The NBA 08-09 Thread

[dlish]

dohrk..i said it.

cant be done. i dont see the same auro of invincibility that phil jacksons bulls had in the 90's.

[dohrk]

Wow, the Blazers were fun to watch last night. They beat the Spurs for the first time in 3 years. Brandon Roy had never beaten them. Nicolas Batum was way better than I expected.

Watch these guys grow. Should be a fun ride.

[Ilow]

As far as the Celtics getting worse, I assume you're talking about losing Posey. While that is a loss, you have to remember that all of their other young players have gotten more experienced and comfortable in their roles (Powe, Rondo, Davis, Perkins etc.). There shouldn't be much of a dropoff from the big 3, in fact Allen could actually have a better year than he did last year, as he was subpar for him. Either was, this is still a driven, Talented team. They beat the Lebrons in the opening game when they were totally distracted by raising the banner.

[Halx]

I never said the Celtics got worse. I said they didn't get better.

Anyways, last night was an example of how the Lakers can win in a dirty game. The refs had 5 players in foul trouble by half time. One rookie ref was responsible for all 5 fouls called on Bynum. Pau kept the team close and Kobe dropped the hammer.

[QuasiMondo]

This just in:

The Dever Nuggets have shipped Allen Iverson to Detroit in exchange for Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess.

ESPN - Denver Nuggets trade Allen Iverson to Detroit Pistons

[Halx]

Wow.. what is Detroit doing? Great trade for Denver. Billups was never a superstar, but his place on that team was what made it work. Rip + AI = blah! Denver got a real PG and some insurance for Nene. They've already got scorers. The west just got tougher.

[QuasiMondo]

Iverson's an expiring contract, so it's no big loss to the Pistons. Billups and McDyess are getting old and you can't expect them to perform at the level they did back in 2004.

It's like a great experiment with not much of a downside for Detroit.

[Halx]

I understand that. My initial reaction is that all 3 are sputtering veterans, but Billups brings more than a physical presence. He's a big loss from the mental side. It sounds like both teams are resolved to be mediocre though.

[Rekna]

Wow, i'm actually glad to have AI out of the west. It will be interesting to see what happens with Denver now.

[QuasiMondo]

Originally Posted by Halx

I understand that. My initial reaction is that all 3 are sputtering veterans, but Billups brings more than a physical presence. He's a big loss from the mental side. It sounds like both teams are resolved to be mediocre though.

Joe Dumars did say nobody was safe after Boston bounced them from the playoffs. My guess is that this is just the beginnings of a massive shakeout in Detroit.

[powerclown]

This is an awesome trade imo. Billups has declined offensively since 2005. Defensively he still has a lot to offer, and is universally liked and respected around the league which is exactly the type of guy Denver needs. Detroit gets a vet scoring superstar ready to sacrifice to win a championship, not unlike what happened in Boston. Rip and AI are both shooting guards, yes, but they're also vets who I hope will have the experience to get along and sacrifice for the sake of contending for a championship, something Carmelo has yet to learn (but something Billups will definitely help him with). It is also handy to have a guy who is feared in the playoffs...he's gonna draw a lot of fouls/free throws. And yes since AI's contract expires at the end of this season, along with moving Billups contract and potentially Sheed's which expires this year, the Pistons will have something like $35 million in cap space to spend on the big free agency class of 2009-10. Its a win-win for everyone involved.

11:46pm post-game: 6 years of watching Billups bring the ball up the court and captain this team to a championship and 5 straight eastern conference finals. Hamilton basically ignoring new fellow guard Stuckey in the backcourt. I am bummed out tonight.

[Cross-Over]

Even if McDyess re-signs with the Pistons after the 30 day waiting period, I think the trade benefits both teams. Billups adds defense and ball control to a team that lacks both, but it is a bit surprising the Nuggets traded for a 32 year old with 46 million left guaranteed on his contract. The Nuggets dumped Camby for salary reasons over the summer, so there are some mixed messages there.

Iverson is a first ballet hall of famer and an elite scorer. People don't realize that Compared to his career averages, Iverson's turnovers per game decreased last year, while his shooting percentage increased. Despite his knack for stealing the ball, he is still a defensive liability, but not as big of a concern on a stout defensive team.

The Pistons will have cap room to pursue Lebron, Bosh, Wade, and Boozer. Dumars is being a quality GM and thinking about the future as well.

[grumpyolddude]

Two games with neither Billups or Iverson in the line up, and the Pistons looked solid. Charlotte is not a quality opponent, but the young players off the bench stepped up and didn't get distracted by the hoopla surrounding the trade. The Toronto game was a bigger test. The coach and team passed.

Iverson says all of the right things, and if he and Sheed find some common ground, this will be a very good team. We'll start finding out Friday in New Jersey and Sunday against Boston.

The biggest liability I see is Qwame Brown. The guy is a walking turnover machine.

