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*NBA THREAD* Abe will be missed (3 Viewers)

Hickson has shown flashes of solid play, but still carries with him questionable work ethic/motivation and a low basketball IQ. With the Cavs using #4 on a player they must like more than Hickson (and if you listen to them talk about TT, it's obvious they view him as the anti-Hickson) the writing was on the wall. Both players are young, both players have upside, and both teams filled needs here. Win-Win from my point of view.
Hickson's overrated, IMO. All that athleticism is wasted if you have a $.10 head. The fact that he struggled to the extent of being benched when he should have been taking the lead last year on that roster is a huge red flag. I love what Cleveland is doing. I think Irving is a sure thing, so TT becomes the wild card. If he's a decent to solid regular, the Cavs should be a fringe playoff contender in near future. If he turns out to be an elite defender and offensive rebounder due to his length and motor, the Cavs are a player away from being taken seriously again. :thumbup:
 
'mlball77 said:
Yeah, I think the plan is for Salmons to be the 3 for sure… and then Evans, Marcus Thornton and Jimmer to address the PG and SG spots. As of right now, it looks like Hickson and Cousins should start at PF and C, respectively… and Jason Thompson will likely be their primary backup (unless Hassan Whiteside makes some huge strides). However, there is buzz that the Kings want to bring in another true C. Jason Thompson can play backup minutes there, but he is a bit outmatched when he plays C, imo.Overall, I’m happy with the direction of this team. Frankly, just having a healthy Tyreke Evans should make the team better. He just wasn’t right most of last year… and supposedly is feeling great now.
I think you're right about the lineup. Opening day rotation as of now will probably be: Evans, Thornton, Salmons, Hickson, and Cousins starting, with Jimmer, Thompson, Honeycutt/Greene (whatever Westphal's flavor of the month is, hopefully Honeycutt), and maybe a Pooh Jeter type off the bench. Whiteside is probably still a year out. That's a lineup with a fair amount of talent that unfortunately still doesn't fit very well together. There are rumblings about chasing a FA big man, but I doubt there's anybody out there that'd be worth grossly overpaying for. Might as well see what Hickson and Cousins can do together and collect another high pick.
Hickson was pretty solid at C this year after Varejao went down. Just be ready for 25 & 15 one night, and 6 & 4 the next.
 
I think Irving is a sure thing, so TT becomes the wild card. If he's a decent to solid regular, the Cavs should be a fringe playoff contender in near future. If he turns out to be an elite defender and offensive rebounder due to his length and motor, the Cavs are a player away from being taken seriously again. :thumbup:
crap, we've been Gunz'd
 
'mlball77 said:
Yeah, I think the plan is for Salmons to be the 3 for sure… and then Evans, Marcus Thornton and Jimmer to address the PG and SG spots.

As of right now, it looks like Hickson and Cousins should start at PF and C, respectively… and Jason Thompson will likely be their primary backup (unless Hassan Whiteside makes some huge strides). However, there is buzz that the Kings want to bring in another true C. Jason Thompson can play backup minutes there, but he is a bit outmatched when he plays C, imo.

Overall, I’m happy with the direction of this team. Frankly, just having a healthy Tyreke Evans should make the team better. He just wasn’t right most of last year… and supposedly is feeling great now.
I think you're right about the lineup. Opening day rotation as of now will probably be: Evans, Thornton, Salmons, Hickson, and Cousins starting, with Jimmer, Thompson, Honeycutt/Greene (whatever Westphal's flavor of the month is, hopefully Honeycutt), and maybe a Pooh Jeter type off the bench. Whiteside is probably still a year out. That's a lineup with a fair amount of talent that unfortunately still doesn't fit very well together. There are rumblings about chasing a FA big man, but I doubt there's anybody out there that'd be worth grossly overpaying for. Might as well see what Hickson and Cousins can do together and collect another high pick.
Hickson was pretty solid at C this year after Varejao went down. Just be ready for 25 & 15 one night, and 6 & 4 the next.
Yikes. Inconsistency on that level is frustrating. I hope Hickson can bring D and rebounding first, then scoring will be a nice plus. And, thecatch, I heard Westphal on sports talk radio last night when I was driving home from work. He basically stated what we were talking about. He envisions the following:

PG/SG taken care of by a three man rotation of Evans, Thornton and Jimmer... all used interchangably.

