Commodore Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 this is great, mascot terrifies NBA players Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabronius Maximus Posted January 9, 2014 Author Share Posted January 9, 2014 this is great, mascot terrifies NBA players The Dwight Howard one was hilarious (even if it was staged) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slurktan Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 So 2 second round picks and a possible late first, maybe if Sac can make the playoffs. Is to much to give up for a 2 time all star? For 3 months of a former all star who wont resign along. The mucho cap space bynum's contract provides and those picks. Yes. Way too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sperry Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 So Rodman apologizes for his behavior in North Korea, stating that he had been drinking. The Dennis Rodman - crazy North Korean dictator "friendship" has got to be one of the most absurd things in the history of humankind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calibandar Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 So who's going to pick those final two spots in the West you think? It's between Dallas, Phoenix, Denver, Minnesota and Memphis. Lakers, Kings and Jazz are all the way down the bottom. Pelicans have sustained constant injuries and didn't look like making the playoffs before that. I'm going to predict it will be Memphis and Dallas. Reasoning? Minnesota just isn't good enough. Love and Pekovic are doing what they can but it's not a well rounded side and the word " clutch" is not even in their vocabular. Hence the tension in the team. Even when fully fit this year and with some improvements coming in like Brewer and K Martin, they are still not good enough. Phoenix. Will be dropping off now that Bledsoe is out for a good long while. That's going to be enough to put them out of contention. That leaves 3 legit contenders for two spots. I think Grizzles will be tough enough, and Gasol is coming back soon. They will make it. Dallas has looked like a bottom playoff team all year and I think they are consistent enough to make it. Denver will close the gap but I think in the end, Denver has lost too much compared to last year and they finish 9th. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greywolf2375 Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 So Bulls are in full tank:http://nba.si.com/2014/01/07/andrew-bynum-trade-luol-deng-clevelandcavaliers-chicago-bulls/?eref=sihp Seems an awful lot for Cleveland to give up for somebody who could bolt in 3 months.No, the C's are in full tank mode - and I don't think it is actually tanking, I just don't think they have the horses to do better. They blew their wad coming out to a 13-17 start and while other teams have come together through the first quarter + of the Celtics are kinda what they are. Rondo will come back and that will make them better, but I can also see him holding off longer in the D-league a little longer just because of how poor the play is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mexal Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Knicks are kicking ass. Bring on the 8th seed and Miami! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Thursday Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 So who's going to pick those final two spots in the West you think? It's between Dallas, Phoenix, Denver, Minnesota and Memphis. Lakers, Kings and Jazz are all the way down the bottom. Pelicans have sustained constant injuries and didn't look like making the playoffs before that. I'm going to predict it will be Memphis and Dallas. Reasoning? Minnesota just isn't good enough. Love and Pekovic are doing what they can but it's not a well rounded side and the word " clutch" is not even in their vocabular. Hence the tension in the team. Even when fully fit this year and with some improvements coming in like Brewer and K Martin, they are still not good enough. Phoenix. Will be dropping off now that Bledsoe is out for a good long while. That's going to be enough to put them out of contention. That leaves 3 legit contenders for two spots. I think Grizzles will be tough enough, and Gasol is coming back soon. They will make it. Dallas has looked like a bottom playoff team all year and I think they are consistent enough to make it. Denver will close the gap but I think in the end, Denver has lost too much compared to last year and they finish 9th. I think it's probably a little early to say for sure - there are big ifs next to all the teams in this group and plenty of time for things to go horribly wrong. Having said that, I would say that the teams all have one or two markers that will determine their success. Minnesota will make the playoffs if Love rediscovers the form he was in at the start of the year. Recently he has looked a bit disinterested and the team has suffered as a result. Their record at the end of games will improve - the current situation is an outlier and won't persist. When Love is being active and making his presence known they are much better than they look at the minute, but if this spiral continues and the murmurs about Love leaving in 2015 start to pick up steam then they're going to crash and burn. Phoenix will make the playoffs if they can make hay against the Eastern Conference. They've played fewer games against all the weak teams over there than any of their rivals. Bledsoe out dents them a bit, but with Dragic running the point in their system they are still a capable team. This will certainly dent their ability to beat the best teams, but the question is whether they are capable enough to consistently beat the mediocre opponents they'll face on their East coast swings. If they make it to 45 wins, they'll almost certainly be in. They're at 21 right now, with 20 games left against the East...get, say, 14 of those and they only need 8 to 10 from their 25 against the West to get up to the win totals they need. Memphis will make the playoffs if Marc Gasol comes back playing at a high level and avoids re-injury. I think the Bayless-Lee swap was a good one for them because it might just give their bigs that little bit of extra space to operate in. But all bets are off if Gasol can't get healthy and stay that way. Without him I don't think they're even a .500 team. Dallas will make the playoffs if their old guys keep themselves fit. For a team that old, they have seemed remarkably durable and somehow been able to avoid the injury plague that has swept the rest of the league. They know what they're doing and if you give them a sniff of an opportunity they are capable of exploiting it. But if they lose any of Ellis, Marion, Dirk or Calderon for a significant amount of time and they're in trouble. Denver are the odd team out. They're going to be hanging around 41 games or thereabouts. I don't think there's an X-Factor for them that will take them over the top - they make it if enough of these other teams don't get it done. ST Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferrum Aeternum Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 So who's going to pick those final two spots in the