652 replies to this topic

[knucklecup]

NBA League Pass is free for the next two weeks.

Pacers @ Toronto and Nuggets @ Philly to kick things off tonight.

Will unfortunately have to change things to the .500 bound Chicago Bulls in an hour to appease my blowhard roommates, but go Pacers!

[Jeff Van GULLY]

Hornets looks like a pretty deep team even sans Gordon. They may be young but having Jason Smith/Ryan Anderson coming off the bench gives them a solid front court with Anthony Davis and Robin Lopez.

Edited by Jeff Van GULLY, 31 October 2012 - 07:59 PM.

[Nomar813]

Either the Raptors still haven't discovered that Bargnani doesn't do post defense or they're willingly giving away points.

[beezer]

Harden's working hard to justify the new contract. 34 and 9 midway through the 4th. Houston's certainly an aggressive team with Lin and Harden driving to the hoop

[Nomar813]

Awesome debut for Harden. He was in OKC this time last week and already looks like a leader in Houston.

[Nomar813]

The Suns' new court design is dressed for Halloween. The lettering and colors look a lot like the Oklahoma State basketball court.

[sox311]

Watched most games tonight while handing out candy and these are my observations so far:

Harden, wow.
Lin, yuck. He hurt his team more than he helped tonight, and I have a feeling this will continue. He won't be a starting point guard in two years. The Rockets should have kept Lowry, Dragic shoots too much but Lowry would have been great with Harden, however that pick they got for him went to OKC in the trade.

The Clippers 2nd unit has fun and can make some runs. Odom looked good and engaged. Crawford looked like, well Crawford risky but good to lead a 2nd unit.

The Blazers have a young fun lineup with talent. Batumn and Mathews could be fun to watch
The Suns are a mess.
The Warriors have to find out if they want Curry or Jak to run the point. And they need to get Thompson the ball much more.

Sebastian Telfair is playing a role on an NBA team, Phoenix, wow.

[SemperFidelisSox]

I'm hoping this is the year everyone stops blowing Blake Griffin everytime he dunks and realizes he can't shoot for shit or play defense. He's isn't the next Shawn Kemp. He's the next Shareef Abdur Rahim. LOB CITY!1!!!

[teezy]

Sasha Pavlovic had a stretch where he had a steal, assist, and then 7 straight points.. really didn't expect that after watching him last year.

Nash left with a shin injury and Blazers look like they're pulling away late at home as the Lakers are getting tired.

[stp130]

The Dwight Howard Era is off to a slow start...

[Brickowski]

I don't usually watch the late games but tonight I was on a Halloween sugar high. I was really impressed with Damian Lillard. He reminds me a little of one of my all time favorite players, Norm Van Lier.

Edited by Brickowski, 01 November 2012 - 12:12 AM.

[knucklecup]

I'm hoping this is the year everyone stops blowing Blake Griffin everytime he dunks and realizes he can't shoot for shit or play defense. He's isn't the next Shawn Kemp. He's the next Shareef Abdur Rahim. LOB CITY!1!!!

I find that team overrated entirely. Griffin has his flaws as you mention, Paul is constantly hurt, Jordan has lapses (9 TO's last night for instance) where he doesn't look like the elite defender he can be...

They made some good pick ups this offseason but I'm hesitant to consider them a Championship contender until Griffin and Jordan prove me wrong.

[knucklecup]

I don't usually watch the late games but tonight I was on a Halloween sugar high. I was really impressed with Damian Lillard. He reminds me a little of one of my all time favorite players, Norm Van Lier.

I stayed up as well.

Lillard was getting a lot of Rondo comparisons on Twitter. Now that's a team I could see making the next step this season.

Aldridge didn't play well and they still beat the Lakers.

[nighthob]

I have a feeling that point guards across the NBA have the Laker games on their schedule circled in red. Blake is in freefall and in his prime Nash was the worst defensive guard in the NBA. He's historically bad these days.

[Brickowski]

Actually I thought Blake played well last night. His defense was decent and he hit a couple of important shots. It was the rest of the Laker bench that was terrible defensively. Jamison can't guard a chair, and then they brought in some guy whose name escapes me who commited 3 dumb fouls in about 15 seconds. Mettas World Peace has also lost a step and is no longer the defensive stopper that Ron Artest was.

[nighthob]

His defense in both games has been really spotty. And unfortunately for LA he's the cream of the crap. Dallas' 1 guards torched LA to the tune of 28 points, while Lillard similarly ran the chain on them (the only reason Portland's tandem didn't get 40 is that Nolan Smith sucks like Lindsay Lohan after a fifth of peach vodka).

