BlogaBull Bracket Challenge and Draft Tracker (Sweet 16 Update)
by Basketball Smurf on Mar 25, 2010 11:15 AM CDT
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Hey guys. I know there is interest in the NCAA Tourney on this site. And I know most of us will be following it looking for new talent (considering the current state of the Bulls). With that in mind, I thought it would be fun if we had a little bracket contest for bragging rights.
I've set up a tourney challenge at Yahoo. It is open to the public, no password needed. It allows a max of 2 brackets, although more could be allowed if people wanted. The winner gets our praise and appreciation for about an hour. The losers get to curse bad officiating, bad coaching, and all the bad bounces that make March so fun.
Here is the link -
http://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com/t1/group/176793
For me, this is the first time I am experiencing an NCAA tournament without my beloved Arizona Wildcats. Its a bit freeing knowing I won't have to automatically put them in the sweet 16 in my bracket no matter who they are playing. I like all the #1 seeds to advance, mostly because Duke was gifted a region. As for sleepers, I like #3 seeded Baylor, #6 Notre Dame, #6 Marquette, #7 BYU and #13 Murray State.
Usually I place some type of bet on the tourney. But this year, I really don't have time to go through the teams. Which is good for my wallet. The first bracket I set up, just by going on my gut, had no surprises. The second bracket will be filled with upsets and the like. Insuring that I will curse not having a 3rd bracket that met somewhere in the middle.
A few primers- Hollinger ranks the best college players based on a new PER formula. (Wall doesn't make the top 100, casting the whole system in doubt.)
http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/hollinger/statistics?&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fncb%2fhollinger%2fstatistics
**** UPDATE
Obviously, the first two rounds of the tourney were pretty brutal for the top seeds and pretty exciting for everyone else. Buzzer Beaters, double digit seeds winning, the #1 overall seed going down (sorry Wendy), the Big East humiliated, the Big Ten vindicated - and so on and so forth.
At this point, for me at least, my rooting interest starts to change. Once my brackets were destroyed (thank you Big East and Kansas) I just started rooting for ever underdog. But now, I want to see the best teams and the best matchups. I want to see NBA caliber talent battling it out on the court. So with all due respect to St. Mary's, Cornell and No. Iowa, I'm rooting for Goliath next week. My ideal final 4 would be Ohio St., Syracuse, Kentucky and Baylor. The most NBA talent. All 4 of this season's best conferences represented. Evan Turner vs. Wesley Johnson in one final with all those athletes on Baylor and Kentucky going up and down the floor in the other. But based on my picks, we will probably end up with Butler, St. Mary's, Cornell and No. Iowa. Which I would watch too. Go Big Red.
Best Sweet 16 Match-ups:
1. Tennessee v. Ohio St - Tennessee has a ton of athletes and likes to press, which should give us a chance to see Evan Turner drop some sweet spin moves and passes.
2. Xavier v. K State - Great guard match-up. Physical in the paint. I love Xavier's uniforms.
3. Kentucky v. Cornell - Contrast of styles and pedigrees.
Best potential final 8 match-up:
Duke v. Baylor - Watching Duke getting dunked on makes me smile. But this looks like a pretty even matchup, if both make it that far.
Standings -
| 1 | winner | 26 | 20 | - | - | - | Kentucky | 46 | 166 |
| 2 | Bigballa's Bracket | 23 | 22 | - | - | - | Kansas | 45 | 109 |
| 3 | Roaring Tygers | 25 | 18 | - | - | - | Kentucky | 43 | 143 |
| 3 | Tyrus Would Win This Tourney | 23 | 20 | - | - | - | Kentucky | 43 | 139 |
| 3 | Dickey Simpkins All Stars | 25 | 18 | - | - | - | Kansas | 43 |
99 |
| 6 | Option27 | 21 | 20 | - | - | - | Kentucky | 41 | 165 |
| 6 | Poloplaya14' s bracket | 21 | 20 | - | - | - | Kentucky |
41 | 161 |
| 6 | bullzfan148 | 25 | 16 | - | - | - | Kansas | 41 | 89 |
| 9 | dpark39 bytheodds | 24 | 16 | - | - | - | Kansas | 40 | 108 |
| 9 | RPK | 22 | 18 | - | - | - | Kansas | 40 | 104 |
Winner, whoever that is, leads after the first 2 rounds. He's got Ohio.St, Syracuse, kentucky and Baylor in the final 4, so he's sitting pretty. In a tournament first, Winner has Kentucky winning the tournament by -6 points. Option27 has Kentucky winning by -9. I suspect that the team that scores the most points will win, but you never know.
