* Offiical NBA Off-Season Thread: I'll give one of my damn kidney's for these Melo rumors to stop *

[got shoes]

Did the USA & China exhibition game come on tv?

 

[Deleted member 38182]

Originally Posted by got shoes

Did the USA & China exhibition game come on tv?

Naw, it was pretty limited to even the media. It was a scrimmage, media were locked out of the first "quarter".


[h1][/h1]

[h1]United States thrashes China in tuneup[/h1]

Associated Press

NEW YORK -- Short on size, the United States showed off a surplus of speed.

Danny Granger scored 22 points and the Americans sprinted past China 98-51 in a scrimmage Saturday at Madison Square Garden.

[h4]Sheridan: Green Likely To Be Cut[/h4]
Though no one wanted to say it, it appears Jeff Green will be cut from Team USA after not logging a minute in Saturday's scrimmage, writes Chris Sheridan. Story

On a day they gave their strongest hint yet that they're prepared to take only one center to the world championships, the Americans were credited with a 32-4 advantage in fast-break points.

"We're the fastest team, I think, in the world, so we've got to use that to our advantage," Philadelphia's Andre Iguodala said.

Eric Gordon strengthened his case for a spot on the team with 15 points, while Kevin Durant added 14 and Derrick Rose had 12.

Among those in attendance was Kobe Bryant, who was on the gold medal-winning team in 2008.

Granger, showing no effects from a dislocated ring finger on his shooting hand, was 9 of 12 from the field and made three 3-pointers. He was hurt earlier this week and missed a day of practice.

"I score the ball, that's what I do," Granger said.

Gordon made three of the Americans' 11 3-pointers. Though he's been considered on the bubble to make the final roster, he's played well in U.S. game action and supplies some of the outside shooting a perimeter-oriented team needs. He scored 16 points in the intrasquad scrimmage last month in Las Vegas.

Coach Mike Krzyzewski likely did show who two of his cuts will be, not using Jeff Green or JaVale McGee. If McGee is cut, it would leave Tyson Chandler as the only true center on the U.S. team.

The Americans believe they can overcome a lack of size with their speed and shooting. It worked for three quarters. The first field goal of the fourth quarter put the Americans up by 51 points.

The teams played four 10-minute quarters, with the score reset at the beginning of each period. The Americans outscored the Chinese 35-8 in the third, then lost the fourth 17-16 when Gordon was just short on a 3-point attempt at the buzzer.

"We expected to win every quarter," Gordon said. "It didn't happen for us, but we really did good the first three quarters."

Yi Jianlian of the Washington Wizards scored 13 points for China.

Both teams will play Sunday in a doubleheader at Madison Square Garden. The United States faces France in its lone exhibition on home soil, with China meeting Puerto Rico in the second game.

The Americans leave Monday for three exhibition games in Europe. Their first game in Turkey is scheduled for Aug. 28.

"We just need to play," Krzyzewski said. "I'm not saying China's a great team or anything, but they've played, and that's what they do. They play internationally. Our guys need to play these scrimmages and games to get accustomed to the international game."

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press




Granger is doing work

[h3]http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/19088/team-usa-appears-ready-to-cut-jeff-green[/h3]

Team USA appears ready to cut Jeff Green
August, 14, 2010
Aug 14
5:45
PM ET

Sheridan By Chris Sheridan
Archive
NEW YORK - Nobody would come right out and say it, but it appears Jeff Green will be cut from Team USA before the team leaves Monday evening for Europe.

Green did not log a single minute Saturday afternoon as the United States played a closed-door scrimmage against China at Madison Square Garden, winning the first three quarters handily (the scoreboard was reset to 0-0 after each quarter) before losing the final quarter 17-16 while experimenting with a small lineup featuring Kevin Durant at center.

JaVale McGee was also a DNP-CD, but he may still make the trip to Europe for exhibition games against Lithuania, Spain and Greece as an insurance policy in case starting center Tyson Chandler gets injured.

"The chances of us having more than 12 on the plane Monday are good, but it may be one more than 12, or two more than 12," coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "What we’re trying to do is see how Lamar (Odom) and even (Kevin) Love do there at the center spot. The 3 spot and the 4 spot with (Kevin) Durant, (Rudy) Gay, (Danny) Granger and (Andre) Iguodala is pretty solid, and the 5 with those two guys (Chandler and Odom) is good.

"So, it's who do you want to be insurance or a backup for a big, and then we have to evaluate the guard situation as to making sure we have a point in there all the time. We tried to take a look at those things today, and tomorrow (in an exhibition game against France at 1 p.m. EDT) will be even better because it’ll be a game."

