The Official 2013-14 Around The NBA Thread......

[BrianFromWA]

K*be looks, uh, beefier than normal. Maybe that's a result of being out for the better part of a year. Maybe it's due to being my age. Maybe it's due to, um, potential side effects from "vitamins" used in recovery. Maybe it's maybelline.

 

[Blazer Fanatic]

How bad is it when you can't land a starting job with Rose, Deng, Noah, and Jimmy Butler not playing? Poor Taj.

 

[Blazer Fanatic]

Yikes---just got my first glimpse of Goran Dragic's face in 60" 1080p HD.

Yeah, careful what you wish for those considering the switch to HD. It's a blessing and a curse.

 

[crowTrobot]

hahahahaha! As far as national shows go, the pre and post game shows on TNT are something I do miss with not having cable. But not that much.

Barkley's All-Star picks are usually great comedy

 

[BrianFromWA]

mere minutes after Nick Young pump-fakes a FT, Dragic triple-pump-fakes two separate L*kers around the basket for an and-one.

EDIT: for your viewing pleasure, courtesy of Golliver stealing Pelton's tweeted idea.

 

[3RA1N1AC]

Looks like he lost the handle

 

[The_Lillard_King]

Why would you pump fake a free throw, especially the first one?

 

[BrianFromWA]

did the L*ker Girls become the Carls Jr. Girls while I was gone? What's with the star on the tops?

 

[Draco]

Cleveland should've done anything possible to land the talent LeBron wanted.

2 options could've happened:

1. He stays because he has the talent around him to win a championship.

2. He leaves still but at least you have talent on your roster still.

Totally disagree. Cleveland should have done anything possible to assemble the BEST TEAM. Did the Bulls ask Jordan who to bring to the Bulls? Did Pat Riley ask Wade who to bring to Miami? No. Championship franchises go make the best moves for the team. Incompetent franchises that have no clue how to run an NBA team ask their star players what to do.

 

[Draco]

Neither was helping, as has come out in his interviews about teaming up during the 2008 Olympics.

Heck, I wouldn't have cared if he pulled a 'Melo and said "I'm never resigning here--do what you need to do". Being a UFA was his right, as was taking less money to play with his buddies. But when he was asked by media (I can understand not pissing off your fanbase) and management (which I find deporable) he made it sound like there was something CLE could do to keep him, when it had been decided for almost 2 years.

They did try to make stupid trades for players LeBron wanted. Look at the trade deadlines in 2009 and 2010. He left anyway, leaving the cupboard bare. But at least CLE got a couple of seconds and 15M of treasured cap space.

How do you know that LeBron wanted to leave in 2008? So is this the same rational that led you to think LaMarcus would for certain leave the Blazers and we should've traded him months ago?

You don't know if LeBron planned to leave Cleveland before he was a free agent. There were reports he was recruiting Bosh to join him in Clevaland as a free agent days before they all signed in Miami. LeBron said on camera he decided to sign with Miami the day before the Decision. Just because they talked about playing together during the Olympics doesn't mean they would actually sign together.

Dwight and Deron talked about playing together. CP3 and Melo talked about playing together.

 

[BrianFromWA]

How do you know that LeBron wanted to leave in 2008? So is this the same rational that led you to think LaMarcus would for certain leave the Blazers and we should've traded him months ago?

Actually the exact same rationale. In the LMA case, he said he wouldn't re-sign here. In this case, Bosh said that they'd been working on the Heat signing for "months".

You don't know if LeBron planned to leave Cleveland before he was a free agent. There were reports he was recruiting Bosh to join him in Clevaland as a free agent days before they all signed in Miami. LeBron said on camera he decided to sign with Miami the day before the Decision. Just because they TALKED about playing together during the Olympics doesn't mean they would SIGN together.

They talked about signing together since 2006 (not with MIA, obviously), but colluding (in the non-illegal definition of the term, at least according to Stern) to line all of their contracts up so they'd be UFA's at the same time. Bosh said that the "Decision" had been planned for "months". They worked with CAA to get their agents all on the same page.
http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2010/07/inside_the_decision_miamis_cou.html

 

[BrianFromWA]

Suns up 7 on LAL with 37 seconds left. Cue Eric...

 

[BlazerDuckSeahawkFan94]

Totally disagree. Cleveland should have done anything possible to assemble the BEST TEAM. Did the Bulls ask Jordan who to bring to the Bulls? Did Pat Riley ask Wade who to bring to Miami? No. Championship franchises go make the best moves for the team. Incompetent franchises that have no clue how to run an NBA team ask their star players what to do.

Problem is they couldn't assemble crap. They just put pieces together that didn't fit... Kinda like they're doing now.

 

[Pinwheel1]

Dragic with 31 tonight. But it was the Morris bros combing for 39 off the bench that made the difference down the stretch. Phoenix is tough when they can rebound and block shots with 5 guys on the court that can all shoot from deep.

 

[Natebishop3]

Lakers are 0-2 with Kobe back

 

[KingSpeed]

Barkley's All-Star picks are usually great comedy

Who'd he pick? None of them picked us to make the playoffs.

 

[Draco]

Lakers are 0-2 with Kobe back

Its good they locked him up to an extension. $50 million for a guy almost as good as Xavier Henry.

 

[KingSpeed]

Its good they locked him up to an extension. $50 million for a guy almost as good as Xavier Henry.

Hahaha

 

[BrianFromWA]

On Cowherd this morning, Michael Wallace reports that Oden is still doing conditioning work, that he's slated for full-time practicing/bb-related activities in January, and joining the rotation before the All-Star Break. FWIW.

 

[BrianFromWA]

Again on Cowherd, he brought up how "young and talented teams" take regular season more seriously than, say, SAS or MIA b/c they feel they need HCA. SAS/MIA feel they can win anywhere.

Colin's "young and talented" teams were POR, HOU, GSW, IND.

 

[julius]

On Cowherd this morning, Michael Wallace reports that Oden is still doing conditioning work, that he's slated for full-time practicing/bb-related activities in January, and joining the rotation before the All-Star Break. FWIW.

and then joining the IL after the All Star Break because he needs another surgery.

Again on Cowherd, he brought up how "young and talented teams" take regular season more seriously than, say, SAS or MIA b/c they feel they need HCA. SAS/MIA feel they can win anywhere.

Colin's "young and talented" teams were POR, HOU, GSW, IND.

I bet San Antonio wouldn't have minded taking the regular season a little more seriously if it meant they had HCA in the Finals.

 

[The_Lillard_King]

For those interested, the TNT crew calling Blazers-Rockets tomorrow will be Marv Albert, Steve Kerr, David Aldridge.

 

[Boise Blazer]

Henry Abbott @TrueHoop
Celtics, Blazers and Pacers lead league in preventing enemy 3s. Among the worst? Heat and Thunder, who are elite stopping 2-pointers.

 

[santeesioux]

NSFW

[video=youtube;BQu_T6-tBZk]

 

[THE HCP]

Everybody is tanking for THIS guy?

Andrew Wiggins is shooting 31% on jump shots this season. That ranks 387th of 500 D-I players with at least 40 attempts.

 

[THE HCP]

 

[magnifier661]

i don't know man. I don't follow college. Why are people high on him?

 

[THE HCP]

Shabazz Part II?

 

[magnifier661]

Shabazz Part II?

I love the name. Does he live in a bottle?

 

[Natebishop3]

I don't really follow college or high school hoops. What was it about Wiggins that made him so special before this season?