Cross-Over

I am just going to be sharing my opinions and assessments on various players and teams throughout the season. Please feel free to chime in on mine or share your own.


Bobby Simmons, a surprise player- this guy was a late second round pick a few years ago. He has been traded, waived, sent to the NBDL, and just never got a chance to show his talent. The Wizards recognized some talent, and he played two years in Washington that included time in the NBDL. In January of 2002, I went to a Wizards game and he was out shooting with a coach or trainer for a while before warmups. He was hitting from all over the court, with nice moves and a good stroke. It surprised me that he couldn't even crack the rotation. Anyways, he is averaging 16 points, 6 boards, about 3 assists, and a steal per game for the competitive L.A Clippers. My favorite stat is his 48% field goal percentage, he takes good shots and makes them with regularity. He plays "big" inside for a 6'6" guard/forward, he grabs tough rebounds and puts it in around the rim. I hope he and the Clippers continue to do well so he can win the Most Improved Player Award.

The Timberwolves- They played great last year and wound up with the best record in the West. However, I never was sold on them, and wasn't surprised a banged up Sacramento team took them deep in the second round. I recall a list on NBA.COM this past summer where various writers, analysts, former coaches, and former players made their predictions for this upcoming season. To win it all-the Spurs were chosen the most, but Minnesota was not too far behind, and I believe Detroit was third. I thought predicting Minn. to win the NBA Championship was a reach. They had a career year from an aging point guard, and a superb year from an aging 2 guard last year. I don't mean that they aren't any good because they are "aging", but I didn't expect similar success this year. In addition, I thought it was a good decision not to extend either Cassell or Spree. Their production will most likely decline each successive year, not a formula to get a title while you have a Hall of Famer in his prime. To sum it up, I am not surprised that they are currently struggling, though I think they will finish better than their current .500ish record. Playing GM from my computer chair, I would package Spree and Cassell together now to get a solid 1 or a 2. Maybe for Michael Redd, this would give the Bucks expiring contracts. Rumor is that the Bucks aren’t going to be able to resign him this off-season. I don’t know how accurate that is though, considering they had cap room to extend an offer-sheet to restricted Free Agent Etan Thomas this past offseason.

Esen

What do you think of Haslem on the Heat

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~Esen
What is everyone doing in my room?

Cross-Over

I am really impressed by Haslem, he is an efficient low post player. It is a shock that he went undrafted. He rebounds well, and shoots for a good percentage. Playing in Miami is perfect for him. Shaq is a great shot blocker, and can switch off on some bigger 4's if need be. Malik Rose, another undersized power forward, could put up similar numbers if he was in a starting role.

Once the Heat get back Malik Allen, they will have a good rotation of bigs with himself, Laettner, Shaq, Haslem, and Doleac.

Shpoop

i live in miami...and Malik Allen was at my highschools basketball game last night...what the fuck?!

anyways, alot of times i ask who people think is the most talented player in the NBA...not the most productive, not the most valuable to a team, not the most efficient, or the most humble, simply the most talented. very often i get Kevin Garnett as an answer...do you agree with this? if not, who would you say is the most talented? I realize thats a pretty hard and broad question, but give it a shot.

Cross-Over

I like the question, good stuff.

First I would have to clarify what you really mean by talented. Talented defined is "a marked innate ability". Skill is different, that is acquired. Based on that reasoning, I would say Lebron James is the most talented player in the NBA. He has incredible leaping ability, great vision, excellent size, and terrific speed.

Who do you think is the most talented?

jay-g

Tracy McGrady

Dingo2879

How about one of the surprise teams of the NBA - The Chicago Bulls
This franchise has been a joke for the past 6 years, and finally there are some signs that this team is on the rise... Starting 0-9 at the start of the season, and since then posting a 16-9 record. This team is young and hungry, and I think if they can get thru February (8 out of 11 games on the road), I think they can make some noise in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

1slOwCD8

Tell me about it, im pretty excited about this now. 7 in a row i think, going for .500 on wednesday. These past 2 games against new york have been crazy, coming away with it in the last seconds by 2. i know ill be watching from now on.

