NBA Season 2011-12 Thread

[Brando70]

I think getting Bynum in a contract year is a big plus for Philly. I'm not sure if he is a good fit for that team in terms of chemistry or personnel, but he should be motivated to perform.

[greggsand]

Nash in LA is moot. It's him chasing a ring and he's not going to get it...guaranteed. He doesn't fit in with the Lakers at all. Who exactly is going to run with him? He's the completely wrong type of PG for the Lakers. They need someone that can lock down the opposing teams PG and then let the offense run through the big man. I don't see many pick and rolls with the Lakers big men...not exactly a strength of either Pau or Bynum.

Change of heart now?

[dbdynsty25]

Nash in LA is moot. It's him chasing a ring and he's not going to get it...guaranteed. He doesn't fit in with the Lakers at all. Who exactly is going to run with him? He's the completely wrong type of PG for the Lakers. They need someone that can lock down the opposing teams PG and then let the offense run through the big man. I don't see many pick and rolls with the Lakers big men...not exactly a strength of either Pau or Bynum.

Change of heart now?

Not about a change of heart its a change of opinion. Still don't think Nash is the right PG for them if they are running the Princeton offense as expected. Any Phoenix fan can tell you that Nash without the ball in his hands is a liability. The Terry Porter/Shaq era proved that. Age and injuries are probably the only thing keeping LA from the Finals. Man did Orlando get fleeced. Embarrassing.

And Diablo...I'd worry more about Bynums injury history than his attitude. At least this year. If you sign him long term then obviously the attitude comes into play but he will be on his best behavior this year.

[wco81]

Supposedly NJ and Houston offered Orlando better deals.

Funny how LA is always the beneficiary of these lopsided trades isn't it?

Most of the other teams are like feeder franchises.

[Pete]

The NBA is a joke.

There are maybe 4 teams that have a legitimate shot at winning a championship and that is counting Boston which is a stretch. Put it at five if Rose comes back strong. How is that a good league? How can anyone outside of Miami, OKC and LA care about their team?

Who in the world is a Bucks fan? A Raptors fan? Sacramento? You have no chance and that is not changing in the near future. Who the f*** would spend money to go see those teams play? You must have nothing else to do or you have money to burn.

I hope Orlando sucks forever now. What a bunch of f***in idiots.

[greggsand]

The NBA is a joke.

There are maybe 4 teams that have a legitimate shot at winning a championship and that is counting Boston which is a stretch. Put it at five if Rose comes back strong. How is that a good league? How can anyone outside of Miami, OKC and LA care about their team?

Who in the world is a Bucks fan? A Raptors fan? Sacramento? You have no chance and that is not changing in the near future. Who the f*** would spend money to go see those teams play? You must have nothing else to do or you have money to burn.

I hope Orlando sucks forever now. What a bunch of f***in idiots.

That's the NBA. I believe NBA fans are more fans of the sport in conjunction with their fav team. Bucks fans go to games to see the best in the world play on their court (even if they aren't in a bucks uniform). Sacramento is terrible, but when Kobe, Lebron, or Durant come to town, it's a sellout. The Clippers were terrible for decades, but if you love basketball & don't want to pay lakers $$$, it was a great bargain.

My gripe with the NBA is way teams tank their season before it even begins. It's weirdly acceptable for a team like Orlando to throw in the towel in August. Imagine a NFL team dumps all their talent (like Orlando) before training camps even begin - fans would be burning down the stadium. I get the concept of 'rebuilding', but a NBA team can become a 'seller' in prep for 2 years down the road. It's just odd & ugly.

[wco81]

What is Orlando going to do, tank and then get the next franchise center so he could bolt for LA when Howard is done?

NBA is barely viable in several cities. But Stern insists on keeping zombie franchises going so when they get stars they can no longer afford or can't build a team with enough stars to contend, they ship them to the glamor teams, which is what the league wants.

[Rodster]

ESPN has already done a hit piece on the Howard press conference in LA. I had no idea his back is still questionable? They even said it's possible he may not be in the lineup on opening night. He also hasn't committed to LA past this year. So is this his get out of jail card and if things don't go well his plans are for NJ the following year?

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_ ... -a-welcome

[wco81]

ESPN was hyping the press conference and he seemed very happy. Yeah he may still be rehabbing but it looks like he's forgotten about NJ or Brooklyn.

