NBA Thread - 2011-12

[Khalifa]

Good to see the Lakers FINALLY beating Lebron today. I said in a post a while back that the Lakers can never beat Lebron and I can only remember them beating them once in the last 4 years so you can imagine I feel pretty happy right about now. Kobe had 33 and shot over 50% which is good but only had 3 rebounds and 1 assist, so you know he was going focusing more on scoring tonight to help beat the slump. Bynum and Pau had double doubles each while Artest played his first 2 good consecutive games since becoming a Laker. Meanwhile Lebron had 25 and Wade had 20 points before fouling off in the last quarter.

Another point I would like to say is Rondo and Williams beasting it up today. It's going to suck for the Nets to lose Williams as he is clearly the heart and soul of the team. Lopez is just coming back but honestly hasn't lived up to his potential since his first year ( I know he has been injured as well). Can't wait to the Lakers gobble him up . Rondo= 18 points, 17 rebounds and 20 assists. Celtics should never trade him, enough said.

 

[Alastor]

Disappointed that Rubio is out for the season. Hopefully he can recover from this setback because flashy point guards playing for half-decent teams make the games fun to watch. Also, we are past the half way mark and the Bulls have been superb so far considering they missed Rose and Deng for chunks of the season.

Linsanity has met reality these past few games. Curious to see how the Knicks can make Lin and Melo work well together. Lin + A'mare + Melo, I think every opposing point guard is salivating at the prospect of going against this defence.

 

[JamJam]

Damn, definitely disappointed that Rubio is out for the season. Wishing him a speedy recovery though. Man, that guy was helping the Wolves get into the playoffs. Now it's mostly up to Love to step up even more. Love has been playing lights out as of late showing us why he's the #1 Power Forward in the NBA today. I still think that they can make it, but it'll be even tougher.

 

[Unsold Bacon]

Very mad that Rick Rubio is out for the season and this year's Olympics. Rubio quickly became one of the favorites and I'm sure the people in Minny love him since his arrival was the one thing that helped make the Timberwolves relevant again.

 

[Harthan]

Rubio's injury is a darn shame. One of the league's most exciting young players. I don't see a good strategy going forward for the Wolves if they intend to make the playoffs. The important thing for them is to bite the bullet, accept that they don't need to contend this season to have long term success, and make trades as if they still had Rubio - i.e., get a shooting guard, and don't cripple your ability to sign Rubio, Williams, and Pekovic long term. Call it a season and don't do something stupid to acquire a point guard. It's not like Ridnour is that bad, anyway. Float the last six weeks here, if you luck into #8, so much the better, but don't bother trying to replace Rubio, because short of Steve Nash, you can't. You don't get that kind of creative, defensive point guard floating around on the market. There's no realistic option at PG to replace Rubio, so don't. The Wolves are set up for long term success. Just don't muck it up by overreacting to this injury.

Also really shoots the Spanish national team in the foot, but they weren't going anywhere anyway. Their top stars are aging and the US is fielding possibly its best Olympic team ever. Might be it keeps them from the silver, but that's all they were getting anyway.

 

[Harthan]

ESPN is reporting that the Milwaukee Bucks and the Golden State Warriors have made a deal. The Milwaukee Bucks will trade Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson to the Golden State Warriors in return for Monte Ellis, Ekpe Udoh, and Kwame Brown.

I love this deal for Milwaukee as its exactly the kind of low risk, high reward deal they needed to do to, in my estimation, virtually lock down the #8 seed and do what they can with they have right now. I expect Milwaukee to be the huge short term winners, as Andrew Bogut will not be able to play until April at the earliest, and almost certainly will not produce until next season. Jackson is also injured and his debut for the Warriors is unclear in terms of a date. Ellis is of course the centerpiece of this deal and it's a great move for the Bucks. Ellis is a great offensive shooting guard, but plays shoddy defense. The difference in Milwaukee is that he now has a coach who isn't going to let him get away with it, which I expect will improve him on the defensive end. Basically I figure, in the short term, this has to be an improvement, as Milwaukee swapped two guys who aren't playing for two who are (and Kwame Brown, who is used to being a colossal disappointment). I see Ellis not only providing strong offense for the Bucks but improving Jennings as he takes some pressure off.

I think, surprisingly, the Bucks are the long term winner as well. Some would argue Bogut in the long term is valuable, and it's true - if he's healthy, he'll be a mighty center for years to come. But the Bucks didn't do a straight up swap - they also acquired Udoh, who will play solid defense for them off the bench, and perhaps most importantly, allowed them to open up about seven million in cap space this offseason that should let them continue to fill holes and perhaps chase a higher seed next year.

