Delonte is nice, but he doesn't drive that well, he's not that gifted of a leaper or anything, and his shot is still streaky (if I remember right). The shot he can fix, the driving and leaping, though ... that will be his achille's heel.
Yeah, he become a much more consistent shooter last year, which seems like a natural progression with more playing time.
And tell me honestly, who would you rather see as the playmaker on the court when Paul needs a rest or gets into foul trouble: a streaky combo guard or a natural point? Haven't you learned this lesson when Marbury was running the show two years ago?
I would rather see Gilbert Arenas, all day every day. The only thing that Hinrich does better is play defense, and not even by that much.
I swear, I still don't see Hinrich as a natural point, aside from the fact that he's not really good enough to do anything besides shoot and pass. I don't understand why people rate him so well. 13 ppg and 6 apg on .418 FG% (<--- !!! .418??!??!)? That's nothing too special. As a matter of fact, how a PG who shoots .418% even got friggin invited is stupid. That's atrocious for a PG. I'd rather have Speedy there, damn.
Hinrich is a natural PG but he is forced to play SG at times, mostly due to Ben Gordon not being interested in anything besides jacking 3s, such as playing defense. Skiles is a defense-first guy, and so he goes with the defensively superior backcourt of Duhon and Hinrich, instead of the "athletic with long arms but damned if he'll try to play D" Gordon. This of course cripples the offense by putting pressure on Hinrich to be a scorer at SG, which is not his forte.
That said, I would take Arenas over Hinrich no question. Arenas isn't a pure PG, but between him, Wade, Lebron and Joe Johnson, there's enough passing ability to keep the D honest when Paul sits.
I'd cut Hinrich, Anthony and Jamison. I think you need Bowen just in case another Jasikevicius situation comes up and you need an on-ball stopper. In 2008 you can cut him and sub Kobe as the stopper. I don't see Anthony's game fitting that well, it's almost wholly built on sideline isos. And while Jamison is a good dirty-worker, Brand is a better one with far superior defense.
RE the Magloire trade:
1) Milwaukee frees up playing time for both Bogut and Villanueva, without having to deal with the inevitable complaining from Magloire when his minutes are cut. Bogut and Villanueva both fit better in the Bucks' perimeter-based offense also, as both can step out on the floor and hit Js. Magloire on the other hand is a turnover-prone black hole who barely reached a 1:1 on his Eddy Curry ratio (TO:Ast+Blk+Stl).
2) Bucks get PG insurance. Mo Williams was good last year and Charlie Bell was surprisingly solid, but both also suffered injuries last year. Blake is a solid insurance policy who shoots over 40% on 3s with a 3.75/1 A/T ratio.
3) Portland gets ANOTHER C, and is now up to 4. Apparently no one told them Shaq was in Miami, as they continue to stockpile bigs. Magloire is likely gone after 1 year as a FA, if he's not shipped sooner. Rumors include a deal with Golden State for a package including Adonal Foyle.
US wins a 4 quarter scrimmage against Puerto Rico 116-82, with apparently the best player most likely being Carmelo, with 20 points on 10-13 FG. Those expecting a repeat US disappointment might be let down.
And tell me honestly, who would you rather see as the playmaker on the court when Paul needs a rest or gets into foul trouble: a streaky combo guard or a natural point? Haven't you learned this lesson when Marbury was running the show two years ago?
I would rather see Gilbert Arenas, all day every day. The only thing that Hinrich does better is play defense, and not even by that much.
I swear, I still don't see Hinrich as a natural point, aside from the fact that he's not really good enough to do anything besides shoot and pass. I don't understand why people rate him so well. 13 ppg and 6 apg on .418 FG% (<--- !!! .418??!??!)? That's nothing too special. As a matter of fact, how a PG who shoots .418% even got friggin invited is stupid. That's atrocious for a PG. I'd rather have Speedy there, damn.