LA lifestyle is probably appealing, since like Shaq, he probably has acting career ambitions.

He may hold off on signing, because they can probably extract the maximum leverage after the season. Someone said LA may have a $99 million payroll so who knows if they ask him not to take the max contract money to stay with the team. Nash took less money to come to LA and Artest took less than market value too.

[JackB1]

Good...get Dwight out of the East!

Although I was kinda hoping the Hawks were going to get him. I think Al Horford will never get his wish of playing PF

[Brando70]

The NBA is a joke.

There are maybe 4 teams that have a legitimate shot at winning a championship and that is counting Boston which is a stretch. Put it at five if Rose comes back strong. How is that a good league? How can anyone outside of Miami, OKC and LA care about their team?

Who in the world is a Bucks fan? A Raptors fan? Sacramento? You have no chance and that is not changing in the near future. Who the f*** would spend money to go see those teams play? You must have nothing else to do or you have money to burn.

How is that any different than baseball in a given year?

[dbdynsty25]

How is that any different than baseball in a given year?

How many years have you been able to correctly narrow the champion down to 3-4 teams in baseball? Sure, the Yankees have won a few in the last ten years, but the wild card team has won quite a few rings as well. Baseball is way less easy to predict from year to year...basketball is getting really easy. When was the last surprise team to win a ring in hoops?

[Brando70]

How is that any different than baseball in a given year?

How many years have you been able to correctly narrow the champion down to 3-4 teams in baseball? Sure, the Yankees have won a few in the last ten years, but the wild card team has won quite a few rings as well. Baseball is way less easy to predict from year to year...basketball is getting really easy. When was the last surprise team to win a ring in hoops?

Since 2000, 16 franchises have made it to the World Series, and 9 different clubs have won. For the NBA, those numbers are 12 and 6. There is more consolidation in the NBA, sure, but it's not wildly different, especially in terms of the teams that make it to the finals. The Mavericks were certainly not favored to win it all last year. OKC is a new powerhouse and like San Antonio is a small market team. Teams like the Kings and Clippers have flipped positions. The Lakers and Spurs dominated the past decade but there's been a fair mix of contenders.

It's also not surprising because, with a smaller number of players, it's easier for an NBA team to have a run of championships than most sports. It's been that way in the modern history of the NBA -- how many surprise NBA champs have their been in our lifetimes?

On top of that, I can't think of a sport where small-market teams are less competitive than baseball. Payroll is a strong indicator of success, whereas the NBA and NFL have a more even playing field financially. Also, the five-game division series is bullshit and designed to generate more upsets.

I just don't see the point of panic. How many baseball fans root for teams that almost never get to the playoffs, let alone contend? The Lakers have a great team on paper, but they are also an aging team that probably won't get more than two great years out of that lineup. You'll have a handful of teams dominate for a couple years, then probably see a changing of the guard.

[dbdynsty25]

We're talking about since 'the decision' where NBA guys are just teaming up instead of fighting for rings by themselves. This is a recent trend where you can now pick one of four teams to win it all next year. That's it. The NBA doesn't bother me at all, up until recently, so it's not like this has been going on for years.

There are about 10 different baseball teams that can win it this year alone. And it's been the same way for the past 10 years. Sure, payroll = success (usually), but not a championship. Otherwise it would be Yankees/Boston every year. It's not. This year, more than ever there is parity in baseball. The Reds/Pirates/Braves/Orioles/D-Backs/Giants all have lower rung payrolls and they are as good as any of the more expensive teams (Nationals, Dodgers, Yankees, Red Sox). That doesn't even explain the Phillies and their disaster season even with the injuries to their lineup, their pitching should be steller and it's not.

But anyway, this isn't a baseball thread, but it's just recently that the NBA has become bullsh*t...it's not a long standing issue. And I'm one of the NBA's biggest backers around here.

[wco81]

Then of course there is the Donaghy factor in those dynasties.

The revenues disparities aren't as big in the NBA. But baseball games can be decided by a few runs or key hits. Basketball games require constant scoring so the team with the advantages (including officiating advantages) usually win out.

There are more upsets in the baseball and NHL playoffs. Not so much in the NBA.

[pk500]

Disparity in the NBA is worse if you're a fan of a Western Conference team. For 13 consecutive seasons from 1998-2011, just three teams won Western Conference titles -- the Lakers, Spurs and Mavericks.

