*NBA THREAD* Abe will be missed (2 Viewers)

[Premier]

how does Orlando sell any tickets for the next few years?

Only game in town and beautiful arena to watch a game. Out of all the Florida pro franchises, I think they have the most loyal fanbase.

sucks that the new GM punched them in the nuts here.Not sure I could live with seeing Shaq leave to LA and then Dwight.

Outside of Orlando, most won't notice. All Tampa sports radio has discussed today is the Bucs meaningless preseason game. Football state.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

how does Orlando sell any tickets for the next few years?

Only game in town and beautiful arena to watch a game. Out of all the Florida pro franchises, I think they have the most loyal fanbase.

sucks that the new GM punched them in the nuts here.Not sure I could live with seeing Shaq leave to LA and then Dwight.

Outside of Orlando, most won't notice. All Tampa sports radio has discussed today is the Bucs meaningless preseason game. Football state.

that's what I'm referring to. the season ticket holders in Orlando who have to sit and watch this garbage.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

how does Orlando sell any tickets for the next few years?

Only game in town and beautiful arena to watch a game. Out of all the Florida pro franchises, I think they have the most loyal fanbase.

sucks that the new GM punched them in the nuts here.Not sure I could live with seeing Shaq leave to LA and then Dwight.

Outside of Orlando, most won't notice. All Tampa sports radio has discussed today is the Bucs meaningless preseason game. Football state.

that's what I'm referring to. the season ticket holders in Orlando who have to sit and watch this garbage.

My link

 

[identikit]

how does Orlando sell any tickets for the next few years?

Only game in town and beautiful arena to watch a game. Out of all the Florida pro franchises, I think they have the most loyal fanbase.

sucks that the new GM punched them in the nuts here.Not sure I could live with seeing Shaq leave to LA and then Dwight.

Outside of Orlando, most won't notice. All Tampa sports radio has discussed today is the Bucs meaningless preseason game. Football state.

that's what I'm referring to. the season ticket holders in Orlando who have to sit and watch this garbage.

My link

 

[Abraham]

Yep and that same Olympic team that he is shooting 40% from the field, also that same Olympic team in which he has 7 assists through 6 games. In fact, its also the same Olympics that he is shooting more often than everybody else on the team other than Melo but is the least efficient scorer on the roster. Yup, those Olympics.

Oh, I thought your point was he can't shoot from 3. Now you're talking about something else.But I'm sure your advice to double off Bryant for Nash/Howard would be a great approach for winning basketball games.

My point was Kobe isn't going to magically become a guy that is going to get a ton of open jump shots and retool his game. Even with the Olympic team where he is no better than the 4th scoring option, he is still hoisting up lots of contested jumpers in ISO sets. That's his game. So when you imply that Kobe is a knock down jump shooter that is 1) likely false and 2) irrelevant because he likes running his game out of ISOs anyway.

Who said anything about retooling his game? Why do you think he won't have more easy shots this year than last year? Even if it is from an ISO set, teams won't be able to bring as much pressure down on him as they have the last 2 years. And when Nash starts with the ball, I'm sure Kobe will be able to take advantage of open looks when Nash delivers the ball to him. Also I don't think there's as much of a direct comparison between the Olympic team and the Lakers as you do. And Bryant being a knock down jump shooter is likely false? I don't see that at all. You leave him open, I'm pretty certain he'll make you pay.

If you leave him open he will put his head down and drive in to the congested lane.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

