The Interstate 880 Blog

Golden State Warriors Draft Forward Epke Udoh

Erik Fountaine — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 08:12:17 +0000

With the 6^th overall pick in the NBA Draft the Golden State Warriors selected Baylor Forward Epke Udoh. He stands at 6-10 weighing in at 240 pounds. He is very long, athletic, and specializes in shot blocking and rebounding. He averaged 3.7 blocks last season at Baylor and set records at the school for most block shots in a season.

Blocks and rebounds are categories that the Warriors needed help in desperately since they have been one of the worst teams in those categories for the past few years; however when I hear attributes like “long” and “athletic” for a forward on the Golden State Warriors I get this déjà vu feeling. I remembered hearing these same adjectives attached to Brendan Wright and Anthony Randolph. I felt like the Warriors already have this same type of player on the roster. With this in mind, I thought that with the trade of Corey Maggette this was supposed to alleviate the log jam at the forward position?

Coming into this off season the Warriors most important needs were: Post Offense, Post Defense, and Rebounds. The addition of Ekpe Udoh wasn’t expected to address all of the needs, but with the sixth overall draft pick I expected more of an impact player and not just another long and athletic player Georgetown Forward Greg Monroe would’ve better address those needs in my opinion along with being a true power forward.

Udoh, Randolph, and Wright are listed as power forwards but in reality they are really small forwards in a power forwards body. They have the height of a power forward but the weight and size of a small forward. What really hurts the Warriors is when they face true power forwards and centers. With the lack of size that the Warriors have this often affects them negatively on both sides of the floor. Monroe is a true power forward that would’ve been a better fit.

Is Randolph a Power Forward or a Small Forward?

One of the weaknesses of Udoh is the lack of an efficient offensive game. He doesn’t have any go- to moves and has a tendency to struggle in a half court offensive game. Monroe already possesses a more polished offensive game and has tremendous passing abilities. He could’ve created more space in the half court for Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry.

Overall I felt the Warriors could’ve made a better selection but it definitely wasn’t the worst. We shall see this season if Udoh proves his doubters wrong.

Mark Derosa’s Failed Wrist Surgery Ends His Season Early

Erik Fountaine — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 05:28:52 +0000

San Francisco Giants left fielder Mark Derosa is officially out for the rest of the season. This announcement shouldn’t be a surprise since Derosa said a few weeks ago that the surgery he had in the offseason on his wrist was a “failure.”

Derosa signed a two year, six million dollar contract and he was supposed to help the Giants struggling offense. He rewarded the Giants by going out and hitting only one homerun along with a pathetic .190 batting average. Derosa is another acquisition made by general manager Brian Sabean that hasn’t worked out. Derosa joins the list of failed acquisitions that includes Edgar Renteria, Ryan Garko, Shea Hillenbrand, and many others that have failed as San Francisco Giants under Sabean’s watch.

The Giants recently signed Pat Burrell to take the place of Derosa. Burrell is veteran who was recently released from the Tampa Bay Rays.

An Attempt At “A Commitment To Excellence”

Erik Fountaine — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 01:21:02 +0000

When it comes to the NFL draft the Oakland Raiders have been an example of how NOT to draft. They’ve been memorable during the draft weekend for all the wrong reasons. This is the same team that drafted a kicker in the first round! Even though Janikowski has turned out to be a decent kicker for the Raiders, still a team can’t draft a kicker that early and pass up on all of the other skill position players.

Owner and General Manger Al Davis has always been fascinated by one element and that is speed. Chances are if a player is one of the fastest at it’s position, then they are definitely on the Raiders radar.

For this years draft it seems that philosophy was put on hold for at least a few rounds. With the eighth overall pick the Raiders selected Rolando McClain, an inside linebacker from the University of Alabama.

Rolando McClain Hopes To Make An Impact On The Raiders Defense

He is smart and an instinctive linebacker with good tackling ability which should help the Raiders in stopping the run since they’ve been one of the worst teams in that category for the last few years.

In the second round, they selected Lamarr Houston a defensive tackle from the University of Texas. He is strong, has good hands, and is at his best when stopping the run.In the third round, they selected Edwin Veldheer an offensive tackle from Hillsdale College. Although he is from a division two school he will fulfill arguably the biggest need for the Raiders.

The best addition to the Raiders didn’t come from the draft, but via trade through the Washington Redskins for quarterback Jason Campbell. Jason Campbell has been in the league for a few years and has a cannon of an arm. He possesses the quality of being able to throw the ball sixty to seventy yards down the field which is another element that Al Davis is fascinated with.

Is Campbell better than Ben Roethlisberger or Donovan McNabb? No, however he is a better option than Jamarcus Russell who has failed miserably as the number one overall pick. Campbell’s stats have shown that he has improved in each one his years as a starting quarterback.For the forsseeable future he is the best option available and he will be an improvement at that position.

Can Jason Campbell Be The Answer At Quarterback For The Raiders?

In the later rounds, the Raiders did select a speedy wide receiver from Clemson so I guess Al wasn’t able to contain himself from drafting one of the fastest players. Jacoby Ford was selected in the fourth round so he is a relatively low risk player. Most fans won’t complain if he doesn’t work out because he was taken later in the draft and teams feel that they can take a risk in selecting players.

There is no guarantee that any of the players selected through the draft or Campbell will be successful in Oakland. Just because a draft pick may have been viewed as a good selection doesn’t mean that they will work out, however it looks like the Raiders are finally taking a step in the right direction.

With all of the changes made so far during the off season, the Raiders are hoping to avoid their eighth straight season with ten or more losses. It appears that the Raiders are making an attempt at living up to their motto which is “A Commitment To Excellence.”