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

[Kev4029]

Heat have picked up Miller, Illgauska's, and Haslem in the last few days. Plus they got Juwan Howard in the pipeline. I'm still waiting to hear what people think of the roster considering it was supposed to be the big three plus 9 scrubs. Is the supporting cast sufficient yet?

I think howard is a complete waste of a roster spot, he's probably going to be one of the worst dozen players in the nba next year. Haslem was a good signing for the price, he'll end up playing too much 5 I imagine but he's strong enough to somewhat keep guys out of the paint plus he can hit a 15 foot jumper as well as just about any pf they could have gotten. I love the miller signing, he obviously was signed mainly for his shooting but he is an excelent all around offense player and isn't a terrible defender. Between miller, lebron, wade, and chalmers they have enough passing and ball handling to not need another pg to play serious minutes. Big z is a good fit for 10 to 15 minutes a game to stand near the hoop on defense and hit mid range shots on kick outs. I think they should make a hard push for a big who defends and rebounds, somebody like kwame or dampier to play 20 minutes a game and stay out of the way on offense and just rebound like hell when a shot goes up. They should also try to get another couple shooters, maybe jones who has been playing for them, finley, house, even mcgrady if he would come for the min.

 

[the moops]

Good luck with those guys facing Rondo, Howard, Boozer/Noah, Perkins/KG/JO, Pau/Bynum, etc...

And good luck with Pierce, Garnett, Allen, or Deng, Boozer, Korver, or Lewis, Carter, Pietrus, facing Lebron, Wade Bosh. It goes both ways my friend.

 

[Abraham]

Good luck with those guys facing Rondo, Howard, Boozer/Noah, Perkins/KG/JO, Pau/Bynum, etc...

And good luck with Pierce, Garnett, Allen, or Deng, Boozer, Korver, or Lewis, Carter, Pietrus, facing Lebron, Wade Bosh. It goes both ways my friend.

Unless I'm missing something, I can not imagine a scenario where the 2-time NBA D player of the year is guarding Haslem and not Bosh in a playoff series.

 

[No. 16]

Looks like not many useful NBA vets are willing to sign for the minimum based on the quality of the players rumored to sign with them and once the season starts it's un-signed FA and NBDL players.

There have been like 6 verteran minimum signings and there is a lot of talent out there still. I think you need to relax a bit before you start thinking they are gonna fill the roster with NBDL players.

None of the talent under 30 wants to play for the vet minimum unless they suck. Those under 30 still want to make money so they'll sign the biggest contract out there.Also I don't mean signing NBDL players as a knock... I think the Heat would be smarter if they went the NBDL route over the vet minimum route. As a Warrior fan I have seen the talent that could be found there.... Kelenna Azubuike, CJ Watson, Anthony Tolliver, Reggie Williams. It makes the most sense to me to to invest minimum dollars on young guys with potnetial, rather then over the hill vets.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

Ilgauska's

why do you put an apostrophe in his name?

 

[shake zula]

mcgrady

Wants to come to Miami and he'll take the min but apparently Miami has no interest. I like him far more than Howard.

 

[Abraham]

mcgrady

Wants to come to Miami and he'll take the min but apparently Miami has no interest. I like him far more than Howard.

There are no minutes for him and he's much more of a me-first guy then people think. Even with Bosh/Wade/James, there would still be at least one instance where McGrady tried to inject himself in to the chemistry a little too much to prove he's still an upper-tier player. He needs to go somewhere without backcourt stars (Minnesota, New Jersey) and fade away.

 

[the moops]

Good luck with those guys facing Rondo, Howard, Boozer/Noah, Perkins/KG/JO, Pau/Bynum, etc...

And good luck with Pierce, Garnett, Allen, or Deng, Boozer, Korver, or Lewis, Carter, Pietrus, facing Lebron, Wade Bosh. It goes both ways my friend.

Unless I'm missing something, I can not imagine a scenario where the 2-time NBA D player of the year is guarding Haslem and not Bosh in a playoff series.

Fair enough. The point still stands that some folks seem so concerned with how in the world the Heat are going to cover Howard or Gasol or Noah or whomever, yet they are missing the most obvious mismatches that are Wade and Lebron, and sometimes Bosh.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Good luck with those guys facing Rondo, Howard, Boozer/Noah, Perkins/KG/JO, Pau/Bynum, etc...

