NBA Playoffs 2012 - Prelude to Punches

[Jaime L]

Y'know the more I read about the draft, the more I was hoping the Wizards would end up with MKG because he's athletic as hell and is just a killer competitor. He's the kind of guy who does whatever it takes to win. As a result he was the only guy outside of Davis you could basically guarantee that he'd be a contributor on a title contender. Most of the guys coming out by contrast you feel like can fill up the statline on a bad team. But it was a moot point because Charlotte nabbed him at #2.

So we ride with Bradley Beal. Been hearing Ray Allen comparisons with him and all I gotta say is he better be something in that vein. The only draftpick the Wizards have actually hit on in the last 15 years was John Wall and that was gifted to them by winning the lottery that year. My 5 year old nephew coulda made that pick. The last pick before that which actually worked out for the team was Juwan freaking Howard 18 years ago. And before that it was Wes Unseld 26 years before that. Wizards are one of 10 worst franchises in all of professional sports. Maybe top 5. This is a team so incompetent they assumed their nickname was killing people so they had to go change it.

So i'm sick of hearing what a guy can be. He better actually be. Y'know it seems like a sane, defensible pick...for once. But all that matters is that he actually performs. And if he doesn't show promise, is there any question John Wall walks once his rookie deal is done in two years? No pressure or anything.

[Greywolf2375]

I love the Sullinger pick for the Celtics... Think the Fab Melo pick is a bit high for him, but 7 footers don't grow on trees. It could prove to be a steal.

Was going to say basically the same - taking Sullinger has risk, but if he can maintain health and keep his back from giving out, they got a top 8ish talent at 21. Melo is a project, but with the way Ainge thinks he may be looking at him as purely trade bait for someone else later on.

Looking at CBSSports Draft tracker they have a poll for each selection - like/dislike. 13% of people do not like the Davis pick at #1, I gotta think that is purely fans of other teams wishing...is there really any true downside to him? Does he kick Cats?

Not sure what to think of Joseph at 51. Not seeing anyone they overlooked for him, but just don't know much...anything...about him.

[Jaime L]

Did they draft Rasheed Wallace? I think they did, and he was a good young player for them for a wee bit. But your point remains. They are a staggeringly bad franchise, and it's actually kind of impressive as I touched on before. When you're in the lottery every year you would think you'd have to hit a home run at least every four years or so, but they never do.

No you're exactly right and that kinda feeds my point about how none of the picks end up working out for the team. Because even when they hit on a pick they're too incompetent to use it correctly.

The few times they've actually drafted all star talent they trade them long before they can make an impact out of this continual misplaced belief that we're in "win now" mode. And they never win! Think we've maxed out at 47 wins in the last 4 decades.They even fell ass-backward into Chris Webber right before he was peaking as an NBA player and they move him for a 30 something Mitch Richmond.

So they have a Chris Webber in his prime and trade him for an aging guard and immediately build a title contender in Sacramento.

They draft Rasheed Wallace and move him immediately for an aging guard in Rod Strickland and immediately build a title contender in Portland.

They draft Rip Hamilton and trade him after one year for an aging guard in Jerry Stackhouse and help build a NBA champion in Detroit.

They also gave up on 2nd round project Ben Wallace right when he started looking good for a fat, out-of-shape Ike Austin.

A couple years ago they traded the 5th pick in the draft for Randy Foye, who BTW is no longer with the team, because they were once again in win now mode. That 5th pick became Ricky Rubio so watch him become an all-star too.

Fortunately they've given up the win-now delusions and are going to build the right way like OKC. Oh wait no, Grunfeld once again took on three aging veterans with big contracts in the last year as we "reload", trading away a young talented 7 footer and an incredibly useful expiring contract.

I honestly don't know why I'm still a fan.

[Maithanet]

I honestly don't know why I'm still a fan.

It's important to have only a passing interest in the Wizards and their success. Abe Pollin still having a job is just baffling. He has screwed up like three iterations of Wizards rosters and he's still there tinkering away.

[Jaime L]

It's important to have only a passing interest in the Wizards and their success. Abe Pollin still having a job is just baffling. He has screwed up like three iterations of Wizards rosters and he's still there tinkering away.

