NBA discussion thread

Originally posted by koolruningz
wuTa, doubt it man. Yao is one of the most overrated players in the league, the numbers that he puts up are pretty weak for someone of his size and mobility. He should easily be a 20-10 player (especially with him being a good FT shooter) but he has no aggression to his game at all, the amount of times this dude gets dunked on is ridiculous for someone 7-6. Unless he has a personality transplant i can see him having another mediocre season.

couldn't agree more, the guy has no fire or passion...i just figured that was a good question to help rejuvinate the thread

Well it is a question that I'm sure the Rockets fans ask themselves at the start of every season. On paper the guy sounds like a force 7-6, 300+lbs, great skills and soft touch but as you say "no fire or passion", sometimes you just want to shake him to life. Imagine if Snaq had his shooting touch, he'd be unstoppable. I'm not even a Rockets fan and he frustrates me. There is no reason for him to be in foul trouble every game, the dude is 7-6 why bother leaving your feet to go after shots? His stamina is another huge question mark, he always seems winded after a couple of trips down the floor.

Originally posted by koolruningz

Myth, thanks for the profile on Anderson (i realise it must have been painful to act interested in the Lakers). I dont think the Lakers have much choice but to sign him, there really isnt much talent out there at the point. The Lakers dont have alot of cash to offer and they are only offering 2yr deals so they can be under the cap room for 2007. If Anderson comes to the Lakers i just home he can play some decent D because that was the Lakers biggest problem last year, sticking the occasional 3 wouldnt hurt either.

Its not hard to act interested in the Lakers. "Know thy enemy." There's plenty of interest because of the hatred. In no way do I pretend to like them, but I follow them pretty closely. DA can hit the occasional 3 but the Blazers stugled from the arc and DA didn't necessarily help too much from that department. He can play some decent D though..... when he is healthy. Otherwise he has problems keeping up.

About Yao: Yeah, he sucks more than he should but he's still not horrible and he's still cheap. However, he better pick up his game once huge contracts come to him. He will get a huge contract no matter what and sometimes I get angry when people get paid more than they should. Until that time, I still like rooting and hoping for him to develop.

Also just for conversation, what does everybody think of the NBA/Las Vegas situation. The Maloofs convinced Stern to let the All-Star game be there in 2007 as long as Vegas does not take bets on the game. This can also push for more interest in a team to go to Vegas.

does the nba need another team? i'm not sure about that at all. its a good idea for it to go to vegas though, i'm sure the area will thrive on the allstar game being there

about yao... he's shown some good games, and some very bad, but hes a capable player. i think you have to remember that coming from the chinese league is a lot different fto the nba. theres more shooting like the europeans, especially in china so taking the ball to the hole doesnt happen so much out there. i want someone to piss yao off. give him some fire and drive. let him develop guys, give him another 2-3 years and he will become a great player. legendary? perhaps, perhaps not. i can see the rockets going places though.

on another note.... been playing nba live recently.... came back from 15pts down with 5mins left in 4th quater to win by 3, boy was i releived! still unbeaten at the allstar break, and my team is ranked only 21st.

Myth, "know your enemy" is a very wise tactic. The Anderson deal has hit a bit of a speed bump, the Lakers dont want to offer him the whole 5mil mid level salary and it remains to be seen if he will take less.
Dont get me wrong about Yao he seems like a quality humble young man and i want him to do well. I just think he will never reach his potential unless he plays with more passion. I'm not saying he needs to bowl people out the way like Snaq but maybe look at someone like Kareem as a guideline. Kareem had the outside game and finesse that Yao has but he also had a bit of a mean streak, which i think is essential to be a dominant big man in the NBA. I realise outside of the NBA big men have more of an outside game and it works for some (Dirk springs to mind) but Yao still needs to guard the NBA power players night after night, defense is his #1 problem.
Darth, i love NBA Live. I know most people prefer the ESPN series but i enjoy Live more every year. You seem to have way more control over your players in Live especially on defense and the dunk contest last year was awesome.

