NBA Season Thread 2013-2014

D2D

Suns interested in Pau

ESPN

The Phoenix Suns have emerged as a potential trade suitor for Los Angeles Lakers center Pau Gasol, according to sources close to the process.

Sources told ESPN.com that the Suns, among the options being weighed as part of their well-chronicled desire to acquire an established player as they make an unexpected playoff push this season, have been exploring the feasibility of trading for the Lakers' four-time All-Star.

One option for the Suns, by virtue of their $5.6 million in available salary-cap space, is swapping the expiring contract of injured big man Emeka Okafor for Gasol, even though Okafor's $14.5 million salary this season falls well shy of Gasol's $19.3 million.

The Lakers engaged in similar trade discussions in late December and early January with Cleveland in a proposed deal that would have sent Gasol to the Cavaliers for the partially guaranteed contract of ex-Lakers center Andrew Bynum, who then would have been waived to help L.A. save roughly $20 million in salary and luxury-tax obligations.

Those talks, though, broke down because of the Lakers' insistence on receiving another asset of value in addition to the significant financial benefits, only for L.A. to see Cleveland successfully switch gears and trade Bynum to the Chicago Bulls for Luol Deng.

A trade for Okafor's expiring deal would not save the Lakers as much as a deal for Bynum would have, but it would come with undeniable financial benefits. The $4.8 million difference between Gasol's cap number and Okafor's would immediately drop the Lakers less than $3 million away from the league's luxury-tax threshold, meaning one more smaller deal before the Feb. 20 trade deadline could conceivably be enough to take them out of tax territory completely.

There would also be salary savings involved because insurance began picking up 80 percent of what remains on Okafor's contract once Phoenix passed this season's 41-game midpoint because of a long-term neck injury that has sidelined the nine-year veteran all season.

The Suns are known to be shopping Okafor's contract aggressively in advance of the trade deadline as a means for whoever acquires the 31-year-old to potentially save more than $5 million in salary payouts thanks to the insurance coverage.

The Lakers, though, have been adamant that they won't part with Gasol merely for financial relief, even in a season in which they've slipped into the West's bottom three at 16-31. Lakers officials refused to relent in their talks with Cleveland, convinced that they had other means to get below the luxury-tax threshold before the trade deadline and that Gasol still holds trade value.

Gasol responded by averaging 20.8 points and 11.9 rebounds in January. He's expected to miss the next week because of strained right groin that's not believed to be serious.

How much the Suns would be willing to add beyond Okafor to a potential trade for Gasol, in terms of young talent or draft compensation, remains to be seen. But Suns officials have made no secret of the fact that the team's wholly unexpected 29-18 start -- despite playing without the injury Eric Bledsoe for the last 17 games -- has led to some revisions in their long-term planning.

In mid-December, general manager Ryan McDonough told NBA.com that the Suns are indeed open to trading one (or more) of their possible four first-round picks in the loaded 2014 NBA draft if it meant they could get an impact player immediately.

"We're obviously all looking for stars," McDonough said at the time, "and we feel like we can put together a package as good, if not better, than any other team in the league if and when a star becomes available."

The appeal of a Gasol trade is that the Suns would be adding a front-line big man for the rest of the season without impacting their future flexibility to pursue younger stars via free agency or trade. It also gives Phoenix a chance to evaluate Gasol -- as well as acquire his Larry Bird rights -- before he becomes a free agent in July to assess whether he's a long-term fit.

It's believed that the Suns, knowing that a franchise-type talent is unlikely to become available between now and the deadline, like the idea of acquiring a proven veteran of Gasol's caliber who won't slice into the club's projected cap-space riches in this and future summers.

The Suns acquired Okafor from Washington shortly before the start of the season in a deal for center Marcin Gortat, which also brought a first-round pick to Phoenix.

GoldFour4

Would be a great trade, okafor is doing nothing for us at the moment and Pau would make a big contribution down the road

ButtersSuki

From si.com:

"Moving from Chicago to Cleveland isn't all that far to travel, but it's made for a culture shock for Luol Deng over the past 26 days. Not in a good way, either. Deng has seen how a team mired in losing since LeBron James left town wrongly caters to its young star players, even as they continue to undermine head coach Mike Brown at almost every turn. In Chicago, where Deng broke in and played nine-plus seasons, there is a winning culture where players are expected to act like professionals and understand that they will suffer the consequences if they step out of line. As Deng recently told one close friend, 'the stuff going on in practice would never be tolerated by the coaching staff or the front office back in Chicago. It's a mess.'"