Hinrich is a natural PG but he is forced to play SG at times, mostly due to Ben Gordon not being interested in anything besides jacking 3s, such as playing defense. Skiles is a defense-first guy, and so he goes with the defensively superior backcourt of Duhon and Hinrich, instead of the "athletic with long arms but damned if he'll try to play D" Gordon. This of course cripples the offense by putting pressure on Hinrich to be a scorer at SG, which is not his forte.
That said, I would take Arenas over Hinrich no question. Arenas isn't a pure PG, but between him, Wade, Lebron and Joe Johnson, there's enough passing ability to keep the D honest when Paul sits.
I'd cut Hinrich, Anthony and Jamison. I think you need Bowen just in case another Jasikevicius situation comes up and you need an on-ball stopper. In 2008 you can cut him and sub Kobe as the stopper. I don't see Anthony's game fitting that well, it's almost wholly built on sideline isos. And while Jamison is a good dirty-worker, Brand is a better one with far superior defense.
RE the Magloire trade:
1) Milwaukee frees up playing time for both Bogut and Villanueva, without having to deal with the inevitable complaining from Magloire when his minutes are cut. Bogut and Villanueva both fit better in the Bucks' perimeter-based offense also, as both can step out on the floor and hit Js. Magloire on the other hand is a turnover-prone black hole who barely reached a 1:1 on his Eddy Curry ratio (TO:Ast+Blk+Stl).
2) Bucks get PG insurance. Mo Williams was good last year and Charlie Bell was surprisingly solid, but both also suffered injuries last year. Blake is a solid insurance policy who shoots over 40% on 3s with a 3.75/1 A/T ratio.
3) Portland gets ANOTHER C, and is now up to 4. Apparently no one told them Shaq was in Miami, as they continue to stockpile bigs. Magloire is likely gone after 1 year as a FA, if he's not shipped sooner. Rumors include a deal with Golden State for a package including Adonal Foyle.
:^:
I agree with pretty much this whole post, and will add that, I hope Portland goes 10-72, but they'll win more games than that. I hate the Blazers, and the animosity only grew during the Lakers dynasty.
Speaking of, like 3 of 4 of them have had off-season surgery. Mostly minor, "clean the scar tissue/knee" but still. I am happy that they finally got a shooter, Radmanovic, and a PG who knows the game. Farmer isn't ready yet, but if he develops well over the next two years, he'll be solid. Next to Kobe, that's really all you need.
I am also interested to see if Kwame will pick up where he left off or fade as my boy loves to tell me about when he played in D.C. I expect Lamar to have a so-so to stellar season, just due to the death of his son. Never know how losing a loved one will make you react.
And the U.S. is going to win the WBC games, next year, it'll be worse. If you're the other coach, how would you prepare for Chris Paul, Kobe, Lebron, Wade and Dwight Howard? Match-up nightmare doesn't do that squad justice.
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Apparently you can catch Team USA play Puerto Rico again on ESPN2 tonight at 11:00 EST / 8:00 PST (actually, now that I think about that, that could be tape delay and 11:00 nat'l broadcast, too -- check your local listings).
Either way, USA v. Puerto Rico tonight, watch the new look, full-court pressing Team USA show us exactly why Larry Brown is the biggest reason we got a fucking bronze at the last Olympics. I don't have cable, so I can't watch it, but I might have to head off to a bar in order to take it all in.
Apparently you can catch Team USA play Puerto Rico again on ESPN2 tonight at 11:00 EST / 8:00 PST (actually, now that I think about that, that could be tape delay and 11:00 nat'l broadcast, too -- check your local listings).
Either way, USA v. Puerto Rico tonight, watch the new look, full-court pressing Team USA show us exactly why Larry Brown is the biggest reason we got a fucking bronze at the last Olympics. I don't have cable, so I can't watch it, but I might have to head off to a bar in order to take it all in.
I'm not big on watching the NBA or the Olympics until they actually start playing for something, but I'm actually kind of pumped up about this, and the main reason why is to see these kids rub shit in Larry Brown's face. A Dukie leading a bunch of under-25s to a world championship and an Olympic gold within four years of the Athens atrocity - what could you add to the equation that would burn Brown's ass worse than Coach K and the kids making him look fucking incompetent?
