Official NBA thread

[Jacoby_Ellsbury]

Exciting finish in the Bulls-Heat game. Rose and Wade were matching each other down the stretch. If LeBron had manned up and played' date=' the Heat probably would have won. They said he looked fine in the shootaround. What a pussy.[/quote']

So 'they' (we can assume 'they' to be someone other than LeBron, the one who actualy has the injury) said LeBron looked okay in shootaround (which isn't actual gameplay, last time I checked, and is also one person/identity's subjective opinion), so LeBron's a pussy for not playing. Awesome. Please make a bigger fool out of yourself.

 

I take it you know nothing about injury and have never tried to do any physical activity in your life while injured?

[Jacoby_Ellsbury]

It would be stupid for the knicks to give up anything for him when they know that there going to get him in the offseason' date=' no use to give up players for a 1/2 season rental, even with him they wont be able to win the east for at least this year[/quote']

1) Nobody knows what the next CBA will look like, so the Knicks counting their financial chickens before they hatched could be incredibly stupid in this situation. The negative PR is on hold this year because the Knicks are actually winning for once, but if the Knicks just sit pretty and then lose Melo to someone else in free agency, it would come flooding back.

 

2) All indications are that Melo would (for whatever reason) sign an extension in NJ if dealt there, provided they can sell him on their team's future (hence the 'for whatever reason', since unless they can land a star 2012 he'll be looking back at Denver as the good old days).

 

3) What would the Knicks be 'giving up' exactly? D'Antoni's offense balloons the stats of the most garden-variety players, and makes them look like fringe all-stars. Gallinari sucks. His FG% is low, his 3ptFG% is decent because of the wide open looks the system gets for him, and he's an abomination on defense. Landry Fields is dime-a-dozen, at best. They're not even playing Randolph, so that's no loss. The Knicks rob Denver blind in this scenario.

 

4) Why do they want Carmelo so much? They're not having any trouble scoring. I think they'd be better off getting Iguodala or Stephen Jackson, and hopefully saving some resources in those deals to maybe make a run at Marc Gasol or somebody.

[yankees228]

1) Nobody knows what the next CBA will look like, so the Knicks counting their financial chickens before they hatched could be incredibly stupid in this situation. The negative PR is on hold this year because the Knicks are actually winning for once, but if the Knicks just sit pretty and then lose Melo to someone else in free agency, it would come flooding back.

 

2) All indications are that Melo would (for whatever reason) sign an extension in NJ if dealt there, provided they can sell him on their team's future (hence the 'for whatever reason', since unless they can land a star 2012 he'll be looking back at Denver as the good old days).

 

3) What would the Knicks be 'giving up' exactly? D'Antoni's offense balloons the stats of the most garden-variety players, and makes them look like fringe all-stars. Gallinari sucks. His FG% is low, his 3ptFG% is decent because of the wide open looks the system gets for him, and he's an abomination on defense. Landry Fields is dime-a-dozen, at best. They're not even playing Randolph, so that's no loss. The Knicks rob Denver blind in this scenario.

 

4) Why do they want Carmelo so much? They're not having any trouble scoring. I think they'd be better off getting Iguodala or Stephen Jackson, and hopefully saving some resources in those deals to maybe make a run at Marc Gasol or somebody.

 

Two reasons. In the playoffs, against the better teams in the East, they're going to have to score in half court sets. This team, as presently constructed, would likely struggle to do so. Melo would greatly improve this aspect of the team. Furthermore, he adds rebounding, which the Knicks desperately need, and he should provide help on the defensive end.

[Jacoby_Ellsbury]

You act like running teams can't win the championship. The reason it doesn't work in the playoffs (or hasn't, for a while) is because so many of the recent up-tempo teams suck at defense, for whatever reason (lack of fundamentals, lack of good defensive players, too tiring, whatever). You get stops, you get the rebound, you can run the floor, easy basket. Easy pezy. It can work. Obviously D'Antoni would have to adjust his ridiculous rotation patterns a bit for this to work, so he doesn't run everyone into the ground.

 

Amare can provide ample half court scoring. Iguodala or Jackson provide better defense on the wings than Melo (Jackson's shooting fits into the offense very well, Iggy is a great defender and was practically made for a fast break team), and will bring other important things to the table other than the pure scoring you're stuck with if Melo comes to town. Melo just does the one thing - score. He does it very well (aside from a lack of a 3pt shot), but that's it. He doesn't rebound or defend particularly well, he doesn't do a whole lot of creating for others either. He'll stagnate the ball in a system least designed for it. Since scoring is the least of NY's worries, I'd opt for the additional defense and more well-rounded skillsets.

