Chew Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 And Shaw is an absolute idiot for even considering it. Denver has the best natural home court advantage in the NBA. They would have the best home court advantage if they played in an empty arena. The thin air at that altitude just kills the stamina of visiting teams, who can't adjust to it in just one or two days visiting. Any Denver coach who doesn't have his team run like mad to wear down the opponent is wasting that natural advantage. Right! Denver led the NBA in scoring, fast break points, and points in the paint last year. They would just run teams into the ground night after night. Why the hell he's trying to become a halfcourt team is beyond me. With the 5th best record in the NBA last year, I doubt the Nuggets win 30 games this season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destino Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 (edited) Right! Denver led the NBA in scoring, fast break points, and points in the paint last year. They would just run teams into the ground night after night. Why the hell he's trying to become a halfcourt team is beyond me. With the 5th best record in the NBA last year, I doubt the Nuggets win 30 games this season. It's because he wants to build a team that can win in the post season. Teams can easily slow games down in the post season and teams that depend on transition and fast break points to make up for a bad half court offense tend to lose. The Clippers are doing the same thing. Both teams will get out and run when the opportunity is there but both coaches are stressing the half court offense because ultimately that's all you can depend on. This is not to say that it will work in Denver, personnel has to match the plan. Edited November 6, 2013 by Destino Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destino Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 It was a pretty weak dunk, and Lebron was just coming over to help but was too late. Still, I enjoy seeing James get schwammed on. Gonna be a long season for Denver. George Karl built that team to run, and Brian Shaw is trying to incorporate a halfcourt offense. Nuggets simply don't have the personnel to do that. http://youtu.be/99zxHbqoJCo A guy like LeBron should just hard foul anyone who tries to dunk on him. Seeing as how he only ever gets called for a foul once every five games or so, he's always got fouls to give. He probably should have been whistled on the play. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chew Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 random, but so much funny: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Lfpu7_aYKc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destino Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 Great handles are so much more fun than dunk highlights. You just can't build a daily highlight show around them because they don't happen every day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Predicto Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 random, but so much funny: Nobody ever did it better or more reliably than Tim Hardaway, IMO. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Weirdo Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 (edited) This is why I kept telling people the Sixers aren't making the playoffs. They're just arent very good. The first week was fun though and I like MCW. Edited November 7, 2013 by Who Del Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubble Screen Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 This is why I kept telling people the Sixers aren't making the playoffs. They're just arent very good. The first week was fun though and I like MCW.That kid is a baller. Would like to see him add about 10-15 pounds of muscle though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Going Commando Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 (edited) Hibbert was incredible in the postseason. He's the best player on the Pacers. I wonder how much of his postseason play will carry over into the regular season? He was scoring in the playoffs. He has the ability and he seems to have the blessing of Tim Duncan to be his heir. The only other guy in the league as big as him is Brook Lopez. Those guys can dominate if they stay healthy. Oh, I thought you were talking about that highlight video. I'm not sure if Paul George has passed Hibbert, but I know Hibbert is the leader of that team. Pacers fans and beat writers say it's his team. Paul George has been great to start this season though. He looks like a vastly improved offensive player and he's been killing it from 3. If he keeps it up, then I'll say he's passed Hibbert but I think Hibbert will probably always be the leader of the group. That's his personality. Edited November 7, 2013 by stevemcqueen1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lombardi's_kid_brother Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 (edited) This is why I kept telling people the Sixers aren't making the playoffs. They're just arent very good. The first week was fun though and I like MCW. The Sixers will be lucky to win 20 games. They are better than everyone thought....but not by much. Oh, I thought you were talking about that highlight video. I'm not sure if Paul George has passed Hibbert, but I know Hibbert is the leader of that team. Pacers fans and beat writers say it's his team. Paul George has been great to start this season though. He looks like a vastly improved offensive player and he's been killing it from 3. If he keeps it up, then I'll say he's passed Hibbert but I think Hibbert will probably always be the leader of the group. That's his personality. I look forward to seeing your essay when George finishes in the Top 3 in MVP voting. Edited November 7, 2013 by Lombardi's_kid_brother Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Going Commando Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 The Sixers will be lucky to win 20 games. They are better than everyone thought....but not by much. I look forward to seeing your essay when George finishes in the Top 3 in MVP voting. He's played at an MVP level so far. Through five games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubble Screen Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 George is definitely the best player on the Pacers lol. We're really arguing this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Predicto Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 George is definitely the best player on the Pacers lol. We're really arguing this? George is the best player on that team, a