The NBA Thread

I think the champions of the last 5 years or so have proven if anything, it is better to have an older team. The '11 Mavs, ''10, '09 Lakers, '08 Celtics, and '07 Spurs were all considered old. Heck even the '06 Heat were an old team with the exception of Dwyane Wade.

[QUOTE=MF41590;252116]I think the champions of the last 5 years or so have proven if anything, it is better to have an older team. The '11 Mavs, ''10, '09 Lakers, '08 Celtics, and '07 Spurs were all considered old. Heck even the '06 Heat were an old team with the exception of Dwyane Wade.[/QUOTE] Totally agree. Another perfect example was the Dallas Mavericks vs. Oklahoma City Thunder in WCF this year.

LeBron James is a 26 year old, two time MVP, 7 time All-Star, and 7 time All-NBA team player. At 26 years old. 26. [QUOTE=Adrian!!!!!!;252105]Michael Jordan, probably the best basketball player of all time was in his late 20s when he won his first Championship and he was 35 when he won his last Championship[/QUOTE] You said it best. I don't know how to respond to someone who thinks he is old. As much as people don't want to admit it, the best is yet to come with LeBron.

[QUOTE=usanike;252133]LeBron James is a 26 year old, two time MVP, 7 time All-Star, and 7 time All-NBA team player. At 26 years old. 26. You said it best. I don't know how to respond to someone who thinks he is old. As much as people don't want to admit it, the best is yet to come with LeBron.[/QUOTE] This is absolutely correct. That said it is easier to attack Lebron because the guy is so wrapped up in himself. Global Icon. The Decision. This: "All the people that was rooting on me to fail, at the end of the day they have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life that they had before they woke up today," James said. "They have the same personal problems they had today." Yes, Lebron. You are wealthy and gifted an you are surrounded by enough sycophants and yes-men that you can be completely oblivious of being on our level. That level of arrogance is not a positive. It separates you from the real world. This is a guy who refers to himself in texts as King James. Although I guess the last bit isn't so bad. After all, when I text I refer to myself as Super Winning Grand Admiral Epic McAwesomeville.

I agree with you that he's self-absorbed, but it's kind of funny how much people want to find reasons to hate the guy. You can understand where LeBron is coming from in that quote just by reading through some of the comments in this thread that say "It was so good to see LeBron lose." and "That was pretty satisfying." Of course, he could have worded it better but you only get one shot at answering someone's question in a press conference. He basically meant that those people who despise him can enjoy this all they want, but it's not going to affect him and his happiness. At the end of the day everybody enjoys watching him, win or lose.

[QUOTE=usanike;252174]I agree with you that he's self-absorbed, but it's kind of funny how much people want to find reasons to hate the guy. You can understand where LeBron is coming from in that quote just by reading through some of the comments in this thread that say "It was so good to see LeBron lose." and "[B]That was pretty satisfying.[/B]" Of course, he could have worded it better but you only get one shot at answering someone's question in a press conference. He basically meant that those people who despise him can enjoy this all they want, but it's not going to affect him and his happiness. At the end of the day everybody enjoys watching him, win or lose.[/QUOTE] My response was not only put toward LeBron, but the huge pre-season hoopla the Miami Heat put on, as though "The 3 Chosen Ones" would bring them a title immediately. It's laughable how everyone thought that just because LeBron and D Wade and [strike]Littlefoot from Land Before Time[/strike] Chris Bosh would produce the minute they stepped foot in Miami. That didn't happen. Not to mention, Jason Kidd wins his first title in 17 years, Dirk has a monstrous postseason, and Mark Cuban (who I actually like quite a bit despite his ********* tendencies) finally gets a title as well. It was nice to see that happen. The Heat had their chances. They blew it. I didn't watch much of the game, but LeBron looked like he had given up, just like he did during elimination games when he played for the Cavs when the score got a little out of hand. Assuming that my post only referenced LeBron is something he would think...it's not always about him.

