NBA Regular Season 2010/2011

eagle eye

Sea Devils wrote: »

Who's your favorite player that doesn't play for your favorite team?

Mine is Rondo. He's so damn fun to watch. There isn't another player in the league that plays quite like him. Very unique, and he's on a different planet with his passing right now:eek:

I haven't been posting in this thread at all this year apart from the opening night.

Just on this though I think it has to be Kevin Durant for me.

eagle eye

From what I've seen this year so far I really like the Thunder. They will lose some games but they were very impressive in Boston on Friday without Kevin Durant. I've been really impressed by Russell Westbrook, I thought he was a really good player but didn't expect him to improve again this year. And Serge Ibaka looks like another big star now. He has really stepped up this year too. Its actually quite scary when you realise that Nenad Krstic is the oldest of the first five at 27. And he seems to have got better this year too. This team could be a powerhouse for a long time in the league.

Their bench is certainly stronger than it was. I would like to see them improve their defense but they just are so hard to stop on the offensive end.

Its hard to predict what the Celtics will do this year. They look really good at the moment but its all about keeping KG, PP, Ray Allen and Shaq healthy. If the Celtics can keep these players healthy and fresh all season then they can go all the way but thats the big worry. Rondo is playing too many minutes right now too.

ButtersSuki

Blake Griffin goes for 44 points, 15 boards and 7 assists. It was against NY though!

Jokes aside, have a look at some of his dunks from the game on nba.com, they're ok.......:D
http://www.nba.com/video/channels/top_plays/2010/11/20/20101120_top10.nba/?ls=iref:nbahpt1

Killerz

eagle eye wrote: »

Its hard to predict what the Celtics will do this year. They look really good at the moment but its all about keeping KG, PP, Ray Allen and Shaq healthy. If the Celtics can keep these players healthy and fresh all season then they can go all the way but thats the big worry. Rondo is playing too many minutes right now too.

I went to see the Raptors against Celtics earlier on today (i'm lucky enough to live across the road from the Air Canada Centre) and the Celtics looked very ordinary. Only for some woeful shooting from the Raptors, it would have been much greater than a one point defeat. I'll root for the Raptors but dont have any expectations for them this season, but the Celtics would be my second team - will be rooting for the Celtics to go all the way....

jimmay

Apart from their lacklustre start (6-6)

Ok it's early days and they're still gelling, they've had bad luck with injuries (Wade/Miller and now Haslem) but I was watching the Suns game the other night and saw lots of empty seats in their arena. Surely they must be the hottest tickets in the entire NBA? Considering last season LEBRON sold out Quicken Loans arena every game if I remember correctly, how is this possible that there are so many empty seats in Miami? Surely tickets can't be that expensive and there would be a demand regardless?

Sea Devils

jimmay wrote: »

Apart from their lacklustre start (6-6)

Ok it's early days and they're still gelling, they've had bad luck with injuries (Wade/Miller and now Haslem) but I was watching the Suns game the other night and saw lots of empty seats in their arena. Surely they must be the hottest tickets in the entire NBA? Considering last season LEBRON sold out Quicken Loans arena every game if I remember correctly, how is this possible that there are so many empty seats in Miami? Surely tickets can't be that expensive and there would be a demand regardless?

Must have been what inspired this.

ButtersSuki

Fan Up means paying homage to LeBron when he moans about playing too many minutes.

Fan Up means paying way over the odds to watch a bunch of overpaid athletes underperform.

Fan Up means counting down the days until Pat Riley starts coaching the team.

Fan Up means watching Chris Bosh and resisting the urge to boo.

Fan Up means watching a team with a record so bad (as of today) that they wouldn't even be the eighth seeds in the Western Conference.

Fan Up means hailing the most egotistical and selfish athlete in the history of pro sports.

Fan Up means supporting a team who try and buy a championship and disrespect the whole league and the sport itself with their ridiculous unveiling ceremony.