[Halx]

Yeah have fun with Kwame. Don't let him within 100 feet of cake.

Lakers have a wonky schedule this week. Huge gaps between games means some out of rhythm play. It took them 3 quarters to finally click last night. Their first test will come Sunday against the Rockets.

The Hawks beat the Hornets on their home floor. I like the Hawks.

[powerclown]

Kwameh is next to useless on the offensive end, so was Ben Wallace and the Pistons did ok with him. Joe Johnson is the real deal.

[Rekna]

What is happening to those spurs? If they keep this up they are going to dig themselves in a very deep hole. With Tony Parker out there season may be over before it starts.

[dlish]

wth ginabili and parker out, and duncan not playing to capacity in my opinion, i think its going to be a touch season for the spurs. watch for a late run come season end.

[Jimellow]

I'm in a deep fantasy league (30 teams, 10 man rosters), and was sorely lacking at small forward. Thus, I traded Joe Przybilla away for Mike Dunleavy. I generally stay away from trades involving injured players, but figured I might as well try to get value from Przybilla while Oden is out.

I'm interested to see how Chauncy Billups does on the Nuggets. I recorded the game last night and will likely watch it shortly, but I think he will provide a nice presence as a genuine point guard on a team that is a bit lopsided with scorers. It's for this reason that I don't mind Iverson leaving the team either. His ball hogging and huge shot numbers can be beneficial on a mediocre team like the Sixers, but on a more complete team, I think he hinders more than helps. Thus, I think it was a nice trade for the Nuggets; not as much for the Pistons.

[Halx]

6-0

Lakers can win big and they can win ugly. They fought past a valiant effort by the Mavs, but the Hornets tonight are the real challenge. Hopefully, we can put them away early instead of waiting 3 quarters to turn on the jets. The fact that we trailed for most of the game last night doesn't concern me as much as the fact that we only started to play defense halfway through the 3rd. Bynum is going to learn that he's not the only center in the league, and if he has to play against a smart one like Dampier, he's going to have to get smarter too.

[Poppinjay]

Didn't the Bobcats beat the Hornets? That was an especially savorable win for Charlotte residents.

Eff the bugs.

[Halx]

You are correct, and the media was very quick to ignore that it ever happened. Even the power rankings that have been published don't seem to want to acknowledge it.

[Rekna]

I'm glad D-Will is back. I'm surprised the Jazz are doing as good as they are with their injuries. Last night they were missing Harpring, Collins, Memo, and Fesinko. D-Will played but was clearly not 100%.

Right now it looks like the Lakers are the team to be in the west.

Though both the Jazz and the Lakers have softball early schedules.

[Rekna]

Hah I say the Jazz are looking good and they lose to a bottom feeding team. It looks like they are heading to the same problem they had last year (beat the hard teams lose to the easy teams).

[Halx]

7-0

Wednesday was another test and the Lakers passed. Then again, few of the teams we thought would be kicking ass this year have been very impressive. The Hornets are a great team and they're familiar with eachother, but they seem to be having focus and chemistry problems early.

Tonight we take on the Pistons, who are getting used to Allen Iverson. They are on the second game of a back-to-back and they're on the road, so I don't see this working well. AI has never given the Lakers any trouble, despite his ability. I don't see the Pistons as a particularly dominating team. They have good players, but their strength lies in their competition... the L'East.

[Rekna]

Lakers should win a lot of there games coming up:

Fri 14 vs Detroit [BUY TICKET] 7:30pm FSN HD AM 570 KLAC
Tue 18 vs Chicago [BUY TICKET] 7:30pm FSN HD AM 570 KLAC
Thu 20 @ Phoenix 7:30pm AM 570 KLAC
Fri 21 vs Denver [BUY TICKET] 7:30pm FSN HD AM 570 KLAC
Sun 23 vs Sacramento [BUY TICKET] 6:30pm FSN HD AM 570 KLAC
Tue 25 vs New Jersey [BUY TICKET] 7:30pm FSN HD AM 570 KLAC
Fri 28 vs Dallas [BUY TICKET] 7:30pm FSN HD AM 570 KLAC
Sun 30 vs Toronto [BUY TICKET] 6:30pm FSN HD AM 570 KLAC

Only 1 away game in the next 8 games.


Wow I just looked closely at the Lakers schedule. It is majorly front loaded with home games and then Feb-March they go on the road like crazy.

Do think this type of schedule hurts or helps the Lakers?

[powerclown]

Detroit shoots 50% from the field once or twice a month, and the Lakers probably don't shoot 42% at home too often. Gasol kinda flowery on defense. Sheed goes 25/15 once or twice a decade so thats nothing to get too excited about, look for him to lose his mind and get ejected from a few big games in the near future (not to mention in a game 6 or 7 come May). AI plays so fast...he's like a hurricane in a retirement home with the Pistons. How about that kid Anthony Morrow of Golden State scoring 37 points and 11 rebounds in his very first game?

