*NBA THREAD* Abe will be missed (1 Viewer)

[Gr00vus]

In the history of the NBA/BAA, NBA Championship coaches and the number of NBA HC jobs they had before they won their first NBA Championship:

Phil Jackson - 0

Doc Rivers - 1

Greg Popovich - 0

Pat Riley - 0

Larry Brown - 10

Rudy Tomjanovich - 0

Chuck Daly - 1

Bill Fitch - 1

Billy Cunningham - 0

Paul Westhead - 0

Lenny Wilkins - 0

**** Motta - 1

Jack Ramsay - 2

Tom Heinsohn - 0

Al Attles - 0

Red Holzman - 2

Bill Sharman - 1

Larry Costello - 0

Bill Russell - 0

Alex Hannum - 0

Red Aurbach - 1

George Senesky - 0

Al Servi - 0

John Kundla - 0

Les Harrison - 0

Buddy Jeanette - 0

Edward Gotlieb - 0

Of those coaches, well over half (17 of 26 or 65%) had no previous NBA HC jobs before becoming HC of the teams they ultimately won their first championship with.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

Never doubted the talent, just his ability to win it all.Clutchness rating is around a 5/10. Still average nothing special.

seems reasonable.

 

[tommyGunZ]

Who knew Gr00ves was such a Brian Shaw fan?

 

[drummer]

Heat in 5 or 6.

Meanwhile Mark Heisler rips the Mike Brown hiring (making some points I recall seeing someone around here make) and J.J. Adande points out that the Lakers have entered a period of disarray.

Did you know Jimmy, sorry I mean the Lakers, only interviewed one person for the HC job?

He ripped the process. He didn't really make any points about Mike Brown.This all he wrote about Mike Brown as a coach:

Brown is a decent coach but all he has over Rick Adelman and Mike Dunleavy is his record ... in the regular season ... courtesy of LeBron James.

Brown kept James in the half-court from ages 20-25 and, at least at the end, they had no Kobe-Phil-type working bond.

The Cavaliers fired Brown last spring to find a coach who had played in the NBA and would drive James — which was what James said he wanted.

That's not exactly great analysis.

the son of owner Jerry Buss again shows he doesn't know what he's doing by picking Brown over several other better candidates

If they were going to pay $4.5 million a year for a defense-minded, non-Lakers-style coach, the easy choice was Van Gundy, who soothed the press beast as New York Knicks coach, the only job harder than the Lakers.

I'm sure Heisler doesn't know what he's talking about either.

Do you really think that's some great analysis of Mike Brown? There are two points about him in your quotes: 1) He's defense-minded; and, 2) he's a non-Lakers-style coach. Amazing stuff, right?Jeff Van Gundy wasn't a candidate. Wasn't your point that Brian Shaw should have been hired instead of Mike Brown? Point me to the quotes from Heisler about why Shaw was the better candidate. Oh right, there were none. On Shaw: "That left Adelman, Dunleavy with non-starters Brian Shaw and Chuck Person."

Yeah, I'm sure there's no analysis behind Heisler's conclusions, he's just letting stuff fly. He's saying VanGundy, Shaw, etc. weren't candidates because Jim Buss became fixated on Brown - he didn't even interview anyone else.

Are you familiar with Heisler? He does tend to just let stuff fly. And, if he does have analysis behind his conclusions, it would have made for a much better story if he provided them to the reader.

He's not as bad as T.J. Simers. I don't know how that guy has a job in journalism.

 

[Gr00vus]

Who knew Gr00ves was such a Brian Shaw fan?

I'm not. I'm just not a Mike Brown fan. I would rather see Shaw get the shot than Brown for sure. Brown is a bad fit for this team unless they're going to blow it up like right now.

 

[drummer]

Who knew Gr00ves was such a Brian Shaw fan?

I'm not. I'm just not a Mike Brown fan. I would rather see Shaw get the shot than Brown for sure. Brown is a bad fit for this team unless they're going to blow it up like right now.

They can start by trying to bring Jerry West back.

