NBA 2012-2013 Discussion, keep it classy

Power Player · May 1, 2013

I think there would be a riot in LA if the Lakers amnestied Kobe. It would be a horrible Pr move and make Dwight even more hated.

Terrible strategy. Doubt it happens.

Kobe got more cheers than Dwight just walking to the bench on crutches.

volleygirl · May 1, 2013

tennismonkey said:
highest paid players for 2012-2013 season. in today's nba, howard is a max contract player despite his many flaws. but he's hugely overpaid compared to the other superstars in the league. and kobe being paid $10 million more than lebron, bosh, dwade, cp3, durantula, etc is ridiculous.

1 Kobe Bryant, SG Los Angeles Lakers $27,849,149
2 Dirk Nowitzki, PF Dallas Mavericks $20,907,128
3 Amar'e Stoudemire, PF New York Knicks $19,948,799
4 Joe Johnson, SG Brooklyn Nets $19,752,645
5 Dwight Howard, C Los Angeles Lakers $19,536,360
6 Carmelo Anthony, SF New York Knicks $19,444,503
7 Pau Gasol, PF Los Angeles Lakers $19,000,000
8 Chris Paul, PG Los Angeles Clippers $17,779,458
9 Chris Bosh, C Miami Heat $17,545,000
10 LeBron James, SF Miami Heat $17,545,000
11 Dwyane Wade, SG Miami Heat $17,182,000
12 Deron Williams, PG Brooklyn Nets $17,177,795
13 Andrew Bynum, C Philadelphia 76ers $16,889,000
14 Paul Pierce, SF Boston Celtics $16,790,345
15 Kevin Durant, SF Oklahoma City Thunder $16,669,629
16 Zach Randolph, PF Memphis Grizzlies $16,500,000
17 Rudy Gay, SF Memphis Grizzlies $16,460,538
18 Derrick Rose, PG Chicago Bulls $16,402,500
19 Al Jefferson, C Utah Jazz $15,000,000
20 Carlos Boozer, PF Chicago Bulls $15,000,000

maybe only half of those guys should be Max players.

tennismonkey · May 1, 2013

no way they can amnesty kobe. but still absurd his salary is nearly 2 max contracts.

stringertom · May 1, 2013

Here's what a max money center's stat line in an important playoff matchup on the road should look like:

points: 21 (9/9 FTs)

boards: 8

assists: 4

blocks: 2

turnovers: 1

Dwight hasn't mastered the fundamentals necessary to produce those results consistently. How do hide a 57.7% FT bricklayer in crunch time???

Some GM will be foolish enough to slap out the max dough. He should have his bags packed after a season or two.

volleygirl · May 1, 2013

stringertom said:
Here's what a max money center's stat line in an important playoff matchup on the road should look like:

points: 21 (9/9 FTs)

boards: 8

assists: 4

blocks: 2

turnovers: 1

Dwight hasn't mastered the fundamentals necessary to produce those results consistently. How do hide a 57.7% FT bricklayer in crunch time???

Some GM will be foolish enough to slap out the max dough. He should have his bags packed after a season or two.

Tom, You could bet a MAX contract that Howard will NEVER have a stat line exactly like that. Even if you put him in a junior high game

Power Player · May 1, 2013

volleygirl said:
Tom, You could bet a MAX contract that Howard will NEVER have a stat line exactly like that. Even if you put him in a junior high game

uhmm..I'd take that bet.

tennismonkey · May 1, 2013

dwight hasn't shown to be much of a passer so he might not get the assists numbers. but 20/10 a night -- all day long. he's a lot closer to 20/14 a night. still can't play him in the finals minutes of games.

volleygirl · May 1, 2013

Power Player said:
uhmm..I'd take that bet.

You honestly think he could go 9 for 9 from the foul line? If you gave him 82 games to do that he couldnt do that.

Power Player · May 1, 2013

Oh, no...he would not shoot %100 from the line every game in a playoff series. But that is asking a lot from any player.

But his mind is so screwed up that he may actually do it in a junior high game.

volleygirl · May 1, 2013

Power Player said:
Oh, no...he would not shoot %100 from the line every game in a playoff series. But that is asking a lot from any player.

But his mind is so screwed up that he may actually do it in a junior high game.

I dont think he could do it in one game, much less every game in a series.

