2013 NBA Season News and Discussion

[conscript]

Orlando got protected 1st round picks from each of the teams involved but I didn't see when those picks would be. Anyone know what exactly is meant by "protected 1st round pick"?

Protected means that if the team that owns the pick (Denver, Philly, LA) is a lottery team (doesn't make the playoffs) Orlando will not get the pick until the following year. Typically the picks have a diminishing protection on them though. So if say Philly does land in the lottery this year, Orlando won't get their pick this season but it will be bumped to the 2014 draft where the protection on it will only stop it being traded if Philly has a top 10 pick (I'm not sure of the exact protection decay).

More or less Orlando traded Howard for a 26-30 pick from LA, and a 18-22 pick from both Denver and Philly lol. Fucking terrible.

---------- Post added 2012-08-10 at 02:20 PM ----------

Also Concript: Magic had a goal to clear up a lot of cap space and they did that in form of Jason Richardson. I do agree that they could've got a better deal but it was no where a bad deal for them by any stretch of imagination. They had to make a move or they might've got nothing.

Ya and in exchange for Richardson's $6 million they took back Afflalo making $7.75 million for the next four season and Al Harrington who they can release and only pay $4 million this year. Outside of Howard, they are saving marginal money at best in this trade because they didn't unload Hedo. They still have Big Baby's worse contract, they still have Hedo, they still have Redick. They unloaded one "bad" contract and took on a two that are worse, one of which they can pay $3.5 million or so for him not to play for the Magic.

[mmochamp7280]

Protected means that if the team that owns the pick (Denver, Philly, LA) is a lottery team (doesn't make the playoffs) Orlando will not get the pick until the following year. Typically the picks have a diminishing protection on them though. So if say Philly does land in the lottery this year, Orlando won't get their pick this season but it will be bumped to the 2014 draft where the protection on it will only stop it being traded if Philly has a top 10 pick (I'm not sure of the exact protection decay).

More or less Orlando traded Howard for a 26-30 pick from LA, and a 18-22 pick from both Denver and Philly lol. Fucking terrible.

yeah, i think they had better offers
wouldn't pull the trigger
and made this one out of desperation

not sure the lakers improved
howard is a head case
has been a part of some of the lowest scoring games in NBA history
isn't dominant
and is still a FA in 2013 as of now

[conscript]

and is still a FA in 2013 as of now

You're typing style is hands down the most annoying thing I have ever seen btw.

He is dominant. He is hands down the best defensive and rebounding center in the NBA and it isn't even close. Offensively he is mediocre at best, but the Lakers didn't need more offense, they need serious interior defense to make up for their perimeter failings. According to Steven A Smith who was actually with Dwight last night when the deal was announced, Howard will almost certainly stay in LA and is just going to see how the year plays out before committing.

[mmochamp7280]

You're typing style is hands down the most annoying thing I have ever seen btw.

He is dominant. He is hands down the best defensive and rebounding center in the NBA and it isn't even close. Offensively he is mediocre at best, but the Lakers didn't need more offense, they need serious interior defense to make up for their perimeter failings. According to Steven A Smith who was actually with Dwight last night when the deal was announced, Howard will almost certainly stay in LA and is just going to see how the year plays out before committing.

sounds like you got a first-world problem there
dwight has quit on his team multiple times
he disappears on both ends for long stretches of time
he's gotten a top notch coach fired
he's got a bad back where he's constantly trying to pat himself on it
just see it as a sidegrade from an immature idiot
to an immature idiot

orlando was a good team without him
a player worth this trouble should be able to do something
with a good team

[conscript]

just see it as a sidegrade from an immature idiot
to an immature idiot

The immature idiot to immature idiot part I will absolutely agree with lol. Howard is just a better fit for their system (aka Kobe's a blackhole who shoots 30 times a night) than Bynum was. Bynum is going to blow it up in Philly. If they actually give him the ball he is going to put up just ridiculous stats.

[Deleted]

I find it funny how Shaq repeately said Bynum was a better center than Howard last season. Howard is by far the better center, it's a huge upgrade for the Lakers. Bynum is way too inconsistent, he only brings his A game when he's bothered.

With the roster LA has now they have a good chance at 1-2 rings the next 3 years if they all stay together. Nash - Metta - Howard - Kobe - Gasol quite scary starting line up if you ask me. I'm a happy Lakers fan right now!

[chadwix]

After this past year with the strike and constant whining, im done with the nba. The on floor product is piss poor anyways (with the exception of 5 teams). Bunch of guys patting each other on the ass cashing checks. Its no wonder soccer has overtaken the nba.

[jreg]

After this past year with the strike and constant whining, im done with the nba. The on floor product is piss poor anyways (with the exception of 5 teams). Bunch of guys patting each other on the ass cashing checks. Its no wonder soccer has overtaken the nba.

Don't let the door whack you on the ass bud.

[xxf2dxx]

The immature idiot to immature idiot part I will absolutely agree with lol. Howard is just a better fit for their system (aka Kobe's a blackhole who shoots 30 times a night) than Bynum was. Bynum is going to blow it up in Philly. If they actually give him the ball he is going to put up just ridiculous stats.

