Round 1 (East) - NY, CT advance

The frontline of Artest, Odom & Camby advance to Round 2. Skip to my Lou!

With the NCAA Basketball Tournament right around the corner, I decided to create an NBA State Tournament to see which states are producing the best players.

Do certain states excel at producing certain positions? Who’s going to win it all?

Help me decide by voting for each matchup, and we’ll crown an NBA State Champion right around the time of the NCAA Championship game.

NBA State Tournament Rules: - To qualify, players must have played in at least one NBA game this season (Sorry Brand & Oden) and be on a current NBA roster. - Players are affiliated with the state they graduated High School in rather than the State born in. (Information courtesy of: Basketball-Reference.com). Key differences will be noted. - There are 16 total “Teams” separated into 4 Regions. - Teams are seeded using this formula: Total population (rounded to the nearest million) x 1/2 + Total # of current players. - Smaller states are merged together until they total 16+ active players. - Rosters of 12 are chosen for each team. - Vote for which team you think would win in a 7 game series on a neutral court. - 1st Round Polls are open for 7 days ONLY before a winner is declared. - New 1st Round Matchup posted every 3 days. - After voting, please comment on which team you picked, how many games to win, and why.

#2 Seed

East Region

New Jersey (14 players) +

Massachusetts (5 players) +

New Hampshire (3 players) +

Maine (2 players) +

Vermont (0) + Rhode Island (0)

Combined Population = 19,447,796

PG: Jarrett Jack (MA) / Randy Foye (NJ)

Believe it or not, Jarrett Jack attended 4 different high schools: DeMatha Catholic and St. Vincent Pallotti in Maryland, Mount Zion Academy in North Carolina, and finally, Worcester Academy in Massachusetts. He was born in Maryland and went to college at Georgia Tech, so he may not want to rep Mass, but this squad could use a solid PG like Jack. He’s not a top tier guard, but he’s big, versatile, and competitive. Randy Foye is a similar specimen. At 6-4, 220 pounds, he’s even bigger than Jack and more athletic as well, but he hasn’t had that much time to prove his PG skills. This is one of the craziest things I’ve ever heard: Foye has a rare condition called situs inversus, which means that his organs are arranged as the mirror image of a normal body: for example, his heart is in the right side of his chest rather than the left!

SG: J.R. Smith (NJ) / Rashad McCants (NH) / Francisco Garcia (MA)

I thought about starting Butler and Deng together, but this team needs a shooter. JR Smith can definitely do that: he’s made 6+ threes in a game 6 times this season. What’s crazy is that he averaged just 24 mpg in those games. What’s even crazier is that JR has a better Roland Rating than Carmelo and Camby! Coach Karl will probably tell you that he still needs to work on his D and his attitude, but Smith’s combination of shooting and athleticism is pretty impressive. McCants is like a smaller and less athletic version of Smith. The New Hampshire player of the year in ‘01 and ‘02 is a solid scorer, but lacking in other areas. Garcia is more of a small forward, but his versatility at the end of the bench will be helpful.

SF: Caron Butler (ME) / Luol Deng (NJ)

Butler’s nickname is Tough Juice, and he’s definitely earned it. Growing up in Wisconsin, he was arrested 15 times before the age of 15. He enrolled at a high school in Maine, got a scholarship to UConn, was named co-MVP of the Big East in ‘02, and has really matured and blossomed since joining the NBA. He’s one of the toughest guys in the league on both ends of the floor and a ferocious competitor. I would probably play him 10-12 minutes per game at shooting guard to open things up for Luol Deng. It’s been a down year for Deng, but I still think he’s a sweet player. His inconsistent outside shot really hurts him, but he doesn’t have many other weaknesses. This squad really lucked out at small forward, because Deng was born in Sudan and grew up in London before moving to New Jersey at 14.

PF: Brad Miller (ME) / Al Harrington (NJ) / Joakim Noah (NJ)

This squad is loaded at center, so I’m starting Brad Miller at power forward. Miller grew up and went to college in Indiana, but he graduated high school from Maine Central, just like Tough Juice. He’s one of the top shooting and passing big men in the league, but he can be a liability on defense. Fortunately, he has some legit shot-blockers to play with on this squad. Al Harrington was born and raised in New Jersey, where he was the Naismith Prep Player of the Year in ‘98 before being drafted by the Pacers at the age of 18. Ten years later, he’s one of the most versatile big men in the game. He’s not that consistent, but he can be a super spark off the bench for this squad. I’m rolling with Joakim Noah as my 12th man because I like his energy and craziness. He’ll need a good big man mentor and shooting coach to live up to his potential, but the kid can certainly play.