 

[Gr00vus]

Who knew Gr00ves was such a Brian Shaw fan?

I'm not. I'm just not a Mike Brown fan. I would rather see Shaw get the shot than Brown for sure. Brown is a bad fit for this team unless they're going to blow it up like right now.

They can start by trying to bring Jerry West back.

He already went to GS. If you read the Adande article, he summarizes basically what I think is going on behind the scenes with the team, and it involves Jim Buss trying to prove he's the man by jettisoning anything to do with the past.

 

[tommyGunZ]

Who knew Gr00ves was such a Brian Shaw fan?

I'm not. I'm just not a Mike Brown fan. I would rather see Shaw get the shot than Brown for sure. Brown is a bad fit for this team unless they're going to blow it up like right now.

Well, they're obviously not blowing it up. Your strong objection to the Brown is noted. I'm not a big Brown backer, but I feel better after reading up on him the last few days. I think the reason I find your objection to Brown off base is due to the lack of exciting alternatives. I don't know how you can objectively look at Brown and be up in arms over the people he beat out.

 

[Gr00vus]

Who knew Gr00ves was such a Brian Shaw fan?

I'm not. I'm just not a Mike Brown fan. I would rather see Shaw get the shot than Brown for sure. Brown is a bad fit for this team unless they're going to blow it up like right now.

Well, they're obviously not blowing it up. Your strong objection to the Brown is noted. I'm not a big Brown backer, but I feel better after reading up on him the last few days. I think the reason I find your objection to Brown off base is due to the lack of exciting alternatives. I don't know how you can objectively look at Brown and be up in arms over the people he beat out.

Didn't like Adelman or Dunlevy. Might have enjoyed VanGundy. Think Shaw was the right guy for this team a this time, because, as you say, there weren't great options out there, he'd bring some continuity, Kobe respects him. I think Brown is a joke as a HC. Maybe he'd be a good AC for specializing on defense. But he's not going to be successful in making drastic changes to this team of veterans.

 

[PizzaDeliveryGuy]

Never doubted the talent, just his ability to win it all.Clutchness rating is around a 5/10. Still average nothing special.

seems reasonable.

 

[drummer]

Who knew Gr00ves was such a Brian Shaw fan?

I'm not. I'm just not a Mike Brown fan. I would rather see Shaw get the shot than Brown for sure. Brown is a bad fit for this team unless they're going to blow it up like right now.

They can start by trying to bring Jerry West back.

He already went to GS. If you read the Adande article, he summarizes basically what I think is going on behind the scenes with the team, and it involves Jim Buss trying to prove he's the man by jettisoning anything to do with the past.

West went to Golden State? That's great news for Warriors. GS has suffered some horrid management over the years. The new owner is a Hollywood producer (I forget the name). Good for GS. Kupchak is a fraud.

 

[drummer]

Who knew Gr00ves was such a Brian Shaw fan?

I'm not. I'm just not a Mike Brown fan. I would rather see Shaw get the shot than Brown for sure. Brown is a bad fit for this team unless they're going to blow it up like right now.

Well, they're obviously not blowing it up. Your strong objection to the Brown is noted. I'm not a big Brown backer, but I feel better after reading up on him the last few days. I think the reason I find your objection to Brown off base is due to the lack of exciting alternatives. I don't know how you can objectively look at Brown and be up in arms over the people he beat out.

Didn't like Adelman or Dunlevy. Might have enjoyed VanGundy. Think Shaw was the right guy for this team a this time, because, as you say, there weren't great options out there, he'd bring some continuity, Kobe respects him. I think Brown is a joke as a HC. Maybe he'd be a good AC for specializing on defense. But he's not going to be successful in making drastic changes to this team of veterans.

I guess Jerry Sloan isn't Hollywood enough for the Lakers, and I don't think Sloan would have bit that carrot anyway. He's better than any of those other coaches mentioned.

 

[No. 16]

Never doubted the talent, just his ability to win it all.Clutchness rating is around a 5/10. Still average nothing special.