We've been placed on Dwight Howard watch so many times over the past nine months that it seemed inevitable that when a deal finally went down, there would be a seismic shift in the NBA. Now that Howard has reportedly been moved in a four-team megatrade, it's kind of surprising to consider that the top of the league doesn't look that much different than it did at this time yesterday.Don't tell that to Los Angeles Lakers fans, who were pounding their chests in unison last night in various social media formats. When the NBA's marquee franchise nabs the league's pre-eminent big man, who can blame them for their collective hubris? Nevertheless, on paper, the Lakers' roster is still chock-full of concerns.The Lakers' history is dominated by a lineage of big men acquired from other teams who went on to lead them to championship glory. It started with George Mikan, who was selected by a Chicago franchise in the old National Basketball League that went under, leaving the Lakers to pick up the game's first dominant big man in a dispersal draft. The Lakers won five titles with Mikan in the middle.L.A. didn't win another title until 1972, when Wilt Chamberlain anchored the paint, leading the league in rebounding, muscles and dates with the ladies. Chamberlain had been picked up from the 76ers a few years prior for a small pack of stooges. The Lakers bobbed up to the top again in the 1980s, when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar dominated the pivot. He'd been picked up in the mid-1970s from Milwaukee for about half of Southern California, and it was well worth it.Getty ImagesThe Lakers continue their knack for acquiring a big-name big man.After a quiet decade, the Lakers returned to prominence in the late 1990s led by Shaquille O'Neal, who had been signed away from the Orlando Magic because Shaq's personality was just too big for central Florida. It's a scenario that must seem very familiar to Magic fans this morning.That's the modus operandi of the Lakers' franchise: Leverage the star-power of La-La Land to land the biggest fish from the NBA pond at any point in time. Maybe that's why they retained the Lakers nickname even after moving from the land of 10,000 lakes a half-century ago. It wasn't until Andrew Bynum started at center on the Lakers' two most-recent championship teams that L.A. won a title with a big man the team had actually drafted.If history is any guide, there are more championships on the way. Howard is the game's best big man, and his throne is fairly unchallenged even though in some respects Bynum had a better season in 2011-12. Howard is still just 26 and will be playing for the next max contract in the NBA, so he should be at his best in the season to come, provided his surgically repaired back doesn't get in the way.As inevitable as the Lakers' 17th championship might seem this morning, chances are it's not going to happen this coming season. And given the collective age of the Steve Nash-Kobe Bryant backcourt, the next batch of rings might not be so easy to earn.How much improvement?In a vacuum, the Lakers are improved. They brought in Howard and as far as current rosterable players go, lost only Bynum and Christian Eyenga. (Think about that for a second.) However, in terms of closing the gap with the champion Miami Heat -- not to mention the Oklahoma City Thunder, the top team in L.A.'s conference -- how much did the Lakers really accomplish? From a statistical standpoint, the answer to that depends on how much more valuable you think Howard is than Bynum.Over the three seasons prior to 2011-12, Howard was a total of about 40 wins better than Bynum, which is exactly why Lakers fans are so excited today. However, that gap closed considerably last season when Bynum enjoyed the first healthy season of his career and Howard struggled with injuries and motivation. Howard posted an 11.9 WARP last season compared to Bynum's 9.8 mark. Bynum played six more games, but just 45 more minutes, so the playing time difference was minimal. Howard was still the better player, but the gap had narrowed.Now consider that Howard is entering the portion of his career in which his development is likely to plateau. We call these peak seasons because they are likely as good as a player is going to get, and he's going to maintain that level for a campaign or three. Bynum, on the other hand, is a full two years younger, meaning that he's got a season or two left on the upward arc.As a result, it's possible -- not likely, but possible, that there will be no gap at all between the league's two