PF/C taken care of by a three man rotation of Hickson, Cousins and Thompson... all used interchangably.

SF taken care of by Salmons and Garcia (no mention of Greene or Honeycutt).

ETA: Early in the conversation, I believe he mentioned something about the team being in a good position to still acquire a player or two if they can improve the squad.

 
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I just watched PTI on my DVR and they had Tom Penn on (ESPN "Capologist?") who said he thought there was a 75% chance there would be no season next year. I'm much more optimistic. I'd say there is a 60% chance for a full season, 39% for a shortened season and maybe a 1% chance of no season. I'm curious what percentages you guys would but on this.
Full Season - 10%Half Season - 65%No Season - 25%It seems like the owners are not going to compromise. If it is at all true that 3/4 of the owners are losing $, they have no reason to play a season except on their own terms. The start of the season depends on when the players basically give up. I think they will be losing checks before that happens so a half season is most likely by far. However, they stick to their guns there will be no season. I might not even believe my 10% for a full season.
 
'mlball77 said:
Yeah, I think the plan is for Salmons to be the 3 for sure… and then Evans, Marcus Thornton and Jimmer to address the PG and SG spots. As of right now, it looks like Hickson and Cousins should start at PF and C, respectively… and Jason Thompson will likely be their primary backup (unless Hassan Whiteside makes some huge strides). However, there is buzz that the Kings want to bring in another true C. Jason Thompson can play backup minutes there, but he is a bit outmatched when he plays C, imo.Overall, I’m happy with the direction of this team. Frankly, just having a healthy Tyreke Evans should make the team better. He just wasn’t right most of last year… and supposedly is feeling great now.
I think you're right about the lineup. Opening day rotation as of now will probably be: Evans, Thornton, Salmons, Hickson, and Cousins starting, with Jimmer, Thompson, Honeycutt/Greene (whatever Westphal's flavor of the month is, hopefully Honeycutt), and maybe a Pooh Jeter type off the bench. Whiteside is probably still a year out. That's a lineup with a fair amount of talent that unfortunately still doesn't fit very well together. There are rumblings about chasing a FA big man, but I doubt there's anybody out there that'd be worth grossly overpaying for. Might as well see what Hickson and Cousins can do together and collect another high pick.
Hickson was pretty solid at C this year after Varejao went down. Just be ready for 25 & 15 one night, and 6 & 4 the next.
Yikes. Inconsistency on that level is frustrating. I hope Hickson can bring D and rebounding first, then scoring will be a nice plus.
He'll generally be a good rebounder...but he's not a good defender besides a block or two a night. I'm sure he still can improve defensively...but again he has a low bball iq and he is not consistent, so that's not a good pairing for what you are hoping for. Never know though.
 
'mlball77 said:
Yeah, I think the plan is for Salmons to be the 3 for sure… and then Evans, Marcus Thornton and Jimmer to address the PG and SG spots. As of right now, it looks like Hickson and Cousins should start at PF and C, respectively… and Jason Thompson will likely be their primary backup (unless Hassan Whiteside makes some huge strides). However, there is buzz that the Kings want to bring in another true C. Jason Thompson can play backup minutes there, but he is a bit outmatched when he plays C, imo.Overall, I’m happy with the direction of this team. Frankly, just having a healthy Tyreke Evans should make the team better. He just wasn’t right most of last year… and supposedly is feeling great now.
I think you're right about the lineup. Opening day rotation as of now will probably be: Evans, Thornton, Salmons, Hickson, and Cousins starting, with Jimmer, Thompson, Honeycutt/Greene (whatever Westphal's flavor of the month is, hopefully Honeycutt), and maybe a Pooh Jeter type off the bench. Whiteside is probably still a year out. That's a lineup with a fair amount of talent that unfortunately still doesn't fit very well together. There are rumblings about chasing a FA big man, but I doubt there's anybody out there that'd be worth grossly overpaying for. Might as well see what Hickson and Cousins can do together and collect another high pick.
Hickson was pretty solid at C this year after Varejao went down. Just be ready for 25 & 15 one night, and 6 & 4 the next.
Yikes. Inconsistency on that level is frustrating. I hope Hickson can bring D and rebounding first, then scoring will be a nice plus.
Rebounding - yes. Defense - ummm not so much.Offensively he has a bit of a post game and an ok 15-18 foot jumper. Beyond that it's dunk or turnover.
 
