Topic: NBA '07

[JAZZ]

Dallas won because of Dirk's back to back triples and that shot block during the run.

Can somebody tell me what Al Harrington was doing on the bench?

[X-®an™]

Dallas won because of Dirk's back to back triples and that shot block during the run.

Can somebody tell me what Al Harrington was doing on the bench?

Good thing that Dirk made those triples!  They would have been ousted w/o it.

Can somebody tell me why Dirk is not posting up against the smaller Warriors?  Last time I checked, Dallas has Harris and the Jet who can give the ball to a posting Dirk.  They also have Stackhouse and Howard who can drive, then dish to a posting Dirk.  Why are they not doing that?

[dobler]

Can somebody tell me why Dirk is not posting up against the smaller Warriors? 

Because Nellie's in his head. 

[DVD_Freak]

Can somebody tell me why Dirk is not posting up against the smaller Warriors?

i think because they almost instantly double him in the post. and he is having a harder time passing out of the box.  he is more dangerous playing from the perimeter and they wouldn't double team him yet if he is from the perimeter.

[X-®an™]

i think because they almost instantly double him in the post. and he is having a harder time passing out of the box.  he is more dangerous playing from the perimeter and they wouldn't double team him yet if he is from the perimeter.

Dirk is too talented to be afraid of getting double-teamed.  Plus, it's not as if he has no teammate who can nail an open jumper.  This is why he is getting too much flak over the current state of this Dallas team.  Avery should stress that this is how Dallas should play... two straight baskets coming from this post-up play would guarantee you an adjustment from Nellie to put in a bigger guy to guard Dirk.

[lord_vader]

On the other hand too.....if Nash is with the Lakers, san Kobe, with the system used by Mike D'Antoni.....will his leadership skills take them so far???

Last year, Amare was out. Shawn Marion also missed some games. They had a team with Kurt Thomas, Boris Diaw, and even had to pick up a Tim Thomas who almost forgot how to play basketball if the Suns did not take him. Yet, Nash carried the team with him. In my opinion, the supporting cast of this year's Lakers are of similar level if not even better than last year's ragtag Phoenix team. But where did Kobe take the team? There's no question Nash deserved last year's MVP, and I won't complain if he gets it this year too.

[lord_vader]

Nash can be easily replaced by at least 5 PGs (Kidd, Billups, Chris Paul, Baron Davis, and Deron Williams to name a few) and Phoenix will still be winning that much games.  Kidd would average a triple double if he was with Phoenix.  It's the system (in Phoenix) that D'Antoni put that makes them play that way.

Nash easily replaced by these PGs?? I doubt Kidd can average a triple double... maybe in his prime. He has VC and RJ playing with him with the Nets, and they couldn't even reach the top 4 seeds in a "weaker" conference. Umm... Deron Williams in the same league as Steve Nash?? Maybe a more mature Chris Paul would be closer. And if Baron Davis plays like the way he is playing now for 82 games, then maybe he can take Nash's place.

[X-®an™]

Nash easily replaced by these PGs?? I doubt Kidd can average a triple double... maybe in his prime. He has VC and RJ playing with him with the Nets, and they couldn't even reach the top 4 seeds in a "weaker" conference. Umm... Deron Williams in the same league as Steve Nash?? Maybe a more mature Chris Paul would be closer. And if Baron Davis plays like the way he is playing now for 82 games, then maybe he can take Nash's place.

Yes, I stand by my previous statement.  As I've said, it's the system that makes this Suns team purr.  Nash was with Nowitzki and Finley back then, where has he lead the Mavs then?

Jefferson was injured and did not play for many games this year, plus the fact that Nenad got injured too.  The Nets would have ranked higher if all were relatively healthy like the Suns this year.  Plus, remember when the Nets when toe-to-toe with the Suns in that already classic game they had?  IMHO, Kidd is definitely an improvement cause he can also defend.

Baron's only knock is that he is constantly getting injured.  If not for that, he's a better PG than Nash.  As for Paul and Williams, they're not in the same league as Nash right now.  Perhaps never will.  But they can still replace Nash and the Suns will still win as much games.

