NBA Thread - 2010-2011

[gd]

I'd say the Thunder are a really legit choice as second best team. That have basically everyone coming back, a year more experienced. Plus, they added Cole Aldrich in the draft as a low post defender, where they struggled at times last year, as they had no one behind Ibaka. Plus, Kevin Durant has put himself in the "best in the world" argument, which is really something special, expecially since he's not even 22.

Off the top of my head, I'd say Dalllas is a top contender as well. Dirk is a superstar and Kidd is a great leader. They definetly have enough pieces surrounding them to make some noise this year.

Regradless, the Lakers are still clearly the team to beat by a significant margin.

 

[Platypus Palsy]

If the Thunder improved with the experience they should've gained facing the Lakers in the playoffs last year, then I could see them being the 2nd best team in the West. They should easily be top 5 this season. Maybe the Spurs can live up to their name and potential and become the 2nd best team in the world.

 

[Dizzy]

Don Nelson is stepping down as Warrior head coach. He will not coach the Warriors this season.

A small trade went down today between the Hornets and the 76ers. Philly sent Willie Green and Jason Smith to New Orleans for Craig Brackins and Darius Songalia. Songalia and Smith basically cancel each other out as they are pretty much the same player, so the trade is mainly Willie Green for Brackins.

Brackins is a 6'10 230 pound rookie who will add a young, athletic big to Philly's rotation. Willie Green is a very solid veteran combo guard who will most likely be a spark off the bench for the Hornets. After CP3 and Marcus Thorton the Hornets backups are currently Mustafa Shakur and Marco Bellenelli so Willie Green will boost the guard play off the bench. The Hornets made some good moves this off season and if CP3 stays healthy they could be a surprise team in the West.

The Hornets no doubt made the stupidest off season trade yet.

 

[Big Sexy]

Don Nelson is stepping down as Warrior head coach. He will not coach the Warriors this season.


The Hornets no doubt made the stupidest off season trade yet.

Trading an unproven rookie for a proven guard who will improve their bench at it's weakest position is not a bad trade.

In other news the new proposed Carmelo deal involves four teams. The Nets would get Melo, the Nuggest would get Derrick Favors, Andrei Kirelenko, and multiple first round picks. The Bobcats would get Devin Harris and the Jazz would get Boris Diaw. Every team improves with this deal.

Nets- Obviously getting Melo is huge. Having to give up Devin Harris kind of sucks but they do have Jordan Farmar to step in and take over the point.

Nuggets- They get a lot for Melo. The first round picks are nice plus you get a young big in Derrick Favors who has been compared to guys like Amare, not to mention you get a proven former all star in AK 47 to take over Melo's starting 3 spot.

Bobcats- They were in desperate need of a point guard and Harris is a huge upgrade for this team. They could make some noise in the East if everyone stays healthy. They wouldn't be an elite team but definitely capable of a 6 seed.

Jazz- Basically they replace a disgruntled Kirelenko with a good forward in Boris Diaw.

 

[People's Champ]

Don Nelson is stepping down as Warrior head coach. He will not coach the Warriors this season.

This has more to do with the Warriors wanting to go in a different direction and letting Nelson go out on his own. He's still going to get his 6 million so I don't feel bad for him at all. But the Warriors needed to make this change. Nelson had lost interst in the team and really was only going to come back for that paycheck. The fanbase had been begging for this and ownership wants to get started off on a good foot.

 

[Dizzy]

Utah is making a terrible move. Andrei was not even unhappy and getting back Diaw is a horrible replacement. He's not even a Small Foward. He won't guard a LeBron, Granger, Melo or Kobe. He's just a shooting/rebounding Power Forward which the Jazz have more than enough of with Millsap and Jefferson.

The Bobcats get extremely better. But It's disappointing since I was hoping Livingston would start for them.

New Jersey gets Carmelo...And? They lose Harris and Favors. Who starts for them? Jordan Farmar?

Farmar
Williams/Morrow
Melo/Outlaw
Murphy/Humphries
Lopez/Petro

is not going to get you anywhere but the 10th spot in the East. Maybe even 8th if your lucky. They are still going to be a shit team. They're lucky Denver did not ask for Lopez and Travis Outlaw

Trading an unproven rookie for a proven guard who will improve their bench at it's weakest position is not a bad trade.

Considering Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton were unproven but turned out to be starters. This is a bad trade.

Not to mention getting a foul prone player in Smith.

