2004-05 NBA thread

[Fulhamfc3]

Most players in the NBA are selfish. When Odom gets the ball he dosent shoot.Odom needs to shoot more. Kobe is selfish yes but, he isnt the biggest problem on the Lakers.The Lakes should make the playoffs and get 6th.Right now they are 16-12 which is good enough for the playoffs.

[skipshady]

Most players in the NBA are selfish.Ah, but there's smart selfish and stupid selfish. Smart selfish is using what the team wants to do to your own benefit. Stupid selfish is going outside of what the team concept.

Jordan was smart selfish. He knew that if he got his teammates involved, they would play harder and it would be easier for him when the game really mattered. Rodman was also smart selfish, albeit borderline nuts. He was an attention seeker and badly wanted to be respected as the master of the dirty work - he knew that if he just busted his ass off, he could get what he wanted and look like a team player.

Kobe? He wants every posession to be on ESPN Classic, and he wants to put the whole team on his shoulder, whether they need him to or not.

[therealronaldo7]

Most players in the NBA are selfish. When Odom gets the ball he dosent shoot.Odom needs to shoot more. Kobe is selfish yes but, he isnt the biggest problem on the Lakers.The Lakes should make the playoffs and get 6th.Right now they are 16-12 which is good enough for the playoffs.
I can't wait for this answer, but what is the biggest problem with the Lakers?

[skipshady]

I can't wait for this answer, but what is the biggest problem with the Lakers?
I would say they need a coach who preaches moving the ball around and getting every player involved instead of kowtowing to the star, and a dominant low post presence.

If they can fill those needs, I'd say they are good enough to make the Finals.

Say, remember that guy who coached all the Chicago championship teams? I heard he's not coaching right now...

[TheSlipperyOne]

I would say they need a coach who preaches moving the ball around and getting every player involved instead of kowtowing to the star, and a dominant low post presence.


And who gets one of the final says in the coach?

And what dominant low post player would want to be second fiddle to a ball hog SG?

[Ian McCracken]

Pistons starting to get on a roll, knocking off the pesky Bulls tonight. They've won 5 of 6, and they had Miami beat until a late drought cost them the game. Keep an eye on the surging Pistons, the cream is coming back to the top.

[Microwave]

I would say they need a coach who preaches moving the ball around and getting every player involved instead of kowtowing to the star, and a dominant low post presence.

If they can fill those needs, I'd say they are good enough to make the Finals.

Say, remember that guy who coached all the Chicago championship teams? I heard he's not coaching right now...

You mean that coach that needs to have 2 of the ten best players to succeed?

The one that when he didn't have 2 of the ten best players he failed to make it past the second round of the playoffs?

The same guy who last year had everyone in SoCal calling into radio stations saying that he was badly outcoached by Popovich and Larry Brown?

The same guy who had Red Aurbach come out and say that Phil wasn't a great coach and needed great players to win?

The same guy who Bill Cartwright said never actually did much coaching but just let Jordan do what he want?

The same guy who didn't shake Larry Brown's hand after the NBA finals last year, but merely stuck his hand out, looked the other way and then walked away disinterested?


The same guy who badmouths his players to the media and even had Magic Johnson saying he was disappointed in how Phil talked about Kobe?


Let's face it, most NBA coaches could have replicated what Phil Jackson did given the same situation. Could Phil Jackson work with lesser talent and still find ways to win like Hubie Brown, Larry Brown, Doc Rivers or Pat Riley? Highly questionable.

[skipshady]

You mean that coach that needs to have 2 of the ten best players to succeed?
<snip>Let me preface my response with a concession that yes, I do believe Phil lost the team last year, and should have realized sooner that Payton and the triangle offense were incompatible.

But he is one of the better coaches at understanding personalities and figuring out what works for them. An underrated quality when you consider Doug Collins and Del Harris didn't do jack crap with 2 of the ten best players ever. I mean, he managed to get Shaq and Kobe to play nice enough with each other for 3 years.

Radio call-in shows? Seriously?

Red Auerbach talking about Jackson needing stars to win? Seriously?
I can only imagine the damage Red could have done if he had quality players like Bob Cousy and Bill Russell. Did anyone tell Red how the Celtics did the season after Russell retired? And they didn't win another title until who came along? Auerbach might have a point, but he is the last person who should be talking about riding the coattail of stars.