Apparently you can catch Team USA play Puerto Rico again on ESPN2 tonight at 11:00 EST / 8:00 PST (actually, now that I think about that, that could be tape delay and 11:00 nat'l broadcast, too -- check your local listings).
Either way, USA v. Puerto Rico tonight, watch the new look, full-court pressing Team USA show us exactly why Larry Brown is the biggest reason we got a fucking bronze at the last Olympics. I don't have cable, so I can't watch it, but I might have to head off to a bar in order to take it all in.
Woot! 20 minutes till this comes on.
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What do you guys think of Ben Wallace coming to the Bulls?
I actually think this is a very good move. They got rid of Tyson Chandler, which took way too long btw, and got somebody who can actually keep people out of the lane. Ben Gordon already has the ability to narrow the scoring gap during the fourth, and now theres somebody who can keep back a run while he does his thing. No more missed rebounds from Chandler, finally somebody who can get the offensive and take it back in. Then there are the dependables, mainly Nocioni, who feels out a role for himself as the game goes on. Then there is Hinrich who, regardless of what others will have you believe, is running the squad. Gordon may be the scorer, but Hinrich is the one that puts it together.
What do you guys think of Ben Wallace coming to the Bulls?
I actually think this is a very good move. They got rid of Tyson Chandler, which took way too long btw, and got somebody who can actually keep people out of the lane. Ben Gordon already has the ability to narrow the scoring gap during the fourth, and now theres somebody who can keep back a run while he does his thing. No more missed rebounds from Chandler, finally somebody who can get the offensive and take it back in. Then there are the dependables, mainly Nocioni, who feels out a role for himself as the game goes on. Then there is Hinrich who, regardless of what others will have you believe, is running the squad. Gordon may be the scorer, but Hinrich is the one that puts it together.
I say about 55-60 wins for the Bulls this season.
You, my friend, are crazy.
The only real upgrade Big Ben offers over Tyson is that he doesn't get injured as much, but their offensive games are equally atrocious, if Ben's isn't actually worse. Plus, Ben isn't going to have Rip and Sheed drawing players away from the paint for him, which is going to make a big difference, so I'd expect him to actually have a worse season than normal.
Don't fool yourself, the movie is mainly just running place. The team doesn't have the offense to win that many games, especially in a conference with Detroit and Cleveland, and especially in a league that is increasingly bending the rules to favor the wing players. I'd pick them to finish third in their division (unless LeBron gets hurt for more than 5 games, then make it second), but I'd personally be shocked if they went much over 50 games. I'd say 52 is the TOPS they'll hit, and I'd expect them to just be closer to 50. That 47 win team was just a bit of a fluke and a good run of basketball, I don't think it's really indicative of the quality of squad there is in Chicago.
Dammit -- no cable and ultimately too broke to go to a bar, so I can't watch. This team shouldn't be shooting, anyway, they should just be running these cats out of the gym. I'm hoping the depth shows its worth in the 4th quarter.
What do you guys think of Ben Wallace coming to the Bulls?
I actually think this is a very good move. They got rid of Tyson Chandler, which took way too long btw, and got somebody who can actually keep people out of the lane. Ben Gordon already has the ability to narrow the scoring gap during the fourth, and now theres somebody who can keep back a run while he does his thing. No more missed rebounds from Chandler, finally somebody who can get the offensive and take it back in. Then there are the dependables, mainly Nocioni, who feels out a role for himself as the game goes on. Then there is Hinrich who, regardless of what others will have you believe, is running the squad. Gordon may be the scorer, but Hinrich is the one that puts it together.
I say about 55-60 wins for the Bulls this season.
You, my friend, are crazy.
The only real upgrade Big Ben offers over Tyson is that he doesn't get injured as much, but their offensive games are equally atrocious, if Ben's isn't actually worse. Plus, Ben isn't going to have Rip and Sheed drawing players away from the paint for him, which is going to make a big difference, so I'd expect him to actually have a worse season than normal.