Care to flesh out what an 8-10 would be? How can he be anymore clutch? How many times does he need to do an as of yet undefined "clutch act" before he is a 10? Splain lucy.

0- Nick Anderson5 - Kobe10 - Horry, West, MJAside from the past two games against the Bulls the Heat have typically won fairly convincingly or lost. Just hasn't had many moments to shine.

 

[Gr00vus]

Who knew Gr00ves was such a Brian Shaw fan?

I'm not. I'm just not a Mike Brown fan. I would rather see Shaw get the shot than Brown for sure. Brown is a bad fit for this team unless they're going to blow it up like right now.

Well, they're obviously not blowing it up. Your strong objection to the Brown is noted. I'm not a big Brown backer, but I feel better after reading up on him the last few days. I think the reason I find your objection to Brown off base is due to the lack of exciting alternatives. I don't know how you can objectively look at Brown and be up in arms over the people he beat out.

Didn't like Adelman or Dunlevy. Might have enjoyed VanGundy. Think Shaw was the right guy for this team a this time, because, as you say, there weren't great options out there, he'd bring some continuity, Kobe respects him. I think Brown is a joke as a HC. Maybe he'd be a good AC for specializing on defense. But he's not going to be successful in making drastic changes to this team of veterans.

I guess Jerry Sloan isn't Hollywood enough for the Lakers, and I don't think Sloan would have bit that carrot anyway. He's better than any of those other coaches mentioned.

Love Sloan. But I think Sloan is all done. He's not getting mentioned for any vacancies. I wonder if his style would work with these Lakers too. I just don't see someone coming in from the outside and imposing a drastically different approach on a team of ex-champ vets.

 

[PizzaDeliveryGuy]

Never doubted the talent, just his ability to win it all.Clutchness rating is around a 5/10. Still average nothing special.

Care to flesh out what an 8-10 would be? How can he be anymore clutch? How many times does he need to do an as of yet undefined "clutch act" before he is a 10? Splain lucy.

0- Nick Anderson5 - Kobe10 - Horry, West, MJAside from the past two games against the Bulls the Heat have typically won fairly convincingly or lost. Just hasn't had many moments to shine.

Lebron has absolutely dominated the 4th quarter of 5 games in the last two series. I'd say he has been as clutch as you can possibly be in these playoffs.

 

[Instinctive]

Nowhere near as clutch as Dirk, but definitely the 2nd most clutch player of these playoffs.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

Nowhere near as clutch as Dirk, but definitely the 2nd most clutch player of these playoffs.

I guess we shall find out soon enough. Wade has been pretty good late in games after having problems earlier too. He certainly was clutch in 06.

 

[Instinctive]

Nowhere near as clutch as Dirk, but definitely the 2nd most clutch player of these playoffs.

I guess we shall find out soon enough. Wade has been pretty good late in games after having problems earlier too. He certainly was clutch bet on by the refs in 06.

Fixed

 

[cvnpoka]

Who knew Gr00ves was such a Brian Shaw fan?

I'm not. I'm just not a Mike Brown fan. I would rather see Shaw get the shot than Brown for sure. Brown is a bad fit for this team unless they're going to blow it up like right now.

brown focuses on defense. the lakers have phenomenal defensive components. what am i missing?

 

[Mr. PadresLakers]

Who knew Gr00ves was such a Brian Shaw fan?

I'm not. I'm just not a Mike Brown fan. I would rather see Shaw get the shot than Brown for sure. Brown is a bad fit for this team unless they're going to blow it up like right now.

brown focuses on defense. the lakers have phenomenal defensive components. what am i missing?

The unsubstantiated theory is that Mike Brown's defensive prowess only works on young players.

 

[Thread Killer]

Eddie House is a scrub and a duush. A doushy scrub.

 

[boubucarow]

Never doubted the talent, just his ability to win it all.Clutchness rating is around a 5/10. Still average nothing special.

Care to flesh out what an 8-10 would be? How can he be anymore clutch? How many times does he need to do an as of yet undefined "clutch act" before he is a 10? Splain lucy.