Dingo2879

I forgot today was a day game, I just caught the game summary... For everyone else who does'nt live in Chicago, this is a pretty big deal for us... I realize we are not going to win the championship this year, but a good showing in the playoffs will be just fine for me... It's been awhile since we have had competitive basketball in Chicago..

Cross-Over

It would be nice to see Chicago as an elite team in the NBA once again. Paxson has done a good job since that rat Krause has been gone. Sure Krause drafted Pippen and acquired Kukoc (though he pissed off the Bulls players by ignoring their current contract needs at the time), but he also was the main reason that MJ, Pip, and Jackson left. In addition, he traded away Elton Brand (after two outstanding seasons to start his career) and Ron Artest/Brad Miller for Tyson Chandler and Jalen Rose/Travis Best. Absolutely shitty deals.

I like Hinrich and Gordon in the backcourt; I think they will eventually start together. But for now, Skiles is starting an untraditional lineup, and its working.

munchen

Whats your opion of the raptors? chris bosh is emerging with 8 straight double doubles and they are finally getting some chemistry togher after getting rid of the cancer(carter). they have taken 6 out of their last 8 and just got a big road win vs. the t-wolves. do you think they have a solid shot at a playoff spot givin that their division is complete ass?

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"Love is a perky elf dancing a merry little jig and then suddenly he turns on you with a miniature machine gun" -Matt Groening

Mojo_PeiPei

Anyone has a shot in the eastern conference, hell the leader of the Atlantic conference isn't even above .500.

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Nimbletoe

Solid shot? No. I mean, Bosh is going to be really good, maybe even great, but beyond him... I mean... But, as stated, the east isn't really strong. Although I have to believe that Detroit, Indiana, Miami, Cleveland, Orlando, Washington are locks. I think New York, Boston and even the sixers are better teams than Toronto. Nah, not this year. But Bosh looks good, so there'e some hope.

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Go Pistons!

Rudel73

How bout my cavs!!! Everyone was hatin their GM Paxson for losing Boozer, but what a frikkin great job he did bringing in talent this year! Drew Gooden Sasha Pavlovic Anderson Varajao Eric Snow....MAN! And has anyone seen this rookie Anderson Varejao play? He's a freaking monster on the boards, i cant htink of anyone else he reminds me of other than a young dennis rodman.

Cavs are goin to be BEASTS next year when they pick up a good SG!!! Trust me a lineup with Lebron and Redd/Allen/Johnson in it would be AMAZING

Mojo_PeiPei

Gooden is nice, he is no Boozer, lacks a consistent post presence, but I think he brings more offense to the team. I think that's all the Cavs are lacking, a post presence, Z is a vagina on the boards. But yeah if Bron Bron got a second scorer behind him, they could tear it up.

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To win a war you must serve no master but your ambition.

lyxo

Agreed. Gooden + Varejao for Battie has to be the move of the year.

Gooden is a better compliment to Z. Z boxes out and Gooden can use his athletics to grab that board. Boozer didn't do that, he was much slower. Also, at least Gooden makes some defensive stops. Boozer was and continues to be horrible on the defensive end. And he's not as consistent as he used to be. Neither is Gooden, but he'll have time to grow.

Mojo_PeiPei

Yeah Gooden is more athletic and can move better, he doesn't have the muscle of Boozer, but I think they didn't lose anything by getting him. If anything they added a little depth at the position.

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To win a war you must serve no master but your ambition.

Nimbletoe

As a pistons fan, I hope Redd goes to Denver or Utah or somewhere far from Cleveland, and Allen re-signs with Seattle. Don't give LeBron anyone good to play with preeze =(

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Go Pistons!

Esen

Loul Deng plays an important role in the bUlls recent success. He has really stepped up and he looks like he will turn into a solid all around player for the bulls.
I hopew he is not injured too badly, it seems pretty minor.
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Also now that Van Horn is back and he is being eased back inot the games; do you think he can go back to his form before he was injured.
He really was playiing well.

Also, he has been playing about 15 minutes a game since he has been back, 6 points per.. Even that is not bad becasue in a full game that would = about 18 points a game.

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~Esen
What is everyone doing in my room?

