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

[Isiah Thomas]

If I'm a Pistons fan I'm happy with the signings. Josh Smith is being nit picked to death; while his shortcomings are obvious, it seems many are forgetting all of the things he does very well.

Same with Jennings, IMO. Of course he doesn't deserve max money, but he's not getting it either. Speed kills in the NBA, and Jennings has it in droves. He's still only 23. With the nice front line Detroit has put together, he should be able to pick his spots and be a much better defender than he was in Milwaukee prior to Sanders emerging.

And Drummond is just an absolute monster.

I think the problems with Smith are more about fit on a team with two quality young big men than about Smith himself. It suggests that he'll spend lots of time doing the things he gets criticized for and less time doing the things he does well.

That's fair. There are 96 MPG available at the 4 and 5. That's 32 minutes each, and then maybe a bit more for each if Smooove can play the 3 for a few minutes per game when the Pistons go big and create some matchups.

I like the depth.

Yeah, I'm hopeful that Smith will be playing a lot at the 4.

The Smith signing has grown on me a lot just because I'm not sure what better move the Pistons could've made. They entered the offseason with a ton of cap space and needed to spend a lot just to reach the salary floor. They signed the best player they could reasonably hope to get. He's not a perfect fit, but at least he's a really good player. If the Pistons didn't land Smith, they were probably going to end up pulling a repeat of the Gordon-Villanueva fiasco from a few years ago. Hell, they might have gone after Jennings just with a straight contract offer instead of a sign-and-trade. :X

I agree with this. Josh Smith signing was terriffic.

Also feeling good about the Brandon Jennings move.

Welcome to the playoffs.

 

[SoBeDad]

Heat to amnesty Miller.

Heat fans will remember his seven 3-pointers against OKC in game 5 of the 2012 finals and his 3 pointer in game 6 of the 2013 finals while wearing only one shoe. He shot over 40% from 3 the last 2 years, in both the regular season and the playoffs. He had back and other health problems the last 3 years. But he passes and rebounds well. He will be signed. The Heat took advantage of the amnesty program by signing Chris Andersen - so the luxury tax may be a wash for the Heat. This move will save owner Micky Arison about $17 million this year and up to $40 million in 2014-2015. Shane Battier plays better defense, but a healthy Miller could do more on the offensive side.

 

[Mr. Retukes]

Adding a guy like Carmelo to a veteran contending team would've been disastrous for the chemistry. No way they win the 2004 title if they draft him.
Wade or Bosh would've been nice, I'll admit, although IIRC they weren't considered possible No. 2 picks by draft analysts.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

I'm still a big Dumars supporter. He absolutely nailed most of his early decisions.....

-- Sign and trade for B.Wallace

-- Signed Billups as a free agent

-- Traded for Rip

-- Traded for Rasheed

-- Drafted T.Prince with the 23rd pick

-- Even some smaller moves like drafted Mehmet Okur in the 2nd round, Delfino in the late 1st, and let the Bulls waste $50 mil on B.Wallace.

His moves lately have been really bad but on the bright side, he always seems to have cap space, and he drafted a really nice front line with the 7th pick (Monroe) and 9th pick (Drummond).

all those moves are like 12 years ago,

His draft picks have been awful. Don't even get me started on who he passed on for Darko again.

Drummond is his best recent pick and Monroe don't suck.

Darko will go down as one of the the worst picks ever, but do you really like Carmelo and Bosh that much?

Good point, passing on the three HOFers that followed Darko wasn't a big deal.

Adding a guy like Carmelo to a veteran contending team would've been disastrous for the chemistry. No way they win the 2004 title if they draft him.

Wade or Bosh would've been nice, I'll admit, although IIRC they weren't considered possible No. 2 picks by draft analysts.

Yep. Vets like Sheed, Billups and Big Ben wouldn't be able to handle a rookie.

 

[Daywalker]

I'm still a big Dumars supporter. He absolutely nailed most of his early decisions.....

-- Sign and trade for B.Wallace

-- Signed Billups as a free agent

-- Traded for Rip

-- Traded for Rasheed

-- Drafted T.Prince with the 23rd pick

-- Even some smaller moves like drafted Mehmet Okur in the 2nd round, Delfino in the late 1st, and let the Bulls waste $50 mil on B.Wallace.

