LOS ANGELES -- Rebounding is all that Suns' head coach Alvin Gentry has been talking about during the preseason, and with his team being an undersized bunch who would rather try to run you off the floor than stand toe-to-toe and slug it out, that's completely understandable.
But the emphasis on taking care of the boards had its consequences in the team's season opener on Wednesday, as Phoenix -- yes, the extended remix of the Seven Seconds or Less Suns -- managed just two fast break points in their game against the Clippers.
The ultimate result, however, was a positive one. The Suns' focus on rebounding enabled them to hang with a big and talented Clippers' front line, and pull out a hard-fought, last-second 109-107 road victory in Los Angeles.
Now that the 2009 NBA Draft order is set, it's time for the second FanHouse Mock Draft of the season.
The Clippers have won the first pick, with Memphis and Oklahoma City rounding out the top three spots. Several teams, including Minnesota, Sacramento and Chicago, have multiple picks in the first round.
After the jump, find the full first round mocked out. Then, feel free to mock it. That's how this works.
All mock drafts are not created equal. And why would you want them to be? That'd be awful boring, just reading lists of names over and over. At FanHouse, we emphasize the commentary -- so in our mocks we'll (try to) explain why we think certain players fit in their theoretical slots. We will also project our own biases (positive and negative), of course.
At this early stage -- and let's be honest, at every stage -- this is 5% homework, 5% supreme divination, 90% guesswork. (A great endorsement, no?) After the jump, a full first-round mock draft for your amusement bemusement.
During the NCAA Tournament, we NBA heads watch (almost) every game, judging the pro prospects of particular players. Inspired by our daily Doing Lines feature, Drooling Lines offers a daily summary of what the box scores tell us.
This song has been sung frequently, but in case you missed prior renditions ...
During the NCAA Tournament, we NBA heads watch (almost) every game, judging the pro prospects of particular players. Inspired by our daily Doing Lines feature, Drooling Lines offers a daily summary of what the box scores tell us.
Blake Griffin -- If I have ever suggested a fellow collegiate player might usurp Griffin as the consensus No. 1 in the 2009 draft, well ... I'm sorry. Like his NBA avatar (Amar'e Stoudemire), Griffin is one of those out-of-sight, out-of-mind dominating players. For whatever reason, we chalk up the devastation they reek to circumstances (their physical prowess, the competition level, the table-setters) and just assume in a wink or a blink they'll be weak. Err ... NOT the case. Just as Amar'e could thrive anywhere, Griffin should be an NBA stud. Against Syracuse, Blake totaled 30 points on 15 FGAs, 14 rebounds, three assists, a steal and just one turnover. He's shooting better than 70% through three tournament games. He is a beast.
The NCAA Tournament is so close we can smell it, so FanHouse's college basketball experts took some time away from their busy schedules to talk about who will come out of each region First up, the Midwest Region.
Among the big story lines from Sunday's filling out of the NCAA basketball tournament field, discussions of conferences who are "overrated" and "underrated" dominated the discussion. Specifically, fans of so-called mid-major teams cried foul, and the masses proclaimed the selection committee was biased in favor of the Big Ten and Pac-10 conferences.
"We're getting used to it, yeah," Jonny Flynn, Syracuse's precocious sophomore guard was saying as he bounced off the Madison Square Garden parquet early Saturday morning, destined for another late-night dinner of fast food and an evening date in the Big East championship. His legs were rubber, his energy indefatigable, his smile glowing like a neon light. They don't know for sure, but Flynn's teammates swear he grins in his sleep. And really, who can blame him?
NEW YORK (March 13) -- Louisville turned up the heat. Villanova crumbled under the pressure.
Backed by two big runs in the second half, the Cardinals toppled the No. 10 Wildcats 69-55 on Friday night to reach the Big East tournament championship game for the first time.
The most beautiful thing about college basketball, the "madness" aside, is the collection of mini-runs that occur in a game as momentum shifts throughout. And the Pittsburgh-Louisville game had plenty of them, including a crucial late second-half 10-point stretch from the Cardinals that saw them pull ahead for the final time en route to beating the Panthers, 69-63.
It was a statement game for everyone involved from the Cardinal side, too: Earl Clark came out swinging in the second half, scoring 16 points and grabbing 11 boards on an evening that happened to be his 21st birthday; Terrence Williams solidified his status as team leader with a 20/7/4 line; Rick Pitino's press is suddenly very, very relevant again (at least until I bracket them into the Final Four in a few months).
LOS ANGELES -- Rebounding is all that Suns' head coach Alvin Gentry has been talking about during the preseason, and with his team being an undersized bunch who would rather try to run you off the floor than stand toe-to-toe and slug it out, that's completely understandable.
Now that the 
FanHouse covers the 
During the NCAA Tournament, we NBA heads watch (almost) every game, judging the pro prospects of particular players. Inspired by our daily 
During the NCAA Tournament, we NBA heads watch (almost) every game, judging the pro prospects of particular players. Inspired by our daily 
NEW YORK -- What a breeze, overtime. 
NEW YORK (March 13) -- Louisville turned up the heat. Villanova crumbled under the pressure.
The most beautiful thing about college basketball, the "madness" aside, is the collection of mini-runs that occur in a game as momentum shifts throughout. And the Pittsburgh-Louisville game had plenty of them, including a crucial late second-half 10-point stretch from the Cardinals that saw them pull ahead for the final time en route to beating the Panthers, 69-63.