 

Rebounding can be had. Dalembert wants out of Sacramento, I'm sure if the two teams bothered to contact each other at some point, they'd find a Curry for Dalembert swap makes plenty of sense for everyone. Both are expiring, the Maloofs shed $2 million in salary from a terrible team, the Knicks get a defensive presence inside. The Blazers with Camby is a possibility.

 

Turiaf, Gallo, Azibuike, and Randolph/the 1st they'd get for flipping him elsewhere works for Iggy. We covered Curry for Dalembert. This is do-able. Obviously I know that just because I propose it on a message board doesn't mean it's going to happen (since we all know that the NY papers, personalities, and most fans would s*** a collective chicken if the Knicks traded Melo's cap space for some Andre Iguodala guy), but I'm just saying, the Knicks do have options.

[yankees228]

I agree that the Knicks have options, but I think Melo is, far and away, the best option. I also don't think it's that easy to play an uptempo style of offense in the playoffs. I don't have the numbers in front of me, but I believe that the better teams put more of a focus on defense in the playoffs, which slows the game down and creates a more half-court oriented game. I also think the better teams in the East will be able to put a focus on slowing down the Knicks, and not allowing them to get out in transition as frequently as they do in the regular season.

 

I also disagree that Melo doesn't provide anything other than scoring. He's averaging 8.2 rebounds this year, and has averaged 6.3 over his career. I'm also more impressed with Melo's defense than most. He's competent on the wings, and can provide help inside due to his strength, something the Knicks desperately need.

 

Furthermore, Melo fits in very well with this Knicks' offense. Unlike players such as Lebron, Wade, or Kobe, Anthony doesn't dominate the ball. He gets it, and makes his decision very quickly, whether that's to shoot, drive, or pass. This would mix well with Amar'e, and would not disrupt the fluidity that's so important in the Knicks' offense.

[Keeper]

Wow JE, have a boner much for LeBron?

[redsoxrules]

Give it up Keeper , we all know you wanted Lebron as Bull and ever since he chosed the Heat you're been bitter about him and take every shot you can against him

[italstallianion]

I don't know about that, while Keeper does normally maintain an unnecessarily nasty tone, I think he has a point. LeBron is softer than Rex Ryan. Unless he had a bone sticking out of his leg or a gangrenous infection, he should have been on the court when his team needed him. Besides, I'm a Spurs fan (with no connection to LeBron other than sweeping him in the 2007 finals) and I hate LeBron. He needs to get backhanded with Kobe's ring hand.

[Keeper]

Give it up Keeper ' date=' we all know you wanted Lebron as Bull and ever since he chosed the Heat you're been bitter about him and take every shot you can against him[/quote']

 

Grammar errors aside, nope. I'm bitter we gave up Hinrich to clear space to go after him and Wade when the whole thing was a farce. I'm actually glad we didn't end up with him because the team belongs to Rose, and he's blossomed into an MVP-caliber player this season.

 

I just don't have much respect for LeBron. I don't deny that he's a great player, arguably the best in the game right now. But he's not in MJ's league and frankly he's not in Kobe's league from a competitive standpoint. When you get a tattoo that proclaims your greatness to the world before you've even won a championship, you need a reality check.

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

Wow JE' date=' have a boner much for LeBron?[/quote']

 

I wouldn't say he has a boner you just don't like LeBron along with Ital.

[Jacoby_Ellsbury]

Wow JE' date=' have a boner much for LeBron?[/quote']

Call out players for the sake of calling them out because you're mad they didn't sign with your team much?

[Jacoby_Ellsbury]

I don't know about that' date=' while Keeper does normally maintain an unnecessarily nasty tone, I think he has a point. LeBron is softer than Rex Ryan. Unless he had a bone sticking out of his leg or a gangrenous infection, he should have been on the court when his team needed him. Besides, I'm a Spurs fan (with no connection to LeBron other than sweeping him in the 2007 finals) and I hate LeBron. He needs to get backhanded with Kobe's ring hand.[/quote']

It's f***ing January. Why would he play with an injury in f***ing January when Miami is well on pace for 60 wins and a top 2 seed?

 

You people really get off on senseless LeBron sniping, huh? I wonder what he's doing that irritates everyone so much. At first I thought it was the very mild trash talking he was engaging in (and stupidly apologizing for), but then I realized that Shaq and Arenas both said much stupider/more inflammatory stuff in their best days, and everyone thought they were adorable and fun.

