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  1. #1
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    NBA Free Agency: Rumors, Exposition, etc...

    First, the NBA in general...

    -----

    TONS of player movement right now, even moreso than usual. Also, because of an impending lockout, players are trying to get paid now, including extensions of existing contracts, because nobody wants to be sitting at home NOT collecting a check for doing nothing.

    With that in mind...

    (Remaining) Free Agents:

    - Shaq: Heh. He'll either re-sign with Cleveland for more money than he'd get elsewhere, or he'll go to Dallas or Atlanta. In Dallas, he'll be another over-paid big man, and in Atlanta, he'll kill them in their transition defense and offense. If they're revamping things to make up for over-paying Joe Johnson, great, but changing the system to suit him won't help the rest of your (equally, if not more-) talented players get along. Bringing Shaq in will only then limit their ability to run the floor...

    ...something that the Mavs don't do a heck of a lot anyway... and why should they, with their best player well into his 30's and their starting point guard well into his 50's? Shaq would help bolster scoring for their second unit by slowing the game down even more, and given that both Haywood and Chandler are defensive-minded players, his defensive weaknesses wouldn't be readily apparent until late in the playoffs, most likely. If they can get him for $3 mil or less, they'll probably make the offer.

    Luis Scola: Don't you do it, *sshole. Don't you leave this team now. Not in free agency. Not for NOTHING. C'mon, Morey, don't fail us now. The Nets are lame, and drafted a player at your position anyway, and the Raptors are even more lame. Calderon can't be THAT big of a draw for you, can he? Especially since he's in Charlotte now...

    Richard Jefferson: Opted out of $16 million from the Spurs to become a free agent. Genius. Whatever they're teaching kids at Arizona, I guess pulling your head out of your *ss is an upper-division class, and R-Jeff (lolz) left school a little too early. Good luck, man. He'll go anywhere that pays him with multiple years. Maybe the Knicks or Nets, if those bridges aren't burned. (With Thorn gone, they're probably not...) Cleveland may make a run, too.

    Kyle Lowry: Get off of our freakin' Kool-Aid, teams, geez. I mean, sure, with Brooks playing really well, Lowry is a back-up, no question... but he's also a much better defender than Brooks, and he's a great fit in Houston. The Cavs signed him to an offer sheet, but if it's doable, Houston will match it. They'd better. Grrr...

    Josh Howard: Chances are the Wizards will keep him around. With him coming off of surgery and being an out-of-the-closet pothead, but not as good a rebounder as Robert Parish, he'll be too hard to shop around; at least until after the season starts. Then, if he's playing well, it's wide-open. The Bulls and Cavs are also interested.

    Tracy McGrady: There's talk of him going to Miami for the veteran's minimum; maybe even signing late so they don't have to pay him for a full season. If there is a God, Dexter Morgan is real, and he'll have words with T-Mac for killing Houston's cap number for all of those years... But please note, if he goes to Miami, he's washed-up and it's for a ring. If he goes to Chicago, it's because he still feels like he can play, play. Maybe they keep him in NYC; pair him with Amare. That'd be awesome. Two straight-from-H.S., no-defense-playin' skinny kids with bad knees and stuff. Jay-Z was right. New York is what dreams are made of.

    Brad Miller: He wants to help a team win a ring. Miami or Boston are the short list, if the Bulls try to short him on their offer.

    Mighty Mouse: He'll re-sign in green. Between losing Allen and being veteran-friendly, it's a good fit.

    Shannon Brown: He has two rings. It's "get paid" time. If he stays, it'll be because they'll allow him to compete with Steve Blake for the starting job. I say that, 'cause, if they KEEP starting Fisher, it's sad. Sad that a team that's normally so well-run will just keep ridiculously ignoring their need for a replacement for Fisher's "my age" *ss. (36.)

    Earl Watson: A team that desperately needs a point guard is allowing him to go. Smells fishy to me.

    Kwame Brown: Good luck, teams. He'll be in the corner, crying, if you need him. Apparently Jordan did such a good job of hurting his feelings a decade ago that he never stopped sucking...

    -----

    More later, including where the guys who have signed have gone, and how all of this ties into the Thunder and their Quest for the West, 2010. (Trademark...)
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  2. #2
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    Re: NBA Free Agency: Rumors, Exposition, etc...

    Quote Originally Posted by the_ouskull View Post
    First, the NBA in general...

    (Remaining) Free Agents:

    - Shaq: Heh. He'll either re-sign with Cleveland for more money than he'd get elsewhere, or he'll go to Dallas or Atlanta. In Dallas, he'll be another over-paid big man, and in Atlanta, he'll kill them in their transition defense and offense. If they're revamping things to make up for over-paying Joe Johnson, great, but changing the system to suit him won't help the rest of your (equally, if not more-) talented players get along. Bringing Shaq in will only then limit their ability to run the floor...

