*NBA THREAD* Abe will be missed (6 Viewers)

[thecatch]

Javale just made himself a lot more $$ tonight. Might be an idiot at times, but you can't teach what he has. And he doesn't need the ball to be effective.Understand the Wiz not wanting to pay him, but why then take on Nene?? I think Wall-Javale-Anthony Davis would be a heck of a nucleus.

And he's still making $$.I like the Nuggets dealing Nene regardless of whether they keep McGee if for no other reason than they don't owe Nene $13/mil yr through his age 34 season.

Jerome James made himself a lot of money in the playoffs too.

 

[hxperson]

No problem with holding the finals to a much higher standard when evaluating a player's greatness. I think that's justifiable.

But its ridiculous when Gunz and others ignore the same standard they are holding Lebron to when discussing Chris Paul's legacy. It reeks of extreme bias.

 

[tommyGunZ]

Javale just made himself a lot more $$ tonight. Might be an idiot at times, but you can't teach what he has. And he doesn't need the ball to be effective.

Understand the Wiz not wanting to pay him, but why then take on Nene?? I think Wall-Javale-Anthony Davis would be a heck of a nucleus.

And he's still making $$.I like the Nuggets dealing Nene regardless of whether they keep McGee if for no other reason than they don't owe Nene $13/mil yr through his age 34 season.

I was never a fan giving up on JaVale and defended him occasionally around here. But what happened with the Wiz at the trade deadline was a culture change thing. Rightly or wrongly, the team and the fans thought JaVale was part of a group of me-first boneheads that included Nick Young and Andrey Blatche and to a lesser extent Rashard Lewis. So they cleaned house, trading away JaVale and Young and benching Blatche for the rest of the year for "conditioning" (which was awesome). I didn't like them taking on Nene's deal and as I said I liked Javale for the most part, but something had to give. Fans were way past the breaking point. And they have a ton of cap space, especially after they get Lewis's deal off the books this year. If Nene is healthy, he makes them much much better- they actually played quite well after the trade both with and without him. If he's not, they eat the money- which really isn't a huge problem- and get a veteran mentor type presence for the youngsters. Not a terrible gamble, as compared to giving McGee a free agency deal when fans and the front office saw him as part of the ongoing problem.

And really, Wall-anyone-Anthony Davis would be a great nucleus. If they get Davis and can add a decent wing scorer in free agency I think they could be a .500 team next year.

I remain skeptical of McGee's long term value. I think he'll get a contract this summer for far more than he's worth and will end up being a long term liability. His physical skill set is certainly rare and it's understandable why some project big things, but I think his game and long term future is as an energy guy off the bench in an uptempo offense as opposed to being the answer for a franchise as a starting 5.

 

[JMon348]

Outstanding outstanding outstanding article on grantland today about Greg Oden. It's written by Mark Titus, who's basically Simmons's Jr, so it has a lot of insight. Didn't know a lot of that stuff about Oden, terrible luck the past couple years.

 

[tommyGunZ]

No problem with holding the finals to a much higher standard when evaluating a player's greatness. I think that's justifiable. But its ridiculous when Gunz and others ignore the same standard they are holding Lebron to when discussing Chris Paul's legacy. It reeks of extreme bias.

Lost in all of the Kobe v. LeBron debates were many of my posts where I repeatedly said that I thought when it was all said and done, LeBron would go down as not only a better player than Kobe, but the GOAT. I've simply argued for years that he isn't there yet, despite efforts by some posters on this forum (Ahemmm....) to crown LeBron back in '07. I think LeBron's inability to close has become such a reality that it's in his head, and until he does so on the biggest stage, the questions about his heart and intestinal fortitude will continue to plague him, regardless of how many Wizards/Bobcats/Nets game winners the KobeHatersClub point to.

 

[TobiasFunke]

Javale just made himself a lot more $$ tonight. Might be an idiot at times, but you can't teach what he has. And he doesn't need the ball to be effective.

