2011-2012 NBA Season Thread

Queen of Spades said:

I mean, I'll never count my team out, but I don't see them beating the Heat in a 5 or 7 game series. Jermaine O'Neal straight out sucks, but I will agree our bench is better than last year. Bass is better offensively, but not defensively. Although maybe Stiemsma is our new savior.

I have Jarret Jack and Carl Landry on my fantasy team, this is giving me a weird sense of divided loyalty. Of course I want the C's to notch their first victory, but I can't help but cheer a little when Jack and Landry score, rebound or dish the basketball.

Click to expand...

Marquis Daniels straight up sucks. I really wish he would just leave. I don't know how he is doing tonight though.

well my Bulls are doing quite alright tonight. i'm pleased with their growth this year.

Been awhile since any activity on this thread, but did anyone catch Blake Griffin's dunk last night? Nasty!

The dunk itself is in the second video - the first video is just player commentary.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/spo...ke-griffin-monster-dunk-kendrick-perkins.html

dmr727 said:

Been awhile since any activity on this thread, but did anyone catch Blake Griffin's dunk last night? Nasty!

The dunk itself is in the second video - the first video is just player commentary.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/spo...ke-griffin-monster-dunk-kendrick-perkins.html

Click to expand...

And Perkins deleted his twitter after lol

I predict Clippers win the west. They're just too good and hungry.

The past 24 hours have sealed it for me: I hate Dwight Howard.

First he reportedly said he wanted to waive his early termination clause and play for the Magic next year.
Then he refuses to legally sign away that right, saying "trust me".

Once burned (Shaq) twice shy. While we will never get equal value for him, I hope he's traded today. The guy had all sorts of goodwill before. Now he's just another LeBron.

Well, I've read that D12 was probably told to say what he said by his agent and manager. Get the Magic owner to trust him, Howard stays for the remainder of the season, and then he leaves for NJ. NJ doesn't need to trade for him, so they'd still be loaded with players like Brook Lopez, Brooks, Famar, etc.

If Howard kept his mouth shut, NJ may have been willing to make a deal for Howard (e.g. Lopez, 1st round pick) and so the Magic wouldn't come out of this empty-handed. Obviously, this isn't what's best for NJ, and therefore, not best for Howard.

He's a dick.

Abstract said:

Well, I've read that D12 was probably told to say what he said by his agent and manager. Get the Magic owner to trust him, Howard stays for the remainder of the season, and then he leaves for NJ. NJ doesn't need to trade for him, so they'd still be loaded with players like Brook Lopez, Brooks, Famar, etc.

If Howard kept his mouth shut, NJ may have been willing to make a deal for Howard (e.g. Lopez, 1st round pick) and so the Magic wouldn't come out of this empty-handed. Obviously, this isn't what's best for NJ, and therefore, not best for Howard.

He's a dick.

Click to expand...

The optimist in me feels he is immature and getting bad advice.

His current agent, Dan Fegan, was not a part of hig Magic deal and stands to make alot of money in a new deal with another team. This AM brings this:

“Man, listen, you know my heart, my soul and everything I have is in Orlando,” Howard said, according to RealGM. “I just can’t leave it behind.”

And, also, this: “I have gotten some bad advice. I apologize for this circus I have caused to the fans of our city. They didn’t deserve none of this. I’m sorry from the bottom of my heart. I will do whatever I can to make this right and do what I was put in Orlando to do.”

Click to expand...

Words are nothing unless he signs this AM.

I like his "roll the dice" and "trust me" comments. Uh.....these owners are running $200 million dollar operations, and are willing to pay you upwards of $25 million dollars. Trust has nothing to do with it. An owner can't just shake hands on an agreement when it involves millions of dollars, and the future of his team for the next 5 years or so (they have had no other decent draft picks of late).

He's an idiot. Perhaps he's a nice guy. I don't know, but he's still an idiot.

Dwight Howard stays and waives his right to opt out this summer. I wonder how long it will take his teammates to trust him again? How about never?

Lakers basically traded Derek Fisher, Luke Walton, and Jason Kapono, and first-round picks for Ramon Sessions and a couple of young prospects. Clearly they were lacking confidence in the PG position. Walton and Kapono weren't playing anyway despite a weak bench, so it isn't quite as lopsided as it looks. Supposedly they've been offering the Nets a straight-up trade of Pau Gasol for Deron Williams for a couple of months, but the Nets rejected it repeatedly.

Solely from a basketball standpoint, I would much rather the Lakers trade Bynum than Gasol, since they have to go all in for the next few years while Kobe's legs are still functioning. But because of the salary cap and the way it gets much, much more punitive after next season, they will probably have to move Gasol before then instead.

