The NBA basketball thread 2013-2014

[MtlJeff]

[quote name='mnplayer' timestamp='1394170696' post='8817355']
Anyone else watching this Lakers' "game." Just a joke, they didn't even really have a halftime show. Just made fun of the Lakers for a few minutes, I knew LA would be bad but this is ridiculous, no effort at all. Time for MDA to go?
[/quote]

I have a feeling the last few weeks of the season are going to be really really embarrassing for a lot of teams. They talked about it on the podcast the other day. Also Adam Silver publicly stated that he had no problems with the 76ers "long term plans"...which seemed like a hall pass to tanking for everyone

There are some teams that are horrible (philly, Bucks, orlando, lakers, jazz), but there are others who need to strive for horribleness, The Pelicans are a great example, if their pick falls in the top 5 they keep it. So winning games for them now is not good....they need to lose every game and will probably start trying. Expect Anthony Davis to get "injured" soon. Gonna see more stuff like that too

Interesting to watch the Knicks too, remember Denver gets their pick this year and they have stunk. As i said a few pages ago it would be hilarious if Carmelo leaves the same summer Denver's trade results in a pick of Wiggins , Embiid or Parker

[somaplr]

[quote name='MtlJeff' timestamp='1394155148' post='8815427']
Fun list!

I'll try

G: Patrick Beverley (definitely)
G; Dwayne Wade
G: Kobe
G: Kyle Lowry
F: Matt Barnes
F: Zach Randolph
F: Blake Griffin (everyone hates Blake Griffin, for various reasons)
F: David West
C: Joakim Noah
C: Kendrick Perkins
[/quote]

Ahhhhh I love the ZBo and Barnes addition - another good list.

Only addition I like to that is Rondo - because he hates everyone (except, I'm hearing he loves Brad Stevens).

[somaplr]

[quote name='MtlJeff' timestamp='1394202216' post='8818715']
[quote name='mnplayer' timestamp='1394170696' post='8817355']
Anyone else watching this Lakers' "game." Just a joke, they didn't even really have a halftime show. Just made fun of the Lakers for a few minutes, I knew LA would be bad but this is ridiculous, no effort at all. Time for MDA to go?
[/quote]

I have a feeling the last few weeks of the season are going to be really really embarrassing for a lot of teams. They talked about it on the podcast the other day. Also Adam Silver publicly stated that he had no problems with the 76ers "long term plans"...which seemed like a hall pass to tanking for everyone

There are some teams that are horrible (philly, Bucks, orlando, lakers, jazz), but there are others who need to strive for horribleness, The Pelicans are a great example, if their pick falls in the top 5 they keep it. So winning games for them now is not good....they need to lose every game and will probably start trying. Expect Anthony Davis to get "injured" soon. Gonna see more stuff like that too

Interesting to watch the Knicks too, remember Denver gets their pick this year and they have stunk. As i said a few pages ago it would be hilarious if Carmelo leaves the same summer Denver's trade results in a pick of Wiggins , Embiid or Parker
[/quote]

As a Lakers fan, I watch till I feel like I'm going to throw up - then I turn it off.

[TheGameChanger]

Great win by Houston today.

[MtlJeff]

[quote name='TheGameChanger' timestamp='1394260546' post='8824593']
Great win by Houston today.
[/quote]

They are a scary team, and probably the presidents of the "i wonder if they will be equally good in the playoffs club".

They have a lot of poor individual defenders, and rely very heavily on the 3 pointer. Zach Lowe flat out called Harden's defense an embarrassment recently, and he even went as far as to say he tried to avoid using words like that whenever possible. Parsons is so-so at best, Jones is undersized, Lin is brutal

Essentially they have Patrick Beverley and Dwight Howard holding it together like the last button of a shirt ripping off a fat guy.

But man offensively they are so scary. It seems like every time i watch them they have a streak where they hit like 10 shots in a row. Or they'll be like 11-15 from 3 after the first half. Harden gets to the line so well, and Dwight can still do all the Dwight stuff like rolling to the basket and putbacks

They are really scary. I just wonder how they'll do in a playoff series against a team that plays defense and can exploit mismatches

[MtlJeff]

A couple more thoughts:

-Indiana is really struggling the last month. Paul George i believe is shooting 40%, so s Roy Hibbert. They've gotten a bit worse defensively though are still #1. I'm not super worried as they struggled towards the end of last year too. But the top seed is in jeopardy. They rank below Memphis, in a tie with mighty Detroit for offensive ranking

-Suddenly the East has some teams i really wouldn't want to play. Not because they will beat Miami or Indiana (not likely anyway), but just because they are pesky and annoying. Obviously the Bulls need no introduction. But the Raptors go 8-9 deep with solid NBA guys and have the best backcourt in the East. They have shooters, and guys that get to the rim....and you know who might be a really pesky opponent? The Bobcats. Al Jefferson is playing really well offensively, and Kidd-Gilchrist and Gerald Henderson are real rugged defenders. If Kemba Walker has a good series they are no pushover

[MtlJeff]

teams in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive ranking:

-OKC (no surprise)
-San Antonio (ditto)
-Clippers
-Houston
-Toronto!!!!!