I feel bad for Steve Nash. Being on a team with Kobe and Howard while they compete to see who has the biggest ego will be pretty shitty.

[Skarsguard]

D.Howard is a big improvement from Andrew B. look yeah D.Howard has been annoying on twitter or whatever social media espn follows that day but since D.Howard has been with the magic they haven't missed the playoffs. He add's to the interior defense which lakers needed I mean they don't need him to score 25 points they need him to score like 12-16 points and grab 15 rebounds and 2-4 blocks a game. Lakers have plenty of offense now they improve on defense with D.Howard and improve at point with Nash which improves everybody else on the Lakers better. Also Andrew Bynum is a nut case he doesn't care what goes on in the huddle and he doesn't comment to plays that is something that D.Howard does you might not like him but D.Howard is going to give you way more consistency then Bynum.

[Deleted]

I feel bad for Steve Nash. Being on a team with Kobe and Howard while they compete to see who has the biggest ego will be pretty shitty.

What's to feel bad about? He has the biggest chance he's ever had to win a championship and possible multiple.

After this past year with the strike and constant whining, im done with the nba. The on floor product is piss poor anyways (with the exception of 5 teams). Bunch of guys patting each other on the ass cashing checks. Its no wonder soccer has overtaken the nba.

I guess the NBA were never meant for you anyway if such a little thing makes you quit the sport for good. Enjoy your soccer.

[conscript]

After this past year with the strike and constant whining, im done with the nba. The on floor product is piss poor anyways (with the exception of 5 teams). Bunch of guys patting each other on the ass cashing checks. Its no wonder soccer has overtaken the nba.

In what country has soccer overtaken the NBA, because it certainly isn't in the US. The NBA had record attendance, ratings, and revenue last year that absolute embarrass the MLS. But anyways:
1) It wasn't a strike, it was a lockout. BIG difference.
2) Complain about whining and then mention the world's biggest sport for whining and diving. Lol.
3) The movement from this offseason has actually increased parity. Last year there were three real Championship potential team, Miami, OKC, San Antonio. No one else had a realistic shot but those three. I exclude Boston because the Spurs/Thunder would have eaten them alive. Now there are legitimately 7-8 teams who could realistically compete for the Championship LA, LA, San Antonio, OKC, Miami, Brooklyn, Boston if Sullinger works out, and extreme outside shot for Dallas. That is pretty damn good for a league that has had four teams make the finals from the West over the last 16 years or so (SA, LA, Dallas, and OKC last year).
4) The draft was so legitimately deep that teams actually managed to add significant young guys past the fourth pick. That is going to add some tremendously entertaining young teams like Houston and Golden State (who could seriously be good).
5) Minnesota is going to be exciting as hell once Rubio is back and even prior to that they have a super entertaining roster.
6) You can watch the Knicks completely fail. Always entertaining. You can laugh at their complete lack of PG production after letting Lin walk and you can see them go back to Melo ball where he shoots 30 times.
7) There are literally about 4 legitimately hopelessly bad teams this season. They are Orlando after the fucked up this trade so badly, Cleveland after fucking up the last two drafts leaving them with Irving and a couple extreme reaches, Phoenix who had a horrific offseason, and Sactown who has the worst owners in pro sports (at least Dolan is constantly trying to move the Knicks).
8) You get to see the beginnings of three rebuilds of horrible franchises in Charlotte, Washington, and New Orleans. All three made big off season acquisitions in the draft and through trades. Its going to be great to see if MKG can turn around the locker room attitude in Charlotte as he is supposed to be just an amazing work ethic and team motivator guy.
9) Like you won't watch a Kobe v LeBron NBA final.

[chadwix]

In what country has soccer overtaken the NBA, because it certainly isn't in the US. The NBA had record attendance, ratings, and revenue last year that absolute embarrass the MLS. But anyways:
1) It wasn't a strike, it was a lockout. BIG difference.
2) Complain about whining and then mention the world's biggest sport for whining and diving. Lol.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/1...n_1082593.html

More people are going to mlsa than the nba. Not by much, but no one would even think they would be competitive. Sorry about the huffington post, was the first one on google, it was a news story on sports radio.

"Finally, Americans may be taking notice. In 2011, average per-game attendance for the MLS hit an all-time high at 17,870, compared to 16,675 the previous season, according to the National Soccer Examiner. The figure put the sport in the No. 3 spot nationally over the NBA (17,319) and the NHL (17,126). (The NBA lockout can't hurt soccer's attendance numbers.) "

I dont even watch the world cup, so im not bias towards soccer. I played it for 1 year, was the worst sport ive ever played. Made baseball seem exciting

[Metta World Peace]

In what country has soccer overtaken the NBA, because it certainly isn't in the US. The NBA had record attendance, ratings, and revenue last year that absolute embarrass the MLS. But anyways:
1) It wasn't a strike, it was a lockout. BIG difference.
2) Complain about whining and then mention the world's biggest sport for whining and diving. Lol.

http://aol.sportingnews.com/soccer/s...american-sport
http://boston.com/community/blogs/le...s_nba_nhl.html

In terms of attendance, MLS has overtaken NBA in attendance. NBA may make more sales from the gate but, more people are showing up to MLS soccer games. The NHL itself is growing and is quickly catching the NBA in terms of average attendance.

