Very ambivalent about Melo coming back, as I said before you cant win with him being the only man. Hes just not that type of player. I was hoping Gasol somehow signed with the knicks. The way the team is constructed now I can see them being a 42-43 win team and losing in the first round. They arent as bad as they were last year and not as good as they were 2 years ago.
Watcing the summer league game yesterday, I think they may have something in this Greek kid, and Early is definitley a player. There should be a rule however that a 9 year pro should not be able to play in summer league games (shannon Brown and fucking rodney carney)
I’m glad Gasol basically told the Lakers to fuck off. When the Lakers started hitting a rough patch after those two titles the fans completely turned on him like it was his fault. He still put up nice numbers with Kobe constantly getting injured and not being effective. I think the whole situation affirmed to a lot of people that LA has some of the worst sports fans you can find. I mean you have guys like Greg who actually care about basketball in general and then you have “Laker fans.”
New York is even worse but it’s New York. So yeah.
[quote]Gettnitdone wrote:
I’m glad Gasol basically told the Lakers to fuck off. When the Lakers started hitting a rough patch after those two titles the fans completely turned on him like it was his fault. He still put up nice numbers with Kobe constantly getting injured and not being effective. I think the whole situation affirmed to a lot of people that LA has some of the worst sports fans you can find. I mean you have guys like Greg who actually care about basketball in general and then you have “Laker fans.”
New York is even worse but it’s New York. So yeah. [/quote]
[quote]Gettnitdone wrote:
I think the whole situation affirmed to a lot of people that LA has some of the worst sports fans you can find. I mean you have guys like Greg who actually care about basketball in general and then you have “Laker fans.” [/quote]
This actually isn’t true.
LA fans may arrive late (either fashionably or via traffic) but they’re right up there with NY fans when in terms of being knowledgeable about the game. Check out Bill Simmons stuff, he’s covered this repeatedly.
Of course any successful team will have bandwagoners and last year’s Dodgers and this year’s Kings got their fair share but we’ll stick to NBA here.
With regards to NY Fans, cant really judge on going to the Garden and all the Celebs that attend. The Garden has priced out the normal person on many levels. Knick fans are pretty loyal and it shows as the Knicks have been a pretty shitty franchize especially of late.
Well, the knowledgeable fan base realized Gasol was always the most talented big in the league. That the error was D’Antoni’s system (and inability to tweak it to accommodate different personnel) and had little to do with Gasol himself. And that his name constantly coming up in trade rumors was largely because, unlike much of the full roster, he actually had legit trade value (plus an expiring contract, during last year).
[quote]therajraj wrote:
Who is the best team in the league now after San Antonio?[/quote]
It seems like this is said every year, but I’ll go with OKC. The Thunder did get blown out a few games, but overall considering the Ibaka injury I thought they played alright against the best team in the league in the playoffs.
Sadly, I don’t see us signing any big FA’s until Kobe retires and I don’t see us getting a higher first round draft pick than we did this year in a long time. I really hope Randle turns into a stud. I think he has a lot of potential but who knows how that will all pan out.
Also, I actually think it is smart of the Cavs not to break the bank trading for Love. They are very young and aren’t winning the title this upcoming season. It’s a good idea to let the team gel, get some playoff experience for their young core and then sign love in the offseason next year plus have 3 first round picks to add depth wth or package for another vet.
See what you have in Wiggins and let him develop alongside their two playmakers. Besides, you can never have too many perimeter/wing defenders.
Plus Love or someone else could always end up signing with CLE directly, since playing with James will remain attractive to FA’s. (kinda like how it is with Kobe… snap)
[quote]gregron wrote:
We’re in for a few more rough years in LA.
Sadly, I don’t see us signing any big FA’s until Kobe retires and I don’t see us getting a higher first round draft pick than we did this year in a long time. I really hope Randle turns into a stud. I think he has a lot of potential but who knows how that will all pan out.[/quote]
Randle’s a beast. He, Parker and Smart seem the most NBA ready to me. Also want to add Nick Johnson out of Arizona. He’s in the Cuttino Mobley, Arenas mold: supposedly not a point but too small for the 2. But he’s tailor made for today’s NBA. Quick, fast, can get his own shot and jumps outta the fucking gym. The Rockets got themselves a player.
Also, I think you pull the trigger on Wiggins/Love. I don’t see Wiggins as a game changer, and Love makes them automatically a threat in the East. The odds of him still being available this off-season are basically zero. The Cavs are holding out on a top 5 player in the league for a guy who’s averaging 12 points a game in the summer league. They’re gonna fuck around and miss out on a major piece of the championship puzzle.
[quote]Aggv wrote:
The Cavs will be in the ECF this year with the roster AS IS. [/quote]
Agreed, but isn’t the ECF not quite enough?
(ie. James won’t be in his athletic prime for that many more years)
[/quote]
Y’all really believe this? Outside of the league just granting an ECF birth to James (they’re obviously not above that), I don’t see it. There is almost a zero percent chance Wiggins ever comes anywhere near Love’s statistical production, and for all of the talk of his potential and defensive ability, he’s still completely unproven.
We have NO IDEA how he’ll develop, and assuming he’ll be an elite defender from day one is silly at best. We have no idea how he covers NBA offenses or even how well he’ll handle contact. He hasn’t exactly lit the summer league on fire either. Also, what if he struggles? You think the Wolves are gonna pull the trigger then? I’ve got nothing against Wiggins, but outside of inflated vert #'s and a less than stellar (based off expectations) college season, he hasn’t shown much. Trade him for Love.
