The Thread for the NBA

[Andriy Czarchenko]

Sadly the link doesn't work for me.

I won't scream it regardless, tapping my nose and giving a knowing nod will suffice I think.

Exa´s link has the normal problem of double http try this

[Darkostar]

Ugh. I want to be happy about the performance the Wolves had. We took the best team in the league to the limit.

But the fact is, that was a winnable game. Beasley was a non-factor during regulation, and 7 of our 15 turnovers were on Darko (marring an otherwise good night.)

But the killer came from our propensity to get into foul trouble. By the end of regulation, 4 of our 5 starters had at least 4 fouls. That's gotta be fixed. This is a young team that will continue to improve, but beating the Spurs (at home) would have been such a big confidence boost for this team.

[Old Nan]

Which is why my list of the top 5 teams is heavily west loaded. I'd say Lakers, Spurs, Celtics, Hornets and then Dallas in that order. And if you asked me to push that out to top 10 it would likely go Utah, Oklahoma City, Orlando and then 2/3 of Miami, Portland and Denver. Any way you put it thats 8 out of the top 11 from the West.

The Jazz miss any sort of competent wing play and have questionable interior defense; the Mavs have an iffy backcourt and a second-rate coach; Portland's wracked with injuries up and down the roster, as usual; and the Nuggets are losers, also as usual, and have done nothing to improve their frontcourt, and Billups looks to be on his last legs. Chris Paul is very, very good, but the Hornets will go nowhere in the playoffs. None of those teams is as good as Orlando, and I dislike Orlando. I'm not sure any of them is as good as Chicago, and I loathe Chicago. Oklahoma City's a poor man's Miami on offense, and far worse on defense.

Bottom line is that it's easy to get away with not playing defense in the West, during the regular season at least. We know the Lakers can play defense. Can the Spurs? I'm not so sure. Tim Duncan's not what he used to be.

[Exa Inova]

I knew next to nothing about this guy, mainly because he blew out his knee and I never really have great expectation about rookies but man,

[Slurktan]

I knew next to nothing about this guy, mainly because he blew out his knee and I never really have great expectation about rookies but man,

That is an awesome play, however for some reason it bothers me that it is called a dunk. Just like when Dwight Howard did the same thing in the Dunk contest, it is not a dunk.

Amazing fricken play though.

[Commodore]

Blake Griffin plays like a maniac all the time, I love it but I don't see how he stays healthy.

[aeu]

Am I the only one who thinks that the Cavs fans are quite pathetic at this point? I'm sure LeBron was deeply hurt by all the antics yesterday... :rolleyes:

Stop behaving like a psyco-ex boyfriend and move on.

That being said, I found this really funny.

Best sign of the night: "We should have drafted Darko"

[Greywolf2375]

Am I the only one who thinks that the Cavs fans are quite pathetic at this point? I'm sure LeBron was deeply hurt by all the antics yesterday... :rolleyes:

Stop behaving like a psyco-ex boyfriend and move on.

That being said, I found this really funny.

I don't know, I mean - a lot of them did go overboard, the overshown image of some blonde crying over it is one that comes to mind - but since he really is the only thing that the city had and he did act like a huge jackhole in how he left, I can definitely see why they (the non psychotic ones) are the way they are, I would expect the next time they visit (march or whatever) that there will be some backlash, but by that time it would just be what any other teams superstar would get.

[Greywolf2375]

Am I the only one who thinks that the Cavs fans are quite pathetic at this point? I'm sure LeBron was deeply hurt by all the antics yesterday... :rolleyes:

Stop behaving like a psyco-ex boyfriend and move on.

That being said, I found this really funny.

I don't know, I mean - a lot of them did go overboard, the overshown image of some blonde crying over it is one that comes to mind - but since he really is the only thing that the city had and he did act like a huge jackhole in how he left, I can definitely see why they (the non psychotic ones) are the way they are, I would expect the next time they visit (march or whatever) that there will be some backlash, but by that time it would just be what any other teams superstar would get.