In my attempt to defend my statement, I might come to look like a Nash hater.  I'd like to point out that it's not the case, I like him and I love his game.

[X-®an™]

Last year, Amare was out. Shawn Marion also missed some games. They had a team with Kurt Thomas, Boris Diaw, and even had to pick up a Tim Thomas who almost forgot how to play basketball if the Suns did not take him. Yet, Nash carried the team with him. In my opinion, the supporting cast of this year's Lakers are of similar level if not even better than last year's ragtag Phoenix team. But where did Kobe take the team? There's no question Nash deserved last year's MVP, and I won't complain if he gets it this year too.

Marion missed a few games.  Kurt was out a lot.  Diaw was in his contract year, and it showed in his play.  Barbosa was a monster.  Bell had a career year specially in making threes.  Last year, Marion was ranked no.1 (based on season average using the standard 9 stats).  This year, he's also ranked no. 1.

What I'm trying to say is Marion is a very good player.  Statistically the best player in a Suns uniform today and last year.  The only knock on him is that he seems to disappear during the playoffs.  You just can't go out and say that it was only Nash carrying the Suns last year and this year.  I think that the Lakers will gladly trade Kobe's supporting cast this year for the Suns supporting cast last year.

[Munskie]

Last year, Amare was out. Shawn Marion also missed some games. They had a team with Kurt Thomas, Boris Diaw, and even had to pick up a Tim Thomas who almost forgot how to play basketball if the Suns did not take him. Yet, Nash carried the team with him. In my opinion, the supporting cast of this year's Lakers are of similar level if not even better than last year's ragtag Phoenix team. But where did Kobe take the team? There's no question Nash deserved last year's MVP, and I won't complain if he gets it this year too.

Yup.  I agree that Nash deserved that MVP and I think i never mentioned otherwise.    As for wher Kobe took the team......he and the Lakers nearly upset the Suns and it took a clutch shot by Thomas to bail them out in Game 6.   Thats good enough for me, when even experts didnt even picked them to get into the play-offs.   As for the hypothetical one on one trade of Nash and Kobe.....I will still stand by my assessment that Nash would have a hard time with the Lakers supporting cast than  Kobe playing with Marion, Diaw and Barbosa.   

[RNIverson]

spurs just won the series against denver. suns should eliminate the lakers tonight to get enough rest also.

denver should add more power on their bench next season. at least they're getting kmart back. and AI should be used to being a second go-to guy, i think he took as many or more shots than melo during the spurs series. they might want to trade jr smith 

[X-®an™]

Suns just eliminated the Lakers.  Kobe had a dismal night.  Would have been more interesting if Kobe was at least having an average night.

With a healthy Amare, the Suns have a very good chance against the Spurs.

[dobler]

Good article about the L.A's off season concerns:
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-24-7/Lakers-on-the-Razor-s-Edge.html
Among the highlights,

 Of those stars rumored to be on their way to Los Angeles, one makes the most sense to me. The story is that the Lakers turned down a trade with New Jersey that would have sent Bynum to New Jersey for Jason Kidd. If I ran the Lakers I would do it, for several reasons:

    * Lamar Odom has the potential to be an awesome force, and has underperformed in Los Angeles. Jason Kidd is the only big-name player who is practically guaranteed to make Odom perform closer to his massive potential. A more effective Odom mitigates, somewhat, the loss of Bynum.
    * Picture it! Kidd and Bryant side by side ... two ferocious winners motivated to win now. They'd win 30 NBA games playing alongside eighth graders. But they would be better than that. The Laker lineup would be much like New Jersey's current lineup. Only, in place of Vince Carter you have Kobe Bryant. In place of Richard Jefferson you have Luke Walton. And in place of Nenad Krstic you have Lamar Odom. I could keep going down the list. But the point is, that's a team that's ready to win now and Kidd solves the ball-sharing issues that have plagued this team (at the expense of the triangle? perhaps). Kidd gets the ball to spots where his teammates can use it. Odom, Bryant etc. can handle that.
    * The Lakers have had lousy perimeter defense, and Kidd would improve that.
    * The league is getting quicker and the Bynums of the world are a tad less massively important than they were a few years ago. Still massively important. But not quite what they used to be.
    * Phil Jackson has a hard time walking and sitting. He can't hang on forever, and Kidd might fit his window better than any other player, too.
    * It gives the Lakers a real chance at a title in the next three years. Can Andrew Bynum do that?

