2011/2012 NBA Thread: Greatness & Awesomeness

[Anubis]

I don't know, if they can't please Howard by the trade deadline next season, they may take that deal.

 

[runawayboulder]

I'd rather keep Chandler than get that clown.

 

[Docker2.0]

I don't know, if they can't please Howard by the trade deadline next season, they may take that deal.

Here's hoping that happens. Stat would be the number one guy again, with Lin being number 2 on a 3 point shooting team and giving New York a scary front line of Howard,Chandler, and Melo. I don't think anyone would go to the hole without getting their shot blocked.

I'd rather keep Chandler than get that clown.

Any chance you have of getting Howard and getting rid of Stat, you take it!

 

[Mister J]

I'd say there's little to no chance of that happening, but I don't put anything past Otis. Hell, make the call.

 

[runawayboulder]

I wasn't too thrilled with how Howard handled the trade/Van Gundy situation. Now I know that Melo did practically the same thing but let's not add to the egos. I'd rather see more role players come in.

 

[Raiden]

Personally, I'm not sold on Melo. Yes, he's an amazing scorer, but he doesn't play defense and if he was assigned to guard an elite player like LeBron, he'd give up just as many points on the oppose end of the court. And I read that Knicks actually won a fair share of games when he wasn't the highest scorer on his team. The bottom line is, if Knicks want a chance to win a championship, then they have to convince their star players to play some D, like Heat is doing with their Big Three. Doesn't look like it will ever happen with Melo, though.

 

[runawayboulder]

He's made more of an effort playing D under Woodson more than he did under D'Antoni. He still isn't the premiere defender but with guys like Chandler, Shumpert and Jeffries on the squad they can make up for it. You add more guys like that to the team and they can be successful.

As much as I like Novak, he's got to go. He can't do anything other than catch and shoot. The Heat defenders handcuffed him last night and the Knicks couldn't do anything about it. They need a scorer, JR Smith is too erratic to fill that role.

 

[Docker2.0]

I agree Runaway. The thing about Novak: contract year! I'm not sold on guys who play good and hard during that last year on a contract. Where was he before that? Same thing with Bynum who has NEVER played healthy his entire career until now: a contract year! I would not throw the bank at this guy because you saw what happened with Rashard Lewis and Turkaglu, or however you spell it. Once those guys get those guaranteed contracts, they just stop playing. Not sold on it. And Melo has stepped his game up. He's passing the ball more, rebounding better(better than our starting 4!)and playing better D. He has shown he can become a more complete player. It's like people want his head on a platter just because he chose to go to NYC. I can't blame Lebron for not going to the Knicks. Can you imagine the beating he would have gotten if he disappeared in the playoffs like he did last year in NYC?! Dude would have probably committed suicide!

 

[L.A.]

Lmao! Every year Novak been in the league has been a contract year!

 

[runawayboulder]

The Knicks fans have always been hard on their stars. They always wanted to run Ewing out of town and he led them to a decade long run of playoff success. Ever since the organization foolishly traded him, they have yet to recover. I bet the fans wish they had a guy like that now.

I think Melo is a bit of a fraud. He refused to play for D'Antoni and got his way. He supposedly wants Woody to be the Knicks coach until the day comes when Woodson pushes the wrong button on Carmelo and he gets run out.

 

[Docker2.0]

Lmao! Every year Novak been in the league has been a contract year!

How about we send Novak to the Clippers and see how that works out.

The Knicks fans have always been hard on their stars. They always wanted to run Ewing out of town and he led them to a decade long run of playoff success. Ever since the organization foolishly traded him, they have yet to recover. I bet the fans wish they had a guy like that now.

I think Melo is a bit of a fraud. He refused to play for D'Antoni and got his way. He supposedly wants Woody to be the Knicks coach until the day comes when Woodson pushes the wrong button on Carmelo and he gets run out.

Dantoni ran no plays. It's why he and Amare couldn't really play well together because Dantoni's plan was to let Lin do everything and let his superstars just watch. When Woodson took over, Amare and Melo did play well together, the media just didn't report that because as you stated with the NY media, they kill their superstars but wanted to make Lin the new darling. They both played a lot better under Woodson. It would be telling if Melo was out for months and Lin did bad. The media in NYC would literally crucify dude. Literally.

 

[Poeman]

Amare is pathetic...I am fine with Melo does, because he has to do everything...They need a set powerforward that can post up.

Amare is not the right guy for this team...But if he is going to be around, then you need Lin and well, Lin is not going anywhere

 

[runawayboulder]

Dantoni ran no plays. It's why he and Amare couldn't really play well together because Dantoni's plan was to let Lin do everything and let his superstars just watch. When Woodson took over, Amare and Melo did play well together, the media just didn't report that because as you stated with the NY media, they kill their superstars but wanted to make Lin the new darling. They both played a lot better under Woodson. It would be telling if Melo was out for months and Lin did bad. The media in NYC would literally crucify dude. Literally.

D'Antoni's system of ball requires a quality PG. That's why it worked in Phoenix because he had Nash. Lin was more or less lightning in a bottle that fell in their lap. Remember, they started the year with Shumpert (a SG) at point and relied heavily on Baron Davis coming back to contribute.