    ...something that the Mavs don't do a heck of a lot anyway... and why should they, with their best player well into his 30's and their starting point guard well into his 50's? Shaq would help bolster scoring for their second unit by slowing the game down even more, and given that both Haywood and Chandler are defensive-minded players, his defensive weaknesses wouldn't be readily apparent until late in the playoffs, most likely. If they can get him for $3 mil or less, they'll probably make the offer.
    I think Shaq's made his money and then some. Is he really in it for the money anymore? I don't think he wants to play for a loser, which is what Cleveland is now. The Mavs have stockpiled on Bigs in the past few days, so I'm not sure Shaq fits in their plans exactly. You never know with Cubes though.

    As a Mavs fan I hope we stay away from him, unless we get him at an absolute bargain. If he can get into some semblance of shape, the only time I think he might be useful to the Mavs would be playoff time, when they need a post player that can work in the post, something the Mavs have desperately needed every year in the playoffs.

    Richard Jefferson: Opted out of $16 million from the Spurs to become a free agent. Genius. Whatever they're teaching kids at Arizona, I guess pulling your head out of your *ss is an upper-division class, and R-Jeff (lolz) left school a little too early. Good luck, man. He'll go anywhere that pays him with multiple years. Maybe the Knicks or Nets, if those bridges aren't burned. (With Thorn gone, they're probably not...) Cleveland may make a run, too.
    still not sure why he did this really. Yeah he wants multiple years, but how much is he really gonna earn per year. Seems like the 16 he would have made this year is more than what he would earn with any contract he signs this year.

    Josh Howard: Chances are the Wizards will keep him around. With him coming off of surgery and being an out-of-the-closet pothead, but not as good a rebounder as Robert Parish, he'll be too hard to shop around; at least until after the season starts. Then, if he's playing well, it's wide-open. The Bulls and Cavs are also interested.
    Josh is still capable of being a starter or possibly 6th man depending where he winds up. He's just got to stop being a complete dumbass off the court.

    Tracy McGrady: There's talk of him going to Miami for the veteran's minimum; maybe even signing late so they don't have to pay him for a full season. If there is a God, Dexter Morgan is real, and he'll have words with T-Mac for killing Houston's cap number for all of those years... But please note, if he goes to Miami, he's washed-up and it's for a ring. If he goes to Chicago, it's because he still feels like he can play, play. Maybe they keep him in NYC; pair him with Amare. That'd be awesome. Two straight-from-H.S., no-defense-playin' skinny kids with bad knees and stuff. Jay-Z was right. New York is what dreams are made of.
    Agree on if he goes to Miami. Definitely chasing a ring at that point.

  3. #3
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    Re: NBA Free Agency: Rumors, Exposition, etc...

    I really want T-Mac and Shaq to go to Miami: they might as well make it into the biggest fiasco possible. It will be really fun. I hard Juwan Howard is joining them too.

    Even while Miami will be my villain-team for years to come, I'm going to want to watch all of their games. I am thinking about ordering some sort of NBA package (but it might be unnecessary because every Thunder game will be televised locally, and I'd bet that many Miami games are televised nationally, yeah?).
    I'm not really Serge Ibaka: I was born and raised in Green Country and not in the Congo. But I do like giraffes.

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    Re: NBA Free Agency: Rumors, Exposition, etc...

    Okay, what each team's done... KINDA by team, but I'm skipping out teams that, as of today, have no major changes. (They re-signed someone, but they didn't sign or lose a major free agent and their draft won't matter for a while...)

    Boston: Added Jermaine O'Neal, 'cause what team doesn't need skinny players who have played out of position for most of their careers and have horrible knees taking up cap room? (Yeah, you, K.G. You're not a baller anymore. You're just a skinny old guy with bad knees now. Keep picking on the Jose Calderon's of the world and stay away from the Artest's...)

    Charlotte: Lost two starters (Felton and Chandler) and gained one back, only because they traded Chandler FOR him (Dampier). Jordan runs teams like guards used to defend him.

    Bulls: So far, one of my winners, and a new "team to watch," even. Added Kyle Korver and Carlos Boozer, and lost their backup point guard (Heinrich) to do it.

    - Rose
    - Korver
    - Deng
    - Boozer
    - Noah

    Defensively, even with Rose's improvement, and Noah's ability, they're rubbish. Boozer's decent, but Deng and Korver are, uh.. not. At least, in Deng's case, not against faster players... which means that one of these two guys won't be starting and Chicago needs to sign a two, quickly. Taj Gibson and James Johnson give them some size and versatility off of the bench, but they're not going to win many games for you over the course of a season. Depth, depth, depth. They're not done yet this summer.

    Cleveland: Lost LeBron and Big Z. Curtain.

    Mavs: Signed Tyson Chandler, so now if he's healthy (he never is) Kidd can throw a couple of alley-oops above the rim to someone on this team... if he can still see that far without his bifocals.

    Golden State: Maybe the most active team overall. They lost Kelenna Azubuike and Anthony Randolph to the Knicks, Corey Maggette (he's still around?) to the Bucks, and Anthony Morrow to the Nets. They gained Epke Udoh in the draft (good fit with this system.. not a lot of pressure right off the bat..) and David Lee from the Knicks.

