NBA Thread 2013-2014

[Jenksismyhero]

Being under 30 hasn't kept Deng/Noah from being injured every year. The age of the Heat role players is less relevant because of LeBron. They've got defined roles and aren't asked to do more than they're capable of because of LeBron. The Bulls would need at least two guys other than Rose to play the best basketball of their careers to beat the Heat.

 

The minutes = injury argument has no basis in fact. Just about all of the injuries suffered by the Bulls the last two seasons could have happened in the first minute of the first game of the season - Rose's ACL tear, Noah's awful sprained ankle, Deng's f***ed up wrist, etc. Even Noah's plantar fasciitis can't be blamed on an extra few minutes a game - that's a physical make-up injury mixed with a career spent running every day. It could have happened at anytime. And are we going to blame Deng's botched spinal tap on his minutes? If anything blame the Chicago medical team for (1) giving Noah the green light when he should have rested/healed his feet, and (2) screwing up a routine procedure for Deng.

 

 

[southsider2k5]

ESPN Stats & Info ‏@ESPNStatsInfo 1m

 

Tonight will be Derrick Rose's 1st game since 4/28/2012 - when he last played, LeBron James hadn't won a title, Dwight Howard was in Orlando

[MexSoxFan#1]

The biggest difference is instead of having the best player on the planet, the Bulls are now chasing the team with the best player on the planet.

Yup, if we have to compare to that early 90's era, it feels more like we're the Knicks and the Heat are the Bulls

[iamshack]

Yup, if we have to compare to that early 90's era, it feels more like we're the Knicks and the Heat are the Bulls

I don't agree with these comparisons...last year, for sure. This year, not so much. Those Bulls teams weren't exactly blessed with huge talent outside of Jordan and Pippen. Not that those aren't two huge pieces, but Rose/Deng/Butler/Boozer/Noah is not the Knicks or the Pistons...that is a legit 5 that shouldn't be reliant on one player or one or two players and a bunch of role players. That is much more similar to the second Bulls core, with the exception that Rose is not Michael Jordan.

[Jenksismyhero]

Probably old, but I just saw this in a Grantland article:

 

[Jake]

Just remember that Jimmy Butler's playoff stats happened with Nate Robinson getting the vast majority of minutes and Luol Deng missing games down the stretch. That team was not in a position to win and they still did a little of it. It is far from implausible to think that Jimmy will become a more efficient scorer when you replace Nate Robinson with Derrick Rose and make the rest of the team healthy.

 

With that said, with Hinrich and Dunleavy on the bench, I think Jimmy and Luol will see fewer minutes this year. If Snell is more advanced than other recent draft picks, that's even more minutes to go around. I don't really think Hinrich deserves a ton of minutes, but he'll get Derrick's backup minutes and I think he'll come in for Jimmy at times. I think Dunleavy will also take minutes at 2 and 3. The only way for all those guys to get the minutes I expect them to is if we habitually play small lineups with Deng at the 4.

 

Also, something interesting pointed out to me today is how much of the Bulls team was drafted by the Bulls:

 

PG - Rose (drafted)

SG - Butler (drafted)

SF - Deng (drafted)

PF - Boozer (Cavs)

C - Noah (drafted)

 

Hinrich (drafted*)

Teague (drafted)

Snell (drafted)

Gibson (drafted)

Dunleavy (I don't remember who drafted him other than it being not-Bulls)

Nazr (same as Dunleavy**)

Erik Murphy (drafted)

Mike James (not drafted)

 

*brought back as FA

**from Chicago!

 

You're looking at pretty much all of your rotation players being draft picks, with the exceptions of Boozer and Dunleavy, who are arguably the least important parts of your rotation. That is pretty god damn impressive. Paxson put together a great team with limited use of FA that would be looking like a perennial champ if it weren't for three max contract players fitting onto one team via collusion, douchebaggery, etc. Even with those circumstances, many feel they have a legitimate shot to be NBA champs. Michael Jordan would sell the farm to get Paxson to run his team.

Edited October 29, 2013 by Jake

[MexSoxFan#1]

I find solace in the fact the while LBJ is the best player today, he ain't MJ (don't give a f*** what J4L thinks on this matter)...

 

What I mean by that is once MJ became a champ, nobody knocked him off, maybe LeBron CAN be knocked off, the Spurs should have won gm 6 last year and only a miracle shot by Ray Ray saved Bron from a summer of ridicule.