His moves lately have been really bad but on the bright side, he always seems to have cap space, and he drafted a really nice front line with the 7th pick (Monroe) and 9th pick (Drummond).

all those moves are like 12 years ago,

His draft picks have been awful. Don't even get me started on who he passed on for Darko again.

Drummond is his best recent pick and Monroe don't suck.

Darko will go down as one of the the worst picks ever, but do you really like Carmelo and Bosh that much?

Good point, passing on the three HOFers that followed Darko wasn't a big deal.

Adding a guy like Carmelo to a veteran contending team would've been disastrous for the chemistry. No way they win the 2004 title if they draft him.

Wade or Bosh would've been nice, I'll admit, although IIRC they weren't considered possible No. 2 picks by draft analysts.

Yep. Vets like Sheed, Billups and Big Ben wouldn't be able to handle a rookie.

It was a horrible pick and likely Carmelo would have helped but if you could go back in time and change the pick would you? Detroit got a ring. It's like the Zito contract with S.F. Yeah, horrible contract but they got two rings during his stay. Turn back the clock and have the money to spend on other's who knows what happens.

Detroit should have no regrets.

 

[Spartans Rule]

It was a horrible pick and likely Carmelo would have helped but if you could go back in time and change the pick would you? Detroit got a ring. It's like the Zito contract with S.F. Yeah, horrible contract but they got two rings during his stay. Turn back the clock and have the money to spend on other's who knows what happens.
Detroit should have no regrets.

The one year the Pistons actually won the title, Carmelo was a 19-year-old rookie who didn't do much besides score inefficiently (.509 TS%). That's not the type of player that helps a veteran team built on defense first and balance on offense. But at the same time he's too good of a player to let rot on the bench. So there's a growing period, and the Pistons are probably looking at peaking 2-3 years down the road instead. Which might have meant they don't trade for Rasheed at the 2004 deadline.

In the long run the Pistons would have probably been better off with Carmelo. Would they have won any titles? Who knows. The one thing we know is that the way it did play out, they won the 2004 title. No regrets about that.

 

[Short Corner]

I'm still a big Dumars supporter. He absolutely nailed most of his early decisions.....

-- Sign and trade for B.Wallace

-- Signed Billups as a free agent

-- Traded for Rip

-- Traded for Rasheed

-- Drafted T.Prince with the 23rd pick

-- Even some smaller moves like drafted Mehmet Okur in the 2nd round, Delfino in the late 1st, and let the Bulls waste $50 mil on B.Wallace.

His moves lately have been really bad but on the bright side, he always seems to have cap space, and he drafted a really nice front line with the 7th pick (Monroe) and 9th pick (Drummond).

all those moves are like 12 years ago,

His draft picks have been awful. Don't even get me started on who he passed on for Darko again.

Drummond is his best recent pick and Monroe don't suck.

Darko will go down as one of the the worst picks ever, but do you really like Carmelo and Bosh that much?

Good point, passing on the three HOFers that followed Darko wasn't a big deal.

Adding a guy like Carmelo to a veteran contending team would've been disastrous for the chemistry. No way they win the 2004 title if they draft him.

Wade or Bosh would've been nice, I'll admit, although IIRC they weren't considered possible No. 2 picks by draft analysts.

Yep. Vets like Sheed, Billups and Big Ben wouldn't be able to handle a rookie.

It was a horrible pick and likely Carmelo would have helped but if you could go back in time and change the pick would you? Detroit got a ring. It's like the Zito contract with S.F. Yeah, horrible contract but they got two rings during his stay. Turn back the clock and have the money to spend on other's who knows what happens.

Detroit should have no regrets.

Zito wasn't even on the playoff roster for the first run was he?

 

[thecatch]

It was a horrible pick and likely Carmelo would have helped but if you could go back in time and change the pick would you? Detroit got a ring. It's like the Zito contract with S.F. Yeah, horrible contract but they got two rings during his stay. Turn back the clock and have the money to spend on other's who knows what happens.

Detroit should have no regrets.

