The NBA Thread

[RoyalFlush]

Hey guys. Sorry I've stopped posting playoff scores and keeping you up to date, but I've been really busy with exams and havn't managed to get any free time to even come on to the forums. But now their over and I can look forward to 3 months of SC hardcore action!

I'm surprised this thread completely died down just before Game 6. I mean cmon guys, Miami wins the NBA Finals and nothing gets said? I was shocked to go on to ESPN.com and see Wade holding the Finals MVP trophy. I honestly didn't expect the Mavs to underperform at their place, but I guess the momentum carried the Heat all the way, and probably deserved to win it in a battling fashion. In a way I'm glad the Heat did win it. The East received so much stick this year for not having the quality and depth that the West possessed, but hopefully this series will have proved people wrong. Being a Magic fan and all I just hope they don't produce the same sort of form next term...

I heard last night that the Pacers are considering trading Jermaine O'Neal to Toronto for Charlie Villanueva and their number 1 pick in this years draft!

What do you make of that!??

Personally I think bad move all round, I wouldn't wanna go to Toronto, although I guess if u could incorporate Bosh and O'Neal together thats a mean front court, plus Mo Peterson is wicked! Pacers gettin a rough deal though cos the depth of the draft this year isn't meant to be all that!

To be honest I think it would benefit both sides. O'Neal doesn't seem to be enjoying his time in Indiana, so a fresh start will hopefully bolster his game and improve his stats next season, while the Pacers will gain a lot from Villanueva, and I think they need fresh blood on their roster too, something for them to look forward to next year. For a young guy, Villanueva looks like a good prospect and began to get accustomed with the speed of the NBA come the end of the season. It will be interesting if this transaction does get completed. Doubtful, but interesting...

 

[furnish]

A few dodgy calls land in favour of Wade towards the end of Game 6 but in all they deserved it. Dallas went in big favourites and choked big time. Well done Miami.

As for the draft no one really jumps out. Aldridge, Thomas and Bargani are the primary big men with Morrison and Gay being the small forwrd options. A weak draft in all, nothing compared to what could be one of the greatest next year (especailly with Oden!).

Anyone expect any surprises next year? Magic looked good during the tail end of the season and i expect them with an ever improving Howard to compete in the East. I would like the Bobcats to do well as i like Felton and Wallace, with a healthy Okafor and 3rd pick they might challenge for a play off spot.

hopefully Amare will come back fully fit and make the Suns into a power in the West, although we did alright without him.

 

[RoyalFlush]

Anyone expect any surprises next year? Magic looked good during the tail end of the season and i expect them with an ever improving Howard to compete in the East. I would like the Bobcats to do well as i like Felton and Wallace, with a healthy Okafor and 3rd pick they might challenge for a play off spot.

I agree completely, and not just because I'm a Magic fan . We put together one of the hottest winning streaks all year during the tail end of the season, beating the elite teams like Miami, Dallas, San Antonio, Detroit and Phoenix. Howard is just a monster on the boards, he'll be one of the all-time greats in NBA history. I'm so glad we picked him over Okafor in the 2004 Draft, the best move the Magic have made for a while. With a decent draft this year I'm confident we'll be in the playoffs next season.

 

[JonnySpurs]

Ah its good to have you guys back, I was startin to think that I was the only one left on this thread doin any postin I really like the Magic, i'm a HUGE Dwight Howard fan, the guy reminds me very much of Amare but prob with a weaker outside jumpshot, Amare even has a 3 point shot now but he just won't use it in a game I doubt - apparently knocks down like 9 out of 12 in training! As a unit though the Magic do look much better now and I think are defo underrated in the league.

I'm also liking the potential that the bobcats are showing, Gerald Wallace is a cool, aggressive high flyer and I love to see him soaring up and blocking shots ala Josh Smith. There's also talk of Larry Brown headin over to take the coachin reigns so as u say, with a good pick in the draft they could really go places next season.

Furnish - You a suns fan yeah? me too! I'm convinced that we're gonna win it all next season, i can't wait to see Amare back and smashin his way through the paint! What do u make of the talk of Marion bein traded? I gotta be honest....I like Shawn, he's so underrated, but I don't think we really NEED him as I'd like to see Boris at small forward and we could bring in an excellent big man using Shawn as bait.

 

[furnish]

yeah i am a Suns fan and like you i can't wait for Amare to come back hopefully fully fit. The speculation around Marion is interesting, the main rumour i heard was R.Lewis for Marion with us getting their 10th pick. Lewis makes about $16 million less over 3 years and with Diaw needing an extension it might be a good move. The 10th pick could be used to get a decent player (considering the talent in the draft the pick might be a bit weak) but i can't help but thinking that Marion is an important piece in our puzzle especially if Amare isn't firing on all cylinders. All in all i don't know what to think about Marion but i do think we will be a force in the west next season.

 

[JonnySpurs]

Yeah I gotta be honest that the idea of taking Rashard was one that I did quite fancy the idea of, especially as you say, it was gonna free up some cash and allow us a bit more breathing room to re-sign Leandro and Boris and avoid goin over the luxury tax next year. However, seems as those D'Antoni is now saying that it aint gonna happen and he's stayin put which is fine as well....just gonna be weird to see what happens now instead.