Understand the Wiz not wanting to pay him, but why then take on Nene?? I think Wall-Javale-Anthony Davis would be a heck of a nucleus.

And he's still making $$.I like the Nuggets dealing Nene regardless of whether they keep McGee if for no other reason than they don't owe Nene $13/mil yr through his age 34 season.

I was never a fan giving up on JaVale and defended him occasionally around here. But what happened with the Wiz at the trade deadline was a culture change thing. Rightly or wrongly, the team and the fans thought JaVale was part of a group of me-first boneheads that included Nick Young and Andrey Blatche and to a lesser extent Rashard Lewis. So they cleaned house, trading away JaVale and Young and benching Blatche for the rest of the year for "conditioning" (which was awesome). I didn't like them taking on Nene's deal and as I said I liked Javale for the most part, but something had to give. Fans were way past the breaking point. And they have a ton of cap space, especially after they get Lewis's deal off the books this year. If Nene is healthy, he makes them much much better- they actually played quite well after the trade both with and without him. If he's not, they eat the money- which really isn't a huge problem- and get a veteran mentor type presence for the youngsters. Not a terrible gamble, as compared to giving McGee a free agency deal when fans and the front office saw him as part of the ongoing problem.

And really, Wall-anyone-Anthony Davis would be a great nucleus. If they get Davis and can add a decent wing scorer in free agency I think they could be a .500 team next year.

I remain skeptical of McGee's long term value. I think he'll get a contract this summer for far more than he's worth and will end up being a long term liability. His physical skill set is certainly rare and it's understandable why some project big things, but I think his game and long term future is as an energy guy off the bench in an uptempo offense as opposed to being the answer for a franchise as a starting 5.

You may be right. He's been around a long time. This is already his fifth season. How many big man struggle for that long and then put it together to become stars? Bynum I guess but that was an injury thing. Anyone else? From what I recall most of the great big men make it known very early that they're gonna be great.

 

[DaveGrumbles]

I remain skeptical of McGee's long term value. I think he'll get a contract this summer for far more than he's worth and will end up being a long term liability. His physical skill set is certainly rare and it's understandable why some project big things, but I think his game and long term future is as an energy guy off the bench in an uptempo offense as opposed to being the answer for a franchise as a starting 5.

Hard to overpay for an athletic 7 footer with crazy long arms. If they bring in a serious big man coach who can get him more comfortable in the post and gain a little consistency in that swing hook, the guy could really be a quality 5 in today's NBA. That kind of player makes you a tough out come playoff time as the Nuggs are showing.

 

[tommyGunZ]

I remain skeptical of McGee's long term value. I think he'll get a contract this summer for far more than he's worth and will end up being a long term liability. His physical skill set is certainly rare and it's understandable why some project big things, but I think his game and long term future is as an energy guy off the bench in an uptempo offense as opposed to being the answer for a franchise as a starting 5.

Hard to overpay for an athletic 7 footer with crazy long arms. If they bring in a serious big man coach who can get him more comfortable in the post and gain a little consistency in that swing hook, the guy could really be a quality 5 in today's NBA. That kind of player makes you a tough out come playoff time as the Nuggs are showing.

But that's the problem - he's 24, been in the league for 5 years, and still isn't "comfortable" in the post. How long has he been playing basketball? Hasn't he been put in the post on every team he's played for over the past 18 years? I'm often wrong, and he's an exciting player to watch, but he also has some mental hurdles to overcome in addition to having to learn how to play the position he's been playing his entire life.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

No problem with holding the finals to a much higher standard when evaluating a player's greatness. I think that's justifiable. But its ridiculous when Gunz and others ignore the same standard they are holding Lebron to when discussing Chris Paul's legacy. It reeks of extreme bias.