The one year the Pistons actually won the title, Carmelo was a 19-year-old rookie who didn't do much besides score inefficiently (.509 TS%). That's not the type of player that helps a veteran team built on defense first and balance on offense. But at the same time he's too good of a player to let rot on the bench. So there's a growing period, and the Pistons are probably looking at peaking 2-3 years down the road instead. Which might have meant they don't trade for Rasheed at the 2004 deadline.

In the long run the Pistons would have probably been better off with Carmelo. Would they have won any titles? Who knows. The one thing we know is that the way it did play out, they won the 2004 title. No regrets about that.

None of this makes Dumars a better GM, though.

 

[pollardsvision]

If I were a DET fan, I'd probably be biased and willing to overlook his recent shortcomings (and the '03 Draft).

Unless you are the Lakers or draft a HR in the lottery, it's awfully hard to maintain consistent excellence for a decade. To win a title with either Rasheed, Chauncey, or Rip as your best player is such an amazing accomplishment.

The rebuild was hard, at first, with years of no high lottery picks, but the Monroe and Drummond picks really were great. He got the title and has started a respectable rebuild. Even with a lot of questionable decisions in-between, it's not a bad track record for a GM.

 

[thecatch]

Muhammad played less than six minutes in the first half, partially because of the coaching staff's decision to try new lineup combinations, but also because of his effort on the defensive end, on which he was unengaged and appeared to be out of breath on certain occasions. In the first quarter, it appeared as though gravity had a much stronger pull on him than anyone else on the floor. He could be seen lagging behind in getting back on defense, and there were a number of points forfeited by the Wolves simply because Muhammad wasn't moving quickly enough laterally to keep up with the Heat players running full speed.

The disparity between Muhammad's intensity on the floor has been stark compared to most of the players he's sharing the floor with. While they are fighting for a spot in training camp, Shabazz has played like someone who knows his place is guaranteed.

linkhttp://espn.go.com/nba/dailydime/_/page/dime-130716/daily-dime

I don't think this bodes well.

 

[DocGonzo]

If I were a DET fan, I'd probably be biased and willing to overlook his recent shortcomings (and the '03 Draft).

Unless you are the Lakers or draft a HR in the lottery, it's awfully hard to maintain consistent excellence for a decade. To win a title with either Rasheed, Chauncey, or Rip as your best player is such an amazing accomplishment.

The rebuild was hard, at first, with years of no high lottery picks, but the Monroe and Drummond picks really were great. He got the title and has started a respectable rebuild. Even with a lot of questionable decisions in-between, it's not a bad track record for a GM.

That's pretty much right where I am. If they fired Dumars who knows who else they might bring in. Right now? I still like the devil I know. I have no real qualms with anything he did prior to trading Chauncey for AI. Even the '03 draft. (I'm not saying I wouldn't rather have Melo or Bosh or Wade now, just that at the time many GMs across the league shared the same opinion of Darko that Dumars had.) Drafting Cleaves, maybe, I guess I wasn't crazy about at the time. But all in all he built a team that won a title and reached 6 straight ECFs. Now he's got them positioned to grow into a contender again. I'm guessing there are plenty of fan bases out there that would take that resume, warts and all.

Also, bottom line, he brought Sheed to Detroit, and that was fun.

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

I'm still a big Dumars supporter. He absolutely nailed most of his early decisions.....

-- Sign and trade for B.Wallace

-- Signed Billups as a free agent

-- Traded for Rip

-- Traded for Rasheed

-- Drafted T.Prince with the 23rd pick

-- Even some smaller moves like drafted Mehmet Okur in the 2nd round, Delfino in the late 1st, and let the Bulls waste $50 mil on B.Wallace.

His moves lately have been really bad but on the bright side, he always seems to have cap space, and he drafted a really nice front line with the 7th pick (Monroe) and 9th pick (Drummond).

all those moves are like 12 years ago,

His draft picks have been awful. Don't even get me started on who he passed on for Darko again.

Drummond is his best recent pick and Monroe don't suck.

Darko will go down as one of the the worst picks ever, but do you really like Carmelo and Bosh that much?

Good point, passing on the three HOFers that followed Darko wasn't a big deal.

Adding a guy like Carmelo to a veteran contending team would've been disastrous for the chemistry. No way they win the 2004 title if they draft him.

