting open shots. If Conley becomes the general of this team and manages to earn the respect of the vets and youngsters alike, there will be a solid foundation for success.

"Will I bang in the low-post this year? Who knows... probably not!"

4.Randolph, Thabeet and Gasol need to bang

Thinking  about it — and contingent on Thabeet being a beast (I have doubts) — this is a really solid frontcourt. Not many teams — even contenders — have a young per-36 double-double average player like Gasol languishing on the bench.

Randolph’s clip, as previously mentioned, is disgusting. However, if he can bang inside a little more, and Conley can get him the rock deep, his efficiency will skyrocket and he’ll add some value to the team.

5.OJ Mayo wins sixth man of the year

I know what you’re thinking — here’s a guy who, in many years, would’ve had ROY honours, and now we want him to come off the bench? Well, for this team to succeed, he will have to.

Iverson cannot, and will not come off the bench for anyone, much less the Griz. He will likely take less minutes, but starting is clearly something he needs to do to get a feel for the game and stay happy, which is essential to Memphis doing well.

Mayo, like Iverson, requires a ludicrous amount of ball to be effective. You can toy with playing him at PG, but that’s a stupid idea if Iverson is SG. Likewise, playing Iverson at PG with Mayo at SG; it just won’t work, like Monta Ellis next to Stephen Curry.

Playing Mayo  32+ minutes off the bench would give Memphis one of the most versatile scoring guards in the league in their second unit. If you thought the streaky J.R. Smith in the second unit of the Nuggets was impressive in last season’s playoffs, Mayo will startle — especially considering that he’s going to be guarded by the likes of Tony Allen and Chris Duhon.

So, there are our arguments. I don’t think anyone honestly believes that the Grizzlies could win a championship during Iverson’s tenure with the club, but if the above should come to fruition, there will certainly be a strong enough core to contend for the final playoff spot in the ever so tough, Western Conference.

Posted by: James

Follow the Sport Count for searing insights, breaking news, and incessant slurs directed at Chris Wallace.

133. The Funston Freaks: Courtney Lee | New Jersey Nets

Drafted So Far: Dwight Howard, Andre Iguodala, Andris Biedrins, Baron Davis, Jason Richardson, Tony Parker, Marcus Camby, J.R. Smith, Marvin Williams, Jermaine O’Neal, Michael Beasley

We’ve seen Courtney go far earlier in other drafts, but he’s being picked up for one reason: he’s on a bad team with no depth, and he’s a young guy. Yes, he’s a quality player, but in statistical terms he’s a liability. His per-36s from last year: 12 points, 3 boards, 1.7 dimes, 1.4 steals, 1.5 treys. That’s in thirty six minutes. The thievery and long-range bomb numbers are useful, but the rest? No good at all.

Maybe his bigger role in the Nets offense will help. In the final round of the draft, I’ll definitely take the chance.

134. John Hollinger’s W.A.S.S.U.P System: Jonny Flynn | Minnesota Timberwolves

Drafted So Far: Brandon Roy, Chris Bosh, Monta Ellis, Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu, Al Harrington, Mike Bibby, Jeff Green, Josh Howard, Shaquille O’Neal, Francisco Garcia

Despite Ramon Sessions coming on board, you have to figure Minne give their hyper-athletic, high-pick young guard some reasonable burn. He can get to the rim and knows how to pass the ball, and given Minnie’s obvious dearth of talent, Flynn will likely be relied on to do a lot early.

If he can put up a line similar to Mayo’s rookie season (without the rich 3PM numbers, but with a few more dimes), it’ll be a worthwhile last-round gamble.

135. The Buss Family All-Star Band: Randy Foye | Washington Wizards

Drafted So Far: Deron Williams, Amar’e Stoudemire, Rajon Rondo, Andrea Bargnani, Manu Ginobili, Anthony Randolph, John Salmons, Kevin Love, Mario Chalmers, Chris Kaman, Tyler Hansborough

Randy will get some minutes and if the Gilbert Arenas comeback experiment fails — by no means impossible — the jump in numbers would be significant. Even if Hibachi comes back healthy, Foye will get minutes at the 1- and 2-spot.

140. That’s My Power Forward! That’s My Teammate!: Tyreke Evans | Sacramento Kings

With their team looking less than stellar, Evans is a chance to be played quite a bit early on in the year. The starting job is his for the taking. The fact that he’ll constantly turn the ball over, and presumably shoot at 40%, isn’t fantastic, but it doesn’t have to be this late in the draft. The upside is there for Evans to be Dwyane Wade without the distribution, vision, shot selection, or ball-handling.

