This Is Not the 2016 NBA Mock Draft

Not a prediction.  I'm the GM for each team in Round One.

1. Philadelphia - Ben Simmons PF LSU
-I don't know if it's Ingram or Simmons who winds up as the better player, Sixers choose upside.

2. LA Lakers - Brandon Ingram SF Duke
-Assuming it's Simmons who goes first, Ingram is also maybe a better fit for the Lakers and they can't be upset

3. Boston - Dragan Bender PF Croatia
-Top player remaining on the board, he doesn't give them much this year making a deal out appealing.

4. Phoenix - Jakob Poetl C Utah
-They need to go big, the choice here is between Poetl and say Hernangomez. Criss might actually be the pick but it's a little early.  To me, there's not a 4th overall pick in this draft worthy of the slot.

5. Minnesota -  Jamal Murray SG UK
-Dunn and Murray are still on the board, Murray's a better fit.

6. New Orleans -  Kris Dunn PG Prov
-Wolves need the better scorer, NO needs the better defender.

7. Denver - Juan Hernangomez PF Spain
-Good young core, a power forward makes the most sense, Criss could go as early as here and not be too much of a reach.

8. Sacramento - Buddy Hield SG Okla
-It's not a good guard draft, top end and depth is with bigs, there's some potential for disappointment with Hield/Valentine, but you could go Hield here and not hate yourself.

9. Toronto - Marquesse Criss PF Wash
-Raptors need size, there's a lot of it at the top of the board right now.

10. Milwaukee -Ante Zizic C Croatia
-A couple international centers are due to come off the board, let's give one out now.

11. Orlando -Ivica Zubac C Bosnia
-and here's another one.

12. Atlanta - Wade Baldwin PG Vandy
Baldwin's my draft crush and after the Teague trade this would be terrific.

13. Phoenix - Domantas Sabonis PF Gonzaga
-Suns, looking front court, took a center at 4, take the power forward here.

14. Chicago - Jaylon Brown SF Cal
-The Bulls are a full teardown, Brown's got a lot of bust potential, but this is a good spot.

15. Denver -  Furkan Kormaz SG Turkey
-Inside/outside on Denver's first two picks, both international guys.

16. Boston - Denzel Valentine SF Mich St.
-If Kormaz is here he makes the most sense given Boston took Bender third, this earliest it makes sense for Valentine.

17. Memphis - Tyler Ulis PG UK
-Is Conley leaving?

18. Detroit - Patrick McCaw SG UNLV
-Van Gundy gets a wing defender

19. Denver - Skal Labissiere C UK
-PF, SG, and now a center

20. Indiana - Malik Beasley SG Florida St.
-Ellis replacement

21. Atlanta - Henry Ellenson PF Marquette
-Frontcourt help

22. Charlotte - Gary Payton II PG Ore St
-Hornets could use a defensive minded backup PG and that's young GP.

23. Boston - Deyonta Davis PF/C Mich St
-Celtics go for both Spartans.

24. Philadelphia - Fred Van Vleet PG Wichita St.
-This might just be another not good enough to start guard, but he's best small on the board.

25. LA Clippers - Dejounte Murray PG Wash
-Real need for a backup PG.

26. Philadelphia - Malachi Richardson SG Syr
-Sixers take a shot a possible scorer here.

27. Toronto - Zhou Qi C China
-Size again for the Raptors

28. Phoenix - Jarrod Uthoff SF Iowa
-The value here is size, but the Suns have gone size and take a guy who can take it outside a little bit

29. San Antontio - Chinanu Onuaku C Louisville
-Interior defense, exactly what they want

30. Golden St. - Diamond Stone C Maryland
-Makes a ton of sense with possible losses of Bogut and Ezeli

Tendown, June 19 2016

230 is here. This is Tendown 231.




1. I've been writing about the Simpson Trial since he played for the Bills.  Here's this week's piece.

2. Yes, it's about ideas.

3. Every Week.                     

4. “You gotta get over there and start making them pay where they live,” he said. “It’s an ugly and difficult thing but if we don’t get over there, they’re coming here, and they showed it again this weekend.”

I live about 10 miles from the shooter. I should run.

5. Gawker.

6. Wrong About the Dodgers, Wrong About Government.

7. Yeah, maybe don't go to law school and other things I should have more strongly considered in 1992.

8. Quick - the Orlando shooter targeted what type of people?

Probably, you are now one question ahead of Scott Brown.

