Official NBA 2012-2013 Season Thread

[pmatic]

The NBA announced the following participants, coached by James Harden and Russell Westbrook, for the All-Star weekend Celebrity Game:

Josh Hutcherson, Ne-Yo, Kevin Hart, Trey Songz, Common, Usain Bolt, Nick Cannon, Terrence J, Arne Duncan, Maya Moore, Bruce Bowen, Clyde Drexler, Dikembe Mutombo and Sean Elliot.

The game will be played on Friday, February 15 at 7:00 PM ET.

 

[airjordan jb23]

Didn't he tear his ACL again last season??


 I'll never forget when we played him and OJ Mayo's AAU squad in Vegas.... My boy got yambed on soooooo bad by Walker 

Man I remember watching them in HS thinking they were going to take over the league together. Bill was such a man child, his bounce back then was silly, I thought he might be a better pro than OJ

Those two in HS :x

 

[lawdog1]

If i'm the clippers i'm offering up D.Jordan and bledsoe for Jeffereson right now, but that still wouldn't help the jazz

IMO, that's too much for the Clippers to give up for Jefferson, especially when it would leave us without a true back up PG. I can see why the Jazz might want Bledsoe, but not Jordan since they would still have Favors and Kantor. I don't see a Clippers-Jazz trade really working.

 

[antidope]

Random thought, but does anyone know Spetacular in real life? I remember him being one of the people that got hit real hard by Sandy, and then he came back but now hes gone again. Seems like he hasnt posted in weeks.

 

[jjs07]

A lot.

Levien doesn't know much about managing a team, that's why he hired Hollinger to help evaluate players. Chris Wallace is like the odd man out. I wonder what Michael Heisley thinks about all of this. He has season tickets this season with the Grizzlies, but I haven't seen him at a game since these trades went down

Pretty much all. He's an advance stat junkie that knows nothing about the game and the new Grizz owner thought it would be a good idea to give him a job. There's a reason he couldn't get another NBA gig after his short tenure with the Spurs.

Makes you wonder ..

A) If the Grizz really are the Hawks of the West

and

B) if they'll be trying to "rebuild" sooner rather than later.

 

[bigmike23]

so hollins is going to become the scapegoat now

what is "hawks of the west"?

 

[Deleted member 38182]

Didn't he tear his ACL again last season??

 I'll never forget when we played him and OJ Mayo's AAU squad in Vegas.... My boy got yambed on soooooo bad by Walker 

Man I remember watching them in HS thinking they were going to take over the league together. Bill was such a man child, his bounce back then was silly, I thought he might be a better pro than OJ

 I think a few of us thought this too. But then I'm pretty sure he tore his ACL during his senior year 

 

[mjshoefanatic]

If i'm the clippers i'm offering up D.Jordan and bledsoe for Jeffereson right now, but that still wouldn't help the jazz

IMO, that's too much for the Clippers to give up for Jefferson, especially when it would leave us without a true back up PG. I can see why the Jazz might want Bledsoe, but not Jordan since they would still have Favors and Kantor. I don't see a Clippers-Jazz trade really working.

Exactly the last thing Utah needs are more bigs.

 

[grandtheftbike]

The NBA announced the following participants, coached by James Harden and Russell Westbrook, for the All-Star weekend Celebrity Game:

Josh Hutcherson, Ne-Yo, Kevin Hart, Trey Songz, Common, Usain Bolt, Nick Cannon, Terrence J, Arne Duncan, Maya Moore, Bruce Bowen, Clyde Drexler, Dikembe Mutombo and Sean Elliot.

The game will be played on Friday, February 15 at 7:00 PM ET.

bowen gonna rustle some celeb jimmies

 

[blazers21ntnp]

The NBA announced the following participants, coached by James Harden and Russell Westbrook, for the All-Star weekend Celebrity Game:

Josh Hutcherson, Ne-Yo, Kevin Hart, Trey Songz, Common, Usain Bolt, Nick Cannon, Terrence J, Arne Duncan, Maya Moore, Bruce Bowen, Clyde Drexler, Dikembe Mutombo and Sean Elliot.