So with Green and McGee more or less out of the picture, the competition for the 12th spot may come down to Stephen Curry vs. Eric Gordon.

Gordon who was the better of the two Saturday, scoring 15 points and going 3-for-8 from downtown in 15 1-2 minutes to Curry's 7 points and 1-for-3 3-point shooting in 13 1-2 minutes. But Gordon could not connect on the final shot of the fourth quarter, a 3-point attempt from in front of Spike Lee's regular courtside seat off a designed inbounds play from near midcourt.

Lakers reject Sun Yue had given China the late fourth-quarter lead by sinking two free throws with 1.3 seconds left following a questionable foul call against Granger (team-high 22 points) on the perimeter.

"I was trying to ask the ref what I did," Granger said. "I don't know. It's one of those things with the international refs. They call it a little bit differently than they do in the NBA, and it's just one of those things you have to get accustomed to. And I think that was a good situation for us, because next time I'll know I'm going to have to give him at least a foot because I didn't think I fouled him. He said I hit him on the arm, and I thought I went straight up."

The U.S. team won the first quarter 20-11, the second quarter 27-15 and the third quarter 35-8 when Yi Jianlian sat out the entire quarter and the Americans employed a zone in the halfcourt when their full-court pressure failed to produce turnovers. For almost the entire 40 minutes, China was unable to get its set offense in motion because of the constant harassment from the U.S. defenders, who produced 22 steals (Gay had four, while Iguodala, Durant and Rajon Rondo had three apiece) as China committed 28 turnovers.

I watched the game with David Thorpe of ESPN.com, who is a huge Derrick Rose fan but believes Granger will prove himself to be the second most valuable player on the U.S. team behind Durant. One thing Thorpe kept repeating: "The last U.S. team had basket-getters at every position. This team doesn't."

Green did not make himself available to reporters afterward, but those who spoke to him Friday said they had noticed a change in his normally outgoing personality. Green did not distinguish himself during an intra-squad scrimmage at Radio City Music Hall on Thursday night -- except for blowing a wide-open dunk on the fast-break that led one wag (OK, it was me) to quip that it was the worst onstage moment in that building since Kanye West grabbed the microphone from Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV awards.

 

[ex carrabba fan]

Steph better make the team

 

[blazers21ntnp]

[h1]Carmelo Anthony taking his time with contract decision[/h1]By Chris Dempsey
The Denver Post


Posted: 08/14/2010 04:02:33 PM MDT

Updated: 08/14/2010 05:00:25 PM MDT


HIGHLANDS RANCH — Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony said today that he will continue pondering whether to sign a three-year, $65 million contract extension offer from the team.

Asked if he had a timetable by when he'd like to have a final decision, Anthony said, "No."

"I'm just taking my time with it," he said during his basketball camp at ThunderRidge High School. "Obviously, everybody knows I'm loyal to the Denver Nuggets community and to the Denver Nuggets. I've shown that over my seven-year stint here. I don't think anybody can question that. But at this point in time I have to do what's best for me and my family. I'm just taking my time, figuring out if I want to take that extension or not."

And without a team-imposed deadline, Anthony has all the time he could ever want. League rules say he has until June 30, 2011 to sign the extension or pick up the option on his current contract, which would pay him $18.5 million for the 2011-12 season.

So, he'll wait.

He's already said winning and a roster with the potential to win are factors. The Nuggets recently parted ways with team executives, Mark Warkentien and Rex Chapman. Anthony is being kept in the loop in the team's search for a new general manager, but he says that person won't factor into whether he signs the extension or not.

"I think my decision is my decision," Anthony said. "I don't think it's based on who is in the front office or anything like that. I'm going to make my decision based on my feelings."

What will factor heavily is progress on a new collective bargaining agreement. Anthony has attended the last two meetings, one just a few days ago in New York, where owners and players had productive dialogue.

Depending on the layout of the new CBA — if there is one by the time the current pact ends next summer — Anthony could stand to make considerably less money on a contract extension than what's currently being offered.

Right now, at least, he's willing to roll the dice.

"I've been to the one in All-Star at Dallas when we couldn't come to any agreements; it was just going back and forth," Anthony said. "Now, the one the other day in New York, we were just talking — the owners were talking, the players were talking. We want to come to an agreement. We just want to go about it the right way. There's a little bit of a light at the end of the tunnel now."

