Thats really interesting about 'Melo. I hadnt heard about his selfishness, it can be very detrimental to a team if you got someone just out to get his. Denver have a strong team on paper but it goes to show that doesnt mean jack if you havent got the right team spirit (e.g. the Jazz or Pistons). I agree he is a good player but i wouldnt put him in my top 10 yet, he's got alot to learn.
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"The Capitol of this rugged slang is WU-TANG, Witty Unpridictable Talent And Natural Game". GZA
he almost won it last year...no offense but thats not really going out on a limb
yea detroit fans arent upset about missing out on melo...he's not a team oriented guy and and the pistons biggest strength is playing as a team...i am pissed at missing out on wade though..we could have him and have prince come off the bench...thats just scary thinking about it
Denver-i was wathing TNT and barkley and his crew talked about denver and i they were right on what they said...andre miller isnt a true point guard hes a 2 not a 1...they play better with boykins on the court...all of there best players pretty much play the same position....they switched to a half court offense which is one reason why melo has struggled
I think Detroit had a great back court with Billups and Rip, very underrated. Do you mean Detroit would have played Rip at 3, Billups at 2 and D-Wade at point?
I think Andre Miller is a decent point guard, he would struggle against some of the elite shooting guards in the league (like T-Mac, Kobe and The Truth). Earl Boykins was great for them last year coming off the bench, im not sure if he would make the same impact as a starter. I'd love to see a game on TNT if they have Charles on, he is one of my favourite commentators.
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"The Capitol of this rugged slang is WU-TANG, Witty Unpridictable Talent And Natural Game". GZA
rip at 3 wade at 2 (he's a natural 2) and billups at 1
miller is a 2 he's better shooter than passer....boykins distributes the ball better and is just as good as a defendor as miller and it shows...when boykins is on the floor denver is playing better than when miller is at the point
I must admit i havent seen Denver play this season, im going by last season so i'll take your word for it. Its a shame that Miami doesnt have a PG so Wade could play the 2, but his outside game needs a little work dont you think?
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"The Capitol of this rugged slang is WU-TANG, Witty Unpridictable Talent And Natural Game". GZA
I thought this was a cool little thing from ESPN.com's Page 2:
Q: Who looks like the best team right now?
The Spurs. And not because of Duncan, or because Ginobili seems determined to have one of the best per-minute average seasons in recent memory, or because they have a bench with legitimate NBA guys who know what they're doing (Brent Barry, Devin Brown, Malik Rose, Big Shot Rob). With the exception of Barry, these guys have been playing together for awhile now -- and Barry has always been one of those Philip Seymour Hoffman types who can mesh with anyone else in the cast, regardless of the circumstances. They play well together. Much like the Pistons last year.
But this raises a larger issue: With so many teams dumping coaches, making panic trades and wasting money on shaky free agents -- it's like 80 percent of the league at this point -- the teams that keep building around the same nucleus (one bona fide star, four or five supporting stars, one coach) have an enormous competitive advantage over everyone else. It's almost like running a good TV show. Take "Cheers," for example. They built the first two seasons around Sam and Diane, with Coach, Carla, Norm and Cliff as the supporting characters. Eventually, they brought in Frasier for Season 3; Woody showed up after Coach died in Season 4. After Season 5, Diane left just as her character was getting stale, but Rebecca came in and invigorated the show.
Here's what you had in Season 1: Sam, Diane, Coach, Carla, Cliff, Norm.
Here's what you had in Season 6: Sam, Rebecca, Woody, Carla, Cliff, Norm, Frasier, Lilith.
You could make the case that "Cheers" went from "genuine show" to "straightforward sitcom" after Coach died -- in fact, I made that argument a few years ago. But the heart of the show never really changed. Which is how a basketball team should operate. When the subject of NBA problems comes up, everyone points to poor shooting, over-reliance on three-point line, overzealous defense, high schoolers ... to me, the lack of continuity is THE biggest problem in the sport right now. None of these teams knows how to play together for more than four-minute stretches. Of course a team like San Antonio will win 60 games. Why wouldn't they?
(Note: Comparing "Cheers" to the Spurs, Sam was obviously Tim Duncan and Diane was David Robinson, making Rasho Rebecca -- a great comparison because Rebecca couldn't hold Diane's jock, just like Rasho wasn't in Robinson's class. Coach was Avery Johnson, making Woody Tony Parker. Frasier was like the Ginobili addition -- right down to the "Making The Leap after a few seasons" part. Carla was Gregg Popovich, right down to the looks. Norm was the revolving crunch-time swingman, whether it was Sean Elliott, Stephen Jackson, or Barry this season. And Cliff was Bruce Bowen -- annoying and flawed, but necessary nonetheless. By the way, it took me about an hour to figure that all out ... and I'm not even sure why it just happened. Let's just move on.)
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Greg Oden: The future of the Blazers. The future of the NBA.
Comparing Brent Barry to Philip Seymour Hoffman is spot on. I've only seen one Spurs game this year and they struggled against Miami minus Wade. But no doubt they are a class act and come play-off time I'm picking Spurs and T'Wolves in the conference finals.