top centers over the next few years. We have to throw the "not likely" qualifier in there because of the gap between the players prior to last season. That gap can be looked at two ways. Bynum's past knee trouble may cloud your opinion of his future, or it might make his pre-2011 numbers look that much better. As for Howard, chances are he'll bounce back to pre-2011 form, but backs are tricky and that is certainly not guaranteed.This is all to say that those expecting a huge leap in the Lakers' projection this morning are going to be disappointed. Those who shun statistics and prefer to discuss the basketball implications of the change may scoff at this, and they might have good reason to do so.Projecting the LakersWe've got two projections systems at Basketball Prospectus, NBAPET (mine) and SCHOENE (created by Kevin Pelton). It's always telling to compare the two because while they usually spit out similar results, the differences that do emerge are often telling.Prior to yesterday, NBAPET had the Lakers as the fifth-best team in the West, while SCHOENE placed L.A. in the fourth slot. After shuffling around the 11 players reported to be involved in the four-team Howard transaction, our systems tell us this: The Lakers are still fifth in West according to NBAPET. SCHOENE says they've jumped all the way to ... fourth. Still.NBAPET in particular gives extra weight to the players on top of the roster and, make no mistake, the Lakers have an extremely top-heavy roster. Of course, we just saw a top-heavy roster roll to an NBA championship, so that's not necessarily a bad thing. There are two basic reasons for the Lakers' relatively pessimistic forecast: The bottom of the roster is really bad, and L.A. plays in a very strong conference.[+] EnlargeNoah Graham/Getty ImagesHoward elevates Kobe and Co., but not as much as one would think.A lot of people are writing down the Lakers' potential starting lineup and noting that it's made up of former All-Stars: Howard, Nash, Bryant, Metta World Peace and Pau Gasol. That's true, but other than Howard, each of those players was markedly better five years ago than he is today. Peace projects to be replacement level or worse this season, so his presence in the lineup isn't necessarily a good thing.Beyond that it's ugly. Jordan Hill, Steve Blake and Josh McRoberts are the only reserves that project to add even a single win to the bottom line. Hill and McRoberts will battle to be the third big man, while Blake will be the third guard. The Lakers are relying heavily on Antawn Jamison, an exceedingly inefficient player ill-suited to be a role player.Right now, we've got the Lakers pegged as the ninth-best offensive team in the league and fifth-best on the defensive end. That's not chopped liver, but it's also not the kind of forecast that has the Heat shaking in their boots. And one could argue that given that the Lakers project to be the oldest team in the league, the solid defensive projection has nothing but downside.A deep Western ConferenceIn the end, the Lakers still project to be about 3-4 wins worse than the Heat and Thunder. That might prove to be worse considering that Oklahoma City's core entirely comprises players still on the ascent. L.A. projects to be better than every non-Heat team in the East, but to get a shot at Miami in the Finals, the Lakers not only have leapfrog the Thunder in the West, but also the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, San Antonio Spurs and -- just maybe -- the Minnesota Timberwolves.The caveat to all this is that the acquisition of Howard probably will improve the Lakers more than it appears in the spreadsheets. Howard is a better pick-and-roll partner for Nash than Bynum, who is more of a pure low-block player. Gasol should be a nice complement to Howard.Indeed, the Lakers' projection would be much worse this morning if they had sent Gasol out of town in the effort to land Howard. Also, Bryant's projection might be understated because the inefficiency he showed last season could have been a function of being asked to do too much on the offensive end, something that should no longer be the case.Lakers fans should be excited this morning because their team is in the championship conversation. But they were in that chat yesterday as well. While Los Angeles has improved itself in the margins and added a degree of certainty to its outlook, the Lakers are no sure bet to escape its conference, much less knock off the Heat.Bradford Doolittle is an author for Basketball Prospectus. Follow him on Twitter at @bbdoolittle.