And good luck with Pierce, Garnett, Allen, or Deng, Boozer, Korver, or Lewis, Carter, Pietrus, facing Lebron, Wade Bosh. It goes both ways my friend.

Unless I'm missing something, I can not imagine a scenario where the 2-time NBA D player of the year is guarding Haslem and not Bosh in a playoff series.

Howard has enough problems with fouling that I doubt they'd want to stick him on Bosh for too long.

 

[No. 16]

Good luck with those guys facing Rondo, Howard, Boozer/Noah, Perkins/KG/JO, Pau/Bynum, etc...

And good luck with Pierce, Garnett, Allen, or Deng, Boozer, Korver, or Lewis, Carter, Pietrus, facing Lebron, Wade Bosh. It goes both ways my friend.

Yah, but there's only one ball.In any given play you're only involving 2 of the 3 Thrice players in a pick and roll and the other is just standing on the perimeter waiting for the kick out (all 3 are good jump shooters, but not great. This would be the best outcome for the defense). Some teams can handle that type of attack somewhat. It's not gonna be easy but if a team had 1 good perimeter defender and a good big man they can defend them decently.Miami will be very good, but if the goal is to win a Championship I don't think it's a slam dunk that people are making it out to be when the best rebounder/defensive big man is a 30 year old Udonis Haslem at 6'8".

 

[Gr00vus]

Raja Bell to Utah

and Jazz have notified Wesley Matthews reps they won't match offer and will sign other guard

I think Bell just did the Lakers a huge favor if it means they now bring Shannon Brown back and they can get some regular season burn for Ebanks. I don't really understand why Kobe is recruiting people - he's proven several times over he doesn't really have the best roster management abilities in the world.

 

[the moops]

Good luck with those guys facing Rondo, Howard, Boozer/Noah, Perkins/KG/JO, Pau/Bynum, etc...

And good luck with Pierce, Garnett, Allen, or Deng, Boozer, Korver, or Lewis, Carter, Pietrus, facing Lebron, Wade Bosh. It goes both ways my friend.

Yah, but there's only one ball.In any given play you're only involving 2 of the 3 Thrice players in a pick and roll and the other is just standing on the perimeter as kick out. Some teams can handle that type of attack somewhat. It's not gonna be easy but if a team had 1 good perimeter defender and a good big man they can defend them decently.Miami will be very good, but if the goal is to win a Championship I don't think it's a slam dunk that people are making it out to be when the best rebounder/defensive big man is a 30 year old Udonis Haslem at 6'8".

Yea, imagine the ####ty offense that is Lebron James running a pick n roll with Bosh, who then rolls out for a 15 footer as James drives to the basket with the option of taking it to the hole, dishing it back to Bosh for a 15 footer, or dishing it out to Wade on the perimeter who has the option of taking the open jumper or taking it to the hole as the help man runs out at him.Man, that team will be lucky to score 75 points. You know, because there is only one ball and all.

 

[Bobcat10]

Cavs' West reaches plea agreement in weapons case

By Kathleen Miller

Associated Press

POSTED: 10:52 a.m. EDT, Jul 15, 2010

UPPER MARLBORO, MD.: Cleveland Cavaliers guard Delonte West has reached a plea agreement with prosecutors in Maryland on weapons and traffic charges.

A spokesman for Prince George's County State's Attorney Glenn Ivey says West will plead guilty to carrying concealed weapons and carrying and transporting loaded handguns. His deal says he'll do court-supervised electronic monitoring, complete community service and undergo psychological counseling.

While waiting before the hearing Thursday, West said he feels ''blessed.''

Authorities say the basketball player was carrying two loaded handguns, a loaded shotgun and a knife while speeding on a three-wheel motorcycle on a highway in September. Police say West, who lives in Brandywine, Md., was pulled over after cutting off an officer.

 

[TommyGilmore]

mcgrady

Wants to come to Miami and he'll take the min but apparently Miami has no interest. I like him far more than Howard.

I was going to respond with "wat", but you deserve better.Howard can give you 10 quality minutes at power forward or center every other night. That is a valuable skill in the NBA.

