OT: The NBA 06-07 Season Thread

reeche · Post by **reeche** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 2:04 pm

wco81 wrote:I don't see the Pistons going far without Wallace.

You certainly could be right. I'm fascinated to see whether the motor behind the Pistons was Wallace and what sort of effect he will have in Chicago....One part of my brain says statistically Wallace had been on a slight decline in recent years anyway but another part of my brain says all Ben Wallace gives you on the court doesn't necessarily translate into individual stats and that the Pistons could have lost their heart and soul.

Kazuya · Post by **Kazuya** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 10:38 pm

Yeesh... the Heat should be kicked out of the NBA for that first-half performance. Somebody tell Shaq to stop admiring his ring and to get out there and DO something...

Kazuya · Post by **Kazuya** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 12:33 am

Man, that has to be unprecedented... receive your rings on your home floor and then take a historic beatdown on national TV. I mean they KICKED their f***in asses... and then the Suns dial up 41 in the first on the Kobe-less Lakers without even looking like they're trying hard. Guess we'll have to wait until Mavs/Spurs on Thursday to see a good game...

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 12:37 am

The Suns...as usual, let the other team back in it when they hit a rough spot in the shooting stroke. It's not over, but if the Suns lose to the Lakers, without Kobe, that's just embarrassing.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 1:40 am

Well I'm embarrassed through three quarters. The Suns just look out of sync. It takes a lot of work to get new guys back into the flow I guess. With Kurt Thomas back and healthy and Amare...they just don't look right. I suppose it'll take a few weeks to really get the offense going. Hopefully they can pull this one out cuz if they play like this tomorrow against the Clips, they are gonna get destroyed.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 2:09 am

Well...that wasn't fun. Barbosa went nuts...but it doesn't matter how many points you score if you don't even attempt to play defense. That is gonna have to change.

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 10:45 am

Kazuya wrote:Man, that has to be unprecedented... receive your rings on your home floor and then take a historic beatdown on national TV. I mean they KICKED their f***in asses... and then the Suns dial up 41 in the first on the Kobe-less Lakers without even looking like they're trying hard. Guess we'll have to wait until Mavs/Spurs on Thursday to see a good game...

I think this Bulls team is going to surprise a lot of people. They have a great combination of veteran leadership, athleticism, and depth. They lack the one killer go-to star, but they have several guys who can step up and carry the scoring load if others have an off night.

bdunn13 · Post by **bdunn13** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 2:54 pm

The Hawks playoff hopes end tonight.

sfz_T-car · Post by **sfz_T-car** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 3:32 pm

The second Nellie era in Oakland starts tonight. It'll be interesting to see what he does with a roster of poorly matched talent. Murphy at C and Dunleavy at #4 will pose matchup problems but it remains to be seen whether the bigger problems will be for the Ws or their opponents.

ubrakto · Post by **ubrakto** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 5:22 pm

wco81 wrote:I don't see the Pistons going far without Wallace.

And they're not going to beat the Heat unless Wade is injured and/or the NBA decides to officiate the games straight up.

Wallace's loss to the Pistons, I think, is being dramatically overestimated. I loved Ben while he was in Detroit, but he had started to become a malcontent by the end of last year and his offensive game really hit new lows, while his defensive game deteriorated badly in the playoffs.

The Pistons will definitely lose some defensive toughness, but while Nazr Mohammed isn't going to make anyone forget Ben, he will be more than the Olympic Stand'n There Guy on offense that Ben was. I think the offensive gains will help mitigate the loss of Wallace on defense since teams can't just deploy a hack a Ben strategy to stall Detroit's offense.

I expect to see Tayshaun Prince continue to elevate his game (that guy really can do it all), Chauncey will continue to be a top 3 to top 5 point guard in the league, and Hamilton will be the same consistent scorer he's always been. I think the question mark will be on the bench. The Pistons have to develop Carlos Delfino and Jason Maxiell (that guy played like a li'l Ben Wallace in the pre-season) and get production from McDyess and the newly acquired Flip Murray. If they can do that, I think they'll win the Central again and probably be stronger in the playoffs than they were last year when they came completely unglued.
---Todd

lexbur · Post by **lexbur** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 5:24 pm

Man, I have never seen this town so pumped for the start of a basketball season. Especially after the disappointments the Tribe and Browns have put us through this year. There's a definite buzz about the opener tonight.