 

[Khalifa]

Nets are not offering Favours, they stated it last night ( well Avery Johnson did) so I highly doubt that rumour is true. If anything Nets would rather wait for Anthony in free agency. Then they don't have to give up anyone and can just use there spare money they have. Nets cant really avoid to give up anyone as Devin Harris needs to be there for atleast one more year to develop Farmar, Favours is there prized pick, Williams is there next best prospect and Lopez is there only talented center.

 

[Big Sexy]

Utah is making a terrible move. Andrei was not even unhappy and getting back Diaw is a horrible replacement. He's not even a Small Foward. He won't guard a LeBron, Granger, Melo or Kobe. He's just a shooting/rebounding Power Forward which the Jazz have more than enough of with Millsap and Jefferson.

1. Kirilenko really hasn't been that happy in Utah recently, plus his play has declined significantly the last few years.

2. Diaw doesn't have to play at the three. Losing Boozer took away a lot of their depth at the 4 spot so Diaw could easily become Millsap's back up and then the recently signed Raja Bell would move into the starting spot at the 3 for Utah.

The Bobcats get extremely better. But It's disappointing since I was hoping Livingston would start for them.

I'm rooting for Livingston too but nothing was guaranteed about how he'd play. He's also still most likely going to be the back up and we all know about Devin Harris's injury history.

New Jersey gets Carmelo...And? They lose Harris and Favors. Who starts for them? Jordan Farmar?

Farmar
Williams/Morrow
Melo/Outlaw
Murphy/Humphries
Lopez/Petro

is not going to get you anywhere but the 10th spot in the East. Maybe even 8th if your lucky. They are still going to be a shit team. They're lucky Denver did not ask for Lopez and Travis Outlaw

Farmar is not a bad point guard by any means. This trade would take New Jersey from one of the worst teams in the East to a definite playoff team in my eyes. I'd say they'd probably be a 7 seed with this trade which is certainly better then what they'd be with Harris and Favors. The Nets are also reportedly now getting DJ Augistin if this trade goes through so that's another young point guard with a lot of potential.

Considering Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton were unproven but turned out to be starters. This is a bad trade.

Not to mention getting a foul prone player in Smith.

Collison and Thorton worked out but the odds of the Hornets getting all of their draft picks to do what they did are not very high. They had absolutely no depth at the guard positions and Willie Green was a solid pick up. Jason Smith and Darius Songalia being in the trade basically just canceled each other out.

Nets are not offering Favours, they stated it last night ( well Avery Johnson did) so I highly doubt that rumour is true. If anything Nets would rather wait for Anthony in free agency. Then they don't have to give up anyone and can just use there spare money they have. Nets cant really avoid to give up anyone as Devin Harris needs to be there for atleast one more year to develop Farmar, Favours is there prized pick, Williams is there next best prospect and Lopez is there only talented center.

Of course Avery Johnson is going to say that. You can't have your top pick and prospect thinking that the team was trying to get rid of him. If the trade didn't go through then his psyche would take a big hit. Farmar doesn't need anymore development and is ready to take over a starting spot. Plus yesterday it was reported that DJ Augistin would also be going to the Nets so that's another young point guard with potential.

 

[gd]

The thing is, I'm no sure Carmelo would really want to go to New Jersey and sign an extension, which the whole deal relies upon. Sure, the Nets improve if they get Carmelo, but they're still firmly behing Miami, Orlando, Boston, and maybe even Milwaukee. I doubt that's a 50 win team, even with Carmelo.

I'd imagine he'll wait for a better oppurtunity to materialize, or just play out the season and make his move in free agency.

 

[Big Sexy]

The thing is, I'm no sure Carmelo would really want to go to New Jersey and sign an extension, which the whole deal relies upon. Sure, the Nets improve if they get Carmelo, but they're still firmly behing Miami, Orlando, Boston, and maybe even Milwaukee. I doubt that's a 50 win team, even with Carmelo.

I'd imagine he'll wait for a better oppurtunity to materialize, or just play out the season and make his move in free agency.

The entire trade is definitely only going to work if Carmelo agrees to an extension. The Nets have already said that. The Nets would still be a year or two away from really competing if the trade goes down but they'd be much improved this year and probably make a trip to the playoffs.

