*NBA THREAD* Abe will be missed (5 Viewers)

[TobiasFunke]

Well, I guess we are going to find out if Chris Sheridan and the rest of the NY media are a bunch of rumor spreading 7th grade girls, or if all my hopes and dreams are shattered and I'll be buying a ticket for the next Nuggets game to boo Melo for screwing the organization.

You have it backwards. The franchise didn't put Melo in a position to win every year. He put them in a position to win every year. The Nuggets had exactly 1 winning season in 10 before he showed up and had a winning season every year after he did. But screw Melo right? Melo made them winners, explain what does he owe them for all he did for them? So if they fall back into losing because they don't have him.... what again was it that they did for him?

How hard is it to keep his desire to play for only one team or city under wraps in order to help your current team get a better return on you in a trade? He'll still gets what he wants come summer.

Its not hard but it would also mean his new team would be weaker than it had to be. Its in Melo's best interest for the team that ultimately acquires him to do so by trading away as little as possible.

Good point- hadn't thought of that. I guess it comes down to showing gratitude not to the organization, but to the fans who have showered him with affection and bought his sneakers and whatever else he hawks and made him even richer. He doesn't have to, of course, but it's the right thing to do, and if he doesn't, the fans are justified in showing their displeasure with him. He's also saying, essentially, that their home town isn't "cool" enough for him, which is kind of a slap in the face.Bottom line- the guys who take issue with kev4029 (and also the Cleveland fans and other NBA fans that boo LeBron) are confusing the right of the organization to be mad at a player- which is almost never justified unless a guy dogs it or something- with the right of the fans to be mad at a player.

 

[TobiasFunke]

Well, I guess we are going to find out if Chris Sheridan and the rest of the NY media are a bunch of rumor spreading 7th grade girls, or if all my hopes and dreams are shattered and I'll be buying a ticket for the next Nuggets game to boo Melo for screwing the organization.

You have it backwards. The franchise didn't put Melo in a position to win every year. He put them in a position to win every year. The Nuggets had exactly 1 winning season in 10 before he showed up and had a winning season every year after he did. But screw Melo right? Melo made them winners, explain what does he owe them for all he did for them? So if they fall back into losing because they don't have him.... what again was it that they did for him?

How hard is it to keep his desire to play for only one team or city under wraps in order to help your current team get a better return on you in a trade? He'll still gets what he wants come summer.

Melo's playing this thing perfectly, IMO. He's flexing his leverage, yet isn't coming off as a clown like the Three Amigos down in South Beach did last summer. Great job by him and his people.

This I agree with, especially after Padres pointed out his self-interest in not forcing his new team to trade away too much. It's what he wants, and he's going about it in a pretty reasonable manner. Related question: can anyone explain to me why the NBA has hard salary caps for individuals? It seems to me that you could get rid of this entire problem with players choosing destinations based on lifestyle by getting rid of it. Do the owners just not trust themselves?

 

[tommyGunZ]

I'm saying screw Melo if he forces his way to NY, they aren't going to be a better team with Felton, Amare and Melo then the Nuggets have been the past few years or will be for the next few years. He isn't leaving to be in a better place, if he forces his way to the Knicks, he is leaving for a bigger place. The Nuggets did a much better job of building a team around Melo than either the Raptors or the Cavs did for Bosh and Lebron. I'm not going to be spiteful towards Melo if he leaves, only if he leaves to NY.

Moving forward, the Knicks with Amare, Felton are absolutely in a much better position to win than the Nuggets. Other than Lawson and Nene, the pantry in Denver is empty.

 

[tommyGunZ]

Bottom line- the guys who take issue with kev4029 (and also the Cleveland fans and other NBA fans that boo LeBron) are confusing the right of the organization to be mad at a player- which is almost never justified unless a guy dogs it or something- with the right of the fans to be mad at a player.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

I'm saying screw Melo if he forces his way to NY, they aren't going to be a better team with Felton, Amare and Melo then the Nuggets have been the past few years or will be for the next few years. He isn't leaving to be in a better place, if he forces his way to the Knicks, he is leaving for a bigger place. The Nuggets did a much better job of building a team around Melo than either the Raptors or the Cavs did for Bosh and Lebron. I'm not going to be spiteful towards Melo if he leaves, only if he leaves to NY.

