2006/07 NBA Thread

[Lowerdeck]

So much for that 3-0.

Once again, the best team in the Tri-State, make that the entire Atlantic Division ... Jersey. Even with the worst fucking owner in the league.

[gunnar hendershow]

So let's just throw this out there. The two teams with the highest salaries in the NBA (New York and Philly) are going to play like absolute crap, right? I wish the same happened in baseball...

[Guest Dimond]

I went to the raptors game against the spurs today, and even though they lost im impressed. Considering who they were playing, it was a pretty good game. Bosh was a monster, with 19 points and 17 boards. TJ is the point gaurd this team has needed for a while, and calderon is a good back up for him. It was my first up close look at parker, garba and barniani and i was impressed by all of them. Garba is a good player who has size and can shoot the three also. Its the same thing with barniani. For the few minutes he was playing he playede very well. Parker is a solid player who can score and plays some good d. Overall, this team has alot of potential and may even be able to get into the playoffs because of the division theyre in. With two real point gaurds and some size up front for once there is only room for improvment.

[VerbalPuke]

Just commenting on the above post, but I love Chris Bosh. I really wish that Darko had stayed in Europe for another season because the Pistons were planning on drafting Bosh at number 2. They went with Darko because he blew our scouts and Joe Dumars away with an amazing workout.

It's weird, had the Pistons taken Bosh they may not have traded for Rasheed, and may not have won the title in 04. It's one of those hindsight is is 20/20 sort of things.

I'm a bit torn on the situation, but I guess things worked out for both teams. But still, Bosh is fucking awesome, and is one of my favorite non-Detroit players. He's fun to watch, and is a guy that will help lead the NBA's new generation of big men along with Dwight Howard (and I want to say Amare, but it's hard to say if he'll actually recover).

[JStarr]

As far as the next generation of big men goes, I'm really digging David West from the Hornets right now. 20 PPG so far through his first three, and he's showing no signs of being fat and happy after getting his big contract extension in the offseason. Between him and CP, the Hornets do have a pretty good nucleus.

[Iain76er]

So let's just throw this out there. The two teams with the highest salaries in the NBA (New York and Philly) are going to play like absolute crap, right? I wish the same happened in baseball...

[VerbalPuke]

As far as the next generation of big men goes, I'm really digging David West from the Hornets right now. 20 PPG so far through his first three, and he's showing no signs of being fat and happy after getting his big contract extension in the offseason. Between him and CP, the Hornets do have a pretty good nucleus.

Good call, and you reminded me of another guy if he can keep his head on straight, Zach Randolph.

The guy could be something special if he stopped with the insanity and inconsistency. He's had very good years in the past, but if he keeps his high level of play up, he could easily be representing the West as an all-star. He's also still very young despite being something of a veteran due to leaving college at an early age.

[gunnar hendershow]

So let's just throw this out there. The two teams with the highest salaries in the NBA (New York and Philly) are going to play like absolute crap, right? I wish the same happened in baseball...

They're already guaranteed 3 wins this season. 1 more than Atlanta will get.

Quoted for emphasis.

Of course, anyone thinking Atlanta's start is anything more than an apparition is pretty crazy. They'll plummet back down to a 50, 60 loss season soon enough.

[JStarr]

Okay, it's official...no one in my NBA fantasy legaue is paying a damn bit of attention. Some goober chick decided that since Richard Jefferson was hurt, that he wasn't worth keeping on the bench. He sat on waivers for two days, and I got him for the bargain price of one slightly used Sarunas Jasikevicius.

Jefferson, Kidd, Ray Allen, Redd, Dirk, Boozer, Jameer Nelson, Andre Miller (another waiver grab)...damn, my team is looking sweet.

[ACCBiggz]

Nuggets/Knicks Brawl...

It was rather stupid, merely because it was so late in the game when it wouldn't have mattered. Lil' Nate Robinson was involved in the brawl which made my day.

[TheSqauredCircleMessiah]

Sucker punches & back peddling, Carmelo Anthony ladies and gentlemen.

[Mr Evil Guy]

That fight was great. Go melo, go.

[Trey]

Melo is gangsta son, he's not getting jumped.

[SeanB]

Yeah Melo ain't stupid, why hit him and stay right there where other Knicks players could have jumped in? Get ya free shot in and make sure you get some space.

[JStarr]

And by taking his free shot, he's gotten several games tacked on to a suspension that likely would have been only one...or maybe none, if he had seemed to be in a peacekeeping role. I mean, David Stern isn't going to suspend the league's leading scorer and one of its most marketable young talents just because he was in the vicinity...or at least he'd be less likely to. By throwing just one punch and running like a bitch, Melo fucked his entire team even worse than they would have been if he'd just stayed out of it. AND he would have looked smart for staying out of it, instead of looking like a total suckerpunching pussy.

Oh, and the next time Nate Robinson wants to spout off, I'd love to see someone stuff him in a mailbox somewhere. I absolutely loved seeing him win the SlamDunk contest, but dammit, he's become a showboaty little fucker ever since.

EDIT: 15 GAMES for Melo and 10 for J.R. Smith and Nate Robinson. Hope everyone's machismo was worth it. Fucking morons.