 

[The Crock]

Haha, how is Utah making a bad deal? Andrei doesn't do shit for us. We have a new defensive ace in Bell, so we want some offense. Makes sense to get Diaw. On top of that, losing Kirilenko's huge contract will help us in the long run. Gives us way more flexibility to make moves. When we drafted Hayward that was pretty much the end of the line in Utah for AK. I don't see why NJ is willing to give up so much, bad move by them.

 

[Dizzy]

Andrei has been injured. Bell is really no different. Can Raja Bell guard 4s? No he cannot. Andrei can guard Small Fowards and Power Fowards with shooting range. Bell and Diaw cannot guard LeBron or a Danny Granger that will kill you by making Paul Millsap or Jefferson try and guard the perimeter.

Also, that 4 way deal is off the table.

J.R. Smith photographed Carmelo Anthony standing in the Nuggets' locker room on Monday.

It was not known whether Anthony, who has requested a trade, would report to Denver's media day.


Read more: http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/69305/20100927/melo_reports_to_denver/#ixzz10kkVxNyS

According to Sam Amick, Jason Kidd cautioned Carmelo Anthony against viewing the Nets as a suitable alternative to the Knicks in the New York market. Amick reports that New Jersey was never on Anthony's list of preferred destinations.

Amick also reports that the Knicks would have to deal almost all of their young talent -- including Anthony Randolph, Danilo Gallinari, Toney Douglas and Wilson Chandler -- in order to make a trade for Anthony now. In one proposed trade, Chandler would have gone to Houston in a multi-team deal involving the Rockets.

The price tag, however, could come down around the February trade deadline and the Knicks may be hoping that Anthony falls to them as a free agent next summer.


Read more: http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_a...kidd_advises_melo_against_nets/#ixzz10klXbN9l

So, Melo will most likely wait it out and sign with NY as a free agent if he continues to reject trade deals.

 

[Big Sexy]

Andrei has been injured. Bell is really no different. Can Raja Bell guard 4s? No he cannot. Andrei can guard Small Fowards and Power Fowards with shooting range. Bell and Diaw cannot guard LeBron or a Danny Granger that will kill you by making Paul Millsap or Jefferson try and guard the perimeter.

This isn't the Andrei Kirilenko of the early to mid 2000's that we're talking about. He can't stay healthy, is somewhat disgruntled, and his production has really fallen off the last few years. Let's also not forget that Kirilenko is in the last year of a deal that makes him one of the most overpaid players in the league. He's gone after this season anyways.

 

[People's Champ]

So 'Melo says he never said he wanted a trade.

Well of course he's going to say that. After seeing the heat LeBron took for his move, he wants to avoid that. He also says he wait til after the season to see what's the best move. The Nuggets aren't going to let it get there. They won't let him go to free agency and walk away without getting something for him. Should be interesting to see where this goes. I know there's teams and proposed trades with the Nets and what not, but I'd be curious if another team could make its way in.

 

[Big Sexy]

The pre season has begun and the Miami Heat cock sucking is already out of hand. Front page news on the ESPN home page for a pre season game? That's too much. They played my Pistons last night so I was able to watch the game and while they were impressive, I already saw some holes. They were gambling a lot on defense so teams with a lot of outside shooters can have some success. They also showed that they were fairly weak inside defensively. The Pistons don't have many good bigs so they couldn't exploit it too much but there were a lot of opportunities. So outside shooting and a good big man could give the Heat trouble. Sounds a lot like the Orlando Magic to me.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

So Allen Iverson is in talks with a Turkish basketball team about a one year deal that's close to $2 million. Also, if I remember correctly, Iverson was in talks with a Chinese team this off season. Does anyone else find it odd that Iverson can't get a deal with any team in the NBA? I know he still has some attitude problems, and he might not be what he used to be during his glory days in Philadelphia, but I'm sure Iverson could be a very solid role player. Sure he would have to come off of the bench, but couldn't he help someone? Is anyone else shocked about AI not being in the NBA this year?

 

[gd]

I doubt he goes overseas to play. He'll either retire or eventually catch on with someone, more than likely the former. Just looking at his career ever since the trade to Denver, why would anyone bother signing him?

He was with the Grizzlies for like 2 weeks before he became a problem and left Philly halfway through the year last year. No contender would bother signing him because he's far too much of a risk and there's no way he'd fit on a young rebuilding team.

Unless somone his really desparate and he truly is willing to accept that he's not a great player anymore, I don't see him ending up anywhere.