Don't fool yourself, the movie is mainly just running place. The team doesn't have the offense to win that many games, especially in a conference with Detroit and Cleveland, and especially in a league that is increasingly bending the rules to favor the wing players. I'd pick them to finish third in their division (unless LeBron gets hurt for more than 5 games, then make it second), but I'd personally be shocked if they went much over 50 games. I'd say 52 is the TOPS they'll hit, and I'd expect them to just be closer to 50. That 47 win team was just a bit of a fluke and a good run of basketball, I don't think it's really indicative of the quality of squad there is in Chicago.
I agree with that. It will be interesting to see a player stripped of such a supportive squad. Thats when the pressure goes up, and the real extent of a players talent comes out. I want to see Detroit's game this sesason too, because expendable or not, Ben was a core player for that team's flow. But still, Wallace on a bad night is leagues above Tyson on a bad night, so its still an improvement.
I dont know what you mean by drawing away from the paint, could you give an example? :roll:
Dammit -- no cable and ultimately too broke to go to a bar, so I can't watch. This team shouldn't be shooting, anyway, they should just be running these cats out of the gym. I'm hoping the depth shows its worth in the 4th quarter.
I dont know what you mean by drawing away from the paint, could you give an example? :roll:
What's with the rolly eyes? Are you being facetious? Sheed and Rip are better shooters than anyone on the Chicago roster, and as such defenders are required to extend away from the basket to guard them (this is particularly true with Sheed, who has a deadly three-point shot that has a real tendency to show up at all the critical moments), leaving more space for Ben down low. And yes, those two are much better shooters than anyone on Chicago's roster.
Dope -- the press is going to highlight the team's athleticism and depth and force the tempo onto the other squads. This is exactly what LB just couldn't wrap his damn stubborn little head around, and the reason why I have high hopes for this squad. I read that Joe Johnson got a pretty nice flush and that Arroyo crossed up Kirk Hinrich pretty bad, which just re-affirms my always growing belief that Kirk Hinrich has no place on this squad.
I read that Joe Johnson got a pretty nice flush and that Arroyo crossed up Kirk Hinrich pretty bad, which just re-affirms my always growing belief that Kirk Hinrich has no place on this squad.
Oh, it was embarrassing.
And Wade is getting a lot of calls against him on offense. I guess he's still in NBA Mode.
This game is an absolute route and the third quarter is just ending. I now have high hopes going into the championships. This team works great with this fast-paced style they have going on
Damn. There's a pretty good chance this game will end with USA having double PR's points.
There was a quote from Lebron on ESPN where he basically said "it isn't good enough to win by 4 or 5 points, we need to blow them out the water". Which is exactly the mentality this team should have.
Why is it that many of the best American basketball players won't play for the international team? Is it because American Football and Baseball aren't really played internationally? Players from other countries jump at the chance to play for their national team. The same is true for other international sports (that the US don't play) such as soccer and ESPECIALLY rugby (which was strictly ameteur until about 10 years ago).
So what gives? Why isn't Kobe on the team? Why doesn't the media heavily frown upon players who choose not to play for the US?
Why is it that many of the best American basketball players won't play for the international team? Is it because American Football and Baseball aren't really played internationally? Players from other countries jump at the chance to play for their national team. The same is true for other international sports (that the US don't play) such as soccer and ESPECIALLY rugby (which was strictly ameteur until about 10 years ago).
So what gives? Why isn't Kobe on the team? Why doesn't the media heavily frown upon players who choose not to play for the US?
Kobe is on the team, he's treating an injury.
Shaq, Duncan, KG, Kidd and Carter already won gold medals with the national team and don't want to risk their health by spending the offseason on training and international play instead of resting after a long, grueling NBA season.
Did I miss any other notables? If so, their reasons are probably similar.
Why is it that many of the best American basketball players won't play for the international team? Is it because American Football and Baseball aren't really played internationally? Players from other countries jump at the chance to play for their national team. The same is true for other international sports (that the US don't play) such as soccer and ESPECIALLY rugby (which was strictly ameteur until about 10 years ago).
