2010/2011 NBA Thread

[rocksta]

Machine literally stole my post from my mind.

[naiwf]

Also it's not as if Wall, Griffin, and Landry Fields are the only rookies doing anything this year. DeMarcus Cousins has been in the starting lineup for the Kings and has looked solid, and Monroe from the Pistons has looked pretty good.

That's true but Cousins has already been suspended by his team and the whole reason he wasn't the # 2 pick was because he has character/immaturity issues. Before the draft some analysts said he probably could rival Wall in terms of raw talent, but that some teams would not be willing to gamble on a headcase. I honestly have seen nothing from Monroe other than some highlights so I can't say much about him.

You can disagree with my assessment of the upcoming draft, but if the league's GMs thought there was a lot of talent to be had next year they wouldn't be trading away unprotected lottery picks for guys like Mo Williams.

[rocksta]

I just don't know how you can say there is only two talents. And list those two. I mean I hear good things about Kanter but that's all. I haven't ever seen him play and I doubt you have either. I mean he looks great on the highlights but so does everyone good enough for a highlight tape. They traded the pick they got rid of Davis' contract. One of the worst in Basketball. It's not like they don't value the pick they just value the money more.

[the machine]

You can disagree with my assessment of the upcoming draft, but if the league's GMs thought there was a lot of talent to be had next year they wouldn't be trading away unprotected lottery picks for guys like Mo Williams.

Or they don't know what the new CBA is going to say and they want to make sure they have expiring deals to clear up cap room for the future. A lot of these contracts are relics of a bygone age: Baron Davis was making 14 million dollars a year to be a below average point guard. You're in a far better position moving forward to evaluate talent that's actually played in the league through free agency when you aren't spending 1/4 of your cap room on Elton Brand or Baron Davis or whoever, and that's worth giving up draft picks to most teams. Besides, do the Clippers really need even more young talent? They already have Gordon, Aminu, Bledsoe, Griffin, Jordon, and Willie Warren at age 22 or younger.

I think the Clippers are trying to free up cap room for a Chris Paul or Williams, since they have cap room while the guys listed above are still on their rookie contracts. That's more a commentary on how screwed up contracts were 3-4 years ago than an indicator that this year's draft is no good.

[Blaze09]

the Clips/Cavs deal was a salary move 1st, and the pick was 2nd. The Cavs wanted the pick more than Baron, and the Clips was happy to give it to them.

The Clippers would give up a likely top-10 lottery pick to make the savings happen.

"That just shows you how much we hate this draft," one Clippers source told ESPN.com.

Outside of Sullinger (who might not leave according to my cousin who is going to be playing for OSU next year, but I doubt that) and Kanter, everyone else is a real risk if they come out (Irving is more than likely staying since he's been out forever).

[naiwf]

I just don't know how you can say there is only two talents. And list those two. I mean I hear good things about Kanter but that's all. I haven't ever seen him play and I doubt you have either. I mean he looks great on the highlights but so does everyone good enough for a highlight tape. They traded the pick they got rid of Davis' contract. One of the worst in Basketball. It's not like they don't value the pick they just value the money more.

http://www.nbadraft.net/2011mock_draft

That mock has Williams (CLEV), Irving (MINN), Jones (SAC), Sullinger (TOR), Kanter (WASH) as the top 5.

My theory is that big guys that hit can singlehandedly change franchises with just one pick (Ewing, Olajuwon, Robinson, Duncan, Shaq, Garnett and to a much lesser extent, Yao, Howard, Griffin). This year there is no Derrick Rose caliber PG in college from what I've seen. When you can't identify a stud big or PG, then bigs are most likely to be picked at the top. Wings unless they are LeBron/Durant "can't miss" caliber are riskier to pick at # 1 because there are more guys capable of playing the 2/3 than the 1/4/5 at a high level in the NBA.

Minnesota wasted 2 top 6 picks at PG just 2 years ago, now they have them drafting another one. I realize that if you miss with a big early like Olowokandi, KWAME, Darko, Oden etc you're pretty much fucked, but the risk/reward when there isn't a surefire thing generally tends to teams trying to draft bigs who play like bigs first, then PG and lastly wings. This is the first year since '06 where there isn't a consensus franchise caliber guy available. Maybe that's a better way of putting my stance.

If you just look at the top teams in the league right now (LAL, Boston, SA) they have the bigs needed to win playoff games. Some of the contenders (OKC, Miami, Orlando) are missing that one big guy to potentially get them over the hump. There isn't a single contender in the league that their main need is another wing player.

[Blaze09]

Well, OKC just got Perkins from Boston, so they might have that big they need.

[naiwf]

Well, OKC just got Perkins from Boston, so they might have that big they need.

I still think they need one more just because Perkins is coming off an injury, although I-block-a is pretty nice to have hovering around the goal as well. Barring injuries or the cap squeezing a team led by Westbrook & Durant they're definitely on the precipice of dominating the West in 2-3 years once Kobe and Timmay are done/on the verge of hanging 'em up.