The game will be played on Friday, February 15 at 7:00 PM ET.

Arne Duncan for MVP.

 

[jjs07]

so hollins is going to become the scapegoat now


what is "hawks of the west"?

Good regular season record and will probably get bounced come playoff time. Not a true contender.

 

[flyerthandelta]

We all know what happens to the Spurs when they wind up with best record. Nothing new to me....

 

[Deleted member 38182]

The NBA announced the following participants, coached by James Harden and Russell Westbrook, for the All-Star weekend Celebrity Game:

Josh Hutcherson, Ne-Yo, Kevin Hart, Trey Songz, Common, Usain Bolt, Nick Cannon, Terrence J, Arne Duncan, Maya Moore, Bruce Bowen, Clyde Drexler, Dikembe Mutombo and Sean Elliot.

The game will be played on Friday, February 15 at 7:00 PM ET.

How many ankles is Bruce Bowen gonna take out???

Don't DBD.... just don't.

 

[Deleted member 38182]

The NBA announced the following participants, coached by James Harden and Russell Westbrook, for the All-Star weekend Celebrity Game:

Josh Hutcherson, Ne-Yo, Kevin Hart, Trey Songz, Common, Usain Bolt, Nick Cannon, Terrence J, Arne Duncan, Maya Moore, Bruce Bowen, Clyde Drexler, Dikembe Mutombo and Sean Elliot.

The game will be played on Friday, February 15 at 7:00 PM ET.

Arne Duncan for MVP.

this!!! 

I even liked his FB page after watching him play these last few years 

 

[lawdog1]

Either Harden or Westbrook should name Demarcus Cousins assistant coach. I'm sure Sean Elliot would love it.

 

[victor page]

I'm just glad eventually things will get back to normal and we don't have to hear about the Grizzlies so much.

 

[pmatic]

Either Harden or Westbrook should name Demarcus Cousins assistant coach. I'm sure Sean Elliot would love it.

Better yet, have Boogie call the game.

 

[Deleted member 38182]

 

Either Harden or Westbrook should name Demarcus Cousins assistant coach. I'm sure Sean Elliot would love it.

Better yet, have Boogie call the game.

 

[bhzmafia14]

I'm just glad eventually things will get back to normal and we don't have to hear about the Grizzlies so much.

Grizz are not about to fall off the map

Like I said, they may not be contenders but they are going to still be good. Not as good as I wanted them to be when we had our initial team together, though. Plus, you never know what amy happen witth this team. They are one of the most unpredictable franchises in the NBA right now. They have started the past two seasons are bad, ended up almost getting to the WCF one of those seasons and tied for the 3rd best record the next season.

For all we know, they could end up a 1st seed and then getting bounced out the 1st round this season. I just don't know what to expect at this point because of the shake up. I don't hype anything up unless I'm confident in it and that's why I'm not hyping up this current team. I'll have a better vision come April and will make my wild prediction that everyone laughs at that ends up coming close to being true

 

[antidope]

so hollins is going to become the scapegoat now

what is "hawks of the west"?

We all know what happens to the Spurs when they wind up with best record. Nothing new to me....

And we all see whats happening to the Lakers right now.

 

[jumpmanfromdabay]

 

[CP1708]

Not sure how much sense a Spurs-Jazz trade would make.


The Spurs as currently constructed have the best record in the league, and they're both playoff teams in the same conference. Not sure why they'd want to mess it up at this point, or why Utah would want to deal Jefferson to a conference rival.

[SIZE=10pt]Spurs and Jazz management are very close, its to the point where you cant even consider them rivals. Any trade that is decided upon will be fair and beneficial to both teams, guaranteed.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]As much as I love our depth it was the main reason we lost last year to OKC IMO. Pop did not shorten the rotation at all, and in the playoffs there is no reason to play 12 guys. Play your 8 best guys as much as possible, and push it to 10 if you need to. 11 guys played in almost every game, even if for a short amount of time, its too much. In any game that wasnt a blowout OKC played 8 or 9 guys, we were guaranteed to play 10. After a certain point I was against it, and though he should shorten it. You play 8 and give guys continuity on the floor.[/SIZE]

See, at least there is one Spurs fan that understands something other than cheering the teams name.

