Re: Random thoughts from around the league (An Onging Thread)

by **Outside** Fri May 04, 2012 2:47 am

I got a kick out of this -- Kate Upton, Kevin Durant, and James Harden in Take a Supermodel to Work Day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=x7hPAgN3hP8

by **steve3344** Tue Jun 05, 2012 7:10 pm

Letting her Laker devotion get her scammed:

Attention filthy rich LA Lakers fans -- Lamar Odom does not have a cash-strapped assistant ... something director Penny Marshall learned after getting jacked for several thousand bucks.

Sources tell TMZ the double-cross started at a Lakers game last month ... when a man claiming to be LO's assistant gave Penny a phone number he said was Lamar's.

We're told Penny and the person she thought was Lamar texted back and forth for several days -- when finally "Lamar" asked her to loan his assistant a chunk o' cash. Ever the faithful Lakers fan, Penny forked over more than five grand to the faux "assistant."

Hook. Line. Sinker.

After that, we're told "Lamar" suddenly stopped texting, Penny got suspicious, and contacted the real Lamar ... who told her he doesn't even have an assistant.

Penny has filed a police report with the LAPD, and we're told they've opened a grand theft investigation. Penny's rep had no comment.

by **steve3344** Sat Jun 30, 2012 9:00 pm

Brandon Roy attempting a comeback?

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--brandon-roy-to-meet-with-bulls--pacers--mavericks-and-timberwolves.html;_ylt=AqXzQ5UyPdFHR_AbCeWTiUi8vLYF

Didn't see that one coming. Class act and a terrific talent. I wish him the best.

by **swedeinestonia** Sat Jul 14, 2012 9:34 am

by **steve3344** Mon Dec 17, 2012 5:23 am

He's 7'1", and the article says he has a body that reminds of Kevin Garnett, yet, also according to the piece, he's not on the Celtics radar. But he is on the Knicks, Lakers and five other teams' radar:

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/college/basketball/division_iii_footer_lures_nba_scouts_wjtaZPyPMgMQviMczHJbOL?utm_campaign=OutbrainA&utm_source=OutbrainArticlepages&obref=obinsite

by **steve3344** Fri Jan 04, 2013 4:44 am

Nice to see Dennis Johnson's name in the paper today.

http://www.nypost.com/p/pagesix/ordinary_organ_8MVoGcHiU7N15yqBZwq79O

Even if it's not exactly basketball related.

It is humorous tho.

by **steve3344** Fri Jan 18, 2013 6:24 am

"Durant having one of the greatest NBA seasons ever."

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/47874/kevin-durant-incredible-offensive-season

by **Outside** Fri Jan 18, 2013 1:51 pm

Durant is a pleasure to watch. We're lucky to be here and see it. Please let him stay healthy, because if he does, he's going to get even better.

by **steve3344** Sat Oct 05, 2013 9:46 pm

http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2013/10/trail_blazers_rookie_cj_mccollum_breaks_breaks_lef.html

Star-crossed franchise (and my second favorite dating back to the Bill Walton days) just suffered another big setback. Unbelievable. And it's the same bone in the same exact place he broke in college.

by **steve3344** Sat Oct 05, 2013 9:48 pm

Big Baby Davis says he will never be the same after his foot surgery last year:

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/10/02/glen-davis-says-surgically-repaired-foot-will-never-be-the-same/

Sad if that's true.

by **steve3344** Sat Oct 12, 2013 7:18 pm

Greg Oden ready to play for the Heat:

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/10/12/greg-oden-cleared-for-full-practice-could-play-for-heat-in-preseason/

I like the guy but I'm actually hoping he doesn't contribute much for them. Wished it could have happened for the Blazers or Celts.

by **Outside** Fri Oct 25, 2013 1:46 pm

Steve, it looks like I make one post here for every three you make, so here's my one.