All I can say is... "LET'S GO CAVS!!!!!!!!"

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 5:27 pm

bdunn13 wrote:The Hawks playoff hopes end tonight.

Well, they are playing the Sixers. I didn't know the NBA adopted a no-tolerance rule in the offseason. Between Iverson and Webber, they should just let the opposition shoot the free throws prior to the start of the game.

Kazuya · Post by **Kazuya** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 5:35 pm

ubrakto wrote:
The Pistons will definitely lose some defensive toughness, but while Nazr Mohammed isn't going to make anyone forget Ben, he will be more than the Olympic Stand'n There Guy on offense that Ben was. I think the offensive gains will help mitigate the loss of Wallace on defense since teams can't just deploy a hack a Ben strategy to stall Detroit's offense.

You gotta be kidding... Ben Wallace is one of the greatest defensive players in the history of the NBA. Sticking a bum like Mohammed in for him and saying because he's slightly better on offense (which outside of free throws I don't think he is) that he will even begin to replace Wallace? Mohammed should be charged admission for every game he plays in with his lackadasical effort. Wallace took the heat off of the Pistons' stick-man front line for a long time and they are going to feel the pain this year. Right now if the Pisstons played the LeBrons in a playoff series, the LeBrons would clean their clocks for them.

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 5:37 pm

sfz_T-car wrote:The second Nellie era in Oakland starts tonight. It'll be interesting to see what he does with a roster of poorly matched talent. Murphy at C and Dunleavy at #4 will pose matchup problems but it remains to be seen whether the bigger problems will be for the Ws or their opponents.

Murphy and Dunleavy at the 5-4 sounds like it would work better in an NBA 2k7 fantasy draft association than real life.

Kazuya · Post by **Kazuya** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 5:38 pm

lexbur wrote:Man, I have never seen this town so pumped for the start of a basketball season. Especially after the disappointments the Tribe and Browns have put us through this year. There's a definite buzz about the opener tonight.

All I can say is... "LET'S GO CAVS!!!!!!!!"

Obviously, the LeBrons ultimate upside will probably be dependent on how well Larry Hughes bounces back. Talent wise, he has the ability to give the LeBrons three All-Star level players along with Z and James. I'd also like to see LeBron get back to passing a bit more, although it's hard to find fault with that guy's game. You really gotta look hard...

sfz_T-car · Post by **sfz_T-car** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 5:40 pm

Agree with Kaz re: Detroit/Ben Wallace. The Pistons success was based on defense and a set rotation with very limited bench production.

Removing Wallace from the mix probably hurts the Pistons more than it helps the Bulls. Mohammed is just a body and McDyess is a useful role player who can't log major minutes.

Edit: disagree with Kaz re: Cleveland/Lebron. It's a 50 win team with him and a 30 win team w/out him. There's not enough of a supporting cast to get them past the second round of the playoffs in the East.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 5:43 pm

Brando70 wrote:
sfz_T-car wrote:The second Nellie era in Oakland starts tonight. It'll be interesting to see what he does with a roster of poorly matched talent. Murphy at C and Dunleavy at #4 will pose matchup problems but it remains to be seen whether the bigger problems will be for the Ws or their opponents.
Murphy and Dunleavy at the 5-4 sounds like it would work better in an NBA 2k7 fantasy draft association than real life.

Well the idea is to score more than they give up by being small in the paint.

It didn't work for Nelson when he was running what's his name, the kid from Kansas who shot 3s all the time. And he's more athletic than Murphy, whose game is more suited to a 3 than a 4 and certainly a 5.

It it works at all, Nelson has to find a big scorer or two off the bench to work the matchups in his favor.

Kazuya · Post by **Kazuya** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 5:47 pm

wco81 wrote:
Brando70 wrote:
sfz_T-car wrote:The second Nellie era in Oakland starts tonight. It'll be interesting to see what he does with a roster of poorly matched talent. Murphy at C and Dunleavy at #4 will pose matchup problems but it remains to be seen whether the bigger problems will be for the Ws or their opponents.
Murphy and Dunleavy at the 5-4 sounds like it would work better in an NBA 2k7 fantasy draft association than real life.
Well the idea is to score more than they give up by being small in the paint.

