The NBA basketball thread 2013-2014

[somaplr]

[quote name='MtlJeff' timestamp='1384487394' post='8151496']
[quote name='somaplr' timestamp='1384479911' post='8150838']
[quote name='MtlJeff' timestamp='1384477204' post='8150592']
[quote name='somaplr' timestamp='1384403563' post='8146788']
I'm going to Pacers v Wolves on the 25th. Looking forward to that.
[/quote]

that should be a great matchup, lot of interesting ones there!
[/quote]

Yep. Never seen Rubio or Love (slight man crush) live yet so I'm geeked. I'm an unapologetic Lakers fans but run over to Indy for NBA games all the time since it's close. It's just never ever been this awesome b/c Indiana is so good.
[/quote]

Kevin Love's numbers kind of defy logic. The last time he was fully healthy and playing with Rubio healthy was 2 years ago when they looked like a lock for the playoffs before his injury. He averaged something like 27-15 for a couple of months. I mean no one really does that outside of the 60's or 70's when guys put up crazy numbers. He's averaging 27-14 through 8-9 games this years. He is just insane offensively, i mean if he keeps up even a pace close to that where does that leave us? like if he throws up 26-14 or something....who does that????
[/quote]

He's about to break the PER machine.

His full court outlet passes this year to Mr Cherry Picker (Brewer) make me giggle like a child.

It might be a stretch, ok a big stretch, to highlight his defensive intangibles though!

[scratchswinger]

[quote name='somaplr' timestamp='1384495930' post='8151924']
The clippers defense is down right awful. They are the second worst defensively efficient team in the league. They allow the 3rd most points in the paint and let their opponents shoot 48% from the field, also second worst in the league. Lockdown D is pretty far from their forte.
[/quote]

Have you watched their games or are you just looking at stats? I would be willing to bet that you play in fantasy leagues.

[jashton88]

[quote name='scratchswinger' timestamp='1384497294' post='8151988']
[quote name='somaplr' timestamp='1384495930' post='8151924']
The clippers defense is down right awful. They are the second worst defensively efficient team in the league. They allow the 3rd most points in the paint and let their opponents shoot 48% from the field, also second worst in the league. Lockdown D is pretty far from their forte.
[/quote]

Have you watched their games or are you just looking at stats? I would be willing to bet that you play in fantasy leagues.
[/quote]

Are you disagreeing with him or just annoyed that he posted stats? I've watched every Clippers game this season and their defense has been non-existent. I don't need stats to tell me that. The same goes for the Rockets, Thunder, and even Warriors at times. If these teams don't get their acts together San Antonio will be returning to the finals. Defense wins championships.

The Clippers have the same flaws as they did last year when they lost to the Grizzlies in the first round. That being said, I'm not saying their defense won't improve as the season goes on, but if they face a healthy San Antonio team I still think they are outmatched. Without Blake Griffin dominating the post, the Spurs will lock down all of their shooters.

[somaplr]

[quote name='scratchswinger' timestamp='1384497294' post='8151988']
[quote name='somaplr' timestamp='1384495930' post='8151924']
The clippers defense is down right awful. They are the second worst defensively efficient team in the league. They allow the 3rd most points in the paint and let their opponents shoot 48% from the field, also second worst in the league. Lockdown D is pretty far from their forte.
[/quote]

Have you watched their games or are you just looking at stats? I would be willing to bet that you play in fantasy leagues.
[/quote]

I watch more NBA games in a week than most people do all year. My wife goes to bed around 8-8:30pm (luckily enough she's a fan) and I have two games going every night on between the iPad and the main TV due to NBA League Pass. I go to about 12-15 games a yar. I played the game at a high level. I am in two high entry fee fantasy leauges and bet AGT on about 6-10 games a week. I think it's fair to say, I watch more NBA games than anyone I've ever met.

Fantasy has to do with understanding numbers and where players fit and what they do...it has nothing, absolutely nothing, comprehending defensive statistics that I referenced. It's an entire different world.

