2013 NBA Season News and Discussion

[conscript]

Go nuggets!!

Speaking of which, the Nuggets traded Nene to Washington as part of a three team trade. The Nuggets get Javale McGee and the Clippers get Nick Young. Washington also gets Brian Cook and a pick from the Clippers. Probably more to the trade than just that. Shockingly Blatche isn't included or at the least hasn't been mentioned.

---------- Post added 2012-03-15 at 03:53 PM ----------

Blazers trade away a couple of their best players and fire their coach. Tanking time!

[dgarner32]

Speaking of which, the Nuggets traded Nene to Washington as part of a three team trade. The Nuggets get Javale McGee and the Clippers get Nick Young. Washington also gets Brian Cook and a pick from the Clippers. Probably more to the trade than just that. Shockingly Blatche isn't included or at the least hasn't been mentioned.

I was just looking at that and saw they were trying to do this trade. I dont really understand why though. Nene hasn't lived up to his contract but I honestly don't see McGee doing much for us. At least this will give Faried some more playing time

[conscript]

I was just looking at that and saw they were trying to do this trade. I dont really understand why though. Nene hasn't lived up to his contract but I honestly don't see McGee doing much for us. At least this will give Faried some more playing time

Maybe George Karl can actually get through McGee's thick skull and improve his baffling low basketball IQ.

---------- Post added 2012-03-15 at 05:19 PM ----------

Speaking of McGee, someone made a video of his worst plays the other day:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgSYA3Gb7oI

McGee promptly responded by missing an easy dunk off the front of the rim and taking a ball to the face on a fastbreak because he wasn't looking for a pass or paying attention. Classic McGee.

[mirodin]

Portland entering re-building mode. They aperently waved Oden now. Not that this sort of thing wasn't expect they will most likely get 2 high first round picks to help them re-build around LA. It's a shame if they were healthy they could have been a powerhouse team.

[conscript]

Portland entering re-building mode. They aperently waved Oden now. Not that this sort of thing wasn't expect they will most likely get 2 high first round picks to help them re-build around LA. It's a shame if they were healthy they could have been a powerhouse team.

If Oden could have ever not broken and Roy's knees held up they would have been a damn good team. Oh well, blow it up and rebuild again.

[Skarsguard]

Poor Portland first them not getting Michael Jordan then them getting Oden instead of Kevin Durant.

[conscript]

Poor Portland first them not getting Michael Jordan then them getting Oden instead of Kevin Durant.

Lol. Long history of hilarious missteps in the draft. At leas that stuff is unpredictable most of the time. I can't claim to have ever seen Jordan's early years, but the way people talk about his career at NC you'd think he would have been as much of a no miss pick as there could have been. Oden could have been great. Just so happened they he constantly rolled snake eyes and every concern about him came true.

Can't wait to see the newish look Lakers tonight against the Wolves. Kupchek has been getting shit all year, but he made two ridiculously great deals yesterday in getting a starting PG for practically nothing and unloading Fischer's contract for an expiring contract that will add depth now. The Lakers saved a boatload of money by making those two deals. Shame they didn't get Beasley or another deal done, but they are still solid. Sessions has been averaging 10mpoints and nearly 6 assists playing just over 20 minutes per game. Imagine what he is going to do playing 35-38 minutes while having options like Bynum, Gasol, and Kobe to dish to. They essentially got their 4th best player for their 10th best player that doesn't even see time on the floor. Sessions, Bryant, Gasol, Bynum, Artest is a starting five you can win a championship with. Their bench depth scares me on the outside, but adding Hill to depth behind Bynum and Gasol was a freaking huge steal for them. The void the Lakers had at PG this year was enough to completely cancel out Kobe's contributions from a PER perspective. The advantage the Lakers have at SG in games is a ridiculous +6.9. The deficency at PG was -6.4 which is awful.

[Deleted]

Most troubling question for me now is whether Kobe will let Sessions play with ball. But turn Kobe/Gasol pick and roll into Sessions/Gasol pick and roll with Kobe moving somewhere on weak side and good things should happen.

[mirodin]

Lol. Long history of hilarious missteps in the draft. At leas that stuff is unpredictable most of the time. I can't claim to have ever seen Jordan's early years, but the way people talk about his career at NC you'd think he would have been as much of a no miss pick as there could have been.

I think the only reason they didn't get Jordan in the draft, because they drafted Clyde the year before.

[conscript]

Someone explain to me how Chicago plays Miami without Rose and beats them and Portland loses to New York by roughly 100 then the following night they play each other in Chicago and somehow the Blazers beat them pretty solidly?

[Skarsguard]

IDK it could be any number of things like the Bulls got to beat up by the heat,or they put everything they had into beating the heat and had nothing left in the tank,or and probably the right one is that they just over looked Portland and got to cocky because they beat the Heat the other day.

---------- Post added 2012-03-16 at 10:48 PM ----------

I think the only reason they didn't get Jordan in the draft, because they drafted Clyde the year before.

