The NBA thread

[Flannel Boy]

A power-forward with a .343FG%? 

[etiolate]

http://espn.go.com/dallas/nba/story/_/id/7739872/dallas-mavericks-lamar-odom-calls-fans-boos-confusing-hurtful

I'm not sure which part he found confusing? 

Probably that so many Laker fans could remember the players on the roster other than Kobe. It is truly amazing. He shouldn't worry thoguh. Much like it was with Shaq, they'll forget he ever was a Laker in a couple years.

[Great Rumbler]

http://espn.go.com/dallas/nba/story/_/id/7739872/dallas-mavericks-lamar-odom-calls-fans-boos-confusing-hurtful

I'm not sure which part he found confusing? 

Probably that so many Laker fans could remember the players on the roster other than Kobe. It is truly amazing. He shouldn't worry thoguh. Much like it was with Shaq, they'll forget he ever was a Laker in a couple years.

He's complaining about DALLAS fans booing him.

[Joe Molotov]

A power-forward with a .343FG%? 

More like weak-forward.

[Cormacaroni]

It's mostly depressing because Carlisle could have gotten a career year out of him if he'd gotten it together. He could have played as many minutes as he wanted on that team. Oh well.

[Cormacaroni]

According to Al Trautwig, Amare has a 'bulging dick' which will be treated non-surgically

[Joe Molotov]

Generally you only need surgery if it lasts longer than 4 hours.

[etiolate]

http://espn.go.com/dallas/nba/story/_/id/7739872/dallas-mavericks-lamar-odom-calls-fans-boos-confusing-hurtful

I'm not sure which part he found confusing? 

Probably that so many Laker fans could remember the players on the roster other than Kobe. It is truly amazing. He shouldn't worry thoguh. Much like it was with Shaq, they'll forget he ever was a Laker in a couple years.

He's complaining about DALLAS fans booing him.

WELL THEN

*ninja vanish*

[Stoney Mason]

Unfortunate about Amare. He was just hitting his stride finally this season. And it sounds serious.

[Beezy]

Will Linsanity return if Melo is also out on Wednesday? TUNE IN

[Stoney Mason]

According to Al Trautwig, Amare has a 'bulging dick' which will be treated non-surgically

Shopped but still.



 

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[Smooth Groove]

Popovich is so cold.

[Stoney Mason]

Miami 8-6 since the All-Star break. All the losses have been on the road.

[Flannel Boy]

LeBron can't take the Heat on the road.

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[etiolate]

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/39318/tanking-is-the-tip-of-the-iceberg

At the end, he breaks down all the terrible moves by the Kings. I think he underestimates their draft picks a bit, but the coaching and personnel choices are hilariously bad/ =(

[Cormacaroni]

Any good games today? (don't want to look at ESPN...). Watching Wolves - Grizz now, but it's in hand...

[pilonv1]

The Lakers/Warriors tankjob is on now, but I don't think it's a good game.

[Cormacaroni]

i lol'ed at Ethan Strauss the other day - 'The GSW suffered a crushing victory tonight'

[pilonv1]

He's awesome on twitter. I am 100% behind his unweighted lottery plan now.

[Cormacaroni]

Yeah. In general the suggestions (both small and large) this True Hoop campaign is generating are really interesting. Fixing tanking would be huge. I kinda think we need for Stern to go first though.

[pilonv1]

I support weighting over a number of years.

I also support reverse weighting as well as no weighting.

[pilonv1]

This game sounds great now, wish I wasn't going out tonight so I could watch the replay

[etiolate]

The whole "tank for a superstar" philosophy is a product of how Stern runs the league. You would need to have him and anyone like in mindto him out of office to improve the competitive nature of the NBA.

But something missing in this perspective is that teams like the Pacers, Sixers and Nuggets have improved while not having a lottery winner. I guess the Nuggets acquired their team by trading their drafted superstar, but that's not normally how you build. You could say the Grizz improved while having Rudy Gay as their best draft pick. Winning the lottery isn't the sole way of becoming a winning team, but I think most of the NBA feels its the only way for smaller markets to get the support of the NBA. This includes the refs, the media and the general spotlight.

The article commented on the Kings letting Adelman and Scott Brooks go, but forget that the Kings interviewed Thibodeau twice and passed over him due to his lack of media savvy persona. They went with Theus and Westphal because they felt they worked the PR part better. That says something about what owners think is needed to win or it says something about what the owners are really looking to do. Either they think media presence is important enough to pass over a good coach or they rather have a smiling spinmaster while they waste away the years.

[Mandark]

It's not like tanking's exclusive to the NBA.  http://www.google.com/webhp?q=suck%20for%20luck#hl=en&q=suck+for+luck&oq=suck+for+luck

[DJ_Tet]

No one better say the Bobcats are tanking or we're gonna have words.