[Munskie]

Ganyan talga pagna eliminate kaagad, we're talkin about the off-season na.......anyway, as a fan im willing to let go of bynum given the way the games are being played today.   Baka kasi tumanda na si kobe eh hindi pa marealize yung potential ni Bynum.......

[dobler]

Ganyan talga pagna eliminate kaagad, we're talkin about the off-season na.......anyway, as a fan im willing to let go of bynum given the way the games are being played today.   Baka kasi tumanda na si kobe eh hindi pa marealize yung potential ni Bynum.......

Ganyan nga talaga. Let's see what they'll do this off season. The article also mentioned that Kobe can void his contract in 2009 and go elsewhere. Lagot, hehe!

[X-®an™]

Kidd may be a good antidote against the Suns but what about the other teams out West: San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston.  The league looks like it''s getting quicker but who said that a young Bynum can't keep up with it.  San Antonio is the next road block to the quicker Suns.  After that, they may face the Rockets.  I'm sure that the importance of a dominant big man would come in to play in those series.  A healthy Amare is the reason why Phoenix has a window now.

I think that the importance of a dominant big man is not going away.  With Bynum, the Lakers have that in their future.  Next year, Oden will come and perhaps play a major role.  But Bynum has 2 seasons under his belt so I'd like to think that it's at least a wash regarding Bynum vs. Oden.

My wish list for new Laker additions would be: Garnett, Gasol, O'Neal, Kidd, and Billups (in that order).  If the Lakers can get any of the 3 bigs mentioned, they'll need a defensive-minded PG like Earl Watson to guard those quick PGs out west.

[edboy7]

The last i heard that its going to be  Garnett for Odom,Smush and Walton is it fair enough guys?

[Battousai]

KG's been a pipe dream for more than three years and counting. Jermaine O'Neal seems the most likely candidate since Indiana would want to ship an unhappy JO to the West instead of a rival Eastern Conference team. And any team El-Ay deals with would ask for Bynum, which will be a deal breaker (Kidd trade an aexample of it) if Buss refuse to let go of his prized big man.

I think Luke's gonna leave, too, as he's probably thinking that people will now focus on his poor playoff performance and not his breakout regular season showing.

[RNIverson]

"Do it and do it now," he said. "Personally for me, it's beyond frustration -- three years and still being at ground zero. This summer's a big summer. We have to see what direction we want to take as an organization and make those steps and make them now."

--kobe
Stoudemire, Marion combine for 53 points as Suns KO Lakers


this could be an exciting summer for the nba

[Munskie]

Ganyan nga talaga. Let's see what they'll do this off season. The article also mentioned that Kobe can void his contract in 2009 and go elsewhere. Lagot, hehe!

thats why this got to be a big off season for them.......and I bet, team owner Buss knows that....

[Munskie]

KG's been a pipe dream for more than three years and counting. Jermaine O'Neal seems the most likely candidate since Indiana would want to ship an unhappy JO to the West instead of a rival Eastern Conference team. And any team El-Ay deals with would ask for Bynum, which will be a deal breaker (Kidd trade an aexample of it) if Buss refuse to let go of his prized big man.

I think Luke's gonna leave, too, as he's probably thinking that people will now focus on his poor playoff performance and not his breakout regular season showing.

Somebody's backing up Bynum in team ownership.....it was the son of Buss which gave the go signal to draft Bynum.....its his pet project.  It seems no matter what trade LA will be willing to do, it has to let go of either Odom or Bynum.....or both.

[Munskie]

The last i heard that its going to be  Garnett for Odom,Smush and Walton is  fair enough guys?

its fair enough for me as a Laker fan.....I dont know from a T-Wolves standpoint though....hehehe


*******************


After disappointing season, Kobe wants changes 'now'

By Marc Stein
ESPN.com


When his season ended in the early hours of Thursday morning, Kobe Bryant squeezed off a couple more shots.