    - Curry
    - Ellis
    - Reggie Williams/Dorell Wright
    - Lee
    - Biedrins

    That's a decent starting five that, especially considering their size, is going to rebound fairly well. But, when Charlie Bell, Vlad the Imposer, and whoever doesn't win the battle for the worst position on your starting five makes up your bench, you're not going anywhere. Did I mention that there's no defense played in Oakland? Just checkin'... They'll win games, and series, but not championships... and not this season... If Udoh can play the 3 for them, though, then their depth starts looking a little better, and they may contend for the 10th seed in the West.

    Houston: Added Patrick Patterson through the draft.

    The Clippers are a bag of f*cked-up and I won't go into them right now, but they've added a couple of good draft picks, including getting Blake back, and they didn't really lose much in return. (Eric Bledsoe for Steve Blake...? Al-Farouq Aminu for Drew Gooden...? Yeah, I'd do those moves too. This isn't a "win right away" team anyway. They're a "win after we trade Baron for a good point guard" team. He can make or break this team... unless Bledsoe is already their backup plan being groomed. Sneaky, sneaky.

    - Baron Davis
    - Eric Gordon
    - Ryan Gomes
    - Blake Griffin
    - Chris Kaman

    Decent bench, even... with the two draftees, Randy Foye (from the Wizards), Brian Cook, and DeAndre Jordan... plus the team's second-round selection, who may have a chance to make the final roster. They could make some noise if they can either motivate Baron or rid themselves of him for someone equally good, but less of a headache. Good luck, at his salary.

    Lakers: Lost Farmar, signed Blake. Wash. Drafted Derrick Caracter in the second round. Genius. This kid is going to make them look smart over there in L.A. if he gets his body where it needs to be in time for the season.

    Miami: Really, I have to do this? Fine.

    They Added - LeBron James (Cavs), Chris Bosh (Raptors), Mike Miller (Wizards), and Big Z (Cavs).

    They Lost - Jermaine O'Neal (Celts), Quentin Richardson (to the Magic... don't over-look this come playoff time..), Cook (to OKC), and their recent draft bust, Beasley (T-Wolves), not to mention a great deal of dignity and respect.

    - Wade
    - Miller
    - James
    - Bosh
    - Z

    That's a decent crunch-time lineup. But that's not a regular season lineup. They're not going to be able to start Miller. Z can't start for a team, especially an athletic one, all season long. He just can't. His FEET can't. This team still needs a point guard not named Mario Chalmers and a center not named Z or Joel Anthony. Maybe they can bring in Gary Payton and Karl Malone.

    Bucks: Bringing in Maggette and Gooden will help bolster depth. Re-signing Salmons will help with shot creation. We may be looking at:

    - Jennings
    - Salmons
    - Redd (if he's healthy, otherwise, look trade - especially if he plays fairly well early...) or Maggette
    - Gooden
    - Bogut

    That'd be a load of talented, experienced starters, with a good mix coming off of the bench of young and hungry, and experienced and smart. This could be a "for real" kinda team if Jennings keeps his head, grows more consistent, and can keep Bogut healthy.

    T-Wolves: Well, they signed ANOTHER f*cking point guard today, locking down 30 year-old Luke Ridnour for 4 years and 16 million. FML.

    Sorry, I was pretending to be Ricky Rubio's Twitter feed.

    - Ridnour. I hope... otherwise, Jonny Flynn
    - Martell Webster (from Portland)
    - Corey Brewer
    - Kevin Love
    - Darko... yes, THAT Darko.

    Losing Al Jefferson will KILL their scoring, which was already bad. But, it'll also get the ball moving around a lot more... assuming that Rambis will ditch his bastage child of a triangle offense and run something that makes sense for, and TO, his roster. But, with players like Wes Johnson (drafted) and Mike Beasley (Miami) looking for playing time, the 3-5 spots could be fair game all season long. Minnesota won't be a LOT better this year, record-wise, but it'll be noticeable when you watch them play.

    -----

    Tired as crap, more later...

    the_ouskull
    Last edited by the_ouskull; 7/14/2010 at 03:47 PM.
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  5. #5
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    Re: NBA Free Agency: Rumors, Exposition, etc...

    Quote Originally Posted by Serge Ibaka View Post
    I really want T-Mac and Shaq to go to Miami: they might as well make it into the biggest fiasco possible. It will be really fun. I hard Juwan Howard is joining them too.

    Even while Miami will be my villain-team for years to come, I'm going to want to watch all of their games. I am thinking about ordering some sort of NBA package (but it might be unnecessary because every Thunder game will be televised locally, and I'd bet that many Miami games are televised nationally, yeah?).
    I heard the same about Juwan Howard going for the Vet. min. too.

    There is a reason the NBA delayed releasing their schedule for next fall, because they wanted to wait and see what happened with LeBron. Miami will be on all the time now, and they will probably sell out not only their home games, but they will probably help sell out their opponents arenas when they are on the road.

    Look for them to get a lot of those Sunday matinee games.

  6. #6
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    Re: NBA Free Agency: Rumors, Exposition, etc...