144. Kahn’t Buyout Love: Robin Lopez | Phoenix Suns

The starting job may go to Channing Frye, but in games where the Suns want some interior defense, Lopez will get substantial minutes. His per-36s are not at all good (11 and 7), but the 2.4 blocks bodes well for that category.

That concludes the Sport Count Fantasy Mock. To read back over previous reads, click here.

Posted By: Anton, James & Alex

Follow the Sport Count on Twitter for breaking news and fantasy insight.

Everyone needs a holiday. And — apart from the sporadic media commitments, morning gym sessions, and around-the-clock Twitter obligations — that’s what the off-season represents for players and coaches. So, how do the rich and athletic unwind? We asked around.

Steve Kerr with his daughter, Miranda.

Phoenix general manager Steve Kerr kept busy this summer by visiting his daughter, Miranda, an up-and-coming model, most famously for Victoria’s Secret. ‘I love to get down under when I can,’ Steve told us, on his way to a major Australian horse racing meet. ‘It actually reminds me a lot of Phoenix.’

How does he spend his time across the Atlantic? ‘Basically, it’s just a chance to spend time with Miranda, enjoy a few daiquiris,’ says Kerr, laughing. ‘And not even think about who our starting center will be.’

Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni, director Steven Soderbergh, and producer Laura Bickford

New York Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni has already settled into life in New York. ‘It’s good here, yeah,’ says Mike, who spoke to us from his cell phone from an exclusive rooftop party hosted by indie group Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. ‘Donnie [Walsh] and I can head out after work, see some bands, hit the bars.’

Pictured is D’Antoni attending the premiere of The Girlfriend Experience with his new friend, director Steven Soderbergh. ‘I always say to Steve, you should have called your movie Sex, Lies & Eddy Curry. He loves that one.’

Ice T films a scene with Warriors centre Andris Biedrins

Most basketball fans know Golden State Warriors center Andris Biedrins as a spiky-haired, gangly-limbed pivot. Very few would know him as one of the biggest Law & Order: SVU fans in the world. That fandom paid off this summer, as the producers offered him a guest spot on the hit series.

‘In Latvia, this is best of television,’ said Biedrins, who we visited on set. ‘Only this and Naked & Funny is on, all day.’

Join us next week, as we learn where Troy Murphy went (hint: it’s infinite, and houses many solar systems), what Marcus Banks learned (‘I spit fire now!’) and much more!

Images: Anton

Words: Anton & James

Follow the Sport Count for searing insights, breaking news, and pictures of Carlos Boozer with his dog.

We’re well into the business end of a deep draft, where upside and potential means everything, and old veterans are reluctantly selected based on name value alone.

Catch up on Round 10 here. Fantasy notes:  We’re using a 12-team, H2H format, with standard categories.

121. Kahn’t Buyout Love: Al Thornton | Los Angeles Clippers

Drafted So Far: Chris Paul, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Paul Pierce, LaMarcus Aldridge, Mike Conley, Eric Gordon, Raymond Felton, Greg Oden, Anthony Morrow

I can see Al Thornton being a bit of a sleeper this year… or he’ll end up on the bench, if Mike Dunleavy finally realises how one-dimensional he really is. If the Clippers decide to run this year, with Babyhead gone and Kaman (presumably) out injured, we’ll see some bumps in Thornton’s stats.

122. Danny Aingent 007: Kenyon Martin | Denver Nuggets

Drafted So Far: LeBron James, Troy Murphy, Gilbert Arenas, Mo Williams, Nene Hilario, Rudy Gay, Stephen Jackson, Thaddeus Young, Corey Maggette, Chris Duhon

He’s always an injury risk and courts technicals and ejections like it’s part of the game, but his numbers this late in the draft are a steal: 11 and 7 with a handy 1+ STLs/BLKs, and he will generally push 50% FG for the year.

With Kleiza booted, he could see a bit more scoring responsibility too. Assuming he doesn’t contract leprosy or shingles, or cop a year-long suspension for punching out Mark Cuban.

123. Drinking Derrick Rosé: Nenad Krstic | Oklahoma City Thunder

Drafted So Far: Kevin Durant, Brook Lopez, Kevin Martin, David Lee, Russell Westbrook, Blake Griffin, Trevor Ariza, Wilson Chandler, Lamar Odom, James Harden

In need a back-up centre, Krstic fits the bill. He was so-so in his return last year, but is just three years removed from seriously solid numbers. It also means that the team officially has 80% of the Thunder’s starting line-up, meaning — barring those rare, lonely nights when Jeff Green explodes — we’ll get a tonne of Oklahoma stats every time they play.