At his own team.

Wearing a white blazer and a look of exasperation, Bryant plopped down behind an NBA-TV microphone and tersely spelled out what he hopes to see from his Los Angeles Lakers bosses between now and October.

"Do something," Bryant told reporters in Phoenix, "and do it now."

Something significant on the trade front, in other words.

"Especially for me, it's beyond frustration, three years and still being at ground zero," Bryant continued. "So this summer's a big summer."

It'll be a biggie whether you're sympathetic to Bryant's plight or not, because few teams in the league are likely to be as active this offseason as the Lakers.

After they exited the playoffs in five games this time, only occasionally troubling a Phoenix team it took to seven games in the 2006 playoffs, NBA front-office sources say L.A. is expected to make every one of its players available -- except Bryant -- in an attempt to craft a mix that can return the franchise to the Western Conference elite for the first time since Shaquille O'Neal's departure in 2004.

Here's your first look at what that means for a variety of Lakers:

KOBE BRYANT

With Lakerland clearly in need of a hopeful sign or two after this five-game exit in Round 1 and a measly two wins over playoff teams after February, this is the best double-fisted tonic we can offer:

1. During our recent chat with Kobe during this series, he stressed that, yes, he wants to retire a Laker.

2. During that chat, Kobe also disputed the notion that the Lakers will only see the 28-year-old's best for a few more years.

"I think I can play at this level for another six, seven years," Bryant said. "I still have one more bullet to fire."

Translation: Bryant ranks as the game's greatest singular talent while eating pretty much anything he wants. By changing his diet when necessary, Kobe figures he can extend his longevity as an All-Star.

So ...

If Bryant is right, Laker Lovers needn't worry that Kobe's window for winning a championship without Shaquille O'Neal is down to two or three more playoff runs.

The concern, if you want to fret, is Bryant's patience. He will be forever blamed for running Shaq off, even though Lakers owner Jerry Buss wanted to trade Shaq more than Kobe and had the biggest say in it, but arguing about that now only distracts from the pressing issue: How much longer can Bryant take mediocrity before he starts to reconsider those plans about retiring in purple and gold?

With four more years left on his contract after this season at a tidy $88.6 million, Bryant does possess the option to reenter the free-agent market two years from now in the summer of 2009. And surely you heard Bryant's proclamation last week that "we definitely have to get that elite level and get to that elite level, like, now."

Interpretation: He's more than ready for some big-name help and loves the idea of trading anyone necessary to bring in his buddy Jermaine O'Neal, who's said to be just as high on the idea.

Maybe he doesn't trust his teammates as much as he should sometimes, but how far would this group go, realistically, if Kobe trusted them without reservation? Even when healthy -- even had they been able to keep building on that 23-11 start without a flurry of injuries -- these Lakers aren't close to championship material.

That's why the whole NBA expects the Lakers to be trade aggressors now to reenergize their downcast franchise player after passing on a trade for Jason Kidd at the February deadline and unraveling from there.

PHIL JACKSON

It's true: Jackson wants to know that he'll have more to work with roster-wise before committing to a contract extension. But the safe bet, according to team insiders, remains that the Zenmeister will consent to tack on at least one more season to next season, which is when he'll complete the original three-year commitment he made upon returning to the club.

Having spent significant time with the Lakers during the playoffs, I can tell you that Jackson doesn't come across as a tortured soul these days. Even though L.A. didn't come close to winning its first playoff series since 2004, or narrowing the huge gap between the team's current standing and winning a 10th championship ring, Jackson understands what he's been working with, talent-wise, for the past two seasons.

Although he's actually absorbed some rare media criticism recently for his inability to halt L.A.'s 12-16 fade after the All-Star break, let's be clear here: Jackson remains the Lakers' only other All-Star. He and Bryant, furthermore, are bonded in the quest to win at least more title together.

So he wants to stick around, provided that the following issues are addressed.