    Quote Originally Posted by the_ouskull View Post
    Bulls: So far, one of my winners, and a new "team to watch," even. Added Kyle Korver and Carlos Boozer, and lost their backup point guard (Heinrich) to do it.

    - Rose
    - Korver
    - Deng
    - Boozer
    - Noah

    Defensively, even with Rose's improvement, and Noah's ability, they're rubbish. Boozer's decent, but Deng and Korver are, uh.. not. At least, in Deng's case, not against faster players... which means that one of these two guys won't be starting and Chicago needs to sign a two, quickly. Taj Gibson and James Johnson give them some size and versatility off of the bench, but they're not going to win many games for you over the course of a season. Depth, depth, depth. They're not done yet this summer.
    Didn't Reddick sign an offer sheet from the Bulls? I can't remember, but I think it's enough to where Orlando isn't likely to match. You'd figure between him and Korver, someone can knock down perimeter shots.

    Bucks: Bringing in Maggette and Gooden will help bolster depth. Re-signing Salmons will help with shot creation. We may be looking at:

    - Jennings
    - Salmons
    - Redd (if he's healthy, otherwise, look trade - especially if he plays fairly well early...) or Maggette
    - Gooden
    - Bogut

    That'd be a load of talented, experienced starters, with a good mix coming off of the bench of young and hungry, and experienced and smart. This could be a "for real" kinda team if Jennings keeps his head, grows more consistent, and can keep Bogut healthy.
    Definitely a team to watch next season.

    ----------------

    Also, I think a team that did a decent job are the Suns. I didn't really noticed till I looked at what all they had done. Considering they caught a tough break and weren't able to get anything for Amare, I think resigning Channing Frye was a nice move. He was pretty solid for them when they went on a run last year.

    I think the addition of Hakim Warrick was good. He hasn't lived up to the 1st round draft status he came into the league with, but I think having Nash as his PG will up his numbers.

    Bringing Josh Childress back from Europe is interesting too. It will be interesting to see what he can do.

    Finally, Turkoglu, while he certainly is replacement for Amare, might be more productive in the Fast Tempo offense. He's always been a good decision maker and isn't an awful shooter. Again with Nash at the point I think Turkoglu will be a better player like he was in Orlando.

  7. #7
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    Re: NBA Free Agency: Rumors, Exposition, etc...

    Quote Originally Posted by ouleaf View Post
    Again with Nash at the point I think Turkoglu will be a better player like he was in Orlando.
    this. i think he's going to flourish in the suns system. not to mention the total matchup nightmare that he and frye create on the perimeter. should be another fun suns team to watch.

  8. #8

    Re: NBA Free Agency: Rumors, Exposition, etc...

    Quote Originally Posted by yankee View Post
    this. i think he's going to flourish in the suns system. not to mention the total matchup nightmare that he and frye create on the perimeter. should be another fun suns team to watch.
    Nash and Turk both have to have the ball in their hands to be effective. Turks numbers went down when he left Orlando and went to a team with 2 PG who control the ball a lot.

    Even if he does well the Suns are worse off without Amare. If you thought Amare was bad at defense at the 4 spot, wait until you see what Turkeyglue brings.

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    Re: NBA Free Agency: Rumors, Exposition, etc...

    cont...

    Nyets: I love the new owner. Having said that, hiring Billy f'ing King to run your team is only going to run it towards the ground. Especially when Prichard (Portland) was available. How do you say "idiot" in Russian? (Then you say it, not me. That guy's 6'8" and Russian.)

    They picked up Favors and Damion James, or, as I like to call him, The Black Nick Collison. Good draft. Not as good as they'd have liked (Turner), but a pretty good one. Free agency was much more harsh to them than they'd hoped... But, bringing Jay-Z around kinda reeked of desperation, too. Sure, he's part-owner, kinda like I'm part-owner of American Energy and Power, or Berkshire-Hathaway. It just reminded me of fraternity houses trotting out famous alums during rush - guys who are never otherwise there; or sorority houses inviting girls from their "hotter chapters" to show up during rush, and then leave after Bid Day. But, they brought in Jordan Farmar (LAL), Anthony Morrow (GSW), and Travis Outlaw (LAC).

    ("Uh yeah, Travis, it's about your roster spot. Well, you see, Blake Griffin is healthy now, and he's a force of f*cking nature... and you're Travis Outlaw. Take care.")

    So, we're looking at:

    - Harris
    - Morrow
    - T. Williams
    - Favors
    - Lopez

    Bringing Farmar, Lee, James, and Kris Humphries off of the bench. That's a decent, much-improved squad anyway. Now, consider this... There's only one player on the roster (Keyon Dooling) who is even 30 years old. Avery Johnson (great hire) gets a ton out of younger players once they realize he's in charge. If this team starts off winning, then it may start a ball rolling for them. However, if they start off poorly, a lot of the younger players who went through the same crap last year may rebel against Avery, since he'll still be whipping them in practice every day. It'll be interesting to see the Lil' General working again, either way.

    NYK: Well, no LeBron. The fact that they've had to gut the team for the past few seasons thanks to the Isiah Thomas-era probably didn't help either.