That's why I'm going to be so pissed if we don't get the #1 pick, we're legitimately terrible.  Hell the Wizards have beat us twice by 20 pts.

[Cormacaroni]

no. 1 pick rarely goes to the worst team though.  It's still a lottery. The Bobcats are awful but they've made some terrible decisions to get there (after getting a ton of high draft picks AND an expansion draft!). Under the current rules, they deserve another lottery pick of course, but i don't see why they deserve to get the next LeBron, really. I'd be fucking pissed to have to watch the next big thing play for a team that can't build a decent team around them...and try to cut salary at the same time...

[DJ_Tet]

Yeah but most of the stuff you mentioned goes back to the previous owner.  Jordan gets a lot of shit but 99% of the bad decisions go back to Bob Johnson.

Cleveland has a shitty owner but no one said anything about him getting LeBron (or Kyrie with a lucky pick.)

Jordan hasn't had a chance to build the team yet.  The team he inherited should have been a lot stronger than it was, we had the talent to get to the playoffs but were not going to get any better, because the foundation it was built on was shitty due to lots of bad lottery picks.

He chose to dismantle the team.  The two key players, Wallace and Jackson, have both already been traded again, for pennies compared to what we got for them.  We got a 1st for Wallace and cleared cap space, and we're still owed another 1st.  Jackson we got a high 1st for in trade for the Wallace pick, as well as Corey Maggette who is contributing at a higher level than Jackson has this year.  Turned that into Biyombo who is already playing at a high level defensively when he wasn't supposed to contribute at all for a couple of years.

Jack has been traded twice since we traded him, I'd say we did pretty good in both those deals.  We'll see what happens with the cap space (nothing, probably) but you can't try if you don't at least have that.  At the very least we're positioned to make moves in the future when the previous owner hamstrung us with shitty contracts to Diop and Carroll (who we got rid of by a miracle and then took back in trade...)

So you can be pissed at whatever you like but Charlotte is 19th in attendance right now with one of the all-time worst teams in NBA history.  This market deserves better after all the shit we've had to put up with.  I know we aren't even likely to get the #1 pick but I'm going to be really upset at the NBA if it goes to New Orleans, a team that is clearly tanking (just look at pt differential in close games.) 

[DJ_Tet]

Of course we deserved to keep our name and history too but the NBA didn't give a shit about a decade's worth of sell outs so they basically poisoned the market.

I don't really understand that, it was pretty much common knowledge that Charlotte was going to get a new team even at the time, they just had to build the downtown arena.

In comparison Seattle got to keep their history and now it looks unlikely they will even get a new team.  Sacramento is building their new arena and I heard New Orleans signed a 20 year lease with no out clause.  So the Sonics get to keep their records and their championship (as they should) but they aren't going to get a team to fill that void.

Obviously I'd rather have the team but I think if the NBA had let Charlotte keep the Hornets (a name with history going back to the Civil War in this area) it would have done a lot to foster some good will.  Of course Bob Johnson would have burned through that good will by now too, but at least we wouldn't be having a stupid discussion about changing our team's name to another name that isn't even available.

Don't get me started on Bob Johnson.  That guy has to be the dumbest, most entitled billionaire to set foot in professional sports.  As many stupid decisions he made building the team on the court, there was an equally bad decision off the court.  The guy put the Bobcats on local tv on a special CABLE ONLY network for the first 4 years of the team.  You had to have cable to get it (not on satellite) and you had to pay $10 a month extra for the sports package.  First off, everyone knows that diehard sports fans have DirecTV because of the NFL deal (even worse back then because you couldn't get Red Zone channel anywhere else, it's a little better now.)  So he went head to head with the NFL and lost, predictably, and no one in Charlotte cared cause they were still hurting from the loss of the Hornets.

Don't believe everything Bill Simmons says about Charlotte.  He still hates us for ending Kevin McHale's career and he's a bitter twat when it comes to Charlotte.

[DJ_Tet]

And before you say Jordan is the worst GM to ever live blah blah blah understand that he's trying to make changes in that area too.  We snatched up Rich Cho after the Blazers fired him and word has it he's been given basically free reign.  Jordan does have the last decision but he also understands now that he  needs good people in place that aren't afraid to have opinions instead of yes men.  Cho is anything but a yes man and I trust he'll build this team the right way.

We had to bottom out.  Who have we lost that did anything better elsewhere besides Chandler from that playoff team anyway?  Felton is basically the worst starting PG in the league.  Wallace is doing about the same, a little worse (hated to lose him but like I said we got a lot for him and still have another draft pick coming.)  Jack bitched about wanting a new contract and is a bench player on the Spurs now.

