Official 2008-2009 NBA Thread

[DBAHO]

I don't get that trade at all from Charlotte's perspective. Richardson is the best player in the deal by a fairly wide margin and they don't really save any money either. Bell's 5 mil salary does come off the payroll in 2010, but Diaw is likely there until 2012 (player option) while Richardson will be off the books in 2011. Looks like a steal for the Suns.

It shows how desperate Charlotte was for a power forward.

 

And if Bell complained about Terry Porter's system, then he's going to LOVE playing for Larry Brown then.

 

I can see why Charlotte did it, but I think it's also a good deal for Phoenix obviously. Richardson will help spread the floor more for Nash, Shaq and Amare to operate more freely.

 

It does weaken their bench though, although their still have Lopez, Barbosa and Barnes or Hill. Porter might go with an 8 man rotation from here.

[Jordan4life_2007]

Man oh man are the Celtics GOOD! They might be better than they were last year.

[knightni]

Too bad about Cuttino Mobley.

[DBAHO]

Too bad about Cuttino Mobley.

Patrick Ewing Jr's gonna get signed by the Knicks now.

[Steve9347]

Man oh man are the Celtics GOOD! They might be better than they were last year.

The Lakers are better.

[rangercal]

I was way off when I said Rose had a chance to start the All-star game!

 

Guards: Dwyane Wade (Mia) 623,311; Allen Iverson (Det) 492,093; Vince Carter (NJ) 236,634; Ray Allen (Bos) 174,155; Jose Calderon (Tor) 124,705; Luke Ridnour (Mil) 123,104; Jameer Nelson (Orl) 116,228; Derrick Rose (Chi) 102,263; Joe Johnson (Atl) 94,847; Devin Harris (NJ) 94, 294; Gilbert Arenas (Wash) 64,450.

 

I think I feel more bad for Joe Johnson and Devin Harris!

 

Here's another joke

Forwards: LeBron James (Clev) 643,786; Kevin Garnett (Bos) 495,514; Yi Jianlian (NJ) 356,556; Chris Bosh (Tor) 274,195; Paul Pierce (Bos) 153,512; Shawn Marion (Mia) 144,066; Josh Smith (Atl) 59,574; Tayshaun Prince (Det) 56,846; Hedo Turkoglu (Orl) 56,006; Danny Granger (Ind) 49,752; Michael Beasley (Mia) 48,999.

[Steve9347]

Never underestimate the Chinese vote.

 

I'm SHOCKED that guys like Ridnour would have more votes than Rose. There must be some serious jealousy out there.

[DBAHO]

Ha Jameer has more votes than Rose, I love it.

 

To be fair, Jameer is actually having a decent season though, and although I've criticized him in the past for being too small, I think he's a good enough starter at the PG position now.

[whitesoxfan101]

All of the sports should just get rid of all star voting. The vast majority of fans who do it have no idea what they are doing, and the fans who DO vote that also have a clue are just outnumbered by the dummies.

[Steve9347]

All of the sports should just get rid of all star voting. The vast majority of fans who do it have no idea what they are doing, and the fans who DO vote that also have a clue are just outnumbered by the dummies.

Nothing would make me happier than getting rid of the fan voting.

[Chisoxfn]

How is Rose in a better spot. The Bulls get great attendance.

[Balta1701]

Mo Cheeks fired by Philly. Seems like every coach is being dumped early this year.

[lostfan]

Tyrus Thomas is having a nice game... why is Aaron Gray in the NBA?

[whitesoxfan101]

Nice win for the Bulls tonight, although I still can't stand watching their deplorable effort on the defensive end. Devin Harris is very good, that Jason Kidd trade by Cuban will go down in infamy. Harris is still the fastest/quickest guard I've ever seen in the Big 10 (although I am only in my early 20's, so that's a limited period of time), NOBODY could stay in front of him at Wisconsin and it's good to see him fully realizing his talent. With that said though, Rose had a fantastic game and came up huge down the stretch, as usual.