I can't stand LeBron and to a lesser extent Wade/Bosh. They celebrated before they worked. They assumed it would be easy. They pouted when it wasn't. They whine about people not liking them when people have every reason not to like them (in a pure basketball fan type of way). Etc, etc, etc...But, he owned that series. They didn't win because of Bosh or Wade or Haslem. They won because James decided to end Derrick Rose's season. He played defense at a level rarely seen. He dominated late in games on both ends and the 4th quarter is where the series was won. I am in awe of his talent and wonder if he could be the most talented player ever.

 

[JMon348]

Crazy stat. Every single western conference team has won a playoff series in the last 10 years except the Blazers.

 

[Abraham]

Never doubted the talent, just his ability to win it all.Clutchness rating is around a 5/10. Still average nothing special.

Care to flesh out what an 8-10 would be? How can he be anymore clutch? How many times does he need to do an as of yet undefined "clutch act" before he is a 10? Splain lucy.

I can't stand LeBron and to a lesser extent Wade/Bosh. They celebrated before they worked. They assumed it would be easy. They pouted when it wasn't. They whine about people not liking them when people have every reason not to like them (in a pure basketball fan type of way). Etc, etc, etc...But, he owned that series. They didn't win because of Bosh or Wade or Haslem. They won because James decided to end Derrick Rose's season. He played defense at a level rarely seen. He dominated late in games on both ends and the 4th quarter is where the series was won. I am in awe of his talent and wonder if he could be the most talented player ever.

I agree with much if what you said.

 

[No. 16]

Crazy stat. Every single western conference team has won a playoff series in the last 10 years except the Blazers.

Ha and the Warriors have only been to the playoffs one time in 18 years!

 

[bentley]

Miami is going to punch Dallas in the taint. And I say this as someone with an autographed 8 x 10 of Jay Vincent in their house.

 

[Juxtatarot]

link

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Sources: Cavs eye trade to add 2nd pick

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By Chris Broussard

ESPN The Magazine

Already owners of the No. 1 pick in the draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers are trying to sweeten their position by securing the second pick as well, according to league sources.

The Cavaliers are in discussions with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons about a three-team trade that would give Cleveland the top two picks of next month's NBA draft.

With the NBA lottery done and the draft order settled, ESPN NBA Insider Chad Ford takes a second look at which prospect will land with which team. Mock 2.0

The Cavaliers would use the picks to select Duke point guard Kyrie Irving and Arizona forward Derrick Williams, the sources said.

In the trade being discussed, Cleveland would absorb Detroit's Richard Hamilton into the $14.6 million trade exception it received in last summer's LeBron James sign-and-trade with Miami, while also receiving the Pistons' No. 8 pick. The Cavaliers would then send that pick, along with their fourth pick, to Minnesota for the Timberwolves' second pick.

Cleveland would then buy Hamilton out of the $25 million remaining in the last two years on his contract, leaving the veteran shooting guard free to sign with another club as a free agent. Chicago would be one of the likeliest destinations.

Cleveland nearly traded for Hamilton at the February trade deadline with the intention of buying him out. In that scenario, Hamilton would have signed with Chicago after the buyout. The motivation for Detroit, which has been looking to move Hamilton for years, is mainly financial.

Whether the trade comes to fruition or not, the Cavaliers are all but certain to use the No. 1 pick on Irving, a favorite of the team's front office. The club's owner, Dan Gilbert, is a huge fan of Williams and sees him and Irving as building blocks for the future.

While one of the Cavaliers' greatest needs is at small forward, Williams, though viewed as a 'tweener, is seen by most league executives as a power forward. If the Cavs draft Williams and determine that he can't play small forward, they may deal power forward J.J. Hickson, who has good value on the trade market.

Interesting NBA story for many reasons, of course. As a Bulls homer I'm most interested in the Rip buyout angle. I know he's not the player he once was but I must wonder if Rip could have been the difference in the Bulls-Heat series. He's certainly better than the Bogans-Korver-Brewer trio. Rip to the Bulls would seem like a good bet if this actually happens.