9. Dave Eggers at a Trump Rally.

10. If you're on my side, just hang on tonight.  We'll be okay.

And one more...

Clinton, wrapping half-hour speech in Cleveland, invokes post-9/11 unity: "Time to get back to the spirit of those days, the spirit of 9/12"

— Matt Flegenheimer (@mattfleg) June 13, 2016

So, congrats, Democrats.

That's all for this time.  I'll be back next time...if there is a next time...

Your pal,

Jim

All Time Indians 25 Man Roster

Last team here.

Through 2016.

New project, all time rosters for each team. WAR is B-Ref+Davenport. Other numbers are OPS+/ERA+.


The structure of all of these teams will be the same, 7 bench players (well, 6 for AL teams since they have a DH) with someone able to backup every position. 10 pitchers, a legitimate bullpen arm as closer.  

C Carlos Santana (2010-                    25.25        122

1B Jim Thome (1991-02, 11)                51.85      152

2B Nap Lajoie (1902-14)                      77.7         155

SS Lou Boudreau (1938-50)                 62.25       122

3B Joe Sewell (1920-29)                       47.6         111

LF Joe Jackson (1910-15)                     32.25       182

CF Tris Speaker (1916-26)                    66.4         158

RF Albert Belle (1989-96)                    32.9         150

DH Earl Averill (1929-39)                    40.1         136

CF Kenny Lofton (1992-01, 07)          44            109

CF Larry Doby (1947-55, 58)              36.55       140

LF/RF Manny Ramirez (1993-00)      32.7          152

3B/1B Al Rosen (1947-56)                  31.5          137

2B/SS Terry Turner (1904-18)             29.25        91

C Victor Martinez (2002-09)                22.05      120

P Bob Feller (1936-56)                          67.4         122

P Stan Coveleski (1916-24)                50.25        129

P Addie Joss (1902-10)                        45.5           142

P Mel Harder (1928-47)                       45.45        113

P Bob Lemon (1946-58)                       42.45        119

Cl Doug Jones (1986-91, 98)              16.25       137       

P Sam McDowell (1961-71)                38.05       119 

P Early Wynn (1949-57, 63)                37.05       119

P CC Sabathia (2001-08)                      34.1         115

P Willis Hudlin (1926-40)                   32.8          104

OJ: Made in America

I've been having the same argument since 1994.

I've had it with classmates, with law professors, at California Bar Association meetings, at job interviews, with colleagues, with bosses - if you had a JD in the 90s, probably we went a couple of rounds.

Neither the full Ryan Murphy OJ Simpson mini-series nor the first three episodes of the documentary OJ-Made in America have addressed it.

So, I'll have the argument one more time with you people.

The OJ Simpson Trial was about the 4th Amendment.

The night of the murders, LAPD conducted a warrantless search of Simpson's property, one of the items discovered during which was a bloody glove.

Why were they able to make a warrantless search?

The same justification offered at the time is offered by Tom Lange and Mark Fuhrman 22 years later in Part 3 of OJ: Made in America.

Why did LAPD go to OJ Simpson's house at 4:30 in the morning after discovering the bodies of Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman?  From the documentary:

"Someone's got to make a death notification to next of kin - which is Simpson" - Tom Lange.

I have for you two thoughts:

1. OJ and Nicole were divorced in 1992.
2. LAPD did not go to notify the Goldmans at 4:30 in the morning after discovering the bodies.

LAPD arrived at OJ's house, no one buzzed them inside, LAPD jumped the gate.  The argument for lack of warrant is one of exigent circumstances, that there was an emergency situation on the Simpson property that required immediate attention. Here is Mark Fuhrman, again from the documentary, discussing what he found on the outside of Simpson's car.

"On the driver's side doorhandle, blood - there was enough evidence outside, we gotta make sure everybody's okay in here.."

I have for you two thoughts.

1. The amount of blood seen on Simpson's car was a "a small spot, an eighth or a quarter of an inch."
2. LAPD did not call for backup nor put on protective vests.