Did you hear about that incident earlier in the season where the mascot for one of the NBA teams was ragging Howard about his FT shooting, and challenged Howard to a contest and Howard took it. The dam guy in the mascot uniform actually beat Howard in a FT shooting contest during the shootaround before a game.

Power Player · May 1, 2013

No I did not hear that. Is there a link to this because that sounds hilarious.

I will say now and then he manned up and made his FTs for us. The 76ers series comes to mind.

hollywood9826 · May 1, 2013

Try this.

It was LA Kings Mascot

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/29/dwight-howard-kings-mascot-shooting-contest-bailey_n_2212170.html

jamesblakefan#1 · May 1, 2013

volleygirl said:
Theres nothing better than having to pay a guy a max contract then having to kiss his *** like hes a baby to actually get him to perform. Yea, that sure sounds like a max contract player to me.

There is the slim chance that Dwight eventually grows up and sees how bad people look at him now. Lebron did it. Not saying he will, but he certainly could.

Even in an off year he led the league in rebounding, top 5 in blocks, and 2nd in FG%. Yes his FT shooting is a liability but to focus on that and ignore all the good things he can do on the court is absurd. True he's not a go to guy to build a team around, but put him with a good PG, good slasher, and decent shooters and he's great.

The max contract thing is semantics. In a league where Joe Johnson's a max player, hell yeah Dwight deserves max money. But is he a go to guy that can carry a team to a title ala Hakeem? No, but he doesn't have to be in order to live up to that IMO.

I'm almost going overboard in defending him the way some people here are burying the guy, but he's not trash and I certainly wouldn't rather have Pau on my team than Dwight for the long term, which is what the decision will be based on, not 1-2 year run at a title w/ Kobe on his last legs.

hollywood9826 · May 1, 2013

People look at it like Lebron is Max guy Durant is Max guy nobody else deserves anything.

Dwight is deserving of a MAX contract. The FTs sucks but he is a defensive force and is a great #2 guy.

Plenty of teams have #2 guys who are also MAX players.

Power Player · May 1, 2013

That article was awesome..wow..haha.

the main issue with Dwight is you have to build a team around him, and it is very expensive. We were over the cap every year during our run. Obviously Otis mishandled the team as well. But basically one or two mistakes and you are screwed. It is easier to build a around a star wing in today's NBA.

tennismonkey · May 1, 2013

hollywood9826 said:
Plenty of teams have guys who are also overpaid as MAX players.

FTFY. amare stoudemire comes to mind. carlos boozer. roy hibbert.

but dwight in this context is not overpaid as a max player. it's more likely that lebron and durant are prime examples of two players who should be making more than $30 million a year.

soyizgood · May 1, 2013

Celtics live to see another day. Knicks getting exposed.

soyizgood · May 1, 2013

Rockets just made life more complicated for the Thunder.

Heat and Spurs relaxing while the rest can't get their stuff together. With all these series going 6-7 games I'm definitely going to tune in.

OKC should have ended this by now. But they really have issues on both ends of the floor against a weaker Rockets squad. Can Harden outduel Durant?

Knicks might be on the verge of an epic meltdown. They talked too much noise the past two games and it's bitten them in the butt. The old, wounded Celtics refuse to die.

Nuggets-Warriors likely will go 7. Defense has been M.I.A.

Nets-Bulls is frustrating to get into.

Clippers-Grizzlies has lived up to expectations. If the Grizzlies don't win game 6, Clippers will win in 7.

Pacers-Hawks. Flip a coin. Neither team has any consistency.

stringertom · May 2, 2013

Pacers/Hawks is the only series where home-court advantage has held up. That won't change.

I'd say the Celtics have the best chance to force a game 7 in the other matchups. My heart says Nuggets in 7 but GSW look good at home.

Power Player · May 2, 2013

Liking the rockets heart. They have a chance now and they smell it. This is a good series for them since it will really develop the younger guys like Beverly and Parsons.

tennismonkey · May 2, 2013

aside from pacers/hawks -- last night was a great night of basketball. i'm not a big celtics fan but i loved watching them take down the overconfident, cocky knicks. and loved watching the rockets basically gut punch the thunder who don't look like anything more than an average team without westbrook.

also kinda embarassed for the thunder that they resorted to hack-asik in the final minutes like that was the only way they could make up a 10-12 point deficit.

volleygirl · May 2, 2013

tennismonkey said:
aside from pacers/hawks -- last night was a great night of basketball. i'm not a big celtics fan but i loved watching them take down the overconfident, cocky knicks. and loved watching the rockets basically gut punch the thunder who don't look like anything more than an average team without westbrook.

also kinda embarassed for the thunder that they resorted to hack-asik in the final minutes like that was the only way they could make up a 10-12 point deficit.