Fan Up means counting the chickens when they come home to roost.

Fan Up means supporting a team that has to ask its fans to come to their games.

Fan Up means watching Wade and James commit at least two (uncalled) traveling violations each per game.

Although on the plus side you do get to see the Heat Cheerleaders....nice!
All that said, if I'm in Miami I'll be there....though wearing a Celtics jersey.

hzhang

Anyone here likes Chuck Hayes? Excellent defender and amazing passer. He did improve his free throws this season. What a player!!

Sea Devils

I really like Eric Bledsoe.

If Del Negro has any balls, he'll stick with theBledsoe/Gordon/Aminu/Griffin/Jordan lineup, and keep Baron & Kaman on the bench. Or at least keep Baron there. That lineup is very active and knows how to play on both ends

padraig_f

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEVCjUG1Mww

Sea Devils

Miami down by 15 in the 3rd in Dallas.

I'll admit, it's fun to hate on the Heat. But all hate aside, this is teaching me a lot about how basketball actually works. We all knew that the pieces didn't compliment each other all that well, but GOD DAMN that's still a lot of talent...right? I mean, if you're truly a great basketball player, you should be able to contribute in a variety of different ways that helps lead your team toward a win...right?

ButtersSuki

Miami at Cleveland on Thursday, should be fun! I think The King will get a nice homecoming reception....................:)

Flancrest

Sea Devils wrote: »

Miami down by 15 in the 3rd in Dallas.

I'll admit, it's fun to hate on the Heat. But all hate aside, this is teaching me a lot about how basketball actually works. We all knew that the pieces didn't compliment each other all that well, but GOD DAMN that's still a lot of talent...right? I mean, if you're truly a great basketball player, you should be able to contribute in a variety of different ways that helps lead your team toward a win...right?

The Heat will come good once Spolstra mans up and tells LeBron to play point gaurd.
Sure his numbers will go down but i can see him being like a Diet Magic

Sea Devils

Flancrest wrote: »

The Heat will come good once Spolstra mans up and tells LeBron to play point gaurd.
Sure his numbers will go down but i can see him being like a Diet Magic

I'm strongly convinced at this stage that if Lebron develops some sort of post game then this will definitely work out. All the talk is of Lebron and Wade's duplicity on the court and Lebron operating from the mid-post more often could do a lot to quell that. Having a guy who can score down there AND passes the ball extremely well has been a common thread on a lot of championship teams. Magic, MJ, Shaq, Gasol, etc.

But he isn't gonna magically develop one this early into the season.

ButtersSuki

Flancrest wrote: »

The Heat will come good once Spolstra mans up and tells LeBron to play point gaurd.
Sure his numbers will go down but i can see him being like a Diet Magic

You've summed the problem up quite nicely there, but fixing that is easier said than done. Spoelstra (and in fairness, most of LeBron's coaches) have been afraid to really come down hard on LeBron because they know if it's a him or me situation, LeBron will win. I'm not saying that's right, but that's the reality. LeBron's ego is so big it would be hard for him to listen to anyone who hasn't done it all before. Only Riley and Phil Jackson I feel could coach him.

LeBron needs a disciplinarian and Spoelstra is not that. Anyone see the bump the other night? Ok, I don't think it was on purpose but imagine doing that to a coach here and getting away with it? Looking at the commentary in the US at the mo., it seems only a matter of time until Riley takes over and opens a can of whoop ass on LeBron and the rest of the Heat. The problem all along is that D Wade and LeBron are just too similar. Throw in the fact that Bosh isn't exactly lighting it up, plus a lack of a real presence in the post (be that in the centre or power forward position), plus Mike Miller out, plus no point guard and you have real problems. Yes, they could turn it around by the time the play offs come but if they continue in this vein, they'll have to do it the hard way and without home court advantage.

The PG position for LeBron is interesting. He could play it, but I don't think his ego would allow his points to drop to sub 20 figures.