What other choice did he have but to do what we've done?  We should have been a stronger team by the time we made the playoffs but when you waste that many high draft picks then we're lucky we even made the playoffs. 

[Cormacaroni]

I think Bynum tried to make a statement about Kobe's asshole chucking by chucking a 3 of his own with 19 seconds or so left on the clock.

He got benched, but whatever.

Hope this doesn't turn into a big deal right before the playoffs.

The Lakers can't go THREE FUCKING GAMES without drama, since like 1999 onwards

[Cormacaroni]

DJ Tet - well, for your sanity, I do hope that is true. Rich Cho has a good rep but not sure he's done anything of significance that couldn't also be interpreted as a salary dump, which is consistent with what we know about Jordan's financial situation (basically, that he's losing his shirt on it)

[DJ_Tet]

No one owes us the first pick, all I said is we aren't tanking.  There's a difference between gutting your roster, clearing cap space and trying to improve the future of the team, and tanking.

The New Orleans Hornets are a team that is tanking imo.  And they shouldn't be rewarded for it.  But the rules are the rules and I understand the Bobcats have a much better shot at picking 2, 3 or 4 than they do of picking 1.

At this point I'm just hoping for one more win so we avoid comparisions to the 73 Sixers.  1 more win puts us ahead of them by percentage points.  2 would tie them for least wins in a season, and 3 would keep that from happening.

I'd be fine with 3 or more wins but at this point I still want the best possible chance at the #1 pick.

Besides, a front line of Biyombo at 4 and Davis at 5 would be very entertaining to watch on the defensive end at least.  We would only need another scorer to go with Henderson and we'd have something solid imo.

[DJ_Tet]

Bobcats are likely not making money but as I said it could be much worse.  The city is finally starting to support the team (the building was full during the playoff run a couple of years ago) and the city is hungry for a winner.

You wouldn't expect there to be 11 teams worse than Charlotte in attendance.  This is with the shitty schedule we got too, only 1 Miami game, no LA Laker game, no OKC game.  A lot of the big matchups didn't even come to Charlotte this year because of the unbalanced schedule, but attendance is still on the rise. 

[Cormacaroni]

There's a difference between gutting your roster, clearing cap space and trying to improve the future of the team, and tanking.

which is?

I mean, coaches rarely do anything that could be interpreted as tanking but at the GM level, moves to 'gut the roster, clear cap space and trying to improve the future of the team' are functionally identical to 'tanking'. It's just one has a negative connotation and the other a positive. I mean, pilonv1 recognizes that his team is 'tanking' at a management level even while the coach and players are still doing their damnedest to win. Under the current rules, tanking makes perfect sense. It all hinges on how you view the track record of management really. The Spurs and the Clippers could make exactly the same moves, and the Spurs would be hailed as shrewd or ingenious while the Clippers would be viewed with suspicion.

[DJ_Tet]

I see what you're saying but tanking has always applied to the players you put on the court and their actual effort.

You can say Charlotte didn't put a competitive team on the court (and I've said that plenty as a STH) but they are still playing for their jobs.  They just aren't even close to competitive.

Meanwhile you've got a team with some actual NBA talent in New Orleans who somehow manages to lose every close game they compete in. 

Funny you mention the Spurs since they did tank a complete season in which Boston was legitimately terrible, and were rewarded with Duncan.  But no one talks about it. 

[Cormacaroni]

Well, fans of teams like the Hornets construct a wishful-thinking narrative as follows: We have some good players. We took a lot of good teams to the last minutes of a lot of games. We stand to get some high draft pick(s) next year. Things are looking up.

It's not necessarily any worse than what you are saying: Our team is shit, but they try hard. Next year we stand to get a high draft pick. Things are looking up!

Both involve a lot of optimism, and frankly I think there is a lot to be said for plugging away like the Rockets: taking every opportunity to get even slightly better, so you are in a good position whenever a home-run type player comes along, by trade, free agency or the draft. Sure, they're never going to get to the top of the draft, and sure, it's tough for them to get a big-time free agent. But God knows, on any random night over the past 10 years, I'd rather have gone to see the Rockets than most lottery teams.

[etiolate]

But that optimism is like tainted with the truth they're hiding from. it's really annoying. I can't deal with most kings fans because they're in that mode right now. No matter the draft order, you're still stuck with the Maloofs and Petrie up top.

[Cormacaroni]

An NBA team is perfectly analogous to any other company. You can spot bad management a mile away. Lack of flexibility, refusal to innovate, clinging to the ghosts of past successes, unclear power structure - all killers to a company or to a team. The fact that so many teams are run by ex-athletes who'd struggle to get through a semester of business school but get their way due to charisma or the memory of on-court glories is also a major, major problem

[DJ_Tet]

I agree with most of what you said Cor, but you can't say the Rockets in the last 10 years haven't had anything.  Did you forget #1 draft pick Yao Ming?  Probably HoFer (it would only be injuries keeping him out.)