 

[Kev4029]

Yep and that same Olympic team that he is shooting 40% from the field, also that same Olympic team in which he has 7 assists through 6 games. In fact, its also the same Olympics that he is shooting more often than everybody else on the team other than Melo but is the least efficient scorer on the roster. Yup, those Olympics.

Oh, I thought your point was he can't shoot from 3. Now you're talking about something else.But I'm sure your advice to double off Bryant for Nash/Howard would be a great approach for winning basketball games.

My point was Kobe isn't going to magically become a guy that is going to get a ton of open jump shots and retool his game. Even with the Olympic team where he is no better than the 4th scoring option, he is still hoisting up lots of contested jumpers in ISO sets. That's his game. So when you imply that Kobe is a knock down jump shooter that is 1) likely false and 2) irrelevant because he likes running his game out of ISOs anyway.

Who said anything about retooling his game? Why do you think he won't have more easy shots this year than last year? Even if it is from an ISO set, teams won't be able to bring as much pressure down on him as they have the last 2 years. And when Nash starts with the ball, I'm sure Kobe will be able to take advantage of open looks when Nash delivers the ball to him. Also I don't think there's as much of a direct comparison between the Olympic team and the Lakers as you do. And Bryant being a knock down jump shooter is likely false? I don't see that at all. You leave him open, I'm pretty certain he'll make you pay.

Thirty percent of the time, it works every time.

 

[Gr00vus]

Yep and that same Olympic team that he is shooting 40% from the field, also that same Olympic team in which he has 7 assists through 6 games. In fact, its also the same Olympics that he is shooting more often than everybody else on the team other than Melo but is the least efficient scorer on the roster. Yup, those Olympics.

Oh, I thought your point was he can't shoot from 3. Now you're talking about something else.But I'm sure your advice to double off Bryant for Nash/Howard would be a great approach for winning basketball games.

My point was Kobe isn't going to magically become a guy that is going to get a ton of open jump shots and retool his game. Even with the Olympic team where he is no better than the 4th scoring option, he is still hoisting up lots of contested jumpers in ISO sets. That's his game. So when you imply that Kobe is a knock down jump shooter that is 1) likely false and 2) irrelevant because he likes running his game out of ISOs anyway.

Who said anything about retooling his game? Why do you think he won't have more easy shots this year than last year? Even if it is from an ISO set, teams won't be able to bring as much pressure down on him as they have the last 2 years. And when Nash starts with the ball, I'm sure Kobe will be able to take advantage of open looks when Nash delivers the ball to him. Also I don't think there's as much of a direct comparison between the Olympic team and the Lakers as you do. And Bryant being a knock down jump shooter is likely false? I don't see that at all. You leave him open, I'm pretty certain he'll make you pay.

Thirty percent of the time, it works every time.

100 bones says Bryant shoots better than 30% from 3 this year.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

Should be interesting to see if the public hates and roots against Howard with the same passion they did against LeBron, considering the way Howard got himself out of Orlando was much worse (holding a franchise hostage for two years and forcing a trade vs leaving via free agency), and Howard is by far the bigger tool and far easier to root against.

And he now plays for the Lakers and with Kobe. I think Dwight is going to have a worse problem handling the negativity than Lebron did.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

Has Dwight picked out his Kardashian yet?

 

[Kev4029]

Yep and that same Olympic team that he is shooting 40% from the field, also that same Olympic team in which he has 7 assists through 6 games. In fact, its also the same Olympics that he is shooting more often than everybody else on the team other than Melo but is the least efficient scorer on the roster. Yup, those Olympics.

Oh, I thought your point was he can't shoot from 3. Now you're talking about something else.But I'm sure your advice to double off Bryant for Nash/Howard would be a great approach for winning basketball games.

My point was Kobe isn't going to magically become a guy that is going to get a ton of open jump shots and retool his game. Even with the Olympic team where he is no better than the 4th scoring option, he is still hoisting up lots of contested jumpers in ISO sets. That's his game. So when you imply that Kobe is a knock down jump shooter that is 1) likely false and 2) irrelevant because he likes running his game out of ISOs anyway.

Who said anything about retooling his game? Why do you think he won't have more easy shots this year than last year? Even if it is from an ISO set, teams won't be able to bring as much pressure down on him as they have the last 2 years. And when Nash starts with the ball, I'm sure Kobe will be able to take advantage of open looks when Nash delivers the ball to him. Also I don't think there's as much of a direct comparison between the Olympic team and the Lakers as you do. And Bryant being a knock down jump shooter is likely false? I don't see that at all. You leave him open, I'm pretty certain he'll make you pay.

Thirty percent of the time, it works every time.

100 bones says Bryant shoots better than 30% from 3 this year.

Is 30% what separates a good shooter from a bad one? And no, I'm not taking that bet.

 

[Kiddnets]

I just dont get it: Orlando GM rejects: 23-year-old 7-footer who scores 20ppg with big upside if he can board more..... The second best scoring rookie in the league in 2011...A big, soon to be expiring Humphries who is at least a top 3 rebounder. 4-5 first rounders…all unprotected.....plus take Turk, Richardson and Duhon's crappy contract.... later: Yes I'll take Afflalo, Harrington protected picks and crap and hand the Lakers another 2d franchise Center after they stole one from us years ago!