Cross-Over

I know this question is old, and the Raptors have since cooled down, but yes, they have a solid shot at a playoff spot. They do because the Eastern Conference is not solid. They are only a couple games out, and you make a good point about the weakness of divisions. With the new and horrible seeding system, the Boston Celtics currently are the #3 seed in the East with a record under .500, while the Sixers are a half a game behind them, but in the #8 spot. This new format, coupled with moving New Orleans to the West (geographically, Minnesota could be an Eastern Conference team, yet you know that wont happen), were stupid moves by the NBA.

The Cavs play well, but the fact is the talent on that team is average. They are well coached, and led by greatness. I hope they can sign Redd, he is a good ball player. A great touch and clutch ability, hard to come by in the NBA. James stuns me, and I have to sit back and tell myself to make time to watch any of his televised games. Just like I would if I was able to watch Magic, Bird, Jabbar, Russell, and many others in their prime.
Gooden is the same age, and is putting up arguably better numbers than Boozer this year. Plus he is a lot cheaper, hindsight is 20/20.

Deng indeed is impressive, and that is why I was upset when Washington traded the number 5 pick that could have landed him. Jamison has helped turn Washington into a playoff team, so in theory I was wrong, but I really like Deng's game.

Additional thoughts:

Bobby Sura is not a natural point guard, but he is a darn good basketball player. Injuries hampered him earlier in his career, and it is a shame that at age 31 he finally is able to show his ability in Atlanta and now Houston. He handles the ball, rebounds, scores, and defends well. A poor man's Jason Kidd.

Orlando stated that defense was the reason they traded away Mobley. Figuring they wouldn't be able to resign him (an accurate assumption), they thought Christie was an upgrade at defense. Maybe so, but only slightly. Christie isn't the on-the-ball All NBA defender of a couple years ago, and Mobley is an underrated defender. He did a good job on Kobe in last years playoffs, which is the ultimate 1 on 1 defensive challenge.

heccubusiv

I hate everything from Ohio being in PA expect for Lebron, Big Ben, Chris Thomas and Wendy's but wow is Lebron playing well. Starting on the all start team which by the way why is Vince Carter starting, he has played well but not that well. He is not an all star and the dunk contest is going to be a joke again, i wonder if darius miles will do it again this year or they might have the girl that won the high school contest give it a try. I personally think the cavs are one solid player away from winning the east. They need someone other then Lebron, Z is pretty good but getting someone else good to compliment Lebron would be great. MJ had Pippen and Lebron has no one.

Omar12

...I'm happy to see Arroyo in the Pistons. He is a great addition to the team coming from the bench. He is still getting adapted to the team. Brown knows his potential (since he was the coach for the US team that lost to Puerto Rico in the olympics ) and wants from him that same playing skills that Arroyo showed in the olympics.

It was frustrating for him being in the bench most of the time, with some much potential while he was in Utah. I don't know what Sloan was thinking.

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Cross-Over

Sloan didn't surprise anyone with his decision to bench Arroyo for an extended period of time. Sloan is the longest tenured coach in the NBA, and he is a firm and disciplined coach. In addition, Raul Lopez and McLeod are a good tandem at the point. Lopez is more of a pass-first point guard, and Sloan was spoiled with the best pass-first PG in NBA history. I heard it was Arroyo's defense that he was not happy with though, and I haven't seen him in action with Utah once this year to comment on that.

All that being said, I really like Arroyo. He shoots a decent percentage from the field for a PG, can pass well, and can score. He isn't a proven starter, but he has the ability to be one. He is only 25, and clearly showed this summer, that when in his element, he can compete with Olympic caliber NBA players.

zhevek

Sacramento was robbed the other night. I am not even a Sac fan, but Milller was fouled and Pheonix should have lost (or at least gone to overtime).

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Esen

Whats the deal with Alston,
he need to be traded.

He is a really good player who is being tortured in Toronto.

Is their coach just a dick? Didn't Carter have problems with him too?

