The NBA Thread

[Cotton]

As much as I love onscreen Shaq, that article that came out a little while back about him being a creepy internet stalker really soured me on him. Mostly because I can see a lot of it being true.

I have a friend who used to work for NBAtv and she was filming Kobe in Philly complain about Iverson (she told me he called him a "little shit"). When he saw this, he threw chalk at her and her camera, which almost got her fired.

Oh yeah, and when the All-Star game was in Philly, Iverson threw a big party at the Academy of Natural Sciences (Philly's natural history museum). My wife used to work there and was told that A) at one point he dislocated the jaw of a T. Rex "dunking" on it and B) that the "Kids Dig" exhibit had been turned into a giant weed ashtray.

[Mr. Spacely]

As much as I love onscreen Shaq, that article that came out a little while back about him being a creepy internet stalker really soured me on him. Mostly because I can see a lot of it being true.

Link? You've piqued my interest, sir!

[Cotton]

http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2011-09-22/news/shaquille-o-neal-wages-war-against-shawn-darling-an-ex-con-computer-geek/

It's a long read, and I'm not even sure it's the same article I saw in September, but it was a-creepy.

[Mr. Spacely]

Oh, wow, thanks. I had no idea. It's funny, too, because I was just re-reading for the umpteenth time the Free Darko book essay on Shaq, and how he's actually a really conniving guy with a mean streak.

Still, it's hard to argue with his 2000-2001 season. But then, I'm a Laker fan. I look past A LOT of stuff.

[Greggulator]

That Shaq article is insane! I had no idea!

I'm so glad OKC locked up Russ. Hopefully, now, everyone will put the divide between him and KD meme to bed. And, hopefully, everyone will remember Russ is 23 and has been playing PG for only a few years. He's already an All-NBA player AND also has the league's best scorer on his team. That doesn't happen without a good PG. I love OKC, even though I think I could contract the hantavirus from their mascot.

[Andy]

Westbrook is a pretty divisive figure in Okc, especially given Harden's popularity. I like that they signed him up. I don't know a ton about basketball, but I like his ability to create opportunities off penetration and I think when he figures out that he can be a superstar without being a scoring machine, his shot selection will improve (which is the main complain people have.)

I hate to lose Harden in a couple yeats though, which seems inevitable now.

[Gilly]

OKC was lucky that they didn't have to sign both of them under the new labor agreement. The Timberwolves are in a situation where they are going to have to designate Love as their max player and not be able to give Rubio the max 5 when his contract comes.

[JON IN PHL]

Hey Greggulator, I'm really digging your contributions to this thread. I'm a big Sixers fan with no cable television so my enjoyment of their season thus far has been limited to reading recaps and gazing longingly at the box score. In your opinion, is the team as strong as their 10-4 record appears? Or will they revert back to the mean - an 8-seed / one-and-done in the playoffs? I really hope they're the real deal because I love watching Collins work with these guys. They have alot of youth, but no real knuckleheads, and there is tons to be excited about.

[Greggulator]

Hey Greggulator, I'm really digging your contributions to this thread. I'm a big Sixers fan with no cable television so my enjoyment of their season thus far has been limited to reading recaps and gazing longingly at the box score. In your opinion, is the team as strong as their 10-4 record appears? Or will they revert back to the mean - an 8-seed / one-and-done in the playoffs? I really hope they're the real deal because I love watching Collins work with these guys. They have alot of youth, but no real knuckleheads, and there is tons to be excited about.

I haven't seen them a ton because we have Direct TV and I refuse to give my money to Comcast, aside from the tax breaks our beloved city has already given them.

I think they're a really good team. Their record has been built off of playing the dregs of the NBA but they're blowing everyone out. That's a strong indicator that they're for real.

Every player has been put in the right spot. No one's being asked to do more than they're capable of. J'Rue Holiday's already emerging as a really terrific player.

I also love the new owners. They're really trying to make the team part of the city again.

[Mr. Spacely]

I'm sort of curious about the Sixers, too. I think it's important that the NBA have a good-to-great team in Philly, seeing as how it's such a great sports town.

I suppose we'll know if they're for real once they play the West. LAL, LAC, Utah, Denver, Portland, OKC will make or break them.

In other news... is anyone willing to take a 7-foot tall Spanish F/C off my hands? I'm willing to throw in a 24-year-old legit 7'1" center with great defensive skills and a growing offense. All I want back is an elite PG, a bench, and a SF... *sigh*

[Mr. Spacely]

Forget what I said about Sixers needing to come West and prove themselves against the Lakers. Lakers are done. "It's over, Johnny."

[dave from knoxville]

Another week's gone by: (Assuming the Lakers beat the Pacers tonight) 1) Dallas 2) Chicago 3) Orlando 4) Lakers 5) Clippers 6) Indiana 7) Boston Oklahoma City 9) Houston 10) Miami 11) San Antonio 12) Utah 13) Denver 14) Philadelphia 15) Atlanta 16) Memphis 17) Sacramento 18) New York 19) Golden State 20) Toronto 21) Minnesota 22) Portland 23) Phoenix 24) Milwaukee 25) Detroit 26) Cleveland 27) New Jersey 28) Charlotte 29) Washington 30) New Orleans

[Greggulator]

I watched Indy/Lakers last night.

This was the most I've watched Indy this season. That's a pretty good team. I absolutely LOVE Roy Hibbert.

I love the trend of solid, starless (I'm not counting Granger as a star) teams who are very enjoyable to watch.

[Cotton]

Yeah, Hibbert's just one of those guys you root for, sometimes without even knowing why.

re: Sixers, I'd love if Hawes and the rookie can stay in the lineup, I've been really impressed with them so far. Jrue Holiday (who is one of my favorite players in the league) has been frustrating to watch just because of his shot attempts and whole games where he doesn't distribute. That second part is a minor thing on a team where you have 5 guys that can run the point, but it bothers me that Turner and Williams are both making much better shot-making decisions, where Jrue has some nights where I can't figure out what he's thinking.

Ryen Russillo (who is probably my favorite basketball podcast guy with apologies to the Greggulator) spent a bit talking about them on the NBA Today podcast and summed up my feelings about them pretty well: Their D is absolutely amazing, but their offense just won't be able to stay at the level they opened the season on. They've already slipped a bit, but hopefully once Hawes comes back they'll at least have a bit more consistency.

[gravy boat]

Took my kids to the Nets-Bobcats game last night.  It was the same time as the Giants NFL game so the crowd, always lean to begin with, was mighty thin.  (Of course, this also let me get tickets for about the price of a box of ramen noodles on StubHub.)

 I don't know if it was the lack of bodies to absorb the sound waves, but the PA system was booming. I have been to concerts that wish they were as loud. And there was no one in the place. Unsettling.  Anyway, after a few minutes, one of my 4 year-old's starts crying about the noise.  He would not stop crying and I realized the PA system was not stopping either, so we left before the first quarter even ended.  On the way out, we passed the fuzzy mascot (some type of animal) in the hall who ran up to my sons for a "low-five" -- my son who had been crying earlier was so shaken at that point that he just turned and jumped at me, screaming in terror.  In the end, we got what we paid for.  This will all play better in Brooklyn, where I do hope they become a force.