If you just go back and look at the past few years and look at why Cleveland and Phoenix could win 50+ every year but couldn't win the title, it's mainly because they couldn't bang with the bigs on the other teams. That one Detroit title is the anomaly in the post Jordan era. Those guys won on grit, defense and effort. Every other title has been won by a team led by a HOF caliber big in their prime (Duncan, Shaq) or one that acquired a HOF caliber big to get them over the hump (Miami picks up Shaq, Boston picks up KG, LA picks up Pau). Miami and OKC may be able to do it the Jordan way, but that's only possible when you have 2 1st team All-NBA guys in their prime on the same team and that's pretty rare.

[Meacon Keaton]

http://sports.espn.g...tory?id=6155280

And so the saga begins...

Nets better hope they find the magic Sucess-Potion and soon. Williams is more or less already saying if they don't do anything next year, he's gone. Go figure.

[bill_da_bill]

Bobcats essentially gave away Gerald Wallace. I realize it was a cost cutting move, but they couldn't get anything better?

I don't like that deal for the Celtics. It's putting way to much faith in Shaq and Green is going to get 20 - 25 minutes there off the bench and less than that in the playoffs when Pierce and Garnett are going 35 minutes per night.

They were for my money the best team in the league and no one else upgraded, so I think it was an unncessary and pretty risky move.They say it's so they can compete with the Heat, but what about the Lakers? They need Perkins in that series.

[phatman]

Hmmmm my Phoenix Suns traded Goran Dragic and a lottery protected 1st round pick to Houston for Aaron Brooks...

I wasn't a big fan of Dragic, so hopefully this works out, I just hope that Brooks can get over his injuries and be a good backup in Phoenix... I see his style of play gelling well and I don't think its that much of risk swapping him and Dragic this late into the season...

I think the OKC and BOS deal makes OKC a lot stronger and I wouldn't be surprised to see them surpass the Lakers now and into the third seed in the West... Getting Perkins was a steal, who when healthy is a good starting C and Nate coming off the bench behind Westbrook and providing some extra scoring punch gives them alot of weapons...

I admit whilst the draft isn't all that deep this year, they've all got decent talent, you've just got to pick the right ones to fit into the system your running... I can see people looking back on this draft in a few years and saying it was shit but I can also see it turning out to be a decent class...

[naiwf]

I still for the life of me don't understand why the Celtics gave up "the reason they lost Game 7" last year today simply because they weren't going to re-sign him. I would think you'd try to win now with that team, since it's the very definition of a "win now" team. If Garnett or one of the O'Neals goes down they may not get out of the East now.

[DMN in the House]

I know it's trendy to think LA is done, but Boston may have cost themselves a championship with that move. No way they beat LA without Perkins. It's a nice move for OKC, but probably not enough to get them past LA this year.

It'll come down to San Antonio/LA. If LA wins, they win the title. If San Antonio wins, it's a little less certain, but they probably win the title as well.

[Meacon Keaton]

Well, I'm not so quick as to count out the East, but I do agree that I don't think Boston wins it all without Perkins. The O'Neals will breakdown (well, they already are) by the Eastern Finals, if they get that far. We shall see, though.

[bill_da_bill]

Everything I have heard is saying that Boston did it to try and get smaller and quicker to compete with Miami. If that is the reason it'd ridiculous.

Putting all your eggs in Shaq's basket is a bad way to go I think and it just opened up the Eastern Conference a bit more, in my opinion.

The combination of Perkins and Ibaka playing down low together on defense is going to be quite formidable.

[phatman]

I too am in the belief that it will be incredibly harder now for Boston to win a championship this season... I've got no faith in Paul Pierce or Kevin Garnett remaining healthy for the remainder of the year either which will make it almost impossible if they're not healthy come playoff time...

I don't know who will make it out of the East... As far as the West is concerned I think that the only teams that can win are SA, Dallas & LA with OCK giving some teams are scare down the stretch but probably a season away from been championship contenders...

[maninblack]

I'd have to agree with this. Boston trading away Perk and Nate was not a good move at all.

[Szumi]

So apparently the Memphis/Indiana trade didn't go through, and O.J. Mayo will be staying with the Grizzlies. The trade wasn't a great deal by any means for Memphis, and while Mayo hasn't been spectacular at all since being drafted, I'd still like to try and see the kid get his head and check and play well. Maybe this will get him to shape-up.

[Lowerdeck]

http://sports.espn.g...tory?id=6155280

And so the saga begins...

Nets better hope they find the magic Sucess-Potion and soon. Williams is more or less already saying if they don't do anything next year, he's gone. Go figure.

Someone wake me up when I can start caring about the NBA again.

Or can I just switch allegiance to the Celts and get it over with?

[gunnar hendershow]

I'm not as big a naysayer about the Perkins trade as other people are. Jeff Green is going to be playing a James Posey role, something they've been missing since they won the title. Kristic isn't a great big man (though if you trust Hollinger his PER is better than Perkins), but as long as the O'Neals and he stay healthy there's enough of a platoon there where the defense of KG and Green is probably enough. The east is more open now, and the Bulls will regret not getting a SG (if they did, they'd be everyone with any sense's pick to win it all). OKC needed a big man like Perkins and Boston was willing to part with him to get that much-needed sixth man. Boston's big problem was health in the paint, and Perkins wasn't making that problem any better. All their bigs are injury-prone. For them it's all about having the numbers down there, being able to platoon guys and such.