I'd rather Lakers keep both bigs. The Sessions trade was good obviously. Didn't like the Fisher trade at all. Jordan Hill is a scrub so I guess he'll feel right at home with our second unit.

D'Antoni resigning. Didn't see that coming. McMillan firing. Saw that coming.

Eager to see how the Warriors do next year, I think Lacob is a smart guy. I also expect to see the Bucks drop out of the 8th seed now that they have 2 ballhogs fighting for the ball.

Liquorpuki said:

I'd rather Lakers keep both bigs. The Sessions trade was good obviously. Didn't like the Fisher trade at all. Jordan Hill is a scrub so I guess he'll feel right at home with our second unit.

Click to expand...

They made a great move in trading for Sessions. They're a whole new team with his speed and ability to get into the paint. I'm really disappointed in the Fisher move. Jim and Mitch found a way to cut a guy without really cutting him.

chordate68 said:

They made a great move in trading for Sessions. They're a whole new team with his speed and ability to get into the paint. I'm really disappointed in the Fisher move. Jim and Mitch found a way to cut a guy without really cutting him.

Click to expand...

I thought the Cavs trade also showed how bad Gilbert and the FO manage their team. They traded Sessions for 2 old scrubs and are now gonna have to pay out Walton next season. Plus a draft pick from a team that always makes the playoffs = scrub rookie from the bottom of the first round.

Then Gilbert is the first guy to complain when winning teams negotiate trades that actually make sense.

Liquorpuki said:

I thought the Cavs trade also showed how bad Gilbert and the FO manage their team. They traded Sessions for 2 old scrubs and are now gonna have to pay out Walton next season. Plus a draft pick from a team that always makes the playoffs = scrub rookie from the bottom of the first round.

Then Gilbert is the first guy to complain when winning teams negotiate trades that actually make sense.

Click to expand...

I was on his side when LeBron bailed on Cleveland, but now I see that things aren't so one sided. Gilbert and LeBron are both morons. IMO

What are your guys's Finals Predictions?
I predict Miami vs OKC with Miami taking it and Lebron getting MVP.

What I'd really like to see though:
Lakers vs Knicks with Lin back in the rotation

Teams I hope choke in the playoffs:
- Celtics
- Any team from Texas (though I think Popovich deserves COY)

What I hope happens in the offseason:
- Lakers and Clippers fire both their coaches.
- D'Antoni and Van Gundy get hired up by other teams

Thunder vs. the Bulls in the finals.

Reports are saying that Derrick Rose has torn his ACL & MCL and will miss the remainder of the playoffs.

HUGE loss for the Bulls and the NBA - I know their bench was awesome while he was out (and he missed a lot of games) but the playoffs are a completely different story.

The Heat's path to the finals just got a whole lot easier.

Lebron and Co. is whooping some New York ass. Holy crap!

Queen of Spades said:

I can't believe it - that really, really sucks for the Bulls. Also, I'm officially changing my prediction to Thunder/Heat for the Finals. I think the Bulls could stretch the Heat to 6/7 games, but I don't think they win without Derrick Rose.

And that Heat/Knicks game was an absolute massacre. So many people were saying the Knicks would steal game one, yeah right.

Click to expand...

Rose going out sucks and I feel bad for Bulls fans. Like most people I blame Thibodeau

And Shumpert is gonna be out for 6-8 months. The Knicks just lost their best on-ball defender and they got destroyed

Queen of Spades said:

I really can't understand how anyone can blame Thibodeau. It's a playoff game, and Philly had gone on a bit of a run. I blame Derrick Rose rushing back from injury and in general being weakened this entire season. He makes those kinds of moves in every game. It's just a tough break.

Click to expand...

I blame Thibodeau because he's been riding his starters all season - not just this game. Contrast what he's doing with what Popavich has been doing with Duncan, Parker, and Ginobli, letting them miss games in anticipation of the playoffs. Everyone's been getting injured left and right because of the lockout and shortened season, Rose is more injury prone than most players yet the coach was still riding him.

I liked the way Phil Jackson used to handle his subs. Up by 20, sit the starters, put Kobe back in only if the other team gets to single digits. With Thibodeau, up by 20, against the second unit, he puts Rose back in. 1 minute left, up by 12, still won't take him out.

And it's an ACL tear, which probably means when Rose comes back, his game won't be the same.

Thibs is too cautious about his leads, even if the leads are big. This won't cost him his job, because he's one of the best coaches in the league, and so letting him go may hurt the team more than help it.

Also, the injury itself is not Thib's fault. It's bad luck. Who knows what Rose's knee condition was like! Clearly, it wasn't strong. Perhaps this would have happened anyway in Game 2, possible Game 3. This injury was more of an inevitability than anything else.