So what gives? Why isn't Kobe on the team? Why doesn't the media heavily frown upon players who choose not to play for the US?
Like dmit said, Kobe is treating an injury. Duncan is resting. I don't know if KG or Kidd were even invited to the camps, as they had a specific idea about the type of team they wanted to build, not just a random collection of superstars. Lamar Odom was invited, but he had a son die in his sleep and decided to take the summer off. AI was never invited. Chauncey Billups and Michael Redd did just pass up invitations, and they generally are heavily criticized.
Particularly in the last Olympics, there was a whole team's worth of names that declined invitations to go play and this was frequently mentioned. Some tried to cite concerns over international security, but mainly they did catch tons of heat.
What do you guys think of Ben Wallace coming to the Bulls?
I actually think this is a very good move. They got rid of Tyson Chandler, which took way too long btw, and got somebody who can actually keep people out of the lane. Ben Gordon already has the ability to narrow the scoring gap during the fourth, and now theres somebody who can keep back a run while he does his thing. No more missed rebounds from Chandler, finally somebody who can get the offensive and take it back in. Then there are the dependables, mainly Nocioni, who feels out a role for himself as the game goes on. Then there is Hinrich who, regardless of what others will have you believe, is running the squad. Gordon may be the scorer, but Hinrich is the one that puts it together.
I say about 55-60 wins for the Bulls this season.
You, my friend, are crazy.
The only real upgrade Big Ben offers over Tyson is that he doesn't get injured as much, but their offensive games are equally atrocious, if Ben's isn't actually worse. Plus, Ben isn't going to have Rip and Sheed drawing players away from the paint for him, which is going to make a big difference, so I'd expect him to actually have a worse season than normal.
The Bulls aren't going to win 55, but I do think Wallace is a big upgrade over Tyson, especially at only $4 million more per year.
Ben is one of the best interior defenders in the game, and put up 4.0 Blk+Stl last year, one of only 4 players to do so (Camby, Kirilenko, G Wallace). Tyson put up 1.8 Blk+Stl. Yes, Tyson did play 8 fewer minutes a game than Ben. Yet in that 8 fewer minutes Tyson managed to rack up 1.6 TOs to Ben's 1.1 and 3.8 fouls to Ben's 2.0.
Basically Tyson does the good stuff half as well as Ben and the bad stuff nearly twice as often.
This is what happens when a kid from E. St. Louis meets some high school kids from one of the whitest towns on the West Coast -- we all gain respect for the E. St. Louis kid.
KG says he wants to be traded if the T'Wolves don't get batter quickly.
This could be fun to watch.
C'mon Kevin, you and Danny were on a team together. Send him over, so you can be part of #17.
Even though I know this has no shot of happening, KG to the Lakers would be very, very interesting. Not sure if they'll move Odom though, they like him too much.
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Just got back from the USA vs Lithuania game and I nearly lost my voice from cheering so much. The game was pretty physical and it was great to watch Wade and Anthony take over when they got mad.
Coach K was making a lot of changes throughout the game and it was funny watching him try to complain to the Korean referee about a noncall. He even got excited enough that he gave Dwight Howard a high five after a dunk. Also saw Rudy Tomjanovich and Mike D'antoni as part of the coaching staff but they mostly just sat around watched the game.
Basically Coach K had the team split into two separate squads. Squad 1 consisted of Wade, Anthony, Hinrich, Bosh, Brand, Battier, and Bowen. Squad 2 consisted of James, Johnson, Jamison, Paul, Howard, Miller, and Arenas. Squad 1 played the first and third quarters while squad 2 played the second and fourth quarters. It kinda sucked because we never got to see Lebron on the court with Wade and Anthony. Overall the first squad seemed to do a lot better both offensively and defensively than the second squad. Carmelo and Wade were extremely aggressive constantly pushing it inside and breaking down Lithuania's zone. Squad 2 seemed a little more passive and relied more on fastbreaks and screens that opened up outside shooters.