If one doesn't understand how those stats relate, then well...I don't know what to tell you or even how you can refute that. It's not like I came up with the numbers myself, these are stats NBA GM's and coaches use - not what's readily talking about in ESPN articles. Their basic philosophy is - score more than the other team. They can't guard anyone in the post, Reddick (who I love for that team) can't guard his shadow. There is problems everywhere for them defensively and when the game slows down it's the reason why they get their @$$ handed to them on their home floor vs. Memphis every year in the playoffs. They have the highest pace in the NBA, and when the playoffs roll around and the game slows down it kills their effectiveness & efficiency. Maybe that changes with Doc, maybe it doesn't. Just b/c Doc shows up he's going to turn Griffin and Jordan into defensive players - not happening.

If I said "I really believe that the Cleveland Cavs will turn into an instant scoring, highly efficient offense...one of the best in the league" you'd look at me like I was nuts. That's kind of what you're Clips Lockdown D thing is. You have to look passed...well, the Thunder didn't score on a few possesions down the stretch without a on fire Serge Ibaka. Stats are stats, they do not lie or carry bias.

The reason they win is that they have one of the best shooting teams in the league and they create a lot of possessions (and obviously the best PG in the game). But that will always be the case with someone like CP3 (early MVP pick).

[somaplr]

[quote name='baseballfrk8998' timestamp='1384529348' post='8153160']
[quote name='MtlJeff' timestamp='1384487025' post='8151464']
I thought the Clippers would win the West in the regular season, but the playoffs are a different animal. It's tough to play Crawford in the playoffs, he's literally one of the worst defensive players in the league

The Clips right now are the 3rd worst team in the league in pts/100 possesions. I believe, though i might be wrong, that only 1-2 teams in the last 25 years have won the title without finishing in the top 10, and one of them was one of the Lakers teams with Shaq/Kobe that sleepwalked their way through the regular season.

The Clippers have a devastating offense, eventually we will see how they fare in a 7 game series against a team that plays both ways. Currently SA, OKC, Golden State and surprisingly Houston are all in the top 10 in defensive efficiency.

I could see all of those teams except Houston finishing in the top 10.

I like watching the Clips but it will be tough.
[/quote]

What does this defensive efficiency stat derive from? In the few games I've seen Houston play, they've been pretty bad defensively. I mean they've given up THE MOST points in the league so far.

Are the rest of the teams in the NBA really that bad defensively?
[/quote]

Defensive efficiency stats take a few things into factors. It computes the number of points a team allows in 100 possessions - so it throws things like Pace of Play - to calculate how much a team gets scored on. There are many others, like eFG% against....which is bascially how well a team shoots against your defense and where they get shots on the floor.

I guess I don't understand what the "rest" means. You basically picked the worst interior defense (clippers) and the worst perimeter defenders (Rockets) in the league for a case study.

[somaplr]

That GSW OKC game last night was redunkulous, btw. GOY so far. If that's the matchup in the WCF I will be tickled to death.

[mnplayer]

That was a crazy game last night, Westbrook with the horrible shot that goes down and then Iggy with the fadeaway. Crazy. So many good teams in the west, I think there are up to 5-6 teams that can come out of the west that I wouldn't be completely surprised to see in the finals.

[baseballfrk8998]

[quote name='somaplr' timestamp='1384530270' post='8153238']
[quote name='baseballfrk8998' timestamp='1384529348' post='8153160']
[quote name='MtlJeff' timestamp='1384487025' post='8151464']
I thought the Clippers would win the West in the regular season, but the playoffs are a different animal. It's tough to play Crawford in the playoffs, he's literally one of the worst defensive players in the league

The Clips right now are the 3rd worst team in the league in pts/100 possesions. I believe, though i might be wrong, that only 1-2 teams in the last 25 years have won the title without finishing in the top 10, and one of them was one of the Lakers teams with Shaq/Kobe that sleepwalked their way through the regular season.

The Clippers have a devastating offense, eventually we will see how they fare in a 7 game series against a team that plays both ways. Currently SA, OKC, Golden State and surprisingly Houston are all in the top 10 in defensive efficiency.

