*NBA THREAD* Abe will be missed (4 Viewers)

[Abraham]

Report: According to Woj, Atlanta would like Chandler Parsons and Omer Asik for the next three months of Josh Smith.

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

Report: According to Woj, Atlanta would like Chandler Parsons and Omer Asik for the next three months of Josh Smith.

I saw that. Pretty dumb. Maybe if they offered Sam Cassell and Pete Chilcutt it would even up.

 

[Abraham]

Report: According to Woj, Atlanta would like Chandler Parsons and Omer Asik for the next three months of Josh Smith.

I saw that. Pretty dumb. Maybe if they offered Sam Cassell and Pete Chilcutt it would even up.

They probably said, "We want Donuts OR we want Parsons/Asik!"

 

[Moe.]

I know I am a homer, but last night's Houston / OKC game was one of the best non-playoff games I've seen in a really long time. Consider that OKC was up 14 with seven minutes to go. Durant had a triple double, Westbrook had 28 / 10 / 8. Sefalosha had 28. Lin and Harden combined for 75 points, 16 boards and 14 assists and shot 10-13 from three point range. Harden hit a three from half-court (a shot, not a throw) to end the third which proved to be the winning margin. And Harden had some sick one-on-one plays in the fourth where he dribbled here, dribbled there, and then hit a step back jumper to build the lead. Highlights:http://www.nba.com/games/20130220/OKCHOU/gameinfo.html?ls=iref:nbahpgt[0021200804]

Other than the outcome it was great. Thunder just couldn't make shots down the stretch and Harden was ridiculous. I thought the two threes Lin late were huge, he seems to have really come along. That could be a really fun round 1 matchup.

 

[tom22406]

Harden was fantastic again last night.Many speculated he would never live up to his max contract and so far he is proving them wrong night after night.Being a Zards fan and knowing they passed on getting him in a deal still has me fuming but par for the course for them.So the question now is where does Harden fit in rank wise with the rest of the league for best player?Clearly Lebron and Durant are 1 and 2 IMO but after that the field is wide open.Top 10 without a doubt for me and is inching towards top 5.

 

[Abraham]

Harden was fantastic again last night.Many speculated he would never live up to his max contract and so far he is proving them wrong night after night.Being a Zards fan and knowing they passed on getting him in a deal still has me fuming but par for the course for them.So the question now is where does Harden fit in rank wise with the rest of the league for best player?Clearly Lebron and Durant are 1 and 2 IMO but after that the field is wide open.Top 10 without a doubt for me and is inching towards top 5.

Best player this year is James, Durant, then Harden. His affect on the team has been undeniable. Going forward? It's Durant, James (in some order) and probably Irving ahead of him. Other than that, I'm not so sure I wouldn't have him in the top-5 in most every scenario.Howard and Love being injured helps a bunch in this exercise.

 

[TobiasFunke]

Harden was fantastic again last night.Many speculated he would never live up to his max contract and so far he is proving them wrong night after night.Being a Zards fan and knowing they passed on getting him in a deal still has me fuming but par for the course for them.So the question now is where does Harden fit in rank wise with the rest of the league for best player?Clearly Lebron and Durant are 1 and 2 IMO but after that the field is wide open.Top 10 without a doubt for me and is inching towards top 5.

It's getting a little easier to take now that Beal looks like he could pan out (remember, Beal was the key to the rumored deal). I saw something where they asked the guys in the Rookie/Sophomore game who from the rookie class they expected to make the ASG first, and the responses were split between Beal and Davis. If he does turn into that kind of player relatively soon, you can make an argument that it's more valuable to have him under his rookie deal than Harden under a max deal. HUGE "if," though.

 

[tom22406]

Harden was fantastic again last night.Many speculated he would never live up to his max contract and so far he is proving them wrong night after night.Being a Zards fan and knowing they passed on getting him in a deal still has me fuming but par for the course for them.So the question now is where does Harden fit in rank wise with the rest of the league for best player?Clearly Lebron and Durant are 1 and 2 IMO but after that the field is wide open.Top 10 without a doubt for me and is inching towards top 5.

Best player this year is James, Durant, then Harden. His affect on the team has been undeniable. Going forward? It's Durant, James (in some order) and probably Irving ahead of him. Other than that, I'm not so sure I wouldn't have him in the top-5 in most every scenario.Howard and Love being injured helps a bunch in this exercise.

