Writers Brandon Garland and Dustin Tanner were given this week’s round of questions. Brandon’s answers will be preceded by a B and Dustin’s answers will be preceded by a D.
1) What was the best lottery coaching hire?
B: Mike Malone to the Sacramento Kings. Malone is an experienced assistant who’s paid his dues in the NBA. He’s been a member of the coaching staff of some very good NBA teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2005-2010 and most recently the Golden State Warriors from 2011-2013. Due to his stint with the Warriors, he should have an idea of what it takes to turn a bottom feeder into a contender. The Warriors finished 47-35 which was good for their first playoff berth since 2007. Malone is considered a defensive savant and was the Warriors “X’s and O’s” guy. He was the highest paid assistant in the NBA. He’s definitely earned this opportunity, and I fully expect him to make the most of it.
D: The Charlotte bobcats hire of Steve Clifford sticks out to me. Clifford has been around winning teams for a while now and seems ready to take the reigns of a young Charlotte team that just didn’t seem to buy in to the last guy and that has the talent to move forward but needs a coach like Clifford to take them there.
2) Who is your best lottery 6th man candidate for next year?
B: Ryan Anderson, PF, New Orleans Pelicans. This could change based on what happens in the draft, but for right now, I think the Pelicans have the best sixth man of all lottery teams in Ryan Anderson. Anderson, who is only 25, would be starting for a lot of NBA teams. He’s the perfect complement to Anthony Davis. Davis is more of a defensive anchor and most of his baskets come near the rim, while Anderson can stretch out and hit shots from anywhere on the floor. Anderson averaged 16.2 PPG in 2012-2013 and shot 38% from behind the three-point stripe. He also pulled down 6.4 RPG. He’s a very well rounded PF that plays a large part on the Pelicans.
D: This is one of those questions that we are too early into the off-season to answer. There are many candidates that are worth of being chosen, but depending on how free agency goes, someone who we might think is a sixth man may end up being a starter on another team and so on and so forth.
3) Who wins the best lottery teammate award?
B: Goran Dragic, PG, Phoenix Suns. Dragic is criminally underslept upon. He’s the one core player I see on this Phoenix Suns roster. Dragic is incredibly quick and a tremendous passer; he averaged 7.4 APG with subpar teammates. Due to being so quick, he’s also a very good defender. One of his biggest weaknesses is that he’s almost too unselfish at times; he passes up too many shots that he shouldn’t, especially when you consider who he’s playing with. He may not be as good as Steve Nash, but very, very few are. In my opinion, Phoenix has their PG to build around in Dragic. He’s only 27 and has plenty of years left in his prime.
D: Jason Collins. He may not be the best player, but what he did for the world of major American sports is huge. Collins has been able to at least lay the groundwork for players of different sexual orientations to play in the major American leagues and will, in time, be a turning point for the NBA and other sports as we know it.
4) Who is the best international player on a lottery team?
B: Nicolas Batum, SF, Portland Trail Blazers. Out of France, Nicolas Batum has established himself as a very good glue player in the NBA. He’s not specifically “great” at any one aspect of the game, but he can do a little bit of it all. In 2012-2013, he averaged 14.3 PPG, 4.9 APG, and 5.6 RPG while shooting 37% from behind the arc. Batum is still really young (24) and now that he has a legitimate PG distributing him the ball in Damian Lillard, he should only continue to improve. The Blazers are obviously huge believers in Batum as well, seeing as they gave him a four-year deal worth over $44 million following the 2011-2012 season.
D: This one is easy. It’s gotta be Ricky Rubio. This guy is an amazing talent who gets buried because he plays on a terrible Minnesota team. But to watch this guy play is just plain fun, so he takes my vote as the best international lottery player.
By Brandon Garland and Dustin Tanner
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