Okay, Steve. You're up.

by **steve3344** Fri Oct 25, 2013 10:11 pm

Ok Outside:

Phoenix might not win 10 games this year:

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--wizards-land-marcin-gortat-in-trade-with-suns-221459910.html

by **steve3344** Mon Nov 11, 2013 10:21 pm

Wow. How dumb. Buck center Larry Sanders gets hurt in a bar fight, has surgery on his thumb and will miss approximately six weeks.

http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/story/2013-11-11/larry-sanders-injury-update-bucks-center-thumb-surgery-bar-right-status-return-stats

Bucks just signed him to a $44 million extension. Maybe he didn't realize they expected a little maturity for their money.

by **Outside** Tue Nov 12, 2013 3:15 pm

Larry Sanders has shown equally amazing ability to block shots and do stupid things. He seems like a volatile, almost unstable person. In one productive 10-day period last season, he accumulated six technicals, three ejections and $95,000 in fines.

http://www.brewhoop.com/2013/3/25/4139614/larry-sanders-ejection-technical-suspension-fine

Some of these guys have no idea how good they have it.

by **steve3344** Wed Nov 13, 2013 11:25 pm

Looks like we traded KG just in time. Been watching the Nets game and other games he's played in this season so far and he can't buy a hoop.

Shooting an un-KG-like 19 for 60 on the year. Geez. Hard to believe. Barely 30%.

by **Outside** Thu Nov 14, 2013 12:50 am

The Nets are a huge disappointment so far. They lost again tonight, which makes them 2-5. They have new pieces and will take time to play well together, plus Deron Williams had a nasty ankle sprain that cost him almost all of the preseason and is still limiting his effectiveness, but those excuses don't explain 20-point losses tonight to Sacramento (Sacramento!) and earlier to Orlando.

Pierce's numbers look decent, but KG is at 6.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 0.5 blocks, and 3.2 fouls per game while shooting 32 percent. Just awful. He's got to do better than this as the season moves along, but it makes you wonder.

I'm curious whether, given the choice right now, most Celtic fans wouldn't choose the optimism and forward-looking outlook of the current Celtics over one more last-gasp run with the KG-Pierce Celtics.

Pierce has used his wiles to adapt to advancing age to still rebound and score, but he's not very mobile and looks semi-arthritic out there. KG has always relied on a combination of superior athleticism and intensity that can't adapt in the way that Pierce's game could, and it all falls apart if his body fails him. Hopefully, he'll come back and make a decent season of it.

by **steve3344** Fri Nov 15, 2013 8:57 am

Whose future do you want, Boston's or the Nets?

Here's an excerpt from a scathing article on NJ after their blowout loss to the Kings the other night:

"The Nets don’t have many options moving forward, and they’re operating under the assumption that parts will click before it’s too late. Kidd, who just inked a three-year contract and has a much longer leash than Johnson did last season, can tinker with the rotation. He can hope Andrei Kirlenko returns soon from his back spasms and, more importantly, Deron Williams gets back to being an elite point guard.
But this is it for the Nets, more or less. They may not have their own first-round draft pick for the next five years, depending on various options being exercised. They’re not projected to be under the salary cap until 2016."

And this:

"Remember all that offseason talk about winning a title and owning New York, especially from Paul Pierce? After Wednesday’s 107-86 loss to the Kings, the small forward could only 'hope this was a wakeup call,' because apparently the other three defeats against projected lottery teams weren’t loud enough."

And this:

"The finger of blame could be pointed in several directions. Garnett has been an ineffective glorified role player on a tight minutes restriction, averaging six points and playing like he lost a step or three. The 37-year-old has made it harder to ignore that that he seriously considered retirement after last season.
The Nets, as a whole, are succumbing to younger and quicker opponents, while Kidd’s grand idea of being a run-and-gun team has been slapped with a few reality checks. Williams, who said he was fine after limping in the locker room Wednesday because of a turned ankle sustained in the second quarter, has failed to rise to any occasion, averaging 11.7 points on 41.7 percent shooting. The Nets have lost the battle of the paint on both ends of the floor, and Brook Lopez hasn’t shed the reputation for playing soft.

Here's a link to the whole piece:

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/nets/king-kidding-meets-coach-nets-disappoint-article-1.1517883

by **Outside** Fri Nov 15, 2013 11:54 am

How glad do you think the Clippers are that the league put a stop to the Doc-KG-Pierce trade package?

by **Outside** Wed Dec 04, 2013 2:10 pm

The East is really, really bad so far. Historically, epically bad. Rose is out again for the season, relegating Chicago to mediocrity. The Nets and Knicks were supposed to be contenders but were a mirage. Philly was surprisingly good early but has fallen back. Cleveland, Toronto, and Detroit were supposed to be decent but have disappointed so far.