Wade or Bosh would've been nice, I'll admit, although IIRC they weren't considered possible No. 2 picks by draft analysts.

I dont know about that, a rookie would of had a hard time even seeing the court on that team, they were 10 deep. Plus had a guy like Larry Brown coaching them. Heck I claim if they had a pure scorer like melo or wade coming off the bench maybe they win more titles. in 05 they came very close.

 

[Notorious T.R.E.]

Muhammad played less than six minutes in the first half, partially because of the coaching staff's decision to try new lineup combinations, but also because of his effort on the defensive end, on which he was unengaged and appeared to be out of breath on certain occasions. In the first quarter, it appeared as though gravity had a much stronger pull on him than anyone else on the floor. He could be seen lagging behind in getting back on defense, and there were a number of points forfeited by the Wolves simply because Muhammad wasn't moving quickly enough laterally to keep up with the Heat players running full speed.

The disparity between Muhammad's intensity on the floor has been stark compared to most of the players he's sharing the floor with. While they are fighting for a spot in training camp, Shabazz has played like someone who knows his place is guaranteed.

linkhttp://espn.go.com/nba/dailydime/_/page/dime-130716/daily-dime

I don't think this bodes well.

uke:

 

[Cliff Clavin]

I'm still a big Dumars supporter. He absolutely nailed most of his early decisions.....

-- Sign and trade for B.Wallace

-- Signed Billups as a free agent

-- Traded for Rip

-- Traded for Rasheed

-- Drafted T.Prince with the 23rd pick

-- Even some smaller moves like drafted Mehmet Okur in the 2nd round, Delfino in the late 1st, and let the Bulls waste $50 mil on B.Wallace.

His moves lately have been really bad but on the bright side, he always seems to have cap space, and he drafted a really nice front line with the 7th pick (Monroe) and 9th pick (Drummond).

all those moves are like 12 years ago,

His draft picks have been awful. Don't even get me started on who he passed on for Darko again.

Drummond is his best recent pick and Monroe don't suck.

Darko will go down as one of the the worst picks ever, but do you really like Carmelo and Bosh that much?

Good point, passing on the three HOFers that followed Darko wasn't a big deal.

Adding a guy like Carmelo to a veteran contending team would've been disastrous for the chemistry. No way they win the 2004 title if they draft him.

Wade or Bosh would've been nice, I'll admit, although IIRC they weren't considered possible No. 2 picks by draft analysts.

Yep. Vets like Sheed, Billups and Big Ben wouldn't be able to handle a rookie.

It was a horrible pick and likely Carmelo would have helped but if you could go back in time and change the pick would you? Detroit got a ring. It's like the Zito contract with S.F. Yeah, horrible contract but they got two rings during his stay. Turn back the clock and have the money to spend on other's who knows what happens.

Detroit should have no regrets.

Absolutely you'd change that pick if you had the chance. Ridiculous to say you wouldn't.

 

[TobiasFunke]

Before you get excited about any player's summer league stats, note that Jan Vesely is averaging 11.3 ppg on 64% shooting with 6.7 rpg (one every four minutes) and 2.3 spg. So, yeah, summer league.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

I'm still a big Dumars supporter. He absolutely nailed most of his early decisions.....

-- Sign and trade for B.Wallace

-- Signed Billups as a free agent

-- Traded for Rip

-- Traded for Rasheed

-- Drafted T.Prince with the 23rd pick

-- Even some smaller moves like drafted Mehmet Okur in the 2nd round, Delfino in the late 1st, and let the Bulls waste $50 mil on B.Wallace.

His moves lately have been really bad but on the bright side, he always seems to have cap space, and he drafted a really nice front line with the 7th pick (Monroe) and 9th pick (Drummond).

all those moves are like 12 years ago,

His draft picks have been awful. Don't even get me started on who he passed on for Darko again.

Drummond is his best recent pick and Monroe don't suck.

Darko will go down as one of the the worst picks ever, but do you really like Carmelo and Bosh that much?

Good point, passing on the three HOFers that followed Darko wasn't a big deal.

Adding a guy like Carmelo to a veteran contending team would've been disastrous for the chemistry. No way they win the 2004 title if they draft him.