Embarassed? why? its a strategy that can be effective its just Asik was hitting his free throws. I dont see a problem with it. All the players have to do is make the free throws and their team will win.

Ronaldo · May 2, 2013

volleygirl said:
Embarassed? why? its a strategy that can be effective its just Asik was hitting his free throws. I dont see a problem with it. All the players have to do is make the free throws and their team will win.

The more they hacked, the better he shot. Then the man who was scoreless in the 4th qtr checked out.

tennismonkey · May 2, 2013

volleygirl said:
Embarassed? why?

legit strategy - absolutely.

but OKC is (was?) a top 10 defense and coach thought his best chance to come back was foul asik? how about playing solid defense and getting stops? smells of desperation. also see how much OKC needs westbrook. without him, this team has no life.

T1000 · May 2, 2013

Durant exposed as being mentally weak with no killer instinct with Westbrook out. Dude had 0 points in the 4th and looked like he didn't even want the ball until there were 3 minutes left. He was just walking around 3+ feet behind the 3point line. He did it a lot in the playoffs last year too. OKC can't win without Westbrook, KD is always gonna be 2nd without that killer instinct that Westbrook and Lebron have

hollywood9826 · May 2, 2013

Last year OKC had Harden in the Spurs Series that came up big.

If they still had Harden this team would still have a chance. But without Harden and Westbrook out they dont have enough versatitilty to score.

If Memphis gets past Clips they are in the Finals. If Clips win SA barring injury makes finals.

jamesblakefan#1 · May 2, 2013

T1000 said:
Durant exposed as being mentally weak with no killer instinct with Westbrook out. Dude had 0 points in the 4th and looked like he didn't even want the ball until there were 3 minutes left. He was just walking around 3+ feet behind the 3point line. He did it a lot in the playoffs last year too. OKC can't win without Westbrook, KD is always gonna be 2nd without that killer instinct that Westbrook and Lebron have

Lebron? Weren't people just questioning his 'killer instinct' 2 years ago? 'Always' and 'never', use those terms very carefully.

T1000 · May 2, 2013

jamesblakefan#1 said:
Lebron? Weren't people just questioning his 'killer instinct' 2 years ago? 'Always' and 'never', use those terms very carefully.

People criticized Lebron and he responded with one of the best basketball years the world has ever seen. KD cries about being 2nd is whole life and gets a chance to be the clear leader with no Westbrook and guess what? He does nothing with it.

JGads · May 2, 2013

Power Player said:
Just because I don't like Dwight doesn't mean I can't asses him as a player.

I am sure I watched more of his games than anyone here (Tom excluded).

He IS a max player and he IS the best C in the league.

The problem is that with the new CBA, it is tougher to have multiple max guys on your team. So if you pay Dwight the max, it is tough to build a roster around him. He is not a Lebron or Durant where you are getting a go to guy in crunch time. so you need to go out and get that guy as well.

That is the problem. Without Kobe, Dwight is not good. As seen by the spurs sweep.

This is why I think he would be better suited to go to Houston. Maybe he will get his wish and be traded to brooklyn..who knows.

All signs would seem to point to Howard going to Houston, and I'm a Roclets fan who prays it doesn't happen. Guy is just too shaky to spend that much money on. Mentally. And in the last five minutes of a game at the line. He's also incredibly annoying. He also made it blatantly clear last offseason that he wanted no part of being in Houston, and yet still outer Howard-obsessed GM released/traded away players just to make room for the POTENTIAL of this happening, rather than any certainty. And this offseason he'll make another big play for him because he's obsessed, all the while we have a guy in Asik who is much less expensive but just plays hard, you don't have to worry about mentally, is a beast defender/rebounder and offers you so much more flexibility elsewhere with a reasonable contract.