 

[the moops]

Leave it to Kahn to trade out of the two slot for the 4th and 8th pick in a 2 person draft.

 

[Juxtatarot]

Leave it to Kahn to trade out of the two slot for the 4th and 8th pick in a 2 person draft.

We hear this stuff every year (it's an X player draft) but it rarely ends up being true. For instance, the 2008 draft was supposed to a 2 player draft (Rose and Beasley) but Beasley underperformed while Westbrook (#4) and Love (#5) proved to be much better players.

 

[boubucarow]

Leave it to Kahn to trade out of the two slot for the 4th and 8th pick in a 2 person draft.

We hear this stuff every year but it rarely ends up being true. For instance, the 2008 draft was supposed to a 2 player draft (Rose and Beasley) but Beasley underperformed while Westbrook (#4) and Love (#5) proved to be much better players.

And it seems the general consensus in this draft is that solid NBA players can be found deeper than usual while the upside at the top is less then usual.

 

[Kev4029]

link

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Sources: Cavs eye trade to add 2nd pick

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By Chris Broussard

ESPN The Magazine

Already owners of the No. 1 pick in the draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers are trying to sweeten their position by securing the second pick as well, according to league sources.

The Cavaliers are in discussions with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons about a three-team trade that would give Cleveland the top two picks of next month's NBA draft.

With the NBA lottery done and the draft order settled, ESPN NBA Insider Chad Ford takes a second look at which prospect will land with which team. Mock 2.0

The Cavaliers would use the picks to select Duke point guard Kyrie Irving and Arizona forward Derrick Williams, the sources said.

In the trade being discussed, Cleveland would absorb Detroit's Richard Hamilton into the $14.6 million trade exception it received in last summer's LeBron James sign-and-trade with Miami, while also receiving the Pistons' No. 8 pick. The Cavaliers would then send that pick, along with their fourth pick, to Minnesota for the Timberwolves' second pick.

Cleveland would then buy Hamilton out of the $25 million remaining in the last two years on his contract, leaving the veteran shooting guard free to sign with another club as a free agent. Chicago would be one of the likeliest destinations.

Cleveland nearly traded for Hamilton at the February trade deadline with the intention of buying him out. In that scenario, Hamilton would have signed with Chicago after the buyout. The motivation for Detroit, which has been looking to move Hamilton for years, is mainly financial.

Whether the trade comes to fruition or not, the Cavaliers are all but certain to use the No. 1 pick on Irving, a favorite of the team's front office. The club's owner, Dan Gilbert, is a huge fan of Williams and sees him and Irving as building blocks for the future.

While one of the Cavaliers' greatest needs is at small forward, Williams, though viewed as a 'tweener, is seen by most league executives as a power forward. If the Cavs draft Williams and determine that he can't play small forward, they may deal power forward J.J. Hickson, who has good value on the trade market.

Interesting NBA story for many reasons, of course. As a Bulls homer I'm most interested in the Rip buyout angle. I know he's not the player he once was but I must wonder if Rip could have been the difference in the Bulls-Heat series. He's certainly better than the Bogans-Korver-Brewer trio. Rip to the Bulls would seem like a good bet if this actually happens.

I think JR Smith or even Courtney Lee would be a better fit. Rip is a high usage low efficiency scorer who does little else to help a team. Hes probably best suited as a 6th man who plays 20-25 mpg.

 

[Juxtatarot]

link

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Sources: Cavs eye trade to add 2nd pick

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By Chris Broussard

ESPN The Magazine

Already owners of the No. 1 pick in the draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers are trying to sweeten their position by securing the second pick as well, according to league sources.

The Cavaliers are in discussions with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons about a three-team trade that would give Cleveland the top two picks of next month's NBA draft.