    Losing David Lee (GSW) hurts them a lot. They also lost Chris Duhon to the Magic and Sergio... who cares? They're not David Lee. They did pick up a few players, though...

    - Felton
    - Uh... Azubuike?
    - Gallinari
    - Randolph
    - Stoudemire

    That's based on who they currently have on the roster, and who I think personally is their best player for each position. However, that would mean that 4 of their 5 starters weren't in New York last season. WHAT A COUNTRY!

    OKC: I've posted about this elsewhere, and will continue updating it, etc...

    http://www.soonerfans.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=142698

    Orlando: They quietly keep getting better. What, we have two p*ssies on the perimeter in "Vincsanity" and Rashard Lewis? In comes Quentin Richardson. Next? Backup point guard for Nelson, the oft-injured starter? Chris Duhon, who started last year in New York, and knows the Eastern Conference pretty well. Then they added Daniel Orton, who, if he develops, will become one heck of a weakside complement to Howard.

    - Nelson
    - Carter
    - Lewis
    - Whoever... Bass, Orton, Anderson... with Carter and Lewis on the floor at the same time, it won't matter. They're screwed no matter who it is.
    - Howard

    Fine, I'll do a real one.

    - Nelson
    - Pietrus
    - Carter
    - Lewis
    - Howard

    ...and that's why they won't win it all with this team. Carter and Lewis are horrible rebounders for their position, and Howard has NO defensive help protecting the basket. During the regular season, they score enough to make up the difference on most nights. Come the playoffs, they get hit a little more, and are playing a little better players and a little better teams with a little better coaching... and that's all, folks.

    I'd propose that their best starting lineup, or at least a "outside-of-the-box" one, would be:

    - Nelson
    - Pietrus
    - Barnes
    - Bass
    - Howard

    ...with Carter and Lewis coming off of the bench. Their starters are all "good-enough" on offense, and with the exception of Nelson and Bass, are excellent defenders... AND their bench would lead the league in scoring. Plus, Duhon is an experienced enough point guard to keep them from going nuts and trying to Vince-hog the ball every possession.

    Sadly, a lineup like that would never happen, because it makes TOO much sense, and the people you're benching make more, each, than all of the people you're benching them for combined. I hate basketball. The Magic are going to waste Howard's youth by clinging to the hope that, someday, Vince will show up in a playoff game, or Rashard Lewis will hit the weight room and not the gym. Good luck.

    Philly: I'm not including them because they're good or anything, but because their one add, Evan "The Villain" Turner (tOSU), is a pretty good one for them... as long as they don't try to play him at point guard...

    - Holiday
    - Iguodala
    - Turner
    - Brand
    - The three-headed monster of Speights, Hawes, and Smith.

    This would bring Thaddeus Young, Willie Green, Kapono, Nocioni, Lou Williams, and others off of the bench. They're deep as sh*t, they're just not deep with really good players. Solution? RUN!

    Problem? Brand, and the aforementioned three-headed monster, whose individual parts run more like a three-legged race. Speights is good, really good, offensively, but his defense is RAAAATHA suspect. That's because of his conditioning. If he could run, up and down, all day, then he'd 1) play a LOT more (foul-trouble is also related to his conditioning...) and 2) be really freakin' good, even with his defensive issues. (A power-not-finesse version of Amare offensively...)

    Also, the pink elephant in the room is Turner's athleticism. He's decent, but not great, and may not be up for running the whole game.

    - Lou Williams
    - Holiday
    - Iguodala
    - Young
    - Brand

    They couldn't guard anybody down low, but maybe their coach gets creative, and they run a full-court trap/press the whole game. A REAL one, like college. Not a b.s. one like you typically see late in NBA games... token pressure from one person... A REAL press. Then, their depth matters, and as they foul more, their size starts coming in, slowing the game down more... and then they run some more.

    Brand, and his ridiculous contract, are an albatross around the neck of this organization until he either 1) becomes a 20/10/50% guy again, or 2) dies, quits, gets traded, etc...

    Good luck trading that bird, Mariner... ($15 million, this season alone...)

    Phoenix: I've already seen some people commenting about the Suns. That's good. I like banter. It's a shame you're all idiots. (Just kidding... kind of... )

    They lost Amare (NYK), and Barbosa (Toronto); but gained Hakim Warrick and Mongo. Wait, what? Oh, Josh Childress came back to the U.S. Well, f*ck it, let's sign him too. You can never have enough soft, undersized perimeter-based forwards who can't defend well.

    - Nash
    - Whatever
    - Whatever
    - Whatever
    - Whatever

    This is apparently what management sees their roster as. Guess what? It hasn't won yet, Sarver... and Nash is almost as old as Jason Kidd now. (I know he's older than Kidd. Shut up.)

    - Nash
    - Richardson (speaking of soft...)
    - Hill (speaking of old...)
    - Warrick
    - Frye

    Hmmm... Yeah, that doesn't look any better than last year. Where's the scoring coming from again? Channing Frye's freakin' jumpshot? Yeah, 'cause he's reliable. Sure, he's almost 44% from downtown, but more than half of his attempts are from there, too. He's only a 45% shooter OVERALL. And, I like my starting center to average more than 5.3 boards and .91 blocks per game. Call me crazy...