Big Balla is next, but alas, Kansas isn't around anymore. Tyger is in 3rd proving all that shit he talks might be based on actual basketball knowledge. Tyrus and Dickey Simpkins round out the top 5. Option 27 and Poloplaya are in position to swoop in and strike like Aarron Gray eyeing a Big Mac.
Buzzer Beaters -
Michigan State v. Maryland
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgLdWbPgQrg
Murray State v. Vandy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pxjWSst3NI
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Comments
This
website gives links to tons of NBA mockdrafts
http://dcprosportsreport.com/NBAMocks.htm
by QUINTEN DALEY on Mar 17, 2010 3:58 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
Thanks
I’m a draft junkie so this makes me feel like a kid in a candy store.
Joakim on whether he ever tried tennis: "I played a little bit. If anybody on the Bulls wanted to play me, I would kick their ass."
Great idea, Smurf, and my thanks for starting the bracket.
This is a pretty deep draft, and there are quite a few quality prospects the Bulls will be in position to take. This will parse things up nicely.
The guys I’m watching in particular are Avery Bradley and James Anderson.
The poster formerly known as Freethefro.
I'm your friendly BullsBlogger and I approve this as the official bracket
USE THE SOFTWARE. Actions-> Rec/Flag. Reply to comments with the reply button. Rec good fanposts/fanshots so the crud gets pushed down.
by your friendly BullsBlogger on Mar 17, 2010 4:06 PM CDT reply actions
Also, since the Bulls will have to swap picks with the Bucks (18th pick) and will probably need a SG to pair with Rose
I suggest they take James Anderson. If they take Hassan Whiteside, I will probably cry. He’s another immensely talented, athletic project with no discernible understanding of how to play basketball. We’ve all seen how well the Bulls have done with project big men that need some coaching and molding. If they get another one, it’ll be such a waste.
Things to like about James Anderson:
- He can shoot. (38%, 41%, and 36% from 3 and 71%, 83%, 81% from the line)
- He gets to the line and has gotten better at it every year (4.1, 5.3, 9.2 FTA/per pace adjusted 40).
- He’s 6’6".
Things to dislike about Anderson:
The biggest chink in Anderson’s armor and the main thing holding him back from being able to project him as an outstanding NBA role-player has always been his play on the defensive end. Unfortunately, not much seems to have changed this year. Anderson isn’t much of a presence at all on the perimeter, looking very upright in his stance and showing below average lateral quickness, getting beat on a regular basis off the dribble by fairly mediocre college slashers. He doesn’t use his body well enough, lacks a significant degree of physicality in his approach, and does not utilize his length at all to contest opponents’ shots.
(via DX)
So, he’s not a defender. That certainly hurts because Rose isn’t much of a defender either. If the Bulls get Bosh, he’s not really a defensive wonder either (he’s more meh than bad on that end, which is where it looks like Rose will probably end up), so that would be 3 contributors not playing much in the way of defense. Noah and Deng are great, but I don’t know that they can make up that whole difference. Anyway, maybe if Kirk returns for another year his solid (but overrated) defense can supplement Rose’s meh-ness on that end offset Anderson’s crumminess on that end when Rose is out and Hinrich is running the point duties.
Anyway, of the players that look to be available (at the moment) at #18 by DX’s projections, I think Anderson probably projects as the best pro and best fit for the Bulls (especially if they land Bosh, which means they probably aren’t landing JJ (blech) or Wade).
Kirk Hinrich sucks. The end.
by fundamentallysound on Mar 17, 2010 4:16 PM CDT reply actions
One more follow-up on James Anderson.
Here’s what the always excellent Ed Weiland at Hoops Analyst had to say about him:
7. James Anderson, SG Oklahoma State: Anderson has been very impressive this year. He has been great down the stretch and has emerged as the 2nd best wing player, behind Turner. His intelligence has impressed me the couple of times I watched him play. He’s one of those players who can put points on the board lots of different ways. He can do it from inside, outside or the line.
Kirk Hinrich sucks. The end.
by fundamentallysound on Mar 17, 2010 4:24 PM CDT up reply actions
I read that report on his defense-
and don’t agree. You could tell Derrick would be a poor defender, but Anderson isn’t all that bad. He’s big, physical, and he has decent lateral quickness. Not sure how he got this rep, but if it makes him fall…fine by me.
The poster formerly known as Freethefro.
I'll be pleasantly surprised
if James Anderson is still on the board at 18 or wherever we end up. I think Whiteside will be gone too by then. I watched this kid Udoh from Baylor play and there is a lot to like. He’s about 6’10" with a good post game and is an excellent shot blocker. He looks like a kid who could bulk up well enough to play both power forward and center. A lot of quality players that could make our bench stronger.