Excellent deal for Milwaukee both short and long term and one that signals intentions of just getting a lottery pick and hoping Bogut lives up to his potential for the Warriors.

 

[Khalifa]

Now that I have thought about it a little more it makes sense for both teams. Milwaukee get stronger both definsively and offensively and Warriors keep their protected draft pick (projected 7) as well as get a good centre for once. Curry can now run the show and when healthy will be a top 5 point guard in this league in a few years. He has the smarts, the maturity and the coach to let him do that. Bogut and Lee on the block is going to suck for any defense and then to have a 3 good three point shooters on the outside in Wright, Curry and Jackson. Jackson will of course hinder the team but it doesn't really matter because they have no depth at all. When Jackson goes they will have new draft picks and a lot of free cap space to finally let them hopefully make a play off spot.

 

[JamJam]

Can we all agree that we didn't see this trade happening? It's going to get interesting with just days before the trade deadline. But anyway, this trade could really work out for Golden State in the end. Hopefully Bogut stays healthy for once and blossoms to be the dominant big man that he can be. Hell, they beat the Kings, who are no pushovers with Cousins and Thornton, with a depleted roster. I'll say that the Warriors will have a good bench with Nate Robinson, Brandon Rush, and Klay Thompson anchoring it.

 

[The Talon]

As a Brooklyn native, I desperately wanna see Superman get traded to the Nets. Being in a new environment, and playing with Deron Williams could easily rejuvenate his career. Hell, it might even get him back to 2009 levels of greatness.

Also, Mike D'Antoni's resigned from the Knicks. So 'Melo gets his wish. Expect Mr. Linsanity to get waived pretty soon.

 

[Harthan]

As a Brooklyn native, I desperately wanna see Superman get traded to the Nets. Being in a new environment, and playing with Deron Williams could easily rejuvenate his career. Hell, it might even get him back to 2009 levels of greatness.

Also, Mike D'Antoni's resigned from the Knicks. So 'Melo gets his wish. Expect Mr. Linsanity to get waived pretty soon.

Carmelo Anthony is an embarrassment to himself and to the sport. You're telling me that he couldn't do what D'Antoni asked him to? Seriously? I call bullshit. All he had to do was swallow his goddamn pride, play like D'Antoni asked him to, and run his offense, and this team could have won a championship. Instead, he was a prima donna bitch who couldn't deal with not getting post up opportunities because he didn't want his numbers to go down. I hope they miss the playoffs and Jeremy Lin gets to play somewhere where his talents will actually be utilized, although he probably won't be moved for at least another season or two until Melo has murdered his numbers enough.

Carmelo Anthony killed the Knicks. I hope he's happy with himself.

 

[Big Sexy]

The biggest winner of the GS/Bucks trade is Brandon Jennings. Jennings skill set is that of a pass first point guard but because Milwaukee hasn't had any good scorers around him, he has had to shoulder the scoring load for the last two years. Now with Monta Ellis in the back court, Jennings can have that facilitator mind set and allow Ellis to take over the bulk of the scoring.

 

[Harthan]

Here are my thoughts on a couple of today's deadline deals.

Nene from Nuggets to Wizards for JaVale McGee and Ronny Turiaf; Clippers send Brian Cook and a future second round pick to Wizards for Nick Young

Nuggets - For my money, JaVale McGee is a better center than Nene despite his occasional glaring errors that have made him a bit of an embarrassing YouTube sensation. However, Nene has underperformed for the Nuggets and his contract has all the makings of disaster, as he will be 30 very shortly and his reliance on his athleticism will cost him as he ages. Freeing themselves from his contract is good, as it will let them hang onto more reliable, talented young players over the coming years. McGee is five years younger and more productive overall. He's just as good offensively as Nene and better defensively, and can be signed this summer for a lot less than Nene's contract. The Nuggets also get a massive trade exception out of this deal to the tune of 13 million. Excellent deal for Denver.

Wizards - The losers in this deal for me. Nene doesn't make a ton of sense for me. The Wizards seem to be thinking that they're one player away and Nene somehow puts them into contention for a title, which doesn't make sense. Would have been much wiser to build around McGee instead of taking on a risky player on a long contract. It just seems to me like they took on a lot of salary and a lot of years for less talent. Dishing Young is less of a big deal since Washington wasn't interested in him, which is fair. They obviously want different pieces around Wall long term and wouldn't have kept Young this summer anyway. The only real upside is a high second round pick (it's from the Hornets).