With the NBA lottery done and the draft order settled, ESPN NBA Insider Chad Ford takes a second look at which prospect will land with which team. Mock 2.0

The Cavaliers would use the picks to select Duke point guard Kyrie Irving and Arizona forward Derrick Williams, the sources said.

In the trade being discussed, Cleveland would absorb Detroit's Richard Hamilton into the $14.6 million trade exception it received in last summer's LeBron James sign-and-trade with Miami, while also receiving the Pistons' No. 8 pick. The Cavaliers would then send that pick, along with their fourth pick, to Minnesota for the Timberwolves' second pick.

Cleveland would then buy Hamilton out of the $25 million remaining in the last two years on his contract, leaving the veteran shooting guard free to sign with another club as a free agent. Chicago would be one of the likeliest destinations.

Cleveland nearly traded for Hamilton at the February trade deadline with the intention of buying him out. In that scenario, Hamilton would have signed with Chicago after the buyout. The motivation for Detroit, which has been looking to move Hamilton for years, is mainly financial.

Whether the trade comes to fruition or not, the Cavaliers are all but certain to use the No. 1 pick on Irving, a favorite of the team's front office. The club's owner, Dan Gilbert, is a huge fan of Williams and sees him and Irving as building blocks for the future.

While one of the Cavaliers' greatest needs is at small forward, Williams, though viewed as a 'tweener, is seen by most league executives as a power forward. If the Cavs draft Williams and determine that he can't play small forward, they may deal power forward J.J. Hickson, who has good value on the trade market.

Interesting NBA story for many reasons, of course. As a Bulls homer I'm most interested in the Rip buyout angle. I know he's not the player he once was but I must wonder if Rip could have been the difference in the Bulls-Heat series. He's certainly better than the Bogans-Korver-Brewer trio. Rip to the Bulls would seem like a good bet if this actually happens.

I think JR Smith or even Courtney Lee would be a better fit. Rip is a high usage low efficiency scorer who does little else to help a team. Hes probably best suited as a 6th man who plays 20-25 mpg.

J.R. Smith would be a great fit if he weren't such a knucklehead. However, if he weren't such a knucklehead, the Hornets wouldn't have been so eager to get rid of him nor would he have one foot out the door in Denver. Bulls would have to trade for Courtney Lee since he's still under contract. At the trading deadline it would have cost the Bulls at least Gibson or Asik for Lee (IIRC, Houston wanted the future Bobcats' pick owned by the Bulls too). Lee isn't worth all that. The Bulls are better off focusing on others who wouldn't require giving up assets.

The hope with Rip is his numbers would improve playing with Rose and being rejuvenated by playing for a contender again. We all know he hasn't been happy in Detroit the last few years. Obviously that's a bit of a gamble but if he is signed cheaply after a buyout, the risk isn't huge.

 

[cvnpoka]

rip is not a shot creator. his usage largely comes from the team running a lot of plays for him running off relentless screens. he would be an awful 6th man.

i guess he could fit in chicago, but i think he kinda sucks now.

 

[Kev4029]

rip is not a shot creator. his usage largely comes from the team running a lot of plays for him running off relentless screens. he would be an awful 6th man.i guess he could fit in chicago, but i think he kinda sucks now.

He wouldn't fit as a starter with Rose because neither of them would be able to defend anybody and Deng can't really guard SGs. Hamilton just isn't much of a player anymore.

 

[Kev4029]

link

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Sources: Cavs eye trade to add 2nd pick

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By Chris Broussard

ESPN The Magazine

Already owners of the No. 1 pick in the draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers are trying to sweeten their position by securing the second pick as well, according to league sources.

The Cavaliers are in discussions with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons about a three-team trade that would give Cleveland the top two picks of next month's NBA draft.

With the NBA lottery done and the draft order settled, ESPN NBA Insider Chad Ford takes a second look at which prospect will land with which team. Mock 2.0

The Cavaliers would use the picks to select Duke point guard Kyrie Irving and Arizona forward Derrick Williams, the sources said.