Wow, I had Hickson wrong, apparently. I thought he was a scrappy defensive player in the low post. Discouraging hearing this isn't the case.ETA: I thought Hickson's quote in the Sac Bee was sort of funny. I hope he does give big effort though.

"I think the Kings did a good job in picking up a young, athletic big that's going to give 110 percent," Hickson said.
 
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I just watched PTI on my DVR and they had Tom Penn on (ESPN "Capologist?") who said he thought there was a 75% chance there would be no season next year. I'm much more optimistic. I'd say there is a 60% chance for a full season, 39% for a shortened season and maybe a 1% chance of no season. I'm curious what percentages you guys would but on this.
Full Season - 10%Half Season - 65%No Season - 25%It seems like the owners are not going to compromise. If it is at all true that 3/4 of the owners are losing $, they have no reason to play a season except on their own terms. The start of the season depends on when the players basically give up. I think they will be losing checks before that happens so a half season is most likely by far. However, they stick to their guns there will be no season. I might not even believe my 10% for a full season.
Full Season - 10%Half Season - 55%No Season - 35%I have a feeling that the owners are in this for the long haul and are tired of having to pay guaranteed contracts to bums like Eddy Curry who couldnt play because he gained so much weight but yet got his full paycheck. The players should have accepted the last proposed deal because I have a feeling what they accept in the future wont be nearly as good. The half a season seems most likely because I think the players will cave as a majority have the financial skills of a 12 year old and still live paycheck to paycheck.
 
SF taken care of by Salmons and Garcia (no mention of Greene or Honeycutt).ETA: Early in the conversation, I believe he mentioned something about the team being in a good position to still acquire a player or two if they can improve the squad.
I find it interesting he didn't even mention Greene. They are probably looking to unload him too then. Not as surprised about the omission of Honeycutt; he's still a raw prospect, doubt they see much from him this year.
 
Beasley busted...and in other potential interesting news...

http://eye-on-basketball.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/22748484/30498150

Update (11:00 a.m.): ESPN.com reported Thursday that "sources with knowledge of Deron Williams' plans confirm his intent to play for Besiktas in Turkey if lockout continues."

Original Post: A Turkish television station is reporting Thursday that Besiktas, a Turkish professional basketball team, has an agreement in principle with Deron Williams to play for them during the lockout.

Yowza.

Williams, who is under contract for 2011-2012 with the New Jersey Nets, would have to obtain FIBA clearance before heading to Istanbul. A source informed Ken Berger of CBSSports.com Thursday morning that the Nets had not been made aware of any such offer. That does not preclude such an offer from having been made, just that the Nets aren't aware of such an offer, though you would think they'd have some idea of the legitimacy if things were this far along.

Williams heading overseas would be the kind of substantial move from an All-Star that could actually put the fear of God into ownership. If a wide enough swath of players are able to make decent money overseas during the lockout, that kind of takes the bite out of the lockout, the entire point of this ridiculous power play. Essentially, the owners' ability to starve the union out would be mitigated, even with lesser players unlikely to be offered similar contracts. If enough players can find ways to create income and keep the union's position strong, the owners lose their biggest power position.