I use to be a big Live advocate (I own 2005). However, staying down in LA I only have access to ESPN at my brothers. I have been playing it a bunch with my brother and would have to say that it is much better and much more realistic. The only flaw is the ridiculous amount of turnovers. Maybe that is just multiplayer though, thats all I've played so far on ESPN.

NBA live is okay. It has some things I like and some things I hate. I love all the ways you can score and the freestyle control is very cool. Personally, I'm much more into realistic games which is why I love MVP baseball so much. Playing defense just drives me nuts, absolutely no realism to it. When Peja Stokovic is leading the Kings in blocks I know they didn't put much into the defense. It drives me nuts when I play perfect defense and challenge the guy right in his face for a three and he'll still make it half the time.

Also, I remember an earlier Live that had an extremely realistic and fun fast break system that seems to be completely lost in the 05 version.

I've never played the ESPN series since I only have a Gamecube and as you know, Nintendo treats third party developers like the plague. I think I would like the ESPN series a lot better than Live.

I love Live, and MVP, and Madden. Do any of you have online for any of them? I would like to play one of yous. I've had some crazy games, but i cant remeber any of them. Buzzer-Beaters are the best though. One time i was playing, and at the end of the 2nd, some no name player hits a full court shot. What the hell? It didnt matter though cause i still wooped them.

I'm boycotting EA Games because they're greedy bastards.

My main problem with Live was the crazy intercepts that the computer can pull off and the fact that i can be out on the break and all of a sudden my player slows down so the defense can get back.
ESPN looks good but i just feel the same level of control with my players, if they use the analog stick this year for defense that would be a huge improvement.

i got the latest espn but thought it was a bit sluggish and slow. i did also buy nba live 2004, but sold it and stuck with 2003. dont like the different button shoot thing. being on a fast break is fun, i love the icon passing. defence is pretty good too, you just gotta be pretty good😉

Dude i'm talking about Live 2005. 😄

Yeah, fast breaks are shit on that game. You stop 1/2 the time to catch the ball.

Hey Myth, have the Blazers been very active in the off season? Looks like they are losing Anderson and Abdul Rahim, any word on replacements?

Blazers are going young. I've read several analysis statements that say if there is to be no likely major trades, the Blazers are the favorites to win the championship in 2008. I hope they're right, but I'm still skeptical. Raheem was a bench player so he'll be easy to replace at PF. I've heard talk of bringing back Brian Grant (just waved). As for DA, he has already been replaced by Webster, our sharpshooting #6 pick. Damon is gone as well, but we're building around Telfair. Blazers also picked up Juan Dixon and they aged Charles Smith.

You mean Charles Smith who used to play for the Knicks in the Jordan days?
Brian Grant would be a decent pick up, if he can stay healthy he does the dirty work and every team needs at least one of those players.
What's Webster like? Is he a 2 guard?
Alot of teams (the Lakers included) are rebuilding, it can get pretty frustrating as a fan watching your team get pounded by Superstar heavy teams but hopefully the payoff will be worth it.

Webster is a 2 guard and he was the first high schooler selected from this draft. He has drawn a lot of comparisons to a young Glen Rice. When some of the fans here were disappointed in not getting the highlight reel that is Gerald Green, they said that on the break he's not necessarily Wesley Person, he'll throw it down.

And yes, I believe it is that Charles Smith who I think was retired for a bit.

where do u think rahim will go? the nets trade seems to have broken down, as he failed a physical. i think with randolph and telfair the blazers are certainly one for the future. a couple of good players with them will be awesome

I've heard that the Kings and Shareef have mutual interest but thats all I've heard.

Yeah i heard the same about Shareef and the Kings. The Nets didnt pull the trigger on the deal because they were worried about a old injury that 'Reef had, even thought he had not missed any games because of it they were worried about it coming back to haunt them later in his career. Sounds like they just got cold feet.
Looks like Finley might be waived by the Mavs and end up in Miami. They are picking up some interesting pieces in the off season, i dont know if the team chemistry will be as good as last year though with all these stars. The Lakers tried the same tactic a couple of years back, it backfired and they got buried by a team with great chemistry (Detroit).