But it's over now so I just hope the Nets can move on and make deep runs in the playoffs the next few years

Thats is a good thing - tough though as Nets lined up 2 offseason to land him and to come up short for that package is tough to swallow - I could live with it if they got Bynum but to feed the LA machine without even getting a good player back is mind blowing! Howard would have given the Nets a title IMO - now unless everything falls together Nets are a 2d rd playoff team....not that I can complain after years of awfulness but so close!

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

So is this official then?

 

[timschochet]

We've been placed on Dwight Howard watch so many times over the past nine months that it seemed inevitable that when a deal finally went down, there would be a seismic shift in the NBA. Now that Howard has reportedly been moved in a four-team megatrade, it's kind of surprising to consider that the top of the league doesn't look that much different than it did at this time yesterday.Don't tell that to Los Angeles Lakers fans, who were pounding their chests in unison last night in various social media formats. When the NBA's marquee franchise nabs the league's pre-eminent big man, who can blame them for their collective hubris? Nevertheless, on paper, the Lakers' roster is still chock-full of concerns..

You know, I still remember when the Lakers traded Shaq for Lamar Odom and change, there were at least 1 or 2 "experts" who actually claimed the Lakers would be much better off, and in order to prove it they used statistics from the previous year to demonstrate that Odom actually contributed more to his team than Shaq did, and it was worth 3 extra points a game, etc. It was crap. This is crap. The Lakers just traded their above average center for the 2nd or 3rd best player in the NBA. The Lakers have also added one of the best point guards in history, who still has game left. OKC still presents a challenge. Miami still presents a challenge. But to claim the Lakers roster is "still chock full of concerns"???? People will write anything to get attention.

 

[Frostillicus]

People will write anything to get attention.

 

[identikit]

People will write anything to get attention.

Oh my.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

We've been placed on Dwight Howard watch so many times over the past nine months that it seemed inevitable that when a deal finally went down, there would be a seismic shift in the NBA. Now that Howard has reportedly been moved in a four-team megatrade, it's kind of surprising to consider that the top of the league doesn't look that much different than it did at this time yesterday.Don't tell that to Los Angeles Lakers fans, who were pounding their chests in unison last night in various social media formats. When the NBA's marquee franchise nabs the league's pre-eminent big man, who can blame them for their collective hubris? Nevertheless, on paper, the Lakers' roster is still chock-full of concerns..

You know, I still remember when the Lakers traded Shaq for Lamar Odom and change, there were at least 1 or 2 "experts" who actually claimed the Lakers would be much better off, and in order to prove it they used statistics from the previous year to demonstrate that Odom actually contributed more to his team than Shaq did, and it was worth 3 extra points a game, etc. It was crap. This is crap. The Lakers just traded their above average center for the 2nd or 3rd best player in the NBA. The Lakers have also added one of the best point guards in history, who still has game left. OKC still presents a challenge. Miami still presents a challenge. But to claim the Lakers roster is "still chock full of concerns"???? People will write anything to get attention.

Bynum was really good last year.

 

[Snotbubbles]

We've been placed on Dwight Howard watch so many times over the past nine months that it seemed inevitable that when a deal finally went down, there would be a seismic shift in the NBA. Now that Howard has reportedly been moved in a four-team megatrade, it's kind of surprising to consider that the top of the league doesn't look that much different than it did at this time yesterday.Don't tell that to Los Angeles Lakers fans, who were pounding their chests in unison last night in various social media formats. When the NBA's marquee franchise nabs the league's pre-eminent big man, who can blame them for their collective hubris? Nevertheless, on paper, the Lakers' roster is still chock-full of concerns..