[QUOTE=molds13;252184]My response was not only put toward LeBron[/QUOTE] It was the following three posts from you that led me to believe that. But, yeah, I understand that it wasn't [I]only[/I] about LeBron.

[QUOTE=usanike;252332]It was the following three posts from you that led me to believe that. But, yeah, I understand that it wasn't [I]only[/I] about LeBron.[/QUOTE] If I don't post a certain amount of funny things a day, Bacchus gets angry. I don't want Bacchus getting angry...do you? :)

I saw today that Dwight Howard rejected a 2 year contract extension from Orlando. I guess my question is, why is he only being offered a 2 year extension?

[QUOTE=MF41590;252429]I saw today that Dwight Howard rejected a 2 year contract extension from Orlando. I guess my question is, why is he only being offered a 2 year extension?[/QUOTE] I have heard that something might be going down with him and the Lakers. Does anyone know/think this is true ? If it does happen , then you can pencil in the Lakers in the Finals next year or the year after (Lockout).

[QUOTE=Adrian!!!!!!;252447]I have heard that something might be going down with him and the Lakers. Does anyone know/think this is true ? If it does happen , then you can pencil in the Lakers in the Finals next year or the year after (Lockout).[/QUOTE] I would be very, very surprised if he went to the Lakers. Trading D12 doesn't sound terrible for the Magic because it seems Howard is not going to resign before next summer, if at all, and Orlando certainly doesn't want to be "decisioned" like the Cavs were and end up with nothing while their franchise player walks out the door. And obviously the Lakers would love to get Howard, but there are a couple problems that will probably prevent the deal from happening. First of all, and probably most importantly, Jim Buss is very high on Bynum. He made the call to draft him a couple years ago, and he sees him as the future superstar of the Lakers when Kobe has called it quits. Another problem is the Magic would require other pieces with Bynum to complete the trade for Howard. The issue here is that the lakers don't really have a lot to offer. The Lakers would not include Lamar Odom or Pau Gasol, and the Magic certainly would not want Artest's monster contract or his lack of basketball skill. Really the only other thing the Lakers can offer is Shannon Brown, who would draw minimal interest from Orlando considering they have plenty of depth at the 2 and 3, or draft picks, which considering the Lakers draft at the end of the 1st round every year, would not exactly be the most appealing trade piece. Orlando holding out hope that Howard will resign also makes this trade even more difficult to complete. The only way I see this happening is if a 3rd team is involved. So to answer your question, yes this is a hot rumor that will probably be going until the trade deadline in 2012, but it is unlikely this deal will actually happen.

[QUOTE=MF41590;252458]I would be very, very surprised if he went to the Lakers. Trading D12 doesn't sound terrible for the Magic because it seems Howard is not going to resign before next summer, if at all, and Orlando certainly doesn't want to be "decisioned" like the Cavs were and end up with nothing while their franchise player walks out the door. And obviously the Lakers would love to get Howard, but there are a couple problems that will probably prevent the deal from happening. First of all, and probably most importantly, Jim Buss is very high on Bynum. He made the call to draft him a couple years ago, and he sees him as the future superstar of the Lakers when Kobe has called it quits. Another problem is the Magic would require other pieces with Bynum to complete the trade for Howard. The issue here is that the lakers don't really have a lot to offer. The Lakers would not include Lamar Odom or Pau Gasol, and the Magic certainly would not want Artest's monster contract or his lack of basketball skill. Really the only other thing the Lakers can offer is Shannon Brown, who would draw minimal interest from Orlando considering they have plenty of depth at the 2 and 3, or draft picks, which considering the Lakers draft at the end of the 1st round every year, would not exactly be the most appealing trade piece. Orlando holding out hope that Howard will resign also makes this trade even more difficult to complete. The only way I see this happening is if a 3rd team is involved. So to answer your question, yes this is a hot rumor that will probably be going until the trade deadline in 2012, but it is unlikely this deal will actually happen.[/QUOTE] That's sounds good to me, I hope you're right. I really really do not like the Lakers and I hope they stay right where they're at. A Heat/Lakers Final would be a nightmare for me.