On another note, I've seen more than one article on possible trade talk re. LeBron already. I don't think it'll happen but, say, if Steve Nash or Tony Parker or Chris Paul were available, this could get very interesting......

Carcharodon

ButtersSuki wrote: »

You've summed the problem up quite nicely there, but fixing that is easier said than done. Spoelstra (and in fairness, most of LeBron's coaches) have been afraid to really come down hard on LeBron because they know if it's a him or me situation, LeBron will win. I'm not saying that's right, but that's the reality. LeBron's ego is so big it would be hard for him to listen to anyone who hasn't done it all before. Only Riley and Phil Jackson I feel could coach him.

LeBron needs a disciplinarian and Spoelstra is not that. Anyone see the bump the other night? Ok, I don't think it was on purpose but imagine doing that to a coach here and getting away with it? Looking at the commentary in the US at the mo., it seems only a matter of time until Riley takes over and opens a can of whoop ass on LeBron and the rest of the Heat. The problem all along is that D Wade and LeBron are just too similar. Throw in the fact that Bosh isn't exactly lighting it up, plus a lack of a real presence in the post (be that in the centre or power forward position), plus Mike Miller out, plus no point guard and you have real problems. Yes, they could turn it around by the time the play offs come but if they continue in this vein, they'll have to do it the hard way and without home court advantage.

The PG position for LeBron is interesting. He could play it, but I don't think his ego would allow his points to drop to sub 20 figures.

On another note, I've seen more than one article on possible trade talk re. LeBron already. I don't think it'll happen but, say, if Steve Nash or Tony Parker or Chris Paul were available, this could get very interesting......

I agree with everything except for the fact that I think the bump was intentional and even if it wasn't it just shows LeBron to be pretty ignorant anyway. He can't really be blamed for having such a big ego (child star and all that) but it is still very annoying.

Sea Devils

The chant list for Lebron's return to Cleveland tomorrow.:D

Hairy Nipples 87

Hey guys im just following the NBA this year and i was wondering how the draft system works, i know wall was the number 1 draft in 2010 but how is this determined and what process is involved with the whole draft situation..

ButtersSuki

Hmmmm.....this was easier to explain years ago but has become a lot more complicated.

The simple version:
The worst teams (i.e. the teams that don't make that year's playoffs) in the League each year qualify for the Draft Lottery. In the Lottery, these teams are drawn out of a hat for the right to pick 1st, 2nd and 3rd. There are 30 teams in the NBA, 14 don't make the playoffs and (in theory) they get picks 1-14. Picks 4-14 are by the teams win-loss record. So the team that wins the Lottery picks first, a la Washington and Wall. Oh, and picks 1-3 are weighted to make it more confusing......:rolleyes:

Where it gets really complicated is that teams can trade players for picks or swop picks etc. so you can get a team that makes the Playoffs in the Lottery.

AND THAT'S THE SIMPLE VERSION!

Try this for a more complicated version:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBA_Draft_Lottery

Hairy Nipples 87

ButtersSuki wrote: »

Hmmmm.....this was easier to explain years ago but has become a lot more complicated.

The simple version:
The worst teams (i.e. the teams that don't make that year's playoffs) in the League each year qualify for the Draft Lottery. In the Lottery, these teams are drawn out of a hat for the right to pick 1st, 2nd and 3rd. There are 30 teams in the NBA, 14 don't make the playoffs and (in theory) they get picks 1-14. Picks 4-14 are by the teams win-loss record. So the team that wins the Lottery picks first, a la Washington and Wall. Oh, and picks 1-3 are weighted to make it more confusing......:rolleyes:

Where it gets really complicated is that teams can trade players for picks or swop picks etc. so you can get a team that makes the Playoffs in the Lottery.

AND THAT'S THE SIMPLE VERSION!

Try this for a more complicated version:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBA_Draft_Lottery

Thanks ButterSuki, that seems fairly basic enough, the link was far too broad to read but i kinda understand it a bit better now, but how do the players become ranked in the draft, for example, why does Wall become the number 1 pick? is it down to form on the previous season?