I could see all of those teams except Houston finishing in the top 10.

I like watching the Clips but it will be tough.
[/quote]

What does this defensive efficiency stat derive from? In the few games I've seen Houston play, they've been pretty bad defensively. I mean they've given up THE MOST points in the league so far.

Are the rest of the teams in the NBA really that bad defensively?
[/quote]

Defensive efficiency stats take a few things into factors. It computes the number of points a team allows in 100 possessions - so it throws things like Pace of Play - to calculate how much a team gets scored on. There are many others, like eFG% against....which is bascially how well a team shoots against your defense and where they get shots on the floor.

I guess I don't understand what the "rest" means. You basically picked the worst interior defense (clippers) and the worst perimeter defenders (Rockets) in the league for a case study.
[/quote]

The Rockets are Top 10 in defensive efficiency. If they're top 10, the [b]rest[/b] of the league must be really bad.

That's the point I was making. They're terrible defensively, no matter what the stats say.

Where did you get Clippers from? I never said anything about LAC.

[tocino]

[quote name='mnplayer' timestamp='1384536032' post='8153722']
That was a crazy game last night, Westbrook with the horrible shot that goes down and then Iggy with the fadeaway. Crazy. So many good teams in the west, I think there are up to 5-6 teams that can come out of the west that I wouldn't be completely surprised to see in the finals.
[/quote]

I was watching the 2nd half from my bed and after westbrook made that shot I thought the game was over. So during the comerical break i pick up my ipad to see if there was anything new on the BST when my wife starts screaming. I look up and totally missed the last shot. The replays were awesome, though! Loved how durant was standing there like someone just took his lunch money. The rematch later on in the year is going to be great!

The western conference is super stacked this year, my only fear is that they're all going to beat themselves up trying to get to the finals only to lose to a rested miami/indiana/chicago team

[somaplr]

[quote name='baseballfrk8998' timestamp='1384536271' post='8153752']
[quote name='somaplr' timestamp='1384530270' post='8153238']
[quote name='baseballfrk8998' timestamp='1384529348' post='8153160']
[quote name='MtlJeff' timestamp='1384487025' post='8151464']
I thought the Clippers would win the West in the regular season, but the playoffs are a different animal. It's tough to play Crawford in the playoffs, he's literally one of the worst defensive players in the league

The Clips right now are the 3rd worst team in the league in pts/100 possesions. I believe, though i might be wrong, that only 1-2 teams in the last 25 years have won the title without finishing in the top 10, and one of them was one of the Lakers teams with Shaq/Kobe that sleepwalked their way through the regular season.

The Clippers have a devastating offense, eventually we will see how they fare in a 7 game series against a team that plays both ways. Currently SA, OKC, Golden State and surprisingly Houston are all in the top 10 in defensive efficiency.

I could see all of those teams except Houston finishing in the top 10.

I like watching the Clips but it will be tough.
[/quote]

What does this defensive efficiency stat derive from? In the few games I've seen Houston play, they've been pretty bad defensively. I mean they've given up THE MOST points in the league so far.

Are the rest of the teams in the NBA really that bad defensively?
[/quote]

Defensive efficiency stats take a few things into factors. It computes the number of points a team allows in 100 possessions - so it throws things like Pace of Play - to calculate how much a team gets scored on. There are many others, like eFG% against....which is bascially how well a team shoots against your defense and where they get shots on the floor.

I guess I don't understand what the "rest" means. You basically picked the worst interior defense (clippers) and the worst perimeter defenders (Rockets) in the league for a case study.
[/quote]

The Rockets are Top 10 in defensive efficiency. If they're top 10, the [b]rest[/b] of the league must be really bad.

That's the point I was making. They're terrible defensively, no matter what the stats say.

Where did you get Clippers from? I never said anything about LAC.
[/quote]

I didnt meant you per say, I just meant the teams we are looking at.