Yeah I tend to agree that ranking him 3rd right now does fit.He does so many little things well and it looks as though it's rubbing off on Lin as well because his play the last dozen or so games has been really good as well.Best young backcourt tandem going right now IMO and it will only improve.

 

[hxperson]

Harden was fantastic again last night.Many speculated he would never live up to his max contract and so far he is proving them wrong night after night.Being a Zards fan and knowing they passed on getting him in a deal still has me fuming but par for the course for them.So the question now is where does Harden fit in rank wise with the rest of the league for best player?Clearly Lebron and Durant are 1 and 2 IMO but after that the field is wide open.Top 10 without a doubt for me and is inching towards top 5.

Best player this year is James, Durant, then Harden. His affect on the team has been undeniable. Going forward? It's Durant, James (in some order) and probably Irving ahead of him. Other than that, I'm not so sure I wouldn't have him in the top-5 in most every scenario.Howard and Love being injured helps a bunch in this exercise.

I disagree. Paul is having a fantastic season and has his team in 3rd place. Without him, the Clippers don't make the playoffs.

 

[thecatch]

Harden was fantastic again last night.Many speculated he would never live up to his max contract and so far he is proving them wrong night after night.Being a Zards fan and knowing they passed on getting him in a deal still has me fuming but par for the course for them.So the question now is where does Harden fit in rank wise with the rest of the league for best player?Clearly Lebron and Durant are 1 and 2 IMO but after that the field is wide open.Top 10 without a doubt for me and is inching towards top 5.

It's getting a little easier to take now that Beal looks like he could pan out (remember, Beal was the key to the rumored deal). I saw something where they asked the guys in the Rookie/Sophomore game who from the rookie class they expected to make the ASG first, and the responses were split between Beal and Davis. If he does turn into that kind of player relatively soon, you can make an argument that it's more valuable to have him under his rookie deal than Harden under a max deal. HUGE "if," though.

While i think harden is a ton better than beal will be, its worth noting that playing Wall and Harden together would negate a lot of what Wall brings to the table. Harden operates with the ball in his hands a lot and Wall doesn't have any off ball skills.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Best young backcourt tandem going right now IMO and it will only improve.

 

[Abraham]

Harden was fantastic again last night.Many speculated he would never live up to his max contract and so far he is proving them wrong night after night.Being a Zards fan and knowing they passed on getting him in a deal still has me fuming but par for the course for them.So the question now is where does Harden fit in rank wise with the rest of the league for best player?Clearly Lebron and Durant are 1 and 2 IMO but after that the field is wide open.Top 10 without a doubt for me and is inching towards top 5.

Best player this year is James, Durant, then Harden. His affect on the team has been undeniable. Going forward? It's Durant, James (in some order) and probably Irving ahead of him. Other than that, I'm not so sure I wouldn't have him in the top-5 in most every scenario.Howard and Love being injured helps a bunch in this exercise.

I disagree. Paul is having a fantastic season and has his team in 3rd place. Without him, the Clippers don't make the playoffs.

Good point. Harden is 4 in the MVP discussion in my opinion. I forgot Paul.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Harden was fantastic again last night.Many speculated he would never live up to his max contract and so far he is proving them wrong night after night.Being a Zards fan and knowing they passed on getting him in a deal still has me fuming but par for the course for them.So the question now is where does Harden fit in rank wise with the rest of the league for best player?Clearly Lebron and Durant are 1 and 2 IMO but after that the field is wide open.Top 10 without a doubt for me and is inching towards top 5.

Best player this year is James, Durant, then Harden. His affect on the team has been undeniable. Going forward? It's Durant, James (in some order) and probably Irving ahead of him. Other than that, I'm not so sure I wouldn't have him in the top-5 in most every scenario.Howard and Love being injured helps a bunch in this exercise.

I disagree. Paul is having a fantastic season and has his team in 3rd place. Without him, the Clippers don't make the playoffs.

Good point. Harden is 4 in the MVP discussion in my opinion. I forgot Paul.

And you forgot about Parker.