Wade or Bosh would've been nice, I'll admit, although IIRC they weren't considered possible No. 2 picks by draft analysts.

Yep. Vets like Sheed, Billups and Big Ben wouldn't be able to handle a rookie.

It was a horrible pick and likely Carmelo would have helped but if you could go back in time and change the pick would you? Detroit got a ring. It's like the Zito contract with S.F. Yeah, horrible contract but they got two rings during his stay. Turn back the clock and have the money to spend on other's who knows what happens.

Detroit should have no regrets.

They should regret that pick for the rest of the existence of that franchise. Carmelo Anthony, despite his faults, wins games. It was pretty crystal-clear that at least Anthony and Wade were pretty close to being can't-miss NBA players, as opposed to a guy who was tall and did a lot of post-up drills against chairs.

The Pistons and Giants won titles in spite of Darko and Zito, not at all because of them, or because someone else wasn't there.

 

[tommyGunZ]

Is there hope?

Jan Vesely made 9-of-11 shots on Tuesday for 18 points to go with three boards, two steals and one block in 22 minutes.
He looked like a lottery pick tonight. Vesely got a dunk off a give-and-go and looked very comfortable around the basket. Yes, this is one of those "this is summer-league moments," so we'll need to see a lot more out of Vesely before even thinking about drafting him.

 

[tommyGunZ]

They should regret that pick for the rest of the existence of that franchise. Carmelo Anthony, despite his faults, wins games. It was pretty crystal-clear that at least Anthony and Wade were pretty close to being can't-miss NBA players, as opposed to a guy who was tall and did a lot of post-up drills against chairs.

The Pistons and Giants won titles in spite of Darko and Zito, not at all because of them, or because someone else wasn't there.

I wonder is this absurd "not regret the Darko pick b/c Detroit won the title" theory would extend if Detroit had taken Darko #1 overall?

 

[Village Idiot]

Clippers.

Are the Cavs still the Cavs or are they now the Lers?

Not to be confused with the Kers.

 

[Abraham]

Clippers.

Are the Cavs still the Cavs or are they now the Lers?Not to be confused with the Kers.

Actually, they are the iers. The Lers are a hockey team from Hartford.

 

[pollardsvision]

Before you get excited about any player's summer league stats, note that Jan Vesely is averaging 11.3 ppg on 64% shooting with 6.7 rpg (one every four minutes) and 2.3 spg. So, yeah, summer league.

Vesely's nice, but he's no Jeff Taylor (averaging 21/game).

http://queencityhoops.com/blog/

 

[TobiasFunke]

Before you get excited about any player's summer league stats, note that Jan Vesely is averaging 11.3 ppg on 64% shooting with 6.7 rpg (one every four minutes) and 2.3 spg. So, yeah, summer league.

Vesely's nice, but he's no Jeff Taylor (averaging 21/game).

http://queencityhoops.com/blog/

Vesely is the Summer League Blake Griffin, Jeff Taylor is the Summer League James Harden.

 

[Synthesizer]

They should regret that pick for the rest of the existence of that franchise. Carmelo Anthony, despite his faults, wins games. It was pretty crystal-clear that at least Anthony and Wade were pretty close to being can't-miss NBA players, as opposed to a guy who was tall and did a lot of post-up drills against chairs.

The Pistons and Giants won titles in spite of Darko and Zito, not at all because of them, or because someone else wasn't there.

I wonder is this absurd "not regret the Darko pick b/c Detroit won the title" theory would extend if Detroit had taken Darko #1 overall?

The other side of the argument can get pretty absurd at times too. So far I've heard that Carmelo "wins games" and that Bosh is HOF.

 

[rodg12]

They should regret that pick for the rest of the existence of that franchise. Carmelo Anthony, despite his faults, wins games. It was pretty crystal-clear that at least Anthony and Wade were pretty close to being can't-miss NBA players, as opposed to a guy who was tall and did a lot of post-up drills against chairs.

The Pistons and Giants won titles in spite of Darko and Zito, not at all because of them, or because someone else wasn't there.

I wonder is this absurd "not regret the Darko pick b/c Detroit won the title" theory would extend if Detroit had taken Darko #1 overall?