    - Nash
    - Richardson
    - Josh Childress
    - Earl Clark / Warrick
    - Lopez

    NOW we're talkin'. There's still the same problem putting the ball in the basket, but now, at least the players who aren't doing that can rebound and play defense for you too. If Earl Clark is going to become a player, now's the time; this is the year. Otherwise, we may see some Taylor Griffin locking down the 3 or 4.

    The first lineup, maybe with Childress bumping Hill to the bench, is more likely though. See also, NJN, Philly, et al...

    Portland: They drafted the bad kind of tweener. Can the kid play? Absolutely. So can Coby Karl. He's not on a roster. But, since Babbit (Nevada) was a first-rounder, we'll get three years to find out if he can develop into a player or not. And it's not his offense. It's his defense. He's too slow to guard 3's and too small to guard 4's. And, when you can't guard anybody, 1) your overall confidence begins to slip, and 2) you won't get much playing time.

    Also, don't underestimate the loss of Martell Webster (T-Wolves) 'cause he's been one of their glue-guys for these past few injury-riddled seasons. It amazes me, though, how well this team has been able to overcome injury after injury. Hopefully this will be "their healthy year," 'cause I'd like to see what they can get done then...

    - Miller
    - Roy
    - Batum
    - Aldridge
    - Camby/Oden

    ...and that's the big question. Who's going to be playing center for the Blazers? If Oden is, and stays, healthy, this is a very different team. Especially considering the quality depth they have if they are starting that lineup... Bayless, Fernandez, Babbitt, Camby, and Przybilla is a better starting five than some other teams start for real, and they're Portland's second unit, IF everybody's healthy... (Not a lot of scoring there, but the frontcourt's defense would help erase the mistakes of the backcourt's defense... and the backcourt could take more risks on offense. And, for purposes of those last couple of sentences, I'm including the 3 spot with the backcourt, 'cause I want to.

    Kings: Stop it. You ignorant b*tches, stop it. The Kings are not "a team to watch" and sh*t. They're the Kings. Sure, they drafted Cousins (Calipari NBA Prep Academy), but he's a freakin' head case on a team with no leaders. Who, Evans? He's a one-on-one player first-and-foremost, and it's pretty darn hard to develop (whiny) young posts when they're not seeing the basketball in the offense.

    - Evans
    - Garcia
    - Greene/Casspi
    - Cousins
    - Dalembert

    Thompson, Udrih, Landry, and the loser of the small forward battle as a bench.

    I'm seeing one major flaw that everybody else, like THIS freakin' guy...

    http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...mproved.teams/

    ...seems to be ignoring. They have a total of two (2) ball-handlers on this team, and one of them is Beno Udrih. If you're counting Francisco Garcia (of the 1.6 career assists per game) as a 3rd ball-handler, then you're even more screwed.

    This team has one player, Evans, who can handle the ball against elite competition, night-in, and night-out. If they trade someone out (maybe a package deal with Casspi and Udrih) to pick up another capable ball-handler, then we'll talk. Until then, enjoy the Tyreke Evans show.

    Spurs: F*ckers. So, they finally got Splitter to come to the U.S., eh? Well, let's see it. He's NBA-built, at 7'0", 245. But, unlike a lot of Euro players, he's a bit more physical. He'll even get his knees up, Shaq-style on some of his dunks. Also, he LOOKS to play defense... and, coming in and learning from a veteran like Duncan who is (quite literally) on his last legs...? Priceless.

    Also, James Anderson (Oklahoma A&M) is a good pickup for them if he can maintain his consistency from the corner, and continue to develop defensively.

    They even managed to let Richard Jefferson leave, which, while leaving a hole at the 3 spot (for now) also opens up a whole bag of not having sh*tty players on your team.

    I hate this freakin' team...

    - Parker
    - Ginobli
    -
    - Splitter
    - Duncan

    Wait, James Anderson is fairly athletic, and he's tall enough to cover most 3's... So, basically, they replaced 30 year-old Jefferson with a less-athletic 21 year-old version for about $12 million/year less?

    Crap.

    I hate the Spurs so much.

    Toronto: First, the big sh*t. They lost Bosh (Insider Trading) and Mongo (Common Sense) from last year's team. They also lost Calderon (Jarrett Jack makes $4m/year less...) to Charlotte.

    They added Barbosa, and I'll even include Dwayne Jones, who played for the Suns last year, and the Heat before that, before they cut him for spelling his first name correctly. They also drafted Ed Davis after Phoenix decided he was too skinny, even for them...

    - Jack
    - DeRozan
    - Ed Davis
    - A. Johnson (heh)
    - Bargnani

    This brings Barbosa off of the bench, where he can play his game. (Read: Be selfish with the ball...) Are they a better team without 3 of their starters from last season? Uh, no. Are they better in the long run? Well, if Davis can score in this league, and isn't afraid to put on some weight; if DeRozan can develop into something that isn't a piece-of-sh*t that punched Blake in the junk, and Bargnani can do his best impersonation of Bogut, then yeah... there's potential here.