Well, Dwight gave the Orlando Magic an ultimatum. Championship next year or he walks. As we saw this year, Otis Smith isn't afraid to ship players out of Orlando (Rashard Lewis, Vince Carter). My guess is that they'd rather trade anyone BUT Dwight Howard to see if they can compete for a championship to get him to stay. Not to mention, if Dwight did leave for Los Angeles it would be the biggest slap in the face to Orlando fans. Shaq.

It would be very awesome to see Dwight in a Bulls uniform, but thats very unlikely to happen considering how much money they spent "Wasted" on Carlos Boozer. But a boy can dream, seeing him and D-Rose killing the Heat, winning multiple Championships, and becoming the next generation version of Kobe and Shaq

I think the only three teams that have a chance at Dwight are the Lakers, Nets, and MAYBE the Knicks. I think him on the Bulls would be sick, but that's a team that is built around their locker room chemistry and I think taking Noah out of it (which they would have to do for Dwight) would be a mistake.

[QUOTE=JL81790;252518]I think the only three teams that have a chance at Dwight are the Lakers, Nets, and MAYBE the Knicks. I think him on the Bulls would be sick, but that's a team that is built around their locker room chemistry and I think taking Noah out of it (which they would have to do for Dwight) would be a mistake.[/QUOTE] Just imagining him and Derrick on the same team gives me goosebumps. But to get him means Noah is out which isn't really a bad thing at all, because he's a much better all around player and is a proven leader and the fact that he and Derrick are buddies outside the game is great and he would be a much better teammate then Lebron would of if he'd come to Chicago.

This actually made me laugh. [URL="http://lakersblog.latimes.com/lakersblog/2011/06/lakers-artest-looking-to-change-name-to-metta-world-peace.html"]Lakers' Ron Artest looking to change name to "Metta World Peace" - latimes.com[/URL] favorite comment - "Metta betta shoot better or there will be no PEACE in the locker room next season!LOL"

[QUOTE=Bacchus;281998][url=http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/7085089/nba-labor-david-stern-cancels-first-two-weeks-nba-season]David Stern cancels first two weeks of NBA season [/url] As a Celtics fan, I applaud this move. Hopefully they cancel 25-35 games (but still have a season.) I think the only chance the Celtics have to win a title with their aging core is to have a < 50 game season. Every year since the nucleus was pieced together, they have gone off on a tear for the first 40 or 50 games, only to struggle with injuries later on. [url=http://vevmo.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=11867][img]http://vevmo.com/imagehosting/14e94579f09488.jpg[/img][/url] A short season would be a gift![/QUOTE] A 40-50 game season would be about the only chance we see a Lakers-Celtics championship in the next decade or so.

The chances of there actually being an NBA season doesn't look good. David Stern and the owners are being too ridiculous with their demands and Stern said negotiations were only going to get worse. I hope we see some basketball at some point this year because I would hate to see my favorite player, Tim Duncan, have what could possibly be his final season wasted on a stupid lockout.

[QUOTE=rwrrinferno;282004]The chances of there actually being an NBA season doesn't look good. David Stern and the owners are being too ridiculous with their demands and Stern said negotiations were only going to get worse. I hope we see some basketball at some point this year because I would hate to see my favorite player, Tim Duncan, have what could possibly be his final season wasted on a stupid lockout.[/QUOTE] A short season would be good for your Spurs. As a Lakers fan, I would actually like to see Timmy get one more.

[QUOTE=r3iKo;282005]A short season would be good for your Spurs. As a Lakers fan, I would actually like to see Timmy get one more.[/QUOTE] Yeah it would but I'm expecting there to be no 2011-2012 season at all. Stern and the owners don't seem to care at all. I hope the players never eventually cave. I think Derek Fisher has done a good job so far.

[QUOTE=Bacchus;282011]Depressing, but true. The rebirth of the Celtics/Lakers was fun, but I have a feeling in 3 or 4 years the Celtics will back to playing for the lottery...[/QUOTE] :D Apple, Android, Lakers, Celtics, anything else we should add?