Lost in all of the Kobe v. LeBron debates were many of my posts where I repeatedly said that I thought when it was all said and done, LeBron would go down as not only a better player than Kobe, but the GOAT. I've simply argued for years that he isn't there yet, despite efforts by some posters on this forum (Ahemmm....) to crown LeBron back in '07. I think LeBron's inability to close has become such a reality that it's in his head, and until he does so on the biggest stage, the questions about his heart and intestinal fortitude will continue to plague him, regardless of how many Wizards/Bobcats/Nets game winners the KobeHatersClub point to.

:whoosh:You put Paul ahead of other legendary PGs based on advanced stats (ignoring his meager resume) yet you don't for LeBron. Why not?

 

[DaveGrumbles]

I remain skeptical of McGee's long term value. I think he'll get a contract this summer for far more than he's worth and will end up being a long term liability. His physical skill set is certainly rare and it's understandable why some project big things, but I think his game and long term future is as an energy guy off the bench in an uptempo offense as opposed to being the answer for a franchise as a starting 5.

Hard to overpay for an athletic 7 footer with crazy long arms. If they bring in a serious big man coach who can get him more comfortable in the post and gain a little consistency in that swing hook, the guy could really be a quality 5 in today's NBA. That kind of player makes you a tough out come playoff time as the Nuggs are showing.

But that's the problem - he's 24, been in the league for 5 years, and still isn't "comfortable" in the post. How long has he been playing basketball? Hasn't he been put in the post on every team he's played for over the past 18 years? I'm often wrong, and he's an exciting player to watch, but he also has some mental hurdles to overcome in addition to having to learn how to play the position he's been playing his entire life.

I wouldn't assume washington is the best place to groom a young player. It's probably more of a footwork issue at this point...plus his arm length makes him a little goofy in his movements around the basket. But his touch is fine which is important...most big men nowadays lack that kind of touch because all they grew up doing was dunking or goofing around with three pointers. Being able to move your feet competently and finishing quickly with soft touch is a skill. After watching him last night I think he's much closer than you might think.

 

[Craig_MiamiFL]

The guy I liken McGee to didn't start getting any sort of recognition until he turned 24...Tyson Chandler.

I'd much much much much much much rather pay a guy that's offensively raw, force on defensive end (Chandler/McGee) than to pay more for a decent offensive/can't guard anyone on the downside (Amare/Boozer).

Chandler is/wss perfect fit in NY because Melo/Amare/Lin can't guard anyone. Not that they're going to do anything as constructed. He was a vast improvement on a badly constructed franchise.

 

[TobiasFunke]

The guy I liken McGee to didn't start getting any sort of recognition until he turned 24...Tyson Chandler.

I'd much much much much much much rather pay a guy that's offensively raw, force on defensive end (Chandler/McGee) than to pay more for a decent offensive/can't guard anyone on the downside (Amare/Boozer).

Chandler is/wss perfect fit in NY because Melo/Amare/Lin can't guard anyone. Not that they're going to do anything as constructed. He was a vast improvement on a badly constructed franchise.

Gotta admit, that's a pretty good one. Lot of similarities.

 

[DaveGrumbles]

The guy I liken McGee to didn't start getting any sort of recognition until he turned 24...Tyson Chandler.I'd much much much much much much rather pay a guy that's offensively raw, force on defensive end (Chandler/McGee) than to pay more for a decent offensive/can't guard anyone on the downside (Amare/Boozer).Chandler is/wss perfect fit in NY because Melo/Amare/Lin can't guard anyone. Not that they're going to do anything as constructed. He was a vast improvement on a badly constructed franchise.

Yup. The lack of college has always hurt the big men more than wings and guards. You have to get the reps working in the post to really develop your game. These guy come straight to the NBA and then see NBA coaches hesitant to rely on their weak offensive skills, meanwhile years go by and they never get comfortable with that part of the game. League is littered with big talent that has never been properly cultivated. I think late bloomers at center will become more of a norm going forward.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

The guy I liken McGee to didn't start getting any sort of recognition until he turned 24...Tyson Chandler.I'd much much much much much much rather pay a guy that's offensively raw, force on defensive end (Chandler/McGee) than to pay more for a decent offensive/can't guard anyone on the downside (Amare/Boozer).Chandler is/wss perfect fit in NY because Melo/Amare/Lin can't guard anyone. Not that they're going to do anything as constructed. He was a vast improvement on a badly constructed franchise.