124. The Memphis SATs: Yi Jianlian | New Jersey Nets

Drafted So Far: Dwyane Wade, Antawn Jamison, Shawn Marion, Carlos Boozer, OJ Mayo, Spencer Hawes, Ray Allen, Ramon Sessions, Allen Iverson, Chris Andersen

Yi will start every game for New Jersey, so no matter how bad he is, so he’ll get some stats, regardless of ability. Having said that, reports out of NJ have him improving on last season, which makes this pick a little better. Even though improving from ‘ineffectual, bad

125. That’s My Power Forward! That’s My Teammate!: Rodney Stuckey | Detroit Pistons

Drafted So Far: Kobe Bryant, Jose Calderon, Gerald Wallace, Emeka Okafor, David West, Michael Redd, Zach Randolph, Stephen Curry, Ron Artest, Tracy McGrady

I’m not confident in Stuckey’s ability to produce consistently this year, but this teams needs a PG-eligible baller and he’ll — at least — be getting starter’s minutes. This is a low-risk, potentially low-reward pick, but if he manages 14 and 5 dimes, on reasonable percentages, that’s quite acceptable in the 11th round of a deep draft.

126. Facilitatin’ With Mr. Wallace: Brendan Haywood | Washington Wizards

Drafted So Far: Danny Granger, Josh Smith, Derrick Rose, Elton Brand, Ben Gordon, Andre Miller, T.J. Ford, Luis Scola, Richard Jefferson, Tyson Chandler

Thankfully, being a reasonable human being isn’t a fantasy category.

Haywood will be the starting centre on a team fairly week at the pivot spot — only JaVale McGee will challenge for burn and, although he’s a genuine fantasy sleeper, he’s too raw to be a serious threat. Brendan is an underrated swatter (1.7 in his last healthy season, 2007-08) and a solid boardsman.

127. Mark Cuban Missile Crisis: Eddy Curry | New York Knicks

Drafted So Far: Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Joe Johnson, Caron Butler, Al Horford, Tyrus Thomas, Andrew Bogut, Aaron Brooks, Ronnie Brewer, Louis Williams

Yep, he’s going — there have been reports that he’s set to start at centre, so Curry might put up some halfway decent numbers if reports about his weight are correct.

A real swing for the fences, but this team is rounded enough to take a flyer here.

128. On Grounds of Vinsanity: Kelenna Azubuike | Golden State Warriors

Drafted So Far: Pau Gasol, Chauncey Billups, Vince Carter, Jason Kidd, Mehmet Okur, Boris Diaw, Nate Robinson, Jason Terry, Andrei Kirilenko, Brad Miller

It’s a fantasy-friendly system (apart from, y’know, the abitrary benchings) and, while I doubt Kelenna will see the 32mpg he did last season, he seems to be one of Nellie’s few liked players and can be a 3PM/STL/BLK threat along with his 15 and 5 boards. He managed to rate amongst GSW’s best fantasy outputs even with the return of Monta, and finished the season with some healthy lines. Hopefully that form will continue, despite the logjam at the swingman spot.

129. Andrew Bynom Nom Noms: Rip Hamilton | Detroit Pistons

Drafted So Far: Al Jefferson, Devin Harris, Carmelo Anthony, Jameer Nelson, Paul Millsap, Andrew Bynum, Charlie Villanueva, Leandro Barbosa, Luol Deng, Jamal Crawford

Of course, Rip or Tayshaun should have gone by now. But we’ve covered why they haven’t: they’re charmless guys on a charmless team, and they’re likely to see significant decreases in minutes. But hey, this late in the draft, charmless will sometimes have to do.

If forced into a timeshare with Ben Gordon, it’s difficult to see Rip’s fantasy impact staying solid. The upside is that it’s not unlikely he’ll be sent packing elsewhere, if a team is willing to take on a biggish contract in return for a lot of off-the-ball movement. If he stays in Detroit, expect Rip to hit the waivers quickly.

130. The Buss Family All-Star Band: Tyler Hansborough | Indiana Pacers

Drafted So Far: Deron Williams, Amar’e Stoudemire, Rajon Rondo, Andrea Bargnani, Manu Ginobili, Anthony Randolph, John Salmons, Kevin Love, Mario Chalmers, Chris Kaman

Hear me out.

This team has no depth in its front court — barring Troy Murphy, the majority of these guys are just happy that the Pacers exist so they can make a roster. They took a bit of a flyer on Hansborough in the draft, and will be in a rebuilding phase, meaning we’ll see young players given time to develop.

