NBA discussion thread

[Brawley]

The magic need to abuse the mismatches they have. Big Z can't guard Dwight. Delonte can't guard rashard, and just need to do a pick and roll with Turk.

Also what do you guys think about the Rockets future, I think they should trade T-mac star or not, if you trade him you have a lot more flexibility to bring in another big man or a decent scorer such as gerald wallace.

 

[LoveDensity]

The magic need to abuse the mismatches they have. Big Z can't guard Dwight. Delonte can't guard rashard, and just need to do a pick and roll with Turk.

Also what do you guys think about the Rockets future, I think they should trade T-mac star or not, if you trade him you have a lot more flexibility to bring in another big man or a decent scorer such as gerald wallace.

Delonte aint suppose to guard rashard. Let J.J Hickson do it =D.

Well, T-Mac is worn out for real now. Rockets do not need him. They made it to the second round w/o his help. T-Mac would just spread that dreaded first round curse again =D. Well, Aaron Brooks has a bright future because of the comparison of a healthy T.J. Ford . If you can trade T-Mac for more bench help and a decent replacement at SG, it would be a benefit.

 

[Zero]

Yeah they should definitely trade McGrady.

 

[Stallion]

Great game, and nice comeback by the Magic :).

 

[Aeroblacktyl]

lol are you kidding me? who the hell is going to give the rockets anything worth shit to match tmacs 23 million contract? the only thing people would give are even shittier contracts, like zach randolphs god forbid. especially since tmac wont be coming back until like feb. rockets are way better off just riding out the expiring contract and use that cap to sign 2-3 players of their choice

 

[Stallion]

lol are you kidding me? who the hell is going to give the rockets anything worth shit to match tmacs 23 million contract? the only thing people would give are even shittier contracts, like zach randolphs god forbid. especially since tmac wont be coming back until like feb. rockets are way better off just riding out the expiring contract and use that cap to sign 2-3 players of their choice

Yeah I'm with MoP here. Its like the whole Raef LaFrentz deal with Portland, and the reason they have been tied up in alot of potential player talks, cause they have alot of money to work with now. Tmac isn't going anywhere fast, some shit team will probably sign him when his contract expires and the Rockets will have a lot of breathing spacec now to build a good team around Yao and an ever improving Aaron Brooks.

 

[Mizuno]

The Rockets main concern this summer is to resign Artest!

Good game for Magic, lol at Howard braking the shot clock. Can't wait for game 2 of Denver-LA tonight.

Oh, and since no one has talked about it, the Clippers got the 1st pick in the draft. Like Jon Barry said afterwards: "How can they screw this one up?" lol

 

[Stallion]

Lol they've already put pictures of Blake Griffin onto their website! Mmm its gonna be interesting if Memphis take Thabeet (Thabeet + Gasol = monstrous frontcourt) or lose faith in Conley and pick Rubio.

 

[Mizuno]

The interesting thing is that both the Grizzlies and the Thunder already have young point guards they want to build around (Conley played really well ever since they traded Lowry and changed coach), so there is a good chance that the Kings take Rubio with the 4th pick.

 

[TDS]

I think the thunder will definitely take thabeet if given the option. They have great young guards and a great forward in Green, Durant and Westbrook. Now, they need a really good center. No, krstic dosen't cut it.
Clippers need to trade someone, probably baron davis. Eric Gordon with end up a great player, so I say davis should go

 

[RaikouLover]

Originally Posted by LoveDestiny
Delonte aint suppose to guard rashard. Let J.J Hickson do it =D.

Here's an idea... How about LeBron James guards the other team's best player... or at least their small forward / shooting guard... since that's what he is. Oh wait... LeBron James is too busy stat-stuffing to lock down the other team's best player :-(. It was NO surprise that Cleveland lost.. they are a one man show.. and their one man needs to be on the other teams most dangerous player (Turk-a-loo), not their mediocre point guard, then Cleveland would have won that game... instead, Mike Brown is too busy saving LeBron for the stat sheet. And he won coach of the year... pstttttttttt

 

[Myzozoa]

Who do you guys think will guard Lebron if it is Lakers vs Cleveland in the finals?

 

[RaikouLover]

If you've seen the Lakers SMASH Cleveland in the regular season, they do a three man rotation of Odom, Bryant, and Ariza... and surprisingly, LeBron is actually as neutralized as hes gonna get. Kobe probably does the best job on him... but then again.. he is arguably the best perimeter defender in the NBA.

 

[Mizuno]

Lebron wasn't put on Alston because of, like you said, 'stat stuffing', he was put in Alston because he was dead tired. I saw the game, and Orlando did a great job shutting down the Cavaliers shooters in the second half, so Lebron had to do everything by himself. The Cavs role players have played really well this season, but last game they were struggling, taking bad shots, and not moving at all. Lebron didn't have much of a choice but try to carry the team by himself the last 2 quarters.

Great job by the Nuggets tonight!