You know, I still remember when the Lakers traded Shaq for Lamar Odom and change, there were at least 1 or 2 "experts" who actually claimed the Lakers would be much better off, and in order to prove it they used statistics from the previous year to demonstrate that Odom actually contributed more to his team than Shaq did, and it was worth 3 extra points a game, etc. It was crap. This is crap. The Lakers just traded their above average center for the 2nd or 3rd best player in the NBA. The Lakers have also added one of the best point guards in history, who still has game left. OKC still presents a challenge. Miami still presents a challenge. But to claim the Lakers roster is "still chock full of concerns"???? People will write anything to get attention.

I think Bynum is a bit better than above average. After Howard, he's probably the next best center in the league and the gap between the two isn't that significant and it's closing quickly.

 

[JMon348]

League call over, it's official.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

Our long, national Dwightmare is over.

Worst part of this is that J-Rich and Nash didn't end up back on the same team.

 

[Short Corner]

Lakers have sick depth up front. But no shooters and no outside shooting.

You mean besides Bryant and Nash?

The best shot on the floor for opposing teams for the next year or two is going to be a Bryant jump shot. Kobe shot 30% from 3 last year and hasn't hit 33% for 3 years running. Even better for teams if those inaccurate 3s turn into inaccurate long 2s.

I figure with Nash on board, the degree of difficulty for Bryant's shots will go down quite a bit and his FG% should go up this year. You're not really saying teams should give Bryant open looks, are you?

His degree of difficulty has remained pretty high in London with CP3 and Deron.

 

[Abraham]

People on the magic boards are trying to convince themselves that the team isn't done dealing.

 

[Please See Mine]

People will write anything to get attention.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

The picks are in 14, 15, and 17. What a joke.

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

This league is so fixed it makes me sick.

What a joke

 

[Good Posting Judge]

This league is so fixed it makes me sick.What a joke

I don't think it's "fixed" per se, but the luxury tax obviously still isn't much of a deterrent to the teams that paid luxury tax before the last CBA.

 

[StrikeS2k]

This league is so fixed it makes me sick.What a joke

Yeah, how do those huge markets like San Antonio and OKC expect to compete????

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

This league is so fixed it makes me sick.What a joke

Yeah, how do those huge markets like San Antonio and OKC expect to compete????

they get lucky.Watch where Durant and Hardin and Westbrook end up. boston,NYk, Chicago. Its gonna happen.

 

[BigSteelThrill]

This league is so fixed it makes me sick.What a joke

Yeah, how do those huge markets like San Antonio and OKC expect to compete????

They have the #1 pick after some truly ####ty seasons.

 

[EYLive]

Has Dwight picked out his Kardashian yet?

Do Kendall and Kylie count?

 

[bryhamm]

Has Dwight picked out his Kardashian yet?

Do Kendall and Kylie count?

Only if at the same time.

 

[BigSteelThrill]

Has Dwight picked out his Kardashian yet?

Do Kendall and Kylie count?

Not for a few more years.

 

[StrikeS2k]

This league is so fixed it makes me sick.What a joke

Yeah, how do those huge markets like San Antonio and OKC expect to compete????

They have the #1 pick after some truly ####ty seasons.

Tony Parker was a late first round pick (28th). Manu Ginobli was a late 2nd round pick (57th). More importantly, how do they retain players like that in such a small market?

 

[BigSteelThrill]

This league is so fixed it makes me sick.What a joke

Yeah, how do those huge markets like San Antonio and OKC expect to compete????

They have the #1 pick after some truly ####ty seasons.

Tony Parker was a late first round pick (28th). Manu Ginobli was a late 2nd round pick (57th). More importantly, how do they retain players like that in such a small market?

You dont seem to comprehend.#1) David Robinson#1) Tim Duncan#2) Kevin Durant#4) Russell Westbrook

 

[Beerguzzler]

This league is so fixed it makes me sick.What a joke

Yeah, how do those huge markets like San Antonio and OKC expect to compete????

they get lucky.Watch where Durant and Hardin and Westbrook end up. boston,NYk, Chicago. Its gonna happen.

Durant and Westbrook already signed extensions.

