2008/2009 NBA Thread v2.0

[jrtdot]

So a lot has happened seeing as today is July 9th and all...

Baron Davis is officially a Clipper

Elton Brand is a 76er

Corey Maggette is heading to Golden State

Duhon is a Knick, but really...do they need ANOTHER GUARD??!

Jermaine O'Neal is officially a Raptor

Jose Calderon is resigned and Matt Devlin is the new voice of the Raptors!

[rocksta]

Elton Brand becoming a sixer has made my week.

[Lowerdeck]

Is this Yi kid any good, or is New Jersey/Brooklyn's only hope named LeBron James?

[jrtdot]

Is this Yi kid any good, or is New Jersey/Brooklyn's only hope named LeBron James?

he was supposed to be another Yao Ming kind of player. But you know how foriegn picks are a hit or miss, i think he might have it but last season was not promising

[rocksta]

Is this Yi kid any good, or is New Jersey/Brooklyn's only hope named LeBron James?

he was supposed to be another Yao Ming kind of player. But you know how foriegn picks are a hit or miss, i think he might have it but last season was not promising

The only possible comparison I can think of between Yao Ming and Yi is that they're both Chinese and tall. They don't play like the other at all. Saying he's another Yao Ming type of player makes no sense. He's a 'foreign kid' but he has a lot of potential, he won rookie of the month in either November or December I forget but when he was on and not hurt he was averaging like 12 and 6. He got hurt in the end of the year but he might turn out to be a great player.

[jrtdot]

Is this Yi kid any good, or is New Jersey/Brooklyn's only hope named LeBron James?

he was supposed to be another Yao Ming kind of player. But you know how foriegn picks are a hit or miss, i think he might have it but last season was not promising

The only possible comparison I can think of between Yao Ming and Yi is that they're both Chinese and tall. They don't play like the other at all. Saying he's another Yao Ming type of player makes no sense. He's a 'foreign kid' but he has a lot of potential, he won rookie of the month in either November or December I forget but when he was on and not hurt he was averaging like 12 and 6. He got hurt in the end of the year but he might turn out to be a great player.

alright then, i dont know much about him lol but he might have had a better year without the injury

[livid]

I don't know what you're saying that he didn't have a promising season last year because he did. Keep in mind that he's only 20 years old too.

And while he had a solid year last year for a rookie, I wouldn't expect him to be a superstar though. He could be a good player in the league but I think if he's in the right system he could be good but I wouldn't expect him to be anything more than a solid second option.

[thuganomic]

He could be anywhere from 20-30......

That said, I like Yi. Tons better than Darko anyway. I think he'll probably be better than Danilo too, so the Nets continue to stay ahead of the Knicks in that regard.

[jrtdot]

Mickael Pietrus is also on his way out of Golden State, heading for the East, Orlando Magic

[Maxx]

Yes the Knicks need another guard considering they're dumping Marbury and their only other option is Nate Robinson

[jrtdot]

The San Antonio Spurs and unrestricted free agent Roger Mason have agreed to terms on a two-year deal worth more than US$7 million - Mason had a good year last season with the Wizards, and if I remember correctly, he put a whuppin to the Raptors everytime they faced the Wizards

also:

The Houston Rockets signed free agent guard Brent Barry to a two-year contract

[Toe]

Mason did put a whooping on the Raptors except for the game I saw in person where the Raptors just crushed the Wizards.

I like the move to get Jermaine O'Neal and I think Toronto has improved their roster. Jose Calderon has shown himself capable of being the starting point guard, and the main weakness of the Raptors (rebounding and interior defence) has been improved with the addition of O'Neal. I actually want to buy tickets to see the Raptors play (the game I saw was a special deal from my college) and think they have a good chance of having an impact in the postseason, unlike last year where they fizzled against the Magic.

[livid]

Let me just say that this whole Elton Brand situation is weird and has thus made me lose some respect for Elton, who I've always thought was great and above all else, a great person and I don't quite know who's telling the truth in the situation but it just sounds like Brand pulled a Boozer.

Above all else, though, I feel sorry for Baron Davis who I'm sure thought he was going to be in a great situation in LA and now is only in a good situation in LA and I don't know if he even upgraded at all from Golden State to LA. But at least he's closer to LA and can continue to run his production company though lol.

[Toe]

A verbal agreement is not binding though, and Elton Brand made the decision that he thought would benefit himself and his family the most.

[livid]

I know, it's just bullshit to say "Yeah, go get Baron and I'll be back." and then...he doesn't come back. Whether it's legally binding or not is not my issue, it's the fact that he lied to them. If you're thinking about leaving then don't say that you'll be back if you do so and so.

And I highly doubt that going to Philadelphia is all that much better for a family than LA is, if at all. Especially when the difference in money is $4 million, which is really nothing when you've been known as one of the only loyal Clippers for years and would essentially be getting the same contract from the Clippers.

Edited July 11, 2008 by RocknRolla

[rocksta]

The clippers messed with him first. He wanted the big contract that was promised to him and they weren't available to supply it so he came here to Philly. Stop acting like he's a terrible person 'Only four million dollars' you're acting like it's chump change. I don't know where you got four million either? The difference is much larger then what the Clipper's would have been able to give him after Davis signed.

[gunnar hendershow]

Not a big fan of guys breaking verbal agreements, regardless of circumstances. It's just a dick move.

Edited July 12, 2008 by damshow

[rocksta]

I still respect them. Sure I'm biased in favor of Brand since he's on my team now, but they both wanted more money and more success. It's human nature.

[Maxx]

He wanted to opt out of his contract and get a big pay day despite barely playing at all last season. The Clippers wanted to make sure he was healthy and could still play at a level deserving of a big contract. Wow, novel concept there. Philly was willing to pay him straight away, they're a playoff team and he's the piece they were missing, so you can't really blame him for leaving.

It is fucked up that he was a big part of the Clippers going out and signing Baron, which fucked over the Warriors and now seems to be fucking over the Clippers, as they probably could have nabbed Josh Smith and Emeka Okafor if they knew Brand was planning on leaving, instead of signing Baron.

[Toe]

Oh well, the Clippers would have had Brand and Davis and still found a way to lose. It is the Clipper way.