    Edit: The Calderon trade to Charlotte didn't go through. Charlotte got cold feet.

    Utah, where they don't allow music:

    They lost Boozer, they lost Korver, they lost Wes Matthews (probably) and they gained Al Jefferson (T-Wolves) and Gordon Hayward (Butler).

    If Jefferson stays healthy, that's a net win.

    - D. Williams
    - C.J. Miles
    - AK-47

    and

    - Millsap
    - Jefferson

    until Okur gets healthy. Then it's

    - Jefferson
    - Okur, or vice versa.

    That's not a championship starting five, but it's a foundation. In Jefferson, they got younger and less-complainy. If Jefferson is your second-best player, you can sniff a championship. If Boozer is... Eh..

    If Hayward becomes the real deal (I think he's too weak and not a good-enough athlete to become the type of player you want a Top-10 player to become... but the NBA rules benefit offensive-minded players, so who knows? I mean, he's white, and in Utah. He's got a leg up from the word, "Go," right? Also, in Sloan's offense, he could eventually play the two, because of the way it gets players to spots on the floor quickly and efficiently - without a lot of unnecessary ball-handling.

    The biggest problem with this team will be depth. They have almost NOBODY beyond their starting five, and will be a one-deep bench when Okur returns. They'll need to stay healthy and Sloan will (once again) need to work his magic and get these no-name bench players in a race to become the next Wes Matthews.

    Washington: They added John Wall.

    They also added Kevin Seraphin, who, if he can get back in form after his recent knee injury, is an interesting lil' cuss. He's big-bodied (think a taller Dejuan Blair) and young (turns 21 this year) but he's also slow (footspeed and second-jumpability - trademarked by Chad Ford) and very, very raw.

    He's a project pick that may never even pan out... but since he was just a throw-in with the Heinrich deal, why not?

    - Wall
    - Agent Zero
    - Thornton
    - Blatche
    - McGee

    Wall and Gilbert will HAVE to get the frontcourt involved in the offense for this team to have any kind of chance to make some noise. Thornton, not as much, but Blatche and McGee need someone to get them the ball for them to score.

    They're bringing Heinrich, Trevor Booker (Clemson), The Chairman Yi, Nick Young, and Seraphin off of the bench. So, decent, not good depth. And, considering their starting frontcourt could just as easily include Yi, maybe they shouldn't expect too much this season.

    BUT, if they can get their bigs to rebound like mad, defend, and not turn the ball over or waste possessions with bad shots (ahem, you too, Gilbert) then this team could make a little noise, even in the scary (heh) East.

    -----

    Okay, NOW you guys can tell me I'm an idiot, 'cause I'm an idiot that's (finally) done. Enjoy!

    the_ouskull
    Last edited by the_ouskull; 7/16/2010 at 09:44 AM.
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  10. #10
    Sooner All-Big XII-2-1+1-1+1 yankee's Avatar
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    Re: NBA Free Agency: Rumors, Exposition, etc...

    you do know hedo turkoglu is on the suns now, right?




    and to your point about the jazz not having a whole lot of depth, they just signed SG raja bell.

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    Sooner Starter Serge Ibaka's Avatar
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    Re: NBA Free Agency: Rumors, Exposition, etc...

    I really expected the Jazz to suck next year.

    They've done a good job this off-season given the circumstances, I think. They can be competitive.
    I'm not really Serge Ibaka: I was born and raised in Green Country and not in the Congo. But I do like giraffes.

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    Re: NBA Free Agency: Rumors, Exposition, etc...

    Quote Originally Posted by yankee View Post
    you do know hedo turkoglu is on the suns now, right?
    He was mentioned.

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    Re: NBA Free Agency: Rumors, Exposition, etc...

    Quote Originally Posted by yankee View Post
    you do know hedo turkoglu is on the suns now, right?

    I talked about Mongo already. Are you the idiot that has a man-crush on him? He's perfect for Phoenix 'cause their trainers will keep him healthy. Suns fans have a whole year of turnstile defense and poor shot-selection to look forward to now. Yay!

    and to your point about the jazz not having a whole lot of depth, they just signed SG raja bell.

    Awesome. When? I started typing this early this morning. If I missed it, so be it. I guess that you can count Raja Bell as depth, considering their other options at the 2/3...
    the_ouskull
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    Re: NBA Free Agency: Rumors, Exposition, etc...

    Quote Originally Posted by the_ouskull View Post
    the_ouskull
    hmmm, i guess i missed the "mongo" affiliation. i think he'd do well in that system just because they rely so much on the 3 point shot and it's uptempo. we'll see...not sure if my post indicated i had a man-crush on him, but you can go back and look at it and lemme know if that constitutes as one.

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    Sooner All-Big XII-2-1+1-1+1
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    Re: NBA Free Agency: Rumors, Exposition, etc...