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~Esen
What is everyone doing in my room?

munchen

Rafer has personality issues and always had. He's just upset that we're losing so much right now and losing always causes problems. There is alot of trouble in that locker room right now though, sam mitchell has done a pretty good job but I don't know if anything short of a complete overhall of the organization can save them. the organization seems to be filled with dicks that destroy all the talent it produces. Rafer is a great ball handler and a pretty good passer but he has some trouble with descision making and he doesn't have a great shot. As for Carter, the guy was a complete loser, he was such a winer/wuss/complete dick/slacker and a cancer for the team when he was here. We gave him a chance we a bunch of coaches, the problem with carter wasn't sam mitchell. I think to an extent rafer is torturing himself.

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"Love is a perky elf dancing a merry little jig and then suddenly he turns on you with a miniature machine gun" -Matt Groening

Esen

Munchen, From what I have been hearing that the problem may not be the players but instead Sam Mitchell. He is a complete Choad and is ruining the team.

There is a nother post and link about a bunch of the players wanting to get away from him

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~Esen
What is everyone doing in my room?

munchen

yeah I posted that article after i posted this, i didnt realise it was that bad at the time i wrote this. toronto is fucked right now

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"Love is a perky elf dancing a merry little jig and then suddenly he turns on you with a miniature machine gun" -Matt Groening

Cross-Over

Sam Mitchell is a young coach; he is only 41 years old. The Raptors organization knew he was a tough-nosed player and that he would bring the same mindset to the sidelines. Vince Carter publicized that he was interested in other candidates before the hire, so there was going to be some tension right off the bat.

Alston is a decent point guard, and in reference to the salaries this off-season, his contract was on par for his ability. I believe he had to sit out his first season in the league due to legal problems. There had to be some questions about his character when they signed him. Perhaps he was a stand up guy two years ago when he played for the Raptors, but he was fighting for a contract longer than 10 days back then. He now has guaranteed money.

Raptors management needs to be called out on their horrible trade of Vince Carter. They received nothing in return. Eric Williams has demanded a trade since his playing time has been cut, Aaron Williams doesn’t play much, and they just had to pay Mourning in a buyout so they wouldn't absorb the rest of his salary. They should have tried to get more. It's not like VC was a cancer on a playoff caliber team, there shouldn't have been an urgency to get rid of him. They refused to trade him in the off-season, but decided to while he was injured and in the midst of a down-season.

munchen

I agree that that was a brutal trade but they had to get rid of him. he was a huge cancer and bringing down the team. The players we got are terrible, eric williams hasn't played well enough to be third stringer let alone a starter. Though I think the main focus of the trade was the draft picks and not the players they got back in return. For being a dick they should have made mourning sit out the rest of his career, big dissapointment they got him and that he wouldn't play.

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"Love is a perky elf dancing a merry little jig and then suddenly he turns on you with a miniature machine gun" -Matt Groening

CityOfAngels

I was always under the impression that Rafer Alston's struggle in the NBA was attributed to his popularity as Skip To Mah Lou in the And1 Mixtapes. I figured that coaches were wary of playing him because they were afraid that his overall game was too "street." Anyone remember when the Kings benched Jason Williams for the same reason? I think Alston's contract was well deserved.

As for the whole Vince Carter/Alonzo Mourning trade, it looked great on paper. Lose an All-Star that hates your organization, and get an out-of-retirement miracle former All-Star that plays big. Zo's reaction to his placement in Toronto was a complete surprise to me, and I can't believe how well he's faring by goinga long with his hissy-fit. Not only is Toronto paying him to leave, but he also gets to join up with the #1 team in the East. He shouldn't be able to play for another team for at least the remainder of this season.
I'm excited to see Carter on a new team. My boy Richard Jefferson might be losing minutes, but if they can work together when he comes out of his season-ending injury, they might be able to produce something newsworthy.

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Nimbletoe

Amare Stoudamire apparently doesn't have to dribble the ball in the post, and is free to walk around as he pleases.

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Go Pistons!

maximusveritas

Sure he walked, but that was right after he got hacked by 2 Pistons and didn't get a call. The refs made up for a bad call by making a bad call in the other team's favor, happens all the time.
Even if it was unfair, the Pistons shouldn't have been in a position to let the refs decide the game in the first place.
Still, it was a good game and it proved that the Pistons are ready to defend their title. It also showed that the Suns really need to work on their rebounding and toughness before playoff time.

dylanmarsh

I wish I could be more positive about the Celtics right now but I still don't think they stand a chance against the West, Miami or Detroit. They'll be fun to watch down the stretch with Antonie, Pierce and Payton trash talking and trying to emmulate the 1990 Pistons. Too bad they don't have an angry white guy like Laimbeer.