C: Andrew Bynum (NJ) / Samuel Dalembert (NJ)

Bynum was born and raised in New Jersey before being drafted by the Lakers and becoming the youngest player to play in an NBA game (18 years, 6 days). He’s still only 20, but Bynum has already developed into one of the few centers that can dominate the game on both ends. If he returns from a dislocated knee cap and performs well in the playoffs, you have to give him serious props. But whether or not that happens is still an unknown. Samuel Dalembert was born in Haiti and grew up in Montreal, but he played high school and college (Seton Hall) ball in New Jersey. He’s a nice shot blocker and can run the floor well, but I’m starting to wonder how effective he really is. While Dalembert would be a key asset to nearly every team in this tournament, you could easily choose to cut him out of this squad’s solid big man rotation.

Just missed the cut: Troy Murphy (NJ), Tim Thomas (NJ).

Troy Murphy and Tim Thomas are more proven than the rookie Noah, but they don’t provide the extra energy and intangibles. Both got knocked off the squad by Al Harrington, who is simply better at the things Murphy and Thomas like to do.

Everyone else: Malik Allen (NJ), Matt Bonner (NH), Dan Gadzuric (MA), Royal Ivey (NJ), Dahntay Jones (NJ), Brevin Knight (NJ), Demetris Nichols (MA), Darius Songaila (NH), Charlie Villanueva (NJ), Antoine Wright (MA).

Team analysis:

This squad gained several players who were and raised in other states (and countries), but they lost Shaq, David West, and Mike Bibby to the same rule. Like I said before, it goes both ways. Even without Shaq and West, this team is HUGE. You have three very long big men in Bynum, Dalembert, and Noah, as well as two bigs who can shoot in Miller and Harrington.

Their small forward tandem of Butler and Deng has got to be one of the best in this tournament, and you could easily play them together during crunch time. Even this squad’s point guards are big for their position! Jack and Foye are young versatile combo guards, but can they win a 7 games series against more experienced point guards? Just how good is JR Smith? Or better yet, just how good is Andrew Bynum?

#3 Seed

East Region

New York (11 players) +

Connecticut (5 players)

Combined Pop. = 22,800,038

PG: Rafer Alston (NY) / Jamaal Tinsley (NY) / Mike James (NY)

As if there’s any doubt who should be starting for this squad. Rafer Alston is currently leading Houston on a 19 game winning streak and has clearly established himself as the top current NYC PG. After toiling on the bench in Milwaukee for 3 years, Rafer went looking for a new team. The Warriors needed someone to backup Arenas at the time, so they invited Rafer to their training camp. I was really hoping he’d make the team, but Garry St. Jean was still running the show and Rafer was WAY too risky for him.

So Alston signed with Toronto, got a chance to play decent minutes, and started to blossom. The Warriors decided to go with Dean Oliver instead. Not THAT Dean Oliver, but this one. For those first 15 games of ‘02-03, I saw Hawkeye Dean get eaten alive on numerous occasions. The Warriors finally put him out of his misery and signed Earl Boykins instead. The difference between Oliver and Earl was ENORMOUS, but I still wondered if Skip to My Lou could evolve from playground legend to solid NBA starter. He’s done all that and more…I hope all those And1 wannabes are paying attention.

Tinsley is another streetball legend who never even played high school ball. He was having a nice season for Indiana until he got hurt, but he always gets hurt and has never quite taken his game to the next level. I’d still rather have him running the show over Marbury and Telfair. I passed over both of those guys for the veteran Mike James, which is interesting because he was once traded for Alston. James will quietly provide leadership and outside shooting at the end of the bench for this squad.

SG: Ben Gordon (NY) / Wally Szczerbiak (NY) / Quincy Douby (CT)

Ben Gordon is so big in Mount Vernon, New York that the Boys & Girls Club sponsors an annual “Ben Gordon Day in the Park.” BG also played for UConn, so he reps this team pretty hard. The guy can put points on the board no problem, but his defense and playmaking are serious question marks. What do you know, those are Wally’s weaknesses as well! These guys can score a lot of points, but they’re going to give up a lot as well, so I chose Douby as my 12th man to step in and play solid D.

SF: Ron Artest (NY) / Ryan Gomes (CT)

Ron Artest = QB’s Finest. The baller from Queensbridge has been one of the top defensive players ever since he entered league. Part of me still thinks that Ron just needs to find the right situation and he’ll dominate the league, but the part of me that thinks he should just retire because he’ll never lead a winning team is growing larger every day. Ryan Gomes is a great hustle player and a solid backup forward. He led the Big East in scoring in ‘05.

