nightprowler10
Global Moderator
Watched the Bulls get whupped by the Kings in the pre-season game today. They were playing like a real weak team with a few bright spots.
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***Official NBA Thread***
- Thread starter Mister Wright
- Start date
duffer
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
The Suns are so painful to watch now. I acknowledge that they're trying to tighten up an protect the paint a lot better, but Nash is half as effective in a slow half court offence and they're STILL giving up way too many offensive boards.
Really interested to see how Posey helps the Hornets this year. In their game today he knocked down some big momentum halting shots and was excellent on D.
Really interested to see how Posey helps the Hornets this year. In their game today he knocked down some big momentum halting shots and was excellent on D.
Mister Wright
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Bucks 1-1 
nightprowler10
Global Moderator
Not a bad start for the bulls. I completely expected them to lose to Celtics so no surprises there. Rose showing plenty of promise.
a really good move for the nuggets, not so good for the pistons...iverson can still be an offensive force but they want to be a championship team again and i don't know how "the answer" is the answer for detroit...even if mcdyess doesn't turn up for the nuggets, billups provides the leadership that the nuggets desperately need on both ends of the floor...it will not make them a contender but he can certainly take them out of the playoff 1st round morass they are stuck in...
ohtani's jacket
State Vice-Captain
Eh, both Iverson and Billups are old. Neither team are going anywhere. Dumars is hoping to free up some cap space, but he screwed up when he drafted Darko and Detroit have been suffering ever since. Billups and McDyess were heart and soul guys. Even in a weak East, this has gotta be the year where Detroit fall. Billups might give Denver a short term boost, but more likely he'll see out his contract while the Nuggets get no better.
duffer
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Reckon the Nuggz could benefit big in the short term but suffer long term with this deal, while the opposite holds for Detroit.
For the next season or two while Chauncey still has some legs in him they have become an awesome awesome attacking force with him, JR and Melo all being huge talents on the offensive end and being a nightmare to guard because of their size and athleticism.
He's also brilliant on the defensive end and will MAKE Melo switch on defensively.
They might have problems with their bigs though. Nene, Kmart and Mac are all ridiculously fragile and with only Hunter and Birdman as backups they look very meh for me in the frontcourt.
Also, I feel they could've absorbed one more season of going out in the first round and cleared a helluva lot of cap space by letting AI walk and freeing up 20m on their already excessive wage bill.
Dumars for me will be the eventual winner out of this. He knows that Billups only has a couple of years left in him and wanted rid of his 4 year deal ASAP. He also finally got AI, whom he wanted for ages and can let him walk post season so that he can promote Stuckey their Point for the future to a starting role. They really really rate Stuckey, I remember Flip calling him a young Baron davis at times last season so if he is as good as they think they'll come out of this smelling roses.
In the short term though, Rip and AI in the back court will be fun but I reckon they'll get in the way more often than they'll help each other, plus they lose a whole lot of leadership and intensity on D.
EDIT: Just did some Math, Sheed is also expiring at the end of the season so if the Pistons let both of them walk that puts them a massive 20million under the cap at least. If they wait out one season then they could bid big for LeBron, D-Wade or Chris Bosh who will all be available come 2010. The more I look at it, the more I like what Dumars is doing.
For the next season or two while Chauncey still has some legs in him they have become an awesome awesome attacking force with him, JR and Melo all being huge talents on the offensive end and being a nightmare to guard because of their size and athleticism.
He's also brilliant on the defensive end and will MAKE Melo switch on defensively.
They might have problems with their bigs though. Nene, Kmart and Mac are all ridiculously fragile and with only Hunter and Birdman as backups they look very meh for me in the frontcourt.
Also, I feel they could've absorbed one more season of going out in the first round and cleared a helluva lot of cap space by letting AI walk and freeing up 20m on their already excessive wage bill.
Dumars for me will be the eventual winner out of this. He knows that Billups only has a couple of years left in him and wanted rid of his 4 year deal ASAP. He also finally got AI, whom he wanted for ages and can let him walk post season so that he can promote Stuckey their Point for the future to a starting role. They really really rate Stuckey, I remember Flip calling him a young Baron davis at times last season so if he is as good as they think they'll come out of this smelling roses.
In the short term though, Rip and AI in the back court will be fun but I reckon they'll get in the way more often than they'll help each other, plus they lose a whole lot of leadership and intensity on D.
EDIT: Just did some Math, Sheed is also expiring at the end of the season so if the Pistons let both of them walk that puts them a massive 20million under the cap at least. If they wait out one season then they could bid big for LeBron, D-Wade or Chris Bosh who will all be available come 2010. The more I look at it, the more I like what Dumars is doing.
