The NBA Thread

[Gilly]

I knew Howard would eventually end up a Laker but I didn't think they'd have Gasol coming back as well. I can't see how the Lakers don't win the West this year unless Kobe and Nash's careers fall off a cliff. I don't see that happening. Denver came out well too.

I think Minnesota's Euro league team is going to make one more move. I'm pretty sure Derrick Williams is going to be a star but not in Minnesota where he gets 20 minutes a game out of position. If they hold on to him another year he's going to be labeled a bust so they need to trade him while his value is still high. I just don't know who they should bring in. This is why drafting best player available is not always the right move. It's one thing if you have players who aren't in your long term plans while the drafted player develops, but it doesn't make sense if you draft a player who plays the same position as your franchise player.

Anybody who doubted Kahn before has to be rethinking that. His drafting has been suspect and he'll always be judged on that of course. We'll see at the end of the season, but his Euro approach reminds me of what Billy Beane did in Oakland.

[Mr. Spacely]

Just came down from post-Howard high.

I'm still not 100% sold this Lakers team can beat OKC (*cough* bad backs *cough* Mike Brown), but it's sure fun to be a fan of the most hated franchise again. I'm even thinking of dye-ing my five o'clock shadow jet black, Hollywood Hulk Hogan-style, to mark the occasion!

[Greggulator]

I initially hated the Bynum trade for the Sixers but I see its merits.

I love Andre Iguodala. He's a terrific player, as made clear by the great amount of positive minutes he gave Team USA during the Olympics. But the Sixers are what they are with him. He's a much better fit for a very good Denver team.

This is Bynum's last year on the contract. It's a flyer on a guy -- if they like him, they have the advantage in locking him up. If he's a headcase (most likely scenario), then you don't have to resign him and have the cap space to rebuild.

Option #2 is the most likely. A dude as volatile as that clown, with his injury history, playing in Philly? Fun times await this Philly-based NBA comedy podcast co-host!

[JON IN PHL]

How long before Doug Collins' body is found in Bynum's car trunk?

[mark b]

http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/fandom/post/_/id/8580/when-kevin-love-met-tyson-chandler

This is a cool article on espn about kevin love meeting tyson chandler when they we're teenagers.


“I’m gonna be in the NBA one day,” Love told the senior. “You’ll want my autograph someday. You’ll see.”

Chandler was amused. “He was just this little fat kid,” he recalls, “but he was funny.”

haha

[Drew D]

Very intrigued with Sixers' new look, want to see how the min/game pans out for the roster throughout season as Collins makes his assesments..

[Andy]

Okc management seem hell-bent on keeping this team together. $48 mil over 5 years for Ibaka.

[nuge]

did you guys see this one linked off nba.com...

Popovich answers fan questions:
http://www.nba.com/spurs/features/120830_pop_mailbag

summer reading:

"...I’m close to finishing a book about Stalin and another book about Putin. And then on the fiction side I’m trying to get through a book called Ulysses, but I’m not man enough for it.  Too difficult to understand, too many big words, concepts that are way over my head, but I’ve always told myself I have to tackle this. I do about every three years try to read it. I’ve never had success yet."

music:

"The last live show I’ve seen was Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. And they’re still one of my favorites, you know the old stand-bys. I was a big Motown guy for a long time, being from that part of the country, and that sort of morphed into Jimmy Hendrix, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Led Zepplin, those kind of guys. And being here in Texas you can’t help but hear country music here and there. Everybody takes a different path in life and about three years ago I started listening to a Patsy Cline album and it just blew me away. I just am still amazed by her voice, and the guys and my family say “jeez, are we going to listen to that again?” So that’s the newest one, and another one: Terri Clark. Somebody gave me a CD by her, a country gal, and I love it. It’s really great. So I listen to that, and everything else is sort of foreign. It’s Egyptian, Usef, he’s an Egyptian guy, or Turkish music. That kind of thing. So pretty strange, a lot of different things. "

[Kormod]

Someone told me that a basketball player named J.R. Smith has read all of Finnegans Wake. Is this true?

