2013-2014 NBA Discussion Thread: The Dwightmare is Over!

[Mr. Dent]

Free agency, coaching changes, and summer leagues oh my

 

[runawayboulder]

In Houston, the Dwightmare has only just begun....

 

[Doc Samson]

It better not be. Him and Derrick Rose haven't left fans as crestfallen as Lebron after the Decision, but they'll definitely be under microscopes neither has experienced before...

 

[TanneRain]

Victor Oladipo, ROY. Place your bets now and place em high. #PayYourMortgage

 

[Doc Samson]

I've been saying Oladipo would be the best player out of this draft, and possibly an All-Star caliber guy for years to come.

 

[TanneRain]

I've been saying Oladipo would be the best player out of this draft, and possibly an All-Star caliber guy for years to come.

I go to Indiana, and I lived in the same dorm as him my freshman year. The dude's work ethic is unbelievable. He was either in class or at the gym. I'd get back at 3am from pledging at my fraternity, he'd get back at 3am from the gym. Awesome dude, gonna be a great player.

 

[SolarTiger]

Problem is he can't really dribble or shoot. I love his intensity as well, but I see him as a more offensively inclined Tony Allen. Which is a very good player, but not a future superstar.

Anyways, the GSW have signed Speights to a contract. Nice replacement for Landry.

 

[L.A.]

Kaman to the lakers, world peace amnesty

 

[Nell2ThaIzzay]

Victor Oladipo, ROY. Place your bets now and place em high. #PayYourMortgage

I've been saying Oladipo would be the best player out of this draft, and possibly an All-Star caliber guy for years to come.

I sure hope so.

I was hoping that the Magic would have taken McLemore, but I've heard a lot of good things about Oladipo as well, so I've got some high hopes for the kid.

 

[Raiden]

Kaman to the lakers, world peace amnesty

Dunno why Lakers would amnesty Metta; he is one of the few players who would play defense, and he is only contracted for one more year anyway.

 

[Mr. Dent]

makes sense if they're trying to tank

 

[JaD]

In Houston, the Dwightmare has only just begun....

I think at this point whatever nightmare comes about is whatever the media blows up any little thing to be. I think Dwight is somewhat at peace because he clearly didn't want LA and D'Antoni didn't necessarily make things better. He feels he made the best choice so at this point he can just put it all on the floor and whatever happens happens.

 

[TheBat812]

what exactly are the rules for amnesty in the NBA? And where's there official confirmation of LA using it on Metta?

 

[runawayboulder]

what exactly are the rules for amnesty in the NBA? And where's there official confirmation of LA using it on Metta?

You can release a single player and their contract won't count towards the salary cap. It can only be used once.

There has been no official confirmation as of yet but it certainly sounds like it's happening.

 

[TanneRain]

Problem is he can't really dribble or shoot. I love his intensity as well, but I see him as a more offensively inclined Tony Allen. Which is a very good player, but not a future superstar.

Anyways, the GSW have signed Speights to a contract. Nice replacement for Landry.

He shot over 50% from three this year and had a FG% of 63 percent overall. A lot of dunks and layups, but he can shoot and only improves every year. How he comes into the league won't be how he leaves or when he peaks. He's also been lighting it up in the summer league so far, it is summer league, but still.

 

[L.A.]

Would love Artest with the clippers

 

[Docker2.0]

Would love Artest with the clippers

You might get your wish..................just to piss off Laker fans.

 

[SolarTiger]

He shot over 50% from three this year and had a FG% of 63 percent overall. A lot of dunks and layups, but he can shoot and only improves every year. How he comes into the league won't be how he leaves or when he peaks. He's also been lighting it up in the summer league so far, it is summer league, but still.

He shot very few threes though, that's why his percentage is so high. I don't think he has NBA range on his threes.

 

[Anubis]

Not yet anyway.

It is something one can learn.

 

[Doc Samson]

Problem is he can't really dribble or shoot. I love his intensity as well, but I see him as a more offensively inclined Tony Allen. Which is a very good player, but not a future superstar.

As long as Orlando doesn't try to stick him at the point, he'll thrive. He's a smaller 2 like D-Wade, but he's explosive enough to get to the basket with relative ease. Combined with his work ethic, I doubt his game will remain stagnant offensively or otherwise...

 

[SolarTiger]

I'm a believer that having a handle is something you develop in your teens, not as a pro. Seen way too many athletic guards that people say can develop their dribbling skills because of their work ethic never really improve it much.

He can definitely develop a better three point shot, since that is mostly fixable with hard work and repetition.

 

[Hound55]

So... No Kaman, Hickson or Speights at the Clips...

 

[JeetKuneDo]

Dude, give it up. He gave up all of $2.5 million per year.

Like I said, Lebron took less money to win. (2.5 million less is less money) Also as I mentioned, his prime motivation for leaving Cleveland was winning.

Are you claiming Lebron left Cleveland for a different reason?

Fans claim they want players to care more about winning than money (http://forums.superherohype.com/showpost.php?p=26293117&postcount=794). Well...Lebron is motivated by winning more than money.

As far as endorsements go - yes, absolutely! Playing in a major market gets you more media exposure. Why do you think LeBron wanted so bad out of Cleveland

So you do believe Lebron left Cleveland for monetary reasons instead of winning.

Now I've got to ask why you think he chose Miami over two NY teams, an LA team, and a Chicago team?

Secondly, there is no direct correlation between endorsements and where you play. Lebron was signed by Nike while he played in Cleveland. Howard actually LOST his McDonald's contract after leaving Orlando due to the image problem.