Draft night tonight, really lookin fwd to it, I'm gonna stay up and tune in on NASN, which I subscribe too. It is kinda weak this year but if we can package our picks and move up to somewhere around 10-15 then I'd love to take someone like Carney, that guy can do it all! As D'Antoni said, beauty is in the eye of the beholder for this draft and with the way we play, certain players could be huge for us that may not be for other teams.

 

[DFF]

Right, i had to keep away from here. To let me calm down. All i would have been doing, was swearing at Terry and Stackhouse (twats).
So, anyway, Miami deserved the win, Wade is the next Jordan, and Shaq promised another title, next season. All is good in the world.

Basketball season is over, to me. The draft is more boring than Baseball. So time to concentrate on NFL now. You're dead to me. Out.



:wink:

 

[JonnySpurs]

You're dead to me. Out.

Wow, what a nice thing to say dude, lol! :adios:

 

[DFF]

:lol:

I might pop in after the draft. Watch out for that Italian!

 

[furnish]

The drafts are usually entertaining but the lack of a real superstar means that this draft lacks star appeal but gains in intrigue. Also whats in the black box (visit official site for picture and info)?

 

[JonnySpurs]

Well I was up til around 3am watchin it live and it was certainly entertaining, there were trades flying around like you wouldn't believe. Portland had like 4 first round picks or something, it was crazy.

Phoenix were lame in the end and just dealt both their picks for money and cap space. Got rid of Brian Grant though so thats quite good. The problem is that we need a 2-guard and we were all desperate for Rodney Carney but missed out. The shockin part though was that Marcus Williams fell all the way to our pick at 21 but we STILL didn't take him as a backup for Nash! Ah well, we'll probably do a trade involving J-Jones to get someone later.

Bargnani did go number 1 though.

 

[tobi]

wat was the major draft then, where did Bargnani end up?

 

[furnish]

1. Bargnani Toronto
2. Aldridge Chi to Portland
3. Morrison Bobcats
4.Thomas Port to Chi
5. S.Williams Hawks
6. Roy Minn to Portland
7. Foye Celtics to port to Minn
8. Gay Rockets
9. O'Byrant GSW
10. Sene Sonics

Was a strange draft with Portland looking like lost sheep as they traded so many times. No one from this draft is going to be a force in their first season but i like the look of Roy and Morrison to become good with the big men in the top four being decent NBA players. Starting to like the Bobcats more wih Felton,Wallace and Okafor, and why o why does no team in the NBA realise that size doesn't guarantee you a star. Everyone seems to go big if in doubt, the point guard postion is important as is shooting guard. Next year will be more fun. I am making an early prediction of Brandon Roy for rookie of the year (or ROY, with that coincidence how can he not win).

 

[tobi]

is Bargnani the italian?

 

[JonnySpurs]

Yes Bargnani is the italian.

Good shout furnish, think you could be right about Brandon Roy. I'm much more of a back court fan and believe that with a solid back court you can go far, Phoenix proved that size is not always that great, although that may be more to do with the fact that we don't pound it inside. It really does all depend on how you like to play I think.

I'm also gutted that we missed out on Shannon Brown to the Lakers, he'd have been well worth takin.

 

[RoyalFlush]

I'm quite happy with how the Magic have handled their side of the draft this year. For 11th pick they managed to grab J.J.Redick, supposedly the best shooter in the draft. With our backcourt at the moment it looks like good business. DeShawn Stevenson isn't a starter SG, hopefully Redick will add a little more depth in that position.

 

[DFF]

J.J. Redick's a great pick for the Magic. He shouldn't have too much trouble stepping up to the NBA. Where he won't be double and triple teamed, and have special defensive plays drawn up against him, every game. He also won't be enemy number 1 for away fans, who jeered him all year long. Yet he still came through, and broke the NCAA record for 3-pointers, Duke's single season, aswell as their, and the ACC's, all-time scoring records. For those doubters who talk about the shorter college 3-point distance. He's been consistently shooting 3's from NBA range, for years now.

 

[furnish]

It looks like Big Ben Wallace has signed for the Bulls on a four year deal worth $60 million! Bulls now look to have the best defence in the NBA but their front court will struggle for points. Makes them a contender in the East but only time will tell if he is worth it. ( Deal is as good as done but not 100% official yet)

 

[RoyalFlush]

Yeh I was reading up on the Wallace deal yesterday. I still can't believe he's leaving the Pistons though. Ok so he'll be getting $12 million more if he moves to Chicago for the next 4 years, but I'd much rather play with a stronger squad. I'm not really sure if it's money well spent either. Sure he's the free agent who'll make the biggest impact in the NBA next season, but the Bulls have just used up most of their salary cap on Ben Wallace. Yes, they are now definately a playoff team, and I will no doubt expect to see them in the post-season next year, but it's restricted the Bull's freedom for the rest of the season, and it hasn't even begun yet! The only way they'll increase their cap is by offloading Tyson Chandler, as he's now surplus to requirements.

I'm really surprised that he's leaving Detroit. I got the impression that he's the type of player that stays in one place for the whole of his career. I guess I was wrong. |Just shows how money is the main factor in modern day basketball.

 

[tobi]

NBA Live 07 First Look – ESPN Integration

We get a sneak peek at the ESPN integration in the next version of NBA Live 07 for next-generation consoles.

http://uk.gamespot.com/ps3/sports/nbalive07/news.html?sid=6154010