[dave from knoxville]

So it looks like I am going to try to do this for the 2013 season, treating home and away teams as separate entities just for fun (and to see if it makes my playoff picks any better.)

1) Golden State away 29
2) Houston away 29
3) New York home 29
4) Orlando home 27.2
5) Miami home 26.9
6) Atlanta away 24.7
7) San Antonio home 23.8
Chicago away 23.7
9) LA Clippers home 23.7
10) Utah home 23.4
11) San Antonio away 22.5
12) Oklahoma City home 21.6
13) Brooklyn home 21.4
14) Dallas home 21.4
15) Milwaukee away 21.4
16) New Orleans away 21.4
17) Portland home 21.4
18) Philadelphia home 21.1
19) LA Clippers away 20.8
20) Charlotte home 19.8
21) Milwaukee home 19
22) Cleveland home 19
23) Memphis away 19
24) Toronto home 18.9
25) Boston away 18.2
26) Indiana away 18.1
27) Dallas away 18.1
28) Portland away 18
29) Phoenix home 17.6
30) Brooklyn away 16.2
31) Denver home 16.2
32) Indiana home 16.2
33) Memphis home 16.2
34) Minnesota home 16.2
35) New York away 16.2
36) Orlando away 16.2
37) Sacramento home 16.2
38) Atlanta home 16.2
39) Detroit home 16.2
40) Miami away 16.2
41) Philadelphia away 16.2
42) New Orleans home 16
43) Phoenix away 15.5
44) Oklahoma City away 15.2
45) Cleveland away 14.3
46) Washington home 14.1
47) Boston home 13.3
48) Charlotte away 13.3
49) Chicago home 13.3
50) LA Lakers away 13.3
51) Toronto away 13.3
52) Denver away 12.4
53) Golden State home 12.3
54) Washington away 12.3
55) Minnesota away 12.3
56) Houston home 11.9
57) Utah away 11.6
58) LA Lakers home 11.5
59) Detroit away 7.1
60) Sacramento away 0

[dave from knoxville]

Just came down from post-Howard high.

I'm still not 100% sold this Lakers team can beat OKC (*cough* bad backs *cough* Mike Brown), but it's sure fun to be a fan of the most hated franchise again. I'm even thinking of dye-ing my five o'clock shadow jet black, Hollywood Hulk Hogan-style, to mark the occasion!

Is it still fun a week into the season?

[nec13]

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/8596217/jim-durham-voice-nba-espn-radio-dies

I always enjoyed listening to Jim Durham call the games with Dr. Jack on ESPN Radio.

RIP.

[dave from knoxville]

1) Miami home 110
2) New York home 108.2
3) Memphis home 106.8
4) Milwaukee away 105.6
5) Utah home 105.2
6) Philadelphia away 105.1
7) Oklahoma City home 104.5
Boston away 104.1
9) LA Clippers home 103.9
10) San Antonio away 103.5
11) San Antonio home 103.5
12) Atlanta away 103.2
13) LA Clippers away 102.9
14) Houston away 101.3
15) Brooklyn away 101.1
16) Dallas home 100.9
17) Memphis away 100.8
18) Oklahoma City away 100.8
19) Orlando home 100.6
20) Minnesota home 100.4
21) New Orleans away 100.3
22) Chicago away 100.2
23) New York away 100.2
24) Denver home 99.6
25) Phoenix home 99.5
26) Golden State away 99.3
27) Indiana home 99.3
28) Miami away 99.2
29) Charlotte home 98.4
30) New Orleans home 98
31) Minnesota away 97.8
32) Sacramento home 97.7
33) Brooklyn home 97.7
34) Phoenix away 97.5
35) Chicago home 97
36) LA Lakers home 96.9
37) Boston home 96.5
38) Cleveland home 96.4
39) Philadelphia home 96.4
40) Dallas away 96.3
41) Washington home 95.8
42) Portland home 95.7
43) Portland away 95.4
44) Milwaukee home 95.3
45) Detroit home 94.5
46) Cleveland away 94.3
47) Atlanta home 94.1
48) Golden State home 94
49) Toronto home 94
50) Utah away 93.9
51) Denver away 93.5
52) LA Lakers away 93.2
53) Indiana away 93
54) Charlotte away 92.8
55) Toronto away 91.5
56) Orlando away 89.8
57) Houston home 89.4
58) Washington away 89.1
59) Sacramento away 87.2
60) Detroit away 84