 

[Goliath Uterus]

I'm pretty sure there's someone that could use Iverson on their squad, but he would need to accept the fact that he's a role player, and will most likely be coming off the bench. I could think of quite a few teams who could use a quick PG to come off the bench and put some points on the board.

 

[Big Sexy]

I'm pretty sure there's someone that could use Iverson on their squad, but he would need to accept the fact that he's a role player, and will most likely be coming off the bench. I could think of quite a few teams who could use a quick PG to come off the bench and put some points on the board.

The thing is Allen Iverson is never going to accept that role and be happy about it. He couldn't do it in Detroit or Memphis and I'm sure if he was asked to in Philly he would have thrown a bitch fit there as well. AI still sees himself as a starter and no team will make him a starter.

 

[People's Champ]

According to ESPN, it looks like the Knicks are back in talks with the Nuggets about trading for 'Melo. One of the issues for the Knicks was using Randolph or Gallinari to get a player from a 3rd team that the Nuggets will want. The Knicks now feel like they can do that, so they are in the running. They also say that the Bulls are still in play, although Noah isn't, since he signed that extension.

 

[The Other Hardy Brother]

According to ESPN, it looks like the Knicks are back in talks with the Nuggets about trading for 'Melo. One of the issues for the Knicks was using Randolph or Gallinari to get a player from a 3rd team that the Nuggets will want. The Knicks now feel like they can do that, so they are in the running. They also say that the Bulls are still in play, although Noah isn't, since he signed that extension.

I really don't think the Knicks should or will trade Gallinari in any deal. The guy has tremendous upside and could be the next Dirk Nowitski. Randolph on the other hand is plausible but other than him what could they give up that would really be worth it for Denver? He alone isn't enough. The Knicks will probably end up doing some stupid lopsided trade involving multiple first round picks and then end up losing Melo to free agency anyway. The Knicks are a troubled franchise and until they learn from their mistakes noone will take them seriously.

The Bulls don't really have anything to offer either. No Noah no trade. Luol Deng would surely be the centerpiece in any Chicago trade this year and who in their right mind would trade Carmelo Anthony for Luol Deng even with an expiring contract. Denver's best bet is to work all season on re-signing Anthony. If they don't keep him no matter what they get back it will all be for nothing as they will be re-building.

 

[Khalifa]

Am I the only person to think that Gallinari will only be a good player and isn't all that good right now? I must be. Maybe I just don't see anything. He is a good shot, commits on defense and rebounds, however we'll see what happens this year when the knicks have a much better roster.

Anyways onto the season. It's only 3 days way and I think I am more excited than a kid on christmas day. Going to be interesting to see how Miami will go, everyone believes that the 3 kings will take them far. But with only 2 good role players I don't see them being a number one seed in the east. I think the Magic will surprise people, same with the Pacers who might take 8th seed. I am really happy the Lakers have Blake and Barnes (along with a very old Ratliff). Hopefully they are enough to take us over the line for the third time.

Also on a side note, does anyone else feel that Jrue Holiday will be a great player someday? I just have this feeling he will be now. Even though he hasn't shown it yet.

 

[gd]

Gallanari is a pretty good player. Could be a 4th or maybe even 3rd guy on a championship team. I really like him. I think a Gallanari, Amare, Randolph combo up front will be enough for the Knicks in the putrid East.

I highly doubt Jrue Holliday is going to become great. Unless his does, the 76ers aren't going to be very good. Hell, they won't be that good anyway. A starting 5 of Holliday, Thaddeus Young, Iggy, Brand, and Spencer Hawes is just bad.

The team I'm looking forward to seeing most this year is definitely the Thunder. Impossible not to like Durant and the whole team. If they can get just one outside shooting threat (from either Harden or someone else) they could be dangerous as hell.

 

[DaBadGuy]

The New Orleans Hornets have acquired point guard Jerryd Bayless from the Portland Trail Blazers for a conditional future first-round pick. This is a good pick up for New Orleans, they were in desperate need of a backup PG granted Bayless plays more like a SG than PG.

 

[Big Sexy]

Definitely a good pick up for the Hornets. Guard depth was one of the teams biggest concerns not too long ago and now it may be one of their strengths as Bayless joins the recently acquired Willie Green along with Marco Belinelli, Mustapha Shakur, Marcus Thorton, and of course CP3. I'm sure Monty Williams is much happier with Jerryd Bayless as his back up point guard over Mustapha Shakur.