Clippers - The Clippers are clearly in contention mode and as such, draft picks, especially second round draft picks, are totally expendable for them. Giving up that pick is essentially giving up nothing for LA, which in turn gets them a rental shooting guard to replace Billups for the season. Young has his problems, but what he does, he does well. He's excellent as a catch and shoot guy and has a wicked jump shot. On the flip side, he's a mediocre defender and an abysmal passer. Considering that they gave up little and can slot Young into a trade exception, though, this is basically getting Young for free, which is hard to argue with. He'll be a fine role player as the Clippers make their run in the playoffs this year. Good move for the Clippers, though they probably can't hang onto him over the summer. A free rental who can immediately start, though? Works for me.

Nets trade Shawne Williams, Mehmet Okur and a first-round pick to Portland for Gerald Wallace.

Portland - Excellent for the Blazers. Things have gone wrong for the Blazers big time over the last couple years, but this is the start to a rapid rebuilding project around LaMarcus Aldridge which is exactly what needed to happen in Portland. In the short term, this is bad for Portland's record, which is good for Portland's future. It should net them a lottery pick, and the pick they get from the Nets is only top 3 protected. The Nets' pick is definitely a lottery pick and it's more likely to fall in the 6-10 range, while the Blazers pick should fall into the same range. Two top 10 picks in a strong 2012 draft class? Hell. Yes. This is also great for their cap situation. Jamal Crawford probably opts out, they're freed from the possibility of Williams opting in, and that puts them 25 million under the cap which lets them resign Batum and add free agents. Portland made a phenomenal deal in my opinion here and if the draft and free agency go well for them they are going to be legit next year.

New Jersey - I'm not thrilled about this move for the Nets. I would rather have had that draft pick, personally. Frankly, I'd rather they hadn't messed around with Williams in the first place. I'd much rather have the three guys that now play for Utah than one Deron Williams, especially considering Williams may not stick around this summer. But, that's already done. This seems to me like a continued gamble to acquire Dwight Howard and convince Deron William to stay in town. Orlando was interested in Wallace, and they could theoretically trade him over the summer. That relies on Wallace opting in over the summer, however, which is no guarantee. On Williams front, though, I'm not sure I'd stick around in New Jersey even after this move. As it stands, the Nets have a pretty good team with potential for future years. Will Williams like that more than what Dallas offers? Probably not. I don't see Williams in New Jersey next year and I think once that happens the last two trade deadline deals for the Nets are going to look really bad. On the upside, they will have a lot of cap space to keep themselves above water when Williams leaves, even if Wallace opts in.

 

[Alastor]

I don't understand the thinking behind giving Nene that massive contract earlier in the season and now trading him for a young immature center who will want to command similar amount of money at the end of this season. I rather keep the ageing but proven center than gamble on McGee suddenly growing up at the end of the season if they sign him on his extension. I think the Wizards were looking to get rid of the players rather than to add to their team in the trades. We have seen from Knicks that talent alone do not win games, so maybe with a better chemistry by ridding of trouble makers in the locker room might make the Wizards the winners.

I think the Lakers finally with a young point guard in Sessions that can defend the other younger point guards was a good deal. The team kept their competitive advantage with size while remedying their point guard issue without losing much since their picks would probably be in the late 20s.

 

[Khalifa]

I am a little mixed on the Lakers deals yesterday. Yes we finally got a point guard that isn't going to get blown by every other point guard in the league (Ramon Sessions) but then we got rid of D-Fish, who was just as good as player as anyone when it came down to it. He is a terrific clutch shooter, EXCELLENT leadership skills and does the right thing for every single play. Plus he has been with Kobe almost his whole career so it will be sad to see them two split up. Jordan Hill is a good back up for Bynum and I'm sure iwll develop even better with Kobe/Pau/Bynum guiding him. I would of much rathered get Beasley for athletic ability and his scoring but unfortunately that deal fell through in the dying moments .

 

[JamJam]

Well the new look Lakers took care of business against the T-Wolves tonight. I know it was pretty sad seeing D-Fish go but I expect him to be bought out in Houston and maybe the Lakers can sign him back next season. Sessions played really well in 19 minutes of action. Plus, did ya'll see the speed that the kid has? I'm real excited for them now. And it looks like Pau is playing well consistently now along with Bynum. I'm glad they kept these two. Good job Mitch Kupchak!