 

[StrikeS2k]

This league is so fixed it makes me sick.What a joke

Yeah, how do those huge markets like San Antonio and OKC expect to compete????

They have the #1 pick after some truly ####ty seasons.

Tony Parker was a late first round pick (28th). Manu Ginobli was a late 2nd round pick (57th). More importantly, how do they retain players like that in such a small market?

You dont seem to comprehend.#1) David Robinson#1) Tim Duncan#1) Kevin Durant#4) Russell Westbrook

You're the one who doesn't seem to comprehend. The post I responded to said all the great players end up in the big markets. I'm asking how teams such as SA and OKC get (ok, we've covered that) and, more importantly, RETAIN players such as those you just mentioned. If those players ALWAYS end up in the big markets how did SA keep all their studs and win 4 championships in the last 12 years or so?

 

[Abraham]

This league is so fixed it makes me sick.What a joke

Yeah, how do those huge markets like San Antonio and OKC expect to compete????

They have the #1 pick after some truly ####ty seasons.

Tony Parker was a late first round pick (28th). Manu Ginobli was a late 2nd round pick (57th). More importantly, how do they retain players like that in such a small market?

You dont seem to comprehend.#1) David Robinson#1) Tim Duncan#1) Kevin Durant#4) Russell Westbrook

Durant was not the first overall pick.

 

[BigSteelThrill]

This league is so fixed it makes me sick.What a joke

Yeah, how do those huge markets like San Antonio and OKC expect to compete????

They have the #1 pick after some truly ####ty seasons.

Tony Parker was a late first round pick (28th). Manu Ginobli was a late 2nd round pick (57th). More importantly, how do they retain players like that in such a small market?

You dont seem to comprehend.#1) David Robinson#1) Tim Duncan#2) Kevin Durant#4) Russell Westbrook

Durant was not the first overall pick.

Nice catch. Too bad Portland wasnt so astute.

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

This league is so fixed it makes me sick.What a joke

Yeah, how do those huge markets like San Antonio and OKC expect to compete????

they get lucky.Watch where Durant and Hardin and Westbrook end up. boston,NYk, Chicago. Its gonna happen.

Durant and Westbrook already signed extensions.

Doenst mean the league wont fix some terrible trade to help out Kobe or LeBron in 2 years.

 

[Premier]

This league is so fixed it makes me sick.What a joke

Yeah, how do those huge markets like San Antonio and OKC expect to compete????

they get lucky.Watch where Durant and Hardin and Westbrook end up. boston,NYk, Chicago. Its gonna happen.

Durant and Westbrook already signed extensions.

Doenst mean the league wont fix some terrible trade to help out Kobe or LeBron in 2 years.

The league is broken and will never have nfl or NHL level balance, but it's not fixed. It's just horribly designed.

 

[No. 16]

This league is so fixed it makes me sick.What a joke

Yeah, how do those huge markets like San Antonio and OKC expect to compete????

They have the #1 pick after some truly ####ty seasons.

Tony Parker was a late first round pick (28th). Manu Ginobli was a late 2nd round pick (57th). More importantly, how do they retain players like that in such a small market?

You dont seem to comprehend.#1) David Robinson#1) Tim Duncan#1) Kevin Durant#4) Russell Westbrook

You're the one who doesn't seem to comprehend. The post I responded to said all the great players end up in the big markets. I'm asking how teams such as SA and OKC get (ok, we've covered that) and, more importantly, RETAIN players such as those you just mentioned. If those players ALWAYS end up in the big markets how did SA keep all their studs and win 4 championships in the last 12 years or so?

Great ownership and leadership.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

This league is so fixed it makes me sick.What a joke

Yeah, how do those huge markets like San Antonio and OKC expect to compete????

they get lucky.Watch where Durant and Hardin and Westbrook end up. boston,NYk, Chicago. Its gonna happen.

Durant and Westbrook already signed extensions.

Doenst mean the league wont fix some terrible trade to help out Kobe or LeBron in 2 years.

The league is broken and will never have nfl or NHL level balance, but it's not fixed. It's just horribly designed.