[MtlJeff]

holy &*&(&

Wiggins with 39-8 with 5 steals and 4 blocks, and 4 minutes left in the game

They are going to lose to WV....but still, that is some stat line in college

Edit...final stats

41-8-2-5-4

led Kansas in all 5 categories

[mnplayer]

Wiggins was a monster yesterday, I'd still take Parker over him. Parker dominated last night, can put it on the deck and shoot the three. Doug McDermott is going to be an absolute steal, probably will get picked at the end of the lottery. Maybe the best shooter in the country, and he also scores a lot in the paint. Basically an undersized Kevin Love who should get picked way higher than he will. And can you imagine someone with Embid's potential getting drafted at 3?? That's crazy to me but I think that might happen.

[MtlJeff]

it's interesting because if you were to compare Mcdermott to say, Kyle Korver, people would probably take it as a shot or backhanded compliment. But a guy like Korver has been in the league 10 years and is a double digit scorer averaging 45%+ from 3

I see Mcdermott as maybe a slightly better Korver. And i don't mean that as a shot, he can be a starter on a very good team and a guy who can shift a defense. That's very valuable.

What will be very interesting is how the ping pong balls fall. You can get some surprises. A team like the Pelicans could sneak into the top 3, and then pair a Wiggins type guy with Anthony Davis and Holiday/Ryan Anderson....Boston has Rondo and a ton of draft picks to play with. Those would be great situations

[MtlJeff]

We haven't talked much about John Wall. I was looking at some stats, and watched a Wizards game the other night too...Given guys like Rondo and Westbrook have been out (and frankly advanced metrics haven't been kind to Westbrook this year even healthy). Other guys like Curry , Lillard , Irving and Isaiah Thomas are fairly poor to horrific defenders.

Where does Wall fall on the PG ranking now?

I'm as big a Westbrook fan as anyone, but if i was the Wizards i wouldn't trade Wall for Russell straight up. I think Westbrook is a more explosive scorer, but Wall a more natural passer and just generally plays more under control. They are very similar players. Currently Wall is averaging 20 and 8.5, while being top 5 in the NBA in steals and one of the top rebounding PG's. It's funny, for those saying they'd like to see Russell as a main guy and how he'd do, you just have to watch the Wizards.

I'd probably say you have to rank him behind only Paul and Curry right now. Maybe in a tie for 3rd with a healthy Russell. But if i was starting a team i'd probably take Wall due to Russell's injuries

[mnplayer]

Could Joakim Noah finish 3rd in the MVP? Played absolutely fantastic today and has been great all year.

[MtlJeff]

This OKC/LAL game is just horrendous. I'm close to forfeiting my OKC fan status LOL. First they let Gerald Green destroy them, now Jodie Meeks is looking like Michael Jordan against them. I take back everything bad i've said about Thabo Sefalosha....i'm starting to think i could score 25 against them from the shooting guard spot.

Westbrook is playing probably the worst game i've seen him play in 2 years. He is literally costing them the game to the point that they had to bench him (hopefully they benched him anyway and aren't just resting him for the 4th). He's forcing shots, he has 8 turnovers, and in the entire 3rd quarter didn't get the ball once to Durant in a good scoring position. Also a few of Meeks points were on Russell over-commits

They honestly shouldn't play him in the 4th quarter. And i'm a fan!

Is Rondo still available ???? LOL

Get.ball.to.Durant

[MtlJeff]

[quote name='mnplayer' timestamp='1394399104' post='8833767']
Could Joakim Noah finish 3rd in the MVP? Played absolutely fantastic today and has been great all year.
[/quote]

wouldn't be a bad pick!

[MtlJeff]

OK

Russell Westbrook ,Steven Adams for Jonas Valenciunas and Demar Derozan

who says no to that?

[TheGameChanger]

Jimmy Butler plays great on Lebron . Did so in the 2nd round of the playoffs last season and again today.