The PPP stat, doesn't outline defense inefficiencies as a whole, it just tells part of the story and basically, we have a REALLY small sample size of what & who the Rockets have faced (they have new parts, etc. They started the year 3-0 and played the likes of like Utah and Charlotte...but the one reason why Houston's defense is rated so high per possession is that their opponents are only shooting 41% on the year (3rd ranked). They give up a lot of points, but they are second or third in pace.

[baseballfrk8998]

[quote name='somaplr' timestamp='1384540245' post='8154106']
[quote name='baseballfrk8998' timestamp='1384536271' post='8153752']
[quote name='somaplr' timestamp='1384530270' post='8153238']
[quote name='baseballfrk8998' timestamp='1384529348' post='8153160']
[quote name='MtlJeff' timestamp='1384487025' post='8151464']
I thought the Clippers would win the West in the regular season, but the playoffs are a different animal. It's tough to play Crawford in the playoffs, he's literally one of the worst defensive players in the league

The Clips right now are the 3rd worst team in the league in pts/100 possesions. I believe, though i might be wrong, that only 1-2 teams in the last 25 years have won the title without finishing in the top 10, and one of them was one of the Lakers teams with Shaq/Kobe that sleepwalked their way through the regular season.

The Clippers have a devastating offense, eventually we will see how they fare in a 7 game series against a team that plays both ways. Currently SA, OKC, Golden State and surprisingly Houston are all in the top 10 in defensive efficiency.

I could see all of those teams except Houston finishing in the top 10.

I like watching the Clips but it will be tough.
[/quote]

What does this defensive efficiency stat derive from? In the few games I've seen Houston play, they've been pretty bad defensively. I mean they've given up THE MOST points in the league so far.

Are the rest of the teams in the NBA really that bad defensively?
[/quote]

Defensive efficiency stats take a few things into factors. It computes the number of points a team allows in 100 possessions - so it throws things like Pace of Play - to calculate how much a team gets scored on. There are many others, like eFG% against....which is bascially how well a team shoots against your defense and where they get shots on the floor.

I guess I don't understand what the "rest" means. You basically picked the worst interior defense (clippers) and the worst perimeter defenders (Rockets) in the league for a case study.
[/quote]

The Rockets are Top 10 in defensive efficiency. If they're top 10, the [b]rest[/b] of the league must be really bad.

That's the point I was making. They're terrible defensively, no matter what the stats say.

Where did you get Clippers from? I never said anything about LAC.
[/quote]

I didnt meant you per say, I just meant the teams we are looking at.

The PPP stat, doesn't outline defense inefficiencies as a whole, it just tells part of the story and basically, we have a REALLY small sample size of what & who the Rockets have faced (they have new parts, etc. They started the year 3-0 and played the likes of like Utah and Charlotte...but the one reason why Houston's defense is rated so high per possession is that their opponents are only shooting 41% on the year (3rd ranked). They give up a lot of points, but they are second or third in pace.
[/quote]

That makes much more sense now. I appreciate the explanation.

[mnplayer]

[quote name='tocino' timestamp='1384538413' post='8153944']
[quote name='mnplayer' timestamp='1384536032' post='8153722']
That was a crazy game last night, Westbrook with the horrible shot that goes down and then Iggy with the fadeaway. Crazy. So many good teams in the west, I think there are up to 5-6 teams that can come out of the west that I wouldn't be completely surprised to see in the finals.
[/quote]

I was watching the 2nd half from my bed and after westbrook made that shot I thought the game was over. So during the comerical break i pick up my ipad to see if there was anything new on the BST when my wife starts screaming. I look up and totally missed the last shot. The replays were awesome, though! Loved how durant was standing there like someone just took his lunch money. The rematch later on in the year is going to be great!

The western conference is super stacked this year, my only fear is that they're all going to beat themselves up trying to get to the finals only to lose to a rested miami/indiana/chicago team
[/quote]

The best part for me was Durant and Ibaka at the scorers table after the game watching the replay, they couldn't believe it.
For sure a tougher regular season schedule in the west than in the east, will be interesting come playoff tim.