And all the coaches you mentioned, they have all gotten teams to overachieve, but have they really won? I love Larry Brown, but he outlasts his welcome wherever he goes, and let's face it, he was handed a contending team that needed a Rasheed Wallace.

Sure, Jackson benefitted from having four of the most talented players of the generation, but he won more often than not. He and many other coaches could have done worse.

[hangthadj]

Pistons starting to get on a roll, knocking off the pesky Bulls tonight. They've won 5 of 6, and they had Miami beat until a late drought cost them the game. Keep an eye on the surging Pistons, the cream is coming back to the top.


Cream rising to the top...sorta like the Pacers winning 4 in a row now that JO is getting comfortable being back in the team. The Cavs have done well so far, but I can't imagine that at the end that division, and likely the Eastern Conference won't come down to the Pacers and the Pistons battling it out again. Who knows, perhaps tehy'll even be better without the constant Artest distractions, despite missing his shutdown defense.

[ibreak4coffee]

I thought this was hilarious when I read it this morning. Doug Christie a reality show? Please...

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1104966611145&call_pageid=968867503640&col=970081593064

[TheSlipperyOne]

Speaking of Doug Christie the Kings just traded him to the Magic for Cutino Mobley and Michael Bradley.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/basketball/nba/01/10/magic.trade.ap/index.html

I think that's a great trade for Orlando. Not so sure about it being a great trade for the Kings.

[ibreak4coffee]

Speaking of Doug Christie the Kings just traded him to the Magic for Cutino Mobley and Michael Bradley.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/basketball/nba/01/10/magic.trade.ap/index.html

I think that's a great trade for Orlando. Not so sure about it being a great trade for the Kings.

Agreed... the last thing the Kings need is another scorer. Christie was their linchpin on defense... lets see what happens.

[nicodemus]

Christie was their linchpin on defense... lets see what happens.Good grief do the Magic need some defense. I saw the Knicks just pick them to pieces the other night.

[skipshady]

Agreed... the last thing the Kings need is another scorer. Christie was their linchpin on defense... lets see what happens.
I think that was exactly the Kings' thinking after Bobby Jackson went out for the year. I also wouldn't be surprised to see Peja involved in a blockbuster trade.

[ibreak4coffee]

Good grief do the Magic need some defense. I saw the Knicks just pick them to pieces the other night.

And they made the celtics look respectable tonight :)

[DevilDave]

Speaking of Doug Christie the Kings just traded him to the Magic for Cutino Mobley and Michael Bradley.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/basketball/nba/01/10/magic.trade.ap/index.html

I think that's a great trade for Orlando. Not so sure about it being a great trade for the Kings.

Fans here in Sactown are split down the middle tonight regarding this trade. Do we need someone to step up offensively when Webber and Peja go cold? Then getting Mobley was a good thing.

But our defense has never been the best, and we've dealt away our best defender. And Kings fans will definitely miss him.

Our GM normally knows what he's doing, but I want to see exactly what this does to our chemistry with Mobley joining the starting 5. Maybe Webber will loosen up his ball-hawking ways that have been roundly criticized here in Sacramento.

BTW, to the Raps fan I neg repped as a complete knee-jerk reaction to a Doug Christie post... sorry. :( :o Anyway, he's no longer a King so I don't care anymore.

[TheSlipperyOne]

Since it's the 33-game point of the season Sports Guy has his 33 favorite things about the season so far:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/050111

[skipshady]

22. Karl Malone
How long before somebody launches the "Little Mexican Girl Hunt" amateur porn series? Just send someone to Mexico who looks like the Mailman, then have him talk in the Karl Malone voice as he tries to lure girls in Acapulco back to his hotel room. This can't miss.There was another laugh out loud moment a few items down, about Ron Artest.

[Val1]

I love Bill Simmons. He's the reason I got addicted to the internet. But, you have to wonder about Phoenix being a West Coast team. That's like saying Atlanta is on the Atlantic...

[TheSlipperyOne]

And the NJ Nets season is over:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1964617