Amare is pathetic...I am fine with Melo does, because he has to do everything...They need a set powerforward that can post up.

Amare is not the right guy for this team...But if he is going to be around, then you need Lin and well, Lin is not going anywhere

Lin is a free agent, they'll have to fight off other teams to sign him. I think ultimately he'll be a Knick next year no matter what.

 

[runawayboulder]

Dummy just posted a pic of his hand on Twitter:

http://lockerz.com/s/206434640

He won't play Sunday.

 

[Dr. Evil]

WWE Critic In Trouble
Long-time WWE critic Phil Mushnick has gotten himself in trouble with recent comments. Mushnick in the past has came down on WWE with statements such as

"for years have entertained their impressionable young TV audiences with racist, homophobic, misogynistic and for years have entertained their impressionable young TV audiences with racist, homophobic, misogynistic and xenophobic scripts."


Mushnick's latest comments published in the New York Post were direct towards Jay-Z. He wrote:
"As long as the Nets are allowing Jay-Z to call their marketing shots -- what a shock that he chose black and white as the new team colors to stress, as the Nets explained, their new 'urban' home -- why not have him apply the full Jay-Z treatment? Why the Brooklyn Nets when they can be the New York N------s? The cheerleaders could be the Brooklyn B----hes or Hoes. Team logo? A 9 mm with hollow-tip shell casings strewn beneath. Wanna be Jay-Z hip? Then go all the way!"

What a racist S.O.B.

 

[runawayboulder]

Mushnick has and always will be a f**king moron of epic proportions.

 

[Hound55]

A bunch of defensive minded role players without another offensive option able to create his own shot consistently. Who on that '01 Sixers team was a real threat to score on a night in, night out basis. Likewise, who on the Bulls has that ability?

Part of the reason Iverson fell off a cliff is because his game was predicated on speed, and getting to the basket. Once injuries, and age, caught up to him, he never developed the other skills to still impact the game in the same way he once did. And because of the lack of another scorer, I think it accelerated all those things happening. Derrick is going down the same path from my estimation.

Philadelphia had more defensive players though. The Bulls get by more on the fact that Thibs is able to come up with a quality defensive system and get everyone on the same page.

It's not because of the players or a perceived lack of scoring ability in the players they had which led to a lack of a number two option... It was the difficulty in plugging one of these guys in next to Alan Iverson.

It's not like they didn't have quality scorers there... they just dropped off the planet when they were there as Iverson ate ball and they were left with crumbs. He had a lot of players who were once considered great offensive threats until they wound up next to him.

Derrick Coleman, Toni Kukoc, Keith Van Horn, Glenn Robinson...

All guys who were looking like quality offensive options outside of when they had to play next to him. Hell Derrick Coleman had to go on to become a defensive specialist just to co-exist next to him because these volume guys don't see enough good quality ball next to him.

The 76ers really were the best produced example of a team that was built around the output of a single player and his own strengths and weaknesses. From the ground up. The best example. And they still couldn't win it all.

The Bulls meanwhile aren't produced with the sole intention of creating a team that can and will work around Rose. Not even close to being the same in that regard.

I wouldn't consider Carlos Boozer to be defensive minded wither... or Noah in the same ball-park as either Theo Ratliff in his 76ers days or Dikembe Mutombo...

Iverson had Eric Snow next to him because they needed a "point guard" with enough size to be able to cover 2s because of Iverson's lack of size... That meant they had pretty much two, maybe three, options for that role out of the scope of players back then. Jason Kidd, Eric Snow or maybe Gary payton... maybe.

They were built pretty much as the ideal to work around Iverson, and if he weren't on the team they'd have gone in completely different directions with GM decisions.

If Rose wasn't there I don't think they'd be making completely different decisions at all. They've got a far more solid base to their team, whilst the 76ers were pretty much all there (with the sole exception of the revolving door at small forward while they struggled in vain to find someone who could produce offensively as an option next to him) for how they complemented their star, and even at that small forward position the main determining factor when you think about it is how well they fit with him.

 

[runawayboulder]

I'm kinda digging Atlanta's uniforms tonight. Have they always worn them? I can't remember....

 

[Hound55]

No. They tend to play "skins" in their games...

 

[TheWatcher]

Howard would be an ideal star to pair with Carmelo IMO.
-He is a better scorer than STAT but doesn't need the ball as often.
-He is a better defensive presence than Chandler(but it's very close)

 

[TheWatcher]

Howard and Turk/Davis for Chandler and Stat seems pretty fair to me.

 

[Genesis 1.0]

Nuggets going ham leading into halftime & unfortunately, Lakers shot selection has been just horrid. Denver came to play tonight as expected.

 

[Scrandy Randy]

Bynum is really abysmal at handling a double team.

 

[Scrandy Randy]

Not entirely upset with the result. Was expecting it to be over after it was 14-38(something like that) in the second but the team came back so that's encouraging.

 

[Genesis 1.0]

Not overly concerned, said we'd drop 1 or 2 to the Nuggets, predictable with Kobe shooting 7 outta 100.