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Official 2008-2009 NBA Thread


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QUOTE (WilliamTell @ Mar 22, 2009 -> 12:06 PM)
Yeah what's gotten into the Bobcats? Maybe Larry Brown was the right man for the job.

The Boris Diaw trade proved to be a godsend for them.

 

They're probably a .500 team next season, but they need to get a deeper bench (Augustine and Diop alone don't really cut it), but I like their frontcourt.

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QUOTE (rangercal @ Mar 25, 2009 -> 06:19 AM)
So he could fill in as a starter 1-2 games a year?

 

If he is not gone this summer, I will look at the off-season as a failure.

 

Exactly. And if needed, more than 2 games. Unless you wish we kept Duhon to back up Rose.

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QUOTE (Brian @ Mar 25, 2009 -> 07:26 PM)
Exactly. And if needed, more than 2 games. Unless you wish we kept Duhon to back up Rose.

 

I'm more for consolidating our roster. I'm tired of 35+ min caliber players getting 15. Especially close to 10 mil a year. I don't see New Orleans or Utah making backup pg a priority. If what we all envision with Rose is true, neither should Chicago.

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QUOTE (rangercal @ Mar 26, 2009 -> 08:02 PM)
Reggie Miller just called Derrick Rose a loser and they lost partly due to his "missed free throws" . Rose went 3-4 http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/boxscore?gameId=284000063

 

I loved Reggie vs the Knicks, but he is a douche.

well he did miss a FT with like a minute left that would have won the game...but you are right millers an asshole

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QUOTE (daa84 @ Mar 26, 2009 -> 10:21 PM)
well he did miss a FT with like a minute left that would have won the game...but you are right millers an asshole

 

Missed fts happen. He missed 1 Free throw. Miller made it seem like he missed 4-5 down the stretch.

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QUOTE (daa84 @ Mar 26, 2009 -> 09:21 PM)
well he did miss a FT with like a minute left that would have won the game...but you are right millers an asshole

 

In other words nothing has changed. He is as much of a dick behind the mic, as he was on the court.

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Well, aside from Reggie Miller being a dick, how about them Bulls grabbing the 7 seed tonite? I was looking at the standings(since TNT posted them a minimum 10 times an hour) last night, and the 5 and 6 seeds are not as far fetched as one might think. If the Bulls can capitalize on the final stretch at home and steal a few road games(toronto and indiana), they could sneak a bit higher IMO.

 

Playing at home, they are just a different beast. They really play with a lot of confidence.

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QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 27, 2009 -> 08:18 AM)
The Pistons do have two games in hand over the Bulls, so they control their own fate at this point.

 

This may be so, but they havent done anything right since AI and Rasheed went down, and barring a miracle return by the both of them, I cannot see them fixing the problem. In fact, I wouldnt be surprised to see the Bobcats steal the 8th spot from the Pistons when all is said and done

 

Good lord, Mike North is ready to give VDN an extension already. And he wonders why he isnt on the AM radio waves anymore

Edited by kyyle23
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QUOTE (rangercal @ Mar 26, 2009 -> 10:32 PM)
Missed fts happen. He missed 1 Free throw. Miller made it seem like he missed 4-5 down the stretch.

 

I think he's also referring to Rose missing FT's during last year's championship game. He actually was a pretty mediocre FT shooter for a guard prior to this year.

 

QUOTE (kyyle23 @ Mar 27, 2009 -> 08:23 AM)
This may be so, but they havent done anything right since AI and Rasheed went down, and barring a miracle return by the both of them, I cannot see them fixing the problem. In fact, I wouldnt be surprised to see the Bobcats steal the 8th spot from the Pistons when all is said and done

 

Good lord, Mike North is ready to give VDN an extension already. And he wonders why he isnt on the AM radio waves anymore

 

I don't see the Bobcats hopping the Pistons, but it very well could happen with the way they're playing now. As far as Mike North, I don't like him, but giving VDN an extension might be bad. There's a discussion on the Bulls forum at RealGM, but basically, lemme post what sums up my feelings on it.

 

And I want him fired for my special reason, stated ad nauseum, that he just flat doesn't strike me as a real leader of men.