 

[Zero]

I watched the last 40 secs of the Nuggets game. Lakers really blew it, losing the ball which led to the jump ball then fumbling it again. Wonder if all the games are gonna be this close.

 

[darkie]

I like that all of the conf. finals games so far have all been come-from-behind wins. keeps life interesting!

 

[RaikouLover]

The NBA officials need their asses kicked.... Fire all them!

Seriously, I nearly threw my fone at the TV in the 4th quarter cause of all the bullshit fouls that were called in that game. Every play was FOUL FOUL FOUL FOUL FOUL. I don't buy for a second that the lakers really "blew" that game... it was more like the officials "blew" the whistle... and constantly. Denver hit 17 straight free throws, the majority of those were in the 4th quarter which was pretty much all their points. They weren't moving the ball.. and in short... they really didn't deserve that win. It turned into a "Kobe takes the ball down knocks down a clutch three in Melo's face" then "Laker foul, Denver shoot 2" for the whole damn period. I have never been so disguisted with a basketball game... or the officiating or lacktherof in a game before... I swear the NBA looked like a crock of shit tonight. And I don't say this as a blind rant... this really is a serious problem that has been going on all postseason. Guys taking down the lane and dunking untouched getting "rewarded" with a foul shot when there is clearly no contact. I swear I'm writing David Stern

 

[Scofield]

Don't mind RL, he's kind of biased towards kobe ~_~

Anyways, great games thus far, a few thoughts:

-the nuggets are a better team than the lakers, I didn't think this when the series started, but carmelo can score with kobe, and they play better defense. Billups really makes the nuggets tick. meanwhile I think fisher is washed up. as I've been saying all year, pau gasol is the key if the lakers want to win this.

-magic stole one, lol, I didn't even watch the 2nd half since I thought it'd be a blowout....Cav's can still win this though, I wouldn't be surprised if they win 4 in a row.

-honestly, how can anyone say the cavs wouldn't win it all this year? no one can stop them. Not the nuggets (good team defenders, no one to lock down on lebron), not the magic (the cavs are just plain better), not the lakers (take too many jumpers, kobe's legs look dead).

Also, the Kings getting the 4th pick in the draft ruined my entire week. I am literally quite in love with Rubio.

 

[muttonhead]

I love both Rubio and Jennings, been following him since he was in Oak Hill..I really sorry for Griffin. I've been really enjoying the conference finals so far. You have the two best athletes in the NBA in the East finals, and arguably the two best pure scorers in the NBA in the West.
I have also never seen anyone reject a Dwight Howard two hand dunk from the front (and emphatically too) until I saw Game 1.
Not sure about the outcomes though. La has had the better regular season record against the nuggets (and the cavs). The Magic always give the Cavs problems in regular season. However, as you guys all know, that often means nothing in the playoffs.
(For example, the Charlotte Bobcats hold a totally irrelevant regular season sweep of the Lakers this year).
I know a lot of people say the Cavs will go all the way, and I would like nothing more, as I will admit right here and right now, I am a Kobe hater. However, even though I hate the current Lakers, I think they still have the most talented team in the NBA.
It's admirable how cohesive the Cavs play, and their team D has to be applauded. But I mean, they start Anderson Varejao!!!!! Damn.
Hopefully LA will continue to display mental inconsistency.
Btw, RL I love your sets and no disrespect but Kobe Bryant is not the best perimeter defender in the NBA. Stats ain't everything, but some advanced metrics show that Kobe isn't even the best defender on his team!

http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/2009.html
Kobe ranks number 3 on the Lakers in defensive win shares, behind odom and gasol.

Defensive rating by Opponent PER by position, and On court/off court.
Defensive Rating this season:
Lebron: 4th
Wade: Not in top 20
Kobe: Not in top 20
(I'm not riding LBJ's and Wade's jockstrap here, just making a useful comparison).
LeBron:
SG post a 0.0 PER when LeBron is playing the SG (NET +50.0)
**SF post a 13.0 PER again LeBron is playing the SF (NET +20.8)**
PF post a 15.4 PER when LeBron is playing the PF (NET +21.8)
C post a 23.9 PER when LeBron is playing the C (NET +21.4)

Wade:
PG post a 19.2 PER when Wade is playing the PG (NET +28.3)
**SG post a 15.7 PER when Wade is playing the SG (NET +16.8)**
SF post a 23.5 PER when Wade is playing the SF (NET -8.6)

Kobe:
PG post a 10.5 PER when Kobe is playing the PG (NET +15.0)
**SG post a 13.3 PER when Kobe is playing the SG (NET +14.3)**
SF post a 17.8 PER when Kobe is playing the SF (NET +17.8)


On Court/Off Court
LeBron James: -8.3 points per 48 minutes
Dwyane Wade: -4.4 points per 48 minutes
Kobe Bryant: +0.4 points per 48 minutes.