Those thoughts could have been voiced in the documentary.  Perhaps they will be in parts 4 or 5, but in part 3, Lange and Furhman went uncontradicted.  Note the distinction in the filmmaking between that segment and the lengthy discussion of the way in which Simpson's home was dressed for the jury visit, with Marcia Clark and Carl Douglas providing opposite views on the "critical" issue of what photographs appeared on the walls.  When it came to the search - Lange and Fuhrman told the same story LAPD told in 1994 and did so in a way seemingly accepted by the film.

I'd submit to you the far more plausible explanation for why LAPD went to OJ Simpson's house at 430 in the morning is they believed him to be a suspect; he was the ex-husband with multiple domestic abuse calls on his record.  They jumped the gate without warrant to look for evidence.

Note, I didn't say "plant" evidence.  Although, were you to ask me "do you think LAPD helped frame a guilty man" that's a position I'd be likely to hold, and at worst, one which I think is reasonable to hold. That position doesn't need to be reached here to reach the conclusion of my argument.

At the time of the Simpson Trial, the predominant media narrative was the Simpson defense team played the "race card" - a devious, sinister strategy which should be condemned.  The 1990s were a time when Hillary Clinton could get away with using terms like "superpredator" and "bring them to heel" with reference to African-American crime, so this was a narrative that white America was eager to accept.

Two decades later (when challenging Hillary Clinton from the left is said to be motivated by racial animus) the theses of the two OJ Simpson films is different than that - LAPD had a history of discriminatory practices which, when coupled with a cunning defense strategy and Mark Fuhrman, led to the Simpson acquittal.

I'd suggest to you LAPD was not just historically discriminatory.  The best reading of the evidence is they lied in this case.  The story told (and accepted at the time) was not plausible.  It wasn't just Mark Fuhrman perjuring himself over use of the "n" word - LAPD perjured themselves regarding the warrantless search of the Simpson property.  I'd suggest the better reading of this case is that LAPD lied then and the officers discussed herein are still lying now.

The kicker, of course, is that were the evidence found during that search properly excluded from evidence there are no bloody gloves, which means there is no "if the glove doesn't fit, you must acquit".  And there may be no Mark Fuhrman.  If that was the result - it means no Furhman tapes where he confessed to manufacturing evidence against African-Americans out of racial animus and no Mark Furhman taking the 5th Amendment when asked if he manufactured evidence against OJ Simpson.

I've always been of a mind that the Simpson verdict was a reasonable one.  Not only because of the history between LAPD and the African-American community, but because of LAPD deception central to the case.  My hope was, given all the hours devoted to re-examination of the Simpson Trial two decades later, I'd finally find an ally in this view.  I've got a lot of 20 year old arguments I'd still like to win.  Thusfar - not so much.

All Time Royals 25 Man Roster

Last team here.

Through 2016.

New project, all time rosters for each team. WAR is B-Ref+Davenport. Other numbers are OPS+/ERA+.

The structure of all of these teams will be the same, 7 bench players (well, 6 for AL teams since they have a DH) with someone able to backup every position. 10 pitchers, a legitimate bullpen arm as closer. 

C Darrell Porter (1977-80)            20.1   121
1B Mike Sweeney (1995-07)  24.05 120 
2B Frank White (1973-90)      37.95   85
SS Freddie Patek (1971-79)    24.45   78
3B George Brett (1973-93)     90   135
LF Willie Wilson (1976-90)    39.45  95
CF Amos Otis (1967-83)         38.8  118
RF Carlos Beltran (1998-04)    24.8   111
DH Hal McRae (1973-87)        32.95  125

LF/3B Alex Gordon (2007-)    33.6  109
1B John Mayberry (1972-77)    19.55  132
CF/RF/LF David DeJesus (2003-10)  20.6  108
CF Lorenzo Cain (2011-)          18.5    104
C Salvador Perez (2011-)         19.4     98
SS/2B Jose Offerman (1996-98)      11.5     108

P Kevin Appier (1989-99, 03-04)    48.65   130
P Bret Saberhagen (1984-91)            43.85   128
P Mark Gubicza (1984-96)                42.8     110
P Zack Greinke (2004-10)                 29.05   116
P Dennis Leonard (1974-86)             29.4     107

Cl Dan Quisenbery (1979-88)          32.25   160
P Jeff Montgomery (1988-99)          31.6      138
P Charlie Leibrandt (1984-89)          28.8     116
P Paul Splittorff (1970-84)                25         101
P Tom Gordon (1988-95)                  20.2      108