The NBA Thread

[Ignatius]

oops I dunno why I thought Mark Jackson was in Sacto and not GS

[Thermofusion]

As hilarious as that's going to be, I'd almost rather see Fredette in Milwaukee. Would be super lulzy seeing the Jimmer and Stephen Jackson on the same team.

Also, is there a more fun name to say than Bismack Biyombo?

[Thermofusion]

From the NBA.com interview with Bismack Biyombo:

So, do you believe you will lead the NBA in blocks?

"I do."

Will you lead the NBA in blocks?

"Yes."

Can you lead the NBA in rebounding?

"Yes, I will."

You will lead the NBA in rebounding?

"Yes. Of course. Hundred percent."

[Ignatius]

Biyombo! He's a cool dude.

[Babar]

 

[Thermofusion]

I'm not really missing it. If it's January and they're not playing yet, then I'll probably miss it a little.

[dumbfish]

We're gonna have a season! We're gonna have a season!
I would have told you I wasn't missing the league much, but this news made my day, so I guess I'm a liar.
Get ready for the weirdest free-agent period in history.

[mountmccabe]

I have realized that I really don't care about the NBA anymore. Not on principle because of the lock-out but this has brought it to my attention. I hardly noticed when the NBA didn't start and aren't feeling much about the news that they'll probably get it back together.

I get excited when it is late summer/fall and football is start. Same for spring and baseball.

[Babar]

 

The free agent market is gonna be craaa-a-aaazy!!!

[DanielBurns11]

Bummed that it took this long, and I look at this season a lot like the last time this happened, with the Knicks/Spurs finals. It didn't (and still doesn't) really seem to 'count' in my mind. Thinking about what OKC could have done if the season had gone as planned makes me angry.

But, I am glad I'll get to see some basketball. Anybody know how many games they plan on playing?

EDIT: Nevermind, 66 games. Not as bad as the last lockout season.

[Babar]

If anything, this benefits OKC immensely because they are a young team with fresh legs compared to the other top teams in the West like Dallas, Spurs and the Lakers who will suffer more from the myriads of back-to-backs. And there is a full playoffs so I think this season definitely 'counts'. I'm predicting OKC in the Finals.

[dumbfish]

As happy as I am that we will soon have hoops, I'm pretty bummed about the pre-season moves so far. As a Laker fan, I was ambivalent about the original CP3 trade, just because Pau and Lamar's gangly arms were the real reason they won a couple of years back. Then the league spiking that trade made a mess of everything. Even worse, Lamar was my favorite player on my favorite team, so losing him for a draft pick (and a lousy one at that) stings. And now it looks like the Clips and their troglodyte owner are gonna get CP3?

My hoops boner is pretty well deflated right now.

[Babar]

[coldforge]

I know he's a lunatic, but it actually does warm my Buddhist heart to see his name now.

[Babar]

you can't just claim all the religions you think are cool.

[Ignatius]

As happy as I am that we will soon have hoops, I'm pretty bummed about the pre-season moves so far. As a Laker fan, I was ambivalent about the original CP3 trade, just because Pau and Lamar's gangly arms were the real reason they won a couple of years back. Then the league spiking that trade made a mess of everything. Even worse, Lamar was my favorite player on my favorite team, so losing him for a draft pick (and a lousy one at that) stings. And now it looks like the Clips and their troglodyte owner are gonna get CP3?

My hoops boner is pretty well deflated right now.

The NBA's list of demands for that trade is fucking ridiculous. Eric Gordon, good enough to play for Team USA; Chris Kaman, a legitimate NBA center; Eric Bledsoe, probably a future All-Star; Aminu, a young guy with a pretty bright future, and a likely lottery pick? That's a bigger haul than Denver and Utah got for the Melo and Deron Williams trades combined last season. It just reinforces what everyone knew before the CBA negotiotions: unsuccessful small market teams are shitty because of mismanagement and dumb owners looking for instant gratification.

The Spurs lucked into a once-in-a-generation talent when they drafted Tim Duncan. Same goes for the Lakers with Kobe. Small market, big market, over the cap, under the cap, whatever. Anderson Varejao was not the second best player on any one of their championship teams. They never paid $15 million to keep Corey Maggette and Drew Gooden on the roster.

The games need to start because Dan Gilbert and the other prick owners are starting to really piss me off.

[dumbfish]

Yep. Once the games are on, I'll be able to breathe through this shit.

[Thermofusion]

The Los Angeles Clippers are about to become the first large-market sports team I've ever supported*

(*supported for reasons other than "by default", i.e. "of course I'm going to root for the Red Sox against the Yankees", and that sort of thing)

[Thermofusion]

Shit, I made the mistake of reading about the Clippers' owner. That guy sounds like a dickbag. So, nevermind!

[Ignatius]

Yeah I can't trust that that team will be consistently good (and certainly no fun to root for) while Donald Sterling is alive. Or while VDN is their coach, for that matter. They will definitely be fun to watch, though. Until Chris Paul's shitty knees are forever destroyed by the ghost of Bill Walton's back.

[Ignatius]

If everything turns out ok though, they'll probably be something like Jason Kidd's Nets. One or two deep playoff runs til the West phases out old people and catches up, then poof.

[Thermofusion]

I've spent a little time thinking about a Plan B for the West, and I've decided instead to become a zealous fan of the Cousins/Fredette Sacramento Kings. Those two need to be forced to live together in front of a film crew.

[Ignatius]

Whoa you just really pissed off Tyreke Evans.

[Ignatius]

My favorite thing about that team is the time they were playing the Spurs last year and an assistant coach or someone patted Francisco Garcia on the butt, coach-style, and Garcia just turned and stared at him for about 20 mean, dangerous seconds. It was otherwise a Spurs/Kings matchup in February, and the Kings were naturally loose and carefree as hell... They had nothing at stake and no emotional investment whatsoever. Garcia's focused anger was really really disconcerting and hilarious.

[Captain]

Pretty impressed with Chandler on the Knicks today. Really baffled as to how Boston is actually winning right now.