So, the Cavs give up more than 8 points per 48 minutes when LeBron is sitting.
The Heat give up more than 4 points per 48 minutes when Wade is sitting.
And the Lakers actually give up less points per 48 minutes when Kobe is sitting.
So there you have it. To add some levity, would you root for a guy who complains to the refs by pullings his shorts all the way to colora....never mind.

 

[NightFalcon]

How are the Cavs better than the Magic? Listen to RL please.

Also RL for them to guard the most dangerous player it would be Turkoglu or Howard. Cavs are not JUST PLAIN BETTER than the Magic. I don't care if this is the postseason and not the reg. season, the Magic still played them HARD every single game. Beat them hard in the last game 116-87, won another in Orlando 99-88, and lost the close one in Cleveland 97-93 on a CONTROVERSIAL CALL. If this doesn't speak to you I dunno what does. Everytime LeBron plays vs the Magic he goes limping off the court. No other team makes him play this hard for his money, the Cavs are not prepared for a team as good as the Magic when they just played mediocre teams first and second round. The problem is that when LeBron goes up to the basket to shoot, he's got the NBA's best defender on his ass and he ain't gonna let LeBron get no easy shots that's for sure.

Nuggets looked good, I think they can definitely win this series. Also Magic-Cavs series is going to be A LOT of fun. I don't even care if the Cavs win the next game in Cleveland because they are just going to get straight up raped in Orlando. Turkoglu-Lewis-Howard for next big 3, although it'd be better if Jameer wasn't injured :-(.

Although I want to see a Magic-Lakers finals, at this point in time I am seeing Magic-Nuggets.

 

[Ancien Régime]

In regards to T-Mac, the problem with the Rockets is that they don't have a bunch of prospects to offer.

Brooks? Landry? Scola? Wafer?

Those are the only people you could package with T-Mac to get a star who wants out.

The Clippers would love to trade Baron Davis for T-Mac; that contract will be an albatross for the next 5 years. They're probably not landing a big-time star (LeBron's staying, Kobe's staying, Wade's probably staying, Amare's probably going to NY, JJ maybe but he may go to NY too - former D'Antoni player remember - Bosh maybe but he'll probably be traded and you don't have the fire power)

The best player I see the Rockets landing through FA is Redd.

 

[TDS]

Ben Gordon and Mike Bibby would be nice choices for the rockets

 

[y2zipper]

Nobody wants to hear it, but the Cavs are a bunch of scrubs outside of LeBron James. Would you really want Varejo and Big Z in your starting frontcourt? They lost game one because a scrub couldn't make an open shot. They're still gonna beat the Magic, though, unless they don't start missing threes like I think they will. I hope Orlando wins, though, because I don't want LeBron signing an extension with Cleveland.

 

[RaikouLover]

Originally Posted by muttonhead
Btw, RL I love your sets and no disrespect but Kobe Bryant is not the best perimeter defender in the NBA. Stats ain't everything, but some advanced metrics show that Kobe isn't even the best defender on his team!

Stats do NOT explain defensive effectiveness and can not... I don't care what kind of convoluted formula they use. To say that Kobe is not one of the leagues Top 20 defenders on the perimeter is a completely assinine statement... that really shows how off statistics can be. Kobe Bryant guards the best scorer on the other team.. EVERY night. He guards Melo in this series, and guarded Artest against Houston.. and if the lakers end up playing the Cavs... he will probably be guarding LeBron James (hmmm mayb thats why Cleveland can't ever beat LA?). So according to that formula... LeBron is clearly the best defender out of him Wade and Bryant... if that is the case.. why was he guarding Rafer Alston instead of Rashard Lewis who burned their ass all game 1? He was "tired"? No, Mike Brown wants LeBron to put up stats... not win the game.

Originally Posted by scofield
-the nuggets are a better team than the lakers, I didn't think this when the series started, but carmelo can score with kobe, and they play better defense. Billups really makes the nuggets tick. meanwhile I think fisher is washed up. as I've been saying all year, pau gasol is the key if the lakers want to win this.

I actually beg to differ here. In my honest opinion.. the lakers #1 problem in the post season has been Phil Jackson. He has been outcoached in every series and it is his fault for changing the Lakers line-up... ya know.. the one that had them as #1 in the NBA. The lakers used to start Odom at Small Forward, Bynum at Center, and Gasol at Power Forward. Now Trevor Ariza is a great talent and player, but he is almost ideal for a 6th man and needs to stay there. With their former line-up, Gasol gets his way against all the shorter power forwards he goes up against, and Bynum is a physical body in the post. I mean, I can't be the only one that has noticed how soft the lakers look on the inside lately... hmmm maybe its because Phil won't play Bynum anymore... wtf?????

 

[Stallion]

To continue with RaikouLover's sentiments about refs, (I'm a Lakers fan btw) I think that the standard in Cleveland vs Orlando is ridiculously biased towards Cleveland. LeBron gets breathed on....foul! Cleveland get a charge at one end for a certain play, and Orlando get a foul (a tech no less!) for the exact same thing as the previous one. Orlando are still lucky to be with in striking distance with Cleveland's extra unguardable man.