ButtersSuki

Hairy Nipples 87 wrote: »

Thanks ButterSuki, that seems fairly basic enough, the link was far too broad to read but i kinda understand it a bit better now, but how do the players become ranked in the draft, for example, why does Wall become the number 1 pick? is it down to form on the previous season?

Put simply, they're not. It comes down to each team's preference. For example a team that needs a centre/power forward may opt out over an outstanding point guard or a shooter to fill a role. Washington were so bad last year they'd take anything as they really were starting from scratch but some teams have made some bizarre decisions over the years. Wall wasn't everybody's No. 1, he was No. 1 because Washington wanted a PG. Every major newspaper and Sports Mag or tv programme in the US rank players pre draft and there are pre draft trials where players stock can rise and fall but basically it's down to the team who wins the lottery and what they want. Yes form plays a part, but particularly since International players have gone into the NBA what form can you judge them on? Or high school players going straight into the NBA (not allowed anymore)? You're not comparing like with like. Brandon Jennings averaged 8 points a game in Italy, a year later scored 55 in an NBA game......go figure.

Also, there tends to be "good' draft years and "bad" draft years. In the good years you'll get a lot of outstanding players whilst on other years they'll be thin on the ground. Plus, because a player is good in college doesn't mean he'll work out in the NBA as it's a quicker, more individual and physically more demanding league - that's why a lot of standout players in certain college programmes don't really light it up in the NBA - Duke is a great example of this as they play such a strict system that suits the college game but it doesn't really translate into the more individualistic NBA game.

Michael Jordan was drafted third but few would have argued over taking Hakeem Olajuwon ahead of him at the time of the draft - obviously things change! Kobe went 8th but again, no one knew how good he was going to be. There are a few other examples of this type of drafting where supposedly inferior players outshine players drafted ahead of them but that's the most obvious.

The key thing is there are no guarantees, it's really just a bet.

Pauleta

Not a major basketball fan but i shall be watching Lebron's return tonight.

Carcharodon

I wouldn't like to be in LeBrons shoes right now, some intimidating atmosphere there, hope the game matches the atmosphere.
Would be great if the Cavs give them a real game of it, could be like a genuine playoff game, a nice treat this early in the season.

Ha HA, Getting all the introductions as well, got to love the media some times, brilliant stuff. Ilgauskaus got a cheer at least.

padraig_f

Looking forward to it, more than I thought I would be at the start of the season, as the Cavs actually have a chance of winning. I can see Lebron being a bit inhibited by the atmosphere, after all the flak he got for 'The Decision', not sure he'll be cold-blooded enough to put the dagger into Cleveland for a second time.

Sea Devils

The Cav's intro to the game was sick, My favorite Eminem song.

3hn2givr7mx1sc

Good game so far, great score from Hickson.

Carcharodon

I think the only thing left to do is get ultra physical and take LeBron out of it, well thats what I would do

ButtersSuki

Heat running away with it unfortunately, up 19 at the break. Haven't seen one team (Cavs) hit the front of the rim so much in years - very poor shot selection at times. And Wade is traveling like a tinker all night....so nothing new there.:)

Game isn't the best to be honest, 2nd quarter was a bit lame. Cleveland aren't great but neither are the Heat; at times it's like 4 guys just watching LeBron.

Interesting to see how little Spoelstra is playing LeBron and Wade together.

Not sure what's going on with LeBron and the Cleveland bench though, what's that about? Surely there's some animosity there? Ah, now Barley is taking about it too.

Carcharodon

Shocking, absolutely shocking stuff from the Cavs, you would think they would come out all fired up in the second half but some woeful turnovers straight away and LeBron just getting a free path to the basket, no excuses for the Cavs for such poor effort and execution.

ButtersSuki

If they leave him on for the 4th quarter, LeBron will easily get a triple double.