2013 NBA

[cmlancas]

I wonder if they fired another coach and hired Phil right now if that would set some kind of record? 

Jackson could break his own championship record?  Sure!

[Ingmar]

The Lakers really are a mess.  I'm not sure why they ever thought that Howard would be a huge upgrade over Bynum.  Sure, Bynum has knee issues that could seriously hamper his career long term, so it was a wise move, but when healthy it's not like Howard is significantly better than Bynum.  They need to get rid of Gasol and get themselves some young, athletic players to complement the geezers and get Nash healthy.  They need to move Gasol tomorrow and get a couple of pieces that will fit Dantoni's style of play a little better.  I'd shop Artest, too. 

I really don't think the answer is 'get rid of one of your best players', the answer is 'stop trying to force players into jobs they're not suited for'.

I mean, you wouldn't trade Tom Brady because you desperately wanted to run the wildcat and he just can't run fast enough, you'd just not run the wildcat. The coaching/gameplan is like 95% of their problem. Having Gasol play a perimeter game is just bafflingly dumb.

[Paelos]

Why would anybody try to run a scheme at all? If you have any modicum of ball-movement and just let players do what they do, the offensive part of the NBA isn't rocket science.

[cmlancas]

Why would anybody try to run a scheme at all? If you have any modicum of ball-movement and just let players do what they do, the offensive part of the NBA isn't rocket science.

Phil Jackson's rings would like to have a word with you.  Yes, MJ was an amazing player, but the triangle (and to a lesser extend, pick and roll) dictate who you draft.

[Paelos]

Phil Jackson never liked Kobe, though, and couldn't coach him.

[cmlancas]

Phil Jackson never liked Kobe, though, and couldn't coach him.

I'm not going to pretend to be a Jackson/Bryant expert, but I don't see how placing a bunch of pieces on a team and throwing them on a court makes sense without a scheme in mind.  It's like pulling a bunch of 3 4 people and asking them to run Tampa 2.  It just works differently.

Also, I totally wrote extend instead of extent.  The d isn't even close to the t!

[Paelos]

Well he wanted the Lakers to trade Kobe back in like 03-04 or somewhere around then. He hates the idea of the "selfish" player in the NBA, which totally destroys the triangle offense.

Outside of a guy like Jackson though, there's several statistics out there that describe how NBA coaches, with few exceptions, are generally useless.

http://www.sfandllaw.com/Articles/What-Wins-Basketball-Games-a-Review-of-Basketball-on-Paper-Rules-and-Tools-for-Performance-Analysis.shtml

[Threash]

Stan Van Gundy would have that Lakers team at the best record in the NBA right now.  He'd get murdered by the All-Star break though.

[cmlancas]

Stan Van Gundy would have that Lakers team at the best record in the NBA right now.  He'd get murdered by the All-Star break though.

Those wounds won't heal if you keep rippin' 'em open.   

[Paelos]

Lin looked pretty solid back in Madison Square Garden. 

[Trippy]

And while playing with Harden which is nice for the Rockets. Each had been playing better when the other wasn't on the court at the same time.

[Threash]

So, are the timberwolves specifically going after white players? Apparently they were the first all white starting lineup to win a game since 86 a few days ago.

[Paelos]

So, are the timberwolves specifically going after white players? Apparently they were the first all white starting lineup to win a game since 86 a few days ago.

Could be a way of boosting attendance? The demographic in that state is like 90% white and over 35. They might be looking to identify with their base? They've been a horrible squad for the last 5 years with shitty gate numbers to match, but the attendance is now on the rise, and things are getting better on the court.

[ghost]

So, are the timberwolves specifically going after white players? Apparently they were the first all white starting lineup to win a game since 86 a few days ago.

They have a pretty decent one (when healthy) if so.

[ghost]

While Jeremy Lin may not have been worth every cent of the money Houston paid him, Omer Asik has been fucking amazing.  The guy is rebounding like Rodman. 

[Paelos]

How can you not give Lin credit for that Christmas game? Come on man. 