 

[Harthan]

A couple more trade deadline thoughts.

Lakers send Derek Fisher, first round pick to Rockets for Jordan Hill; Lakers acquire Ramon Sessions and Christian Eyenga from Cleveland for Luke Walton, Jason Kopono, and a first round 2012 pick, (Cleveland gets the right to swap Heat's 2013 first-round pick with Lakers' first-rounder

Los Angeles Lakers - Two really sweet moves on the Lakers part. Derek Fisher had, regrettably, ceased to be useful to the Lakers, and Walton and Kopono's contracts were dead weight. Sessions is not the best point guard in town, and he's not a seamless fit into the Lakers offense, but he's a hell of a lot better than anything they had before and should translate into a big upgrade for them. Eyenga of course is useless and only necessary for the money to work out. As for dishing Derek Fisher, it had to be done. His veteran presence doesn't make up for Sessions's ability to execute. Furthermore, they get Jordan Hill, a decent backup center out of it. He's also only on a team option for 2012, so he can be dumped for further savings. So, the Lakers saved big money and get usable players. The thing about the Lakers before this deal was that they had three stars and absolutely nothing else. I mean, seriously, it was bad. Now their starting lineup is almost complete - they still lack a decent 3, and it's a shame that the Beasley deal didn't work out for them. They also now have a somewhat better bench with Hill on it. So, good moves all around for LA. In my opinion, they now have a legitimate chance at reaching the finals, which they sure didn't before.

Cleveland - This is all about that draft pick as Cleveland adopts the OKC model of rebuilding. They have their franchise player, their "Kevin Durant" so to speak in Kyrie Irving. Now it's about finding the "Westbrook:, the "Ibaka", and so on. This is a low 20s pick for sure, but hey, Ibaka came out of the low 20s. Admittedly, this is not an organization known for finding great talent outside of the top of the draft, but in a very deep draft class, they should find something solid to go along with their probable top 10 pick. My concern is that they overpaid, but I'm not hugely concerned about it. Some have said that they might have acquired the draft pick just by taking on the salary of Walton and Kopono (Kopono, by the way, was bought out by the Cavaliers shortly after, who then signed two PGs out of the D-League) and that's probably true. But, that would have shot their chances of hanging onto Sessions right in the foot anyway, which makes losing him in this deal basically a non factor and a guarantee that the Lakers would do it. Taking on the salary also reduces their cap space over the summer, but this isn't really the summer to be going after expensive FAs anyway. This also should keep the Cavs out of the playoffs, and ideally getting them a top 10 lottery pick. All in all, the deal serves the rebuilding project very well, which is very good.

Houston - Initially, I might have discussed Derek Fisher and his implications for Houston, but all reports suggest he'll be bought out. So essentially, this was a straight up Hill for draft pick move. This is, I believe, the Mavericks' pick in 2012, so it should also be a low to mid 20s pick. The thing is, it comes on the cheap, much cheaper than what Cleveland or Golden State paid. Good move for the Rockets to buy a draft pick.

San Antonio Spurs acquire Stephen Jackson for Richard Jefferson, TJ Ford, and a first round 2012 draft pick to the Golden State Warriors

Warriors - Not a bad move. Clearly part of the continued tanking effort, but I don't think that the combo of Jefferson and Ford is much worse than Jackson alone. The draft pick helps, but it's going to be very low given the Spurs excellent record right now. So, kind of a limbo move for the Warriors. Their own pick should have a shot at improving a little as a result of this move, and as I mentioned for the Cavaliers, this is a deep draft, so a late first round pick is pretty good. They paid out the ass for it, tough. Jefferson will be on the books for a while, taking the Warriors out of the FA market for the next two summers, and probably all their cap space is going to go toward extending Curry. In other words, you're looking at a maxed out Warriors team right now. Are you excited about this team as it stands? I'm sure not.

Spurs - Decent move that's probably more about opening the cap space in 2013, which they can use for two purposes based on the Tim Duncan scenario this summer. Duncan is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. Odds are that the Spurs keep him on, as he's the face of the franchise and still a strong contributor as he ages. In that case, they can use that expanded cap space in 2013 to make a big move and try to bring one more title to town before Duncan is completely done. Alternatively, Tim Duncan is no longer in town in 2013 and that cap space goes toward replacing him and pseudo-rebuilding the team. Jackson in the short term should help the team out, since this a system that's kept him in line before. He should contribute to their playoff run.