[somaplr]

[quote name='somaplr' timestamp='1384540245' post='8154106']
[quote name='baseballfrk8998' timestamp='1384536271' post='8153752']
[quote name='somaplr' timestamp='1384530270' post='8153238']
[quote name='baseballfrk8998' timestamp='1384529348' post='8153160']
[quote name='MtlJeff' timestamp='1384487025' post='8151464']
I thought the Clippers would win the West in the regular season, but the playoffs are a different animal. It's tough to play Crawford in the playoffs, he's literally one of the worst defensive players in the league

The Clips right now are the 3rd worst team in the league in pts/100 possesions. I believe, though i might be wrong, that only 1-2 teams in the last 25 years have won the title without finishing in the top 10, and one of them was one of the Lakers teams with Shaq/Kobe that sleepwalked their way through the regular season.

The Clippers have a devastating offense, eventually we will see how they fare in a 7 game series against a team that plays both ways. Currently SA, OKC, Golden State and surprisingly Houston are all in the top 10 in defensive efficiency.

I could see all of those teams except Houston finishing in the top 10.

I like watching the Clips but it will be tough.
[/quote]

What does this defensive efficiency stat derive from? In the few games I've seen Houston play, they've been pretty bad defensively. I mean they've given up THE MOST points in the league so far.

Are the rest of the teams in the NBA really that bad defensively?
[/quote]

Defensive efficiency stats take a few things into factors. It computes the number of points a team allows in 100 possessions - so it throws things like Pace of Play - to calculate how much a team gets scored on. There are many others, like eFG% against....which is bascially how well a team shoots against your defense and where they get shots on the floor.

I guess I don't understand what the "rest" means. You basically picked the worst interior defense (clippers) and the worst perimeter defenders (Rockets) in the league for a case study.
[/quote]

The Rockets are Top 10 in defensive efficiency. If they're top 10, the [b]rest[/b] of the league must be really bad.

That's the point I was making. They're terrible defensively, no matter what the stats say.

Where did you get Clippers from? I never said anything about LAC.
[/quote]

I didnt meant you per say, I just meant the teams we are looking at.

The PPP stat, doesn't outline defense inefficiencies as a whole, it just tells part of the story and basically, we have a REALLY small sample size of what & who the Rockets have faced (they have new parts, etc. They started the year 3-0 and played the likes of like Utah and Charlotte...but the one reason why Houston's defense is rated so high per possession is that their opponents are only shooting 41% on the year (3rd ranked). They give up a lot of points, but they are second or third in pace.
[/quote]

It certainly doens't help much when they LOOK so much fundamentally wearker than maybe the really are - especially at the guard positions (and god, is Harden the worst defender in the league??? It's a legitimate question).

This is a great site, btw: I spend a lot of time on it for gambling purposes
[url="http://www.teamrankings.com/nba/team/houston-rockets/stats"]http://www.teamrankings.com/nba/team/houston-rockets/stats[/url]

compared to someone like Indiana:

[url="http://www.teamrankings.com/nba/team/indiana-pacers"]http://www.teamrankings.com/nba/team/indiana-pacers[/url]



This is the craziest site in the world...it's like the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland. It's like crack for a person betting ATS and analyzing things.

[url="http://www.teamrankings.com/nba/stats/"]http://www.teamrankings.com/nba/stats/[/url]

[MtlJeff]

^^^^ Good lord, THANK YOU for someone else posting that about Harden. I love his offensive game but it gets tiring to hear him praised unequivocally (has a bad thing been said about him since the trade?) when he just isn't a good player on one side of the ball.

If the Rockets want to win anything, they can't have a guy of his stature acting as a turnstile out there.

[MtlJeff]

[quote name='baseballfrk8998' timestamp='1384536271' post='8153752']
[quote name='somaplr' timestamp='1384530270' post='8153238']
[quote name='baseballfrk8998' timestamp='1384529348' post='8153160']
[quote name='MtlJeff' timestamp='1384487025' post='8151464']
I thought the Clippers would win the West in the regular season, but the playoffs are a different animal. It's tough to play Crawford in the playoffs, he's literally one of the worst defensive players in the league

The Clips right now are the 3rd worst team in the league in pts/100 possesions. I believe, though i might be wrong, that only 1-2 teams in the last 25 years have won the title without finishing in the top 10, and one of them was one of the Lakers teams with Shaq/Kobe that sleepwalked their way through the regular season.