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

LeBron is one of the best players in the NBA. He has to have some haters.

[Jacoby_Ellsbury]

I agree that the Knicks have options' date=' but I think Melo is, far and away, the best option. I also don't think it's that easy to play an uptempo style of offense in the playoffs. I don't have the numbers in front of me, but I believe that the better teams put more of a focus on defense in the playoffs, which slows the game down and creates a more half-court oriented game. I also think the better teams in the East will be able to put a focus on slowing down the Knicks, and not allowing them to get out in transition as frequently as they do in the regular season.[/quote']

 

Playoff basketball is still basketball. Anything that works in the regular season can work in the playoffs. They're playing the same game. The reason running HASN'T worked particularly well lately is because the Suns and early decade Mavs weren't good enough defensively to trigger enough fast breaks, trapping themselves in the half court they struggled in.

 

People seem to have developed a common opinion that defense is secondary on a run and gun team that can put 110+ points almost at will, when it's actually more important on those teams than just about any other team (not that defense is ever anything close to unimportant, but you know).

 

I also disagree that Melo doesn't provide anything other than scoring. He's averaging 8.2 rebounds this year, and has averaged 6.3 over his career. I'm also more impressed with Melo's defense than most. He's competent on the wings, and can provide help inside due to his strength, something the Knicks desperately need.

 

Anthony's always been a pretty decent rebounding SF, but what else is he giving you? His defense is 'competent', while the other guys I mentioned are above average and excellent. He's not much of an outside shooter either. Anthony would help in the half court game, but I don't know how well he translates to the running game (utilizing him as a reliable halfcourt 2pt scorer and a decent rebounder to start the break probably isn't the best use of all those dollars).

 

Furthermore, Melo fits in very well with this Knicks' offense. Unlike players such as Lebron, Wade, or Kobe, Anthony doesn't dominate the ball. He gets it, and makes his decision very quickly, whether that's to shoot, drive, or pass. This would mix well with Amar'e, and would not disrupt the fluidity that's so important in the Knicks' offense.

 

Except that those three are easily Anthony's superiors in terms of making plays for others, fast decision making or not.

[Jacoby_Ellsbury]

LeBron is one of the best players in the NBA. He has to have some haters.

That's no excuse for the insane stupidity that flares up in every LeBron topic.

[italstallianion]

It's f***ing January. Why would he play with an injury in f***ing January when Miami is well on pace for 60 wins and a top 2 seed?

 

You people really get off on senseless LeBron sniping, huh? I wonder what he's doing that irritates everyone so much. At first I thought it was the very mild trash talking he was engaging in (and stupidly apologizing for), but then I realized that Shaq and Arenas both said much stupider/more inflammatory stuff in their best days, and everyone thought they were adorable and fun.

 

 

First of all, Shaq and Arenas don't dominate the media nearly as much as LeBron does. LeBron has become like Brett Favre recently. In addition, Shaq and Arenas didn't see themselves as so important that they had a 1 hour TV show just to announce where he was going. I wasn't a fan of him before, but that is an ultimate d*** move. Kobe is a rapist and I respect him a lot more than LeBron because Kobe knows how to act like he's been there before.

 

I hate LeBron for the same reason I hate other soft media hungry attention whores.

[Jacoby_Ellsbury]

First of all' date=' Shaq and Arenas don't dominate the media nearly as much as LeBron does.[/quote']

 

And that has what do with what on what planet exactly?

 

LeBron has become like Brett Favre recently.

 

You mean LeBron has joined Favre in being one of the very few people who can jam a stick into the hornet hive that is ESPN and cause a guaranteed mulitple week-long shitstorm? What's so bad about that?

 

In addition, Shaq and Arenas didn't see themselves as so important that they had a 1 hour TV show just to announce where he was going.

 

And this has nothing to do with anything.

 

I wasn't a fan of him before, but that is an ultimate d*** move.

 

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH LEBRON GAVE ME SOMETHING TO WATCH THAT THURSDAY NIGHT OTHER THAN EARLY JULY BASEBALL WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH

 

Do you people listen to yourselves?

 

Kobe is a rapist and I respect him a lot more than LeBron because Kobe knows how to act like he's been there before.

 

So you hold a rapist in much higher regard than a person involved in no harmful or criminal activity who held a one hour special in July?

 

Again, do you listen to yourself?

 

I hate LeBron for the same reason I hate other soft media hungry attention whores.

 

Jealousy? Resentment?

[italstallianion]

Since you can't read between the lines, I'll spell it out for you.