This is correct.

 

[Moe.]

Kobe starting out the semifinal game like a house on fire. 11 pts in the first 5 minutes. Think he's fired up about the news?

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

This league is so fixed it makes me sick.What a joke

Yeah, how do those huge markets like San Antonio and OKC expect to compete????

they get lucky.Watch where Durant and Hardin and Westbrook end up. boston,NYk, Chicago. Its gonna happen.

Durant and Westbrook already signed extensions.

Doenst mean the league wont fix some terrible trade to help out Kobe or LeBron in 2 years.

The league is broken and will never have nfl or NHL level balance, but it's not fixed. It's just horribly designed.

This is correct.

what are these GMs thinking? Oh I better get something for Dwight before he walks? what did they get? terrible. Its all a giant ruse.lakers vs Heat finals. Mark it down!

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

Will Dwight see the floor before Xmas?

 

[Moe.]

Prigioni will be the best pg on the Knicks next year, yes? Definitely better than Kidd.

 

[Yo Mama]

Jodie Meeks signs with Lakers at 2 years for $3m. 2nd year is team option.

 

[Short Corner]

Lakers have sick depth up front. But no shooters and no outside shooting.

You mean besides Bryant and Nash?

The best shot on the floor for opposing teams for the next year or two is going to be a Bryant jump shot. Kobe shot 30% from 3 last year and hasn't hit 33% for 3 years running. Even better for teams if those inaccurate 3s turn into inaccurate long 2s.

I figure with Nash on board, the degree of difficulty for Bryant's shots will go down quite a bit and his FG% should go up this year. You're not really saying teams should give Bryant open looks, are you?

Bryant is getting the same shots with the Olympic team that he got with the Lakers the last couple years, I don't see him suddenly running of screens or something. He's still going to want isolations. And I don't think teams should give Kobe open looks but if a guard is cheating down to help on Howard, it would be a much better idea for that guy to come off Kobe than Nash.But, if teams can force Kobe outside and have him continue to shoot jump shots like he did last year, I think that is a positive for the opposing team.

You mean the Olympic team on which he's shooting 42% from 3?

He's bringing down the team average.And how does anyone have an Assist-to-Turnover Ratio < 1 on a team with that much talent?

 

[Kev4029]

This league is so fixed it makes me sick.What a joke

Yeah, how do those huge markets like San Antonio and OKC expect to compete????

they get lucky.Watch where Durant and Hardin and Westbrook end up. boston,NYk, Chicago. Its gonna happen.

Durant and Westbrook already signed extensions.

Just like Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, Lebron James, Chris Bosh... I ####### hate that argument. Hypothetically, how would you have proposed Durant and Westbrook get out of OKC prior to signing extensions, if that is what they wanted to do?

 

[Kev4029]

Lakers have sick depth up front. But no shooters and no outside shooting.

You mean besides Bryant and Nash?

The best shot on the floor for opposing teams for the next year or two is going to be a Bryant jump shot. Kobe shot 30% from 3 last year and hasn't hit 33% for 3 years running. Even better for teams if those inaccurate 3s turn into inaccurate long 2s.

I figure with Nash on board, the degree of difficulty for Bryant's shots will go down quite a bit and his FG% should go up this year. You're not really saying teams should give Bryant open looks, are you?

Bryant is getting the same shots with the Olympic team that he got with the Lakers the last couple years, I don't see him suddenly running of screens or something. He's still going to want isolations. And I don't think teams should give Kobe open looks but if a guard is cheating down to help on Howard, it would be a much better idea for that guy to come off Kobe than Nash.But, if teams can force Kobe outside and have him continue to shoot jump shots like he did last year, I think that is a positive for the opposing team.

You mean the Olympic team on which he's shooting 42% from 3?

He's bringing down the team average.

And how does anyone have an Assist-to-Turnover Ratio < 1 on a team with that much talent?

While shooting 40% from the field. Its not like Melo who seems to be the best option. Kobe is taking the rest of the teams shots and not doing it effectively.