Ouch.

[Brando70]

Disparity in the NBA is worse if you're a fan of a Western Conference team. For 13 consecutive seasons from 1998-2011, just three teams won Western Conference titles -- the Lakers, Spurs and Mavericks.

Ouch.

Only nine franchises have won titles since 1980. 27 of the last 33 titles have been won by five teams. That's what I don't get -- the mechanics of putting a team together have changed, but the NBA champs have been the most easy to predict in all of pro sports for decades.

[greggsand]

When was the last surprise team to win a ring in hoops?

That Pistons team that beat the Shaq/Kobe/Malone/Peyton team was a complete shocker and the Mavs last year were surprising to me (def wouldn't have picked either of those before the playoffs started), but in-general, I get your point.

[dbdynsty25]

When was the last surprise team to win a ring in hoops?

That Pistons team that beat the Shaq/Kobe/Malone/Peyton team was a complete shocker and the Mavs last year were surprising to me (def wouldn't have picked either of those before the playoffs started), but in-general, I get your point.

Not to me. I was Ina pool of 40 guys and I was the only one to pick the Pistons. Yes it was a shock they swept them but not from a hoops point of view.

[dbdynsty25]

Lakers pulling the cord on the coach Brown era a bit early I reckon, but still not unexpected at all. I continue to say Nash is a horrible fit in LA, even though he's out for a while.

They'll be fine, they probably will still win the West, but wow is that ever a quick reaction to a bad start.

D'Antoni rumored to be the replacement? LOLOL...the king of not being able to placate 3 or more superstars. Have fun with that.

[Diablo25]

Lakers pulling the cord on the coach Brown era a bit early I reckon, but still not unexpected at all. I continue to say Nash is a horrible fit in LA, even though he's out for a while.

They'll be fine, they probably will still win the West, but wow is that ever a quick reaction to a bad start.

D'Antoni rumored to be the replacement? LOLOL...the king of not being able to placate 3 or more superstars. Have fun with that.

How about Van Gundy

My Sixers are still trying to find themselves with all of the new faces and Bynum still out. Jrue Holiday has been great so far. The sharpshooters they picked up need to realize they don't have to shoot 3's every time they touch the ball. A nice test tonight against the Celtics.

[Diablo25]

Lakers pulling the cord on the coach Brown era a bit early I reckon, but still not unexpected at all. I continue to say Nash is a horrible fit in LA, even though he's out for a while.

They'll be fine, they probably will still win the West, but wow is that ever a quick reaction to a bad start.

D'Antoni rumored to be the replacement? LOLOL...the king of not being able to placate 3 or more superstars. Have fun with that.

How about Van Gundy

My Sixers are still trying to find themselves with all of the new faces and Bynum still out. Jrue Holiday has been great so far. The sharpshooters they picked up need to realize they don't have to shoot 3's every time they touch the ball. A nice test tonight against the Celtics.

[wco81]

There should probably be a new thread since this one is over a year old.

I heard that if they give Howard a max contract, they'd have to pay like a $90 million luxury tax. It might only be for a year or two until they get some other big contracts off their books.

But they signed a huge local TV deal, which generates like $150 million a year. So they could pay the luxury tax if they wanted.

They that new CBA really changed things, didn't it? They wanted to prevent another Miami situation. Well Howard got himself out of Orlando and if he doesn't sign an extension with the Lakers, he could go to Brooklyn, where they are trying a little Miami move of their own.

[greggsand]

There should probably be a new thread since this one is over a year old.

I heard that if they give Howard a max contract, they'd have to pay like a $90 million luxury tax. It might only be for a year or two until they get some other big contracts off their books.

But they signed a huge local TV deal, which generates like $150 million a year. So they could pay the luxury tax if they wanted.

They that new CBA really changed things, didn't it? They wanted to prevent another Miami situation. Well Howard got himself out of Orlando and if he doesn't sign an extension with the Lakers, he could go to Brooklyn, where they are trying a little Miami move of their own.

Trust me. The dirtbag owners of the NBA are praying the Lakers continue to pay huge luxury taxes. Hell, Dan Gilbert begged the commish to veto that CP trade because it would get LA under the cap.

Also, make no mistake: the new CBA wasn't about preventin "super teams", it was about paying players less.

[greggsand]

Apparently Bynum hurt his "other knee" while bowling. What a dumb&ss.