 

As for all the coaches getting fired, it's no surprise. NBA teams are notoriously quick with the trigger finger as it is, and sure you have 3 teams with amazing records right now in Boston, Cleveland, and the Lakers, but you also have (in part as a result of those 3 teams) quite a few teams who are just horrible.

Edited December 14, 2008 by whitesoxfan101

[ThunderBolt]

Good on Larry Hughes for really working hard to improve his game. Still not a long-term option for the team, but no longer a complete waste of space.

[shipps]

Nice win for the Bulls tonight, although I still can't stand watching their deplorable effort on the defensive end. Devin Harris is very good, that Jason Kidd trade by Cuban will go down in infamy. Harris is still the fastest/quickest guard I've ever seen in the Big 10 (although I am only in my early 20's, so that's a limited period of time), NOBODY could stay in front of him at Wisconsin and it's good to see him fully realizing his talent. With that said though, Rose had a fantastic game and came up huge down the stretch, as usual.

 

One thing I always said to why he was going to be a really good NBA player is that he has the quickest feet I had ever seen. He isnt quite the fastest/quickest runner but his feet are so quick he can change directions with easier than anyone, on offense and defense.

[ThunderBolt]

One thing I always said to why he was going to be a really good NBA player is that he has the quickest feet I had ever seen. He isnt quite the fastest/quickest runner but his feet are so quick he can change directions with easier than anyone, on offense and defense.

True, the kid’s acceleration in the paint is phenomenal. I’d say Rose still has the best first two steps I’ve seen, but Harris might have a slightly more dynamic finish.

[Steve9347]

 

He looks so awesome in that jersey. What a perfect pickup for the Suns, though their frontcourt is still a mess.

[DBAHO]

Hearing Nash in the press today, I think it's basicaly a lock he joins D'Antoni in New York in 2010, and it wouldn't surprise me at all if Amare joined him. Richardson is a good pick up for the Suns though, but as Steve said, they're short on front court depth, and they need Robin Lopez to develop in a hurry.

 

The Magic are going for 4 for 5 on their West Coast Road Trip against Golden State tonight.

[Steve9347]

Hearing Nash in the press today, I think it's basicaly a lock he joins D'Antoni in New York in 2010, and it wouldn't surprise me at all if Amare joined him. Richardson is a good pick up for the Suns though, but as Steve said, they're short on front court depth, and they need Robin Lopez to develop in a hurry.

 

The Magic are going for 4 for 5 on their West Coast Road Trip against Golden State tonight.

Dwight Howard's knee has to be concerning.

 

As for Nash, I doubt the Knicks have much interest in 2010. He'll be, what? 36?

[Jordan4life_2007]

 

He looks so awesome in that jersey. What a perfect pickup for the Suns, though their frontcourt is still a mess.

 

Have I missed something? Shaq/Amare/Barnes/Hill/Lopez/Dudley is as good a frontcourt you'll find in the NBA.

[Steve9347]

Have I missed something? Shaq/Amare/Barnes/Hill/Lopez/Dudley is as good a frontcourt you'll find in the NBA.

Well, yes, Amare is good, but I don't see much defense being played in that setup. Just because you play a SF in Barnes at PF doesn't make him a good PF.

 

As far as talking about interior defense, none of those guys do that. That is the definition of a frontcourt mess. Amare needs a premiere defender next to him, and the Suns certainly don't have that.

 

Diesel plays half the games, Robin Lopez sucks, Grant Hill is not a front court player, Jared Dudley is Jared f***ing Dudley. Amare puts up blocks, but he doesn't exactly play great defense either.

 

Did I mention Robin Lopez sucks?

[Jordan4life_2007]

Well, yes, Amare is good, but I don't see much defense being played in that setup. Just because you play a SF in Barnes at PF doesn't make him a good PF.