One interesting moment was during the 4th period, with the US commanding a pretty substantial lead, the team started playing a little lazily and Lebron accidentally turned it over on a sloppy pass. Coach K got up from the bench and then substituted Arenas in for Lebron to try and get the team back on track. The next stoppage he then put Lebron back in. It was good to see Coach K coaching even when the game was basically over.
The guys looked pretty focused during the game and really seemed to show a lot of comraderie with each other. Even when Lebron missed a wide open fastbreak dunk Carmelo was the first guy to get up from the bench and give him a high five at the next stoppage. When Carmelo and Wade were getting called for weird fouls Lebron was standing on the side cheering his teammates. Even though they seemed to go into cruise control at time, Team USA looks like they will dominate this time around.
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Both my parents and my sister went to Duke, so consequently they're all big Duke fans, and I've seen quite a few of their games. I was kind of weirded out to see Coach K and Shane on team USA.
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Yeah, he become a much more consistent shooter last year, which seems like a natural progression with more playing time.
God, when he went down lasy tear I cringed. He was in so much pain, I thought he broke it.
Hinrich is a natural PG but he is forced to play SG at times, mostly due to Ben Gordon not being interested in anything besides jacking 3s, such as playing defense. Skiles is a defense-first guy, and so he goes with the defensively superior backcourt of Duhon and Hinrich, instead of the "athletic with long arms but damned if he'll try to play D" Gordon. This of course cripples the offense by putting pressure on Hinrich to be a scorer at SG, which is not his forte.
That said, I would take Arenas over Hinrich no question. Arenas isn't a pure PG, but between him, Wade, Lebron and Joe Johnson, there's enough passing ability to keep the D honest when Paul sits.
I'd cut Hinrich, Anthony and Jamison. I think you need Bowen just in case another Jasikevicius situation comes up and you need an on-ball stopper. In 2008 you can cut him and sub Kobe as the stopper. I don't see Anthony's game fitting that well, it's almost wholly built on sideline isos. And while Jamison is a good dirty-worker, Brand is a better one with far superior defense.
RE the Magloire trade:
1) Milwaukee frees up playing time for both Bogut and Villanueva, without having to deal with the inevitable complaining from Magloire when his minutes are cut. Bogut and Villanueva both fit better in the Bucks' perimeter-based offense also, as both can step out on the floor and hit Js. Magloire on the other hand is a turnover-prone black hole who barely reached a 1:1 on his Eddy Curry ratio (TO:Ast+Blk+Stl).
2) Bucks get PG insurance. Mo Williams was good last year and Charlie Bell was surprisingly solid, but both also suffered injuries last year. Blake is a solid insurance policy who shoots over 40% on 3s with a 3.75/1 A/T ratio.
3) Portland gets ANOTHER C, and is now up to 4. Apparently no one told them Shaq was in Miami, as they continue to stockpile bigs. Magloire is likely gone after 1 year as a FA, if he's not shipped sooner. Rumors include a deal with Golden State for a package including Adonal Foyle.
US wins a 4 quarter scrimmage against Puerto Rico 116-82, with apparently the best player most likely being Carmelo, with 20 points on 10-13 FG. Those expecting a repeat US disappointment might be let down.
:^:
I agree with pretty much this whole post, and will add that, I hope Portland goes 10-72, but they'll win more games than that. I hate the Blazers, and the animosity only grew during the Lakers dynasty.
Speaking of, like 3 of 4 of them have had off-season surgery. Mostly minor, "clean the scar tissue/knee" but still. I am happy that they finally got a shooter, Radmanovic, and a PG who knows the game. Farmer isn't ready yet, but if he develops well over the next two years, he'll be solid. Next to Kobe, that's really all you need.
I am also interested to see if Kwame will pick up where he left off or fade as my boy loves to tell me about when he played in D.C. I expect Lamar to have a so-so to stellar season, just due to the death of his son. Never know how losing a loved one will make you react.