McGrady's skills are so eroded that he has nothing left to offer a contending team. He needs 26 minutes just to score 10 points! At this point McGrady's best option is to go to a terrible team and just put up shots for a couple years. His ceiling is 15 ppg on 41% field goal shooting.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

o/u on how many points per game the Heat average? 150?

 

[Cliff Clavin]

o/u on how many points per game the Heat average? 150?

107.5

 

[No. 16]

Good luck with those guys facing Rondo, Howard, Boozer/Noah, Perkins/KG/JO, Pau/Bynum, etc...

And good luck with Pierce, Garnett, Allen, or Deng, Boozer, Korver, or Lewis, Carter, Pietrus, facing Lebron, Wade Bosh. It goes both ways my friend.

Yah, but there's only one ball.In any given play you're only involving 2 of the 3 Thrice players in a pick and roll and the other is just standing on the perimeter as kick out. Some teams can handle that type of attack somewhat. It's not gonna be easy but if a team had 1 good perimeter defender and a good big man they can defend them decently.Miami will be very good, but if the goal is to win a Championship I don't think it's a slam dunk that people are making it out to be when the best rebounder/defensive big man is a 30 year old Udonis Haslem at 6'8".

Yea, imagine the ####ty offense that is Lebron James running a pick n roll with Bosh, who then rolls out for a 15 footer as James drives to the basket with the option of taking it to the hole, dishing it back to Bosh for a 15 footer, or dishing it out to Wade on the perimeter who has the option of taking the open jumper or taking it to the hole as the help man runs out at him.Man, that team will be lucky to score 75 points. You know, because there is only one ball and all.

Love the exaggeration. I never said they would struggle to score points, but I was just saying that they can be defended by the Lakers, Magic, Celtics, Portland, etc. The PnR is a staple play in the NBA so teams already know how to defend it and they have already faced great duos like Kobe/Pau, Nash/Amare, and Deron/Boozer, Nelson/Howard, etc. While I think Wade/LBJ and Bosh PnR is better than those duos, it's not overwhelmingly so and I could argue that the 1st two are better in the PnR. The new wrinkle the Heat added is having a bonafide stud as the kick out man like you mentioned.... we'll see how big of an impact that is this season, but I think the Lakers with Kobe/Artest/Odom/Pau can handle the PnR/kickout for sure. Also against the Lakers or Magic the Haslem/Bosh/Z front court will give up as many points as the trio scores on the other end.

 

[the moops]

but I think the Lakers with Kobe/Artest/Odom/Pau can handle the PnR/kickout for sure.

Perhaps. But it is more likely Fisher/Artest/Odom/Pau with Kobe covering the offensive juggernaut called Mario Chalmers.

 

[Gr00vus]

Raja Bell to Utah

and Jazz have notified Wesley Matthews reps they won't match offer and will sign other guard

I think Bell just did the Lakers a huge favor if it means they now bring Shannon Brown back and they can get some regular season burn for Ebanks. I don't really understand why Kobe is recruiting people - he's proven several times over he doesn't really have the best roster management abilities in the world.

How good do you think Shannon Brown can be? Does he look more impressive than he really is because he plays the change-of-pace role so well? Is watching Brown on the floor after 8-9 minutes of Fisher the equivalent of a one-pitch flamethrower out of the bullpen following a junkball starter? My general impression of Brown is that he should have been starting last season, but I wasn't sure if there was some sort of basketball Peter Principle in play.

As I mentioned a page or so back, I know he can be better right now than a 33 year old Raja Bell. He's got some upside and just as importantly he's proved he's coachable. He came a long way with his perimeter game last season despite a busted shooting hand. He's a great spark off the bench (when he's on) and would add some sorely needed energy, athleticism and youth to the Laker squad the next couple of years. He still gets lost at both ends every now and then - visibly so. I don't know if he'll completely grow out of that in a complex system like the Lakers run. He could and should become a bit more physical than he currently is. He'll never be a true 1 (hence why he didn't take much time from Fish - that was supposed to be Farmar's job). He's most well suited to be a 2, but there's an obvious roadblock there so the staff has to find ways to work him in around Kobe. I'd be torn if I were him because he's heading into his prime and he probably should get a shot at a starting gig somewhere (somewhere that can afford that experiment) to see if he could actually be a starter long term. I'd say it could go either way for him. I don't see all star in him, but he could top out as a starting 2 for a lower tier team that gets people out of their seats once or twice a game on a regular basis.