Joakim on whether he ever tried tennis: "I played a little bit. If anybody on the Bulls wanted to play me, I would kick their ass."
Yep. That's where I've been for awhile now.
Best possible scenario: James Anderson and Chris Bosh.
In the past 10 years, just four team owners have not paid a luxury tax and are not on pace to pay one this year: Donald Sterling, Jerry Reinsdorf, Chris Cohen (Golden State), Bob Johnson (Charlotte).
Two owners’ teams averaged an operating income of over +$10 million per year while their teams have lost over 60% of their games: Donald Sterling and Jerry Reinsdorf.
As happens often, we're on the same page.
Kirk Hinrich sucks. The end.
by fundamentallysound on Mar 17, 2010 5:28 PM CDT up reply actions
Except I've heard reports that he could be a very good defender
He’s long, athletic, and quick so I feel like he has very high defensive potential. I think I’d still prefer Xavier Henry though.
Brad Miller is god.
Could be and actually is are two very different things. Derrick COULD be a very good defender, but he stinks.
Kirk Hinrich sucks. The end.
by fundamentallysound on Mar 17, 2010 5:28 PM CDT up reply actions
I've also heard people say that he actually is a very good defender
Here’s nbadraft.net’s take on him: http://www.nbadraft.net/players/james-anderson
Brad Miller is god.
nbadraft.net is one of the worst draft sites I've ever read. DraftExpress is far superior.
Kirk Hinrich sucks. The end.
by fundamentallysound on Mar 18, 2010 10:08 AM CDT up reply actions
If we want a good defender,
Avery Bradley blows them both away.
The poster formerly known as Freethefro.
But Avery Bradley is not a good enough offensive player. 15 points per pace adjusted 40 on 52% True Shooting
is not good at all for a pro prospect.
Kirk Hinrich sucks. The end.
by fundamentallysound on Mar 18, 2010 10:47 PM CDT up reply actions
He's also not much of a rebounder or passer. What does he do well again?
Kirk Hinrich sucks. The end.
by fundamentallysound on Mar 18, 2010 10:51 PM CDT up reply actions
Not sold
on Bradley as a pro, he needs more seasoning, I got a feeling if he goes pro he turns into William Avery
by QUINTEN DALEY on Mar 19, 2010 4:46 PM CDT up reply actions
arent a lot of college perimeter players with his usage pretty weak defenders? i would only care to ask:
does he have the tools to be at least ok.
"Oooohhh, cat in the wall, eh? Now you're talkin' my language."
lot of kentucky love in the poll. a national champion hasnt produced a #1 pick that same year
since james worthy 28 years ago. so theres that.
"Oooohhh, cat in the wall, eh? Now you're talkin' my language."
Kentucky!!! Coach Cal and John Wall baby!!!!
Chris Bosh-Chicago Bull
by Juan dela Cruz on Mar 17, 2010 11:02 PM CDT reply actions
<is the person saying that Illinois is going to win the NCAA Tourney.
Go Rockets/Nets[CDR]/Bucks[Jennings]!
Fucking Georgetown. I hate college basketball.
by Ozzie Montana on Mar 18, 2010 8:29 PM CDT reply actions 2 recs
Hahaha ...
H … … …………..
Go Rockets/Nets[CDR]/Bucks[Jennings]!
Georgetown was an Elite Eight team for me
but I had marquette losing in round 1 so it evens out. :P
Go Rockets/Nets[CDR]/Bucks[Jennings]!
All the Big East teams screwed me
that is what I get to listening to ESPN. That conference was overrated
by Basketball Smurf on Mar 18, 2010 9:28 PM CDT up reply actions
Alright...texas playing.
I’d love Avery Bradley as a Bull, and wouldn’t mind Pittman in the second round.
The poster formerly known as Freethefro.
Didn't we trade away all our second round picks?
Kirk Hinrich sucks. The end.
by fundamentallysound on Mar 18, 2010 11:11 PM CDT up reply actions
Bulls love to show off that defense and give up 30 points in the first quarter.
by RogersPark Kris on Mar 19, 2010 7:38 PM CDT reply actions
SOLOMON ALABI
If he’s still on the board at 18 then i would choose him because he’s 7 1 and 250 and would add height, defense, and rebounding, which the bulls need. If something happens to noah again, the bulls will be in the same situation, no matter who they get in freeagency. I still like james anderson if he and solomon decides to come out. Noah is the tallest player the bulls have on the team at 6 11 and the next tallest is 6 9 which is deng and maybe gibson and i don’t think jonhson is 6 9, bulls need more tall and big bodies to compete and to get better and more inside scoring wouldn’t hurt either.