A. Jackson has always been happier coaching veterans and would surely prefer more seasoned role players around Bryant.

B. But health is also a factor. The 61-year-old needs to have his other hip replaced after undergoing replacement surgery on his right hip during training camp. He's expected to complete the second operation shortly after the season ends, to be ready for his Hall of Fame induction in September, but the physical toll can't be discounted.

LAMAR ODOM

If there's been a braver player in the NBA this season, I'd love to hear about him. Because I don't see one.

After long-term knee and shoulder injuries -- which followed the unspeakable loss of his six-month-old son over the summer -- Odom just keeps playing on, trying as hard as he can to be Kobe's Scottie Pippen.

He's still not there, agreed, but I don't think he ever had a chance this season. Not after a bad knee sprain in December and definitely not after the shoulder tear he suffered in March, which should have sent him to surgery if Odom hadn't vowed to delay the operation until after the season.

There was also a hyperextended elbow Odom picked up during the Phoenix series, as if the man with the NBA's heaviest heart hadn't suffered enough.

(An aside: The first thing that catches your eye when you walk into the Lakers' locker room is a supersized white T-shirt hanging in Odom's locker, sporting the smiling likeness of his late son Jayden. Basketball might be his sanctuary, but Odom was intent on keeping Jayden's spirit close by even at work.)

Yet in spite of all of his resilience, capped by a 33-point sign-off in Wednesday night's Game 5 elimination, Odom is the first to concede that he's the most likely Laker to move if L.A. has any shot at pairing Jermaine O'Neal or its other fantasy target -- Minnesota's Kevin Garnett -- with Kobe.

There are a couple other Lakers listed below who can enhance a trade package. But with only two seasons left on his contract at $27.4 million, as well as the frontcourt versatility that teams crave in the modern game, Odom is the Lakers' most saleable asset ... since they're not about to move Bryant.

"I love it here," Odom told Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times and ESPN's "Around The Horn." "I hope I have done enough to prove that I belong here the rest of my career. But as a team, sometimes you get stuck between a rock and a hard place. We're expected to win, and we haven't won, and they're going to do everything they can to get back to winning."

ANDREW BYNUM

The 19-year-old was an untouchable in February trade talks, preventing the Lakers from acquiring Kidd from New Jersey. I agreed with the Lakers' logic, too, figuring that a 7-footer this mobile and promising can't be surrendered for an expensive, thirtysomething guard whose arrival wouldn't automatically put L.A. in the West's elite alongside Dallas, Phoenix and San Antonio.

However ...

I see it differently now, for at least three reasons.

1. Kidd is an assassin like Kobe. A playoff-tested winner. The Lakers would probably be better with Kidd than skeptics think.

2. The Lakers, by all accounts, could have excluded Odom from a Kidd deal -- as well as an earlier swap that Sacramento backed out of involving Mike Bibby -- as long as they included Bynum. Would you rather start over with a duo of, say, Kobe and Jermaine ... or the trio of Kobe, Kidd and Odom?

3. Kidd, like Odom, is under contract for only two more seasons, so gambling on his ability to stay healthy at 34 and adapt to Jackson's triangle offense is not the sort of risk that would cripple L.A. cap-wise for ages.

Oh, yeah. There's a bigger reason than any of those three: Bryant and Jackson don't appear to be huge Bynum fans. Neither seems terribly excited about waiting for Bynum to develop.

It's a mood Jackson summed up rather neatly when he was asked about an hour before Game 1 if he was "interested" to see what kind of interior effect Bynum could have against the size-challenged Suns.

"Not really," Jackson quipped.

So if you're committed to Kobe and Phil, it makes sense to pursue their kind of players, unless you're certain Bynum is a franchise center in waiting.

The problem? Jerry Buss' son Jim was a driving force behind the drafting of Bynum with the No. 10 pick in the 2005 draft and badly wants to keep his pet project off-limits. If Jackson were to refuse an extension -- or even leave the organization before next season in a worst-case scenario -- this matter figures to be the biggest wedge.

EVERYONE ELSE

The Smush Parker Experience, you can safely assume, is over. The Lakers need a reliable ballhandler more than anything else and Parker, who was never really starter material, has been clashing with Jackson for weeks, ensuring his exit.