Moving forward, the Knicks with Amare, Felton are absolutely in a much better position to win than the Nuggets. Other than Lawson and Nene, the pantry in Denver is empty.

A better position, yes. Still no where near a title contender.

 

[Kiddnets]

Denver reporter is a moron....saw the NJ trade to get more picks and connected the dots like the rest of us without any inside info......besides that idiot - talks expected to heat up and something may get done soon as this is the 1st day teams can trade players signed over the summer. Gives them more options. Too much smoke at this point to not think this is gonna go down IMO - it wont die - the latest deal for more picks makes it even clearer

I still hope there is a way to do a deal without Favors....if Favors has to be in it I say pass. This team is awful right now and adding Melo to it is not going to get them any higher than a low seed in the playoffs....why bother. Stick with Lopez/Favors/Harris -they have a ton of picks - hope to get lucky and with the ton of cap room available sign a guy without giving anything up. I like Melo but just dont see the point unless they have a bead on another deal we dont know about. This is not a J-Kidd situation where one player can turn around the entire franchise.

If I'm Denver I would be thrilled to do the rumored Nets deal at this point - they are getting really good value for a guy they coould lose for nothing.....its a fair compromise for Melo and Nugs - he gets NY lite and becomes top draw in a new arena and Nugs get something of value....he goes to NYK for trash he gets hated. I think it will happen

 

[JMon348]

Denver reporter is a moron....saw the NJ trade to get more picks and connected the dots like the rest of us without any inside info......besides that idiot - talks expected to heat up and something may get done soon as this is the 1st day teams can trade players signed over the summer. Gives them more options. Too much smoke at this point to not think this is gonna go down IMO - it wont die - the latest deal for more picks makes it even clearerI still hope there is a way to do a deal without Favors....if Favors has to be in it I say pass. This team is awful right now and adding Melo to it is not going to get them any higher than a low seed in the playoffs....why bother. Stick with Lopez/Favors/Harris -they have a ton of picks - hope to get lucky and with the ton of cap room available sign a guy without giving anything up. I like Melo but just dont see the point unless they have a bead on another deal we dont know about. This is not a J-Kidd situation where one player can turn around the entire franchise.If I'm Denver I would be thrilled to do the rumored Nets deal at this point - they are getting really good value for a guy they coould lose for nothing.....its a fair compromise for Melo and Nugs - he gets NY lite and becomes top draw in a new arena and Nugs get something of value....he goes to NYK for trash he gets hated. I think it will happen

Wow, so Derrick Favors would be the one preventing this deal. Sounds like the Bulls a couple years ago when Luol Deng was what was stopping them from getting Kobe.Favors did put up some numbers last night. Do you think he will continue to get big minutes? Will this come at the expense of Humpries, who has been playing great lately?

 

[Balco]

Denver reporter is a moron....saw the NJ trade to get more picks and connected the dots like the rest of us without any inside info......besides that idiot - talks expected to heat up and something may get done soon as this is the 1st day teams can trade players signed over the summer. Gives them more options. Too much smoke at this point to not think this is gonna go down IMO - it wont die - the latest deal for more picks makes it even clearerI still hope there is a way to do a deal without Favors....if Favors has to be in it I say pass. This team is awful right now and adding Melo to it is not going to get them any higher than a low seed in the playoffs....why bother. Stick with Lopez/Favors/Harris -they have a ton of picks - hope to get lucky and with the ton of cap room available sign a guy without giving anything up. I like Melo but just dont see the point unless they have a bead on another deal we dont know about. This is not a J-Kidd situation where one player can turn around the entire franchise.If I'm Denver I would be thrilled to do the rumored Nets deal at this point - they are getting really good value for a guy they coould lose for nothing.....its a fair compromise for Melo and Nugs - he gets NY lite and becomes top draw in a new arena and Nugs get something of value....he goes to NYK for trash he gets hated. I think it will happen

Wow, so Derrick Favors would be the one preventing this deal. Sounds like the Bulls a couple years ago when Luol Deng was what was stopping them from getting Kobe.Favors did put up some numbers last night. Do you think he will continue to get big minutes? Will this come at the expense of Humpries, who has been playing great lately?