This is true they already had there 2 guard and they already had Brandon Roy which is why they went with Oden instead of Durant. It really just comes down to them having bad luck It's like there the west version of Cleveland but they don't have as many teams that fail just one. Sorry Cleveland fans but man your town just has bad luck when it comes to sports.

[Deleted]

Someone explain to me how Chicago plays Miami without Rose and beats them and Portland loses to New York by roughly 100 then the following night they play each other in Chicago and somehow the Blazers beat them pretty solidly?

Game is played by people, not statistics That's my only explanation.

Are Suns rolling or what? They have some tough games coming up though. If they can somehow manage 3-2 in next vs HOU, @MIA, @ORL, @IND and @CLE, I think they will be in playoffs. Specially with all that changes in Houston and Denver. And Rubio injury for Minesota.

[Jibjabb]

Idk if Roy had much to do with it. Oden was the consensus number one pick that year, not many teams wouldve took Durant over him if given the opportunity. Some may have sure but at the time Oden seemed like the more popular choice. I love how people always forget that Houston couldve took Jordan as well, it just so happens the guy they took was also pretty damn good... but wasnt a Michael Jordan.

Its funny when you remember the draft speculation at the time. Remember people werent sure who to take with the #1 Pick in 2008? Derrick Rose or Michael Beasley. Imagine if the Bulls went the other way. How good would they even be these days

[mirodin]

I love how people always forget that Houston couldve took Jordan as well, it just so happens the guy they took was also pretty damn good... but wasnt a Michael Jordan.

Well he isn't far back, he probably is the Michael Jordan of Centers, and they won 2 Champ's with him so its not like Portland.

As far as the draft goes, it's damn near impossible to predict how players will grow, and ofc different teams have different needs. I mean Atlanta could have gotten Chris Paul instead they drafted Marvin Williams and they never had a descent point guard. There are so many mistakes in the drafts it's gets hillarious when you take a look a few years down the road. Like Darko Milicic over Wade/Bosh/Antony, or Kwame Brown as the No1 pick of the 2001 draft, or my personal favourite Olowokandi over Nowitzki/Pierce/Carter.

[conscript]

Fischer got bought out with the Rockets. Kind of surprising considering they need some PG help until Lowry gets back. I wonder how much of this was about Fischer not showing up to the Rockets or if they told him not to show up.

[Skarsguard]

He's just to old he doesn't score,doesn't defend,doesn't pass I guess they are just trying to get cap room for next year idk.

[conscript]

Anyone think Howard regrets signing that tender to "stay" in Orlando through this year and next? Orlando only lost to the Rose-less Bulls last night by 26 while mustering an entire 29 points. The Bulls could have not scored in the entire 4th quarter and still won the game.

---------- Post added 2012-03-20 at 10:33 AM ----------

This thread also needs an obligatory "Kobe lost his team another game" comment to anger Twiddly. Shooting 3 for 20 with 7 turnovers while Bynum and Gasol are dominating is hilariously bad. Stop shooting and pass the damn ball to Bynum who was putting in shot after shot all game.

[Skarsguard]

Yeah its getting more and more back to before they got Gasol for toothpicks trade and he was just throwing up balls just to throw it up.

[conscript]

Hey look, another horrible Kobe shoots too much game, another Lakers loss. Kobe goes 10-27 from the field, Bynum and Gasol go a combined 17-24. 27 shots is a lot, especially when you are making 37% of them. I don't even blame Kobe at this point. The Lakers need to get Kobe to give up the ball more which means they need to stop splitting time with Blake and Sessions. Blake is pure dead weight. He played 18 minutes yesterday and scored two points. Sessions played 28 minutes and put in 14. The Lakers are a much better team with him on the floor so why even bother starting Blake. Blake and Fischer COMBINED for one free throw attempt per game this season. COMBINED. In his first three games as a Laker, while playing half the game, Sessions has 14 free throw attempts. Sessions produces baskets, assists, free throws, etc. whereas Blake does absolutely nothing but stand around and defer to Kobe constantly. The Lakers need to put Sessions out there more with Kobe to take the ball out of his hands. That will lead to better distribution down low, more shots from the 1 spot in the Kobe line up and most importantly it will hopefully cut down on the 25+ shot games Kobe keeps having or the other games where he shoots 3-20.

---------- Post added 2012-03-21 at 10:51 AM ----------

Oh ya, Sessions also has more points in a Lakers' uniform than Blake has in the last month. Three games is all it took to eclipse Blake's production in 12. Sessions is also two FT attempts short of the amount Blake has taken ALL SEASON. What role does Blake even serve on the Lakers? He is a bad defender. He averages less than half the number of assists you'd expect from a PG. He doesn't score points. He doesn't draw fouls. Why does this guy play 20-30 minutes per game?

[buck008]

I blame Mike Brown. Kobe seems like he hasn't given a shit about anything but his own stats all year, and Brown can't get him to play ball like Jackson could. That team seems like such a mess, I have no idea how they win as much as they do. I think sometimes they're just too talented and win in spite of themselves. I can't really see this Lakers team making a big playoff push though.