The flip side is that Deron Williams is playing in Turkey, though I'm sure Istanbul is very nice. Additionally, television reports of this nature are often sketchy and it wouldn't be the first time an international team has leaked information about a possible signing of a major American player before the chickens were hatched. We'd advise a healthy dose of skepticism here.

Williams would join Allen Iverson among point guards labeled (under false pretenses or not) coach killers who have played in Turkey for Besiktas. FIBA has not released an official statement regarding their plans for clearance during the lockout.
 
SF taken care of by Salmons and Garcia (no mention of Greene or Honeycutt).ETA: Early in the conversation, I believe he mentioned something about the team being in a good position to still acquire a player or two if they can improve the squad.
I find it interesting he didn't even mention Greene. They are probably looking to unload him too then. Not as surprised about the omission of Honeycutt; he's still a raw prospect, doubt they see much from him this year.
I agree about Honeycutt. And I'm wondering if Whiteside gets to suit up this year. As for Greene, do you think there is much interest in him amongst the rest of the league. I've always been a bit of a supporter of his, but he just hasn't developed like I had hoped. I guess Greene is young and doesn't have a big contract like Garcia, so Greene would probably be the player of those two that garners more interest from other teams.
 
SF taken care of by Salmons and Garcia (no mention of Greene or Honeycutt).ETA: Early in the conversation, I believe he mentioned something about the team being in a good position to still acquire a player or two if they can improve the squad.
I find it interesting he didn't even mention Greene. They are probably looking to unload him too then. Not as surprised about the omission of Honeycutt; he's still a raw prospect, doubt they see much from him this year.
I agree about Honeycutt. And I'm wondering if Whiteside gets to suit up this year. As for Greene, do you think there is much interest in him amongst the rest of the league. I've always been a bit of a supporter of his, but he just hasn't developed like I had hoped. I guess Greene is young and doesn't have a big contract like Garcia, so Greene would probably be the player of those two that garners more interest from other teams.
They might unload Greene for a 2nd rounder so they don't have to pay his salary or worry about giving him minutes. I didn't mean to imply they could expect any value from him. Too bad - the guy has freakish size and athleticism, just can't maximize that talent on the court. Garcia's definitely the more useful player to other teams but that contract is still toxic.
 
Happy Birthday to The Decision.

A year ago today I had no idea that this would lead to the Dallas Mavericks being World Champs.

 
'No. 16 said:
Kobe willing to listen to foreign offers...

Brilliant move by the NBAPA and whoever thought of this idea. Now some may actually have to bite the bullet, sign, and start working out with these Euroleague teams, but it sure doesn't hurt their cause against the owners.
Euro teams have a 3 player max for Americans.What happens to the remainder of Kobe's contract after the lock out ends if he blows out a knee playing in Europe? I am almost positive that it is voided. I can see this being a savy move for FAs and guys with one yera left on their remaining deals, but there is still way too much at risk for guys with substantial money left on their contracts, even with a roll back.

 
Abbot destroying LA Times writer Mark Heisler. You'd think a guy writing for the LA Times wouldn't be a complete idiot... but you'd think wrong. Complete idiot.

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/30775/kobe-bryant-vs-crunch-time-statistics-a-debate
Great read and no surprise. It just shows that most newspaper columnists don't know jack about advance metrics (like most of the general population regarding statistics). Makes sense since the reason most became journalist is because they were probably adverse to math.We should really focus on personal finance and statistics in high school over pushing people to calculus.

 
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Abbot destroying LA Times writer Mark Heisler. You'd think a guy writing for the LA Times wouldn't be a complete idiot... but you'd think wrong. Complete idiot.

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/30775/kobe-bryant-vs-crunch-time-statistics-a-debate
Great read and no surprise. It just shows that most newspaper columnists don't know jack about advance metrics. Makes sense since the reason most became journalist is because they were probably adverse to math.
Shooting percentage in the clutch is not an advanced metric and that is pretty much the only thing discussed.
 
