NBA '11/'12 Thread

[rodfarva]

I predict that the Lakers will not get that far.

Dallas will be there, and OKC is the top 5 as far as money under the cap in the league. There is absolutely no way they don't use some of it this off season, and they're are seriously one decent piece away... perhaps a big man. Also, Portland's finish to the season last year is in no way indicative of their near future. They had, what I predict, will be one the top 5 draft days of the 2011 draft when they added Ray Felton (via trade) and drafted Duke's Nolan Smith and Ohio State's Jon Diebler. The starting lineup of Felton, Roy, Wallace, Aldridge, and Camby will be very tough to fuck with. Plus Smith, Batum, and the three-point specialist Diebler off the bench... Portland looks serious.

I still have LAL as the 3rd best in the West right now, but I really like Portland. They are just about 3B, IMO.

I totally agree. In case anyone missed the playoffs this year, the Trailblazers were the only team that gave Dallas a serious run for their money (in the first round). The Thunder played well, but never really had a chance, the Lakers were embarrassed (especially in the sweep-clinching Game 4), and the Heat flopped their way to two trash victories. The Trailblazers may not be the best team in the league, but they are the deepest. You already mentioned their roster. There's also Greg Oden to consider. Maybe, just maybe, he can have an impact next season. Even though I don't really think the Blazers need him, their team is good enough already.

Problem is Roy is not the same player he was a couple of years ago. He is no longer Portland's franchise player...OKC will be good if Westbrook takes less shots and passes more like to Durant.

I still believe B-Roy can be a great player. Not a top five player like he was on pace to be, but a great player nonetheless. He had some spectacular performances in the series against the Mavericks (off the bench) and even though he wasn't producing at the same rate as before, right after he returned from his injuries he was remarkably efficient. He rarely turned the ball over, he shot well from the field, and almost always had an impact on the floor. Imagine him as a sixth man (which he has been since returning from his injuries). Portland is certainly deep enough for that to work.

Roy doesn't have to be the same player as years past. He's got Wallace at 17 and 8 per, and Aldridge at 21 and 8. Not to mention that Ray Felton is coming off a 17 ppg and 9 ast season. BTW: Who in the west is gonna keep them off the glass? Between Camby, Aldridge, and Wallace, you're looking at 26 boards per contest. You need to stop worrying about Brandon Roy and worry about his much improved options.

Finally, Brandon Roy has, in my opinion, the highest character of any player in the NBA. If anyone can come back from his injuries and compete at a high level again, it's him. He will be putting in a tremendous amount of work this offseason and he may surprise people come next season.

P.S. This is all hypothetical, really, because there probably won't even be a next season. Bollocks!

 

[CapitalOne]

NBA files federal lawsuit against players

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/6826716/nba-takes-legal-action-locked-players

 

[STDiva]

Anybody see Durant drop 66 at Ruckers Park?? It's not a big deal, but it's a big deal!!

 

[CapitalOne]

 

[Icewater Jones]

That boy there is a savage animal. The end.

 

[luvtheladies]

That PA announcer is fucking terrible. He's almost as bad as a DJ at a strip club.

 

[izabelplayer]

man the nba needs to get this lockout resolved or cancel the whole season. im tired of hearing all my players going overseas. where is the american loyalty.

 

[STDiva]

man the nba needs to get this lockout resolved or cancel the whole season. im tired of hearing all my players going overseas. where is the american loyalty.

What are they supposed to sit around and not work?

 

[BAYAMONXXX]

That PA announcer is fucking terrible. He's almost as bad as a DJ at a strip club.

It's Street Ball!


Were you expecting Ray Clay from the Bulls?

 

[izabelplayer]

thats why i want it fixed. for the lockout to be done with. I am a big basketball and football fan. I mainly follow basketball after football season is over. first football, now the nba. the lockouts are killing me. these players make a lot of money and need to face the facts that we are in a bad economy and they need to stop asking for more.

What are they supposed to sit around and not work?

 

[PlasmaTwa2]

where is the American loyalty.

Hey, if you want to pay them millions of dollars to play in America...

 

[izabelplayer]

does one or two millions dollars per a year make a huge difference when you are making like ten million a year? come on there are people in america making minimum wage.