 

[Celph Titled]

Heat have picked up Miller, Illgauska's, and Haslem in the last few days. Plus they got Juwan Howard in the pipeline. I'm still waiting to hear what people think of the roster considering it was supposed to be the big three plus 9 scrubs. Is the supporting cast sufficient yet?

They should be decent at best but all those players will be 30 or older come next season, which usually is the beginning of a sharp player decline. Also, neither Z nor Howard can be counted to on to play anything but reserve minutes... if either of them have to start they'll hurt the team more than help it. So sure Miami is getting solid players who are more known commodities but likely all of these players will regress in their play and are more likely to have the wheels fall off this season. After this influx of vets the Heat need to start signing young FA or NBDL players that offer at the very least healthy bodies. If they keep signing 30 or older vets it could bite them in the but come playoff time especially at the PG and C spots.

How do you figure? Howard and Ilgauska's signed/will sign for vet min, if they need to cut bait they can with no repercussions.

If Howard and Z is the best they can get now.... it's gonna be a long season. Looks like not many useful NBA vets are willing to sign for the minimum based on the quality of the players rumored to sign with them and once the season starts it's un-signed FA and NBDL players.Good luck with those guys facing Rondo, Howard, Boozer/Noah, Perkins/KG/JO, Pau/Bynum, etc...

How many games do you think miami will win in this "long season"?

 

[Gr00vus]

What about a PnR with Wade as the ballhander and LeBron as the screener? Or a DDMO set with LeBron initiating the offense, Wade circling around top as LeBron vacates, Bosh playing the deep block, and Miller on the weakside corner?

I think you live with making any of these guys jump shooters. If it's James off the pick & pop, so be it, but the D can't let him roll out of the pick. The only chance people will have to defend this team is to try and keep their wings on the perimeter. Once they start penetrating it's over.

 

[No. 16]

Good luck with those guys facing Rondo, Howard, Boozer/Noah, Perkins/KG/JO, Pau/Bynum, etc...

And good luck with Pierce, Garnett, Allen, or Deng, Boozer, Korver, or Lewis, Carter, Pietrus, facing Lebron, Wade Bosh. It goes both ways my friend.

Yah, but there's only one ball.In any given play you're only involving 2 of the 3 Thrice players in a pick and roll and the other is just standing on the perimeter waiting for the kick out (all 3 are good jump shooters, but not great. This would be the best outcome for the defense). Some teams can handle that type of attack somewhat. It's not gonna be easy but if a team had 1 good perimeter defender and a good big man they can defend them decently.

Then maybe the Heat shouldn't run high screen and rolls every time down the floor. They should run something fluid with a lot of movement so they can get the ball to the guy with the weak defender on him. The 96 and 97 Bulls put Jordan, Pippen, and Kukoc on the floor together a lot, emphasized spacing to create open looks and isolate weak defenders, and led the league in offense both times.

Miami will be very good, but if the goal is to win a Championship I don't think it's a slam dunk that people are making it out to be when the best rebounder/defensive big man is a 30 year old Udonis Haslem at 6'8".

I don't think as many people are handing Miami the title as you think. However, there aren't many teams in the league who can beat MIA as constructed in a 7-game series, and MIA isn't done constructing.

Great point.There aren't many teams that can beat Miami for sure, but also I think even if Miami isn't done building this is as good as it gets for Miami as far as the front court goes this season. Looking at the UFA list there's not too many big men, much less vet minimum big men available. Remaining FA centers...ShaqBrad MillerKwame BrownRasho NesterovicPatrick O'BryantFrancisco ElsonSean MayCollins TwinsAdonal FoyleEtan ThomasAaron GraySean MarksJosh BooneTony BattiePrimo BrezecSteven HunterMbegnaJosh PowellBrian SkinnerTheo RatliffRandolph MorrisNot exactly the best crop to choose from.

 

[Bobcat10]

Raja Bell to Utah

and Jazz have notified Wesley Matthews reps they won't match offer and will sign other guard

I think Bell just did the Lakers a huge favor if it means they now bring Shannon Brown back and they can get some regular season burn for Ebanks. I don't really understand why Kobe is recruiting people - he's proven several times over he doesn't really have the best roster management abilities in the world.