Nimbletoe

I'd rather the foul be called them him being allowed to walk around while he's waiting for said call, then just kinda dump the ball into the basket since he took like 7 steps and the Pistons figured SOMETHING would have been called.

But yeah, it was a good game.

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Go Pistons!

munchen

Anybody else disgusted at Gary Payton? What the hell is that? He was dealt then decided not to play, so he gets released and joins his old team. Thats pathetic. The league should step in and ban him from playing. Thats a good way to make a super team, you never lose a player. Just trade your player get both back in return. Why is he allowed to do that?

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"Love is a perky elf dancing a merry little jig and then suddenly he turns on you with a miniature machine gun" -Matt Groening

dylanmarsh

Actually, GP didn't exactly refuse to play for the Hawks. The Hawks, like the Suns last year, decided to cuts their losses by trading away a big contract (Walker) and then take another contract (Payton) and then buying that contract out. I haven't heard the dollar amount they saved but they're not going anywhere this season, so they might as well gain some cap space.

I doubt the Hawks will be able to lure any big free agents like the Suns did after gaining cap space by shipping Penny and Marbury away, but at least they are trying.

To answer your "why" question, it's simple: NBAPA. The union is not going to allow where players are allowed to sign after becoming free agents.

munchen

I think they need to introduce a new clause. This is completely unfair to everyother team in the NBA, especially those in his division. Everybody else had to give something up in their trades, they should too

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"Love is a perky elf dancing a merry little jig and then suddenly he turns on you with a miniature machine gun" -Matt Groening

Cross-Over

The Hawks gained some cap space, but they weren’t "cutting their losses". The Hawks acquired Walker in a deal for Jason Terry (didn't like that trade as a Hawks fan). Some other throw ins were involved, but it was essentially Walker for Terry. They got Walker because he going into his last year of a big contract (cap space). They didn't expect to rebuild with him, everybody knew they weren't interested in extending or resigning him. So they really weren't cutting their losses, because they didn't lose anything in getting him (in their mind that is, they wanted to get Terry's long contract off the books and pick up cap space).

The Hawks never intended on having Payton play for them, and Boston had to give up some expiring contracts to pick up Walker for the stretch run. Since Walker is also in his last year, they must have gave up what eventually calculates to more cap relief. Reportedly, Atlanta happily paid the remainder of his contract and released him. Mainly, because they didn’t want a distraction or the selfishness that accompanies Payton (You can bet the farm that Payton wouldn't have reported and made a stink about it if they wanted him to report). Secondly, they are fighting for the most ping-pong balls in the lottery, and getting rid of Walker also frees up playing time for their young talent (4 rookies on the roster). The league did mention something about looking into that concept in the future, because of the one-sidedness of a deal like that. With Atlanta happily buying out his contract, it really doesn't call for banning Payton or anything drastic. It's a matter of perceived value in the trade.

munchen, Boston did give up something in the trade, they gave up cap space. Also, this isn’t really a way to “make a super team”. Foremost, a team would have to be willing to buy out a contract of a good player and release him. You rarely see this happen. Secondly, a team wouldn’t buy out a contract, or even take on a contract, of a player they didn’t plan on keeping, if he had a high salary. The reason it worked with Payton was because he exercised a one-year 5 million option this past summer (modest salary for a starting point guard) when he was still with L.A. If he hadn’t taken a pay cut two years ago to go to L.A., he would have signed a contract paying him at least 8 million per for a few years. The deal wouldn't have went down if that was the case. In summary, good players aren’t paid 5 million per year, so you won’t see a “super team” built using this strategy in the future.

dylanmarsh, you are probably right, Atlanta won't be able to lure in any big free agents. They were unsuccessful last year with Kenyon Martin and Dampier. In addition, the free agent class isn't that deep.

crossova

Yay the Knicks actually won 3 games in a row. I know they're 5.5 games out of first place in the Atlantic division but wins are still wins.