As someone who watched pretty much every Nets game, I have to agree with Kiddnets. Carmelo Anthony will not turn the NEts into a top 4 seed as the team is currently constructed. I have been nothing but impressed by Favors this season, and I had my doubts after his woeful preseason. At worst he is going to be an above average defensive player who can haul in 10-12 boards a game while scoring 12-14 points a game. At best, if he keeps working on his Offense, he is a 20-10 guy who plays great D. He should not go if Melo comes over in a deal. However, their new owner appears to want to make a splash, so I think he will give up whoever the Nuggets want.Again, the key is that the NEts might not even be a playoff team with Melo on the team. And that is saying alot in the East. Aside from the Outlaw signing, I think the NEts had a great offseason as far as adding pieces. They still need another year or two to really start competing. And I think the 2 most indispensable players on that roster are Lopez and Favors.

 

[Kiddnets]

Denver reporter is a moron....saw the NJ trade to get more picks and connected the dots like the rest of us without any inside info......besides that idiot - talks expected to heat up and something may get done soon as this is the 1st day teams can trade players signed over the summer. Gives them more options. Too much smoke at this point to not think this is gonna go down IMO - it wont die - the latest deal for more picks makes it even clearerI still hope there is a way to do a deal without Favors....if Favors has to be in it I say pass. This team is awful right now and adding Melo to it is not going to get them any higher than a low seed in the playoffs....why bother. Stick with Lopez/Favors/Harris -they have a ton of picks - hope to get lucky and with the ton of cap room available sign a guy without giving anything up. I like Melo but just dont see the point unless they have a bead on another deal we dont know about. This is not a J-Kidd situation where one player can turn around the entire franchise.If I'm Denver I would be thrilled to do the rumored Nets deal at this point - they are getting really good value for a guy they coould lose for nothing.....its a fair compromise for Melo and Nugs - he gets NY lite and becomes top draw in a new arena and Nugs get something of value....he goes to NYK for trash he gets hated. I think it will happen

Wow, so Derrick Favors would be the one preventing this deal. Sounds like the Bulls a couple years ago when Luol Deng was what was stopping them from getting Kobe.Favors did put up some numbers last night. Do you think he will continue to get big minutes? Will this come at the expense of Humpries, who has been playing great lately?

I dont know if Favors would prevent the deal - as Balco said - Proky wants a star and really wants to upstage the Knicks - I think he'll deal Favors to get Melo....I and a host of Net fans disagree with this approach. They are (smartly) bringing Favors around slowly letting him phase into games and get his confidence up - the exact opposite of Turner who has lost his confidence in Philly. Big man with 20/10 potential are hard to come by - solid centers are as well - you can always get a scorer like Deng or maybe not as good as Melo but they are out there. Hence, I think its much better for the long term of the team to stick with Favors - a team of current Nets with Melo instead of Favors improves the team but no match for the elite East teams.

 

[biggamer3]

Amare with a beastly 17 in the first quarter over KG and Co

Knicks are for real

 

[Tuco]

As a passive Wizards fan, should I be concerned about all of the games Wall has been missing? It seems like one injury after another.

 

[biggamer3]

As a passive Wizards fan, should I be concerned about all of the games Wall has been missing? It seems like one injury after another.

yes, injuries are always a concern especially on a franchise player like Wall

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Amare with a beastly 17 in the first quarter over KG and CoKnicks are for real

Well I guess that settles it.

 

[Raider Nation]

I remember when the Celtics could play defense.