 

1. I said I didn't like LeBron

 

2. You followed with comparing him (poorly) to Shaq and Arenas in terms of saying stupid and annoying things.

 

3. I discredited your comparison by saying that LeBron is way more annoying and media dominant than Shaq and Arenas.

 

4. You somehow wondered what most of my post had to do with anything. When in fact, it had everything to do with everything because it all factored into why I hated LeBron, the very thing you keep failing to understand and then questioning me (and Keeper) on.

 

Geez, it's like talking to f***** Suns sometimes...

[italstallianion]

And that has what do with what on what planet exactly?

 

It all factors into why I hate LeBron, the very thing you were getting in my face about.

 

You mean LeBron has joined Favre in being one of the very few people who can jam a stick into the hornet hive that is ESPN and cause a guaranteed mulitple week-long shitstorm? What's so bad about that?

 

LeBron has joined Favre and the Jets in terms of dominating the media and needing to go away for a while. LeBron needs to go on a remote island with Favre, the Jets, and most NFL WR's (I'm looking at you OchoCinco, Keyshawn, and TO) and ESPN and other sports networks need to stop raping my earholes with useless details, information, and other stories concerning them.

 

And this has nothing to do with anything.

 

See above

 

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH LEBRON GAVE ME SOMETHING TO WATCH THAT THURSDAY NIGHT OTHER THAN EARLY JULY BASEBALL WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH

 

Do you people listen to yourselves?

 

If I purposely misinterpreted your posts, I could probably make you look bad too.

 

So you hold a rapist in much higher regard than a person involved in no harmful or criminal activity who held a one hour special in July?

 

Again, do you listen to yourself?

 

Yes, I respect Kobe more because he doesn't bother me. In all fairness, one can also argue the difference between "being accused of rape" and "actually raping someone" but I doubt you'd be at the level of comprehending it, so I'll just stick with the much simpler "LeBron annoys me way more than Kobe ever has, does, or will" Plus Kobe has 5 rings, more than LeBron will ever have.

 

Jealousy? Resentment?

 

Resentment, perhaps, Jealousy, not quite. I'm a Spurs fan, and we have more titles than LeBron will likely get in his career. I might be jealous that I'm not jacked and black and probably packing heat, but I'm certainly not jealous of his personality or his ego.

 

 

 

I figured I'd end up waiting a long time if I waited for you to come up to my level, so I figured that I'd respond by going down to your level.

[Dipre]

Popcorn's in the M-wave.

 

I find the Lebron hate to be ridiculous and quite frankly kinda retarded to be honest.

 

Popcorn ready, yay!

[suns]

I know no one knows this but I hate lequitter

[italstallianion]

At least you're consistent Suns. You'll always have that.

[suns]

I know I'm consistent at hating you-know-who

[italstallianion]

Popcorn's in the M-wave.

 

I find the Lebron hate to be ridiculous and quite frankly kinda retarded to be honest.

Popcorn ready, yay!

 

 

It depends on the kind of LeBron hate in my opinion. I think that hating on him as a basketball player is retarded, and neither Keeper or myself are saying that LeBron is a bad basketball player, or that he isn't one of the best players in the game right now.

 

However I think that hating on him as a person, or at least as a media representation of a person based on his actions, is very justified. Obviously I haven't met LeBron so there can be an element of doubt when comparing his represented personality in the media vs. what it's like to know him in person, but that fault aside, one can easily hate the LeBron we see in the media, and I'd certainly see it as justifiable to want him to go to a remote island with every other attention whore that's received too much air time.

 

Come back in a few months when the playoffs start LeBron. I might be willing to hear about you then.

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

Cleveland fans are such pussies. LeBron ows you NOTHING GET OVER IT.

 

To be fair about LeBron dominating the media it's only because people put a lot of pressure on the Heat.

[suns]

Georgia had the lowest overall graduation rate in the nation with 54% of students graduating, followed by Nevada, Florida, and Washington, D.C.

 

I see why Lequitter went there

[Jacoby_Ellsbury]

And that has what do with what on what planet exactly?

 

It all factors into why I hate LeBron, the very thing you were getting in my face about.

You justify hating LeBron and not hating much cockier, mouthier players like SHaq and Arenas because of f***ing arena dominance (whatever the hell that is)? At least try to make your bullshitting believable, because this is just insulting.

Oh, and Shaq didn't steal the show in NBA arenas back in his prime? Yeah, good luck with that.

You mean LeBron has joined Favre in being one of the very few people who can jam a stick into the hornet hive that is ESPN and cause a guaranteed mulitple week-long shitstorm? What's so bad about that?