Except Omer Asik is the same type of player as Alabi and we already have his rights.
Alabi is pretty raw, so he won’t be a big contributor right away anyways. I wouldn’t mind getting him, but I’d prefer Anderson or Henry.
Brad Miller is god.
by Poloplaya14 on Mar 20, 2010 11:40 PM CDT up reply actions
pretty weak rebounder for a 7'1'' guy though.
"Oooohhh, cat in the wall, eh? Now you're talkin' my language."
The Big East teams are killing my bracket!
Joakim on whether he ever tried tennis: "I played a little bit. If anybody on the Bulls wanted to play me, I would kick their ass."
yup, Bill Self choker jokes can now resume
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by your friendly BullsBlogger on Mar 25, 2010 11:15 AM CDT up reply actions
updated time
so this stays on the main page.
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by your friendly BullsBlogger on Mar 25, 2010 11:16 AM CDT reply actions
shame on those who had an entry name different than their BaB handle
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by your friendly BullsBlogger on Mar 25, 2010 11:16 AM CDT reply actions
Dickey Simpkins All-Stars is copyright infringement.
That’s been my Yahoo handle for 12 years.
by Ozzie Montana on Mar 25, 2010 11:19 AM CDT up reply actions
id like to see the bulls buy a 2nd rounder and take a look at aubrey coleman.
even if he only projects to be a lesser marcus thornton, hes a high energy guy, he works very hard, and i like these guys who score a lot and use tons of possessions on teams that arent elite but who play decent competition, because they might not always play against nba athletes but they already know how to score in spite of lots of pressure from the defense.
"Oooohhh, cat in the wall, eh? Now you're talkin' my language."
"With the 18th pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls select
Luke Harangody, from the University of Notre Dame"
Look in your heart, you know it to be true.
"Michael Redd's owed 18.3 million next year. He can either opt out like an idiot or opt in like a douche bag." - NittanyCub
by Trey23 on Mar 25, 2010 4:08 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
Does Syracuse know how to play basketba;;?
down 12-3
"Michael Redd's owed 18.3 million next year. He can either opt out like an idiot or opt in like a douche bag." - NittanyCub
caaaaallled it.
woot
In the past 10 years, just four team owners have not paid a luxury tax and are not on pace to pay one this year: Donald Sterling, Jerry Reinsdorf, Chris Cohen (Golden State), Bob Johnson (Charlotte).
Two owners’ teams averaged an operating income of over +$10 million per year while their teams have lost over 60% of their games: Donald Sterling and Jerry Reinsdorf.
well, at least kansas st and xavier are showing some fight tonight
by Basketball Smurf on Mar 25, 2010 10:57 PM CDT reply actions
I only caught the last 10 minutes, but damn that was a fun game.
So glad I skipped the Bulls’ national embarrassment tonight.
by Ozzie Montana on Mar 26, 2010 1:39 AM CDT up reply actions
if anyone has seen more than 2 Washington games, do you think Pondexter can play SG?
"Oooohhh, cat in the wall, eh? Now you're talkin' my language."
I think he could
he doesn’t have the greatest handle but it’s good enough and he will be able to defend the 1, 2, or 3 at least. He’s naturally a 3 though but he could do it IMO about as much as Caron Butler is doing it now for the Mavs.
Joakim on whether he ever tried tennis: "I played a little bit. If anybody on the Bulls wanted to play me, I would kick their ass."
thanks. i saw a couple of his games earlier this year and i liked him. hes pretty athletic,
defends well and seems to have a good feel for the game.
"Oooohhh, cat in the wall, eh? Now you're talkin' my language."
I'm not a fan of Pondexter
He seems like a poor man’s John Salmons to me. His offensive game revolves around scoring in isolation, and I just don’t think he’s athletic enough/good enough at ball-handling to make that work in the NBA. He’s a mediocre shooter, the kind of guy that’ll probably never be a good 3-pt shooter, but take a lot of long 2s instead. In order to succeed in the NBA, he’s gonna have to get a lot better at playing without the ball in his hands, with involves becoming a much better spot-up shooter. Also, while he looks like he’ll be a good defender in the NBA, he’ll never be quick enough to be an elite defender at the 2 or strong enough to be an elite defender at the 3. Basically, his ceiling isn’t that high, and he’s not what you’d call a sure thing either.
Brad Miller is god.