 

[Kiddnets]

As a passive Wizards fan, should I be concerned about all of the games Wall has been missing? It seems like one injury after another.

yes, injuries are always a concern especially on a franchise player like Wall

Ive noticed that as well.....not a good sign IMO....kids got huge talent but if not on the court he could become another Greg Od.

 

[thecatch]

As a passive Wizards fan, should I be concerned about all of the games Wall has been missing? It seems like one injury after another.

yes, injuries are always a concern especially on a franchise player like Wall

Ive noticed that as well.....not a good sign IMO....kids got huge talent but if not on the court he could become another Greg Od.

Way too early to read anything into it.

 

[Gadfly]

Kobe has 55 points in 57 minutes in the past two blowout road wins over weak teams on 18 of 31 shooting, 8 of 14 3-pointers, with 10 assists and 1 turnover. I see why the thread title doesn't mention the Lakers.

 

[simmonjm]

Another great Knicks game, although it looks like they came up short on a last second 3 by Amare

 

[Masked Vigilante]

The Knicks are back. I was a skeptic but they just won me over and I'll be rooting for them to go all the way. Screw the Heat.

 

[Steelfan7]

Knicks came up .2 sec short of a perfect ending to the game. Knicks are back. They're not a threat for the title, but it sure is fun watching them compete again.

 

[thejag]

Fun, 80s style game in MSG tonight. The Knicks are a tough team to defend when they are clicking. Good win for the C's.

 

[Green94]

Noah out for 10 weeks, surgery on his thumb.

 

[Tremendous Upside]

On the plus side, I haven't been upset over a Knicks loss in a long time

God, Pierce is an uberdoosh

 

[Steelfan7]

On the plus side, I haven't been upset over a Knicks loss in a long timeGod, Pierce is an uberdoosh

If I didn't know better, I would have thought the Celtics won the NBA championship tonight the way they were carrying on.

 

[Tremendous Upside]

On the plus side, I haven't been upset over a Knicks loss in a long timeGod, Pierce is an uberdoosh

If I didn't know better, I would have thought the Celtics won the NBA championship tonight the way they were carrying on.

 

[Kev4029]

On the plus side, I haven't been upset over a Knicks loss in a long timeGod, Pierce is an uberdoosh

If I didn't know better, I would have thought the Celtics won the NBA championship tonight the way they were carrying on.

He is in a tight race with Ginobili for my least favorite player in the league, hes probably pulling ahead though.

 

[Gadfly]

On the plus side, I haven't been upset over a Knicks loss in a long timeGod, Pierce is an uberdoosh

If I didn't know better, I would have thought the Celtics won the NBA championship tonight the way they were carrying on.

He is in a tight race with Ginobili for my least favorite player in the league, hes probably pulling ahead though.

It's not a good day to be hater.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

I remember when the Celtics could play defense.

It's a meaningless game in December. Not a big deal.

 

[SoBeDad]

I remember when the Celtics could play defense.

It's a meaningless game in December. Not a big deal.

Next up is a meaningless game versus the Heat.

 

[LHUCKS]

I remember when the Celtics could play defense.

It's a meaningless game in December. Not a big deal.

, it's why the NBA isn't interesting until March.

 

[Tremendous Upside]

On the plus side, I haven't been upset over a Knicks loss in a long timeGod, Pierce is an uberdoosh

If I didn't know better, I would have thought the Celtics won the NBA championship tonight the way they were carrying on.

He is in a tight race with Ginobili for my least favorite player in the league, hes probably pulling ahead though.

It's not a good day to be hater.

Quite the opposite really...It's a lot easier to hate him after a dooshtastic post game performance like that

 

[the moops]

On the plus side, I haven't been upset over a Knicks loss in a long timeGod, Pierce is an uberdoosh

If I didn't know better, I would have thought the Celtics won the NBA championship tonight the way they were carrying on.

He is in a tight race with Ginobili for my least favorite player in the league, hes probably pulling ahead though.