    If you think he's still worth a crap as a ball player to any team that's serious about competing, then you're either related to him, or you have a man-crush on him. This isn't rocket surgery.

    the_ouskull
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    Re: NBA Free Agency: Rumors, Exposition, etc...

    Quote Originally Posted by the_ouskull View Post
    If you think he's still worth a crap as a ball player to any team that's serious about competing, then you're either related to him, or you have a man-crush on him. This isn't rocket surgery.

    the_ouskull
    ancestry.com failed to reveal any relation to hedo, so i guess it's a man crush.



    if i can avoid getting talked down to like a little child, i'm going to go out on a limb and say hedo has a much better year than the one he had in toronto. JMO. i'm no rocket scientist, unlike yourself.

  17. #17
    Sooner All-Big XII-2-1+1-1+1
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    Re: NBA Free Agency: Rumors, Exposition, etc...

    It's rocket SURGEON, stupid. Geez.

    I prefer the discourse of aggressive conversation. But, if you'd prefer, I can ask questions of your opinions rather than ask and answer them simultaneously.

    Why do you think that Hedo Turkoglu is going to have a better season this year in Phoenix than he did last year in Canada?

    I'll start by telling you why I don't think he's going to have a good season, comparatively.

    - His WS/48 is in free-fall. According to it alone, he was half the player he was last season that he was in 07/08. In addition, his overall Win Shares are almost a third of what they were 2 years ago. What else has happened since then?
    - He turned 30 - to answer the previous question I asked. Players, especially players with deep playoff runs under their belt, tend to drop off significantly around 30... especially if they were only marginal athletes to begin with. (He has played 82 playoff games, or an entire regular season's worth...) He turns 32 in March.
    - Not just his scoring being down, but all of his shooting percentages are down as well... There is a 3-year trend of his percentages going down in EVERY category, even free-throw shooting, with the exception of his 3-pt percentage. It went up a bit last season, but it's 1) still below his career average, and 2) most likely a function of his not getting the ball as often as he is used to, and making the most of the shots he did get from out there. (Or better looks playing with an offensive-minded post in Bosh instead of a defensive-minded post like Howard...)
    - Watch him play. He quit on Toronto. Make no mistake. More so than that, his play was completely listless, even when he was playing well. His give-a-sh*tter was broken, and at his age, with his contract, those tend not to get fixed.

    The bonuses of signing him?

    - Phoenix's training staff can, once again, prove why they're the best in the business. (Good, since his games played and games started have all been going down in the last three years as well...)
    - He's 6'10" and can still get you 4 rebounds and half a block per game, despite his physical limitations.

    Yes, he had a good season in 07/08, and probably deserved the MIP award. But, the flip side of that is that you have to suck to earn that award. Maybe he's just regressing back to the mean again...? But, I don't know. I'm not a rocket surgeon, so let's hear your side, please.

    ---

    There? That better?

    the_ouskull
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  18. #18
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    Re: NBA Free Agency: Rumors, Exposition, etc...

    Turkoglu just had gall bladder surgery. It was a minor procedure, but still... he hasn't even passed his physical in Phoenix yet.

    the_ouskull
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  19. #19
    Sooner All-Big XII-2-1+1-1+1
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    Re: NBA Free Agency: Rumors, Exposition, etc...

    Brad Miller signs with Houston.

    Wait, what?

    We signed, as Yao Insurance, a 34 year-old man to a three-year contract?

    ARE YOU F*CKING KIDDING ME?!

    Really, Morey? Really?

    (Okay, even though it feels weird, I can play Kool-Aid Homer for a second...)

    I mean, if all involved parties are, and/or remain healthy, then it's a really nice move.

    - Brooks (but, God, we're always going to be sub-par defensively...)
    - Martin
    - Budinger
    - Patterson
    - Yao

    Yao's outlet pass on an amazing running team due to the ability, 2-4, to spot up or finish at the rim, and 5's ability to pull up on the break, freeing said rim for 2-4, and keeping your 7++ footer from running the full floor, every possession, and posting up. Ah... I mean, it won't happen, but I'd love to see it. Miller (more later) even makes sense for it.

    The thing is, depending on Jordan Hill's, Patterson's, and Budinger's development, we're going to be a well-coached, systemic team with between 7 and 10 guys capable of starting on a lot of teams in this league.

    Adding Miller to that mix gives us not only more depth (and size, and experience) but also more versatility. He's also a good spot-up shooter, so Yao can sit without it even effecting the offense much. Defensively, it's a wash anyway. Miller's the backup. Whatever.

    (Famous last words, by the way... but just for pain's sake, please don't come back and quote me on this in Feb. when Yao's leg's fallen off and Miller's laying on the court breathing like someone in one of those Life-Alert commercials...)

    I'd rather save Yao for the playoffs. The West is gonna suck, no matter where you're seeded as long as it's not 8. Then it's gonna suck, AND you won't have a chance. Without Yao, we're a scrappy band of hustlers and castoffs... loveable, but beatable. With Yao, we're "the team nobody wants to play." I like that team better...

    the_ouskull
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  20. #20
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    Re: NBA Free Agency: Rumors, Exposition, etc...

    No mention of Ariza?

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