Official 2008-2009 NBA Thread

[RockRaines]

Yes, I know it is crazy, but I find acts of violence less sporting than not shaking someones hand after a series. If you like, I could just punch you, but shake your hand afterwards if that would make you feel better.

If we agreed to scrap, I would more than welcome a couple of shots and I would shake your hand afterwards as well. Your story just isnt accurate regarding Jordan, he didnt go up and assault his teammates. Do you think that Olin Kreutz is a dirtball too? He broke his teammates jaw.

[RockRaines]

It was just a gift from his mom. Nevermind the fact that she couldn't afford a Honda Civic brand new, much less a Hummer.

 

As far as Jordan, he punched his teammates because they mouthed off to him and even tried to swing at him after he yelled at them not being prepared. Maybe that's why he became the best. He demanded excellence from his teammates, even if they were crappy scrub players.

 

Shaking someone's hands though after tehy beat you fair and square is unsportsmanship. Beating up your teammate because he won't learn a play or two is much different. Heck, I wish Jordan was still here to do that to some of our current players.

Jordan was a complete f***wad to teammates that he perceived as lazy. He HATED Stacy King's fatass for a long time. That was why he ended up so great and why the guys around him were perfect to win titles. He pounded those guys everyday in practice, in the huddle, on the plane until they were just as fired up as he was, then they played better. In fact it was the teammates who stood up to him that he most respected like Bill Cartright, John Paxon, Horace Grant.

Edited June 3, 2009 by RockRaines

[southsider2k5]

If we agreed to scrap, I would more than welcome a couple of shots and I would shake your hand afterwards as well. Your story just isnt accurate regarding Jordan, he didnt go up and assault his teammates. Do you think that Olin Kreutz is a dirtball too? He broke his teammates jaw.

 

Would you like to point out to me where I said Jordan was a dirtball?

[RockRaines]

Would you like to point out to me where I said Jordan was a dirtball?

Sorry, "less sporting".

[southsider2k5]

Sorry, "less sporting".

 

Yes, I think breaking a teammates jaw is less sporting than not shaking an opponents hand no matter what example you want to throw out there. Does that cover it?

[Steve9347]

If Tyler Hansbrough were black, he'd be a top-5 pick.

[chw42]

If Tyler Hansbrough were black, he'd be a top-5 pick.

More like if Tyler Hansbrough had real talent, he'd be a top-5 pick.

[Kyyle23]

If Tyler Hansbrough were black, he would be PJ Brown

[RockRaines]

If Tyler Hansbrough were black, he'd be a top-5 pick.

He's vanilla in everything about his game regardless of his skin color. His upside is as a bench role player, I dont know who in the hell would waste a top 5 pick on that.

[southsider2k5]

If Tyler Hansbrough were black, he would be PJ Brown

 

PJ Brown might be a top 5 pick in this s***pile of a draft.

[LittleHurt05]

Just 3 years later after the ESPN hype machine couldnt give us enough of Redick/Morrison, they both have already made the NBA Finals!!!

 

Morrison has no chance of playing, and Redick made one 10 minute appearance in the conference finals, thats it....

[Palehosefan]

He's vanilla in everything about his game regardless of his skin color. His upside is as a bench role player, I dont know who in the hell would waste a top 5 pick on that.

 

Tyler is at the very least a slightly taller, better shooting version of Udonis Haslem. He shouldn't be considered a top 5 pick, but he's a guy that could start next to a dominant center like Dwight Howard and be a nice contributor or come off the bench as an energy guy.

[kjshoe04]

If Tyler Hansbrough were black, he'd be a top-5 pick.

This is the worst post in the history of soxtalk.

[RockRaines]

Tyler is at the very least a slightly taller, better shooting version of Udonis Haslem. He shouldn't be considered a top 5 pick, but he's a guy that could start next to a dominant center like Dwight Howard and be a nice contributor or come off the bench as an energy guy.

In other words, he's a role player, the same type of guy you can find in undrafted free agent pools.

[Ron]

 

Tyler is at the very least a slightly taller, better shooting version of Udonis Haslem. He shouldn't be considered a top 5 pick, but he's a guy that could start next to a dominant center like Dwight Howard and be a nice contributor or come off the bench as an energy guy.

I think Udonis Haslem is a good comparison. Hansbrough will be a quality player. 

 

I don't think it's his race that is causing him to be mocked low. It's that he's been at UNC for 4 years, heavily scouted and they think he's at his ceiling. The superstar potential of guys like Blake Griffin and Earl Clark intrigues GMs more than a guy who you know can get 9-6 per contest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Palehosefan]

Nice ESPNInsider article from Chad Ford, a guy not typically sipping on UNC koolaid.

 

For all of you who wrote me all season furious that I didn't have Tyler Hansbrough in my mock draft lottery … now's the time to yell, "I told you so!"

 

I think it's time to declare Hansbrough the big winner of the 2009 NBA draft combine. Although he was what you would expect him to be in the skills portion of the combine, he came out better than expected in the measurements and strength and agility testing.

 

Hansbrough measured a legit 6-foot-8¼ in socks and 6-9½ in shoes. He also had a surprising 6-11½ wingspan and a standing reach of 8-10 -- one inch better than Blake Griffin.