The Clippers have a devastating offense, eventually we will see how they fare in a 7 game series against a team that plays both ways. Currently SA, OKC, Golden State and surprisingly Houston are all in the top 10 in defensive efficiency.

I could see all of those teams except Houston finishing in the top 10.

I like watching the Clips but it will be tough.
[/quote]

What does this defensive efficiency stat derive from? In the few games I've seen Houston play, they've been pretty bad defensively. I mean they've given up THE MOST points in the league so far.

Are the rest of the teams in the NBA really that bad defensively?
[/quote]

Defensive efficiency stats take a few things into factors. It computes the number of points a team allows in 100 possessions - so it throws things like Pace of Play - to calculate how much a team gets scored on. There are many others, like eFG% against....which is bascially how well a team shoots against your defense and where they get shots on the floor.

I guess I don't understand what the "rest" means. You basically picked the worst interior defense (clippers) and the worst perimeter defenders (Rockets) in the league for a case study.
[/quote]

The Rockets are Top 10 in defensive efficiency. If they're top 10, the [b]rest[/b] of the league must be really bad.

That's the point I was making. They're terrible defensively, no matter what the stats say.

Where did you get Clippers from? I never said anything about LAC.
[/quote]

Yes that's why i consider it an early season statistical anomaly that will likely change as the season progresses. Even with Dwight at near 100% i think their perimeter defense is too weak to keep up the pace they are on

[baseballfrk8998]

Unibrow with 8 blocks tonight.. Not bad, not bad!

[somaplr]

Indiana goes down! Only a matter of time before PG and Stephenson have a bad night after they've been red hot.

I think they Pacers actually enjoy Stephenson having a bad night every once in awhile...his future contract is getting more expensive by the day.

[somaplr]

[quote name='MtlJeff' timestamp='1384566823' post='8156082']
^^^^ Good lord, THANK YOU for someone else posting that about Harden. I love his offensive game but it gets tiring to hear him praised unequivocally (has a bad thing been said about him since the trade?) when he just isn't a good player on one side of the ball.

If the Rockets want to win anything, they can't have a guy of his stature acting as a turnstile out there.
[/quote]

[url="http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9997968/the-rockets-approach-nba-finals-worthy"]http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9997968/the-rockets-approach-nba-finals-worthy[/url]

Get out of my brain Zach Lowe!!

[gambit]

[quote name='scratchswinger' timestamp='1384403580' post='8146790']
[quote name='MtlJeff' timestamp='1384388804' post='8145566']
Zach Lowe, true shooting percentage, pts per 100 on defense.....oh we are going to get along really well!

haha. I love the Pacers. Hibbert is a really classy guy too. One of the best interviews in the NBA
[/quote]

Hibbert classy? Do you remember his "classy" comment last year?
[/quote]

You talking about the interview 57 seconds in?

Tried to post as just a link, not the actual video...Don't click if you can't handle non-PCness.
[media=]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hi60QeNjIDk[/media]

[TheGameChanger]

[quote name='somaplr' timestamp='1384791857' post='8166772']
Indiana goes down! Only a matter of time before PG and Stephenson have a bad night after they've been red hot.

I think they Pacers actually enjoy Stephenson having a bad night every once in awhile...his future contract is getting more expensive by the day.
[/quote]

I have a hard time considering Indy as a title contender. I Just don't see them Beating The Bulls or The Heat in a 7 game series. Rose is something like 16-4 against Indy since Thibs took over.

The Brooklyn Nets have started out crap. However i expect them to turn things around. Would love to see them play Miami in the 2nd round. If Miami had trouble containing Hibbert last year imagine the problems with Lopez.