Abbot destroying LA Times writer Mark Heisler. You'd think a guy writing for the LA Times wouldn't be a complete idiot... but you'd think wrong. Complete idiot.

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/30775/kobe-bryant-vs-crunch-time-statistics-a-debate
Great read and no surprise. It just shows that most newspaper columnists don't know jack about advance metrics. Makes sense since the reason most became journalist is because they were probably adverse to math.
Shooting percentage in the clutch is not an advanced metric and that is pretty much the only thing discussed.
Haha true.Advance metrics =/= statistics

Still the general point is the same, most sports writers today (older guys) and many of the general population tend to ignore statistics, just because it doesn't jive with what they believe to be true. It is really sad that people do not make decisions based on complete data.

 
Just starting on NBA TV: 1985 All-Star Game. Check out the freakin' starters on these two squads.

WEST

Adrian Dantley

George Gervin

Magic Johnson

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Ralph Sampson

EAST

Isiah Thomas

Larry Bird

Moses Malone

Julius Erving

Michael Jordan

:shock:

 
ESPN sources say Don Nelson is not only open to return to coaching, but is intrigued by Minnesota's roster.This would certainly be an interesting hire. The 71-year old Nelson recently retired after clinching the all-time record for regular-season coaching wins. He both took the Warriors to the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade and led them to one of the greatest upsets in playoff history in his first year as Golden State’s head coach, but most feel he overstayed his welcome in Golden State, and the team fell into disarray as Nelson often appeared apathetic on the sidelines.Still, with Ricky Rubio coming aboard and the roster filled with big men who can shoot like Kevin Love and #2 overall pick Derrick Williams, an uptempo approach could work for the Timberwolves, and Nelson is still the godfather of uptempo basketball in the modern NBA.
Someone is going to dig up Nelson 30 years from now to prop him up on a NBA bench.
 
ESPN sources say Don Nelson is not only open to return to coaching, but is intrigued by Minnesota's roster.This would certainly be an interesting hire. The 71-year old Nelson recently retired after clinching the all-time record for regular-season coaching wins. He both took the Warriors to the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade and led them to one of the greatest upsets in playoff history in his first year as Golden State’s head coach, but most feel he overstayed his welcome in Golden State, and the team fell into disarray as Nelson often appeared apathetic on the sidelines.Still, with Ricky Rubio coming aboard and the roster filled with big men who can shoot like Kevin Love and #2 overall pick Derrick Williams, an uptempo approach could work for the Timberwolves, and Nelson is still the godfather of uptempo basketball in the modern NBA.
Someone is going to dig up Nelson 30 years from now to prop him up on a NBA bench.
Dead Don Nelson would do better than Rambis did these last two years.And yes, I would imagine Big Whistle is salivating over what he could do with the Minn roster. Just leave your defense at the door.
 
ESPN sources say Don Nelson is not only open to return to coaching, but is intrigued by Minnesota's roster.This would certainly be an interesting hire. The 71-year old Nelson recently retired after clinching the all-time record for regular-season coaching wins. He both took the Warriors to the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade and led them to one of the greatest upsets in playoff history in his first year as Golden State’s head coach, but most feel he overstayed his welcome in Golden State, and the team fell into disarray as Nelson often appeared apathetic on the sidelines.Still, with Ricky Rubio coming aboard and the roster filled with big men who can shoot like Kevin Love and #2 overall pick Derrick Williams, an uptempo approach could work for the Timberwolves, and Nelson is still the godfather of uptempo basketball in the modern NBA.
Someone is going to dig up Nelson 30 years from now to prop him up on a NBA bench.
Dead Don Nelson would do better than Rambis did these last two years.And yes, I would imagine Big Whistle is salivating over what he could do with the Minn roster. Just leave your defense at the door.
What made Rambis such a bad coach? (I'm not asking sarcastically.) Who could have won with that roster?
 
Rambis was interested in installing the triangle which typically requires the type of roster completely opposite of what the wolves had in place.