Edited December 18, 2006 by jstarr2k3

[GhostMachine]

I didn't see the actual fight, so will someone who did (or who has in-depth knowledge of NBA rules) please explain to me why the guy who actually started it got the shortest suspension (only 6 games)? Usually when fights break out in most sports the person who instigated it gets one of the heaviest penalties, not the lightest, whether he did much of anything afterward or not.

Shit like this, the brawl in Detroit, and the way the U.S. team has performed the last few years are reasons why I pay more attention to college basketball than the NBA. Seriously. Way too many thugs and overpaid players with big egos playing the game now.

[JStarr]

I think Mardy Collins sort of distanced himself from things, aside from being the victim of Melo's RUNNING PUNCH OF DOOM~!

And God love George Karl. Finally, a fucking coach who speaks a language other than cliche.

Shit like this, the brawl in Detroit, and the way the U.S. team has performed the last few years are reasons why I pay more attention to college basketball than the NBA. Seriously. Way too many thugs and overpaid players with big egos playing the game now.

Amen, brother. I have a friend who's a rabid NBA fan, so I watch it with him, but otherwise, most of the league would be incarcerated if there was no NBA.

[JStarr]

From ESPN.com:

Sixers, Nuggets reach agreement for Iverson

By Marc Stein and Chris Sheridan

ESPN.com

The Denver Nuggets have reached an agreement in principle with the Philadelphia 76ers to acquire Allen Iverson, according to NBA front-office sources.

The trade, pending league approval, some two weeks after Iverson demanded a trade in Philly, would send Andre Miller, Joe Smith and two 2007 first-round picks to the Sixers for Iverson and perhaps another minimum-salaried player or two. It was expected to be completed later Tuesday barring any snags.

The Sixers had been hoping to take back only expiring contracts in any Iverson deal, unless they were receiving a top-flight young player like Minnesota's Randy Foye or Shaun Livingston of the Los Angeles Clippers.

But with Philly and Denver struggling to find a third team to join in to make the deal more financially enticing for the Sixers, they decided to end an auction that began in earnest when Iverson's demand to be traded was confirmed by Sixers chairman Ed Snider on Dec. 8.

This deal will bring Philly a former league assist leader in Miller, Smith's expiring salary of nearly $7 million and those two first-round picks in June -- projected to be in the 20s -- to go with their own lottery pick. Miller is averaging 13 points and 9.1 assists per game -- third-best in the NBA -- while Smith, an 11-year veteran, has played little this season, averaging only 13.5 minutes and 5.1 points per game.

The Nuggets' interest in Iverson dates to last February and has only increased since the Sixers made him available to the whole league earlier this month. Their chief motivation is pairing Iverson with Anthony in coach George Karl's up-tempo attack, but acquiring Iverson now -- just a day after Anthony and J.R. Smith were suspended for 15 and 10 games, respectively, for their roles in Saturday night's fight with the New York Knicks -- gives a much-needed jolt to Denver's depleted roster.

The former teammates from the 2004 U.S. Olympic squad won't be able to play together until Anthony is reinstated for a Jan. 20 game at Houston.

Miller, who led the NBA in assists with 10.9 per game for Cleveland in 2001-02, makes $8.7 million this season and has $19.2 million left on his contract over the following two seasons.

It's apparent, though, that the Sixers decided it was better to absorb Miller's contract now -- along with the opportunity to have three first-round selections in what scouts are calling the deepest draft in years -- as opposed to dragging out the Iverson saga further.

Iverson has been in exile for the past 11 days, languishing on the Sixers' inactive list while still accruing his per-game earnings of $156,218.

Iverson, 31, is averaging 31.2 points per game -- second only to Carmelo Anthony's 31.6 ppg -- in 15 games this season. He has a career 28.1 ppg scoring average in 11 NBA seasons, all in Philadelphia. He led the Sixers to the 2001 NBA Finals, where they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in five games, but the team has seen little playoff success since.

He was Rookie of the year in 1997 and MVP in 2001. He has led the NBA in scoring four times, most recently in 2005, finishing in the league's top three every year since 1999, and twice led the league in steals.

Wow. I mean, I like Andre Miller, and I think him showing up might be good for the emergence of Andre Iguodala, but this deal is all about the draft picks. Good picks, and the Sixers can rise back up the East quickly. Bad picks, and they'll even have the Knicks laughing at them. And of course, Philly's own pick is likely to be pretty high, as this team doesn't seem likely for more than 25 wins.

As for Denver, this might get them through the lean weeks without Melo, but they'll end up being just like the Sixers in not having a true point guard. Boykins seems to be much better suited for a change-of-pace reserve role. A lineup of Iverson, J.R. Smith, Melo, Nene, and Camby could be killer...or this team will implode under egos and injuries. Denver's a team to watch, for sure.

[Your Mom]

How are the Bulls doing? I am thinking of watching a game or 2 and seeing if I like it.

[Mr Evil Guy]

The Bulls have a solid 14-10 record, the 11th best in the NBA. On another note, though. I'm so excited for the Lakers. They're proving that they don't need Shaquille O'Neal to become a powerhouse team in the NBA.

They have a fantastic team, Odom and Bryant are showing me that they're great leaders.