2007-2008 NBA Thread

[Guest Miyagi]

Can't wait to see how Stern handles the ref situation. Any mention of refs gets you fined in his league, and he never wants to discuss the refs. now he has to.

As for the Seattle relocation, isn't it due to the fact that the owner wants the city to foot the bill for the new arena? Can't say I blame the residents for not being too happy about that. People will go consistently if you're a winner, not because of the amenities your building offers.

[CISS]

What are some websites you guys go to for rumors about sports?

[SeanB]

Celtics are automatically upped into the top 3 of the East, replacing Miami and joining Cleveland and Chicago as the teams to beat.

Does any other team sport a trio as lethal as Allen-Pierce-KG? Outside of Phoenix and San Antonio, I say no.

[naiwf]

Ray Allen and his brittle ankles won't be as big a factor as many seem to think and Paul 'Primadonna' Pierce won't enjoy getting less touches especially when he probably misses out on the All-Star team. Then you factor in that Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers are running the team and it wouldn't shock me if the Celts were HUGE underachievers this year.

As far as the initial post, I agree with Durant winning ROY as he should average anywhere from 15 to 19 PPG and the Knicks being a surprise team assuming they don't give away David Lee for Artest.

I disagree with the other two choices as I see the MVP going to LeBron via process of elimination. I think Dirk's collapse in the playoffs means he won't win it no matter what. Nash's time is over, and he kills any chance of Amare getting consideration. Wade's probably going to miss a few weeks or a month. Duncan pretty much coasts through the regular season. Agent Zero's Wiz and The Los Angeles Kobes won't win enough for either to get his first MVP and I think that eliminates all of the legit candidates unless KG proves me wrong, averages his usual 22-12-4 and leads Boston to 45+ wins and/or a top 4 seed.

The NBA Champions will more than likely end up being everyone's favorite highlight reel squad, the San Antonio Spurs since Dallas has no heart, Phoenix plays no 'D' and Shaq has no legs to be a factor deep into the playoffs. *gag*

Edited July 30, 2007 by naiwf

[Maxx]

I don't care how elite that KG trade might make Boston, its one of the worst trades I've ever seen.

They depleted their roster with the Ray Allen trade already, and now they're gonna give up everyone else?

Rondo, Allen, Pierce, Scalabrine, KG, Glen Davis and who else? They're gonna fill their roster up with scrubs? Allen and KG aren't in their prime anymore, if they have no bench help, they'll be completely drained by the time the playoffs role around.

Jefferson, Telfair, Ratliff and the #1 pick, thats a sensible trade. Thrown in Gerald Green and Ryan Gomes? Thats retarded. 5 guys and a first round pick for one All Star who's got about 3 good seasons left in him? That should be the move that gets Ainge fired, not saved

[Green Demon]

Yeah if Boston is going to be good they are now good for 3 years tops before the guys start breaking down and along with that they have absolutely no depth. They may be good during the regular season but I just dont see them succeding in the playoffs. If KG goes down for a length of time this season I could easily see Boston being a lottery team.

[Maxx]

And even if they make the finals, that team would lose to the Spurs and the Suns, and the Mavericks could probably even give that lineup a run for its money.

[maninblack]

But that's the point of the KG trade. These three guys + Ainge know they're running out of time. If they manage to make it all the way to the Finals AND manage to win it all, then mission accomplished. Boston may suck elephant dick right after this season, but that's the chance they're taking.

[naiwf]

But that's the point of the KG trade. These three guys + Ainge know they're running out of time. If they manage to make it all the way to the Finals AND manage to win it all, then mission accomplished. Boston may suck elephant dick right after this season, but that's the chance they're taking.

[Maxx]

Plus they're relying on Rajon Rondo to distribute the ball

[Trey]

I like the trade for both teams myself. Ainge fucked himself when he made the panic trade for Allen to keep Pierce happy and then Garnett fell into his laps. Sure, he gave away his future for it, but it's still a 3 year window for a championship. The entire goal is to win a championship and with these three guys, I consider them one of the East favorites.