Big men just take longer. McGee was better through his first 3 season than Bynum or Chandler. The ability is there, but is the brain?

 

[ffldrew]

Gotta say that McGee's finger roll ala Wilt in last nights game was nice to see.

 

[TobiasFunke]

The guy I liken McGee to didn't start getting any sort of recognition until he turned 24...Tyson Chandler.

I'd much much much much much much rather pay a guy that's offensively raw, force on defensive end (Chandler/McGee) than to pay more for a decent offensive/can't guard anyone on the downside (Amare/Boozer).

Chandler is/wss perfect fit in NY because Melo/Amare/Lin can't guard anyone. Not that they're going to do anything as constructed. He was a vast improvement on a badly constructed franchise.

Big men just take longer. McGee was better through his first 3 season than Bynum or Chandler.

The ability is there, but is the brain?

Is this true? I've always heard it about PGs, but I thought for the most part that big men reached their potential in the NBA as early or earlier than the other positions.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

The guy I liken McGee to didn't start getting any sort of recognition until he turned 24...Tyson Chandler.

I'd much much much much much much rather pay a guy that's offensively raw, force on defensive end (Chandler/McGee) than to pay more for a decent offensive/can't guard anyone on the downside (Amare/Boozer).

Chandler is/wss perfect fit in NY because Melo/Amare/Lin can't guard anyone. Not that they're going to do anything as constructed. He was a vast improvement on a badly constructed franchise.

Big men just take longer. McGee was better through his first 3 season than Bynum or Chandler.

The ability is there, but is the brain?

Is this true? I've always heard it about PGs, but I thought for the most part that big men reached their potential in the NBA as early or earlier than the other positions.

Not much more than anecdotal stuff. In recent memory, Paul, Rose, Williams, Evans, Westbrook and to a lesser extent Wall and Irving all have become impact/star players in the 1st year or two of their careers. How many bigs have done so? Maybe it is just a lack of good bigs or it is just constantly talked about on broadcasts.

 

[Kev4029]

Outstanding outstanding outstanding article on grantland today about Greg Oden. It's written by Mark Titus, who's basically Simmons's Jr, so it has a lot of insight. Didn't know a lot of that stuff about Oden, terrible luck the past couple years.

Club Trillion. I love Mark Titus.

 

[timschochet]

1. Andrew Bynum doesn't get the ball enough on offense.

2. When Andrew Bynum does get the ball, he gets double-teamed.

3. Andrew gets frustrated.

4. Andrew zones out, becomes disengaged.

5. Andrew plays no help defense whatsoever.

6. Rinse and repeat.

How many times do we have to watch this? It's so ####### frustrating to me. I'd like to believe like Tommy does that this is just his immaturity, and he'll grow out of this, and there will come a time when he plays hard all the time. But who knows?

 

[Craig_MiamiFL]

Bigs have to develop more physically and fundamentally than PG's.

High school doesn't afford them much opportunity to work on low post skills simply because they're taller/stronger than teammates/opposition often times. Even AAU ball is more of all star games than anything.

Most bigs entering at 18-19-20 don't have the luxury of a Garnett did (even when he physically couldn't bang down low) of being able to consistently hit mid-range jumpers at a young age.

 

[Kev4029]

You guys are putting way too much stock in a couple good games. This is exactly how McGee's career has went, he displays incredible flashes of talent then the next game makes a half dozen boneheaded plays and goes 2 of 7 from the field. Hes got a lot of things going for him but until he better understands the game, which I don't think will ever happen, hes going to continue to be hot and cold.

I do like the comparison to Chandler, but I'm not sure Chandler was even worth how much he was getting paid until these last two years. I also think that Faried and McGee are a poor fit as a pair offensively for the near future unless Faried gains a midrange game and McGee develops a post game.