 

[Kiddnets]

The Nets are like that annoying kid on teh block, Every team they offer the same pile of crap. Hump+ Brooks + a late first.Any team that succumbs to crap are morons. I cant believe for a second the hawks would take that for Smith, they might as well let him bail on them then take the nothing the Nets are offering. Now if they up these offers to two first rounders and include some other asset like Teletovic then who knows, but its still terrible offers all the time.

I love it....keep offering it and maybe someone caves at the last minute...if not Hump is a valuable expiring next year.

 

[tom22406]

Best young backcourt tandem going right now IMO and it will only improve.

Name a better young tandem going?

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Best young backcourt tandem going right now IMO and it will only improve.

Name a better young tandem going?

Harden paired with any other starting PG (and most backups) is a better tandem.

 

[tommyGunZ]

Harden was fantastic again last night.Many speculated he would never live up to his max contract and so far he is proving them wrong night after night.Being a Zards fan and knowing they passed on getting him in a deal still has me fuming but par for the course for them.So the question now is where does Harden fit in rank wise with the rest of the league for best player?Clearly Lebron and Durant are 1 and 2 IMO but after that the field is wide open.Top 10 without a doubt for me and is inching towards top 5.

Best player this year is James, Durant, then Harden. His affect on the team has been undeniable. Going forward? It's Durant, James (in some order) and probably Irving ahead of him. Other than that, I'm not so sure I wouldn't have him in the top-5 in most every scenario.Howard and Love being injured helps a bunch in this exercise.

Yeah I tend to agree that ranking him 3rd right now does fit.He does so many little things well and it looks as though it's rubbing off on Lin as well because his play the last dozen or so games has been really good as well.Best young backcourt tandem going right now IMO and it will only improve.

Does Chris Paul not exist in the world you and Abe are talking about?ETA: Had to change a diaper before replying and see that hxperson beat me to the punch.

 

[Abraham]

Harden was fantastic again last night.Many speculated he would never live up to his max contract and so far he is proving them wrong night after night.Being a Zards fan and knowing they passed on getting him in a deal still has me fuming but par for the course for them.So the question now is where does Harden fit in rank wise with the rest of the league for best player?Clearly Lebron and Durant are 1 and 2 IMO but after that the field is wide open.Top 10 without a doubt for me and is inching towards top 5.

Best player this year is James, Durant, then Harden. His affect on the team has been undeniable. Going forward? It's Durant, James (in some order) and probably Irving ahead of him. Other than that, I'm not so sure I wouldn't have him in the top-5 in most every scenario.Howard and Love being injured helps a bunch in this exercise.

I disagree. Paul is having a fantastic season and has his team in 3rd place. Without him, the Clippers don't make the playoffs.

Good point. Harden is 4 in the MVP discussion in my opinion. I forgot Paul.

And you forgot about Parker.

Admittedly Parker will finish ahead of harden in the MVP race. He's having a great year for one of the leagues best teams. But I do not think the difference between them is huge. Parker has been an excellent player for the spurs or years and they have been good for years. Harden has completely transformed the rockets. How they play, how they win, how they score. I have no issue with Parker being ahead for the nba MVP, but only because his team is a lot better. Harden is every bit or more valuable to Houston.

 

[Moe.]

Harden was fantastic again last night.Many speculated he would never live up to his max contract and so far he is proving them wrong night after night.Being a Zards fan and knowing they passed on getting him in a deal still has me fuming but par for the course for them.So the question now is where does Harden fit in rank wise with the rest of the league for best player?Clearly Lebron and Durant are 1 and 2 IMO but after that the field is wide open.Top 10 without a doubt for me and is inching towards top 5.

Best player this year is James, Durant, then Harden. His affect on the team has been undeniable. Going forward? It's Durant, James (in some order) and probably Irving ahead of him. Other than that, I'm not so sure I wouldn't have him in the top-5 in most every scenario.Howard and Love being injured helps a bunch in this exercise.

Yeah I tend to agree that ranking him 3rd right now does fit.He does so many little things well and it looks as though it's rubbing off on Lin as well because his play the last dozen or so games has been really good as well.Best young backcourt tandem going right now IMO and it will only improve.

Does Chris Paul not exist in the world you and Abe are talking about?ETA: Had to change a diaper before replying and see that hxperson beat me to the punch.

Is Chris Paul considered young?

