Love this trade for the Raps, they finally, finally have a solid starting PF after years of scrubs or guys who should be on the bench (Siakam, Sullinger, Patterson, Scola, Johnsonx2 all in the last three seasons). Definitely another steal for Masai too only giving up TRoss and the worse of their two first round picks. Norm Powell can easily absorb Ross's minutes and we'll only lose a little scoring but with better D and Powell still has a lot of potential to grow too.

Gonna be interesting to see how Masai handles the offseason with Lowry and Ibaka both free agents

Oh well, we got significantly better for this season without giving up too much. Back-to-back East Finals coming up, I believe it!

It is a small sample size and the Celtics and Raptors always slug it, but the Raptors last night look exceptionally good.

No surprise DeRozen went off last night. The court looked so open for him, I've never seen the man have so much do spacing on the floor and like a cat with his sneak and sniper game he could find shots all night long. I've never seem him get buckets THIS EASY all year. He had so much real estate to work with and it showed in a career high of 43. For all the Kobe dudes who still ride him even post retirement I wonder how understand that DeRozen is the closest thing you will get to Kobe 2.0 as their styles are similar, with the cavet that Kobe had a better long range shot then Demar. All I kept thinking last night was that DeRozen was balling like how Kobe used to when he still had some flight. The influence is very easy to see. DeRozen has said many times he basically knows every Kobe move from growing up in LA. Now Demar can just focus on getting easy buckets versus obsessing over getting to the line. He used to invite all the traffic to boost up his foul chances but it gummed up the flow. Much better to just see him fluid in the space to get shots.

PJ tucker came off the street and locked shit down. He was the most impressive player and coach Caseys now finally has his gully goon to go to work on defence. When PJ and Patterson were on the floor that is when Boston started to die out.

Ibaka value is in how he gives so much space and hopefully as he gets more comfy Jonas can get into a flow of using the spacing to get easy chippers in. He was something marginal last night but with time they will figure something out for him.

A big plus was that skinny man Delonte Wright was back as well as its gives no pressure for Lowry to rush back. CJ is capable to run things now that he does not have to commit so much on defence with PJ Tucker in the mix.

This was all so good but only one game but I am very happy with the moves big time. We finally look like a real team out there that is playing with some flow. Before it was all to predicted and concrete and we were easy to expose. With it set up ow if Ibeka can get 12-15 a night we will win 80% of our games. That was always our sink hole because as long ss we hold teams below 100 we win almost each time if the offence gets going.

Very happy about how this could go.

I'm shocked that Carmelo Anthony still remained with the New York Knicks. To be honest, unless things change, I don't see Melo retiring with a ring at all. Their front office is in such disarray right now, it's painful to watch if you're a fan. If Joakim Noah wasn't hurt and Derrick Rose didn't have his injury issues, the team would be a lot better than they are.

And what in God's name happened to the Charlotte Hornets? I remember they started off 5-1 and were in 4th place for a while, the next moment I look up, they're eight games below .500 and out of the top eight. Did some players get injured or something, or did they just play bad ball?

(01-30-2017 12:25 AM)TrifeLife Wrote:  

(01-29-2017 10:31 AM)Goldin Boy Wrote:  

(01-27-2017 04:55 PM)Fast Eddie Wrote:  In other news, Jimmer Fredette (remember him?) has apparently gone to China and exploded into some kind of basketball deity. He's averaging 38 points per game and almost 9 rebounds playing for the #1 Shanghai Sharks in Shanghai (which also happens to be my home base)

http://www.stack.com/a/jimmer-fredette-i...ssociation



Represent!

While those are impressive numbers, I take them with a grain of salt: I think his performance has more to do with the Chinese players are less athletic and competitive.

Example. He leads the Shanghai Sharks with 4.7 APG. According to the NBA 2017 stats, the league leader is James Harden with 11.6 apg, that's 2.5 times (!) Jimmer's average. If Jimmer were in the NBA he'd only rank 30th with that 4.7 apg. (Source for my info)

Same with boards, there are 16 NBA guys doing more than 8.8. And the CBA three point line is about 6.75 meters, 22ft, shorter than the NBA's 23.7. 6.75 meters is the same distance as the WNBA 3pt line at the top of the key.

Fredette is hardly elite. The players there just make a guy who rode the pine pony look like a combo of Larry Legend and Lebron James.

Or I could be wrong and maybe he's developed into beast and if he has I'd love to see him come back to states. Hopefully he can parlay this success there into celebrity-status and get some endorsements, easy pussy, etc.

You completely missed the point. Nobody is trying to claim that Jimmer is an elite NBA level basketball player.