If a team tries to contact a player that is under contract, it's called "tampering". If you can't see the problem with players colluding amongst themselves, while under contract, to circumvent the process and form their own teams, then there is no point in continuing this conversation with you.

I was actually asking you what you think the solution is...I made no judgement on how "right" it is for a player to talk with his friends about playing together on the same team.

Free agency exists....I was curious what you thought should be done about it.

Rice's #'s were so far above and beyond anything that anyone else did. A lot of his records are nowhere near being touched.

Emmitt Smith, on the other hand, put up great numbers, but had another player, in his own generation, in a much worse situation, putting up similar, if not better numbers, and on pace to break all the same records that Emmitt did, but he retired early. There's a HUGE difference between Rice and Emmitt.

Like I said, Rice gets to slide even though he was in a better situation than Emmitt was. Fans can always find an excuse when they need it. (There was another great running back so that means Emmitt has to be demeaned? Really?) I remember when Emmitt held out two games the year after the Cowboys won their first SB...and they lost both of those games with all those "great players" (I personally think Troy Aikman is one of the most overrated QB's ever) Emmitt really was the engine of that team.

No one ever questions Rice at all even though a receiver could not possibly be in a better situation than he had. But fans actually started suggesting that Emmitt had "the greatest O-line of all time". (Fans must not have looked very close at who those guys were) So fan bias is huge on stuff like this.

Again, if you can't see the problem with someone cheering for a team when they are good, and then bailing off to someplace else when they aren't good, then there's no point in continuing the conversation with you.

Glad to know that the concept of "loyalty" is lost on this current, instant gratification, generation of sports fans.

I do not see the problem. It's just sports...that's all. It's entertainment. Fans make it into more than it really is and use it to prop up "bragging rights" for their city. "Yeah! Suck it! My city is better than yours because players on 'my team' who are not actually from my city can knock a person to the ground, catch a ball, throw a ball through a metal hoop better than the players on 'your team
who aren't actually from your city!"

Yeah...it's stupid and illogical. "Loyalty"....bah. The owners aren't loyal to the players or the fans, the players aren't loyal to the owners or the fans"....but the fans have to be loyal to the teams or they are "bad fans". What a load...t: Fans actually believe this stuff!

In the history of American professional sports, there have been hundreds, if not thousands, of free agents that have changed teams. Many of those guys have been superstars, and many of those have won championships with their new team, never winning a championship with the original team that drafted them.

However, of all of these players, ONE guy is judged and criticized for it. LeBron James.

Why is that?

It is because for some reason, the sports world has singled one guy out to judge and ridicule him no matter what he does?

Or is it because he handled the process in a very poor way, a process that could be argued to compromise the integrity of the competitive nature of the sport, and wasn't as simple as "he's a free agent and he went to another team"?

I don't know if you've looked at the history of the NBA much...but...what "competitive balance"? Check out the Hall of Fame...mostly Lakers and Celtics. There really is almost no reason to be a fan of the NBA if you have a team in one of the "they don't matter" cities. You are there so the "important teams" can have someone to beat on their way to glory. I kinda like that a different city has a great team for a change.

Again...Lebron was taking crap from MJ fans before he left Cleveland and still does. (You really don't remember how he was mocked after he lost in the Finals to the much better Spurs?) It's about Lebron being a great player. Kobe got the same hate and he's never "messed with the integrity of the sport". The next great player will get the same treatment....MJ must be protected. It's that illogical "GOAT" stuff polluting the water of basketball.

 

[Raiden]

After listening to ESPN radio on the way home, I can understand why Lakers would be contemplating amnesty Metta; in fact, there are 23 million reasons to do so, because not only will they have to pay him $7 mil for next season, but they will also have to pay an additional 23 mil due to luxury taxes, and we can all agree that Metta isn't a 30 mil player at this point of his career. There isn't alot of expectation for the Lakers in 2013-2014 season, and I don't think they must pay all these money just to appease Kobe. IMO I don't believe the team as currently constructed has what it takes to win in all next season.

 

[Doc Samson]

Again...Lebron was taking crap from MJ fans before he left Cleveland and still does. (You really don't remember how he was mocked after he lost in the Finals to the much better Spurs?) It's about Lebron being a great player. Kobe got the same hate and he's never "messed with the integrity of the sport". The next great player will get the same treatment....MJ must be protected. It's that illogical "GOAT" stuff polluting the water of basketball.

This I agree with. Any superstar wing player considered the "best in the game" will suffer from MJ comparisons and the need to criticize in order to elevate and preserve the Jordan legacy, as if it's really in question.

As I always say, there's a difference between being a better player and having a better career, and inside those categories are a multitude of sub-categories we can all use to twist and rank people depending on what you like or prefer in a player.

After listening to ESPN radio on the way home, I can understand why Lakers would be contemplating amnesty Metta; in fact, there are 23 million reasons to do so, because not only will they have to pay him $7 mil for next season, but they will also have to pay an additional 23 mil due to luxury taxes, and we can all agree that Metta isn't a 30 mil player at this point of his career. There isn't alot of expectation for the Lakers in 2013-2014 season, and I don't think they must pay all these money just to appease Kobe. IMO I don't believe the team as currently constructed has what it takes to win in all next season.

They don't have what it takes to win it all, but they could definitely be better with the team they already have. I highly doubt they'll be riddled with as many injuries as they were last year, and that's really what destroyed things even more than coaching and chemistry IMO.

I don't know if Odom would really come back, but they're supposedly trying to find out. Jordan Hill, if healthy, brings the same energy and effort Earl Clark provided. With no fourth star to appease it should be easier for Nash to slide back to his more natural comfort zone along with Pau & honestly I can't see D'Antoni doing much worse. If anything, this should be easier for him to manage. Should be....