So proud of my Rockets last night. Just wish we could have closed game 3. Still proud. Asik, Harden and my old fave Brooks came up so, so huge. Hoping we tighten the screw more Friday to set up the anything-goes Game 7.

Andyroddickfan · May 2, 2013

T1000 said:
People criticized Lebron and he responded with one of the best basketball years the world has ever seen. KD cries about being 2nd is whole life and gets a chance to be the clear leader with no Westbrook and guess what? He does nothing with it.

Haha. People criticized lebron every year. He's not clutch, can't close, can't win the big game. Every year since he entered the league. Don't say this bs that people criticized lebron and he responded with one of the best years of basketball ever seen. Where were you after his 3rd year? They said the same things. I bet you were one of those people criticizing lebron. Your a Knicks fan so 90% chance you were.

Fifth Set · May 2, 2013

The problem with Durant playing the point is that it makes it too easy for the Rockets to mug him. So, even if Durant were more selfish, it would still mean double coverage at least. Need to get Jackson to do the point job so Durant has a chance to execute some catch and shoots.

soyizgood · May 2, 2013

Royce White should STFU. Talking noise at the Thunder when his butt can't man up and get on a plane.

T1000 · May 2, 2013

Andyroddickfan said:
Haha. People criticized lebron every year. He's not clutch, can't close, can't win the big game. Every year since he entered the league. Don't say this bs that people criticized lebron and he responded with one of the best years of basketball ever seen. Where were you after his 3rd year? They said the same things. I bet you were one of those people criticizing lebron. Your a Knicks fan so 90% chance you were.

1. When you're the best in the world people are gonna criticize you
2. He carried the Cavs to the finals with no help
3. The entire sports world said he was mentally weak after the Mavs final lost and guess what happened the next year? MVP, gold medal, NBA champ, NBA finals MVP, nearly averages a triple double this year (27 8 7)
4. Stop stalking my posts when you're wrong every time
5. It's you're, not your

Andyroddickfan · May 2, 2013

T1000 said:
1. When you're the best in the world people are gonna criticize you
2. He carried the Cavs to the finals with no help
3. The entire sports world said he was mentally weak after the Mavs final lost and guess what happened the next year? MVP, gold medal, NBA champ, NBA finals MVP, nearly averages a triple double this year (27 8 7)
4. Stop stalking my posts when you're wrong every time
5. It's you're, not your

Your only point that is relevant is 3. But you're also very misguided if you think the sports world only started saying he was mentally weak after the mavs final. So you're saying no one questioned lebrons mental toughness and clutch-ness BEFORE the mavs final? Wow, just wow.

Say Chi Sin Lo · May 2, 2013

Nate Robinson starting to guard Deron Williams, someone needs to tell D-Will to post up (and he can) back the smaller Robinson down.

LeeD · May 2, 2013

It's post game is not always a favorible matchup for the taller player. Often, the shorter guy has leverage or leg strength to negate any backing in, and with that, coupled with quick hands, DWill can get stripped pretty quickly.
Bulls just send the other guard by for a quick swipe and return.

volleygirl · May 2, 2013

T1000 said:
People criticized Lebron and he responded with one of the best basketball years the world has ever seen. KD cries about being 2nd is whole life and gets a chance to be the clear leader with no Westbrook and guess what? He does nothing with it.

LeBron didn't do it without switching teams to where he could play with Wade and Bosh. Now that Durant doesn't have Harden or Westbrook along side him, hes seeing the defense that Jordan had to deal with for years and no one has been able to over come that except him. kobe couldn't, LeBron didn't, and now Durant cant.

Ronaldo · May 2, 2013

LeeD said:
It's post game is not always a favorible matchup for the taller player. Often, the shorter guy has leverage or leg strength to negate any backing in, and with that, coupled with quick hands, DWill can get stripped pretty quickly.
Bulls just send the other guard by for a quick swipe and return.

Nate Robinson played both football and basketball for the Washington Huskies. Bet he has the leg strength, eh?

LeeD · May 2, 2013

While our high school basketball team never won city champs, we did play .500 ball for my 3 seasons.
I started as a sophmore at 5'3", 100 lbs., and ended as the starting small forward at 5'7" and 120 lbs. My biggest successes were against taller and heavier, but slower players. Big leapers were no problem, I also played varsity football as OLB and tight end. Just lean on them and get up for rebounds before they do.
A post game is not that easy to learn. It can be countered by positioning and footwork.