 

[Gr00vus]

You guys are putting way too much stock in a couple good games. This is exactly how McGee's career has went, he displays incredible flashes of talent then the next game makes a half dozen boneheaded plays and goes 2 of 7 from the field. Hes got a lot of things going for him but until he better understands the game, which I don't think will ever happen, hes going to continue to be hot and cold.I do like the comparison to Chandler, but I'm not sure Chandler was even worth how much he was getting paid until these last two years. I also think that Faried and McGee are a poor fit as a pair offensively for the near future unless Faried gains a midrange game and McGee develops a post game.

Problem is, due to the shortage of quality true 5s he's going to get a ton of money from someone desperate for a center. Someone will be willing to take a chance that he puts it all together, probably until he's well into his 30's. Kwame Brown is still making millions.

 

[tommyGunZ]

1. Andrew Bynum doesn't get the ball enough on offense.2. When Andrew Bynum does get the ball, he gets double-teamed.3. Andrew gets frustrated.4. Andrew zones out, becomes disengaged.5. Andrew plays no help defense whatsoever.6. Rinse and repeat.How many times do we have to watch this? It's so ####### frustrating to me. I'd like to believe like Tommy does that this is just his immaturity, and he'll grow out of this, and there will come a time when he plays hard all the time. But who knows?

Well he's definitely immature, whether he grows out of it is still up in the air. I really like the guy and have been championing him for years, but as I said all season, I wouldn't let Otis Smith off the phone if a Drew/Dwight swap was on the table.

 

[Kev4029]

I don't understand why Blake is getting so many close out time minutes. I guess because World Peace isn't around. Still I'd rather have Ebanks out there, at least he might give them something on D.

McGee had 4 less points than Bynum and Gasol combined. Barnes+Blake = 20 FGA, Bynum+Gasol=19 FGA. The Lakers offense was teh suck. Hopefully the team doesn't get blinded by the improbable almost come back and recognizes that.

Brown is playing matchups. The Nuggets run a whole lot of 2 PG crap in the 4th quarter and for whatever reason Brown plays down to that.

 

[Gr00vus]

It's funny to hear folks in here argue that they would change their view of Lebron's clutchness if head taken, and missed a few more game winners over the years.

You can't make the ones you don't take. If he took them and missed them, he'd be considered just like Kobe. If he took them and made them...

Starting the count at the start of the 2006 playoffs, LeBron's first year in the postseason and Kobe's first postseason after the Shaq trade, sorting for shots taken in the last 30 seconds of the 4th quarter or OT of a playoff game to tie or take the lead...Kobe Bryant: 4-for-14LeBron James: 7-for-14

LeBron's a better player than Kobe - I've been saying that for a while. I'm not comparing LeBron to Kobe. I'm expressing frustration that a guy who should be dominating the most significant games of his career seems to opt out every now and then. When I first saw LeBron I thought "he's like Magic Johnson, but with insane hops." That's been my measuring stick - he's cheating us fans by not living up to it, because he has all they physical talent and skill to do it, he just shuts down mentally some times. I'm not saying he should have been winning at the same clip in the finals as Magic, because up until last year he hadn't been on a team with remotely comparable talent around him. But now, yeah I expect him to win not one, not two, not three... Being a no show at the end of finals games is baffling and confounding to me.

 

[Premier]

1. Andrew Bynum doesn't get the ball enough on offense.2. When Andrew Bynum does get the ball, he gets double-teamed.3. Andrew gets frustrated.4. Andrew zones out, becomes disengaged.5. Andrew plays no help defense whatsoever.6. Rinse and repeat.How many times do we have to watch this? It's so ####### frustrating to me. I'd like to believe like Tommy does that this is just his immaturity, and he'll grow out of this, and there will come a time when he plays hard all the time. But who knows?

Well he's definitely immature, whether he grows out of it is still up in the air. I really like the guy and have been championing him for years, but as I said all season, I wouldn't let Otis Smith off the phone if a Drew/Dwight swap was on the table.