Ahh my friend you mean what you say about maintaining a passing interest in the Wiz. Abe Pollin was the former owner who passed away 3 years ago. A good-hearted man but a terrible sports owner. He presided over two of the worst GMs of all time just because they were good basketball players - Wes Unseld and Michael Jordan. And Grunfeld who looked good early on looks more and more like a trainwreck every year.

Anyway I believe Ted Leonsis, the owner of the Caps, is the new owner. That gave me hope when it was announced as under him the Caps have turned into a consistent winner (if terrible choke artist in playoffs) and he's probably the best team owner in DC - though that's like being the tallest midget in the room I know. But then he goes and extends Grunfeld after years of incompetence so any excitement immediately went out the window.

[Maithanet]

Ahh my friend you mean what you say about maintaining a passing interest in the Wiz. Abe Pollin was the former owner who passed away 3 years ago. A good-hearted man but a terrible sports owner. He presided over two of the worst GMs of all time just because they were good basketball players - Wes Unseld and Michael Jordan. And Grunfeld who looked good early on looks more and more like a trainwreck every year.

Anyway I believe Ted Leonsis, the owner of the Caps, is the new owner. That gave me hope when it was announced as under him the Caps have turned into a consistent winner (if terrible choke artist in playoffs) and he's probably the best team owner in DC - though that's like being the tallest midget in the room I know. But then he goes and extends Grunfeld after years of incompetence so any excitement immediately went out the window.

Ahh! I knew Abe Pollin sounded wrong, but seem to have blocked Grunfeld's name from my memory. I know about Ted Leonsis, he also owns DC United and the Caps. While the Caps have been postseason choke jobs, they are better than competitive every year, plus the NHL Playoffs are a crapshoot anyway. And DC United is probably the best franchise in MLS, if you care about soccer.

[Slurktan]

So the talk is getting very hot and heavy about Nash coming to the T-Dot. I'm trying desperately to keep my hopes down so I won't get disappointed but damn. Looks like between the Raps, Knicks, Mavs, and Suns. I know we likely won't win a championship with Nash but I just want to win some games and have fun watching my team.

[Greywolf2375]

^{Looks like KG is staying in Boston - reporte 3yr/$34mm contract to be signed. Considering what he can offer to Sullinger and Melo, having a multt year makes sense.}

[Morpheus]

Looks Like Dwight Howard is indeed once again asking to be traded to the Nets

http://espn.go.com/n...e-brooklyn-nets

They should ship this asshole off to the Kings for a bag of pretzels.

[Commodore]

With that contract KG will pass Shaq for most career earnings. Good for him.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/sam_amick/07/01/roy-hibbert-trail-blazers-pacers-free-agency/index.html

Looks like Portland is offering Roy Hibbert a max contract. I'm not sure that's wise, but with LMA that would be a formidable front line.

[aeu]

That's a lot of money for Hibbert. In other news that will surely make Commodore very happy, Houston finally gets the center it has been looking for:

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--free-agent-center-omer-asik-agrees-to--25-million-offer-sheet-with-rockets.html

[Jaime L]

Portland and another undisclosed team apparently offered Hibbert the max. Sounds like it's gonna be a moot point though as everyone thinks Indiana will match.

In other news that will surely make Commodore very happy, Houston finally gets the center it has been looking for:

http://sports.yahoo....th-rockets.html

Holy shit, they said there'd be an explosive start to free agency and they were right.

I don't know where we even go from here. I mean unless Denver puts Timofey Mozgov on the trading block or something (yes, I know, unthinkable) we're not gonna see any player movement that can possibly compare to this opening salvo.

[Sir Thursday]

I'm liking the Asik signing as a Rockets fan. The guy's defensive and rebounding numbers are off the charts. Having a good defensive centre automatically makes a team so much better on that end of the floor. And yes it's quite a lot for a guy who has only really been a backup thus far, but big guys get paid. We were paying the same amount for Dalembert, and I would rate Asik as better than him defensively based on the numbers I've looked at. Offensively? Not so much :P. But then that's not what we've bought him for.

ST

[Exa Inova]

That's a lot of money for Hibbert. In other news that will surely make Commodore very happy, Houston finally gets the center it has been looking for:

http://sports.yahoo....th-rockets.html

If the deal goes throught it will be good for Houston but they shouldnt make Hibbert the cornerstone of their franchise. He's a skilled back to the basket big man but also a very lumbering presence as the Heat showed. In all I dont think the Rockets will be better than the Pacers are now.

btw, for these kind of players OKC needs Perk.

