I don't see it anywhere, so I'll start it. The Kobe-Shaq feud hasn't affected the team, then again, Kobe Bryant sat out the first game. I'll wait until I watch a few more games to prognosticate.
I think Chelsea....errr... the Lakers are the team to beat. Karl Malone and Gary Payton looked settled in already. I think they are a Western Conference Finalist (at least) without Kobe right now. The jury (pardon the pun) may be out a little to see how the team meshes, but they have too much experience and quality to not make a serious run for the title this year.
Do you guys think Dallas can make a title run this year? Getting Fatoine in the offseason is a big offensive boost, but do they really need more offense?
Alan Houston sure threw up some ugly shots at the end of the Knicks game. They were idiots for giving him a big contract, idiots for not trading him for a player to complement Sprewell and idiots for thinking he can star for them this year.
Houston's contract was too big; no team was willing to eat his contract. Bad news for the Nets: Lucious Harris out with herniated disc. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2003/basketball/nba/10/29/bc.bkn.nets.harris.ap/index.html Lebron watch: I won't watch the rest of the game 'cause it's late, but he's athletic, a good passer, runs the break well and can finish. Paul Silas is a good coach.
One of the worst contracts ever. Further proof that Scott Layden needs to be fired and fired soon. Van Horn on the other hand impressed in his Knicks debut. Still, I find it weird watching him in a Knicks uniform since I hated him with a passion as a Net.
LeBron definitely has game, vision, buckets of talent and most importantly leadership. If you were not a believer before, you were if you saw most of the game tonight. As someone who closely follows the Kings, I will say that LeBron exposed a lot of weaknesses in Sactown's defense. But if I can make an excuse for the Kings, defense has not been their strongest asset. If Cleveland can build a better "supporting cast" around LeBron they will be a force in the Eastern Conference for years to come.
Stuff I found interesting: Indiana/Detriot: Darko Milicic doesn't play, Ben Wallace scores 16 New Jersey/Toronto: even with Lucious Harris out, Zoran Planinic doesn't play, no bench production and Kidd goes 40 minutes Utah/Portland: Utah wins and scores 99, Carlos Arroyo has 18 points and 13 assists, Utah isn't going to suck that bad
I think I'll wait a few more games because I rescucitate the "LeBron is overrated and shouldn't be the #1 pick" posts from the spring & summer, but the boy was on the front sports page of every newspaper in the country this morning while the Cavs were back on national TV and have tripled their season-ticket base. And Carmelo Anthony went 4-for-15 and played in front of 1600 empty seats despite facing the defending champs at home. Maybe it wasn't such a dumb move by the Gunds after all.
Let's talk bout dem Bulls! What the F Uc k happened ?? I should have known better. Oh well it's just one game. I still think the Bulls are good team, but the dynasty maybe on the backburner if the Bulls can't get it together this year.
And he was defended by two of the best defenders in the NBA the whole game. How many seats weren't empty? Oh, and the Nuggets actually won their game.
If you consider the fact that he just came back from surgery and he is not 100%, you'll understand his subpar night. I thought the Knicks played great, except for the turnovers of course. It seems that the zone defense is working fine. Any one else notice that the Knicks had a 6'11" and a 6'9" player along side a 7'2" guy? Deke played great in his limited minutes. Should have played more. Thomas looked comfortable playing in his old role, which is where he plays best. KVH...nuff said... 29 points....soft?? He drove past everyone for a lay-up THREE times. I don't think Sprewell did that at all last year. KVH even had a dunk. Eisley and Anderson were horrible. Williams and Ward should be the PGs. Caroll should get called up and replace Anderson. Doleac played well. In other words, the Knicks played how I expected them to play and the opposite of how the media thought they'd play. I know there will be a reply saying "yea...they are still horrible and lost with three minutes remaining." Yeah, big deal. The Nets and the Pistons lost as well.
Speaking of Spree... He and KG worked fairly well together last night...when this bunch of guys (KG, Spree, Cassell, Kandi, etc...) figures out how to compliment each other, the T-Wolves are going to be very, very, very good...
I'll grant you that Bowen is a very good defender. But the knock on LeBron vs. Carmelo has been that LeBron can't shoot, and he was over 50% from the field yesterday (and still showed the great court vision that has had scouts salivating since he was 14). 17,429, which was 600 less than last year. Do you doubt that if the Nuggets had signed LeBron that the Pepsi Center would not have been sold out? Not too surprising since they're a better team than the Cavs and the Spurs were playing back to back nights without Tony Parker. LeBron's success this season is going to be measured only marginally by wins because the Cavs remain a terrible team from top to bottom other than LeBron. (Other Cleveland starters last night: Ricky Davis, Carlos Boozer, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and Darius Miles. You can make an argument that the Cavs don't even want to win big this year, and would prefer another lottery pick to tandem with LeBron.) The biggest measures should be how he plays up to the expectations, and how much money the Gunds make on him. Denver, with Miller, Camby, and Lenard, was going to be much improved regardless of Carmelo's arrival. As a Big East fan I wish that Carmelo turns out to be a wonderful pro player, but people who are still saying that LeBron should not have been #1 are the people who don't realize the business side of the NBA. That he came out last night and smoked his critics is only going to help sell a lot more tickets and jerseys, which is what this is all about, anyway.
Obie brought up Ricky Davis. Does anyone remember what he did last year to try and get a triple-double?
As a Pistons fan it's hard not to like Rick Carlise and respect every thing he did for us, but now that he coaches the enemy I have to hate him, right?
I don't know, but I would ask your current coach to focus on his team and leave AI and the Sixers alone. I mean, he is even the Olympic coach and he still tries to fued with Iverson.
You must know that there is a Rookie of the Year thread already, right? Besides, all this evens out. Tonight, the Nuggets play in Houston after playing last night and getting into the hotel in Houston at 3am this morn!
I think his vision is amazing and he shot well last night. I'm not a LeBron detractor, but last night was just one game. I'm looking forward to watching him this year, but it's his stats at the end of the year that I'm going to be interested in seeing. I wouldn't doubt LeBron would sell-out the home opener if he was with the Nuggets, but Anthony hasn't been billed as the second coming. And yet the Spurs beat the Suns without Tony Parker while the Sun had their whole line-up including Marbury, Marion and Stoudamire. You're really doing a great disservice to other Cavs players saying they are all terrible except LeBron. Ilgauskas was finally healthy all of last season and was one of the best centers in the East. When he's healthy he is a great player. Boozer is highly underrated and will average a double/double in points and rebounds this season. He almost did last year when only Duncan, Garnett, Jermaine O'Neal and Troy Murphy did it.
I'm not going to disagree with what else you said, but isn't "best center in the East" kinda like being "best dyslexic Scrabble player"?
If, over the course of the season, one of the Phoenix Suns players shatters his leg in six places or gets cancer or something terrible like that, it's because god is punishing them for those assinine jerseys that simply say PHX across the chest. Good god is that ever awful.