I have to believe that it won't stay this bad all season. A couple of teams will turn it around compared to what they're doing now. But even if that happens, Indiana and Miami are head and shoulders above the rest of the conference, and that means whichever one of them wins the East will have a significant advantage in the finals.

• Indiana and Miami will have the top two seeds locked up early, and if one of them has the top seed in hand over the other (most likely Indiana), then they'll have little to play for the last couple of weeks. That means they'll enter the playoffs rested and ready. The West, however, will likely go down to the wire with teams jockeying for position, and other than Popovich's Spurs, they'll be going all out down to the last game and won't go into the playoffs rested.

• Both Indiana and Miami should have a relatively easy path through the first two rounds of the playoffs, and that means the team that represents the East will be even more rested and ready. The West should be a dogfight through all three rounds, and the team that wins it will likely play many more games and be more spent and beat up than Indiana or Miami.

• The Eastern representative will likely have home court advantage. Indiana and Miami are going to rack up wins against other teams in the East while the West teams take turns beating each other. The finals switch to the 2-2-1-1-1 format this season, which is far better for the team without home court advantage, but home court advantage is still a big plus, especially for games 5 and 7.

It may well be that Indiana or Miami will be the better team anyway, but these factors will work in their favor.

The huge imbalance between Indiana and Miami and the rest of the conference also means that they have a shot at the all-time record of 72-10. Considering that Miami has looked mortal so far and may be in a letdown phase after winning the title the past two years, and that Indiana is conversely hungry and driven, Indiana has the best chance. At 16-2, they're on pace for 73 wins. I don't think they're going to do it, but they may get to 70. They play Utah next but then have San Antonio away, OKC away, and Miami at home, so they could fall off pace in a hurry, but they also have stretches where they could go on long winning streaks.

As always, injuries will determine a lot, but it looks like a very good year to be Indiana and Miami.

by **beat** Wed Dec 04, 2013 2:21 pm

Outside

All interesting thoughts

Think Detroit Washington and Atlanta (maybe Philly) all have a shot of being above the rest of the East (minus Indy and Miami) I don't see Chicago too close to those two unless they make a significant move to replace Rose. Perhaps the C's might gell more than anticipated once Rondo returns and join them. Detroit looked realy good last evening.

Of course an injury to a key player to any of these teams will be a significant blow but Indy and Miami are probably better equiped to handle that issue.

Don't think any East team gets to 70 wins and I doubt they get close to that. 65 tops is my guess. Just too long a season and someone will get dinged up along the way.

beat

by **steve3344** Fri Dec 06, 2013 4:47 am

Big Baby says he's now DOWN to 300 pounds and it's the lightest he's been since 8th grade. Article says he played most of his NBA career at 330, which I'm assuming was his real playing weight with Boston. Wow. 330. That's a big baby.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/glen-big-baby-davis-lightest-since-eighth-grade-012835441--nba.html

by **steve3344** Sat Dec 14, 2013 1:48 am

Quote of the year from Mr. Delusional today (the one who said the Lakers would win 70 games last year) following the Knicks/Celtics game:

With trade rumors swirling around the Knicks, a few of the players mentioned in possible deals — one involves Kyle Lowry and Toronto — weighed in before the game. Metta World Peace said: “Whatever team I’m on is never rebuilding. When you get Metta World, you’re officially a championship mentality. Like here. World Peace brings a championship mentality. That’s what I do.”

by **steve3344** Sat Dec 28, 2013 6:51 am

Combined record of the four highest profile franchises in the league - Celtics, Lakers, Knicks and Bulls - is 45-70. That translates to an average season of 32-50 for the four beaten down teams. Amazing.

13-17 Lakers
12-17 Boston
11-16 Chicago
9-20 Knicks

by **steve3344** Sat Dec 28, 2013 6:58 am

Don't think I've ever seen this before. Not one starter for the Timberwolves had a turnover in last nights impressive 120-98 win over Washington:

http://www.nba.com/games/20131227/WASMIN/gameinfo.html?ls=slt

Might be a first. I know there have been other rare games where a team only had as few as three or four turnovers but I bet in those cases one of them was by a starter. T-Wolves had four, all from their bench.

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