BRAVEONTHEWARPATH93 Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 Stephen A may be a joke to you but he's entertaining. If you don't want to listen to him because you think he's a joke, don't listen. Bottom line is, he moves the needle, especially at a time like this. Well **** lol... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DM72 Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 Stephen A may be a joke to you but he's entertaining. If you don't want to listen to him because you think he's a joke, don't listen. Bottom line is, he moves the needle, especially at a time like this. Entertaining? Dudes a clown. I like how he always seems to cover his bets when making predictions. He actually said last week that, "LeBron could make his decision by Monday." Well, DUH!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lombardi's_kid_brother Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 But what about the Hornets?!?!?!?!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@DCGoldPants Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 This is what I'm pretending is going on with Ernie right now. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RawBBQSauce Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 Entertaining? Dudes a clown. I like how he always seems to cover his bets when making predictions. He actually said last week that, "LeBron could make his decision by Monday." Well, DUH!!! They all hedge their bets. Who cares? He's an entertainer and an analyst, not a front-of-the-lines reporter. These reporters are all in a rush to break the story first rather than get it right because the public has a thirst for immediate news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRAVEONTHEWARPATH93 Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 But what about the Hornets?!?!?!?!? They'll move a lot of Merch? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No Excuses Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 (edited) But what about the Hornets?!?!?!?!? Their new colors have so far failed to bring them any talent. Edited July 14, 2014 by No Excuses Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Going Commando Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 Amir Johnson has been in the leagues forever. Didn't know he was only 27. Kind of like Martell Webster in that way. I think he was an 8 year vet at 26. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lombardi's_kid_brother Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 Kind of like Martell Webster in that way. I think he was an 8 year vet at 26. I am going to sound stupid here, but I was stunned and amazed to read that Kevin Love is only 25. For some reason, I thought he and Lebron were about the same age. It seems like he has been playing for a decade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Going Commando Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 But yeah Steve that era that I grew up with (the Iverson era) was garbage. Especially the mid 2000s. I think NBA is currently the most open it's been in decades. Hell, baseball is too. With all the revenue sharing and such, anyone can put together a squad and win I think it's more open than it's been in a long time too. None of the best teams in the league are invincible. The Spurs are scary as a group when they're executing well, but break it down and not a single one of their players are scary. And on the other end, Westbrook and Durant and CP3 and Blake Griffin are scary, but is anyone really afraid of the Thunder or Clippers as a whole? It's becoming more of a rock paper scissors league and I kind of like it. I think GMs and coaches should matter as much as great players, and the more star player stability you get and the stricter a salary cap, the more coaching and management will matter. I don't want parity in the sense that incompetent management can compete well because nobody is actually very good. I want the really good managers to be able to legitimately compete for championships whether or not they've got a spendthrift owner/huge tv deal or lucked into a transcendent player in the draft/free agency. And I don't really want to go back to the old way and have LeBron and Durant split almost all of the championships for the next decade. Another way to put it would be that I want to see more San Antonios in the league and less Miamis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lombardi's_kid_brother Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 (edited) Another way to put it would be that I want to see more San Antonios in the league and less Miamis. But San Antonio is almost as artificial as Miami. The only reason San Antonio is as deep as they are is because their three stars - who all at one time deserved max deals - took something like 50 cents on the dollar to play there. Yes, that's unselfish. But why should players be forced to sacrifice tens of millions of dollars in order for their team to win? Why shouldn't the owners be the ones bleeding? Oklahoma should be an all-time transcendent team. But we have been denied that, because of their cheap-ass owners who made something like $30 million last year and whose equity stake has probably tripled. I'm a child of the 80s. I liked the Super Teams of that era. There is no earthly way in 2014 that a team with Dr. J, Andrew Toney, and Mo Cheeks would have been able to afford to bring in Moses Malone. But the Sixers did. And that was awesome. The Celtics had a lineup in '86 where seven guys could have legitimately made the All-Star team in the right situation. Edited July 14, 2014 by Lombardi's_kid_brother Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Always A Commander Never A Captain Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 Yeah, not even talking ****, I don't get the fascination with the Bulls. We so dominated that series, I don't think Rose changes anything. So I follow the Bulls heavily. A lot of people root for the Bulls because they're the plucky underdogs that don't give up. Most franchises would try and tank for draft picks after Rose got hurt, especially in a stacked draft class, but Thibs/Noah/etc refuse to do anything but play hard. That team wasn't very talented, and overachieved like crazy for 48 wins. The Wizards vs