 

[Big Sexy]

I love what the Lakers did. Ramon Sessions finally gives them a point guard who can actually contribute in all facets of the game. Derk Fisher was just too old and Steve Blake just isn't very good. They have a promising rookie with Darius Morris but with the lack of a real off season he isn't close to being ready to step in and do anything of note. The addition of Jordan Hill is another nice move. He is a solid, young talent and adds much needed depth to that front court.

I also like what the Spurs did getting Stephen Jackson. To really contend for a title, the Spurs needed to add an X factor. They got that X factor in Jackson, who is familiar with the Spurs system as he played a big role on their 2003 championship team. He was the starting shooting guard on that championship winning team and the third leading scorer behind Duncan and Parker. I see Jackson eventually starting at the 2 for this Spurs team as well.

 

[Australia's Finest]

Heat looking for their 15th straight home win against the Mavs with a 60-53 lead at half-time.

Lebron with 11pts, 4rbs and 2ast, Wade with 14pts and Haslem and Cole going well off the bench with 8 points each on 8-10 shooting between them. Team is shooting 61% from the field so far.

 

[TLK]

Quite upset about the postseason thus far. It took me 12 years as a Dirk/Mavericks fan to see him finally hoist the trophy last year. Now he's basically playing 1 on 5. The rest of the Mavs (namely Terry like he did in Game 1) need to step it up a notch (or 5).

 

[The Crock]

Well, the 2011-2012 Utah Jazz season is officially over. Swept out of the playoffs I'm the first round by the San Antonio Spurs. I can't say that I'm surprised, but I wouldn't say that I'm disappointed in the team's performance either. I would have obviously loved to have a nice playoff run, but that wasn't going to happen, realistically. The Jazz were penned -- by most -- to be one of the worst teams in the West, nowhere near playoff contention. Based off of our 2010-2011 campaign, that was a pretty safe bet. This Jazz team really exceeded all expectations and did all their fans, including me, very proud. We saw Paul Millsap blossom into a true clutch-time, go-to player for our franchise, Al Jefferson produced some great games down the stretch, Derrick Favors, Gordon Hayward and Enes Kanter developed nicely; this team became as good as it could have been, all things considered. While it may be a little bittersweet right now, I'm very happy with the Jazz.

Looking to next year and beyond, management seems to be set in keeping Millsap/Jefferson/Favors/Kanter as our front court, which is going to be interesting, to say the least. I'm not convinced this can last past next season, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Jefferson be traded and Millsap get re-signed, as Millsap is leaps and bounds more valuable to this team -- he's not going to be nearly as expensive to keep around, either. The Point Guard position is also going to be a chief concern that will need to be looked at very soon. Harris had a nice end of the season, but he played very poorly to start, and lacked the consistency and stability I'd like to see from a starting PG. I doubt the Jazz make a splash in free agency with any of the big name PGs (Nash, Kidd), but I think we'll probably extend an offer to Aaron Brooks or go after Kirk Hinrich -- maybe even a lower level guard to platoon with Devin Harris and Jamaal Tinsley (Earl Watson won't be around), as we don't have the luxury of having a first round selection in this year's draft. That'll probably hurt us more than anything. At one point, the Jazz looked poised for TWO first round picks, maybe even drafting high enough to snag a top tier PG in the draft, but that was squashed when we made the playoffs and Golden State tanked to keep their pick. As uncharacteristic it is for the Jazz, they'll have to go after bigger free agents this offseason and go after them HARD. It'll require them to shift around some money (maybe even dumping a few contracts via trade), but they won't be able to improve much this offseason. The future looks bright a few years down the line, though. We'll have lots of first round picks in the coming years, making up for the lack of one this year. I can only hope Kanter/Burks/Hayward/Favors can all improve and have big years next year, as we'll need it to avoid being stuck at the bottom of the playoffs and getting hung out to dry again.

It'll be an exciting offseason, but only to see what our plan for the future is. The front court logjam is going to be a problem and the lack of production from the guards isn't going to fix itself either. The Jazz have to make a decision about where they see this team going, otherwise we'll be nothing more than a feeder to the true contenders in the West -- which would be a shame, considering all the young talent we have to work with.

 

[TLK]

I'm confused by Devin Harris' play. He was very inconsistent while with Dallas, exploded beyond anyone's expectations while in a prominent role in New Jersey, then kind of regressed with Utah. I guess any PG in the franchise's future is going to be overshadowed by Stockton, but I definitely thought Harris could be the leader and big scoring threat that he was in NJ. He's definitely young and talented enough to go blow for blow with Tony Parker, but Harris was too inconsistent while Parker was other-worldly.