superstar in the making and a legit MVP candidate. However, Hibbert is still the most important player on that team, because they are a defensive team built around him in the middle. Losing Hibbert would hurt them more. IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lombardi's_kid_brother Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 (edited) George is the best player on that team, a superstar in the making and a legit MVP candidate. However, Hibbert is still the most important player on that team, because they are a defensive team built around him in the middle. Losing Hibbert would hurt them more. IMO. I think we are seriously over-rating Hibbert based on two playoff series last year (including one against a team that was trying to control him with Chris Anderson). He is good and is an important reason why Indy's defense is good. But that team is good on defense from top to bottom. And George is as good a defensive forward as anyone in the league. I just have a hard time thinking that a good rim protector who is not close to being a 10/10 guy is that immensely valuable. I think you could drop quite a few centers into that system between West and George and get pretty good results. Every argument for Hibbert's value pretty much has to come from Indy's team defense numbers. And this is not a Tyson Chandler situation where the center is asked to cover for 3 or 4 abysmally bad defenders. Everybody on Indy can defend. Edited November 7, 2013 by Lombardi's_kid_brother Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Predicto Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 I think we are seriously over-rating Hibbert based on two playoff series last year (including one against a team that was trying to control him with Chris Anderson). He is good and is an important reason why Indy's defense is good. But that team is good on defense from top to bottom. And George is as good a defensive forward as anyone in the league. I just have a hard time thinking that a good rim protector who is not close to being a 10/10 guy is that immensely valuable. I think you could drop quite a few centers into that system between West and George and get pretty good results. Every argument for Hibbert's value pretty much has to come from Indy's team defense numbers. And this is not a Tyson Chandler situation where the center is asked to cover for 3 or 4 abysmally bad defenders. Everybody on Indy can defend. Perhaps. Maybe my analysis is too simple, but the way I see it, the league lacks dominant centers these days (probably because everyone is so much bigger). Hibbert is second only to Howard in my center list, and guys like that are rare. As a fan of a team that desperately needed even a halfway decent center for about 30 years straight, I may be overvaluing the position. In contrast, there are a lot of good 3's out there, and as good as George is getting, he isn't at LeBron or Durant levels yet. Or maybe he is. I'm not sure you aren't right, the more I think about it. George is turning into a monster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lombardi's_kid_brother Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 Perhaps. Maybe my analysis is too simple, but the way I see it, the league lacks dominant centers these days (probably because everyone is so much bigger). Hibbert is second only to Howard in my center list, and guys like that are rare. As a fan of a team that desperately needed even a halfway decent center for about 30 years straight, I may be overvaluing the position. In contrast, there are a lot of good 3's out there, and as good as George is getting, he isn't at LeBron or Durant levels yet. Or maybe he is. I'm not sure you aren't right, the more I think about it. George is turning into a monster. Hibbert is a pretty good defensive center and there are actually a fair number of those. Noah. Gasol. Howard. Sanders. Chandler. And Hibbert is kind of awful on offense - except in playoff series where he is being guarded by Chris Andersen. (Seriously, Larry Sanders' numbers last year in nearly every category would have been better than Hibbert's career best in those same categories). Also, yes, George is not Lebron or Durant yet. But those two guys might end up 1-2 on the all-time small forward list. I mean, I could see him ending up in the top five of MVP voting for several years while never making a first team All NBA squad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lombardi's_kid_brother Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 (edited) Overall, the center position is actually in better shape (league-wide) than it has been in a while. It's certainly in better shape than the 2-guard position. If we ranked the top ten centers right now, Brook Lopez might not make the list and he is a 20 ppg guy. Edited November 7, 2013 by Lombardi's_kid_brother Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Going Commando Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 I think we are seriously over-rating Hibbert based on two playoff series last year (including one against a team that was trying to control him with Chris Anderson). He is good and is an important reason why Indy's defense is good. But that team is good on defense from top to bottom. And George is as good a defensive forward as anyone in the league. I just have a hard time thinking that a good rim protector who is not close to being a 10/10 guy is that immensely valuable. I think you could drop quite a few centers into that system between West and George and get pretty good results. Every argument for Hibbert's value pretty much has to come from Indy's team defense numbers. And this is not a Tyson Chandler situation where the center is asked to cover for 3 or 4 abysmally bad defenders. Everybody on Indy can defend. Hibbert is the best defensive center in the league and should have won DPOY last season. You can't just drop any C in there and replace him. He's been the most impactful defensive player in the game right now. He's also a terrific rebounder and force on the offensive glass and he's a dominant physical presence. He's the biggest player in the league. And he's a legit low post scorer now. I bet if you take away Hibbert's D, Indy's team D takes a major step back. Why shouldn't a break out postseason where he led a team with two other good players and a whole bunch of ordinary guys within a hair of the finals and looked like the best post player in the game factor heavily in an evaluation of him? Shouldn't it weigh more than Paul George's first four games of this season? And Hibbert's value isn't reflected in his numbers at all. That's true for