 

He basically measured the same size as Kevin Love, Drew Gooden, Paul Millsap and David Lee.

 

But that's just half the tale.

 

 

His vertical-jump numbers weren't terrible, either. At 34 inches, he matches up with the combine scores of Emeka Okafor, LaMarcus Aldridge and Nene. And better than Chris Bosh.

 

His no-step vertical was a little more troubling at just 27½ inches, but that equaled or bettered Carlos Boozer, Aldridge and Charlie Villanueva.

 

Lateral quickness? His 11.12-second score was stellar for a big man. He bested Tyreke Evans, DeMar DeRozan, James Johnson and Earl Clark from this draft class. And he also was better than Amare Stoudemire, Bosh and Tyrus Thomas.

 

And his 3.23 three-quarter-court sprint? Another strong score for a big man. His numbers were better than Griffin, Jordan Hill and Michael Beasley.

 

In fact, if you want a good physical and athletic comparison to Hansbrough, try Beasley, the No. 2 pick in the draft last year. They are within an inch and a few half seconds of each other in virtually every category.

 

What does all this mean? We already know Hansbrough is a terrific basketball player. There was never a question about what he does on the court. The concern was always about his lack of size and athleticism.

 

Now that he has physically proved he's a solid NBA-caliber athlete, will the objections to drafting him in the lottery start to fade?

 

Some early signs point to yes. I think a number of teams, including the Bucks, Nets and Pacers, will all give Hansbrough a closer look.

 

"I think we have to re-evaluate him," one lottery-team GM told me. "You get used to seeing a guy through a certain set of glasses. This forces you to rethink and ask yourself whether you misjudged him. I think if you need a big, you have to consider him."

[ZoomSlowik]

If Tyler Hansbrough were black, he'd be a top-5 pick.

 

I kinda doubt that, you can find plenty of other comparable guys that didn't go anywhere near that spot. That said, Shelden Williams inexplicably went #5, so who knows.

 

He's still a flawed NBA prospect. Regardless of a respectable max-vert, he generally plays below the rim. He's going to be an average NBA defender at best, even in college he was a non-factor as a shot-blocker and wasn't a good defensive rebounder. His offensive game also isn't as strong as his stats would suggest. He made almost 7 free throws per game over the course of his college career, which he has zero chance of repeating in the pros. He was also an excellent offensive rebounder, averaging 3.4 per game over the course of his career, giving him plenty of putback opportunities. On top of that, he relies on power and energy to get most of his baskets, something that will be harder to do in the NBA.

 

I think he's going to be a fantastic role player, but all of those things he's getting credit for now are still relatively average and don't really change what we've seen for the last 4 years. Basically he's just not as short or unathletic as some people (including me) thought he was.

Edited June 5, 2009 by ZoomSlowik

[Balta1701]

Well, it'll be hard for Orlando to win many games this series if they shoot 30% from the field.

 

Conversely...It's going to be hard for me to believe Orlando will shoot 30% from the field again this series.

[zenryan]

Well, it'll be hard for Orlando to win many games this series if they shoot 30% from the field.

 

Conversely...It's going to be hard for me to believe Orlando will shoot 30% from the field again this series.

 

 

True but I dont think the Magic will shoot like they did in the Cleveland series. For as great as Orlando shot in that series, they still were 2 shots away from being home right now.

 

LA just has too many weapons and Orlando wont have any answers for Kobe.

 

I'll be shocked if this series went past 5 games.

[Jordan4life_2007]

True but I dont think the Magic will shoot like they did in the Cleveland series. For as great as Orlando shot in that series, they still were 2 shots away from being home right now.

 

LA just has too many weapons and Orlando wont have any answers for Kobe.

 

I'll be shocked if this series went past 5 games.

 

Orlando doesn't get past a healthy Boston. Not even close. In fact, a healthy Boston team repeats fairly easily, IMO.

[zenryan]

Orlando doesn't get past a healthy Boston. Not even close. In fact, a healthy Boston team repeats fairly easily, IMO.

 

 

Orlando was missing a starter too.

 

The Boston series was 2 rounds ago. I dont understand the point in bringing them up now.

[Jordan4life_2007]

Orlando was missing a starter too.

 

The Boston series was 2 rounds ago. I dont understand the point in bringing them up now.

 

And the Cavs series was a round ago, yet you brought it up. And the Celtics not having KG is not the same as the Magic not having Jameer Nelson. Sorry.

[rangercal]

Orlando was missing a starter too.

 

The Boston series was 2 rounds ago. I dont understand the point in bringing them up now.

 

lol

[zenryan]

And the Cavs series was a round ago, yet you brought it up. And the Celtics not having KG is not the same as the Magic not having Jameer Nelson. Sorry.

 

 

I brought up the Magic shooting in the Cavs series which is different than saying the Magic wouldnt have made it to the past the Celtics if KG was there.

 

And please point out where I said not having Nelson was the same as not having KG. All I was pointing out was both teams were dealing with injuries. And both teams played significant amount of games without those players so the Celtics should have been able to overcome those issues, especially when they were up 3-2 in the series.

Edited June 5, 2009 by zenryan

[zenryan]

lol

 

 

 

 

I's find that statement funny too if I knew very little about sports. If you knew anything at all, you'd know that an all-star PG who averaged 17pts/5 assists per game is a big blow to any team.