How good do you think Shannon Brown can be? Does he look more impressive than he really is because he plays the change-of-pace role so well? Is watching Brown on the floor after 8-9 minutes of Fisher the equivalent of a one-pitch flamethrower out of the bullpen following a junkball starter? My general impression of Brown is that he should have been starting last season, but I wasn't sure if there was some sort of basketball Peter Principle in play.

Wish the Cavs never got rid of him. Never got a chance and was in the doghouse a bit. Would look good in the new uptempo Scott offense (which is what it should have been all along with Lebron).

 

[No. 16]

Just to get things straight....

Miami will score a lot of points.

Miami will have the best record in the league.

Miami will probably reach the Finals.

I'm not saying Miami won't be great, I'm just stating that I don't think it's a slam dunk they win the title because of their front court issues. That's all... nothing more, nothing less. Anything else is just extra crap added on by others.

 

[Bobcat10]

o/u on how many points per game the Heat average? 150?

If LeBron/Wade/Bosh all stay healthy? Around 108-109 PPG with an O-rating around 112-113.

This is why I think McG at the minimum would be a good signing.

 

[Mr. PadresLakers]

but I think the Lakers with Kobe/Artest/Odom/Pau can handle the PnR/kickout for sure.

Perhaps. But it is more likely Fisher/Artest/Odom/Pau with Kobe covering the offensive juggernaut called Mario Chalmers.

Pretty funny how Rajon Rando can go from the best PG in the league to Mario Chalmers within a few weeks.

 

[Gr00vus]

It just seemed obvious to me that Brown was better option than Bell for the job LAL would hire Bell for, but I wasn't sure. What we've seen of Brown's game seems to fit in best with a big PG who dominates the ball or with a SG who can initiate the offense. If he's getting lost at both ends, that explains why he looks good for small stretches but never started. It was easy to yank him after a couple of mistakes because they could do so.

I think the allure of Bell was that he could (and this may indeed be past tense) legitimately defend at either the 2 or the 3 (which just became even more important than it already was), whereas Brown is still learning how to play D, and more importantly would have no chance of sticking bigger, physical 3's like James, Pierce, etc. And Bell was more consistent with his long range jumper - but I think Brown can grow into that. Also Kobe liked Bell's mental toughness which Brown has yet to develop - he can look like a deer in the headlights and did indeed get yanked after a couple of mistakes often in his time so far with the Lakers.

 

[Notorious T.R.E.]

Kahn did an interview tonight with C-Webb calling Darko "manna from heaven." How terrible is it to be a Wolves fan right now.

I really like what he's doing. Young guys, cheap contracts, picks, etc. Not sure what the terrible part is. Have you seen the last 17 years? It's time to do something drastic.

 

[Notorious T.R.E.]

no idea if this game is live or not but cousins looks really good. i love watching these summer league games for some reason.

Cousins hit a big jump hook with 2.8 seconds left to put Sac on top by 1... and they got the win.I don't know how much this summer league action really means, but he is really playing well so far.

His post game looks really polished. He's definitely going to have foul issues and some trouble on defense, but I've been very impressed.

 

[Gr00vus]

What about a PnR with Wade as the ballhander and LeBron as the screener? Or a DDMO set with LeBron initiating the offense, Wade circling around top as LeBron vacates, Bosh playing the deep block, and Miller on the weakside corner?

I think you live with making any of these guys jump shooters. If it's James off the pick & pop, so be it, but the D can't let him roll out of the pick. The only chance people will have to defend this team is to try and keep their wings on the perimeter. Once they start penetrating it's over.

I think MIA will see a lot of zone defense for precisely those reasons. It's tough to install a zone during the regular season because the practice time is so limited, but it can be added during a playoff series.

The only teams I can think of right now that could realistically try to play these guys with their regular defensive set and expect not to get completely mauled would be the Celtics and Lakers. They have the personnel to make life difficult man up and would likely dominate the boards on the Heat. Everybody else is fuxxored - Howard is going to have a very, very tough time staying out of foul trouble against the Heat, and I think it's imperative the Magic bring Reddick back for his defense ( ) more than his offense. Vince Carter and Quentin Richardson out there? In truth the Magic need to pony up and bring Barnes back too if they want a legitimate shot at getting by the Heat.