 
ESPN sources say Don Nelson is not only open to return to coaching, but is intrigued by Minnesota's roster.This would certainly be an interesting hire. The 71-year old Nelson recently retired after clinching the all-time record for regular-season coaching wins. He both took the Warriors to the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade and led them to one of the greatest upsets in playoff history in his first year as Golden State’s head coach, but most feel he overstayed his welcome in Golden State, and the team fell into disarray as Nelson often appeared apathetic on the sidelines.Still, with Ricky Rubio coming aboard and the roster filled with big men who can shoot like Kevin Love and #2 overall pick Derrick Williams, an uptempo approach could work for the Timberwolves, and Nelson is still the godfather of uptempo basketball in the modern NBA.
Someone is going to dig up Nelson 30 years from now to prop him up on a NBA bench.
Dead Don Nelson would do better than Rambis did these last two years.And yes, I would imagine Big Whistle is salivating over what he could do with the Minn roster. Just leave your defense at the door.
Even though they probably wouldn't be more than a top 6-8 team in the West if things go perfectly (Rubio is rookie of the year, Love is a great complemnent, they add another veteran who score 20 points a game, etc), wouldn't Nelson bring a brand of basketball (run, run, run, score a lot, give up a lot) that can actually bring back some excitement to a franchise that is completely in the crapper?
 
Rambis was an insanely stupid hire.

Let's see...we just finished a draft where we took 2 point guards in the top-6, and now we are going to hire a coach who will run an offense that completely nullifies the point guard. Also, we have no shooting guards to dominate the ball like every team who has successfully run this offense.

Kahn should be canned just for that hire.

 
i love durant. it's going to be great watching him over the next 10-12 years. i think he's just scratched the surface of his potential. he's still maturing physically. he could put 5-10 lbs of muscle on that frame and it wouldn't hurt his game at all.

 
i love durant. it's going to be great watching him over the next 10-12 years. i think he's just scratched the surface of his potential. he's still maturing physically. he could put 5-10 lbs of muscle on that frame and it wouldn't hurt his game at all.
There's so much to love - on the court and off. It's just a shame the you-know-whos of the world don't get it like KD gets it.
 
i love durant. it's going to be great watching him over the next 10-12 years. i think he's just scratched the surface of his potential. he's still maturing physically. he could put 5-10 lbs of muscle on that frame and it wouldn't hurt his game at all.
There's so much to love - on the court and off. It's just a shame the you-know-whos of the world don't get it like KD gets it.
Dude needs to develop some semblance of an inside game. The Dallas series could have gone much differently if he could have capitalized on the numerous possessions Kidd was guarding him.
 
Just awesome. Saw the clip on Sportscenter of the fans mobbing him after one of his late deep 3's.

KD is just fantastic for the NBA game. Stern should make him the face of the NBA for the next 10 yrs.

 
Dude needs to develop some semblance of an inside game. The Dallas series could have gone much differently if he could have capitalized on the numerous possessions Kidd was guarding him.
Good thing he's only 21 years old and has some time to work on it.(21 years old - SICK GAME)
 
Dude needs to develop some semblance of an inside game. The Dallas series could have gone much differently if he could have capitalized on the numerous possessions Kidd was guarding him.
Good thing he's only 21 years old and has some time to work on it.(21 years old - SICK GAME)
Yep. That said, his body type is going to limit his ability to put on significant muscle.
 
Dude needs to develop some semblance of an inside game. The Dallas series could have gone much differently if he could have capitalized on the numerous possessions Kidd was guarding him.
Good thing he's only 21 years old and has some time to work on it.(21 years old - SICK GAME)
He's a month from being 23. He'll never have an inside game because an average PG could push him off of the block.
 
Dude needs to develop some semblance of an inside game. The Dallas series could have gone much differently if he could have capitalized on the numerous possessions Kidd was guarding him.
Good thing he's only 21 years old and has some time to work on it.(21 years old - SICK GAME)
He's a month from being 23. He'll never have an inside game because an average PG could push him off of the block.
There is a pretty simple counter for this.
 

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