The other side of the argument can get pretty absurd at times too. So far I've heard that Carmelo "wins games" and that Bosh is HOF.

Both are true...

 

[Good Posting Judge]

They should regret that pick for the rest of the existence of that franchise. Carmelo Anthony, despite his faults, wins games. It was pretty crystal-clear that at least Anthony and Wade were pretty close to being can't-miss NBA players, as opposed to a guy who was tall and did a lot of post-up drills against chairs.

The Pistons and Giants won titles in spite of Darko and Zito, not at all because of them, or because someone else wasn't there.

I wonder is this absurd "not regret the Darko pick b/c Detroit won the title" theory would extend if Detroit had taken Darko #1 overall?

The other side of the argument can get pretty absurd at times too. So far I've heard that Carmelo "wins games" and that Bosh is HOF.

72.4 WS over the last 10 years.

 

[Synthesizer]

They should regret that pick for the rest of the existence of that franchise. Carmelo Anthony, despite his faults, wins games. It was pretty crystal-clear that at least Anthony and Wade were pretty close to being can't-miss NBA players, as opposed to a guy who was tall and did a lot of post-up drills against chairs.

The Pistons and Giants won titles in spite of Darko and Zito, not at all because of them, or because someone else wasn't there.

I wonder is this absurd "not regret the Darko pick b/c Detroit won the title" theory would extend if Detroit had taken Darko #1 overall?

The other side of the argument can get pretty absurd at times too. So far I've heard that Carmelo "wins games" and that Bosh is HOF.

72.4 WS over the last 10 years.

10 years. 0 titles. 0 finals appearances. 1 conference finals appearance. Still has the same knocks against him that he had when he got drafted (isolation scorer and below average defensively).

 

[Kev4029]

They should regret that pick for the rest of the existence of that franchise. Carmelo Anthony, despite his faults, wins games. It was pretty crystal-clear that at least Anthony and Wade were pretty close to being can't-miss NBA players, as opposed to a guy who was tall and did a lot of post-up drills against chairs.

The Pistons and Giants won titles in spite of Darko and Zito, not at all because of them, or because someone else wasn't there.

I wonder is this absurd "not regret the Darko pick b/c Detroit won the title" theory would extend if Detroit had taken Darko #1 overall?

The other side of the argument can get pretty absurd at times too. So far I've heard that Carmelo "wins games" and that Bosh is HOF.

72.4 WS over the last 10 years.

10 years. 0 titles. 0 finals appearances. 1 conference finals appearance. Still has the same knocks against him that he had when he got drafted (isolation scorer and below average defensively).

I think Melo's biggest knock was he was a worry off the court. On the court he was a generational talent. I don't think the fact that he could score in isolation sets was an issue, especially as the NBA was very isolation heavy at the time.

This whole argument that the Pistons shouldn't have drafted Melo is insane and possibly the dumbest argument I've ever seen in here, and once upon a time Rockets fans thought Aaron Brooks was a top 5 PG.

 

[Kev4029]

They should regret that pick for the rest of the existence of that franchise. Carmelo Anthony, despite his faults, wins games. It was pretty crystal-clear that at least Anthony and Wade were pretty close to being can't-miss NBA players, as opposed to a guy who was tall and did a lot of post-up drills against chairs.

The Pistons and Giants won titles in spite of Darko and Zito, not at all because of them, or because someone else wasn't there.

I wonder is this absurd "not regret the Darko pick b/c Detroit won the title" theory would extend if Detroit had taken Darko #1 overall?

The other side of the argument can get pretty absurd at times too. So far I've heard that Carmelo "wins games" and that Bosh is HOF.

72.4 WS over the last 10 years.

And 10 straight years in the playoffs. Off the top of my head, the only players that could make that claim are Parker, Ginobili, Duncan and Billups. There might be a couple others. He may not be a guy that's going to drag you to a championship, but putting him on your team immediately gives you 45 wins and a playoff birth.

 

[Abraham]

No kidding. People act like not having a ring is some huge detracts on from the validity that a guy wins games. You know which active stars have rings? Dirk, Kobe, gasol, pierce, rondo, ray Allen, wade, James, bosh, Duncan, and Parker. That's it. They don't hand them out like suckers at the bank.

