Snubbing CP3
But, says the devil's advocate, how is it possible that a player as good as Chris Paul be left off? Obviously when it comes to slotting three great guards into two spots there are going to be issues, but what makes Wade, for example, worthy of his first appearance in on the first team instead of the league leader in assists?
In the first place, Wade led the league in scoring and hit a number of insane game-winners over the course of the season. He was also ninth in the league in assists despite scoring so many points. But conversely, Paul led in assists and was ninth in the league in scoring, despite passing the ball so often. Neither player's team would have been likely to make the playoffs without them, and for that matter neither player's team managed to get itself out of the first round.
So what was the difference? Voters probably looked at the huge step backward the Hornets took from their dominant 2007-08 season and compared it to the Miami HEAT's huge jump in wins from last year. The Hornets weren't worse through any fault of Paul's, but sometimes it's about wins, and that seems to be the case with this year's biggest First-Team snub.
Why So Much "Curry-to-Knicks" Talk?
Despite the fact that Oklahoma's Blake Griffin is pretty easily the best player in the 2009 Draft pool, yet no future rookie seems to be getting more press right now than the nation's top scorer, Davidson guard Stephen Curry.
The buzz surrounding him has been a rumored promise from the New York Knicks at #8, but Curry's father, former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry, denied that to Alan Hahn of Newsday Tuesday, saying, "I don't know where that came from. I've never spoken to Donnie Walsh at all… That's news to me. That definitely wasn't the reason for Stephen leaving school. I don't know how you can guarantee anybody stuff this early. The lottery results haven't even come out. That was surprising. There's no truth to it on my end."
As to why the connection to the Knicks, well, it probably has something to do with the coach. "I think any point guard would love to play for the Knicks and the system they have," continued the elder Curry. "The freedom [Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni] gives guys offensively to make plays and looking at how Stephen's game is, I think it would be a perfect fit. But there's several teams around the league I think would also fit that bill."
Few cities have nosier medias than New York, and with a top-ten pick they're going to start getting down and dirty with who Walsh should select. The early consensus is Curry, and there's little doubt that given the playing time he'd pour in a ton of points.
Chat with Tommy Beer
HOOPSWORLD's resident fantasy expert Tommy Beer will be holding his weekly chat tonight at 8:00pm ET, so make sure you stop by and give him something to talk about. The more difficult and scathing the questions, the better!
First Look at Tonight's Action
Dallas Mavericks @ Denver Nuggets, Game 5 – 9:00pm ET on TNT: Behind 44 points from Dirk Nowitzki in Game 4, the Mavericks snuck in a win and kept themselves from being swept in four games. Tonight Denver can close things out at home and get a little rest while they wait for the Houston/L.A. series to wrap up. Mark Cuban has promised Kenyon Martin's family the most comfortable of seats for Game 6 back in Dallas, but if Denver plays the way they're supposed to tonight, Cuban won't get that opportunity to make nice. Tune in tonight for all the action, and check back tomorrow for all the analysis!