Bulls playoff series brought that fact out. In the playoffs every team will play harder, and the Wizards were starting to match the Bulls normal intensity. I was really impressed with Beal's consistency and effort. I went to the Wizards/Bulls regular season game in April, and in the 3rd quarter several players, including Beal, just mentally checked out. Wall was one of the few still trying to make a comeback happen. The Wizards were simply a more talented squad. But, the '15 Bulls are shaping up to be a very different team than the '14 Bulls. Even without Rose. Boozer's main worth used to be his mid range shooting, drawing his defender 15-18 feet away from the basket. But over the past few years his shooting % from that area has been declining. He's washing up, and can't hit that jumper reliably anymore. Defenders know this, and are clogging the paint again. Boozer will be anmestied. He's gone. The Bulls have been spending draft picks on guys who can shoot. Tony Snell struggled to shoot from deep his rookie year, but he was prolific in college, and is shooting very well in summer league. They're bringing over Nikola Mirotic, a stretch power forward who was MVP of his league, and shot 46.1% from deep last season. They signed Pau Gasol, who hits the midrange jumper better than Boozer's been doing the past few years, he's also 4 inches taller and an actual passer. They drafted Doug McDermott, who is a freakishly good shooter. So while the Bulls missed out on Carmelo Anthony, their offense should have more spacing than it's had in years. Just like how Redskins fans are excited for DeSean Jackson to stretch defenses out vertically, freeing Garcon/Reed up from extra safety attention. Bulls fans are excited to watch a team that should be the best shooting team it's had in years. So they're excited to see what Rose could do, with actual spacing. The parrallels between next seasons Bulls and next seasons Redskins are strong. Both should have different looking offenses that function better than they've had for years. Both fanbases have a lot to be optimistic about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRAVEONTHEWARPATH93 Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 (edited) Honestly, I'm not worried about Rose. He was starting to put it together right before he got hurt again. Even with him at 60%, Bulls should win games The difference between me and most bulls fans is that I don't expect a title every year. They do which is why everyone is ****ting on this offseason. Bulls aren't a title contender but could definitely sneak into the finals IMO I just want to see a competent offense. Edited July 14, 2014 by BRAVEONTHEWARPATH93 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sticksboi05 Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 (edited) Any arguing over the East is kind of pointless, it is wide open. Any team could go to the Finals between Chicago, Cleveland, Washington, Toronto, Indiana and Miami. The LeBron factor is signifiant but so is the Rose factor. I'll take LeBron in that one because Rose is going to be a has been when he comes back. The only player off the top of my head in sports I can think of that came back just as good after such a long break is Mario Lemieux except Lemieux was a top 3 player ever and Rose is not close to that level. So right now, I can't pick the Bulls to come out of the East, gun to my head. Edited July 14, 2014 by Sticksboi05 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Going Commando Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 Suprising. I would have pegged basketball as your #1 sport as you post in here the most and in the Wizards thread. If you are disguested with the NFL, I don't know how you can't be twice as digusted with the way the NBA has been scripted...er run in the last 35 years. Snyder? WTH has Leonsis done? I couldn't wait until Pollin was gone, now I almost want to resurrect him from the dead. I used to enjoy football way more than I do now. I still love watching the game but I don't enjoy following the NFL anywhere near like I used to. I'll watch CFB and I still love going to football games in person. I don't care whose playing, I can watch a football game. But combine capgate with a whole bunch of other NFL sleaziness and the league jumped the shark for me. Also, Dan Snyder is the worst. It's been 15 years and in that time he's destroyed every last bit of the Redskins' credibility. We're about even with Oakland and Cleveland as the laughingstock of the league, only relevant today because a bunch of people think our name is racist. I honestly think the Redskins' brand is lousier than the Wizards' now. Can you imagine that? There is also a reason that the majority of the football world hates the guy, that's something I don't think a lot of Redskins fans are willing to accept. As for Pollin, he was a classy man and deserves respect. He was a good man and he really did a lot for D.C. I don't like bashing him, but things got pretty bad during his last two decades as owner under Unseld and Jordan. Abe just lost touch and he sent out a lot of conflicting messages/mandates for his personnel guys. Ted may not be great, but his teams generally make the playoffs more often than not, and I won't have to break out the paper bag for his teams any more. That's not the case with Snyder's team. Right now, the edge goes to Snyder IMO. He cares about the team, but didn't (doesn't) know how to run it properly. Leonsis only cares about himself, his popularity and his blog. Grunfeld isn't the worst. He should be named the new 50/50. I don't see how you can think that considering the season the Redskins just had versus the season the Wizards just had. But I don't see how anyone still defends Snyder anyway. To me he's loathsome. Yeah I'll agree, Ernie is a 50/50 GM. Ted's probably a 50/50 owner. And I will absolutely take that over everything the Redskins have been the past 15 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRAVEONTHEWARPATH93 Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 Any arguing over the East is kind of pointless, it is wide open. Any team could go to the Finals between Chicago, Cleveland, Washington, Toronto, Indiana and Miami. The LeBron factor is signifiant but so is the Rose factor. I'll take LeBron