West you think? It's between Dallas, Phoenix, Denver, Minnesota and Memphis. Lakers, Kings and Jazz are all the way down the bottom. Pelicans have sustained constant injuries and didn't look like making the playoffs before that. I'm going to predict it will be Memphis and Dallas. Reasoning? Minnesota just isn't good enough. Love and Pekovic are doing what they can but it's not a well rounded side and the word " clutch" is not even in their vocabular. Hence the tension in the team. Even when fully fit this year and with some improvements coming in like Brewer and K Martin, they are still not good enough. Phoenix. Will be dropping off now that Bledsoe is out for a good long while. That's going to be enough to put them out of contention. That leaves 3 legit contenders for two spots. I think Grizzles will be tough enough, and Gasol is coming back soon. They will make it. Dallas has looked like a bottom playoff team all year and I think they are consistent enough to make it. Denver will close the gap but I think in the end, Denver has lost too much compared to last year and they finish 9th. Two weeks ago I didn't think the Grizzlies had what it took this year, but they're finally playing better now. Dave Joerger has wised up and is allowing Conley the freedom to dictate the offense, plus the bench is providing much more production than earlier in the year. The team has a chance to make a little run over the next four games and get back to .500 or above in advance of Marc's return. Once he's back I think the team will start to pick up momentum and could challenge for the 6th or 7th spot. I would love to avoid the Spurs in the playoffs if possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biter Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 I know that Love is playing really well, but you guys don't think that Ricky Rubio will also be a factor that decides if Minnesota makes the playoffs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Relic Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 I know that Love is playing really well, but you guys don't think that Ricky Rubio will also be a factor that decides if Minnesota makes the playoffs? Unless he suddenly develops the ability to place the ball inside the basket, not really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferrum Aeternum Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 I know that Love is playing really well, but you guys don't think that Ricky Rubio will also be a factor that decides if Minnesota makes the playoffs? Rubio will always be an interesting player because of his ball skills, but he remains a horrendous shooter and a subpar defender. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andriy Czarchenko Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Rubio has always been very good defender, the rest of their starting lineup on the other hand is awful defensively. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferrum Aeternum Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Rubio has always been very good defender, the rest of their starting lineup on the other hand is awful defensively. I'll take your word for it since admittedly I don't watch the T-Wolves unless they're playing the Grizzlies. He hasn't defended Mike Conley worth a damn that past couple of years but it could just be a bad matchup for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andriy Czarchenko Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 It´s more the reality of modern NBA rules than the matchup. No matter how good defender you are it´s not possible to stop a good point guard on your own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabronius Maximus Posted January 14, 2014 Author Share Posted January 14, 2014 What is it about trading Gay that makes teams so much better off after? Memphis got rid of him last year, and went to the conference finals after. Now the Raps are much better off without him, and have a chance to host a playoff series and possibly advance a round. I guess wherever he goes he creates a logjam where other good players aren't getting the ball as much, but you'd figure GMs would figure out this guy's effect at this point... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferrum Aeternum Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 What is it about trading Gay that makes teams so much better off after? Memphis got rid of him last year, and went to the conference finals after. Now the Raps are much better off without him, and have a chance to host a playoff series and possibly advance a round. I guess wherever he goes he creates a logjam where other good players aren't getting the ball as much, but you'd figure GMs would figure out this guy's effect at this point... I think by this point they have. To repeat my usual refrain on Rudy: I think he's a good guy, a great teammate (if the Griz lockerroom and coaching staff's reaction to his trade last year was any indication), and an elite level athlete. The problem is that his actual skills and playstyle on the court don't always measure up. He's good at creating his own shot, but he's too inconsistent an outside shooter to be a constant threat. He's a supreme athlete, but only an average ballhandler and thus isn't always effective driving to the basket. As a result, he doesn't get as many high percentage shots and fails to reach the foul line often enough - for his career he only averages 4 FT attempts per game. Compare that to elite scorers at his position like Durant and Carmelo, who both average around 8 FTA per game over their careers. His lack of confidence around the basket also means he settles for too many low-percentage twos (i.e., his patented fall-away jumper) which just aren't the best shots to take under most circumstances. In fairness, he's now playing some of the best basketball of his career for the Kings (his FTAs are even up to over 5 per game!). Maybe it's because he's been given room there to create and be "the man." Or perhaps Boogie Cousins is the complement he's been looking for his whole career. I still root for the guy, so I hope he's got some things figured out and can become the high level player a lot of folks pegged him for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebevan91 Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 New strategy for NBA teams:Acquire Rudy Gay, then trade him. Also Marc Gasol is back tonight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhom Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Anthony Bennett is having the worst first year of any number one overall pick.It takes a whole lot of suck to make Olowakandi and Kwame look good by comparison. :stunned: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabronius Maximus Posted January 15, 2014 Author Share Posted January 15, 2014 Well this is one of those years where someone had to be picked first. Aside from Oladipo and Carter-Williams, and maybe Trey Burke, this draft has turned out pretty bad thus far. And there wasn't much hype at all going into this one, especially when the main topic was how next year's draft would turn out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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