 

[the moops]

Maybe playing his first few years in Detroit he would have learned to play defense too

 

[Frostillicus]

Muhammad played less than six minutes in the first half, partially because of the coaching staff's decision to try new lineup combinations, but also because of his effort on the defensive end, on which he was unengaged and appeared to be out of breath on certain occasions. In the first quarter, it appeared as though gravity had a much stronger pull on him than anyone else on the floor. He could be seen lagging behind in getting back on defense, and there were a number of points forfeited by the Wolves simply because Muhammad wasn't moving quickly enough laterally to keep up with the Heat players running full speed.

The disparity between Muhammad's intensity on the floor has been stark compared to most of the players he's sharing the floor with. While they are fighting for a spot in training camp, Shabazz has played like someone who knows his place is guaranteed.

linkhttp://espn.go.com/nba/dailydime/_/page/dime-130716/daily-dime

I don't think this bodes well.

We're talking 'bout practice.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Raptors sign Augustin for 1 year $1.2M. Decent (and by decent, I mean not very good but hey, they needed a backup) backup plug and solid value compared to what other low end PGs (Jennings, Harris, Jack, etc) have been or will be going for.

Wiggins saying he was to play for Toronto. So in about 8 years the Raptors may have a chance at being competitive. I can see the light...

 

[Craig_MiamiFL]

Have fun with your over the hill roster Mike.

And this guy and Kobe were the key parts of their 'presentation'?? Kobe un-follows Dwight. Now this. Have a good season

Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni doesn't believe the Rockets are the best match for Dwight Howard because of their up-tempo, wide-open offense.
One of Howard's reported reasons for leaving the Lakers was nothing wanting to play for D'Antoni and play in his offense, which the coach apparently found amusing. "The thing that cracks me up is Houston, they do the exact same thing," D'Antoni said, laughing. "And so (Howard) is gonna go to Houston? OK, so did they talk about change there? Don't tell me that it's that different." While this might sound like sour grapes -- and it certainly is, in part -- it's worth noting that D'Antoni's point isn't exactly wrong. That said, we have a feeling Howard will have much more in common with Rockets coach Hall of Fame big man Kevin McHale than he did with D'Antoni.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

Maybe playing his first few years in Detroit he would have learned to play defense too

Very possible. It was 10 years ago, but people forget that he was a ####### animal in college. His bad habits haven't been checked really, but the good still outweighs the bad on balance.

Arguing that some invisible stiff would've been better than Anthony is more absurd than thinking LeBron's signing with LA next year. Get the #### outta here.

 

[Kev4029]

Raptors sign Augustin for 1 year $1.2M. Decent (and by decent, I mean not very good but hey, they needed a backup) backup plug and solid value compared to what other low end PGs (Jennings, Harris, Jack, etc) have been or will be going for.

Wiggins saying he was to play for Toronto. So in about 8 years the Raptors may have a chance at being competitive. I can see the light...

The difference between all those other pgs and Augustin is they cab play.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Raptors sign Augustin for 1 year $1.2M. Decent (and by decent, I mean not very good but hey, they needed a backup) backup plug and solid value compared to what other low end PGs (Jennings, Harris, Jack, etc) have been or will be going for.

Wiggins saying he was to play for Toronto. So in about 8 years the Raptors may have a chance at being competitive. I can see the light...

The difference between all those other pgs and Augustin is they cab play.

Not very well they can't.

 

[Abraham]

I had totally overlooked the fact that wiggins might actually want to play in Canada. Let the rigging begin.

 

[Craig_MiamiFL]

Got to love it....

Mike Miller, who was amnestied by the Heat on Tuesday, said that he is healthy and "can't wait to play again next year."
Miller is still 33 years old and feels he has "a lot left," and given his 3-point shooting (41.7 percent last season) it shouldn't take long for a playoff team to offer him a contract once he clears waivers. "If it's standstill 3-point shooting, like I did [in Miami], and rebounding and things like that? Count me in," said Miller. "If you need stuff off the dribble, I'm here to do whatever." Jul 17 - 9:20 AM
Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Less than 12 hours later....
Mike Miller, who is now being targeted by the Cavaliers, is still dealing with a bad back and is said to be considering retirement.
This came to light after it became clear the Cavs were making a move for him, so the timing is interesting. There's no question Miller's back (and body) are banged up, but you have to think his injury concerns and possible retirement might not be making headlines right now if a title contender was the team making a push for him.