Problem is, and has been, he can't get his biggest guys to play 40-42 minutes anymore and he knows that. And that has been, and will be part of why they can't advance come playoff time. Once the other team gets 2 weeks to focus on them, and not just 24-48 hours like in the regular season, it's over. They don't have the extra gear that's needed.

I don't know if Al Jefferson is the solution either. Fairly sure it isn't, but depends on what they have to give up. If they get him for nothing, then maybe I'd change my opinion of it.

 

[bhzmafia14]

I actually thought the team was about to get back to playing the way they were playing in November, or at least close to it after the Cleveland trade. They had the one loss to New Orleans, blew out the Lakers and Nets, then came back on Philly in Grizz fashion to win. Then, they trade Rudy. That was the worst timing to make a move

You don't make that kinda move when your team has won 3 of their last 4, when just last week they were blown out by 20+ 3 straight games. They were showing improvement with just by making some minor adjustments by playing Bayless as a scoring guard and giving Wroten minutes behind Conley. I would've waited til the deadline to make a move, if I would've made one.

 

[proshares]

Rookie Watch: Best of 19

When evaluating players, there are dozens of variables to consider. But the one that tends to be forgotten the most by fans -- yet treasured strongly by NBA executives -- is the player's age.

Teams consider age for two main reasons: (1) It helps explain the player's success in college, and (2) it shows how long the player has to make big jumps in production. The top targets are always young players who are big producers. After that, teams value young players who are solid but have the physical/skill trajectory of a much better player -- their youth provides them with more time to develop.

As has been discussed in these reports numerous times, a player's trajectory -- his upside -- is best realized when he's in his best environment for growth. The team may or may not be good, but the opportunity for development must be there. Many times, of course, it is not. So when we project how a player is going to perform over time, that has to be taken into account.

However, we can still rate a player purely on the level of his ceiling, how good the player can ultimately be if given the perfect situation. And that's what we'll be doing over the next several weeks as we rank the rookies by age. Up first, the guys who typically have the highest ceilings, the 19-year-olds.





Drummond

1. Andre Drummond, Pistons
There are many ways to define talent. But for the sake of this report, I like to define talent as "production minus mechanics." That is, someone who is very productive and efficient without really knowing what he's doing is extremely talented. Like Drummond.

Last April, I wrote that Drummond could be an All-Star in his second or third season, if he developed according to plan, because there are so few men on earth who can move like he can at his size and length. But he's even better than I projected. There is no one else in this age group who has his collection of tools. The fact that he's doing so much without understanding the game suggests he can truly dominate beginning as early as next season and lasting over a decade. When you can own the paint on both ends, you become a superstar, and Drummond has that in his reach.

If he can develop just an average free throw stroke, he can become a multiple-time All-Star -- yes, even without any kind of reliable post move. And that is the beauty of being just 19 years old -- he has years to develop more than just his free throw shooting. As he begins to read and anticipate while also crafting his game, he'll improve even more than he has since high school.



Davis

2. Anthony Davis, Hornets
If the draft were held today, it's absolutely possible -- maybe even likely -- that Drummond would go No. 1 overall. But Davis would certainly not fall below No. 2. He's proven to be every bit of the can't-miss prospect we thought he would be, combining elite athleticism and timing with a better set of offensive skills than we saw in the NCAA championship game.

I never saw Davis as a future Tim Duncan, as others have, but if Davis and Drummond were stocks, I'd probably allocate most of my money on Davis. Drummond has a higher ceiling on paper, but Davis is more likely to reach a higher level, thanks to his more polished game and his elite quickness for the position.

He is also going to get stronger, and his game will jump a few levels when that happens, making him an elite defender possibly by next season and helping him become a multiple-time All-Star.