 

LeBron has joined Favre and the Jets in terms of dominating the media and needing to go away for a while. LeBron needs to go on a remote island with Favre, the Jets, and most NFL WR's (I'm looking at you OchoCinco, Keyshawn, and TO) and ESPN and other sports networks need to stop raping my earholes with useless details, information, and other stories concerning them.

1) Why do they need to 'go away for a while'? Because you said so? Famous sports stars really irk you that much? God you're sad.

2) Why the f*** are you watching ESPN and becoming surprised when you get useless, fluff-infested coverage whipped at you?

 

And this has nothing to do with anything.

 

See above

 

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH LEBRON GAVE ME SOMETHING TO WATCH THAT THURSDAY NIGHT OTHER THAN EARLY JULY BASEBALL WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH

 

Do you people listen to yourselves?

 

If I purposely misinterpreted your posts, I could probably make you look bad too.

I'm not purposely misinterpreting anything, I just work with the turds you give me. What the flying f*** do you care if LeBron James announced a one hour special to announce his free agent decision? It actually triggered a lot of decent NBA talk on the network you slammed for being off-topic too much, so if anything I'd think you'd have appreciated it.

I guarantee that neither you or any of the other petty turds out there would even still have The Decision in your memory if LeBron used it to announce he was staying in Cleveland.

Bottom line, you're just pissy because he did the 'immoral' thing, jumped to Miami, screwed poor little defenseless Cleveland whose front office tried so so so so hard to keep him, and created as much of a super team as we've ever seen in this league.

So you hold a rapist in much higher regard than a person involved in no harmful or criminal activity who held a one hour special in July?

 

Again, do you listen to yourself?

 

Yes, I respect Kobe more because he doesn't bother me. In all fairness, one can also argue the difference between "being accused of rape" and "actually raping someone" but I doubt you'd be at the level of comprehending it, so I'll just stick with the much simpler "LeBron annoys me way more than Kobe ever has, does, or will" Plus Kobe has 5 rings, more than LeBron will ever have.

YOU called Kobe a rapist, Einstein. And now you're manuevering like I brought that up? Christ alf***ingmighty.

Still highly amused by you holding a rapist in higher regard than a very good basketball who happens to annoy for you whatever reason.

 

Jealousy? Resentment?

 

Resentment, perhaps, Jealousy, not quite. I'm a Spurs fan, and we have more titles than LeBron will likely get in his career. I might be jealous that I'm not jacked and black and probably packing heat, but I'm certainly not jealous of his personality or his ego.

So, you're butthurt.

I figured I'd end up waiting a long time if I waited for you to come up to my level, so I figured that I'd respond by going down to your level.

You say 'up' like you're smarter than me. But you are correct about the long time part, I don't have any immediate plans to join you and suns in the land of extra chromosomes.

Since you can't read between the lines, I'll spell it out for you.

 

1. I said I didn't like LeBron

And I'm pointing out just how butthurt you are.

 

2. You followed with comparing him (poorly) to Shaq and Arenas in terms of saying stupid and annoying things.

What did I do poorly? Shaq and Arenas blow LeBron away in terms of aggressive, irrelevant, non-sensical trash talk. This is a fact. The arena dominance speech by you was just a pathetic attempt to reconcile everything here.

 

3. I discredited your comparison by saying that LeBron is way more annoying and media dominant than Shaq and Arenas.

There it is again. What's more annoying than some guy making 'Hibachi' one of his nicknames and yelling it after every shot, or another guy constantly referring to another team as the Sacramento Queens?

You really, really suck at this.

 

4. You somehow wondered what most of my post had to do with anything. When in fact, it had everything to do with everything because it all factored into why I hated LeBron, the very thing you keep failing to understand and then questioning me (and Keeper) on.

Because you're both clowns who get off on whining about him every chance you get.

 

Geez, it's like talking to f***** Suns sometimes...

Suns could never make you look this stupid. Nice try.

[Jacoby_Ellsbury]

Georgia had the lowest overall graduation rate in the nation with 54% of students graduating' date=' followed by Nevada, Florida, and Washington, D.C.[/quote']

 

Maybe you'd feel more at home there.

[Jacoby_Ellsbury]

Popcorn's in the M-wave.

 

I find the Lebron hate to be ridiculous and quite frankly kinda retarded to be honest.

 

Popcorn ready, yay!

A much needed dose of intelligence in here. I was getting tired of carrying.

[suns]

Damn you can't see the words under LeQuitter