2010/2011 NBA Thread

[sahyder1]

"Hopefully guys can be aggressive and contribute more," Wade said. "There are guys on the bench that can help us, no question about it. That is all on coach. We've had guys like Eddie [House] help us win games and James Jones, etc. He's going to have to decide whether or not people are on the floor."

And Wade is starting to toss in shots at the coach along with his complaining. Stay Classy, South Beach.

I'm not going to jump on Wade for that comment just yet. Wade stuck his neck out for Spoelstra in the offseason when all the talk was about Riley coming back to the bench.

[naiwf]

If the NBA goes to the nuclear option of a hard cap on this next CBA, then the only way Miami will ever be able to truly improve the team would be to trade one of the 2 1/2 Men. Bosh would be the guy because no one would want to go down as the guy who traded away Wade or James. Spoelstra sticking around beyond this season would be a stunning development, even if they won the title. The guy can't coach those ginormous egos.

[naiwf]

Carmelo hitting the game winning jumper today almost made me cry.

On a serious note I'm stunned they won tonight after blowing a 17 point lead (14 in the 4th) and somehow managed to win a game where they were outshot 35-4 at the free throw line. Yes, an NBA team managed to get to the line just 4 times in 48 minutes.

[gunnar hendershow]

Even more shocking was that said team features a superstar and plays in the biggest media market in the country.

[Maxx]

Chiming in a bit late, but for some reason the Miami Heat crying thing reminds me of this:

[naiwf]

The Lakers ain't shit. They're the only elite team in the NBA that can't beat the Heat

[rocksta]

They don't match up well at all. No one who can handle Wade all game.

They should be able to pound Miami front court but meh..Bosh was huge.

[DMN in the House]

It seems Miami has our number.

Good thing I don't see them getting through Boston and Chicago.

[naiwf]

Gasol was playing matador D for the entire 4th quarter. I think he got burned on about 4 straight layups. Artest played like crap and Kobe hit one 28 footer and then got carried away. Don't worry though DMN since the Heat won't get past my Knicks

[maninblack]

Spoelstra sticking around beyond this season would be a stunning development, even if they won the title. The guy can't coach those ginormous egos.

Spoelstra's pretty much an extension of Pat Riley, but I can't see why Riley would not want to have another go coaching the Heat again. Especially if it means proving his nWo Heat will actually work.

Gasol was playing matador D for the entire 4th quarter. I think he got burned on about 4 straight layups. Artest played like crap and Kobe hit one 28 footer and then got carried away. Don't worry though DMN since the Heat won't get past my Knicks

This is assuming they can stay in contention for a berth. Getting blown out of MSG by the Pacers doesn't make it all that encouraging.

[Trey]

I'd be shocked if the Knicks would lose a 6 game lead to the Pacers and Bobcats with just 17 games left.

[gunnar hendershow]

A team with Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e, and 11 guys in wheelchairs has a better shot at making the postseason than the Pacers or Bobcats. Knicks fans don't really have anything to start worrying about.

[Lowerdeck]

Except this team has lost three times this year to Cleveland, and recently to the Pacers at home.

Either way, they're gone in the first round.

[Szumi]

A team with Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e, and 11 guys in wheelchairs has a better shot at making the postseason than the Pacers or Bobcats. Knicks fans don't really have anything to start worrying about.

Well yeah, that's because the guys in the wheelchairs might be an upgrade on defense.

[naiwf]

Except this team has lost three times this year to Cleveland, and recently to the Pacers at home.

Either way, they're gone in the first round.

By your logic the Bulls and Heat won't last long either since they've both lost to the lowly Knicks twice. The Knicks seem to play better against better teams, the recent Dallas bitchslapping aside. Will they win a series? Probably not. Would I be stunned if they beat anyone other than Boston in the Eastern Conference playoffs? Not really.

[naiwf]

I repeat, it is time to fire Mike 'Antoni. The guy is absolutely fucking clueless when it comes to defense and calling time outs. The game is tied with about 7 seconds left and Danny Granger is going to get the ball, so what's the plan on defense? Funnel him to his favorite spot on the court and let him shoot an uncontested dagger as the ENTIRE Pacers team stood still on the opposite side of the court. All the Knicks had to do was double him when the clock got down to 2 seconds because there's no way Indiana could have passed the ball to someone else and still gotten a shot off before the buzzer. At the very least, send the guy to his left for a tough fade away jumper.

All my enthusiasm for this team is dying because I can't stand to watch him sit around with his arms crossed and his thumb up his ass as the team goes from up 1 to -10 in less than 2 minutes, or up 4 late to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory against sub .500 teams time and time again. I'm almost rooting for an epic collapse here just because it may get this moron fired.

[maninblack]

The question is who can they get to replace D'Antoni if he gets future endeavored. Can one of his assistants, if promoted, be trusted to do things differently?

A few of the big names other Knicks fans are throwing around include Jeff Van Gundy and Jerry Sloan. JVG probably still has bad blood with Dolan though, and Sloan may have decided that retirement is a good thing.

[naiwf]

The question is who can they get to replace D'Antoni if he gets future endeavored. Can one of his assistants, if promoted, be trusted to do things differently?

A few of the big names other Knicks fans are throwing around include Jeff Van Gundy and Jerry Sloan. JVG probably still has bad blood with Dolan though, and Sloan may have decided that retirement is a good thing.

I don't know about getting a "name coach" simply because of the reasons you mentioned. I'm not really sold on Mark Jackson or someone like Mike Brown. I just know that they NEED to find a guy who actually knows what defense is and doesn't drop guys in his doghouse before they step foot on the court for the first time. 'Antoni seems to think that simply saying you've got to try harder is the be all and all of fixing a team's defensive woes. His propensity for playing most of starters 37+ minutes a game and only going 8/9 deep at most doesn't help either. In short, I think the guy sucks. Leading the league in scoring/3pFGA isn't the way to win a title. You can't be a run and gun team in NYC and get away with it for very long. Shit, I'll take the dreaded "first to 70 wins" Riley thugs over this video game offense because at least Riley showed the ability to adapt his game to his players. 'Antoni would be the type of guy that looks at the upcoming draft and would make Jimmer his first choice simply because of his unlimited range and willingness to shoot.

[Meacon Keaton]

Yeah, our defense is horrid, but you touched on my biggest problem with the guy. He only goes eight deep and it drives me mad. It's no wonder we can't stop anyone at the end of the game, everyone's gassed.

[maninblack]

This Big Three version of the Knicks has only been around for three weeks, though. And Billups was injured for several of those games.

Miami took about 20 or so games before they figured out they were supposed to be a great team.

Both want to be like Boston, but Pierce/Garnett/Allen were already at that point in their lives where they were willing and able to change their game to get their rings.

Edited March 16, 2011 by maninblack