 

But I was thinking about something during the Bulls game last night. The Bulls, it appears, have a pretty darn good chance at finishing 41-41 with the 7th seed in the East. That constitutes an over-achievement in the eyes of the national media, local media and NBA fan base (if not many of the die-hards on this board). And heading into the post-season, they are probably the 4th or at worst 5th best team in the East, regardless of seeding - which enhances the over-achievement. And that thought got me thinking about a lot of the things we rightly blasted Skiles for. The Black has done a lot of the things we always wanted Skiles to do. Examples:

 

Tyrus Thomas: He's the main example. No point in rehashing how Skiles treated this guy, we all know of the inconsistencies that have delayed his development. The Black has done an excellent job showing consistent confidence in Thomas. The most telling example is that early in the season, following the 2-17 night against Boston and subsequent miserable shooting nights, The Black was under the gun for letting Thomas take that shot as part of the offense. VDN's response? "Tyrus worked very hard on that shot this summer, so its something I don't want to take away from him." (I couldn't find the article, but that is an accurate quote). The Black was ripped for this comment up and down on local sports radio and, as I recall, in at least one national publication (Bill Simmons, I think).

 

Who regrets it now? Has it not paid off? Who here wishes that Vinny had said "Look, Tyrus, its just not working. Just focus on hitting the glass and blocking shots"? How important is it now, in hindsight, either to the development of Thomas as a Bulls or to enhance his trade value, that The Black took this approach? How does that measure vs. a few bad in-game coaching decisions peppered througout the season? Big picture, what was more important?

 

Jo: There's less evidence to go by with Joakim. But we've certainly seen Vinny commit to Noah. Including offensively. Its obvious, and its been reported, that The Black is encouraging Jo to have an offensive game. To try to work the post and get a shot. And its working. Jo is converting much better around the rim, with both hands even, than ever before. And not just on dunks. But he's actually using the glass and improving his touch. Remember Skiles and Chandler? "Rebound and block shots, don't try to score." Granted, in Chandler's situation that's good advice because he's the worst offensive big man I've seen this side of Michael Ruffin and Bo Outlaw, but we all know Skiles would have taken the same approach with Jo.

 

It should also be noted that as to Jo and Tyrus both, that Vinny came down on both of them - hard - earlier in the season for not working hard enough and not caring enough. And they responded. So it wasn't all just puppy dogs and ice cream in the way he's handled these guys.

 

Rose: You're a rookie? At the point guard position? Our other point guard is a vet, team captain, and coach's dream whose been playing 35 minutes a game for 5 years? You absolutely suck balls at defense? No problem. Here's 71 starts and a consistent 36-37 minutes a night without requiring you to "earn it". Isn't this what we were all hoping would happen? Lots of coaches wouldn't do that on a team that didn't totally suck. Or even on a team that does totally suck. Earl Watson started over Russell Westbrook for 2 months.

 

Gordon: Has started all season and played the most minutes per game of his career. His minutes are almost never jerked around. How many of you have lamented contrary treatment of Ben for years?

 

Look, The Black has flaws. A number of them. But he's made some significant positive contributions in the exact area, with the exact guys, that many of us have been begging for for years: Trusting the young guys, and developing them. In the long term, isn't that the most important thing he could have done this season?

 

And that was from someone who wants VDN fired. They do need to develop defensively, but offensively, I think you're only seeing the beginning for a reason I posted:

 

What the Bulls are running now, is very basic. There was a quote in the paper where VDN even stated he had to almost completely strip down the scheme because the players were not getting it. Right now, we're running a basic pick and roll and really, most of our guys aren't moving around. From all accounts, VDN wants to run a double pick and roll system with guys moving around to certain spots. Think of it as running what D'Antoni runs, but without the mandate to do it within seven seconds. While Nash(in this case Derrick) created, you had guys always moving around him and Nash would always find them because he knew where they were supposed to be. I think there's even a quote where D'Antoni talks more specifically about being in spots. It even goes all the way down to fastbreaks.

 

Also keep in mind, VDN was hired rather late and had to deal with Joakim coming into camp out of shape, and Larry Hughes, our guard glut in general, and Deng sucking amongst all of our injuries.

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