In the trade being discussed, Cleveland would absorb Detroit's Richard Hamilton into the $14.6 million trade exception it received in last summer's LeBron James sign-and-trade with Miami, while also receiving the Pistons' No. 8 pick. The Cavaliers would then send that pick, along with their fourth pick, to Minnesota for the Timberwolves' second pick.

Cleveland would then buy Hamilton out of the $25 million remaining in the last two years on his contract, leaving the veteran shooting guard free to sign with another club as a free agent. Chicago would be one of the likeliest destinations.

Cleveland nearly traded for Hamilton at the February trade deadline with the intention of buying him out. In that scenario, Hamilton would have signed with Chicago after the buyout. The motivation for Detroit, which has been looking to move Hamilton for years, is mainly financial.

Whether the trade comes to fruition or not, the Cavaliers are all but certain to use the No. 1 pick on Irving, a favorite of the team's front office. The club's owner, Dan Gilbert, is a huge fan of Williams and sees him and Irving as building blocks for the future.

While one of the Cavaliers' greatest needs is at small forward, Williams, though viewed as a 'tweener, is seen by most league executives as a power forward. If the Cavs draft Williams and determine that he can't play small forward, they may deal power forward J.J. Hickson, who has good value on the trade market.

Interesting NBA story for many reasons, of course. As a Bulls homer I'm most interested in the Rip buyout angle. I know he's not the player he once was but I must wonder if Rip could have been the difference in the Bulls-Heat series. He's certainly better than the Bogans-Korver-Brewer trio. Rip to the Bulls would seem like a good bet if this actually happens.

I think JR Smith or even Courtney Lee would be a better fit. Rip is a high usage low efficiency scorer who does little else to help a team. Hes probably best suited as a 6th man who plays 20-25 mpg.

J.R. Smith would be a great fit if he weren't such a knucklehead. However, if he weren't such a knucklehead, the Hornets wouldn't have been so eager to get rid of him nor would he have one foot out the door in Denver. Bulls would have to trade for Courtney Lee since he's still under contract. At the trading deadline it would have cost the Bulls at least Gibson or Asik for Lee (IIRC, Houston wanted the future Bobcats' pick owned by the Bulls too). Lee isn't worth all that. The Bulls are better off focusing on others who wouldn't require giving up assets.

The hope with Rip is his numbers would improve playing with Rose and being rejuvenated by playing for a contender again. We all know he hasn't been happy in Detroit the last few years. Obviously that's a bit of a gamble but if he is signed cheaply after a buyout, the risk isn't huge.

You're right about Lee, I thought he was a restricted free agent, that's not the case. JR Smith is certainly a knucklehead, but it would be impossible for them to sign a player of his caliber if he wasn't a knucklehead. With the lack of real players in this free agency class, I wouldn't be surprised to see somebody over bid on Smith because of his insane abilities.

 

[Juxtatarot]

JR Smith is certainly a knucklehead, but it would be impossible for them to sign a player of his caliber if he wasn't a knucklehead. With the lack of real players in this free agency class, I wouldn't be surprised to see somebody over bid on Smith because of his insane abilities.

Considering the contracts players like Travis Outlaw, Hakim Warrick and Drew Gooden got last year in the greatest of free agency classes, Smith getting overpaid is a near certainly.

 

[sihaokills]

I think the Lakers will improve on defense... Anyone offseason trades for the Lakers?Maybe Odom or Gasol

 

[Grady Wilson]

So, do many of you on here give the Mavs a chance of winning the series? I don't know of many outside of the Dallas metroplex that have faith in DAllas winning. Personally, I think they win it, but that's the homer side of me.

 

[cvnpoka]

So, does many of you on here give the Mavs a chance of winning the series? I don't know of many outside of the Dallas metroplex that have faith in DAllas winning. Personally, I think they win it, but that's the homer side of me.

well the heat opened at +200/-185 and are now at +172/-155

 

[Abraham]

I think Dallas matches up really well with Miami. I think it should be good series.

 

[Ghost Rider]

So, do many of you on here give the Mavs a chance of winning the series?