 

[Sammy3469]

What about a PnR with Wade as the ballhander and LeBron as the screener? Or a DDMO set with LeBron initiating the offense, Wade circling around top as LeBron vacates, Bosh playing the deep block, and Miller on the weakside corner?

I think you live with making any of these guys jump shooters. If it's James off the pick & pop, so be it, but the D can't let him roll out of the pick. The only chance people will have to defend this team is to try and keep their wings on the perimeter. Once they start penetrating it's over.

I think MIA will see a lot of zone defense for precisely those reasons. It's tough to install a zone during the regular season because the practice time is so limited, but it can be added during a playoff series.

For all Lebron's and Wade's strength outside shooting isn't one of them. Every team is going to make them beat them from the outside. It's going to be interesting to see if Miller is enough of a threat to force teams out of it.

 

[No. 16]

What about a PnR with Wade as the ballhander and LeBron as the screener? Or a DDMO set with LeBron initiating the offense, Wade circling around top as LeBron vacates, Bosh playing the deep block, and Miller on the weakside corner?

I think you live with making any of these guys jump shooters. If it's James off the pick & pop, so be it, but the D can't let him roll out of the pick. The only chance people will have to defend this team is to try and keep their wings on the perimeter. Once they start penetrating it's over.

I think MIA will see a lot of zone defense for precisely those reasons. It's tough to install a zone during the regular season because the practice time is so limited, but it can be added during a playoff series.

For all Lebron's and Wade's strength outside shooting isn't one of them. Every team is going to make them beat them from the outside. It's going to be interesting to see if Miller is enough of a threat to force teams out of it.

Jumpshooting + Haslem/Bosh front court = loss

 

[Gr00vus]

The Farmar-Brown-Byant-Odom-Gasol lineup was one of LAL's most effective last season. There's a selection bias here: Jackson ran that lineup out against other team's benches and/or when that lineup would have a quickness edge at all five positions, and it was easy to call it off when the kids screwed up.

The Farmar/Brown combo produced mixed results. Sometimes they did spectacular stuff, but just as often, if not more often, those were the guys on the floor when the Lakers would cough up big leads or slump to big deficits. In the playoffs Phil limited their minutes together accordingly, particularly once Sasha was healthy enough to contribute his special brand of high strung, hair brained, frantic, mad capped play.

 

[No. 16]

For all Lebron's and Wade's strength outside shooting isn't one of them. Every team is going to make them beat them from the outside. It's going to be interesting to see if Miller is enough of a threat to force teams out of it.

Jumpshooting + Haslem/Bosh front court = loss

This is like Steve Martin's financial plan for making a million dollars and not paying any taxes.Step 1: make a million dollarsEasier said than done.

Very true, but I think it can be done by a few teams.

 

[Celph Titled]

Miller to Miami official.

Warriors to Peter Gruber, not Larry Ellison.

 

[sjslacker]

The Warriors have been sold and not to Larry Ellison.

http://www.csnbayarea.com/07/15/10/EXCLUSI...amp;feedID=2478

"The next owner of the Warriors will be a group led by Mandalay Entertainment CEO Peter Guber and Joe Lacob, a minority owner of the Boston Celtics.

"

Anyone know anything about Gruber and Lacob? What can the Bay Area expect from these guys?

 

[Sammy3469]

What about a PnR with Wade as the ballhander and LeBron as the screener? Or a DDMO set with LeBron initiating the offense, Wade circling around top as LeBron vacates, Bosh playing the deep block, and Miller on the weakside corner?

I think you live with making any of these guys jump shooters. If it's James off the pick & pop, so be it, but the D can't let him roll out of the pick. The only chance people will have to defend this team is to try and keep their wings on the perimeter. Once they start penetrating it's over.

I think MIA will see a lot of zone defense for precisely those reasons. It's tough to install a zone during the regular season because the practice time is so limited, but it can be added during a playoff series.

For all Lebron's and Wade's strength outside shooting isn't one of them. Every team is going to make them beat them from the outside. It's going to be interesting to see if Miller is enough of a threat to force teams out of it.

Jumpshooting + Haslem/Bosh front court = loss

Let's not get crazy here

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

Hans Gruber bought the Warriors?

 

[Sammy3469]

This is like Steve Martin's financial plan for making a million dollars and not paying any taxes.Step 1: make a million dollarsEasier said than done.