It's not a good day to be hater.

Quite the opposite really...It's a lot easier to hate him after a dooshtastic post game performance like that

I didn't see the game, and Pierce is far from my favorite player, but I am a Celtic fan, so I must chime in with something.Did he overly celebrate? I am guessing by the other responses that it was something to that effect.The team had just won 11 games in a row. They were down 7 to start the 4th, and they win it with .4 seconds on the clock, and they beat a NY team that has been perhaps the most talked about team in the NBA the past week. Seems like a good enough time to celebrate.

 

[Tremendous Upside]

If I didn't know better, I would have thought the Celtics won the NBA championship tonight the way they were carrying on.

He is in a tight race with Ginobili for my least favorite player in the league, hes probably pulling ahead though.

It's not a good day to be hater.

Quite the opposite really...It's a lot easier to hate him after a dooshtastic post game performance like that

I didn't see the game...but I am a Celtic fan, so I must chime in with something.

He airplane lapped the court after his shot (even though the game wasn't even over at the time) and then took bows to the crowd after it was over, even though they were only cheering the Knicks, even in defeat

Is he a clutch player, absolutely

Did I even say he will and probably should be a HOFer in that thread earlier this year? Yes

But that was a classless performance IMO

 

[Tremendous Upside]

Oh, and there was zero "team" element of his celebration; in fact, Nate Robinson ran over to him to do that jumping chest bump thing and Pierce just undercut him, took his legs out, and kept on going on his "flight"

 

[Mr. PadresLakers]

sportsguy33: Pierce! He just did a victory lap around MSG and knocked over Nate on a chest bump. Just call him the Plunger!

sportsguy33: I don't know if the rivalry is officially back yet, but that victory lap will not go over well with the Knicks... at the very least, it's a budding feud

sportsguy33: Celts doing a looooooooooooooooot of smack talking. They have their 2008 swagger back.

Your team just won a nationally televised game with a near buzzer beater. Its ok to admit they douched it up in the aftermath.

 

[Tremendous Upside]

sportsguy33: Pierce! He just did a victory lap around MSG and knocked over Nate on a chest bump. Just call him the Plunger!

sportsguy33: I don't know if the rivalry is officially back yet, but that victory lap will not go over well with the Knicks... at the very least, it's a budding feud

sportsguy33: Celts doing a looooooooooooooooot of smack talking. They have their 2008 swagger back.

Your team just won a nationally televised game with a near buzzer beater. Its ok to admit they douched it up in the aftermath.

Shocking that a Lakers fan would be pro-douchey behavior

 

[Mr. PadresLakers]

The Celtics as a whole are pretty funny about this non rivalry thing with the Knicks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8nrTV3ughA

Maybe somebody should remind them they have only won 1 championship in the past 25 years.

 

[Mr. PadresLakers]

sportsguy33: Pierce! He just did a victory lap around MSG and knocked over Nate on a chest bump. Just call him the Plunger!

sportsguy33: I don't know if the rivalry is officially back yet, but that victory lap will not go over well with the Knicks... at the very least, it's a budding feud

sportsguy33: Celts doing a looooooooooooooooot of smack talking. They have their 2008 swagger back.

Your team just won a nationally televised game with a near buzzer beater. Its ok to admit they douched it up in the aftermath.

Shocking that a Lakers fan would be pro-douchey behavior

Dry your eyes buddy.

 

[biggamer3]

Upset the clock was at .4 when Pierce shot was clearly through net with .6 seconds left. Would have made Amare's shot count. Dantoni should have requested a clock review

http://sports.cbsimg.net/images/nba/photog...y/piercegw3.jpg

 

[Sudoku_in_the_Bathtub]

Sad to see the career of Brandon Roy trickling down the toilet. Going to cost him a ton of $$. IMO He's went from a franchise player the next several years to at best a 3rd option.