[AutumnEvenings]

Eh. I mean, nothing happened at the game, despite James hanging out shooting the shit in front of their bench all game. So they had signs and T-shirts and booed a lot? Whatever, he was a jerk. During the few games in which Boozer was "healthy" enough to play when we were at Cleveland, they booed him every time he held the ball. (It'll be interesting to see if they still do that now that he's with Chicago.) I kind of had a "get over it" reaction at first (you know, 5 years later...) but then again, why should they? It's really fun to hate players.

I don't think I'll ever stop hating Kobe Bryant and I boo him every chance I get...but you know, whatever, I'm gleeful when he loses and think it's awesome when he misses free throws or calls don't go his way, and then I forget all about him until the next game or article.

So I dunno, I guess I'm just trying to say that (a) those Lyin' King T-shirts were pretty funny, and (b.) just because they hate him on game nights doesn't mean they're all pining after him. (Of course the most outrageous ones will get airtime, and...well, they might be faking it to get airtime.)

[Relic]

We are only a quarter of the way into the NBA season but it's already obvious that Amare is the best Knick we've had on the roster in over a decade. I didn't like him much coming into this season but his play and leadership (yes leadership, im shocked as well) have been fantastic.

[Rhom]

Jodie Meeks scores a career high 26.

Meeks, who entered the game averaging 7.3 points, made his second career start after replacing rookie Evan Turner, the No. 2 overall pick, in the starting lineup Friday night.

This is why I got pissed watching Pardon The Interruption last year. Michael Wilbon kept espousing Evan Turner as the guy who should be the number 1 pick in the draft, but it was obvious he hadn't watched a lick of college ball. Turner was a nice player who had a good year at Ohio State, but no one who actually watched John Wall would ever think of taking Turner first.

That being said... I'm really happy for Jodie. He's one of my favorite Kentucky basketball players of all time. The spurt in the first quarter of this game sounds a lot like the game in Knoxville where he set the Kentucky scoring record. He can score points in bunches and I've always thought he could be a real asset to an NBA team if given a chance.

[ztemhead]

We are only a quarter of the way into the NBA season but it's already obvious that Amare is the best Knick we've had on the roster in over a decade. I didn't like him much coming into this season but his play and leadership (yes leadership, im shocked as well) have been fantastic.

I see he decided to rebound this year; how nice for the Knicks. Yea though we are missing him in Phoenix, I still think the deal they offered him was fair, and that NY overpaid him. If he completes the season playing like he is today and isn't hurt for any long stretch, then I'll admit we goofed.

The Suns are back up over .500, hopefully to stay for a while. They've beaten some good teams so far, including the Jazz, Nuggets, and Lakers; and of course have a great home record, which makes going to the games always enjoyable. Fingers crossed that they can remain relevant.

Bit of fun I've been having regarding Turkoglu when watching the games lately is making up sentences using his first name, like "HE-DO get down the court awfully slow." and "HE-DO have the quickness of a forward stuck in TURK-GLUE" and "HE-DO rebound like 7 feet of a bad trade." Stupid piece of Turkish wood. Thank Allah they're starting Hakim Warrick instead of him.

[Sir Thursday]

I'm so glad I picked the Wolves to be my second team:

:D

[Darkostar]

I'm so glad I picked the Wolves to be my second team:

:D

:lol:

K-Love is amazing. Still pissed at Rambis for sitting him for the whole 4th the other day when K-Love had a 29-10.

[Relic]

I see he decided to rebound this year; how nice for the Knicks. Yea though we are missing him in Phoenix, I still think the deal they offered him was fair, and that NY overpaid him. If he completes the season playing like he is today and isn't hurt for any long stretch, then I'll admit we goofed.

Yeah, his rebounding still seems coincidental, a byproduct of sheer size and little else and his health remains an issue that can pop up at any point. I'm still expecting the worst but for now there is no denying that STAT is a baller and is developing into an on court leader.

[ztemhead]

Yeah, his rebounding still seems coincidental, a byproduct of sheer size and little else and his health remains an issue that can pop up at any point. I'm still expecting the worst but for now there is no denying that STAT is a baller and is developing into an on court leader.

Not disagreeing with you here, I'm asking this because I honestly don't know; but is he still doing that stupid dominance move where he comes up with the rebound and then wraps both hands around the ball like he's saying "Mine!" rather than throwing it up the court to someone on the break? That always annoyed the fuck out of me.