Average ticket prices In cities like L.A, NY tickets are absurd. Almost $100 for L.A and $117 for NY. Boston, Miami, Chicago round up the top five.

http://www.nba.com/2012/news/02/01/t....ap/index.html

[conscript]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/1...n_1082593.html

More people are going to mlsa than the nba. Not by much, but no one would even think they would be competitive. Sorry about the huffington post, was the first one on google, it was a news story on sports radio.

"Finally, Americans may be taking notice. In 2011, average per-game attendance for the MLS hit an all-time high at 17,870, compared to 16,675 the previous season, according to the National Soccer Examiner. The figure put the sport in the No. 3 spot nationally over the NBA (17,319) and the NHL (17,126). (The NBA lockout can't hurt soccer's attendance numbers.) "

I dont even watch the world cup, so im not bias towards soccer. I played it for 1 year, was the worst sport ive ever played. Made baseball seem exciting

Grats on having stadiums that seat more people? The MLS gets ZERO following on TV. The non-ESPN games average 100-150,000 viewers which is awful. The MLS Cup had a .8 rating nationally, worse than an EPL re-run earlier in the day. The highest rated NFL game that weekend brought in a 14.0. The NBA Finals averaged around 11 peaking at a 12.6 for the last game. Yes people go to games, but soccer has zero national footprint in the US when it comes to the MLS. Attendance doesn't mean much for the NBA or MLS when there are caps on how many people can fill the arenas.

[Deleted]

After looking at the deal a bit more conscript, I will admit it's a pretty damn bad deal for the Orlando Magic. Definitely the big losers of all the teams in this deal.

[conscript]

After looking at the deal a bit more conscript, I will admit it's a pretty damn bad deal for the Orlando Magic. Definitely the big losers of all the teams in this deal.

If you're going to tank, might as well do it as hard as possible and pray the OKC strategy works out. Just hope it isn't so bad after year two of tanking that the fans stop coming and you end up moving the team. Still think they should have taken the Houston deal that was massive salary relief plus 7 first rounds picks if you consider the three guys they took this year that would have been included along with 3 first from the Rockets and the Raptors lottery pick this year. No clue what the Magic GM was thinking unless the owner just told them to get it done already and get whatever they could get right now.

[Windry]

- Lakers pick up Jodie Meeks with their mini-MLE (3pt sg specialist). I hope he doesn't end up failing miserably... for some reason all the good shooters that go to the Lakers end up sucking once they get there.

- I can't believe someone here actually thinks that the MLS is bigger than the NBA. As conscripts pointed out, it's CLEARLY because soccer stadiums have more seats... not because it's more popular...

- I disagree that the Clippers or the Nets will have a title chance next year. In fact I'm going to say that the Knicks will be better than the Nets next year. The only title contending teams next year will be Heat, Lakers, Spurs, Thunder.

- Like I said earlier, I think Orlando was starting to lose leverage, and time was running out on moving Howard. That's why they took this deal. The Rockets clearly made them the best offer and they were dumb to turn it down. I think Orlando's GM should be fired, but he won't be fired (because it'll make ownership look incompetent for hiring him).

- As much Orlando's going to tank next year, I don't think they're going to out-tank the Bobcats. Believe me... Michael Jordan knows a thing or two about being the best... and being the best at losing. Antwan Jamison went to the Bobcats, "Hey guys, give me vet's minimum! I just want to end my career in my hometown." and they were like, "Naw man.... you're too good for our team. We're trying to lose right now."

[chadwix]

- I can't believe someone here actually thinks that the MLS is bigger than the NBA. As conscripts pointed out, it's CLEARLY because soccer stadiums have more seats... not because it's more popular...

- Like I said earlier, I think Orlando was starting to lose leverage, and time was running out on moving Howard. That's why they took this deal. The Rockets clearly made them the best offer and they were dumb to turn it down. I think Orlando's GM should be fired, but he won't be fired (because it'll make ownership look incompetent for hiring him).

"MLS stadiums are only 18-20 thousand seats. Only two MLS teams use NFL stadiums (Seattle and New England) and they artificially reduce the capacity to around 20,000 for NE and 37,000 for SEA"

Dwight had a year left on his contract and those better deals offered previously were 10x better than this one. There was no rush to take such a bad deal. Orlando has the best arena in the nba now, they dont need talent to fill the seats, upper management realizes this. How much are we paying our new coach and gm? Peanuts. They will milk the building then threaten to leave town again in 15 years when their product on the court can no longer fill the seats.

Like richard lewis said, the nba is a fraternity, there is no real competition left like we used to see in the 90's where guys wanted to beat each other.

[Manavz]

Well... next few season became a 2 team league. Lakers vs Heat anyone? OKC, as good as they are, lost a big advantage. Dwight can guard the paint against driving players better than Bynum. Westbrook cant just run circles around Steve Nash now and score easily. It'll be one hell of a finals though.