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"The Capitol of this rugged slang is WU-TANG, Witty Unpridictable Talent And Natural Game". GZA
Oh man, the Twolves owned the Heat last night. Surprise surprise, KG once again had a easy 20 20 game, and Eddie Griffin looks like he is going to be a solid player in the league finally. About the Spurs, I can't believe so many people are hyping them up, they are my most overrated team of the year. They have Duncan, and Ginobili and two very good players, and Parker who is a solid player but inconsistent, but beyond that they don't have much off the bench. Barry is not close to being a solid player, Rasho is lost half the time, and Bowen is good defensively and inconsistent offensively, Rose is the only player that will be good coming off the bench, other than Bowen for D. I don't know how that adds up to being the best team in the league over Detroit, Minnesota, or even the Pacers.
I still think come playoff time they'll make the conference finals. Brent Barry doesnt have to be a star, he just needs to hit the three on a consistant basis. Their bench isnt the best in the league, but its up there and with their team defense and Duncan/Ginobli combo that might be enough. But if KG keeps playing like the MVP he is then I think the T'Wolves may take it to the finals. Alot can happen in a season though with injuries and whatnot, should be interesting to see which teams gel and with teams crumble.
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"The Capitol of this rugged slang is WU-TANG, Witty Unpridictable Talent And Natural Game". GZA
Last edited by koolruningz on Nov 18th, 2004 at 01:38 AM
You forgot to mention that the Spurs minus the Pistons have the best defense in the NBA which will become huge for them since Shaq is out of the west and the rest of the competition in the west ie T Wolves Kings, Dallas, Suns, Lakers are all jump shooting teams.
"Barry not close to being a solid player" What? Barry one of the best three point shooters in the league, a decent defender, a good passer, a decent driver and a perfect fit for the Spurs system with all the open looks from Duncan.
Rasho might be lost half the time but at least he's not lost all the time like the Kandy Man.
I'll give you the Pistons, but I have more faith in the Spurs than the T Wolves or Pacers. I don't have faith that Sam Cassel can stay healthy for the entire season and playoffs, I don't have faith in a jump shooting team winning it all or the Kandy Man winning a NBA title as the basketball gods won't allow it.
I don't think that J O'neal has the psyche to take over a game and he would be creamed by Duncan if they me in the Finals or that Artest has pretty much worn out his welcome.
To me the Spurs are a much safer pick than either the T Wolves or the Pacers.
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“As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods, they kill us for their sport.”
Last edited by Dr. Strangelove on Nov 18th, 2004 at 04:32 AM
Even if Cassell isn't healthy, they have Thud who averaged 20 a game vs. the Lakers in the playoffs, and they have Anthony Carter who is a very solid defender.
Kandi is a much better player than Rasho, I've seen them both play for the Wolves and Kandi is a definetely a step above him. He's a better rebounder and plays much better D. I think Barry is overrated and I've never thought he was that good, but that is my personal opinion, but overall I think the Spurs are a very good team, I just don't think that they're the clear cut number 1 team in the league right now. I can see where you are coming from saying they're the safer pick, which is probably true, but if either the Pacers or Wolves get it all going, I think they could win it all.
Hudson is sick, but to me they both have to be healthy so the Spurs can't focus on just one player. If the T Wolves can have both healthy then the T Wolves are the better team, but I just don't see it happening with Cassel a year older.
I guess we will have to agree to disagree about Rasho and Barry.
I do agree with your that the Spurs are not clear cut favorites like the media has put them out to be. What really will decide the Spurs chances is if they can get anything out of that rookie point guard as it killed them last year when they didn't have Speedy to sub when Parker would go in the tank. I just think Spurs have something that no other western team has which is a suffocating defense and as the old saying goes "defense wins championships".
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“As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods, they kill us for their sport.”
Gender: Male Location: Huntington Beach, California
Troy Hudson is far from consistant, and using his 20 points/per game against the Lakers in an arguement is ridiculous.
The Lakers major weakness throughout their entire championship run, all the way through last season has been their ability to contain guards.
Chauncy Billups and Rip Hamilton killed them. Manu Ginobili and Toni Parker tore them up. Bibby eats them alive regularly. Hell, even little Earl Boykins beats the sh!t out of the Lakers.
Brent Barry is possibly the 2nd most well rounded player on the Spurs. Ginobili is the only one preventing him from taking the title. Barry can play good defense, especially reading passing lanes. He's a good point guard for when Parker is out, and can run the offense even with Parker in. He's a great 3 point shooter, great free throw shooter, and an excellent passer.
and as the good Dr. put it....the basketball Gods will not allow Oliwakandi to win a championship. He doesn't belong in the league.
and WuTa....you've got to be kidding me. You actually bought the album?
Even if it's good....I'd never promote his singing career while he's like the best one on one defender in the league.
Did anyone see the Heat/Bucks game yesterday? Thats the one game i've seen this week with the GREAT coverage in NZ. D-Wade was amazing, he is fast becoming my favourite player. He made an over the head pass to Shaq in the 3rd quarter that defied description. I saw highlights of the Magic/Jazz, its great to see Grant Hill back to some sort of form. Its not easy to score 32 on Kirilenko and Francis is playing some great ball to. On a personal note its always great for me to see the Lakers win, even if it was against the Clipppers. Kobe had 11 assists, which is what the Lakers need if they are going to win some games this year. Finally did i hear right that the Sonics made more 3s than 2s in a game?
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"The Capitol of this rugged slang is WU-TANG, Witty Unpridictable Talent And Natural Game". GZA
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Nov 16th, 2004 12:29 AM