Four words:

1. Mike
2. Brown
3. The
4. Fraud

PizzamanIRL

Need some good old fast paced basketball after watching that Superbowl last night. Not my cup of tea.

Dublin Red Devil

PizzamanIRL wrote: »

Need some good old fast paced basketball after watching that Superbowl last night. Not my cup of tea.

Here's how I see tonight going.

Orlando at Indiana
Portland at Washington
Philadelphia at Brooklyn
Detroit at Miami
New York at Milwaukee
San Antonio at New Orleans
Memphis at Oklahoma City
Cleveland at Dallas
LA Clippers at Denver
Toronto at Utah
Chicago at Sacramento

PizzamanIRL

Dublin Red Devil wrote: »

Here's how I see tonight going.

Orlando at Indiana
Portland at Washington
Philadelphia at Brooklyn
Detroit at Miami MIAMI
New York at Milwaukee
San Antonio at New Orleans
Memphis at Oklahoma City
Cleveland at Dallas
LA Clippers at Denver CLIPPERS
Toronto at Utah
Chicago at Sacramento

Pretty much agree except for the 2 i changed

Paully D

http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/bulls/post/_/id/17518/boozer-venting-goes-against-thibs-way

"I think I should be out there," Boozer said. "But it's [coach Tom Thibodeau's] choice. He makes the decisions out there, so I play. I don't coach. He coaches. So he decides that. "But honestly, he's been doing that a lot since I've been here, not putting me in in the fourth quarter. Sometimes we win; more times than not, we don't. But that's his choice."

I think Boozer knows well he's going to be amnestied at the end of the season so doesn't really care what he says any more. The reality is that Taj is just a better defender to have in down the stretch and Boozer's offensive contribution isn't great enough to warrant having him in there.

I can't remember a Bulls player ever openly criticizing Thibodeau, and Thibodeau has never publically called out a Bulls player (which is mentioned in the article) so it will be interesting to see how this one is handled.

Boozer will find himself glued to the bench even more now I'd imagine.

ButtersSuki

I wouldn't be surprised if Thibs response to this is as it was in the Playoffs when the Bulls players were dropping like flies - namely

"next man up"

Dublin Red Devil

Good win for the Pacers. Pacers were in control throughout, Our bench was able to contribute allot tonight. Granger 16 pts, Scola 10 pts and Watson 12 pts. Having a strong bench is a great asset to have, especially with a tough game away in Atlanta tonight. Lance again was brilliant, posting a double double 15 points 12 reb.

That loss is bad for New York. Losing to probably the worst team in the league, Anthony was good but he has zero help.

My pick of Detroit was more in hope than expectation. They actually played very well, Unfortunately, Mr Wade had other ideas.

Dublin Red Devil

Clutch 3 from Matt Barnes. Clippers up by 2 with 6 secs on the clock

edit :WOW! Randy Foye buzzer beater 3 to win the game. What a finish.

Dublin Red Devil

An interesting poll. Seattle are the only state that give David Stern an F for taking away their Sonics. Oklahoma are the only state that give him an A for giving them the Thunder. All other stats give him a very respectable B grade for his tenure as NBA commissioner

ButtersSuki

Dublin Red Devil wrote: »

Yeah Seattle got shafted alright. But they have a Superbowl now…..

padraig_f

Paully D wrote: »

http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/bulls/post/_/id/17518/boozer-venting-goes-against-thibs-way



I think Boozer knows well he's going to be amnestied at the end of the season so doesn't really care what he says any more. The reality is that Taj is just a better defender to have in down the stretch and Boozer's offensive contribution isn't great enough to warrant having him in there.

I can't remember a Bulls player ever openly criticizing Thibodeau, and Thibodeau has never publically called out a Bulls player (which is mentioned in the article) so it will be interesting to see how this one is handled.

Boozer will find himself glued to the bench even more now I'd imagine.