[dave from knoxville]

1) Memphis home 110
2) New York home 109.6
3) Oklahoma City home 107.3
4) LA Clippers home 106.5
5) Miami home 106.5
6) Atlanta away 106.2
7) New York away 105.5
Miami away 105.3
9) Philadelphia away 104.2
10) San Antonio away 104
11) LA Clippers away 104
12) Utah home 103.5
13) Memphis away 103.4
14) Milwaukee away 103.2
15) San Antonio home 102.4
16) LA Lakers home 102.2
17) Oklahoma City away 102.1
18) Golden State away 101.9
19) Brooklyn home 101.1
20) Brooklyn away 100.9
21) Dallas home 100.9
22) Portland home 100.6
23) Houston away 99.4
24) Indiana home 99.2
25) Boston home 98
26) Portland away 97.8
27) Minnesota home 97.8
28) Orlando home 97.8
29) Minnesota away 97.6
30) Boston away 97.4
31) Phoenix home 97.3
32) Denver home 97.2
33) Detroit home 96.8
34) New Orleans away 96.5
35) Milwaukee home 96.4
36) Charlotte home 96.4
37) Chicago away 96.1
38) Dallas away 95.9
39) New Orleans home 95.4
40) Atlanta home 94.8
41) Chicago home 94.7
42) LA Lakers away 93.7
43) Phoenix away 93.6
44) Philadelphia home 93.5
45) Toronto home 93.5
46) Golden State home 93.2
47) Sacramento home 92.6
48) Indiana away 92.3
49) Charlotte away 92.2
50) Toronto away 92
51) Cleveland home 92
52) Denver away 90.7
53) Washington home 90.3
54) Houston home 90.2
55) Cleveland away 90.1
56) Utah away 89.3
57) Sacramento away 87.9
58) Orlando away 86.5
59) Washington away 86.2
60) Detroit away 83

[dave from knoxville]

1) Oklahoma City home 111
2) New York home 110.3
3) Memphis home 109.7
4) Miami home 109.1
5) San Antonio away 109
6) Brooklyn home 108.3
7) Utah home 108
Atlanta away 106.5
9) Miami away 105.8
10) Philadelphia away 105.3
11) LA Clippers home 104.7
12) LA Lakers home 104.3
13) Denver home 104.3
14) Phoenix home 103.9
15) Memphis away 103.4
16) Indiana home 103.1
17) Portland home 102.8
18) San Antonio home 102
19) Boston home 101.6
20) Detroit home 101.5
21) Golden State home 101.1
22) Golden State away 101
23) Oklahoma City away 100.9
24) Atlanta home 100.5
25) Milwaukee away 100.2
26) Charlotte home 100.1
27) Houston home 99.9
28) Boston away 99.5
29) New York away 99.4
30) Houston away 99.2
31) Cleveland home 99
32) Orlando home 98.7
33) LA Clippers away 98.5
34) Minnesota home 98
35) Dallas away 97.9
36) Brooklyn away 97.7
37) Dallas home 97.6
38) Sacramento home 97.6
39) Denver away 97.5
40) New Orleans home 97
41) Chicago away 96.7
42) Milwaukee home 96.3
43) Philadelphia home 96
44) New Orleans away 96
45) Chicago home 95.4
46) Toronto home 95.3
47) LA Lakers away 94.3
48) Portland away 94.1
49) Minnesota away 93.9
50) Indiana away 93.6
51) Charlotte away 93.1
52) Sacramento away 89.8
53) Washington away 89.8
54) Phoenix away 89.3
55) Washington home 88.8
56) Toronto away 88.6
57) Cleveland away 88.2
58) Orlando away 87.5
59) Utah away 85.8
60) Detroit away 84