 

[tommyGunZ]

As for backcourts, I'd probably rather have Irving and Waiters, and maybe Wall and Beal. Lin is just such a liability.But the overall point that Harden is beasting is correct. He's way exceeded my expectations. I was wrong about his ceiling.

 

[Moe.]

Best young backcourt tandem going right now IMO and it will only improve.

Name a better young tandem going?

Harden paired with any other starting PG (and most backups) is a better tandem.

They aren't asking about hypothetical pairings. What young tandem that is currently playing on the same team do you think is better? Irving/Waiters? Beal/Wall? Curry/Thompson?

 

[TobiasFunke]

Harden was fantastic again last night.Many speculated he would never live up to his max contract and so far he is proving them wrong night after night.Being a Zards fan and knowing they passed on getting him in a deal still has me fuming but par for the course for them.So the question now is where does Harden fit in rank wise with the rest of the league for best player?Clearly Lebron and Durant are 1 and 2 IMO but after that the field is wide open.Top 10 without a doubt for me and is inching towards top 5.

Best player this year is James, Durant, then Harden. His affect on the team has been undeniable. Going forward? It's Durant, James (in some order) and probably Irving ahead of him. Other than that, I'm not so sure I wouldn't have him in the top-5 in most every scenario.Howard and Love being injured helps a bunch in this exercise.

Yeah I tend to agree that ranking him 3rd right now does fit.He does so many little things well and it looks as though it's rubbing off on Lin as well because his play the last dozen or so games has been really good as well.Best young backcourt tandem going right now IMO and it will only improve.

Does Chris Paul not exist in the world you and Abe are talking about?ETA: Had to change a diaper before replying and see that hxperson beat me to the punch.

Is Chris Paul considered young?

He's only three years older than Lin. Which is surprising. Ty Lawson is only one year older than Lin. Russell Westbrook is actually younger than Lin. He was such an out-of-nowhere sensation last year that many people forgot he was a four year college guy and that last year wasn't his rookie year.

 

[tom22406]

Harden was fantastic again last night.Many speculated he would never live up to his max contract and so far he is proving them wrong night after night.Being a Zards fan and knowing they passed on getting him in a deal still has me fuming but par for the course for them.So the question now is where does Harden fit in rank wise with the rest of the league for best player?Clearly Lebron and Durant are 1 and 2 IMO but after that the field is wide open.Top 10 without a doubt for me and is inching towards top 5.

Best player this year is James, Durant, then Harden. His affect on the team has been undeniable. Going forward? It's Durant, James (in some order) and probably Irving ahead of him. Other than that, I'm not so sure I wouldn't have him in the top-5 in most every scenario.Howard and Love being injured helps a bunch in this exercise.

Yeah I tend to agree that ranking him 3rd right now does fit.He does so many little things well and it looks as though it's rubbing off on Lin as well because his play the last dozen or so games has been really good as well.Best young backcourt tandem going right now IMO and it will only improve.

Does Chris Paul not exist in the world you and Abe are talking about?ETA: Had to change a diaper before replying and see that hxperson beat me to the punch.

Is Chris Paul considered young?

Was thinking the same thing when I said best young tandem,meaning under 25.

 

[Abraham]

Best young backcourt tandem going right now IMO and it will only improve.

Name a better young tandem going?

Harden paired with any other starting PG (and most backups) is a better tandem.

Lin has been excellent the last few games. Last five he is averaging 17 and 7 with only 2 turnovers and shooting .500 from deep. I agree he isn't a great point guard at this point, but he is definitely getting better. He seems to be a lot more comfortable with the spot up three from the wing now compared to early on. And he is not making as many crazy out of control drives to the bucket and trying to dump it off to Asik, who usually bumbles it.

 

[tommyGunZ]

The Lakers are shopping Steve Blake, Chris Duhon, Devin Ebanks and Darius Morris for second-round picks, sources told Yahoo! Sports.

Stinky bait Mitch.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Best young backcourt tandem going right now IMO and it will only improve.

Name a better young tandem going?

Harden paired with any other starting PG (and most backups) is a better tandem.

They aren't asking about hypothetical pairings. What young tandem that is currently playing on the same team do you think is better? Irving/Waiters? Beal/Wall? Curry/Thompson?