Pretty strong words alright. Boozer's play has stunk this season. I defended of him for a while, but looks like he's going through the motions now, I hope they amnesty his ass this summer. He doesn't even deserve to have the starting spot, Taj is playing better. Thibs just does that because he likes to keep rotations together.

Noah had a veiled shot at Boozer recently as well:
Joakim Noah accuses guys of dogging it

I think Thibs will handle it ok, he's not a guy with an ego so I don't think he'll take it personally.

Dublin Red Devil

ButtersSuki wrote: »

Yeah Seattle got shafted alright. But they have a Superbowl now…..

How would you expand the league to 32 teams. If you were NBA commissioner.?

GoldFour4

Dublin Red Devil wrote: »

How would you expand the league to 32 teams. If you were NBA commissioner.?

The league should be contracted rather than expanded. Contraction would make it far more competitive. The East is a mess at the minute, the heat are literally half arsing their way to no.2 seed in the playoffs.

Contraction would mean we can get rid of some of the rubbish role players and would make teams stronger, both financially and in terms of their rosters. Bill Simmons has talked about it a bit on his podcast in recent years.

A lot of people seem to think that adding another team in Seattle and another location would be fair and lead to a better league but it really wouldn't. The league would get worse and be harder to watch (more blowouts).

Dublin Red Devil

malistheman wrote: »

The league should be contracted rather than expanded. Contraction would make it far more competitive. The East is a mess at the minute, the heat are literally half arsing their way to no.2 seed in the playoffs.

Contraction would mean we can get rid of some of the rubbish role players and would make teams stronger, both financially and in terms of their rosters. Bill Simmons has talked about it a bit on his podcast in recent years.

A lot of people seem to think that adding another team in Seattle and another location would be fair and lead to a better league but it really wouldn't. The league would get worse and be harder to watch (more blowouts).

Contracted to how many? Who are you going to ditch Mr commissioner?

ButtersSuki

malistheman wrote: »

The league should be contracted rather than expanded. Contraction would make it far more competitive. The East is a mess at the minute, the heat are literally half arsing their way to no.2 seed in the playoffs.

Contraction would mean we can get rid of some of the rubbish role players and would make teams stronger, both financially and in terms of their rosters. Bill Simmons has talked about it a bit on his podcast in recent years.

A lot of people seem to think that adding another team in Seattle and another location would be fair and lead to a better league but it really wouldn't. The league would get worse and be harder to watch (more blowouts).

All valid points…….but the NBA and owners don't and won't think like that. They'll be pushing for expansion as more markets (in theory) makes for more fans makes for more merchandising revenue etc. etc. Gate receipts for NBA matches are but a drop in the ocean compared to TV rights, merchandising etc. For them it's about growing the total revenue base and not about a competitive league. Whilst the argument that a more competitive league = a more attractive product which in turn would attract more fans etc., the reality is the powers that be don't see it that way. Hell, they'd be thrilled if it was a Celtics - Lakers Finals every year.

Sport is a business at this level. It's not about competitive leagues or stronger teams. Blowouts and mismatches will always happen (though it does seem worse now than ever) and again the NBA won't care all that much because they're looking at China and Asia for revenue growth. The European expansion will happen I think, but we're about 10-15 years away from it I suspect. Personally, I hope it's London as I'd likely buy a season ticket (seriously). If it's Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Milan etc. I'm out except for big games.

There is zero chance of contraction happening from a finical perspective. I agree it makes sense from a basketball level, but it just won't happen - where would you even start killing franchises and cities etc., before we even get around to paying ff the owners.

Dublin Red Devil

I would expand to 32.

Idea 1.

Team in Seattle (West), New team in Kansas City (East)

Idea 2.

Team in Seattle, Team in Las Vegas (West). Move Memphis to the East.

PizzamanIRL

Have something like the premiership where you get relegated if you finish in the bottom 3.

Probably a million reasons why that wouldn't be a good idea but feck it, it would stop tanking. Maybe.

Dublin Red Devil

PizzamanIRL wrote: »

Have something like the premiership where you get relegated if you finish in the bottom 3.

Probably a million reasons why that wouldn't be a good idea but feck it, it would stop tanking. Maybe.