[Nomar813]

Tony Parker is cold-blooded.

[knucklecup]

That was awesome.

Kawhi Leonard is a difference maker.

OKC will be fine. Martin played well I thought.

[gammoseditor]

OKC's not going to win a championship unless Westbrook figures out how to make people around him better.

[sibpin]

OKC traded the wrong guy. I'd rather have Harden and an average starting PG than Westbrook and Martin.

Lin, yuck. He hurt his team more than he helped tonight, and I have a feeling this will continue. He won't be a starting point guard in two years. The Rockets should have kept Lowry, Dragic shoots too much but Lowry would have been great with Harden, however that pick they got for him went to OKC in the trade.

I think it is pretty easy to see what Lin is bad at (ballhandling or long-distance shooting). IMO when he was on the court at the Rondo Charity Classic a year ago he clearly looked like the worst player on the court (this was a game that JaJuan Johnson played in). But there must be a reason a stats-oriented GM like Morey went after him with big bucks beyond just 18 PPG and jersey sales. He looks decent at slashing and decent at forcing turnovers. I think he's going to be much better with Harden instead of Martin - Harden can handle the ball a bit and also hit 3s. I think he has the chance to be a top 20 PG in the league for the next couple of years - but he'll have a hard time cracking the top 10.

[Brickowski]

Tony Parker is cold-blooded.

He's alot better than Joseph Forte, that's for sure.

[dolomite133]

I think it is pretty easy to see what Lin is bad at (ballhandling or long-distance shooting).

Ive never seen a point guard stand so upright and dribble the ball so high. Turnover machine..

[bowiac]

But there must be a reason a stats-oriented GM like Morey went after him with big bucks beyond just 18 PPG and jersey sales.

I think you're overthinking this. They went after him since he wasn't all that expensive for them, and they can trade him as an expiring contract if he does become a bust. Keeping Lowry would have been nice, except they got a nice draft pick by trading him away.

[collings94]

I hate ESPN's presentation of NBA basketball. Rose and Simmons are smart, usually intellecutall guys. Wilbon is ok, but when he gets around Magic, all he does is agree with him, while also blowing him under the table. Then you got Mike "Bang" Breen and JVG, the whiny bitch.

[collings94]

Simmons just burned the shit out of Magic: "Lilliard reminded me of Sleepy Floyd dropping 29 on Magic."

Magic immediatley lashed out: (to Wilbon) "Why is he talking, he didn't play the game."

Sports Guy might not have much time left on TV.

[Plantiers Wart]

Just showed 17 year old Simmons at the Garden after a Laker finals win...payback for the Sleepy Floyd remark.

[Mystic Merlin]

Magic just isn't used to a civilian not sucking his nuts a la Chris Broussard or Wilbon.

[collings94]

My favorite part was Simmons's reponse to the "He never played the game" remark: "Well, I played in High School."

[Ed Hillel]

How many points a game does Wade cost the Heat by not bothering to run back to play D? 6-10?

[Ed Hillel]

Wade just shot an airball with nobody within 2 feet then turned to the ref, threw his arms up into the air, and pointed to his leg.

The poor guy probably can't keep his focus, given his concern with the welfare of NYC citizens, though, so he gets a pass.

Edited by Ed Hillel, 02 November 2012 - 08:43 PM.

[DannyDarwinism]

Harden having another good game as the Rockets try to hang in there against the Hawks. Omer Asik has 18 boards without a point, Rodman (no surprise) looks like the leader in that category with 28 boards without a point back in '93.

[MJM2344]

Harden back at it with 38 with 3 and a half to play.

[DannyDarwinism]

Harden back at it with 38 with 3 and a half to play.

On 19 shots...

[Ed Hillel]

Heat down 23 to the Knicks in the third. Steve Novak has never missed a three in his life.

On 19 shots...

OKC royally fudged this up. This is the kind of trade that can cost a team a championship or two. Westbrook probably had more perceived value and is, imo, a substantially inferior player. They're building around the wrong two guys.

[DannyDarwinism]

And Houston gets the win. So two games into the season and it looks like Harden's doing just fine as an alpha dog. Lin had a nice game too. With Asik as the d-minded big and Patterson and Chandler doing a little bit of everything, the Rockets could actually be interesting this year.

[DannyDarwinism]

I wonder what kind of odds I could get for Greivis Vasquez ending up as the assists leader this season.