[Kyyle23]

Just remember that Jimmy Butler's playoff stats happened with Nate Robinson getting the vast majority of minutes and Luol Deng missing games down the stretch. That team was not in a position to win and they still did a little of it. It is far from implausible to think that Jimmy will become a more efficient scorer when you replace Nate Robinson with Derrick Rose and make the rest of the team healthy.

 

With that said, with Hinrich and Dunleavy on the bench, I think Jimmy and Luol will see fewer minutes this year. If Snell is more advanced than other recent draft picks, that's even more minutes to go around. I don't really think Hinrich deserves a ton of minutes, but he'll get Derrick's backup minutes and I think he'll come in for Jimmy at times. I think Dunleavy will also take minutes at 2 and 3. The only way for all those guys to get the minutes I expect them to is if we habitually play small lineups with Deng at the 4.

 

Also, something interesting pointed out to me today is how much of the Bulls team was drafted by the Bulls:

 

PG - Rose (drafted)

SG - Butler (drafted)

SF - Deng (drafted)

PF - Boozer (Cavs)

C - Noah (drafted)

 

Hinrich (drafted*)

Teague (drafted)

Snell (drafted)

Gibson (drafted)

Dunleavy (I don't remember who drafted him other than it being not-Bulls)Nazr (same as Dunleavy**)

Erik Murphy (drafted)

Mike James (not drafted)

 

*brought back as FA

**from Chicago!

 

You're looking at pretty much all of your rotation players being draft picks, with the exceptions of Boozer and Dunleavy, who are arguably the least important parts of your rotation. That is pretty god damn impressive. Paxson put together a great team with limited use of FA that would be looking like a perennial champ if it weren't for three max contract players fitting onto one team via collusion, douchebaggery, etc. Even with those circumstances, many feel they have a legitimate shot to be NBA champs. Michael Jordan would sell the farm to get Paxson to run his team.

 

 

GS Warriors

[Jordan4life_2007]

I find solace in the fact the while LBJ is the best player today, he ain't MJ (don't give a f*** what J4L thinks on this matter)...

 

What I mean by that is once MJ became a champ, nobody knocked him off, maybe LeBron CAN be knocked off, the Spurs should have won gm 6 last year and only a miracle shot by Ray Ray saved Bron from a summer of ridicule.

 

 

We like to pretend this never happened. But it did.

[Brian]

 

We like to pretend this never happened. But it did.

 

Somebody delete this gif. Makes me ill. It was tough going to school the next day.

[Jake]

That was the White Sox's fault

[Steve9347]

 

We like to pretend this never happened. But it did.

That gif doesn't even do the sequence justice. Jordan then demanded the ball on the next inbound play and promptly threw it straight out of bounds missing a cutting Scottie Pippen.

[bmags]

Man, Nba is great. I'm pumped to see Twolves back healthy, Nola, Magic, Wizards, let alone all the established teams. I hope this is a great year and not some year of the injury or something.

 

I'm even pumped for Boston to see how Pressey does in NBA and see if he can hack it.

[Soxfest]

The Dallas Mavericks and general manager Gersson Rosas parted ways Tuesday after just three months and one day before the Mavs' season opener.

 

That was fast!

[Boogua]

 

We like to pretend this never happened. But it did.

It's usually not regarded as a huge blemish because the guy took a long break from the game and clearly wasn't the same player that year that he was in 93 or in 96. He shot worse that season than he did in his wizards years. He started to come into form, but his TOs were still way up. He just wasn't the same player.

[chw42]

LOL. I absolutely did NOT forget Detroit. That team will struggle to score points. Honestly, who is going to score points? They'll get some work around the basket, but no one on that team can shoot. Josh Smith might shoot 35% with the looks he's been jacking up.

 

I have zero thought that Detroit will be any good this season.

 

Teams will also have trouble scoring on them.

 

Yes, they're going to be extremely inefficient with Jennings and Smith, but they also have guys like Monroe and Drummond who will put up very good TS% and grab boards for them.

 

 

[Rowand44]

I kinda wish the team was out there watching this, hurts me to watch.

[Brian]

Empty seats for ring ceremony. #beatingdeadhorse

[southsider2k5]

Empty seats for ring ceremony. #beatingdeadhorse

 

They could contract every single professional sports team in the state of Florida, and no one would really care.

[Rowand44]

Well I'm f***in pumped.

 

It's finally here!!!!!

[Brian]

Hope they put Chalmers on Rose to start. Just to toast Mario a few times.

 

Probably Lebron though.

[chw42]

Let's get this game started already.

[Quin]

f***ing Chalmers.

[Balta1701]

That first minute sucked

[Balta1701]

2 points!!!