I'm not very high on him either
but the question being could he play the two, I think he could but that’s not necessarily where he should play. He doesn’t fit what we need at the 2 IMO because he’s not much of a long range shooter (barely even taking college 3’s). I agree with a lot of what you said but I disagree with you that he’ll never be strong to be an elite defender at the 3. He is pretty strong as it is and I see no reason why he couldn’t get stronger and improve on his defense, which is already pretty good. All in all though, I wouldn’t take him when the Bulls are picking anyway so it’s kind of a moot point.
Joakim on whether he ever tried tennis: "I played a little bit. If anybody on the Bulls wanted to play me, I would kick their ass."
Damn Ohio State ruined my 7 of 8 Elite 8.
In the past 10 years, just four team owners have not paid a luxury tax and are not on pace to pay one this year: Donald Sterling, Jerry Reinsdorf, Chris Cohen (Golden State), Bob Johnson (Charlotte).
Two owners’ teams averaged an operating income of over +$10 million per year while their teams have lost over 60% of their games: Donald Sterling and Jerry Reinsdorf.
I literally can't win the bracket anymore. :P
But yeah, this year was kind of a … problem. For people picking. Nobody has a perfect bracket.
Go Rockets/Nets[CDR]/Bucks[Jennings]!
The only final four team I have left is Baylor
Until Butler beat Kansas State today I had the entire West region right except for Murray St. upsetting Vanderbilt in the 1st round and had 6 or the elite 8 teams (neither in the Midwest region, thanks again Kansas). Outside of Baylor for the Final 4, I have no more teams left but hopefully nobody else does either.
Joakim on whether he ever tried tennis: "I played a little bit. If anybody on the Bulls wanted to play me, I would kick their ass."
" My ideal final 4 would be Ohio St., Syracuse, Kentucky and Baylor"
You sir are a jinx.
Brad Miller is god.
Given how weak it appears that this draft class is (based on the NCAA tournament results and number of upsets)
I’m beginning to feel less bad about the Bulls swapping picks with Milwaukee. This draft is going to be a crap shoot (pun intended) and the 7 spot difference isn’t likely to matter all that much. You’re not getting much quality in this draft, particularly not at the SG spot. I still think James Anderson is the best of the guys that should be available at 18, where the Bulls will likely be picking.
Kirk Hinrich sucks. The end.
by fundamentallysound on Mar 30, 2010 11:41 AM CDT reply actions
I think this draft class is pretty strong actually
Maybe not at SG, but there are a lot of good high-potential big men out there.
Solomon Alabi, Hassan Whiteside, and Ekpe Udoh all have the potential to be all-star caliber players and should come off the board around where the Bulls will pick. It is unfortunate that a wing player will be a bigger need than a big man for us.
Brad Miller is god.
Whiteside needs a LOT of work and the Bulls can't develop raw big men. Ekpe Udoh has a lot of skills and would
be a pretty good fit, but we’ve got Noah and Taj and hopefully will be adding a Bosh, Amare, or maybe Lee to this roster. That’s a very solid 3 big rotation. I don’t know that the Bulls need that much help with bigs if they are able to land one of those guys.
Kirk Hinrich sucks. The end.
by fundamentallysound on Mar 30, 2010 1:16 PM CDT up reply actions
I never said any of those guys would be good fits with the bulls
But I feel like most years those guys would be lottery picks for sure.
Brad Miller is god.
And Asik!
In the past 10 years, just four team owners have not paid a luxury tax and are not on pace to pay one this year: Donald Sterling, Jerry Reinsdorf, Chris Cohen (Golden State), Bob Johnson (Charlotte).
Two owners’ teams averaged an operating income of over +$10 million per year while their teams have lost over 60% of their games: Donald Sterling and Jerry Reinsdorf.
If the Bulls had just made a better pick than James Johnson...
….they could have really, really lucked into a great spot. Ty Lawson, James Anderson, Omer Asik plus Taj Gibson, Chris Bosh plus Rose, Noah, Deng. That’s pretty close to pretty damned good. And young.
In the past 10 years, just four team owners have not paid a luxury tax and are not on pace to pay one this year: Donald Sterling, Jerry Reinsdorf, Chris Cohen (Golden State), Bob Johnson (Charlotte).
Two owners’ teams averaged an operating income of over +$10 million per year while their teams have lost over 60% of their games: Donald Sterling and Jerry Reinsdorf.
I think it's pretty similar to the 07 class.
A few can’t miss prospects, and then it’s just a clusterfuck from the 4th pick onwards. High-potential big men are poison for this franchise. It would be only fitting if somehow the Bulls landed Demarcus Cousins.
by Ozzie Montana on Mar 30, 2010 2:11 PM CDT up reply actions
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