In a way teams are rewarded for failing in the NBA. The Bucks are the worst team in this league and they will most likely get their pick of Parker/Wiggins etc.

I get that the system is designed to balance the league. But there has to be another way to avoid tanking.

Maybe have a separate playoffs between the bottom 7 teams for draft picks. Maybe best of 5.
giving the team that finishes 9th, just outside the playoffs gets a bye to the 2nd round.

D2D

Surprised this thread was so quiet last night.

Indy just get by the Hawks to go to 38-10 for the season, TWolves beat the Lakers, Bulls beat the Suns and the Bobcats blew out the Warriors

Oh and LeBron from Monday night getting ridiculous air

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W73sSEqKAoA

Dublin Red Devil

Dare_2_defy wrote: »

Surprised this thread was so quiet last night.

Indy just get by the Hawks to go to 38-10 for the season,

It was a nice win for the Pacers. I watched the game but didn't post. Despite the winning margin we looked comfortable throughout. Had another gear to give if we needed.

This was nice from Lance but very dangerous. We can't afford to lose him. It was a scary moment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WGWmL0QIGo

#ALLSTAR :cool:

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

Dublin Red Devil

Dare_2_defy wrote: »

TWolves beat the Lakers, Bulls beat the Suns and the Bobcats blew out the Warriors

Kevin Love is an outstanding player. There is no doubt he is the best PF in the league. Another big numbers night 31 points 17 rebounds. He's averaging 26pts 13 rebs this season.

If the Bulls are tanking. Their not going a very good job of it.That win puts them at .500.

Warriors are drifting backwards a bit. They are now just 1 game ahead of Dallas in 8th.

Dublin Red Devil

Plenty of games tonight. Some great ones too.

LA Lakers at Cleveland
Verdict: Cavs
Boston at Philadelphia
Verdict: 76ers
San Antonio at Washington
Verdict: Spurs
Detroit at Orlando
Verdict: Pistons
Portland at New York
Verdict: Blazers
Phoenix at Houston
Verdict: Rockets
Dallas at Memphis
Verdict: Grizzlies
Atlanta at New Orleans
Verdict: Pelicans
Minnesota at Oklahoma City
Verdict: OKC
Milwaukee at Denver
Verdict: Nuggets
Toronto at Sacramento
Verdict: Raptors
Miami at LA Clippers
Verdict: Clippers

Paully D

Dublin Red Devil wrote: »

If the Bulls are tanking. Their not going a very good job of it.That win puts them at .500.

No tanking in Chicago unfortunately. We are consistently inconsistent though. If you're going to be mediocre you might as well be good at it :pac:

Dublin Red Devil

Paully D wrote: »

No tanking in Chicago unfortunately. We are consistently inconsistent though. If you're going to be mediocre you might as well be good at it :pac:

They might as well tank. Who knows what kind of Derick Rose will return. If he ever does for any length of time.

Dublin Red Devil

Going with Spurs v Wizards to start the night. Then over to Blazers v Knicks

PizzamanIRL

Lakers 70 points at half time. What.

pretty much every game is going the opposite to how i expected

PizzamanIRL

Anthony Bennett bringing the Cavs back. What.

Back within 20 :pac:

WTF is going on? Lakers were up 30, Cavs got it down to 10. Nick Young left the game injured. Farmar on the bench with his calf wrapped up and Kaman just fouled out.

No bench!

Kaman with the bench all to himself while Farmar was getting checked out



Sacre fouled out haha no ****ing bench

Bet they wish they didn't release Manny Harris after his 10 day contract now

Nash - Injured
Kobe - Injured
Henry - Injured
Farmar - Injured
Young - Injured
Hill - Injured
Gasol - Injured
Sacre - Fouled Out
Kaman - Fouled Out

Sacre stays in but every foul he commits is a technical foul. Refs weren't sure of the rules in thsi situation

Steve Nash appears from the darkness in his Lakers uniform even though he is listed as out injured. This game is ****ed up.

As much as Lakers tried to lose by throwing the ball out of bounds so many times, they couldn't. They win 119-108

More trouble in the Cleveland camp. Kyrie was taken out in the 3rd quarter and didn't return because of ''coach's decision''

Mr. Jonathan Wall with 10 out of Wizards's 16 points in OT. Going into 2OT.