[Slurktan]

We are only a quarter of the way into the NBA season but it's already obvious that Amare is the best Knick we've had on the roster in over a decade. I didn't like him much coming into this season but his play and leadership (yes leadership, im shocked as well) have been fantastic.

After watching him in 3 games this reason I will willingly admit that I was wrong about him. He is a force on offense particularly in the pick and roll. Still can't play a lick of D other than the occasional flashy block but he doesn't really need to in D'Antoni's system.

Not sure if you watched last nights game Relic, but him and Bargnani had a pretty sweet duel. The fourth quarter in particular was them just trading baskets. As a Raps fan I haven't really seen anything like that since Vince and AI were going at it in the 2001 playoffs. Really enjoyable game to watch even though my Raps lost. If anyone had stepped up on the Raps like Felton did on the Knicks we had the game easy.

One question for you though, are you worried about the playing time? From the games I've seen D'Antoni is going with a tight 8 man rotation and to be blunt that seems kind of like suicide given the injury risks of A'mare and Felton. I hope they don't get hurt honestly because they are a fun team to watch but I would worry about that.

[Commodore]

lots of interesting tidbits

The Nuggets have all but decided to trade Anthony if he does not sign an extension with the team by the trade deadline, and Denver's management team believes Anthony is fully prepared to play out the season and become a free agent, multiple sources told CBSSports.com...

With the Trail Blazers' obvious struggles and the health challenges (that's putting it mildly) of Greg Oden and Brandon Roy, two people with knowledge of the team's strategy told CBSSports.com that Portland management is contemplating trading older players and going young. The obvious targets for such a purge would be Marcus Camby (36), Andre Miller (34), and Joel Przybilla (31). Roy isn’t old, but his knees are -- though one of the sources said Portland would find no takers for the five years and $82.3 million remaining on Roy's contract, given the state of his meniscus-less knees. Przybilla ($7.4 million expiring contract) and Miller (whose $7.8 million salary in 2011-12 is fully non-guaranteed) are eminently moveable. Another candidate to be dealt, though not because of age or health, is Rudy Fernandez, who has wanted out of Portland for some time. Sources caution that the Blazers have engaged in only internal conversations about this strategy, and it is contingent upon the team (10-11) continuing to struggle. But the writing certainly is on the wall for major changes in Portland....

Speaking of Madison Square Garden, rival execs agree that New York would be a logical landing spot for Andre Iguodala, and they believe the Sixers will be more than open to discussing trades for the dynamic but high-priced swingman as the Feb. 24 deadline approaches. The Knicks, one of the few teams in a position to absorb salary in the uncertain labor environment, also would be looking for an attractive piece to pair with Stoudemire in the event the Nuggets follow through with an Anthony trade prior to the deadline. Team president Donnie Walsh would have to decide if, short of Anthony, Iguodala is the best option that will be available to him between now and 2011 free agency -- if and when that happens. And also, if Iguodala is worth giving up the cap flexibility he's toiled three years to create. Pricetag notwithstanding -- the 26-year-old is due $56.5 million over the next four years -- Iguodala would be an excellent fit for Mike D'Antoni's high-octane offense and would instantly become the best defender on the roster by a mile...

[Relic]

Not disagreeing with you here, I'm asking this because I honestly don't know; but is he still doing that stupid dominance move where he comes up with the rebound and then wraps both hands around the ball like he's saying "Mine!" rather than throwing it up the court to someone on the break? T

Hmm, well i've noticed that sometimes when he grabs a rebound he extends both of his elbows out Dwight Howard style to clear space around himself. I sort of like that fact he does that, personally. I'll try to pay attention to whether or not it impacts a fast break next time i watch a game.

Slurk, we've played the Raps three times already huh? i watched the entire game last night (wing night at the sports bar) and i commented a couple of times on how Knick defense can make guys look like super stars. Bargnani is a fine player who i haven't seen much of but i think the terrible defense certainly made him more aggressive than he might normally be. It's like he saw how easy it was to score in the first half and thought to himself "wow i can do this with minimal effort!!"

I'm not worried about playing time just yet. I hear the Knicks are shopping for a backup PG and im sort of hoping Anthony Randolph earns playing time with some impressive practices.