I know what you're saying and their GM is very highly regarded, and yes, they compete year after year.  But they also got the most physically gifted center since Shaq.

[Cormacaroni]

Well, they had him some of the time, yeah. They had just as much success without him a lot of the time, including that 22 (?) win streak, because they always had surprisingly good role players. Every move they make in the Morey era seems to make them incrementally better, although they are obviously still desperate for a big man. Even there, you can't fault them for not trying - they've put together some creative trades that came within a hair of netting them the star they wanted.

I believe that excellence is a process. You can get lucky a few times, or you can make the right decision many times in a row. Sam Presti did both. Morey did the latter. The pre-LeBron Cavs did the former. If I was hiring a GM for MY team though, I'd want to hear a better plan than 'we are going to suck really hard and bottom out...just like half the other teams in the league'.

[Flannel Boy]

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/page/NBAMVP-120328/#nbamvp-rankings

3. KOBE BRYANT, LAKERS 

    Amelia Gerson @agerson24

    @NBAonESPN theres no way kobe's only #3! what kinda system are yall using? he's behind lebron-even though he dominates in the 4th..? #NBAMVP
    28 Mar 12



    #NBAMVP 3: Kobe Bryant. es.pn/HfOJUo

    The one that hoops @NoCHANCEtoLose

    The only person in front of him should be Kevin Durant. RT @NBAonESPN: #NBAMVP 3: Kobe Bryant. es.pn/HfOJUo
    28 Mar 12

 
    Kobeliever @EmmaXuBryant

    #NBAMVP People need to see more how Kobe deserves to be MVP of this season. Lakers is a mess yet he is still pushing the team! @NBAonESPN
    28 Mar 12



    Grigor Gumushyan @CEOGumz

    @NBAonESPN Take Kobe out of Lakers they don't make the playoffs, take Lebron and Durant out of their teams they make the playoffs. #NBAMVP

The only team with a dumber fanbase: The Toronto Maple Leafs

[Stoney Mason]

Knicks have won 8 out of last 9. A game up over 500.

[Beezy]

Knicks have won 8 out of last 9. A game up over 500.

And they shat on the Magics without Lin or Amare (that probably improved their defense). I personally don't think the Magics a good team though...

[Smooth Groove]

So awesome.

I wonder when Lebron will start wearing them. 

[Phoenix Dark]

 

[etiolate]

man modern basketball shoes are fugly

black people explain the infatuation to me

[pilonv1]

Here's a look back at an era of REAL SHOES

http://www.complex.com/sneakers/2012/03/a-complete-sneaker-guide-to-white-men-cant-jump

[Beezy]

man modern basketball shoes are fugly

black people explain the infatuation to me

Sneakerheads aren't infatuated with the basketball sneakers that Smooth Groove posts.

[Stoney Mason]

I haven't bought a pair of shoes that cost over $30 dollars since I've been an adult.

But that's just me.

[Flannel Boy]

  Stoney

[Stoney Mason]

Games of interest tonight.

Dallas at Miami.

OKC at the Lakers

Both on TNT tonight.

[TakingBackSunday]

squeee.  love NBA thursdays.  Miami will probably win; wish it was a road game to see if they could scrote up and win an away game.

[TakingBackSunday]

What do you guys think of this?

http://espn.go.com/nba/truehoop/miamiheat/story/_/id/7752775/steve-nash-listen-miami-heat-free-agent

If Nash went to Miami...wow.

[Cormacaroni]

I think...the Suns were fucking idiotic not to trade him

Yeah, he'd be great on the Heat as a rental, although they'd have to hide him defensively. But let's face it, all of the Heatles are rentals.

[TakingBackSunday]

Yup.  But, a starting unit of Bron, Wade, Nash, Bosh, Anthony, and...Fifth Guy™ would be amazing.

[Cormacaroni]

think you mean Sixth Guy

[pilonv1]

Maybe the heat are going to bust out that 2-1-3 zone that I've always heard about?

[Cormacaroni]

just starting Heat-Mavs, again aghast at the shittiness of the Heat fans (not the ones who are actually there, the ones who can't be fucking bothered to show up on time to boo the guys who beat them in the Finals last year)

[naff]

man modern basketball shoes are fugly

black people explain the infatuation to me

I'm white and like basketball shoes. I wouldn't wear 'em much off the court, but I really like D Roses latest adizero 2.5's.

Just starting the Heat - Mavs game. More interested in the OKC - LAL game later

[TakingBackSunday]

think you mean Sixth Guy

umm...

No, it was a subtle Anthony diss!