I'm rather anxious for the offseason. I hope Dallas can seal the deal with D-Will and move Kidd to the reserve slot. Dirk was right when he stated he needs help after the Game 4 loss.

 

[The Crock]

I'm confused by Devin Harris' play. He was very inconsistent while with Dallas, exploded beyond anyone's expectations while in a prominent role in New Jersey, then kind of regressed with Utah. I guess any PG in the franchise's future is going to be overshadowed by Stockton, but I definitely thought Harris could be the leader and big scoring threat that he was in NJ. He's definitely young and talented enough to go blow for blow with Tony Parker, but Harris was too inconsistent while Parker was other-worldly.

I'm rather anxious for the offseason. I hope Dallas can seal the deal with D-Will and move Kidd to the reserve slot. Dirk was right when he stated he needs help after the Game 4 loss.

See, I don't necessarily think that any PG we get will be overshadowed by Stockton, as most people don't really make that comparison. Deron Williams thrived here and had more fan support than anybody since Stockton and Malone. People loved Deron and the pressure of being compared to Stockton was never a problem. The issue with Harris is that he was never as good as people thought in the first place. Sure, he was a budding star in New Jersey, but he was basically the ENTIRE team. In Utah, he's a member of the supporting cast -- which is a drastically different role than what our PGs usually are in. Our offense runs through Hayward, Millsap, Jefferson -- through guys that can make plays at the basket on a consistent basis. I've seen Harris get the opportunity and flounder. Some games, he shows flashes of brilliance, other times he just looks lost.

I'll support Devin Harris as long as he's in Utah, but there have been plenty of instances where he hurt the team by not playing his role correctly. When we need him to attack, he withdraws, but when we need him to distribute the ball, he attacks the basket (usually turning it over or not finishing the play). If Devin could find a balance, much like Deron did, he'd be a great fit. As of right now, though, it looks like Ty Corbin is trying to jam Devin into our offense, without much success. Tony Parker picked Devin Harris apart, but that was expected. Harris isn't on that level of "elite" PGs, hell, I wouldn't put him in the "above average" category right now. He's been painfully hard to watch in his time as a member of the Utah Jazz. In his first complete season with us, he averaged 11.3 PPG -- he hadn't averaged under 14 PPG since 2006. He averaged 5.0 APG, which was (again) his lowest since 2006. Out of PGs, he was 28th highest in PER (16.08, BARELY above average), with great names such as Jordan Farmar, Goran Dragic, and John Lucas ranking above him.

Harris has fallen off with Utah, which isn't completely his fault, but I can't say he's our starter for the foreseeable future. Again, I like Devin, but we need consistency -- even if we have to pay for it.

 

[Big Sexy]

Devin Harris is a good point guard, I just don't think he wants to be in Utah. He has really seemed disinterested since his arrival. If Golden State doesn't end up in the top 7 after the lottery then the Jazz will have an early first round pick and I think Kendall Marshall would be a perfect fit. He is one of the best pure point guard prospects I've seen in a while and would be a great complement to the rest of the Jazz rotation. If they can get Marshall then there is also a chance they trade Harris. He will be a wanted man by contending teams who need a point guard because next year is the last in his deal. An all star caliber point guard with an expiring contract is a great trade option.

 

[Davi323]

“I’m not fading into the shadows. I’m not going anywhere. We’re not going anywhere. Its not one of those things, where.. like.. the Bulls beat the Pistons and the Pistons disappeared forever. I’m not going for that shit.”

Hey, Kobe? Forever? FOREVER? Remind me again which team you lost to in the 2004 NBA Finals?

OH THAT'S RIGHT.

You lost to the "forever disappeared" Detroit Pistons. You must have forgot that part.

I get that he probably meant the Isiah Thomas/Joe Dumars Pistons, but then he shouldn't have said the word "forever". When you lose in the NBA Finals to the team you claim disappeared forever, you earn a pretty damn big SHUT THE FUCK UP, Kobe.

 

[TLK]

Haha, I'm actually really surprised he didn't do more of the "Oh, there's a bus coming. Quick, Gasol, throw yourself under it!" routine that we've seen throughout the playoffs. Granted, Pau played like shit, but Kobe is partially (if not mainly) responsible for 2 of their losses against the Thunder.