It won't be Otis Smith, but I have to imagine this trade will be back on the table soon.

 

[Gr00vus]

(1) I tried putting something snarky here, but after three failed attempts in 30 seconds I took the loss.

(2) I had some fun pointing out Kobe's clock-draining before his last FGA last night, but I'm open to the possibility he waited to shoot to give the bigs a chance to establish rebounding position first. I didn't save the game on my DVR so I can't verify this theory, but Kobe can process so much of the court so quickly in ways mere mortals can't, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if he timed that shot just as Gasol or Bynum grabbed inside position.

No, it was just the usual Kobe stand around. I was mumbling loudly at the t.v. that he/they were waiting too long. But he was on fire up until the last 20 seconds, you just have to ride it out in that case and see if it pays off. That was one occasion "hero ball" was warranted.

 

[tommyGunZ]

LOL at the last section of Simmons' piece on Grantland today, championing "I Got This" after spending years bashing Kobe for the exact same thing.

 

[tommyGunZ]

It's funny to hear folks in here argue that they would change their view of Lebron's clutchness if head taken, and missed a few more game winners over the years.

You can't make the ones you don't take. If he took them and missed them, he'd be considered just like Kobe. If he took them and made them...

Starting the count at the start of the 2006 playoffs, LeBron's first year in the postseason and Kobe's first postseason after the Shaq trade, sorting for shots taken in the last 30 seconds of the 4th quarter or OT of a playoff game to tie or take the lead...Kobe Bryant: 4-for-14LeBron James: 7-for-14

This means nothing without more data - like how many times Bryant and James were in those situations.

 

[Gr00vus]

Was it just me, or did both Kobe's and Sessions's shots on that last possession look like makes on release? Kobe's was contested but he still had room to do a normal shooting motion, and his form looked fine. IIRC, Kobe started inching back to the bench after letting his go, assuming it was in and DEN was about to call a timeout. The miss caught him by surprise, and not because of hubris; it was a smooth release from a spot he shoots from a lot.

I thought each was going in, right up until they hit short/long.

I know Blake's defense is getting killed and Laker fans upset over it have a legit beef, but he made two great plays to get Sessions open looks in the last 30 seconds. That out-of-control shot fake drew eyeballs and left Sessions wide open for the three-pointer LAL made in the last half-minute. Then Blake rebounded Kobe's last miss and found Sessions (1) in time to shoot a three before the buzzer, and that one looked right on line, not too rushed, and from pretty much the same spot where he made his last one.

Those were good plays. The problem is he doesn't make the right decisions consistently and straight out blows passes too often. There was one play in the 2nd half where (i think it was) Bynum had great position, simple entry pass to make, and somehow Blake threw a lousy pass basically to the defender. Stuff like that is grating for a guy who was advertised as fundamentally sound. And he's getting worked on D.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

Amare just fouls out on a push/charge that knocks Battier to the ground. Then he extends his hand to help him up and then pulls it back and walks away as shane reaches up for it. Nice.

 

[Gr00vus]

playing Kobe at SG when DEN puts both points on the floor would be a matchup nightmare for DEN on defense and give Kobe a shot at guarding Miller instead of standing on the help side and watching Dre do everything short of leaving a chalk outline on the court when Blake is checking him.

Yeah, I've questioned Brown's end of game lineup in regard to Blake throughout. I'd rather do it your way and take my chances with Ebanks or Barnes out there - you'd be better off defensively at least.

 

[Craig_MiamiFL]

Amare just fouls out on a push/charge that knocks Battier to the ground. Then he extends his hand to help him up and then pulls it back and walks away as shane reaches up for it. Nice.

Probably took him a bit to count to 6.Guy's been exposed w/o Nash. Little different when you're not being spoon fed great opportunities. Have fun with him Knick fans. Better hope Linsanity is for real or somehow pull a good PG out of your ###

 

[Britney Spears]

Kobe was outstanding for the first 47:30, but completely fell apart in the last 30 seconds. He pretty much had the kind of game Laker fans say is pretty much the problem with LeBron.