The other lightning rod from Kobe's supporting cast -- Kwame Brown -- is also likely to move on, despite the surprising chants of "Kwa-me, Kwa-me" heard at Staples Center during both of L.A.'s home games against the Suns.

Trading for Brown actually did make some sense at the time because the Lakers badly needed size. Two seasons later, though, Brown remains an injury-prone underachiever ... while Caron Butler has blossomed into an All-Star forward in the East and Washington's foremost tough guy. Worse yet, with teams going smaller and smaller in today's NBA, L.A. probably could have gotten away with playing Kobe, Odom and Butler as a trio more than it might have a few years back.

But it's not Butler's success that makes Kwame's departure inevitable. It's his salary: Brown has only next season left on his contract at $9 million. Any team that deals with the Lakers on a major trade will want that expiring contract.

The Lakers have four free agents besides Parker: Aaron McKie, Chris Mihm, Shammond Williams and Luke Walton. Retaining Walton is the only must, but upgrading the overall talent is the bigger priority, so Walton -- a fine role player who also played hurt like Odom -- isn't put in a position where he has to be L.A.'s third-best player.

Which is what Walton was in what, according to Kobe, was Year 3 at Ground Zero.

[synchro_01]

its hard to gamble with Kidd. he has a lot of mileage on those surgically repaired (microfracture) knees. he has 2 more good years at best left in his game.  Based on Laker history they have always built their teams around a dominating big man complemented by an equally good guard...Mikan, Chamberlain, Abdul Jabbar and most recently Shaq. They already have the best shooting guard in the NBA in Kobe..now all they need now is to put Bynum in shape which is easier said than done if you consider his age and basketball knowledge. If they get a dominant forward that has a pure low post game (not unlike Odom) lets say the likes of Oneal or Garnett, life would be a lot easier for Bynum to blossom at his pace.

[bumblebee]

Dallas 59
Golden State 81

1:47 3rd

Nowitzki is 1-11.

[Munskie]

WOW  .  Contra pelo talaga............ the SAS-Phoe series is looking a lot like the WC finals now........

Money in the bank na ito for GS, 23 pts ahead with 7mins left.  I would like them to win again in the next series.....then hopefully face Phoneix in WC finals.  That would be dandy......a great WESTerN FINALS shooutout!!!!! 

What happened to Dirk??   If he'll become MVP, it will be tainted by his poor play in this play-offs.   His play will be subject to a lot of criticisms by the hungry media mob.

[Battousai]

Both Eastern and Western Conference champions kicked out in the first round of the playoffs?   God must have a grudge or something against the Mavs.  

[X-®an™]

Funny pic!

Hey Bird, how about trading Jermaine to the Lakers to screw your fans and Mark Cuban more! 

[dobler]

Interesting bit of info from the San Francisco Chronicle:

Warriors coach Don Nelson nabbed a $1 million bonus for getting Golden State into the second round of the playoffs, according to a source with knowledge of Nelson's contract. He had already made $1 million for reaching the postseason, and he can collect up to another $1.5 million depending on how far the team advances. The base annual salary of Nelson's three-year deal is $3.1 million.

[X-®an™]

Interesting bit of info from the San Francisco Chronicle:

Warriors coach Don Nelson nabbed a $1 million bonus for getting Golden State into the second round of the playoffs, according to a source with knowledge of Nelson's contract. He had already made $1 million for reaching the postseason, and he can collect up to another $1.5 million depending on how far the team advances. The base annual salary of Nelson's three-year deal is $3.1 million.

He's well worth the pay he's getting... what with the joy he just brought to the long-time suffering fans of Golden State.  I can still remember the collective rejoicing of GS fans last year when they heard that Nellie was coming back.

[azrael]

from slamonline.com...

94-82 Jazz final in Utah. Great. Another night of Yao being pushed out of the block by Carlos Boozer and Memo. YOU’RE 7-5! YOUR LOWER LEGS ARE THE SIZE OF TELEPHONE POLES! DO SOMETHING! It’s embarrassing, really.