If the Blazers can find a taker, I'd unload him if they can get a team to pay for the Brandon Roy of old (or anything close to it)

 

[Steelfan7]

Sad to see the career of Brandon Roy trickling down the toilet. Going to cost him a ton of $$. IMO He's went from a franchise player the next several years to at best a 3rd option.If the Blazers can find a taker, I'd unload him if they can get a team to pay for the Brandon Roy of old (or anything close to it)

It was painful to watch him try and run up and down the court. He's done.

 

[Masked Vigilante]

Sad to see the career of Brandon Roy trickling down the toilet. Going to cost him a ton of $$. IMO He's went from a franchise player the next several years to at best a 3rd option.If the Blazers can find a taker, I'd unload him if they can get a team to pay for the Brandon Roy of old (or anything close to it)

The worst thing about this all is that he's killing my fantasy team.

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

Too bad Bulls fans about Noah.

He really seemed to be on the verge of an All-Star appearance.

 

[=Smackdown=]

So nice to have basketball back at MSG.

1st time I've watched an entire game in what has to be 15 years.

 

[TobiasFunke]

As a passive Wizards fan, should I be concerned about all of the games Wall has been missing? It seems like one injury after another.

yes, injuries are always a concern especially on a franchise player like Wall

Ive noticed that as well.....not a good sign IMO....kids got huge talent but if not on the court he could become another Greg Od.

Way too early to read anything into it.

Tuco, I'm getting really nervous about it. It's knee tendonitis, the kind of thing that lingers forever. Saunders said something along the lines of "it will never fully heal." Plus we've got the famous Curse of Les Boulez working against us, which isn't a curse anymore, it's more a rule that everything that has to do with sports in this town turns to crap. I'm surprised the bookies aren't taking bets on which Bryce Harper or Brian Orakpo appendage will sustain the first career-threatening injury.

 

[boubucarow]

Too bad Bulls fans about Noah.He really seemed to be on the verge of an All-Star appearance.

That does suck for him. The timing brings him back around the All-Star break. Obviously this will hurt the Bulls but they are far more prepared to handle the absence of Noah then they were last year with Boozer on board. Asik is going to get more playing time and Deng will move down the to the 4 in certain match ups. The next dozen or so games only see one team even near .500 and that is the Knicks. So maybe they can collect enough wins in his absence to solidify the chance for home court in round 1.

 

[Kev4029]

Sad to see the career of Brandon Roy trickling down the toilet. Going to cost him a ton of $$. IMO He's went from a franchise player the next several years to at best a 3rd option.If the Blazers can find a taker, I'd unload him if they can get a team to pay for the Brandon Roy of old (or anything close to it)

He seems to be a bit of a malcontent to me, I'm not sure anybody would trade for him now that he's not a franchise type player because he still thinks hes the best player in the league. Unless he can come to terms with being a 3rd option his career is going to go down the toilet much like Iverson's did in his last couple years.

 

[Abraham]

I've never thought Roy was that good. At his best, he was a top-25 guy but I'm not sure there was ever a time I thought he was one of the 10 bestp layers in the league.

 

[the moops]

I've never thought Roy was that good. At his best, he was a top-25 guy but I'm not sure there was ever a time I thought he was one of the 10 bestp layers in the league.

2 years ago he was borderline top 10 player in the league, and looked to be on the verge of cementing himself as a top 10 player. The only other wing players clearly better than him were Kobe, Lebron, and Wade.

 

[Kev4029]

I've never thought Roy was that good. At his best, he was a top-25 guy but I'm not sure there was ever a time I thought he was one of the 10 bestp layers in the league.

He may not have been top 10 talent, but with the system the Blazers use with all sorts of isolations run through him, he performed like a top 10 talent. He needed a certain system to succeed, but with it in place and the specific talents he had around him, he looked like a superstar. With his drop in athleticism/talent the system ran in Portland, and the only system to really use all of his talents, can't be ran through him because hes not quick enough to take advantage of all the isolations. I think going forward, he might be better suited as a 6th man where a team can still run an offense through him for 20 minutes a game against second stringers.