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yeah i guess dumars is in rebuilding mode....although iverson isn't a long-term option by any stretch of imagination...i saw a cnn article speculating that since mcdyess doesn't want to join the nuggets, they might waive him and he would then be free to resign with detroit...sounds unlikely but even if it happens, i don't think iverson as good as he is, as energetic as he is, as desperate for a ring as he is, is a game changer for them...especially seeing how effectively the lakers defense bottled him up in the playoffs last year...
duffer
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Well looking at the trade from a Pistons point of view now I can see the argument that Iverson will improve the Pistons straight away.
One thing they couldn't do against Cleveland/Boston last year was find a way into the paint and make the defence collapse on them. AI's dribble penetration is as good as anyone in the League's and his drives will free up a lot of top tier shooters like Tayshaun and Rip.
Iverson can also create shots for himself and force reactions from a defence, something which the Pistons lacked huge last year and the Pistons are the type of team defensively who can hide a lot of his flaws as well. He'll also bring a huge amount of desire, energy and attitude to a franchise which has looked stale and complacent for a long time.
Is he the answer to their problems and will he get them over the hump? I don't know or think so unless the Celtics implode at some point this season, but I definitely think it will improve them and was a risk worth taking from Dumars perspective. Iverson in a big market again must be a dream for the NBA too.
I also think it helps Denver more and opens up a lot of avenues to build a contending team but that post would enter essay territory so I might just let that lie
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Mister Wright
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Bucks 2-1 away, beating the Knicks last night. Positive signs as they really struggled on the road last season.
dontcloseyoureyes
BARNES OUT
Gotta say duffer, I appreciate your posts in here. I haven't followed the NBA for a long time and have been starting to get back into it this season (you have no idea how hard it's been to get used to rosters; Hill at the Suns? Last time I followed the NBA he was a young dynamo at the Pistons...) and your posts are really insightful. Having played basketball at a pretty good level in the past the tactical side of your posts speaks to me as well.
I'd almost ask you to give me a full preview of all the sides but that's too much
I'd almost ask you to give me a full preview of all the sides but that's too much
duffer
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Thanks guys, played basketball literally every day during primary school and High School (both socially and competitively) so you'd probably class me as a fanatic.
Agree about the player movements being really hard to follow which is why I only concentrate on a few teams I find interesting (for me Philly, Nuggz now adding Detroit) and then just watch whatever games are televised. Eventually over the course of a season you end up learning about most teams to some degree.
Although a bit pissed that Channel 10 bought the NBA rights but won't be showing any games untill late 2009. So it'll only be the two ESPN games and crappy streams for us this season.
Agree about the player movements being really hard to follow which is why I only concentrate on a few teams I find interesting (for me Philly, Nuggz now adding Detroit) and then just watch whatever games are televised. Eventually over the course of a season you end up learning about most teams to some degree.
Although a bit pissed that Channel 10 bought the NBA rights but won't be showing any games untill late 2009. So it'll only be the two ESPN games and crappy streams for us this season.
not just the celtics, i think if mcdyess doesn't come back, the cavs should also be considered better than them...michael curry is a new, inexperienced coach and the team is in transition, unless the celtics and the cavs have big-time injury woes, i don't see them coming out of the east...
yep duffer is very knowledgable on the subject...and his posts are really interesting to read...
ohtani's jacket
State Vice-Captain
I like Iverson, but he's the kinda player who looks to make his own shot first. On All-Star teams or Olympic squads he often penetrated and dished, but on an NBA team he needs the ball like Kobe. The problem has always been his jump shot. Are they gonna play him at point? I can't see that working in a halfcourt situation. Iverson was always best on the break. They lost a lot with Mcdyess too. Great bench player.
I can't see Boston falling this year. They just picked up a really good win in Houston. Losing Posey hurts, though.
I can't see Boston falling this year. They just picked up a really good win in Houston. Losing Posey hurts, though.
they are making a play for mcdyess it seems, if that happens, they would be favourites to defend their title...
duffer
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
I've always maintained that whenever AI had confidence that the guy he was passing to would make the shot, he'd give them the ball.
He took less shots last season than any time in his career while averaging 7 dishes per game too and that with a team with almost zero perimeter threat and with their best scorer in Melo attracting a double team on every play.
He's desperate to win a ring now and his ballhawk days are over from what I've seen, plus for the first time in his career he now has a a team worthy of his talents and with players who he can have confidence in to make the most of the ball he gives them. This team strikes me as a far superior version of the early 2000's Sixers which will hopefully suit him down to the ground. Just hope it isn't a couple of years too late for him to take advantage and get his ring.
EDIT: Oh, and these guys will get him way more stops than the Nuggets ever did, so he'll still have ample chances to run with the rock. And a nice article here about why A.I is a good fit for the Pistons.
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