It is a bad statement altogether. Lin is probably the worst starting PG in the league. Put any young PG with Harden and you can say 'that is the best backcourt combo in the league' simply because Harden is arguably the best SG in the league.LeBron and Joel Anthony are the best front-court combo in the league. See what I did there?

 

[tommyGunZ]

Best young backcourt tandem going right now IMO and it will only improve.

Name a better young tandem going?

Harden paired with any other starting PG (and most backups) is a better tandem.

Lin has been excellent the last few games. Last five he is averaging 17 and 7 with only 2 turnovers and shooting .500 from deep. I agree he isn't a great point guard at this point, but he is definitely getting better. He seems to be a lot more comfortable with the spot up three from the wing now compared to early on. And he is not making as many crazy out of control drives to the bucket and trying to dump it off to Asik, who usually bumbles it.

This would be like tobias pimping Martel Webster after his nice stretch recently. Maybe Lin will become a really good shooter and cut down on TO's, but he'll always be a turnstyle defensively. Sorry Abe, I just don't see it. At least the Rockets get their money's worth in tshirts and jersey sales.

 

[tommyGunZ]

Current PER ranks among PG:21 Darren Collison24 George Hill26 Will Bynum30 Brian Roberts31 Jimmer Fredette34 John Lucas36 Jeremy LinThat's just......awful.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Best young backcourt tandem going right now IMO and it will only improve.

Name a better young tandem going?

Harden paired with any other starting PG (and most backups) is a better tandem.

Lin has been excellent the last few games. Last five he is averaging 17 and 7 with only 2 turnovers and shooting .500 from deep. I agree he isn't a great point guard at this point, but he is definitely getting better. He seems to be a lot more comfortable with the spot up three from the wing now compared to early on. And he is not making as many crazy out of control drives to the bucket and trying to dump it off to Asik, who usually bumbles it.

And therein lies the problem with Lin. He'll have a couple very good games then #### the bed for a few weeks. These games keep giving people hope and divert their attention from his entire body of work.

 

[TobiasFunke]

Best young backcourt tandem going right now IMO and it will only improve.

Name a better young tandem going?

Harden paired with any other starting PG (and most backups) is a better tandem.

Lin has been excellent the last few games. Last five he is averaging 17 and 7 with only 2 turnovers and shooting .500 from deep. I agree he isn't a great point guard at this point, but he is definitely getting better. He seems to be a lot more comfortable with the spot up three from the wing now compared to early on. And he is not making as many crazy out of control drives to the bucket and trying to dump it off to Asik, who usually bumbles it.

This would be like tobias pimping Martel Webster after his nice stretch recently. Maybe Lin will become a really good shooter and cut down on TO's, but he'll always be a turnstyle defensively. Sorry Abe, I just don't see it. At least the Rockets get their money's worth in tshirts and jersey sales.

I'm frankly amazed that anyone outside of DC even noticed

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

If the Lakers play like last night, with an effort to get Howard the rock and letting him be aggressive and have space, with Kobe taking less than 20 shots, they can make noise in the playoffs and keep Dwight. If they don't make the playoffs and don't stay in the type of sync you saw with Nash and Kobe last night, I think he is on the Hawks, Nets, or Rockets depending on where Josh Smith goes and for what.

 

[tom22406]

Best young backcourt tandem going right now IMO and it will only improve.

Name a better young tandem going?

Harden paired with any other starting PG (and most backups) is a better tandem.

They aren't asking about hypothetical pairings. What young tandem that is currently playing on the same team do you think is better? Irving/Waiters? Beal/Wall? Curry/Thompson?

It is a bad statement altogether. Lin is probably the worst starting PG in the league. Put any young PG with Harden and you can say 'that is the best backcourt combo in the league' simply because Harden is arguably the best SG in the league.LeBron and Joel Anthony are the best front-court combo in the league. See what I did there?

That is exactly what I did and you have yet to answer who you would consider to be a better tandem.I get you hate Lin and agree he is below average as far as PG's go but as you said Harden is arguably the best SG going so what I said was not far from the truth if not the truth.I think it's close and a few tandems stood out to me like the W's,Bucks,Wiz and Cavs and you could make a good case for each.

 

[Moe.]

Bucks? I wanted to be on your side.