Chris Dempsey: 303-954-1279 or [email protected]

 

[all19mjs]

Originally Posted by DaComeUP

Originally Posted by airmaxpenny1

Originally Posted by CP1708

Shaq may have been better then Duncan, but Duncan is going to MAX out his career.  Every drop of it.  Can you say the same for Shaq?  Hell no you can not.  There's a reason he was swept SIX TIMES in his playoff career.  He was too lazy too many damn times in his career.  If he had the drive that others had, this would ALL be mute, MJ would be 1, and Shaq would be 2.  It's that simple.  But Shaq didn't have that.  He @#$%^& around too damn much.  So for that, I would be ok with Duncan over Shaq if people voted it that way.  I wouldn't complain at all. 

My point exactly...I can't put someone who really is as a huge underachiever as Shaq is ahead of Duncan.  Shaq should have never lost in the post Jordan era...The center's of the 90's were gone and there was  NO ONE to stop him.  Would it really have hurt Shaq to spend a couple summer improving on his free throws?  Would it have hurt Shaq spending a summer getting in shape?  Shaq could have been the GOAT imo if he had the drive to do it, but he was too into being Shaq.  Dudes a clown and always has been.  Shaw wants to make movies, Shaq wants to make movies, Shaq wants to have tv shows...It never seemed Shaq was actually that interested in basketball.  What type of message does that send to your team when its best player is the laziest one.  Sets a bad precedent.

Whether he maxed out on his talent or not you cannot argue with the fact that he was the most dominant player of our time when he played at his peak. His reign was greater than Duncan's, but Duncan was more skilled.

I gotta side wit shaq I love ducan as much as the next fan but hes boring but a winner shaq had more excitement but a slacker at times

 

[got shoes]

Originally Posted by ex carrabba fan

Steph better make the team

he might make it as a default, cuz he is the only pure shooter. Also Steph can run the point also

 

[bhzmafia14]

except for blowing a wide-open dunk on the fast-break that led one wag (OK, it was me) to quip that it was the worst onstage moment in that building since Kanye West grabbed the microphone from Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV awards.

 

[japanair21]

Shaq wants to pass Wilt Chamberlain in the career points mark.

It would put him 4th overall behind Jordan Malone and Alcindor. To achieve being 4th, he'd need 3165 points... Or average 38 points next year and play ALL 82 games.

Or, 19 points over the next two seasons.

Good luck Shaq.

He'll have a hell of a time just passing who's next on the list, Moses Malone, he needs to average 16 points next season playing all 82 games.


3165 points behind Wilt, 1771 behind Dr. J, 1325 behind Moses.

About 2,500 points behind Shaq is Kobe.

A good tidbit about Shaq's efficiency though. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd top scorers of all time are also have the most FGA, respectively. Shaq, who is 7th on that list right now, currently is seated at 19th overall in FGA.

Shaq has just a little over 10,000 FEWER ATTEMPTS than Kareem Abdul Jabbar.

Coby Karl, Brian Butch, Dwayne Jones all waived from their respective teams.

Also, no deal for Jannero Pargo yet.

 

[kvsm23vs24]

Wow Shaq is pretty efficient. I doubt he catches up to wilt though.

and i say he passes Moses next year.

 

[japanair21]

Originally Posted by kvsm23vs24

Wow Shaq is pretty efficient. I doubt he catches up to wilt though.

and i say he passes Moses next year.

Did you not see how much he needs PER game for 82 games for him to pass Moses?

If he plays two years, that's almost a given, but 16 for Shaq is quite an adventure, plus he'd have to stay COMPLETELY healthy.

Shaq has never once in his career played 82 games. He played 75 under the Suns, but the Suns trainers are amazing.

Shaq's lucky if he plays 60-65 games this year, IMO.

Plus, he has never had to have so much competition for minutes. JO usually eats up over half the minutes at Center, and that's without even mentioning when Kendrick comes back.

 

[japanair21]

Total nerd moment, Blu-ray set of Star Wars to be released in 2011.

Been waiting a while for it. The DVD sets aren't all that great, they have some great documentaries and such, but there's TONS of footage out there, hopefully Lucas gives it all to fans now that he's pretty much saturated all of the Star Wars fans wallets, let this be the last hurrah.

A glimpse of what's to come hopefully...



So sick.