[powerclown]

Whats up with Shaq lately?



He did the same to Boozer last night.

[Halx]

Anthony Morrow.. the new Flip Murray.

7-1

That was a nasty loss to the Pistons. The stars misaligned and the Lakers couldn't shoot for shit. It wasn't even the defense, they just kept missing the open shots. I see that Iverson makes the Pistons a more intimidating team.

Tonight the Lakers take on the Bulls. Rose looks like a challenge at PG, but everywhere else looks like fresh meat.

[powerclown]

I loves me some RonFlip. True, could just be that flash in the pan, but 37/11 is crazy, I don't think RonFlip ever scored over 30, may be wrong about that. Lakers should win easily over Chicago, they need a few more years to hang with LA.

[Cross-Over]

Flip Murray played outstanding for stretches in 03-04, hitting game winners and scoring in bunches while Ray Allen was injured. However, over the course of that year and throughout his career, he has never been a below average shooter percentage wise and a poor three point shooter. He is undersized though and has settled for low contracts just to remain in the league.

Though it is from a small sample, Morrow has shot very well from the field and three point line, and has been a good rebounder. Morrow is bigger and a better shooter than Murray. Look up Morrow's stats from Georgia Tech, he was an excellent shooter in college as well. What he becomes as an NBA player is unknown, his career path could easily follow that of Murray's. For example, his minutes have decreased the last several games despite the Warriors battling losses and injuries in their back-court. I think his success will largely be predicated on opportunity.

He reminds me of Marquis Daniels, who has a rookie, scored a bunch and took over the starting 2 guard on a contending Dallas Mavericks team in the playoffs, but has not progressed as a player since.

[Rekna]

Boozer and Collins just got hurt too. Only a few weeks into the season and the Jazz have the following people who have missed games due to injuries:

Williams, Okur, Kerelinko, Boozer, Collins, Harping, and Knight. Currently injured are Williams, Boozer, and Knight. If the Jazz keep this up there season is going to go the way of the Aztechs.

[Cross-Over]

I would rather be dealing with injuries early, than later. Chronic injuries will ruin a season, but from what I gather, Williams is expected to fully recover.

The Western Conference playoff teams were bunched up last year and one through eight were separated by just 7 games. The Jazz have enough to get into the playoffs. Don't forget, two years ago, the 8th seeded Warriors knocked off the 1st seeded Mavericks.

[pan6467]

I am not an NBA fan it ranks 5th for me. But The Cavs are doing great so far and seem to have truly pulled it together.

LeBoob or not, I do want to see a class man like Z win a ring.

[Rekna]

Originally Posted by Cross-Over

I would rather be dealing with injuries early, than later. Chronic injuries will ruin a season, but from what I gather, Williams is expected to fully recover.

The Western Conference playoff teams were bunched up last year and one through eight were separated by just 7 games. The Jazz have enough to get into the playoffs. Don't forget, two years ago, the 8th seeded Warriors knocked off the 1st seeded Mavericks.

Yeah the silver lining here is *if* they get healthy their bench is going to be a very strong bench. Also AK seems to be having an awesome year so far. I think putting him as a 6th man was perfect. He is very talented (kind of a jack of all trades) but when you surround him with to much talent you can't utilize his talent fully.

[Halx]

9-1

The Lakers seem to be gathering their wits after losing to Detroit. Tonight's game against Denver should be a walk in the park after holding Phoenix at bay last night. With the Lakers, there is no let-up. Even if certain players are struggling, there will usually be a role player here or there who is thriving.

[QuasiMondo]

Crawford to Golden State.
Randolph to the Clippers.

Payroll's slashed, expiring contracts given in return, and the move is on to acquire King James when he becomes a free agent in 2010.

[Speed_Gibson]

Exciting year so far for the Blazers. They are the only team I actually make an effort to track, and have followed since the my childhood years (although I did watch on TV the local Shaq/Penny Magic games during my short stay in Orlando Nuke school). They might be on track to resemble the team that ran into the Jordan/Pippen buzzsaw given enough years.

[dlish]

Originally Posted by Halx

9-1

show off

you're going to track and post every game arent you?

[powerclown]

Back to earth for Morrow: 2/9 shooting, 7 points in 34 minutes. He should have a few more chances to shine, although Coach Don Nelson is notorious for giving most of the minutes to the vets. Halx may be right about 70+ wins for the Lakers, their schedule is ridiculous for the 2 months or so. I like the Knicks moving Randolph and Crawford (dumb & dumber?), I think they should also trade lil Nate Robinson...Knicks are looking up.

[QuasiMondo]

They probably won't trade Robinson. His contract is up at the end of the season, so it's more likely they'll hang on to him at least until the end of the season. But he's also turning into a fan favorite at the Garden, so it's possible that he gets re-signed, but not for big bucks.