 

[TobiasFunke]

That is exactly what I did and you have yet to answer who you would consider to be a better tandem.I get you hate Lin and agree he is below average as far as PG's go but as you said Harden is arguably the best SG going so what I said was not far from the truth if not the truth.I think it's close and a few tandems stood out to me like the W's,Bucks,Wiz and Cavs and you could make a good case for each.

I think this is just a question about what constitutes a "tandem" and whether you would use that word when one of the pair is basically replacement level. It's semantics, not really worth arguing about.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

That is exactly what I did and you have yet to answer who you would consider to be a better tandem.I get you hate Lin and agree he is below average as far as PG's go but as you said Harden is arguably the best SG going so what I said was not far from the truth if not the truth.I think it's close and a few tandems stood out to me like the W's,Bucks,Wiz and Cavs and you could make a good case for each.

I think this is just a question about what constitutes a "tandem" and whether you would use that word when one of the pair is basically replacement level. It's semantics, not really worth arguing about.

This. Lin, compared to basically any other PG, is a detriment to the 'tandem'.

 

[Juxtatarot]

I'm anxious to see if the Bulls are forced to pony up their 1st rounder to dump Rip today or if they can do it just with a second or a pick swap or something.

 

[Moe.]

That is exactly what I did and you have yet to answer who you would consider to be a better tandem.I get you hate Lin and agree he is below average as far as PG's go but as you said Harden is arguably the best SG going so what I said was not far from the truth if not the truth.

I think it's close and a few tandems stood out to me like the W's,Bucks,Wiz and Cavs and you could make a good case for each.

I think this is just a question about what constitutes a "tandem" and whether you would use that word when one of the pair is basically replacement level. It's semantics, not really worth arguing about.

If only Christo were an NBA fan, he could get a few day worth of arguing out of this.

 

[Moe.]

4 User(s) are reading this topic

3 members, 0 guests, 1 anonymous users

Moe.,Craig_MiamiFL,8ebok24

Hey buddy. You should come back to posting in here.

 

[tommyGunZ]

4 User(s) are reading this topic

3 members, 0 guests, 1 anonymous users

Moe.,Craig_MiamiFL,8ebok24

Hey buddy. You should come back to posting in here.

Agreed. Why did he leave? Did he lose a bet? Thread is much better with ebok around.

 

[TobiasFunke]

That is exactly what I did and you have yet to answer who you would consider to be a better tandem.I get you hate Lin and agree he is below average as far as PG's go but as you said Harden is arguably the best SG going so what I said was not far from the truth if not the truth.

I think it's close and a few tandems stood out to me like the W's,Bucks,Wiz and Cavs and you could make a good case for each.

I think this is just a question about what constitutes a "tandem" and whether you would use that word when one of the pair is basically replacement level. It's semantics, not really worth arguing about.

If only Christo were an NBA fan, he could get a few day worth of arguing out of this.

 

[tommyGunZ]

If the Lakers play like last night, with an effort to get Howard the rock and letting him be aggressive and have space, with Kobe taking less than 20 shots, they can make noise in the playoffs and keep Dwight. If they don't make the playoffs and don't stay in the type of sync you saw with Nash and Kobe last night, I think he is on the Hawks, Nets, or Rockets depending on where Josh Smith goes and for what.

Hedging already Leeroy?Dwight isn't going anywhere.

 

[tom22406]

That is exactly what I did and you have yet to answer who you would consider to be a better tandem.I get you hate Lin and agree he is below average as far as PG's go but as you said Harden is arguably the best SG going so what I said was not far from the truth if not the truth.I think it's close and a few tandems stood out to me like the W's,Bucks,Wiz and Cavs and you could make a good case for each.

I think this is just a question about what constitutes a "tandem" and whether you would use that word when one of the pair is basically replacement level. It's semantics, not really worth arguing about.

I agree that Lin is below average but the last month he has actually been playing pretty well IMO.15.8 ppg/ 6.7 asst/48% FGP/2.6 TO's PG in over 31 MPG.Clearly I would be saying this with any young PG because Harden is that good so point well taken.My Bucks comment was off as well since Ellis is 27 and was thinking he was younger.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

If the Lakers play like last night, with an effort to get Howard the rock and letting him be aggressive and have space, with Kobe taking less than 20 shots, they can make noise in the playoffs and keep Dwight. If they don't make the playoffs and don't stay in the type of sync you saw with Nash and Kobe last night, I think he is on the Hawks, Nets, or Rockets depending on where Josh Smith goes and for what.