Garnett, Pierce, and Allen all compliment their weaknesses and are all what, top 8 at the positions? When the Bears sucked for so long when I was growing up, I would've given up up the next 5-10 years for more sucking if we had been given a trade that instantly made us contenders for 3 or 4 more years. I mean the entire goal is to win a championship, and after the Allen deal, Ainge had to do something big. This is a big gamble, but the payout is a championship, not the promises of future glory.

[naiwf]

I like the trade for both teams myself. Ainge fucked himself when he made the panic trade for Allen to keep Pierce happy and then Garnett fell into his laps. Sure, he gave away his future for it, but it's still a 3 year window for a championship. The entire goal is to win a championship and with these three guys, I consider them one of the East favorites.

Garnett, Pierce, and Allen all compliment their weaknesses and are all what, top 8 at the positions? When the Bears sucked for so long when I was growing up, I would've given up up the next 5-10 years for more sucking if we had been given a trade that instantly made us contenders for 3 or 4 more years. I mean the entire goal is to win a championship, and after the Allen deal, Ainge had to do something big. This is a big gamble, but the payout is a championship, not the promises of future glory.

[thuganomic]

Don't sleep on the Bulls. Every year that team gets better, and if they had just managed to beat the Pistons, I think it would've been Chicago in the finals last year. At this point, I'd put Chicago, Pistons, and maybe the Heat ahead of the Celtics in the East. The Celtics NEED a point guard though, if they want to compete.

[DMN in the House]

Its not like it matters anyway, they're still not better than the top teams in the west.

[EWRFan]

I think it was a grade trade for Boston. Outside of Jefferson and maybe even Green, the rest was expendable. I think they make up for the loss of Jefferson with KG. Gomes was way overrated, if not look up with PER. Yeah, maybe I am sort of a stat junkie, but I see this is an improvement.

Still, Boston is as good as the supporting cast can be. If they get some good players with that mid-level exemption, they can be dangerous. But picking them over Chicaco, Detroit and Cleveland? I dont think so, specially since one injury to KG can be fatal for the Celtics. I still think the champ will come out of the West again, but the east is far more interesting than last year. And the Knicks will miss the playoffs. Mark my words!

Surprise team: Charlotte Bobcats

I think they can make the playoffs. Take a look at this four: Felton, Richardson, Wallace and Okafor. Add a decent big man(Brezec is good at scoring, not so much at the boards) and they can go far.

[livid]

They don't need a decent big man because they have Okafor and then May off the bench, both of whom can rebound very well. What they need is veteran leadership and they did get that a bit in Richardson, but that would make the team that much better if they were able to add another veteran with leadership qualities.

The surprise team this next season, IMO, will be the Grizzlies for the sheer fact that they weren't THAT bad last year, just had injury problems. Nonetheless, they get a top 5 pick and end up with the best PG in this year's class, a sore spot for the team. They also added Darko, who if he lives up to some of the potential he had when he was drafted, then that'll make them even better.

[Lowerdeck]

I'll say this before and say it again here. New Jersey is still better than Boston in the Atlantic. These three guys will have some problems sharing the ball and the glory considering all three have been lone all stars for years. Meanwhile, New Jersey has greater depth and has worked together for years ... plus has Krstic who is better than whatever fourth guy Boston can throw out on the court (Rondo).

[MSC]

The Clippers took a big hit. Elton Brand suffered a ruptured achilles tendon (I think that's what I read on the bottom line) and is expected to miss 6 months. That should be about 3 months of the season then whatever time it takes to get him back into a playing groove.

[livid]

That's what they say, but they've also said the typical time period for an NBA player with such an injury is a year, so I guess we (and they) just have to play the waiting game now.

[SeanB]

I know there is no way to predict who's going to get injured and what not... but a lot of you guys seem to be misinformed about Kevin Garnett's durability. In fact, throughout his 12 year career, the most games he's ever missed in a single season has been 6, and that figure has only been reached in each of the past 2 seasons.

http://www.nba.com/playerfile/kevin_garnet...reer_stats.html

I can understand people expecting either Allen/Pierce to miss some time, but it's highly unlikely that KG will miss an enormous amount of time.