This dude was looking at a failed career, then gets this China gig and finds another way to keep the checks rolling in. And damn, they gave him a mil on his first contract. The guy is still getting SEVEN FIGURE CHECKS. I wonder what he's going to get as soon as he's back on the market and teams are competing for him.

Not to mention that he's becoming a megacelebrity in the world's second largest economy, and as Fast Eddie aptly put it a "Basketball Diety." He captured so many fans in college, it's amusing to see the same effect, in China, except crank it up a few notches. There are more basketball fans in China than there are citizens of the United States! Too bad he's married. He could be smashing some fine exotic pussy.

You are totally missing the point, I'm sure his wife knew the score when she married him, there would be some basketball groupies that he bangs on the side when he is on the road. Even if they didn't have that conversation, she must of known the rock star reality she was buying into.

But yeah to the rest.

Is this the right thread to discuss the Shaq vs Javale McGee beef? Is it real or just semi trolling to get the ratings up?

Oh, the NBA has always decent smack. Shaq is paid to be active on social media to stir the pot to get ratings. Kevin Durant should have just kept calling him Clank Fu instead of Shaq.

Didn't know Nate Robinson was in the development league.

Hopefully inventing a new move will get him back in the majors.

Dirk Nowitzki just scored his 30,000th point.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/spor...1982234bb2


On more practical note, a fundamentals clinic from his shooting coach:

I turn on ESPN for the first time in ages on the computer, 'The Jump' is on and I see these whale of a woman on the screen...Romona Shelburne. I am trigged. I had no idea that the woman was the size of a cow. She looks pregnant. So disgusting to look at. She is a washed up writer who only got by doing Laker stories when Kobe was around. I am used to seeing Rachel Nichols who low key can get it (WB).

I am throwing up here with this hog on the screen. What sick joke is ESPN trying to pull here! This is why nobody watches this shit anymore.

WTF was that shit @Kosko

Steph Curry wtf (again)

When is playoff season starting?

   

I can think of quite a few reasons. Who are you trying to fool Adam Silver? NBA have gotten too soft.

Imagine Lebron James or Draymond Green, fired up after a tight NBA game, listening to a WOMAN, half their size?

Best joke of today

Bill Burr narrates Reggie Miller vs. the Knicks and Spike Lee:

Before the Warriors got good again, they were the ultimate fan's test. There is a great, and I mean great article about all the terrible ways the Warriors management tortured their fans for thirty years in Grantland magazine. Excellent writing, and an epic account of a bone headed comedy of errors organization that any fan will find familiar:

How To Annoy A Fan Base In 60 Easy Steps

Tiny Excerpt:

This is only step 28, mind you, there are still 32 steps to go:

Quote:28. That concluded a 20-year run with the following lowlights: five playoff appearances; 13 playoff victories total; three no. 1 overall picks and two other picks in the top three; eight players traded who ended up starting for a championship team or making a first- or second-team All-NBA (McHale, Parish, Webber, Hardaway, Richmond, Williams, Wilkes, King … and that doesn’t include Payton), three future Hall of Fame coaches who passed through on their way to a better place (Popovich, Karl, Adelman), two valuable bench guys buried in Golden State who thrived elsewhere (Mario Elie and John Starks), an All-Rehab Starting Five (King, Richardson, Mullin, Washburn, Lucas) and a Hall of Fame Absolutely-Coulda-Drafted-Him Starting Five (Bird, Garnett, Kobe, T-Mac and Payton, with McHale coming off the bench).

This just isn't fair...nasty dime from Chef Curry

Russel Westbrook gots my vote for league MVP. Who do you guys got?

I got Harden for MVP and Rockets for Championship.

(04-17-2017 03:02 AM)Freddy_1 Wrote:  I got Harden for MVP and Rockets for Championship.

This times 100^

Predictions?

Warriors over TBs in 4
Clippers over Jazz in 6
Rockers over Thunder in 5
Spurs over Grizzlies in 5

Bulls over Celtics in 6
Wizards over Hawks in 7
Raptors over Bucks in 7
Cavs over Pacers in 4

If the Pacers did not make the Cavs look like trash they not sure if we saw the same game. All east match ups will go 6-7 games. Pacers can steal 2 games from the Cavs.

^ Maybe I'm being too harsh on them. They could definitely win at least 1 game, particularly at home. But the Cavs will learn from their mistakes in G1 and take G2.

Have the Cavs learned from their mistakes all season though? One of the worst records going into the playoffs. They looked like a joke coming in.

Cavs saying they will "turn it on" but I am suspicious that they are not critically flawed on defence. Having Shumpurt back helps but they still suck with defence and the bench is suspect. The longer series drag on the longer Lebron has to log minutes.