It didn't work for Nelson when he was running what's his name, the kid from Kansas who shot 3s all the time. And he's more athletic than Murphy, whose game is more suited to a 3 than a 4 and certainly a 5.

Who LaFoul? I guess it depends on what you mean by "working"... they won 60 games in 2003 wth LaFoul and Bradley platooning at center. LaFoul's problem was that he couldn't rebound very well after his injuries. Murphy is a legitimate rebounder, and he also has range on his shot to space the floor like Nellie likes.

I really don't know what the hell Nellie has planned, but it sounds like it depends a lot on Dunleavy being better than he is and that has to be worrisome. The kid can pass, there's no doubt about that, but I just don't know if he has "it".

sfz_T-car · Post by **sfz_T-car** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 5:49 pm

Assume WCO's kid from Kansas is Raef Lafrentz. He's much more of a traditional center than Murphy who gets double digit rebounds almost by default since nobody else on the team is around the basket.

For me, Murphy is less of a reach than Dun at the #4. He can't guard anybody and should get posted up mercilessly. The over/under for Dunks over Dun is 120.

Kazuya · Post by **Kazuya** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 5:55 pm

sfz_T-car wrote:Assume WCO's kid from Kansas is Raef Lafrentz. He's much more of a traditional center than Murphy who gets double digit rebounds almost by default since nobody else on the team is around the basket.

For me, Murphy is less of a reach than Dun at the #4. He can't guard anybody and should get posted up mercilessly. The over/under for Dunks over Dun is 120.

Did Dunleavy play any better/display any hidden skills in the preseason playing under Nellie?

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 5:58 pm

I don't think the Cavs win 30 games with Lebron out. Same thing with the Suns and Nash and the Heat without D-Wade. There are no three guys that are more important to their teams than them...Carmelo may be included in that group as well. Their teams do not make the playoffs without them.

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 6:05 pm

dbdynsty25 wrote:I don't think the Cavs win 30 games with Lebron out. Same thing with the Suns and Nash and the Heat without D-Wade. There are no three guys that are more important to their teams than them...Carmelo may be included in that group as well. Their teams do not make the playoffs without them.

Well, the Heat are on pace to lose 82 with D-Wade in the lineup so I've got to disagree there.

Obviously I'm kidding. I agree with your list though I might add Dirk to it.

sfz_T-car · Post by **sfz_T-car** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 6:11 pm

Dun put up solid numbers in the pre-season, although there were a lot of opportunities to do so with Richardson and Murphy out of the lineup. He was good enough for me to draft him yet again for a fantasy team, in spite of our long unhappy history together.

He's always had good ballhandling skills for a forward, and Nellie originated the point forward role with Paul Pressey back in Milwaukee. But Dunleavy is still the elf boy and he'll probably get killed at the #4.

sfz_T-car · Post by **sfz_T-car** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 6:14 pm

dbdynsty25 wrote:I don't think the Cavs win 30 games with Lebron out. Same thing with the Suns and Nash and the Heat without D-Wade. There are no three guys that are more important to their teams than them...Carmelo may be included in that group as well. Their teams do not make the playoffs without them.

I'm with you except for the maybe Carmelo part. He's the central cog of the Nuggets but he's still primarily a scorer. If he wasn't there, somebody else would take the shots.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 6:21 pm

sfz_T-car wrote:
dbdynsty25 wrote:I don't think the Cavs win 30 games with Lebron out. Same thing with the Suns and Nash and the Heat without D-Wade. There are no three guys that are more important to their teams than them...Carmelo may be included in that group as well. Their teams do not make the playoffs without them.
I'm with you except for the maybe Carmelo part. He's the central cog of the Nuggets but he's still primarily a scorer. If he wasn't there, somebody else would take the shots.

Have you seen the shooting percentages of the Nuggets outside of Carmelo? Yeah, they won't win 30. They barely win 40 with him...but they are only in the playoffs because of him. And I was just "kinda" putting him in the list...as he doesn't have an elite team at all, with or without him. And Scoop...Dirk isn't included because the Mavs are stacked with guys that can create their own shots. The Suns, Heat and Cavs don't really have those types of guys outside of the guys I mentioned. With JT, Howard and even Stack...the Mavs have some guys that can get that team to the playoffs without Dirk. I think that's why Dirk doesn't get the respect he does deserve when it comes to the MVP balloting.