Hedging already Leeroy?Dwight isn't going anywhere.

I guess we shall see. Mitch sucking his #### in the press the last few days, The Cs fronting Dwight (letting him get position), and playing the Cs post Buss death with Cs having back-to-back westcoast games seemed to get Dwight his looks and motivation. It really depends on where he will be happy and competitive. If the team plays like last night (especially towards the end of the season or if they manage to make the playoffs somehow) then he has a chance of staying. I think he's gone though if they end the year on a bad streak and don't make the playoffs. I don't see Kobe avoiding Kobe-mode though, and that's a problem for Dwight.p.s. you never did accept any wager, or did I miss the post?

 

[tommyGunZ]

Best young backcourt tandem going right now IMO and it will only improve.

Name a better young tandem going?

Harden paired with any other starting PG (and most backups) is a better tandem.

Lin has been excellent the last few games. Last five he is averaging 17 and 7 with only 2 turnovers and shooting .500 from deep. I agree he isn't a great point guard at this point, but he is definitely getting better. He seems to be a lot more comfortable with the spot up three from the wing now compared to early on. And he is not making as many crazy out of control drives to the bucket and trying to dump it off to Asik, who usually bumbles it.

This would be like tobias pimping Martel Webster after his nice stretch recently. Maybe Lin will become a really good shooter and cut down on TO's, but he'll always be a turnstyle defensively. Sorry Abe, I just don't see it. At least the Rockets get their money's worth in tshirts and jersey sales.

I'm frankly amazed that anyone outside of DC even noticed

How quickly could things change for the Wiz if Martel becomes a solid starter as a stretch 3? If he can shoot 44% from beyond the arc he can make a ####load of money playing with John Wall the next 4-5 yrs. Wall's game is PERFECT for a guy like Martel.If you guys add Bennett or Noel, this could be a scary team in 2 yrs.

 

[Abraham]

Agreed that Lin has been inconsistent, but at the moment he is playing well. If he can keep it up then there will be something to get excited about.

 

[tommyGunZ]

If the Lakers play like last night, with an effort to get Howard the rock and letting him be aggressive and have space, with Kobe taking less than 20 shots, they can make noise in the playoffs and keep Dwight. If they don't make the playoffs and don't stay in the type of sync you saw with Nash and Kobe last night, I think he is on the Hawks, Nets, or Rockets depending on where Josh Smith goes and for what.

Hedging already Leeroy?Dwight isn't going anywhere.

I guess we shall see. Mitch sucking his #### in the press the last few days, The Cs fronting Dwight (letting him get position), and playing the Cs post Buss death with Cs having back-to-back westcoast games seemed to get Dwight his looks and motivation. It really depends on where he will be happy and competitive. If the team plays like last night (especially towards the end of the season or if they manage to make the playoffs somehow) then he has a chance of staying. I think he's gone though if they end the year on a bad streak and don't make the playoffs. I don't see Kobe avoiding Kobe-mode though, and that's a problem for Dwight.p.s. you never did accept any wager, or did I miss the post?

I didn't accept - though I don't remember the offer.

 

[TobiasFunke]

Best young backcourt tandem going right now IMO and it will only improve.

Name a better young tandem going?

Harden paired with any other starting PG (and most backups) is a better tandem.

Lin has been excellent the last few games. Last five he is averaging 17 and 7 with only 2 turnovers and shooting .500 from deep. I agree he isn't a great point guard at this point, but he is definitely getting better. He seems to be a lot more comfortable with the spot up three from the wing now compared to early on. And he is not making as many crazy out of control drives to the bucket and trying to dump it off to Asik, who usually bumbles it.

This would be like tobias pimping Martel Webster after his nice stretch recently. Maybe Lin will become a really good shooter and cut down on TO's, but he'll always be a turnstyle defensively. Sorry Abe, I just don't see it. At least the Rockets get their money's worth in tshirts and jersey sales.

I'm frankly amazed that anyone outside of DC even noticed

How quickly could things change for the Wiz if Martel becomes a solid starter as a stretch 3? If he can shoot 44% from beyond the arc he can make a ####load of money playing with John Wall the next 4-5 yrs. Wall's game is PERFECT for a guy like Martel.If you guys add Bennett or Noel, this could be a scary team in 2 yrs.