Troy Murphy managed to get about a million rebounds per game last year, just by being the only guy who wanted them. Hansborough’s hustle when hitting the glass will get him boards — and you can expect some easy put-back points too.

131. The John Hollinger W.A.S.S.U.P. System: Francisco Garcia | Sacramento Kings

Drafted So Far: Brandon Roy, Chris Bosh, Monta Ellis, Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu, Al Harrington, Mike Bibby, Jeff Green, Josh Howard, Shaquille O’Neal

Sacramento have zero depth, so Francisco is going to see at least 30 minutes per game. While unspectacular generally, he managed 1.43PM, 1.2STL and 1.0BLK last year, which is at least as valuable as his PTS, dimes and boards combined. He can have some disgusting nights in the FG% department, but will sporadically rack up some solid BLK and STL totals.

132. The Funston Freaks: Michael Beasley | Miami Heat

Drafted So Far: Dwight Howard, Andre Iguodala, Andris Biedrins, Baron Davis, Jason Richardson, Tony Parker, Marcus Camby, J.R. Smith, Marvin Williams, Jermaine O’Neal

Though Joakim Noah looks like a potential steal here, with a team stuffed full of rebounders and shot-blockers, he’s simply not needed. (I will regret saying this when all my big men are hit with the dreaded Curse of the Inj). Same argument with Jason Thompson, who should be beasting it up in Sactown.

Beasley is a risk with a whole stack of upside. On the one hand, his love of the sticky ick ick might render him useless. On the other, the guy is a natural-born scorer who boasted per-36s of 20 and 8 last season. If he comes back healthy — mentally and physically — this could be a preposterous steal. It’s just hard to know how such a young guy will bounce back from such a tortured off-season.

Join us tomorrow for the 12th and final round.

Posted By: Anton, James & Alex

Follow the Sport Count on Twitter for breaking news and fantasy insight.

Following on from our recent features on teams without a future (the Raptors and the Kings), we’ve come to the latest in the installment: the inimitably run Golden State Warriors.

"I treat this little fella better than most of my rookies."

First things first, I’m adding a fairly large caveat to this feature: I am not going to mention Don Nelson.

We’re talking about the future of the team, and — at least, theoretically — you can fire Nellie. Whilst his decision making and constant mind games with his playing personel is one thing, we’re going to focus on the playing staff and how this rag tag band can possibly be transformed into a contender.

On initial inspection, the Warriors seem to be a team with a bright future. The unique skills of Anthony Randolph, the scoring and up-tempo potential of Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis, and the creepiness of Fritzl-in-the-making Andris Biedrins, make an entertaining, and promising, core. Surely a lot of teams out there with aging veterans cobbled together for one last roll of the dice would covet the Warriors’ outlook? Think again.

Let’s look at some of the salary facts. Whilst there’s no glaringly obvious Eddy Curry or Zach Randolph on this team, cumulatively there have been enough woeful contract decisions to seriously hamper the team’s long term flexibility:

#1: They currently owe Stephen Jackson — a man who has openly declared he doesn’t want to play for them — $36 million over the next 4 years. Not much to pay for your mercurial captain? Well, he’ll be 35 by the time this contract is expired… alarm bells ringing yet?

Jackson’s contract is close to untradeable, but he’s by no means the worst asset on the team, in contract terms.

#2: $40m over 4 years. That’s how much money they owe Corey Maggette; one of the most dispensable scoring 3s in recent history. This is the guy that KG once congratulated after a blowout loss with the elegant insult, “way to get your numbers”. In the context of this current environment of fiscal responsibility, it’s incomprehensible that Corey Maggette got this contract last year. It’s bewildering to pay that much for a solid 18 ppg at a bad clip, and nothing else.

#3: Now, the third piece of the puzzle. Monta Ellis. While he’s exciting, and — at his best — could be a good deal on his $11m per year deal, he’s hardly the guy you want to build around. He injured himself by engaging in contractually prohibited activity in the offseason directly after getting overpaid. He has openly declared that he “cannot” play with the team’s first round draft choice. He once finished second in a chilli eating contest rumoured to have been instigated by Adonal Foyle. You get the picture that he isn’t exactly a young franchise player in the making.

In fact, with Ellis, Jackson and Maggette — three guys who think of themselves ahead of almost anyone else — and SVU suspect in the making, Biedrins, the Warriors have nearly $41m dollars committed through to 2013.

The good news is they’ll still have room for a max/near max player. The bad news is that they’ll need to field a team of 5 players — including the bench — to succeed in doing this.

Posted by: James

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