 

[PlasmaTwa2]

does one or two millions dollars per a year make a huge difference when you are making like ten million a year? come on there are people in America making minimum wage.

This is the argument everyone uses, and here is my reply:

Do you think Lebron James cares about how much 90% of the people in America makes? Of course not.

 

[Icewater Jones]

does one or two millions dollars per a year make a huge difference when you are making like ten million a year? come on there are people in america making minimum wage.

Hell yes it makes a damn difference! Do you know anyone that is okay with having to lose money? They don't want to take a pay cut just like you don't want to take cut.

 

[D-rock]

Hell yes it makes a damn difference! Do you know anyone that is okay with having to lose money? They don't want to take a pay cut just like you don't want to take cut.

I don't think you can really compare normal people to people that already have tens of millions of dollars, and make millions of dollars each year.

A person that's living paycheck to paycheck faces significant hardship if they loose even 5% of what the receive. Somebody making millions of dollars could loose the majority of what they make and still make millions of dollars and live extremely well. It's far from the same circumstances.

With that said I don't care how much money an athlete makes as as long as the total both the players and owners receive is split fairly. They are in entertainment which is a luxury people don't need and willingly pay for.

 

[LukeEl]

Woohoo go NBA D league! And let's go Washington Generals beat those Globetrotters!

 

[izabelplayer]

The CBA cannot sign any players under contract. I read the other day that a chinese team wants to sign kobe bryant for warm ups.

 

[PJpenny]

i was just thinking, it took baseball until the McGuire/Sosa season to recover from its cancelled world series, Hockey has never recovered from having 2 lockouts in a 10 year span.....how badly hurt will the NBA be if the whole season is cancled like it appears to be going to right now?

 

[STDiva]

i was just thinking, it took baseball until the McGuire/Sosa season to recover from its cancelled world series, Hockey has never recovered from having 2 lockouts in a 10 year span.....how badly hurt will the NBA be if the whole season is cancled like it appears to be going to right now?

I'd say the NHL has recovered and is thriving, but that's just me. Attendance figures and television ratings are up. The only fault in the NHL was the Atlanta relocation, but that was a problem before the lockout anyway.

As for the NBA, a lost season will be bad. After the Tim Donaghy scandal and the Gilbert Arenas bs/thug stereotype the entire league has, this lockout could be the straw that broke the camels back. BUT, if any league has the star power to recover from all of this, it's the NBA.

 

[rodfarva]

I'd say the NHL has recovered and is thriving, but that's just me. Attendance figures and television ratings are up. The only fault in the NHL was the Atlanta relocation, but that was a problem before the lockout anyway.

As for the NBA, a lost season will be bad. After the Tim Donaghy scandal and the Gilbert Arenas bs/thug stereotype the entire league has, this lockout could be the straw that broke the camels back. BUT, if any league has the star power to recover from all of this, it's the NBA.

Agreed. Very well said. The NHL is thriving even if the average "sports" fan doesn't watch it. Hockey has always been one of those sports that has its own fans outside of "sports" fans. And the NHL has never been a cash cow, so if the league as a whole is making money overall (which it is) then it's doing well.

The NBA should recover from an ugly lockout; it's become an internationally popular league and there are so many star players and it's such a display of pure athleticism that the masses will be unable to look away, but I for one will be less interested if they miss an entire season (which they probably will). My interest in the NBA has been steadily waning since Jordan retired (the second time, last time from the Bulls, not from the Wizards).

It's honestly become a pretty difficult sport to watch because of the horrendous officiating and new soccer-like strategy that players (ahem, LeBron) have adopted of diving and flopping all over the place, which the referees fall for all the time. Also, there's no strategy involved anymore, it's just a league full of superstars playing one-on-one and seeing who can beat whom that way. There used to be real strategy and teamwork involved and the sport was far more beautiful to watch because of it. And defence wins championships, except in basketball, where good offence beats good defence (the only sport where this is true).

P.S. Dirk and the Mavs beating the Heat was poetry though. And the playoffs have become far more competitive than they ever used to be, so basketball has made some improvements over recent years.