Beal

3. Bradley Beal, Wizards
I never understood the Ray Allen comparisons, other than they each have sweet-looking strokes. Beal is more like a less-quick version of Eric Gordon, but a better shooter. That alone makes him good enough for third on this list.

As the NBA has evolved on defense -- flooding ball-side action and making teams make the extra pass to the opposite side -- great perimeter shooting has become more valuable than ever. Take a look at the top six 3-point-shooting teams by percentage: Golden State, New York, Oklahoma City, Atlanta, Miami and San Antonio. All six are playoff teams, including the top two seeds in each conference.

Beal has the game to be a strong starter for a contender, and he is capable of being a career 40-plus-percent shooter from deep. As a gifted ball-mover and a willing defender, he's going to be in consideration for future All-Star berths if he's on contending teams. He can also be his team's leading scorer, depending on the offensive game plan, and his talent as a shooter should help his teammates have productive seasons simply because of the attention he'll draw.



Kidd-
Gilchrist

4. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Bobcats
Kidd-Gilchrist shouldn't be viewed as a 19-year-old for the simple reason that his body is far beyond most his age. So he won't change as much physically as the other rookies on this list. But that's not to say he won't get better, because he will.

We can assume he will be at least an average shooter, perhaps even a solid one. And we know MKG projects to be the best player on his team in one category: defense, which is where his talent lies. His overall feel and effort rank high, as well. (Each of the three guys above him on this list can be the best player on his team in at least two categories.)

However, offense carries more weight than defense -- the top five teams in this league right now are also the top five offensive teams, and the past four title teams were all top-four offenses in the postseason because they feature dynamic offensive players. MKG is a step behind Drummond, Davis and Beal on that end.



Wroten

5. Tony Wroten, Grizzlies
Wroten has the biggest range between his best-case and worst-case scenarios on this list. He is a superbly gifted and willing passer, with special vision and anticipatory skills that help him find buckets for teammates. He's also a big guard who has the potential to be tough to defend off the dribble. His size and quickness enable him to have big defensive potential, too, with the added bonus of being able to guard 2s and give his team the ability to play two point guards in crunch time. Coaches love that option in today's game.

All of this sounds great until we factor in his downside: poor decision-making, very little reading of the game along with lots of wildness, and an inability to shoot perimeter shots and free throws. If I was ranking the players who were most likely to reach their potential, Wroten would finish last on the list. Talentwise, though, he's got the rare tools to be a long-term starter as a defensive ace and a passing wizard.





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



To Be Determined



Harkless
Moe Harkless, Magic
I don't know what to make of Harkless as of now. He's long and relatively athletic, but as a nonshooter and a nonscorer I can't tell what he can become yet. He looks to be effective in the paint, thanks to his length, and he had experience playing more as a big forward than a small forward at St. John's.

I see some Thaddeus Young in him, which should make Orlando smile, and I think he can be a better perimeter defender than Young is. If Harkless can learn to make 15-foot jumpers, he could be a solid bench player for a good team, at the least. Adding a reliable 3-point shot would give him a higher ceiling, but few guys learn to shoot it well when they never have before, except for guards.



Teague
Marquis Teague, Bulls
We've barely seen Teague on the court this season, which is somewhat surprising considering Derrick Rose has been out. Perhaps Teague's weak frame and lack of defensive IQ are what's keeping him on the bench. But we know his quickness is at an elite level, and his brother, Atlanta's Jeff Teague, took a few years before he arrived.

I think Teague has a bright future in this league. His ball skills and quicks are rare. So seeing him start at point guard one day in the NBA would not be surprising, though it would be surprising in Chicago. I expect him to play great in Vegas this coming summer, giving us a better chance to evaluate his upside. Like the other guys on this list, he's just 19 years old and has time to develop.

 

[ag 47]

And we all see whats happening to the Lakers right now.

True, but it's tough to place ANY faith in that Spurs team based on their recent postseason history. A later for the same aging core does nothing to convince me (or most) otherwise.