[ghost]

That was a huge game.  He has actually been very good in the entire month of December and a gigantic game versus the Spurs which seemed to go largely undocumented.  He still sucks.   

[Cyrrex]

While Jeremy Lin may not have been worth every cent of the money Houston paid him, Omer Asik has been fucking amazing.  The guy is rebounding like Rodman. 

Asik is the guy that came from Chicago, right?  If so, I remember seeing him coming off the bench in several games and thinking "OMG THEY SHOULD TOTALLY PLAY THAT GUY ALL THE TIME".   He fights in the paint like a hero.

[Paelos]

Apparently it's coach firing day. Avery Johnson out of Brooklyn. People need to stop hiring him.

[ghost]

You can make a good living by being a shitty coach in the NBA.

[ghost]

I'm sure Phil is going to jump all over this opportunity......

It will be his big shot to get back at the Lakers.   

[Ingmar]

No name coach will go anywhere near that job.

[Paelos]

Having seen Joe Johnson up close, he's a coach killer. I can't believe our GM unloaded him. So awesome!

[ghost]

Joe Johnson sucks.  I can't believe some of these guys can still get gigs in the league.  These guys that score a ton of points but don't play defense are a real liability.  I don't love the Spurs, but they have shown how it can be done with a somewhat meager roster-  it's all about defense. 

[Paelos]

Over the last 10 years, if you weren't top 10 in defense, you didn't win the NBA title.

The most recent exception to the defensive mindset was the 08-09 Lakers who were putting up 107 a game on offense. Another is the Miami Heat from 05-06, who did it by outrebounding everyone.

[Ingmar]

Warriors trampled the Clippers.  Granted, it was a bad spot in their schedule, but I'll still take it. Barnes is turning out to have been a pretty good pick.

[ghost]

He's bee a lot better than I expected, that is for sure.  He didn't look particularly athletic at UNC.  I don't think he could step in and be "the man" for a team, but he may be a very nice Tayshaun Prince type complementary player for the Warriors. 

[WayAbvPar]

Sounds like the Maloofs have finally figured out that they are too broke/stupid/pimptastic to run an NBA team any more, and are selling to the Hansen/Ballmer group in Seattle. The best thing about this is that it makes NHL in Seattle a real possibility. I can't bring myself to give a shit about the NBA any more.

[ghost]

Sounds like it's still in the discussions phase, but there are sure a lot of rumors swirling around about it.  That doesn't change the fact that the Kings still have a shittastic team right now.  They need to get rid of Tyreke Evans while he still has a shred of trade value left in him and get Demarcus Cousins to get his head out of his ass long enough to play some ball.  There may not be another big guy in the league with the talent Cousins has.  I think he trumps Howard and Bynum when his game is on.

[Paelos]

Hawks have decided that their New Year's resolution is to shit the bed. They lost their 3rd in a row last night to a .500 Timberwolves team. Now they head to shitty Cleveland. Lose a 4th in a row against an absolutely DREADFUL Cleveland squad, and there will be massive shakeups in the starting 5 when the homestand starts.

[ghost]

Road games are tough in the league unless you're elite and Atlanta is clearly not that. 

[Paelos]

Road games are tough in the league unless you're elite and Atlanta is clearly not that. 

Not yet, no. The moves they made were to build for that elite team, but they are missing an inside guy. Too many shooters on this team, and nobody willing to get dirty on a daily basis. Fuck, that's the problem with most of the league.

[ghost]

Josh Smith and Al Horford average 17 rebounds between the two of them. It should be about 20, but it's still passable.  What they're really missing isn't that but a wing scoring presence.  It's almost a requirement to have a 6'5" to 6'8" guy that is very versatile on offense, i.e. scores inside and out, and has the ability to play some lock down defense. 

[Paelos]

Kyle Korver is that guy right now. 6'7" SG who puts up 11 a game and shoots 44% beyond the arc.

[ghost]

I think he's been in the paint a time or two.  He's dunked before, also.  I've seen it.