Of course. I am not saying they will win the series, but despite the Vegas odds, I consider it a toss-up. It is just like everyone just assuming Miami will win because "it is LeBron's time" are forgetting that Dallas has won 10 of their last 11 playoff games. Miami might very well win, but them winning it is certainly not a foregone conclusion.

 

[Mr. PadresLakers]

Yeah, I'm sure there's no analysis behind Heisler's conclusions, he's just letting stuff fly. He's saying VanGundy, Shaw, etc. weren't candidates because Jim Buss became fixated on Brown - he didn't even interview anyone else.

– Kupchak said they informally talked to five or six coaches, and formally they interviewed three people.

Link

 

[No. 16]

So, do many of you on here give the Mavs a chance of winning the series?

Of course. I am not saying they will win the series, but despite the Vegas odds, I consider it a toss-up. It is just like everyone just assuming Miami will win because "it is LeBron's time" are forgetting that Dallas has won 10 of their last 11 playoff games. Miami might very well win, but them winning it is certainly not a foregone conclusion.

I give Dallas a good chance (40%), but without home court I'm not sure if they can beat the Heat in Miami.Dallas' zone defense could make it tough for LBJ and Wade to penetrate and make plays and on offense the Mavs move the ball unselfishly and as well as any team I can remember.

 

[Premier]

According to Orlando radio and news stations, Dwight Howard announced at his Twitter party yesterday that he's going to sign a 2-year extension.

Tommygunz >

 

[TobiasFunke]

Before the Finals start, I wanted to thank y'all for letting me play in your sandbox this year. I'm a college basketball junkie but have always been a more casual NBA fan, watching my Wizards on TV when I can, catching a live game here and there, and watching a bit of the playoffs. After the Wiz drafted John Wall and the ownership changed hands I decided to jump in with both feet and absorb all the NBA I could for a season- going to a bunch of games, watching a bunch of non-Wizards games in the regular season, listening to Simmons and reading True Hoop and 82games, etc.- to see what I thought of it. And I loved it. This thread was huge a part of that; many thanks for the education.

 

[No. 16]

Before the Finals start, I wanted to thank y'all for letting me play in your sandbox this year. I'm a college basketball junkie but have always been a more casual NBA fan, watching my Wizards on TV when I can, catching a live game here and there, and watching a bit of the playoffs. After the Wiz drafted John Wall and the ownership changed hands I decided to jump in with both feet and absorb all the NBA I could for a season- going to a bunch of games, watching a bunch of non-Wizards games in the regular season, listening to Simmons and reading True Hoop and 82games, etc.- to see what I thought of it. And I loved it. This thread was huge a part of that; many thanks for the education.

Glad to have you! You have always been a good read.The NBA would be crazy to have a lock out kill the greatness of the league right now.

 

[tommyGunZ]

According to Orlando radio and news stations, Dwight Howard announced at his Twitter party yesterday that he's going to sign a 2-year extension. Tommygunz >

Didn't you say Howard would be insane to sign an extension right now?

 

[tommyGunZ]

Before the Finals start, I wanted to thank y'all for letting me play in your sandbox this year. I'm a college basketball junkie but have always been a more casual NBA fan, watching my Wizards on TV when I can, catching a live game here and there, and watching a bit of the playoffs. After the Wiz drafted John Wall and the ownership changed hands I decided to jump in with both feet and absorb all the NBA I could for a season- going to a bunch of games, watching a bunch of non-Wizards games in the regular season, listening to Simmons and reading True Hoop and 82games, etc.- to see what I thought of it. And I loved it. This thread was huge a part of that; many thanks for the education.

This year's thread was much more interesting and entertaining due to your participation.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

My flight tonight takes off at 8:35.

 

[Premier]

According to Orlando radio and news stations, Dwight Howard announced at his Twitter party yesterday that he's going to sign a 2-year extension. Tommygunz >

Didn't you say Howard would be insane to sign an extension right now?

A two-year extension keeps him here another four years. Once again, great call on that "they have to trade him right away" front. You're right on top of these things.