 

As far as talking about interior defense, none of those guys do that. That is the definition of a frontcourt mess. Amare needs a premiere defender next to him, and the Suns certainly don't have that.

 

Diesel plays half the games, Robin Lopez sucks, Grant Hill is not a front court player, Jared Dudley is Jared f***ing Dudley. Amare puts up blocks, but he doesn't exactly play great defense either.

 

Did I mention Robin Lopez sucks?

 

No frontcourt with Amare/Shaq is a mess (Shaq has played in 19 of the teams 24 games by the way. And he missed one game due to a death in the family. So I wouldn't call that missing half their games). Our frontcourt can be deemed a mess. Lopez has been in the league, what, 6 weeks and he sucks? OK! Dudley is a capable backup.

[ZoomSlowik]

The Suns' frontcourt is nowhere near as bad as the Bulls' frontcourt, but it's not exactly taking them anywhere either. As Steve said, Amare is an elite scorer but a mediocre defender at best. He can be a major building block for a team, but adding an old, out of shape plodder next to him that sits out most back-to-backs isn't doing him any favors. Because of Shaq they basically have to play at a slower pace even though they're a subpar defensive team and still have the horses to push the pace. He's putting up numbers, but isn't helping them win games. Plus they really only go 3-deep with actual post players, so when Shaq does sit out they're forced to go small. That's a problem when he can't handle heavy minutes anymore (playing about 28 a game in Phoenix) and can go down at any minute with his lack of conditioning and injury history. Robin Lopez doesn't really have the experience or the talent to be counted on for heavy minutes, so they're probably better off playing Barnes as a PF, which is a scary thought. Dudley is a marginal player at best, and is really more of a SF.

 

Basically they killed their team when they picked up Shaq, it's clear that he's nowhere near an impact player anymore and now they're stuck with trying to adjust their approach to try to make him useful. Granted his deal expires after next season, but so does Nash's contract and Amare can opt out, meaning that they may need a total overhaul and can't compete in the interim. That sure sounds like a mess to me. Their one saving grace is that if they play their cards right and don't move Amare (their one good, young piece) they can add a sizeable contract in 2010 and still potentially retain Amare and Nash with Richardson still there for another year if they're willing to go well into luxury tax territory (though they haven't in the past).

Edited December 15, 2008 by ZoomSlowik

[Palehosefan]

The Suns' frontcourt is nowhere near as bad as the Bulls' frontcourt, but it's not exactly taking them anywhere either. As Steve said, Amare is an elite scorer but a mediocre defender at best. He can be a major building block for a team, but adding an old, out of shape plodder next to him that sits out most back-to-backs isn't doing him any favors. Because of Shaq they basically have to play at a slower pace even though they're a subpar defensive team and still have the horses to push the pace. He's putting up numbers, but isn't helping them win games. Plus they really only go 3-deep with actual post players, so when Shaq does sit out they're forced to go small. That's a problem when he can't handle heavy minutes anymore (playing about 28 a game in Phoenix) and can go down at any minute with his lack of conditioning and injury history. Robin Lopez doesn't really have the experience or the talent to be counted on for heavy minutes, so they're probably better off playing Barnes as a PF, which is a scary thought. Dudley is a marginal player at best, and is really more of a SF.

 

Basically they killed their team when they picked up Shaq, it's clear that he's nowhere near an impact player anymore and now they're stuck with trying to adjust their approach to try to make him useful. Granted his deal expires after next season, but so does Nash's contract and Amare can opt out, meaning that they may need a total overhaul and can't compete in the interim. That sure sounds like a mess to me. Their one saving grace is that if they play their cards right and don't move Amare (their one good, young piece) they can add a sizeable contract in 2010 and still potentially retain Amare and Nash with Richardson still there for another year if they're willing to go well into luxury tax territory (though they haven't in the past).

 

Phoenix and Dallas just don't seem to "get it". I thought it was Christmas when I actually heard someone wanted Shaq. Then to give up an expiring contract with a good player attached? Just crazy.