Wizards look good. Atlanta is the bipolar team but I don't see them getting more than a game or two on this. Wizards will finish their series first before all the rest of the East teams.

Raptors crap the bed in a game 1 again as our coach sometimes is a complete fool in plotting out bad lineups and not knowing when to rotate. It is obvious we need an athletic line up to keep up with the ADHD Bucks. We need Norman Powell up there to add speed to our line up to make these Bucks run around on switches and start to get confused. The whole Lowry and Derozen saga needs to sort itself out. Derozen took so many strides from last year I just hope he does not fade away these playoffs again, his game has leveled up from that.

OKC looked really bad in game one. It is hard to bet against Westbrook going nuts and taking one game at home, but his team is so flawed that Houston can simply just pounds d them down each possession. It's quite obvious who the MVP is as Harden has had a more quality year as a more effecient player.

Jazz low key could upset the Clippers in 6 games. If Jazz have a chance to clinch Game 6 at home they will squeeze it out (if not then Clippers in 7).

Warriors are rolling. Not sure if Lillard can muscle a game away this year again. They will get one OT game where Portland pushes them but that will be it. Dubs will get the sweep.

Spurs will sweep as well.

I haven't been following the league as closely as I used to (no time) but I hold my prediction from years ago - the NBA will overtake the NFL.

It won't be for another 5-10 years but the association continues to make great decisions and provide quality entertainment, while the NFL destroys its reputation day by day. NBA is successfully expanding internationally, while the NFL's international games (Jags in London) are a joke.

I bring this up because I continue to see the NBA dominate...social media. While the NFL was hiring gangs of moderators to take down any highlight clips from YouTube, NBA was cheering it, so much that they promote a platform for creators:

http://mashable.com/2016/05/17/nba-bbtv-...JvzULquGqj

Look, this guy even has a video series of every field goal of the entire season:





Completely legal according to NBA video rulebook. NBA doesn't give a shit. They know that these highlights will take away a sliver of their ad revenue but provide infinitely more ROI in terms of league loyalty and fandom.

I mention this because NBA has been showing LIVE post game interviews and highlight reels on Facebook. I see it all the time, and smile knowing that the NBA is continuing to grow. This is 2017, and he who dominates social media dominates all.

Trump/NBA forever.

(04-17-2017 10:28 AM)kosko Wrote:  Have the Cavs learned from their mistakes all season though? One of the worst records going into the playoffs. They looked like a joke coming in.

Cavs saying they will "turn it on" but I am suspicious that they are not critically flawed on defence. Having Shumpurt back helps but they still suck with defence and the bench is suspect. The longer series drag on the longer Lebron has to log minutes.

Wizards look good. Atlanta is the bipolar team but I don't see them getting more than a game or two on this. Wizards will finish their series first before all the rest of the East teams.

Raptors crap the bed in a game 1 again as our coach sometimes is a complete fool in plotting out bad lineups and not knowing when to rotate. It is obvious we need an athletic line up to keep up with the ADHD Bucks. We need Norman Powell up there to add speed to our line up to make these Bucks run around on switches and start to get confused. The whole Lowry and Derozen saga needs to sort itself out. Derozen took so many strides from last year I just hope he does not fade away these playoffs again, his game has leveled up from that.

OKC looked really bad in game one. It is hard to bet against Westbrook going nuts and taking one game at home, but his team is so flawed that Houston can simply just pounds d them down each possession. It's quite obvious who the MVP is as Harden has had a more quality year as a more effecient player.

Jazz low key could upset the Clippers in 6 games. If Jazz have a chance to clinch Game 6 at home they will squeeze it out (if not then Clippers in 7).

Warriors are rolling. Not sure if Lillard can muscle a game away this year again. They will get one OT game where Portland pushes them but that will be it. Dubs will get the sweep.

Spurs will sweep as well.

Yep, I agree. Cavs are the most complacent top-ranked team in the league. They're still set to make the East finals at the minimum, but as you say, the cost might be fatigue if they lose needless games. They have a deep squad to backup their stars so there's no excuse for them to struggle through to the finals.

If Atlanta can tighten up their D on Wall the Wizards will struggle. Otherwise they will coast.

Raptors are hard to comment on. They're the most unpredictable team come the playoffs. Lowry will put up 30 pts one game and then put up 4 the next. They always lose the first game of a series anyway so they're still favorites over the Bucks. Even if the Raptors don't have an answer to Giannis.

Agree with the comments on OKC. Beverley is a good defender so he's going to limit how much Westbrook can do on his own.

No further thoughts. Warriors aren't going to get challenged in the first round.