[baseballfrk8998]

[quote name='TheGameChanger' timestamp='1384911294' post='8175146']
[quote name='somaplr' timestamp='1384791857' post='8166772']
Indiana goes down! Only a matter of time before PG and Stephenson have a bad night after they've been red hot.

I think they Pacers actually enjoy Stephenson having a bad night every once in awhile...his future contract is getting more expensive by the day.
[/quote]

I have a hard time considering Indy as a title contender. I Just don't see them Beating The Bulls or The Heat in a 7 game series. Rose is something like 16-4 against Indy since Thibs took over.

The Brooklyn Nets have started out crap. However i expect them to turn things around. Would love to see them play Miami in the 2nd round. If Miami had trouble containing Hibbert last year imagine the problems with Lopez.
[/quote]

Indy took Miami to 7 last season with no bench. This year they'll likely have at least Granger and Scola coming off the bench. I think they have a shot..

[somaplr]

[quote name='TheGameChanger' timestamp='1384911294' post='8175146']
[quote name='somaplr' timestamp='1384791857' post='8166772']
Indiana goes down! Only a matter of time before PG and Stephenson have a bad night after they've been red hot.

I think they Pacers actually enjoy Stephenson having a bad night every once in awhile...his future contract is getting more expensive by the day.
[/quote]

I have a hard time considering Indy as a title contender. I Just don't see them Beating The Bulls or The Heat in a 7 game series. Rose is something like 16-4 against Indy since Thibs took over.

The Brooklyn Nets have started out crap. However i expect them to turn things around. Would love to see them play Miami in the 2nd round. If Miami had trouble containing Hibbert last year imagine the problems with Lopez.
[/quote]

What NBA are you watching this year?

[baseballfrk8998]

So I just noticed that there are only 4 teams in the East with winning records. I thought the East would be better than that this year. That surprises me.. Quite a bit, actually.

There are 10 teams in the West with winning records. SA is 9-1 and then you have Portland at 9-2. Who saw that coming?!

[scratchswinger]

Can't wait to see Kobe back in play. Love my Lakers and love Mamba. Gonna be fun to see him back on the court, I hope that he can stay healthy.

[mnplayer]

[quote name='scratchswinger' timestamp='1384925838' post='8176406']
Can't wait to see Kobe back in play. Love my Lakers and love Mamba. Gonna be fun to see him back on the court, I hope that he can stay healthy.
[/quote]

Same here, Lakers have really been missing Kobe. I just hope that we see the real Kobe Bryant out there, really don't want to see him rush back.

[gambit]

[quote name='mnplayer' timestamp='1385000677' post='8181310']
[quote name='scratchswinger' timestamp='1384925838' post='8176406']
Can't wait to see Kobe back in play. Love my Lakers and love Mamba. Gonna be fun to see him back on the court, I hope that he can stay healthy.
[/quote]

Same here, Lakers have really been missing Kobe. I just hope that we see the real Kobe Bryant out there, really don't want to see him rush back.
[/quote]

He just had his first full speed practice the other day and is hoping to come back before the end of the month. Can't wait to see him back.

[somaplr]

I'm one of the biggest Kobe fan-boys out there, unapologetically. I think we need to temper our expectations a little bit on what he may or may not be after this injury. We all know he's some type of alien, but he still has a long way to go I think. I'm not sure that practice was full speed from the interview I saw...yesterday he said he's just trying to immulate game movements on defense and when he catches the ball. I think we have a little while before he's playing 5 on 5 at full speed. Game speed in the NBA is such a fast pace, and he's not going to be there for some time unfortunately.

Or, as I'm hoping, I'm completely wrong and it just furthers the prognosis that Kobe is compelte lunatic alien.

edit: article today said he played "light" 5 on 5 yesterday

[TheGameChanger]

Looks like Rose did his ACL on his other knee.

[scratchswinger]

[quote name='TheGameChanger' timestamp='1385188454' post='8194390']
Looks like Rose did his ACL on his other knee.
[/quote]

I wonder what his brother will have to say it?

[baseballfrk8998]

It's doubtful that we see him play again before 2015.