Yardbarker: Saer Sene

The View From Section 214, Plus Rantdumb Thoughts

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 22:41:56 -0500

Joe Kleine (right) is joined by three other guys. In 1988, your Sacramento Kings embarked on what would be eight straight seasons of fewer than 30 wins per (or eight straight seasons of more than 50 losses per, if you’re a real masochist). They sucked, but they were ours. It was the best of times (to that point in time); it was the worst of times. During this period, Kings fans (like all creatures of survival), adapted to their environment. Draft night ruled. No, not col...

Draft Day Advice

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:27:02 -0500

Pick guys who can play today. Upside? We don't need no stinkin upside! If the only good things you hear about a potential draftee is that he has tremendous upside, run away. Fast. Kwame Brown had upside. So did Darko Millicic, Mahmoud Saer Sene, Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair, and a host of others. none of them panned out. Yes, drafting is about projecting the future off of potential, but there are some players who clearly have some skills already and can contribute from day one, while others have nothing to offer but athletic ability and size. You cannot your hopes in a guy who has no idea how to execute a pick and roll on offense, can't catch the ball, can't hit an open shot with any consistency, doesn't know how to get position for rebounds, and can't create his own shot just because he's tall, can jump out of the gym, and run fast. GMs who make those kind of picks tend to get fired, or run through a boatload of head coaches waiting for their upside guy to develop. Nine times out of ten, it just doesn't happen. Flash back to 2006. Brandon Roy was labeled 'the best player' in the draft by all the mock draft people, and was projected to go fifth or sixth in just about every one. What kind of twisted logic is that? Upside guy Tyrus Thomas went second, despite having shown no evidence of any offensive skills whatsoever. Three years later Roy is an All Star and Thomas a rotation guy, getting minutes largely so that management can save face. So to sum things up: pick guys who can play and leave the upside alone. And now on to point number two.....ah, forget it. Point number one is all you need. Pick guys who can play. No other advice needed. Written By Robert Bonnette

S-Rod rumor emerges from Spain (UPDATED)

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 09:16:58 -0500

I'm always wary of some of these reports from some European media outlets....What we have is this story from Eurosport Yahoo! that says, loosely translated, the Knicks already have a deal in place to acquire guard Sergio Rodriguez from the Trail Blazers on draft night. The story doesn't explain any detail of the deal and is mainly about how Rodriguez, who we know is unhappy with his role in Portland, would love to play in New York. What we don't know is how he gets here with a co...

Blazers 98, Raptors 97 Re-Thoughts

Sun, 07 Dec 2008 23:33:11 -0500

Say it with me: 4-1 Feels good don't it. It;s like Shake N Bake you could say it a million time sand it would never get old. The Blazers wrapped up a wildly successful road trip with another tough and gritty win in Toronto. It's not pretty but it's effective. Like I stated earlier during this ...

FIO Preview: Oklahoma City Thunder

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:44:49 -0500

2008-2009 Oklahoma City Thunder season preview and fantasy impact, courtesy of Fantasy Insider Online. Read the team preview here in the Yard, and then visit the FIO link for the rest. - Zach Harper Last Season Recap: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly The mantra in show business is to always leave the audience wanting more. Well, Clay Bennett and his Okie Cronies left the city of Seattle wanting anything and everything. In what ended up being the final season in the great basketball city of S...

The Best and Worst of the NBA Draft

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:42:21 -0500

With the draft fast approaching, many fans are wondering what caliber player they can pick up at their slot. Well, I've compiled a list of 1-30, of the best, and worst picks since 2000. 1. Best: LeBron James Worst: Kwame Brown Kwame Brown is a case-study in dealing with players with fragile mental states. He looked dominant in every pre-draft event I saw, and I didn't disagree with taking him #1. Then Michael Jordan and Doug Collins forced him into the fetal position for several...

Robert Swift: Renaissance Man or Tatoo Addiction?

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 15:47:42 -0500

Seattle Supersonics 7'1 center Robert Swift was the 12th pick out of Bakersfield High School in the 2004 NBA draft. However, Swift is probably best known for being the first of Seattle's three-year center odyssey (04'-06') that produced the aforementioned Swift, Johan Petro in 05', and lastly, Mouhamed Sene in 06' (Taken mysteriously over Duke shooting phenomenon J.J. Redick). Anyway, I caught the October 18, 2007 Sonics-Lakers Pre-Season match up on television and during the game--out of nowhere--came a guy wearing Robert Swift's jersey. Could it really be Swift sporting really long hair that would have put the locks of LA Clippers center Chris Kaman and 2-time MVP Steve Nash to shame? How about that array of tattoos...was it possible? Turns out it was. In a Seattle Times article dated October 9, 2006, Swift shares that his tattoos describe him best "without ever having to say a word." And did he ever. The Seattle Times added: Robert Swift developed a love affair with tattoos during his rookie year and admittedly, he's addicted. By his count, he has 15, which decorate his back, torso, arms and legs. It's difficult to know for certain how many he has because a few of the intricate designs are intertwined and some are in varying stages of being complete. "The easier way to say it is, overall I've gotten about 40 to 43 hours of work," Swift said. And he's not done. This article was written prior to an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury that cut Swift's season short last year. I wonder how many more he's had done since that time? He did have a lot of "hours" to work with in between his injury and rehabilitation... In any event, what if Swift wakes up one day and changes his mind about all tattoos? Just a random thought.

Kobe slowing down, RIP Red.

Mon, 30 Oct 2006 23:10:12 -0500

Kobe Bryant is struggling to return after surgery on his knee. Is #24's career beginning to slow down as the era of LeBron and Dwyane takes the front stage? Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, and Kobe are all becoming high-flyers of the past as the new face of the league develops. Thoughts?