I agree...having said that the only thing we really have to go on is the 2008 Olympics and that team at least had a little trouble with Spain. Ithink we can all agree that Miami is worse than the US team and that there are at least a couple NBA teams as good as Spain. Coupled with a longer 3-point line and narrower lane and I don't think its that far fetched that at least some playoff quality teams will be able to give Miami a run by packing the lane.

 

[Abraham]

Was Ellison outbid?

 

[sjslacker]

Was Ellison outbid?

Yes. Cohan wanted $450M and rumor was Ellison refused to pay more than what he thought the team was worth. Gruber/Lacob group hit the $450M target Cohan wanted and won the bid. Bittersweet indeed. The Warriors finally get rid of Cohan but I really wanted to see Ellison own the team. *sigh*

 

[Celph Titled]

Was Ellison outbid?

I believe Ellison had last right of refusal. He's worth over $30b, he must've just figured it wasn't worth it.

 

[No. 16]

Was Ellison outbid?

Yep.You don't earn billions of dollars by spending carelessly. As a Warrior fan I'm just happy Cohan is out. Ellison would have been great because of his deep pockets, competitiveness, and hopefully a willingness to look at quantitative analysis (a la Dallas, Houston, etc.) coming from a tech background. However, I'll give the new owners a shot to do the same. You don't need billions to build a championship team.

 

[Eephus]

Was Ellison outbid?

Yep.You don't earn billions of dollars by spending carelessly. As a Warrior fan I'm just happy Cohan is out. Ellison would have been great because of his deep pockets, competitiveness, and hopefully a willingness to look at quantitative analysis (a la Dallas, Houston, etc.) coming from a tech background. However, I'll give the new owners a shot to do the same. You don't need billions to build a championship team.

Golden State Goobers

 

[the moops]

The only teams I can think of right now that could realistically try to play these guys with their regular defensive set and expect not to get completely mauled would be the Celtics and Lakers. They have the personnel to make life difficult man up and would likely dominate the boards on the Heat.

Ray Allen cant really cover Wade, Paul Pierce cant really cover Lebron. Garnett with his gimpy knee can still probably do a decent job on Bosh. Perkins is out until the All Star break, but is sort of irrelevant considering the Heat dont really have a center anyhow.Artest can cover Lebron about as well as anyone, but he certainly isn't shuttinghim down. Kobe probably still wouldnt cover Wade because we all know Kobe nearly always takes the worst of the guards (which is not a knock on him, it's just what they tend to do), so that leaves Brown/Fisher covering Wade which is a disaster. It is one thing to have them chasing Ray Allen around 4000 screens. It is quite another manning up on Wade. Gasol has played well against Bosh in the past.I dont know. Even when the Celtics were the best defensive team in the league in 2008, their help defense was superb. When you are cheating off Kobe and leaving Farmar/Brown/Fisher somewhat open, or doubling down on Howard to leave Carter open, it is a hell of a lot different than leaving either Lebron or Wade to help.

 

[Bob Loblaw]

Is it common for a minority owner (Lacob) of one NBA team (Celtics) to be partial owner of another NBA team (Warriors)?

 

[Abraham]

Even when the Celtics were the best defensive team in the league in 2008, their help defense was superb.

This is one of the more overlooked facets of the NBA game. Decent man + great help D >>>> Great man + mediocre help D. People also take for granted that teams at the NBA level play "man to man" or "2-3 zone" or "triangle and 2". The defenses are much more complex then that just like NFL defenses are more complex then "you guys rush the passer, you guys cover these receivers." I think that a number of coaches are having an exciting summer trying to gameplan the way to stop the Heat.

 

[Jewell]

Is it common for a minority owner (Lacob) of one NBA team (Celtics) to be partial owner of another NBA team (Warriors)?

Common? I'm surprised that's allowed. That seems like it would be a conflict of interest.

 

[Celph Titled]

Is it common for a minority owner (Lacob) of one NBA team (Celtics) to be partial owner of another NBA team (Warriors)?

Common? I'm surprised that's allowed. That seems like it would be a conflict of interest.

Lacob has to sell his interest in the Celtics before the deal is finalized.

 

[Bob Loblaw]

Will the Warriors home arena still be called Oracle Arena?