Edit, from Bovoda- Rajon Rondo (BOS) 5/2 | Deron Williams (BK) 7/2 | Steve Nash (LAL) 4/1 | Chris Paul (LAC) 5/1 |Ricky Rubio (MIN) 17/2 | John Wall (WAS) 9/1 | Jrue Holiday (PHI) 12/1 | Tony Parker (SA) 12/1 |Raymond Felton (NYK) 20/1 | Ty Lawson (DEN) 20/1 |Jose Calderon (TOR) 40/1 | Russell Westbrook (OKC) 40/1 | Any Other Player35/1

35/1. Not bad at all, though I suppose I could get Lowry, Lin, Dragic or Irving at the same price.

Edited by DannyDarwinism, 02 November 2012 - 09:28 PM.

[Scoops Bolling]

I wonder what kind of odds I could get for Greivis Vasquez ending up as the assists leader this season.

Probably pretty good.

The Hornets look really interesting this year. Davis, Aminu, Rivers, and Gordon (who has yet to play) is a hell of a young core, and Vasquez looks like he may be a find as well. If I'm Eric Gordon, I'd much rather be with that squad then playing for the godawful Suns.

[Blacken]

Speaking of, Davis got elbowed in the head by Austin Rivers and went off for a concussion test. Whoops.

[Ed Hillel]

We need a gif of Chalmers after he fouled Kidd behind the arc with .5 seconds left on the shot clock.

[Blacken]

Rasheed sighting!

[Ed Hillel]

Sheed has become NY's version of Scal.

A "RA-SHEED WALL-ACE" chant just erupted in a blowout, and Woodson has obliged.

[Blacken]

Sheed has become NY's version of Scal.

Only, you know. An NBA player.

(sort of)

[AMS25]

And Houston gets the win. So two games into the season and it looks like Harden's doing just fine as an alpha dog. Lin had a nice game too. With Asik as the d-minded big and Patterson and Chandler doing a little bit of everything, the Rockets could actually be interesting this year.

Good for Harden! Everyone in the OKC metro is happy for him....until the Rockets come to play the Thunder!

K-Mart held his own tonight as the third option. He was 5 for 11 on his shooting, 3-for 3 on his three-pointers, and 6 for 6 on his free throws for 19 points, with 3 rebounds and 2 assists. We even got some garbage time Jeremy Lamb and Perry Jones III -- Lamb threw up a cold-blooded 3-pointer, his first points in the NBA.

[Ed Hillel]

Wow, this Lakers bench is terrible. I've never heard of most of these guys.

Edited by Ed Hillel, 02 November 2012 - 10:20 PM.

[knucklecup]

Glen Davis had a tremendous night w/ 29 points and 10 boards in a big win.

Omer Asik had 19 boards and zero points.

The Heat lost by 20 as the Knicks went off from three - did you know, per Darren Rovell, that Amare Stoudemire made $243,278 to sit courtside in an expensive suit to watch a basketball game at MSG tonight?

Edited by knucklecup, 02 November 2012 - 10:24 PM.

[knucklecup]

OKC royally fudged this up. This is the kind of trade that can cost a team a championship or two. Westbrook probably had more perceived value and is, imo, a substantially inferior player. They're building around the wrong two guys.

Now this is something I could get behind. I don't know about substantially inferior though.

[collings94]

Heat down 23 to the Knicks in the third. Steve Novak has never missed a three in his life.



OKC royally fudged this up. This is the kind of trade that can cost a team a championship or two. Westbrook probably had more perceived value and is, imo, a substantially inferior player. They're building around the wrong two guys.

I was thinking about this. I don't know about the contracts, but Harden fits OKC much better then Westbrook does. Westbrook is an explosive scorer, but he takes so much off of the table, mainly poor shot selection and spotty defense. It was sad watching the NBA finals and seeing Westbrook recklessly drive against multiple defenders while one of the greatest scorers in NBA history remained univolved.

OKC would be better off with a typical, veteran pass first PG, an Andre Miller type, with Harden taking over the ball in crunchtime.

[Super Nomario]

It seems like with all the hatred of LeBron, Wade, and Ray lately, we've lost sight of something very important: fuck Kobe.

[jon abbey]

Sheed has become NY's version of Scal.

A "RA-SHEED WALL-ACE" chant just erupted in a blowout, and Woodson has obliged.

And awesomely after tonight's game:

Rasheed Wallace on his role w/NYK: "I accept my Brian Scalabrine role. I'm cool with it."

[SemperFidelisSox]

Mike Brown is getting shit canned, the only questions are when and how much $ it will end up taking to get Phil Jackson to get off the couch.