No no no! This is wrong. LeBron gets criticized not because he misses shots in the last few minutes; its because he doesn't take them to begin with. LeBron defers and lets somebody else take the big shots; he doesn't seem to want the ball in that situation.

The problem is that statement isn't even close to true about LeBron. He's been among the league leaders in clutch time FGA48 in each of the last five years, and led the league in clutch time FGA48 by a mile in 2010. This season in clutch time, LeBron had a higher PTS48 in clutch time than Kobe, and scored more points while taking 4.7 fewer shots per48 than Kobe. (1)

At least Kobe is trying to make the big shot. Sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn't. But to criticize him for missing his last couple of shots after he was so spectacular throughout the 4th quarter seems pretty asinine to me.

I'm not criticizing Kobe. I'm criticizing the folks who put Kobe's mythical game-closing ability on a pedestal and mocking them using the same phrases they use when a great player other than Kobe comes up short in the last 30 seconds of a game. -----------

(1) And had higher averages in rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, FG%, FTA, and shot threes nearly 100 points better than Kobe (.385 to .286). Kobe did manage to have higher a higher FT% than Lebron, and had higher averages in turnovers and assisted baskets.

bowtie

 

[Britney Spears]

You watch this and you just at the Cliff and Ferris' of the board who can never give him credit for anything.

Looking forward to reading how much more efficient Steve Blake was than Kobe tonight, and how if Kobe would only have deferred to Blake the Lakers would have gotten the W.

0:28 98-96 Kobe Bryant misses 4-foot two point shot0:20 99-96 Kobe Bryant misses 27-foot three point jumper0:12 100-99 Kobe Bryant personal foul (Andre Miller draws the foul)0:05 102-99 Kobe Bryant misses 25-foot three point jumperI think my favorite was the last one, where he just stood there on the wing and let the clock run down before shooting a contested jumper over a guy who was standing right there in front of him for several seconds.

Funny thing is, had LBJ had a game like that (great overall game, tons of points in the 4th quarter, but a few missed shots at the very end), he would get ripped for not being able to finish.

Absolutely clueless.

He's absolutely correct.

Mentioning the intentional foul on Miller is silly and speaks to the overall ridiculousness of trying to disparage Kobe for a game in which he performed extremely well. None of the shots he took and missed at the end would have meant a thing if he hadn't gone haywire just prior to that. It's a weak fishing trip, appealing only to the usual Kobe bashers.

Do you not realize that he's not actually putting down Bryant?

 

[Britney Spears]

Outstanding outstanding outstanding article on grantland today about Greg Oden. It's written by Mark Titus, who's basically Simmons's Jr, so it has a lot of insight. Didn't know a lot of that stuff about Oden, terrible luck the past couple years.

Thanks for the heads up. Good read.

 

[Kev4029]

Outstanding outstanding outstanding article on grantland today about Greg Oden. It's written by Mark Titus, who's basically Simmons's Jr, so it has a lot of insight. Didn't know a lot of that stuff about Oden, terrible luck the past couple years.

Thanks for the heads up. Good read.

Agreed. Seems like Oden is a bit of a headcase.

 

[Smarge]

Memphis can blame not finding a backup point guard for many of their problems. Mayo is a complete disaster as a point guard.

 

[Daywalker]

Outstanding outstanding outstanding article on grantland today about Greg Oden. It's written by Mark Titus, who's basically Simmons's Jr, so it has a lot of insight. Didn't know a lot of that stuff about Oden, terrible luck the past couple years.

Thanks for the heads up. Good read.

Agreed. Seems like Oden is a bit of a headcase.

Always a smart move to sulk when having to give an autograph when conducting an interview with someone doing a feature article on you.

 

[Britney Spears]

West just got easier. What a brutal season.