most of the good centers, namely Gasol and Noah too. You can watch the Pacers and even though Paul George is the one racking up counting stats, Hibbert is the one dominating the game. Plus he's Indy's leader. Ask Indy fans or watch Indy broadcasts. They say Indy is Hibbert's team. But Paul George has been brilliant so far. That's why Indy has been scary. But Paul George's defense is much less than Hibbert's in both value and quality. He's very good, but there are better defenders at his position. He did get completely smoked by LeBron and Carmelo in the playoffs. Compare that to Kawhi eating LeBron's lunch for most of the Finals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Going Commando Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 Overall, the center position is actually in better shape (league-wide) than it has been in a while. It's certainly in better shape than the 2-guard position. If we ranked the top ten centers right now, Brook Lopez might not make the list and he is a 20 ppg guy. Lopez would make it. He's a truly gifted offensive player. He's Brooklyn's best player and they've got a lot of good players. He makes scoring look completely effortless and he's a really intimidating and enormous presence. 1.) Howard 2.) Hibbert 3.) Gasol 4.) Duncan 5.) Noah 6.) Lopez 7.) Cousins For true centers. Horford and Bosh would be next if you count PFs that have been playing out of position at C for a while. 10 is probably either Pekovic, Gortat, Chandler, or Bogut. Drummond is pretty fantastic and probably ends up high on the list if he develops some offensive skills. Monroe is a good C too but probably more naturally a PF. Sanders is an incredibly long player and gifted shot blocker and he rebounds well. But he is a fairly low skill offensive player and he's a bean pole that struggles when matched up with size. There are a lot of good players who can play C in the league, but a lot of them are undersized tweeners playing up in small lineups. There are very very few guys like Hibbert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Going Commando Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 Hibbert is a pretty good defensive center and there are actually a fair number of those. Noah. Gasol. Howard. Sanders. Chandler. And Hibbert is kind of awful on offense - except in playoff series where he is being guarded by Chris Andersen. (Seriously, Larry Sanders' numbers last year in nearly every category would have been better than Hibbert's career best in those same categories). Hibbert is far more than a pretty good defensive center. He's the best. And he's not an awful offensive player. He's a quality low post scorer and a force on the offensive glass. I don't really care what their FG%s are, he's a much better offensive player than Larry Sanders. Sanders doesn't create his own offense, Hibbert does. Sanders catches the ball at the rim and shoots from close range and then he's got two spots from mid range where he can catch and shoot at an almost passable rate. Hibbert has a much larger shooting range and he best and most productive scoring bigs in the league from 3 to 10 feet--the hardest part on the floor to score from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lombardi's_kid_brother Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 We're going to have to agree to disagree on this. He's a very good offensive rebounder, but I just don't understand how you can be the dominant defensive center in the league and not average more than 9 rebounds a game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destino Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 Hibbert has 26 blocks in 5 games this season. Doesn't mean anything but that's a pretty impressive start to his DPOY campaign. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Predicto Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 We're going to have to agree to disagree on this. He's a very good offensive rebounder, but I just don't understand how you can be the dominant defensive center in the league and not average more than 9 rebounds a game. Because he is contesting shots and letting his forwards clean up the rebounds. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destino Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 We're going to have to agree to disagree on this. He's a very good offensive rebounder, but I just don't understand how you can be the dominant defensive center in the league and not average more than 9 rebounds a game. I agree with this sort of. I think "defender" for a center can mean a lot of things and rebounding isn't necessarily required to have a great defensive impact on a game. Better to say that he's not as productive as he should be rebounding the ball. The same thing comes up with Nene. The wizards homer answer is that he boxes out very well and in doing so makes rebounds easy for his teammates. I don't buy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destino Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 (edited) Roy Hibbert protects the rim Well, duh. SportVU provides us with a better look at rim protection. Our advanced stats can tell you what opponents shot from the restricted with a certain player on the floor, but those numbers include attempts when that certain guy wasn’t close to the basket. If you set a filter on that data, you’ll see that opponents have shot 28-for-64 (43.8 percent) from the restricted area with Roy Hibbert on the floor, the lowest mark among defenders who have been on the court for at least 50 restricted-area attempts. And we also see a bunch of other Pacers on the list, seemingly benefiting from Hibbert’s influence. The SportVU numbers isolate the shots that each player is really defending. With Hibbert protecting the rim, opponents have shot 14-for-44 (31.8 percent), the sixth-lowest mark among players who have defended at least five shots near the basket per game. That kind of information adds to the Defensive Player of the Year conversation and also might help us measure the value of blocked shots. Are the league’s block leaders also near the top of that list, or are there shotblockers who sacrifice other shots around the basket by being too aggressive? DeAndre Jordan ranks 14th at 1.8 blocks per game, but opponents have shot 60.7 percent against him at the rim (and the Clippers rank last in defensive efficiency). http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2013/11/06/early-storylines-out-of-sportvu/The SportsVU thing the NBA is running is a stat nerds dream. Edited November 7, 2013 by Destino Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now