[aeu]

btw, for these kind of players OKC needs Perk.

Even if Portland gets Hibbert (and that's a big if), OKC can still beat Portland even if they played 4 on 5. :P "Perk will be useful against Hibbert" is far removed from "OKC needs Perk against Hibbert."

And Asik is precisely the type of player against which Perk is completely useless and even detrimental.

I'm liking the Asik signing as a Rockets fan. The guy's defensive and rebounding numbers are off the charts.

Loved the way Asik played for Bulls, but $25M / 3 years seems like a lot of money. You are right though, big guys get paid in this league. Asik will never be bad on defense (he is huge, he plays super hard and is much more agile than he looks), but I wonder if he will be as good in another system. Thib's defensive schemes make a lot of players look really good if they are willing to work hard, but once out of that system, they may be much less effective (see Perkins, Kendrick :P)

On the bright side, he is bound to improve on offense, since he can hardly become any worse...(All kidding aside, having watched him in the Turkish league and national team, he is not this inept offensively. He will become better with more confidence.)

[Exa Inova]

Even if Portland gets Hibbert (and that's a big if), OKC can still beat Portland even if they played 4 on 5. :P "Perk will be useful against Hibbert" is far removed from "OKC needs Perk against Hibbert."

And Asik is precisely the type of player against which Perk is completely useless and even detrimental.

Loved the way Asik played for Bulls, but $25M / 3 years seems like a lot of money. You are right though, big guys get paid in this league.

On the bright side, he is bound to improve on offense, since he can hardly become any worse...(All kidding aside, having watched him in the Turkish league and national team, he is not this inept offensively. He will become better with more confidence.)

Of course you dont need a Perk kind of player for Asik. But Asik will never bring to the table what Perk brings to the table. He's a bigger, less athletic Nick Collison. Im not saying Perk is the savior but Im baffled how quickly some discard his value for OKC but drool over the prospect of landing a quality big man. So inconsistent :shocked:

[Jaime L]

Of course you dont need a Perk kind of player for Asik. But Asik will never bring to the table what Perk brings to the table. He's a bigger, less athletic Nick Collison. Im not saying Perk is the savior but Im baffled how quickly some discard his value for OKC but drool over the prospect of landing a quality big man. So inconsistent :shocked:

The issue with Perk is primarily his contract. He was a liability against the Heat but no-one disputes the value he has against teams with a legit big man. If he was earning $2-3 million a year I say keep him for the toughness he provides and the ability to man up with Duncan and Bynum in those playoff matchups. But he's earning $8-9 million a year, a salary that simply cannot co-exist with the max/near-max deals that the Thunder are going to have to pay their big 3...let alone trying to figure out how to re-sign Ibaka. They'll have to do something about him within the next year or so, it'll just be interesting to see what.

Also to the larger point: the Thunder (and the Heat) are the only teams elite and explosive enough that a starting quality big man isn't a necessity. For everyone else to compete they need some kind of defensive stopper in the middle to even make the playoffs the let alone compete there. It's why Hibbert will get a max deal and it's why Asik is getting significantly overpaid compared to his level of production. There's really only two teams good enough to buck conventional wisdom on this, no-one else has that luxury.

[Relic]

what are those crazy nets up to?

http://espn.go.com/new-york/nba/story/_/id/8124182/brooklyn-nets-agree-trade-atlanta-hawks-joe-johnson-sources-say

[aeu]

Wow, after all the drama for Howard, Nets are basically saying that's enough,huh?

I wonder if the Lakers can sneak in and get Howard now.

[Jaime L]

what are those crazy nets up to?

http://espn.go.com/n...son-sources-say

Screwing everything up. Surprised they're going through with this.

Cause if they take on Joe Johnson's massive contract I understand they have zero room to add Dwight Howard. And unless you think a Deron Williams-Joe Johnson-Gerald Wallce core can you lead you to a title this team (and does anyone?) looks like it's gonna max it out in the second round of the playoffs.

Also Dwight Howard who says he will only sign a contract with the Nets now will be precluded from going there not only this year but in future years. Does this mean he's now open to a trade to LA?

Hell Deron Williams hasn't even agreed to re-sign with the Nets yet. It'd be hilarious if he now bolts to Dallas.