 

[the moops]

nba.com is a ####ty website

 

[tommyGunZ]

nba.com is a ####ty website

MLB.com is similarly ####ty.

 

[Sebowski]

Why is Lebron wearing those stupid ####### glasses? Serious question.

 

[Truman]

NBA - LeBron improves to 7-0 in first round seriesFrom Elias: LeBron James improved to 7-0 in first round playoff series, which is tied for the fifth best record since the NBA went to a 16-team playoff format in 1983-84.

James Extends Record For Leading Team In Points, Rebounds & AssistsFrom Elias: LeBron James had 29 points, eight rebounds and seven assists -- all team highs -- in the Heat's series-clinching win over the Knicks on Wednesday night. It was the 20th time in his pro career that James led his team outright in points, rebounds and assists in a playoff game. That's by far the highest such total for any player in NBA history. In fact the only other players who did that in at least 10 games are Larry Bird (13) and Tim Duncan (11).

When will this guy show up when it counts?

 

[Kev4029]

NBA - LeBron improves to 7-0 in first round seriesFrom Elias: LeBron James improved to 7-0 in first round playoff series, which is tied for the fifth best record since the NBA went to a 16-team playoff format in 1983-84.

James Extends Record For Leading Team In Points, Rebounds & AssistsFrom Elias: LeBron James had 29 points, eight rebounds and seven assists -- all team highs -- in the Heat's series-clinching win over the Knicks on Wednesday night. It was the 20th time in his pro career that James led his team outright in points, rebounds and assists in a playoff game. That's by far the highest such total for any player in NBA history. In fact the only other players who did that in at least 10 games are Larry Bird (13) and Tim Duncan (11).

When will this guy show up when it counts?

Those are two amazingly impressive stats. I wonder who the 4 guys who had better records in the first round than Lebron are. Not surprisingly, Robert Horry is one of them, he was 16-0 in first rounds.ETA: Horry 16-0Fisher 14-0Michael Cooper tied at 7-0 since 83-84, he did lose once in 80-81 thoughUsing the old guess and test method to find the others

 

[Beerguzzler]

1st rounds matter am I right!!

 

[greyone]

nba.com is a ####ty website

MLB.com is similarly ####ty.

Practically useless

 

[JMon348]

Memphis can blame not finding a backup point guard for many of their problems. Mayo is a complete disaster as a point guard.

A terrible trade that didn't make sense to me at the time, and still doesn't now was when Memphis gave New Orleans Grevis Vasquez for free. He was awesome last year in the playoffs and pretty much a perfect PG for them backing up Conley.

 

[JMon348]

NBA - LeBron improves to 7-0 in first round seriesFrom Elias: LeBron James improved to 7-0 in first round playoff series, which is tied for the fifth best record since the NBA went to a 16-team playoff format in 1983-84.

James Extends Record For Leading Team In Points, Rebounds & AssistsFrom Elias: LeBron James had 29 points, eight rebounds and seven assists -- all team highs -- in the Heat's series-clinching win over the Knicks on Wednesday night. It was the 20th time in his pro career that James led his team outright in points, rebounds and assists in a playoff game. That's by far the highest such total for any player in NBA history. In fact the only other players who did that in at least 10 games are Larry Bird (13) and Tim Duncan (11).

When will this guy show up when it counts?

Those are two amazingly impressive stats. I wonder who the 4 guys who had better records in the first round than Lebron are. Not surprisingly, Robert Horry is one of them, he was 16-0 in first rounds.ETA: Horry 16-0Fisher 14-0Michael Cooper tied at 7-0 since 83-84, he did lose once in 80-81 thoughUsing the old guess and test method to find the others

Using your Method, it looks like Danny Ainge was 12-0.

 

[Dought Man]

Melo steps to the podium last night and gets 4 questions from the NY media and leaves with no fanfare. It's weird that this guy gets a pass. Or is it just that no one expects Carmelo's teams to win? Is Carmelo Anthony the Cubs? Cute (no homo)...but no one expects big wins.