Ronaldo · May 2, 2013

LeeD said:
While our high school basketball team never won city champs, we did play .500 ball for my 3 seasons.
I started as a sophmore at 5'3", 100 lbs., and ended as the starting small forward at 5'7" and 120 lbs. My biggest successes were against taller and heavier, but slower players. Big leapers were no problem, I also played varsity football as OLB and tight end. Just lean on them and get up for rebounds before they do.
A post game is not that easy to learn. It can be countered by positioning and footwork.

Dwight Howard's post game is a thing of beauty. Btw, David Lee is back!

stringertom · May 2, 2013

Ronaldo said:
Dwight Howard's post game is a thing of beauty. Btw, David Lee is back!

Maybe DLee has channeled the recuperative ability of our lovable LeeD to allow himself to play through the pain of a 12-day-old pulled hip flexor. That is a stunningly fast recovery!

soyizgood · May 2, 2013

Going to a game 7 for the Nets-Bulls. Bulls just couldn't get it together when it mattered most. Blatche made two pressure-cooked FTs.

If Deng can get healthy for game 7, I think the Bulls move on.

NickC · May 2, 2013

I hope the Bulls advance too.

But the first priority remains the Knicks. That was awful the other day.

Andyroddickfan · May 2, 2013

volleygirl said:
LeBron didn't do it without switching teams to where he could play with Wade and Bosh. Now that Durant doesn't have Harden or Westbrook along side him, hes seeing the defense that Jordan had to deal with for years and no one has been able to over come that except him. kobe couldn't, LeBron didn't, and now Durant cant.

When jordan didn't have help he didn't win crap. When he didn't have help his first 6 seasons he won no championships. Then he gets help and he wins. When 3 or 4 of Jordan's championship team are regarded as 3 or 4 of the best nba teams of ALL TIME he obviously had no help and had to do it all himself (sarcasm). Jordan is a big part of those teams, but saying he didn't have help when he won is stupid.

Example: jordan with no help loses to the pistons four straight years in the playoffs. 91 was the first year jordan beat them in the playoffs. Jordan gets help, jordan finally beats them.

Say Chi Sin Lo · May 2, 2013

Ronaldo said:
Dwight Howard's post game is a thing of beauty. Btw, David Lee is back!

Say Chi Sin Lo · May 2, 2013

The Warriors got lucky and won that close-out game. Damn near 20 points lead in the 4 quarter and you blew it. You did everything to let the Denver Nuggets back in. Everything from mis-managing timeouts, blatantly handing the ball over, and taking bad shots when you're up by double digits AND early in the shot clock.

We got lucky.

Lastly, 20 f%^&ing points with ~9mins left in the 4th quarter, and you damn near blew it... 20 f@#$ing points!

Say Chi Sin Lo · May 2, 2013

LOL @ Reggie Miller inside the Warriors' locker room after the game.

"You know how much this guy (Marc Jackson) means to me... But those last 3minutes, I don't know where all that s*** came from"

Say Chi Sin Lo · May 2, 2013

And the Bulls, what else can you say about that team but heart and more heart?

Half of the team is injured, the other half is puking sick with the flu, and they just competed.

stringertom · May 3, 2013

Here's another stat line D12 might try to emulate:

points: 14

boards: 21

assists: 3

blocks: 4

steals: 1

the only negatives: 0/0 FTs and 3 TO's. Still, Bogut's best game as a GSW.

Hope they can challenge SA!

T1000 · May 3, 2013

Andyroddickfan said:
Your only point that is relevant is 3. But you're also very misguided if you think the sports world only started saying he was mentally weak after the mavs final. So you're saying no one questioned lebrons mental toughness and clutch-ness BEFORE the mavs final? Wow, just wow.

So Lebron carrying his team on his own the finals isn't relevant to him not being mentally weak? Wow, just wow.

volleygirl said:
LeBron didn't do it without switching teams to where he could play with Wade and Bosh. Now that Durant doesn't have Harden or Westbrook along side him, hes seeing the defense that Jordan had to deal with for years and no one has been able to over come that except him. kobe couldn't, LeBron didn't, and now Durant cant.

Jordan didn't have help? I'm convinced you've never watched a single basketball game in your entire life now, just stop posting.

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