[somaplr]

[quote name='MtlJeff' timestamp='1394404632' post='8834563']
OK

Russell Westbrook ,Steven Adams for Jonas Valenciunas and Demar Derozan

who says no to that?
[/quote]


Crush Died Hard

an independent film directed by MtlJeff

[MtlJeff]

[quote name='somaplr' timestamp='1394468106' post='8839975']
[quote name='MtlJeff' timestamp='1394404632' post='8834563']
OK

Russell Westbrook ,Steven Adams for Jonas Valenciunas and Demar Derozan

who says no to that?
[/quote]


Crush Died Hard

an independent film directed by MtlJeff
[/quote]

LOL, Did you watch the game yesterday? He was atrocious. I mean he single handedly cost them the game and this is coming from a big fan of his (as everyone knows haha)

It's frustrating because his goal every single game should be a triple double. After watching KD tear it up without him, and the Thunder play well. He should be coming back saying "i'm going to go 16-10-10 every night and we're gonna crush people"

Instead he didn't get the ball to Durant A SINGLE TIME in scoring position in the entire 3rd quarter. Ibaka and Durant both shot over 50% and shot 17-18 times. Westbrook was awful and shot 23 times, and had 8 turnovers

awful awful point guard display for a team in their position

[somaplr]

No I played 18 early watched some WGC then had some family stuff to do.

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that Russ learned much from sitting out all that time. One would have thought a bell would have gone off - doesn't seem to be the case.

[MtlJeff]

i'm holding out hope that someone had a conversation with him. He's such a freak he can help them in so many ways. There is no other player in the league better suited to put up triple doubles every night.

He can create, and plays on a team with 2 guys (Ibaka/KD) who don't miss jumpshots for god's sake. Not to mention he rebounds and can get to the hoop, and defends well when he isn't overplaying the crap out of people

He needs someone to smack him and say "WE DON'T NEED 30 POINTS FROM YOU"

[tocino]

[quote name='MtlJeff' timestamp='1394493441' post='8842905']
i'm holding out hope that someone had a conversation with him. He's such a freak he can help them in so many ways. There is no other player in the league better suited to put up triple doubles every night.

[/quote]

joakim noah!

[MtlJeff]

BTW looks like Eric Bledsoe will return this season, that's pretty cool!

Hopefully he won't shoot 47 times in his first week back while committing 17 turnovers

but seriously, Bledsoe is one of my favorites, really cool news!

[tocino]

[quote name='MtlJeff' timestamp='1394503643' post='8844371']
BTW looks like Eric Bledsoe will return this season, that's pretty cool!

Hopefully he won't shoot 47 times in his first week back while committing 17 turnovers

but seriously, Bledsoe is one of my favorites, really cool news!
[/quote]

ideally, you'd want to bring him slowly until he gets his conditioning back. Unfortunately with 4 teams vying for the last 3 slots (I don't think the warriors are out of the woodworks just yet), you may need to play bledsoe more minutes than you'd want to and hope he gets acclimated quickly.

[mnplayer]

Kobe's apparently going to be ruled out for the rest of the year. Unfortunate but probably in the best interest for Kobe and the Lakers draft pick.

[MtlJeff]

man, the Rockets and Thunder really don't seem to like each other at all. Beverley is a real sh*t disturber, he actually went for the same move again yesterday that injured Russell last year. Westbrook basically punched him the face later in the game after a foul as they were falling to the ground. Very testy all game. Steven Adams, who is the OKC version of Beverley, also took a cheap shot at Harden

these teams are like Pacers/Miami of the West. Every time they play going forward the league is on brawl watch

[baseballfrk8998]

[quote name='MtlJeff' timestamp='1394662055' post='8858321']
man, the Rockets and Thunder really don't seem to like each other at all. Beverley is a real sh*t disturber, he actually went for the same move again yesterday that injured Russell last year. Westbrook basically punched him the face later in the game after a foul as they were falling to the ground. Very testy all game. Steven Adams, who is the OKC version of Beverley, also took a cheap shot at Harden

these teams are like Pacers/Miami of the West. Every time they play going forward the league is on brawl watch
[/quote]

Beverly is the definition of a pest. I'm pretty sure I'd punch the guy (and run) if I played a pick up game with him.

[somaplr]

[quote name='MtlJeff' timestamp='1394503643' post='8844371']
BTW looks like Eric Bledsoe will return this season, that's pretty cool!

Hopefully he won't shoot 47 times in his first week back while committing 17 turnovers

but seriously, Bledsoe is one of my favorites, really cool news!
[/quote]

Hopefully he doesn't drive to talk trash to Boogie again. There are limits to Beverly's crazy - a 6'11" 270lb also crazy that will punch him again.

[TheGameChanger]

Would love see the Nets play the Heat in the 2nd round of the playoffs this season, Same with Bulls and Indy

[mnplayer]

[quote name='TheGameChanger' timestamp='1394682042' post='8860583']
Would love see the Nets play the Heat in the 2nd round of the playoffs this season, Same with Bulls and Indy
[/quote]

Bulls vs. Pacers would end like 70-65 every night, and Paul George might go like 7-30.

[scratchswinger]

Clippers are going to make some serious noise in the playoffs.