in that one because Rose is going to be a has been when he comes back. The only player off the top of my head in sports I can think of that came back just as good after such a long break is Mario Lemieux except Lemieux was a top 3 player ever and Rose is not close to that level. So right now, I can't pick the Bulls to come out of the East, gun to my head. Me neither. Gun to my head, I'm picking LeBron. If not him, I'm picking the Pacers cuz I figure they have to put it together eventually Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Going Commando Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 I too think the Bulls will be better this year, with or without Rose. McDermott and Pau were good gets. Noah and Gibson should still be in their primes and Gibson should start next season, which improves the overall play of the starting unit. Butler will probably keep improving for the next two years or so. Hinrich is still useful as a back up PG and defensive specialist. And Snell should be better, a legit rotation player, but I don't expect him to actually be good in just his second season. Yeah and maybe you do get something good out of Mirotic, though I wouldn't expect too much. You know the team will field a top three or four defense and it will be cohesive and well led. But I still see talent being an issue in some matchups. It's unlikely that McDermott and Mirotic will be able to handle a ton of minutes and be effective. Most of the improvement this season is going to have to come from a heavily declining Pau Gasol, an improving Jimmy Butler, and the return of Rose in some kind of decent form. And there's another issue on the horizon for next summer in Jimmy Butler's contract status. I think the Bulls are good enough to handle a lot of the Eastern teams in the postseason but I don't think they're good enough to handle Washington or Indy. Not without Rose being Rose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjfootballer Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 But what about the Hornets?!?!?!?!? Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sticksboi05 Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 I used to enjoy football way more than I do now. I still love watching the game but I don't enjoy following the NFL anywhere near like I used to. I'll watch CFB and I still love going to football games in person. I don't care whose playing, I can watch a football game. But combine capgate with a whole bunch of other NFL sleaziness and the league jumped the shark for me. My issue with the NFL is it is way too over analyzed and over exposed at this point. They have 70 hours of pregame rehashing the same bull**** and 70 hours of postgame rehashing the same bull****. And then all the fake fans playing fantasy football who care more about their fantasy team than their alleged actual team, it's hard to even have a conversation about the actual game anymore because people won't shut up about their fantasy team. Fantasy conversations are very simple, there is not much sophistication...you need one player to do well or you need another player against you to do poorly, I get it, that's how it works. Then of course, removing the defense from the league and pretending the product is as good. Telling players they cannot celebrate touchdowns. The league has guys jumping around for hours after average tackles as if they won the Super Bowl and now they can't celebrate when they actually do something successfully? I enjoyed the NFL much more back in high school personally. It's just too much overanalysis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRAVEONTHEWARPATH93 Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 I think you're selling Mirotic a bit short. I know there will be an adjustment but he was widely regarded as the best player not in the NBA. He's expected to contribute. I initially despised the McDermott pick but am warming up to him after watching the SL games. Knocking down threes when open is something that will translate. Same with Snell. But yeah, I'm not sure they can put it all together. We' ll see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCranon21 Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 I am going to sound stupid here, but I was stunned and amazed to read that Kevin Love is only 25. For some reason, I thought he and Lebron were about the same age. It seems like he has been playing for a decade. I think he came into the league at 18 or 19. But yeah, he's only 25. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky21 Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 some light reading for Monday afternoon LeBron James Is A Self-Centered, Backstabbing Liar http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2014/07/14/uram-lebron-james-is-a-self-centered-backstabbing-liar/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lombardi's_kid_brother Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 some light reading for Monday afternoon LeBron James Is A Self-Centered, Backstabbing Liar http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2014/07/14/uram-lebron-james-is-a-self-centered-backstabbing-liar/ That reads like a parody of a hot sports take. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sticksboi05 Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 Bill Simmons piece...God Loves Cleveland http://grantland.com/features/god-loves-cleveland/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Always A Commander Never A Captain Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 I think you're selling Mirotic a bit short. I know there will be an adjustment but he was widely regarded as the best player not in the NBA. He's expected to contribute. I initially despised the McDermott pick but am warming up to him after watching the SL games. Knocking down threes when open is something that will translate. Same with Snell. But yeah, I'm not sure they can put it all together. We' ll see. McDermott's been knocking down 3's from several feet behind the line. He's got ridiculous range. It's also not common for players to come off a screen and do a catch and shoot 3 in one motion, yet he did that yesterday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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