PF: Lamar Odom (CT) / Andray Blatche (CT)

Some of you may think that I just grouped states together without any thought behind it, but I did a little bit of research. For example, Odom, Blatche, and Douby were all born in New York but went to high school in Connecticut, so it made sense to combine the two states. Odom is definitely one of the most impressive all-around players in the league and he could be one of the biggest X-factors in the Western Conference playoffs. I’ve talked about Andray Blatche several times before as a promising fantasy prospect. The guy is long, athletic, and has serious skills, but he needs to keep learning and figure out how to put all his pieces together. Mr. Odom could definitely help him out with that.

C: Marcus Camby (CT) / Adonal Foyle (NY)

Camby was born and raised in Connecticut and played ball for the Knicks, so it makes sense for him to anchor this team in the middle. With Ron Artest and Marcus Camby leading the way, this NY/CT team is probably the toughest defensive squad in the tournament. Camby’s mid-range jumper and passing abilities are underrated, and I think he would flourish playing with Odom and Artest. It’s tough to backup the defensive player of the year, but Foyle is no slouch on the defensive end. Of course he has plenty of problems on offense, but you only need to play him 6-10 minutes per game.

Just missed the cut: Stephon Marbury (NY), Sebastian Telfair (NY).

“James will quietly provide leadership and outside shooting at the end of the bench for this squad.” Can Marbury or Telfair provide all of those things? I doubt it. It must be something in their blood. In fact, if it wasn’t for Rafer Alston, I would claim the NYC PG to be the most overrated city/position of all.

Everyone else: Hilton Armstrong (NY), Smush Parker (NY).

Team analysis:

If any state has a reputation for producing top notch basketball players, it’s New York. Lew Alcindor, Connie Hawkins, Bob Cousy, Julius Erving, Bernard King, Chris Mullin, Rod Strickland, and on and on. In that respect, the low number (10 now that Smush is gone) of active players who graduated from high school in NY is a little surprising. But their style of play most certainly is not.

These New York & Connecticut ballers are physical, athletic, and multi-talented. Just look at their frontcourt. Artest is a beast of a small forward and would probably play at his best with QB pride on the line. Odom is perhaps the most versatile power forward in the game today. Camby won’t allow any weak shit around the basket, and the rest of his teammates will clamp down on defense as a result (imagine the opposite of Denver). Ben Gordon and Wally World knocking down shots will be key. Skip to My Lou and Tinsley have taken over the point guard reigns from Marbury, which is probably a good thing if this team wants to win.

Is it a good idea to re-unite all of these streetballers on the same team? Guys like Alston and Artest could potentially play better than we’ve ever seen, but they could also throw fundamentals out the window and make a ton of mistakes. Remember the problem the All-White USA team had with creating their own shots? Well, almost all of these guys are capable of creating their own shots, but will there be too much driving and shooting and not enough passing? Who do you give the ball to with the game on the line?

NBA State Tournament

Round 1

East Region: #2 vs. #3

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Poll Ends: Monday, March 17th @ 11:59pm PST

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My pick: To Be Announced!

The matchups are starting to tighten up, so I’ve decided to hold back on announcing my picks until at least 5 people have commented on who they chose and why. I don’t want my initial thoughts to possibly sway the vote, so I’m going to bite my lip for a bit. Here are possible questions that you may want to address:

Do you disagree with any of my roster selections?
How would your team look different?
Who would you choose as team captains for each squad?
(I think that quality leadership and the ability to gel as a team will be vital to winning a tournament like this).
How would you divvy up the minutes?
What matchups are most intriguing to you?
Which players will have to step up?
How many games will this series last?
Who did you pick to win?
What was the deciding factor?

C’mon now people, let’s hear what you got!

Click here for Midwest Region matchup #2: (2) Illinois vs. (3) Minnesota/ Wisconsin/ Michigan.
Click here for Midwest Region matchup #1: (1) Several vs. (4) Ohio/ Indiana.
Click here for West Region matchup #2: (2) Texas vs. (3) Everyone Else.
Click here for West Region matchup #1: (1) California vs. (4) Washington/ Oregon/ Alaska.
Click here for South Region matchup #2: (2) Florida vs. (3) North Carolina/ South Carolina.
Click here for South Region matchup #1: (1) Alabama/ Georgia vs. (4) Louisiana/ Mississippi.