 

[h3at23]

[h1]Eva Longoria: Tony Parker longs for NY[/h1]

By BRIAN LEWIS

Last Updated: 8:57 AM, August 15, 2010

Posted: 3:26 AM, August 15, 2010
http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/knic...hnPVrhiK?CMP=OTC-rss&FEEDNAME=#comments_block
http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php...l}}&CXNID=2000001.5215456080540439074NXC&tt=0http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php...s=1&CXNID=2000001.5215456080540439074NXC&tt=0http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php...s=1&CXNID=2000001.5215456080540439074NXC&tt=0http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php...s=1&CXNID=2000001.5215456080540439074NXC&tt=0http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php...s=1&CXNID=2000001.5215456080540439074NXC&tt=0http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php...s=1&CXNID=2000001.5215456080540439074NXC&tt=0http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php...s=1&CXNID=2000001.5215456080540439074NXC&tt=0http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php...s=1&CXNID=2000001.5215456080540439074NXC&tt=0http://http://www.nypost.com/f/print/sports/knicks/eva_parker_longs_for_ny_HYgBXqD8Z9c7W7hnPVrhiK
Tony Parker's wife, actress Eva Longoria, was overheard last night saying the San Antonio point guard wants to come to the Big Apple.
The couple was at sold-out Red Bull Arena last night in Harrison, N.J., to watch their friend Thierry Henry and the Red Bulls lose 1-0 to the L.A. Galaxy.

When asked if Parker's presence meant he was coming to New York, she responded, "No, we're just here watching [Henry]." When asked if her husband wanted to come to New York, she quickly flashed a smile, nodded her head and said, "Yes."

Parker will make $13.5 million in the final season of his contract with the Spurs. He'll be an unrestricted free agent after this season

 

[ex carrabba fan]

Looks like the Trev vs. Brooks thing has some legs

From the BOS Globe:

Trevor Ariza was traded to the Hornets on Wednesday as part of a four-team trade.
His departure may help team chemistry, as Ariza reportedly had a 'troubled relationship' with Aaron Brooks.

Read more: http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archi...ubled_relationship_with_brooks/#ixzz0wh0YqojU

 

[airjordan jb23]

Shaq's not passing Wilt... Not only with his age & how he's slowed down, but even he himself has said he's a role player & is here to play ihis part. Playing your part on the Celtics with their chemistry won't allow him to beat that record.

 

[i nasmatic i]

@SpearsNBAYahoo USA Hoops World team finalists: Billups, Chandler, Curry, Durant, Gay, Gordon, Granger, Iguodala, Love, Odom, Rondo, Rose and Westbrook.
I know they're trying to play uptempo and are versatile, but five PGs (and only two of them are consistent shooters)?

 

[got shoes]

Originally Posted by I NaSmatic I

@SpearsNBAYahoo USA Hoops World team finalists: Billups, Chandler, Curry, Durant, Gay, Gordon, Granger, Iguodala, Love, Odom, Rondo, Rose and Westbrook.

I know they're trying to play uptempo and are versatile, but five PGs (and only two of them are consistent shooters)?

i know right. right now there is only 2 spots?.........lets see who will ball out today

 

[bangdak]

Wow...

 

[ex carrabba fan]

Originally Posted by I NaSmatic I

@SpearsNBAYahoo USA Hoops World team finalists: Billups, Chandler, Curry, Durant, Gay, Gordon, Granger, Iguodala, Love, Odom, Rondo, Rose and Westbrook.

I know they're trying to play uptempo and are versatile, but five PGs (and only two of them are consistent shooters)?

I always had a feeling they would take 5 point guards.

Which player is going to stay home though??

Initially I would say for sure Granger but he's been having nice outings in the games.

I would also say Odom, but only having Chandler/Love as your bigs is

I would also say Billups, but I guess they want some vets on the team.

This is going to get interesting. I have a feeling it's going to be Eric Gordon even though I want him on the team. Seems like the odd man out in terms of politics and logic.

 

[i nasmatic i]

Gordon is one dimensional (for the most part) but the one thing he does is important. I like Westbrook's defense and versatility but I wouldn't keep him around.

 

[bigmike23]

i mean russy,curry and billups can play off the ball but that is still alot of guards.

russy better just play lock down D and stop chucking !%#* up on O

 

[got shoes]

Westbrooks looks reckless at times......watchin the game now, they need some offensive sets.

 

[got shoes]

USA is so sloppy

 

[bigmike23]

spike lee bandwagon self really rocking a melo jersey?

 

[manilaboyxix]

Russy?

 

[bhzmafia14]

Originally Posted by I NaSmatic I

Gordon is one dimensional (for the most part) but the one thing he does is important. I like Westbrook's defense and versatility but I wouldn't keep him around.

Exactly. Which is why I didn't understand the whole thing between him and OJ.
Who leading the team in scoring? I just got in.