 

[Abraham]

I think the cavs are a good bet to make the jump even without Bynum being available. Outside of the top 7!or 8 teams they are as good a bet as any.

 

[Abraham]

Dalembert to Dallas apparently.

 

[ShaHBucks]

Mike Miller for a min contract would be a nice investment.

 

[ShaHBucks]

I had totally overlooked the fact that wiggins might actually want to play in Canada. Let the rigging begin.

You see this guy play yet? NBA scouts don't usually rail a kid this hard

 

[Abraham]

I had totally overlooked the fact that wiggins might actually want to play in Canada. Let the rigging begin.

You see this guy play yet? NBA scouts don't usually rail a kid this hard

Yes. He's the best prospect since Oden.

 

[nysfl2]

If I were a DET fan, I'd probably be biased and willing to overlook his recent shortcomings (and the '03 Draft).

Unless you are the Lakers or draft a HR in the lottery, it's awfully hard to maintain consistent excellence for a decade. To win a title with either Rasheed, Chauncey, or Rip as your best player is such an amazing accomplishment.

The rebuild was hard, at first, with years of no high lottery picks, but the Monroe and Drummond picks really were great. He got the title and has started a respectable rebuild. Even with a lot of questionable decisions in-between, it's not a bad track record for a GM.

That's pretty much right where I am. If they fired Dumars who knows who else they might bring in. Right now? I still like the devil I know. I have no real qualms with anything he did prior to trading Chauncey for AI. Even the '03 draft. (I'm not saying I wouldn't rather have Melo or Bosh or Wade now, just that at the time many GMs across the league shared the same opinion of Darko that Dumars had.) Drafting Cleaves, maybe, I guess I wasn't crazy about at the time. But all in all he built a team that won a title and reached 6 straight ECFs. Now he's got them positioned to grow into a contender again. I'm guessing there are plenty of fan bases out there that would take that resume, warts and all.

Also, bottom line, he brought Sheed to Detroit, and that was fun.

He's also done a decent job of plucking useful players with late first or second round draft picks:

2002 - Tayshaun Prince - 1.23

2003 - Carlos Delfino - 1.25

2005 - Jason Maxiell - 1.26, Amir Johnson - 2.56

2007 - Aaron Afflalo - 1.27

2009 - Jonas Jerebko - 2.39

2011 - Kyle Singler - 2.33

And I like both Mitchell and Siva this year.

I haven't done much comparison with other teams, but I'd bet his hit rate with these later picks is a lot better than average.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

Rockettes apparently trying to sign Mike Miller and Camby. Miller = stretch 4?

 

[Abraham]

Rockettes apparently trying to sign Mike Miller and Camby. Miller = stretch 4?

Both are interesting. Not sure what Camby would do aside from sit on the bench. They have three very capable centers already plus another 7' 260# guy. Miller would be a nice addition. Casspi, Williams, Miller, and Garcia would be a solid cast of "guys who can't do anything but stand and shoot the wide open three!" ANd we need those guys.

 

[Abraham]

Aaron brooks tweeted last night that he is back with the rockets, which gives them 4 point guards.

Lin / Beverly / brooks / Canaan (d league)

Harden / Williams

Parsons / casspi / Garcia

Jones / donuts.

Howard / Asik / smith.

If jones rumors are true (playing with confidence, tore up Vegas, etc) then this could be a really good team. They still lack a back court defender that is even average but Howard helps that.

One thing from the press conference that I liked but hadn't posted yet. Mchale was asked about his expectations of Howard and replied "he's going to dominate both eds of the floor. And if he doesn't its because I'm not putting him in the right positions to succeed. It's on me."

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Few useless rule changes for next year and they continue to fail to address the flopping issue.

 

[thecatch]

Aldridge formally asked to be traded.

 

[Timmay]

Aldridge formally asked to be traded.

Clippers should of held out and traded some type of combination of Bledsoe and Jordan for Aldridge.