It's nice that they lucked into a corner 3 guy even though they seemingly didn't figure out the importance of the corner 3 until years after the rest of the league. Especially since it's such a perfect fit for a guy like Wall. Two years sounds like the right timeline if all goes well; I think Beal becoming a reasonably efficient 18 PPG type scorer will be the key, and he's only 19 right now.I'm a little worried that their improved play since Wall returned might cost them a reasonable shot at a Top 5 pick, but not so worried that I'm rooting for them to lose.

 

[tom22406]

Best young backcourt tandem going right now IMO and it will only improve.

Name a better young tandem going?

Harden paired with any other starting PG (and most backups) is a better tandem.

Lin has been excellent the last few games. Last five he is averaging 17 and 7 with only 2 turnovers and shooting .500 from deep. I agree he isn't a great point guard at this point, but he is definitely getting better. He seems to be a lot more comfortable with the spot up three from the wing now compared to early on. And he is not making as many crazy out of control drives to the bucket and trying to dump it off to Asik, who usually bumbles it.

This would be like tobias pimping Martel Webster after his nice stretch recently. Maybe Lin will become a really good shooter and cut down on TO's, but he'll always be a turnstyle defensively. Sorry Abe, I just don't see it. At least the Rockets get their money's worth in tshirts and jersey sales.

I'm frankly amazed that anyone outside of DC even noticed

How quickly could things change for the Wiz if Martel becomes a solid starter as a stretch 3? If he can shoot 44% from beyond the arc he can make a ####load of money playing with John Wall the next 4-5 yrs. Wall's game is PERFECT for a guy like Martel.If you guys add Bennett or Noel, this could be a scary team in 2 yrs.

It's nice that they lucked into a corner 3 guy even though they seemingly didn't figure out the importance of the corner 3 until years after the rest of the league. Especially since it's such a perfect fit for a guy like Wall. Two years sounds like the right timeline if all goes well; I think Beal becoming a reasonably efficient 18 PPG type scorer will be the key, and he's only 19 right now.I'm a little worried that their improved play since Wall returned might cost them a reasonable shot at a Top 5 pick, but not so worried that I'm rooting for them to lose.

You heard anything on why Jordan Crawford has been benched the last few games or so?Been hearing the Celtics have interest in him with Fab Melo coming back in return.

They have made it clear the Wall,Beal and Nene are off limits for trades and I,like you,have been pleasantly surprised at Webster this year once he found his role.

 

[Gr00vus]

The Cs fronting Dwight (letting him get position), and playing the Cs post Buss death with Cs having back-to-back westcoast games seemed to get Dwight his looks and motivation. It really depends on where he will be happy and competitive. If the team plays like last night (especially towards the end of the season or if they manage to make the playoffs somehow) then he has a chance of staying. I think he's gone though if they end the year on a bad streak and don't make the playoffs. I don't see Kobe avoiding Kobe-mode though, and that's a problem for Dwight.

In the post game interviews several of the Laker players were talking about how Nash and Dwight spent some time over the break figuring out how to run the pick and roll effectively. The translation of that seems to be that Nash is teaching Howard how to run the pick and roll as Dwight wasn't figuring it out on his own (not actually screening Nash's guy, not going to the right spots after the non-screen, etc.). We'll see if they can continue it last night. Also agree that the ball needs to spend more time in Nash's hands at the outset of plays if he can continue to look like he did last night - that was the Nash I was expecting to see this season.If/when Gasol gets back I think he'll have to find a way to be content being the 6th man.

 

[TobiasFunke]

You heard anything on why Jordan Crawford has been benched the last few games or so?Been hearing the Celtics have interest in him with Fab Melo coming back in return.They have made it clear the Wall,Beal and Nene are off limits for trades and I,like you,have been pleasantly surprised at Webster this year once he found his role.

No idea. Although the fact that he was tweeting his December stats as some sort of weird protest (and not mentioning he only shot 41% while posting them and that the Wiz went 3-11 during the month) doesn't bode well for him. My guess is that it's nothing more than Wittman finding a rotation that worked and it wasn't the one that included him. At this point any return at all for him is OK by me. I love the steez, but if he's not contributing, he's not contributing.