And the U.S. is going to win the WBC games, next year, it'll be worse. If you're the other coach, how would you prepare for Chris Paul, Kobe, Lebron, Wade and Dwight Howard? Match-up nightmare doesn't do that squad justice.
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http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/5840720?FSO1&ATT=HMA
i gotta get a copy of this
Either way, USA v. Puerto Rico tonight, watch the new look, full-court pressing Team USA show us exactly why Larry Brown is the biggest reason we got a fucking bronze at the last Olympics. I don't have cable, so I can't watch it, but I might have to head off to a bar in order to take it all in.
I'm not big on watching the NBA or the Olympics until they actually start playing for something, but I'm actually kind of pumped up about this, and the main reason why is to see these kids rub shit in Larry Brown's face. A Dukie leading a bunch of under-25s to a world championship and an Olympic gold within four years of the Athens atrocity - what could you add to the equation that would burn Brown's ass worse than Coach K and the kids making him look fucking incompetent?
that leaves 14 guys for 12 spots now how come they dont make a reality tv show out of this hehehe :P
Woot! 20 minutes till this comes on.
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I actually think this is a very good move. They got rid of Tyson Chandler, which took way too long btw, and got somebody who can actually keep people out of the lane. Ben Gordon already has the ability to narrow the scoring gap during the fourth, and now theres somebody who can keep back a run while he does his thing. No more missed rebounds from Chandler, finally somebody who can get the offensive and take it back in. Then there are the dependables, mainly Nocioni, who feels out a role for himself as the game goes on. Then there is Hinrich who, regardless of what others will have you believe, is running the squad. Gordon may be the scorer, but Hinrich is the one that puts it together.
I say about 55-60 wins for the Bulls this season.
The only real upgrade Big Ben offers over Tyson is that he doesn't get injured as much, but their offensive games are equally atrocious, if Ben's isn't actually worse. Plus, Ben isn't going to have Rip and Sheed drawing players away from the paint for him, which is going to make a big difference, so I'd expect him to actually have a worse season than normal.
Don't fool yourself, the movie is mainly just running place. The team doesn't have the offense to win that many games, especially in a conference with Detroit and Cleveland, and especially in a league that is increasingly bending the rules to favor the wing players. I'd pick them to finish third in their division (unless LeBron gets hurt for more than 5 games, then make it second), but I'd personally be shocked if they went much over 50 games. I'd say 52 is the TOPS they'll hit, and I'd expect them to just be closer to 50. That 47 win team was just a bit of a fluke and a good run of basketball, I don't think it's really indicative of the quality of squad there is in Chicago.
I agree with that. It will be interesting to see a player stripped of such a supportive squad. Thats when the pressure goes up, and the real extent of a players talent comes out. I want to see Detroit's game this sesason too, because expendable or not, Ben was a core player for that team's flow. But still, Wallace on a bad night is leagues above Tyson on a bad night, so its still an improvement.
I dont know what you mean by drawing away from the paint, could you give an example? :roll:
And Wade is getting a lot of calls against him on offense. I guess he's still in NBA Mode.
So what gives? Why isn't Kobe on the team? Why doesn't the media heavily frown upon players who choose not to play for the US?
Shaq, Duncan, KG, Kidd and Carter already won gold medals with the national team and don't want to risk their health by spending the offseason on training and international play instead of resting after a long, grueling NBA season.
Did I miss any other notables? If so, their reasons are probably similar.
Particularly in the last Olympics, there was a whole team's worth of names that declined invitations to go play and this was frequently mentioned. Some tried to cite concerns over international security, but mainly they did catch tons of heat.
Elbow surgery.
The Bulls aren't going to win 55, but I do think Wallace is a big upgrade over Tyson, especially at only $4 million more per year.
Ben is one of the best interior defenders in the game, and put up 4.0 Blk+Stl last year, one of only 4 players to do so (Camby, Kirilenko, G Wallace). Tyson put up 1.8 Blk+Stl. Yes, Tyson did play 8 fewer minutes a game than Ben. Yet in that 8 fewer minutes Tyson managed to rack up 1.6 TOs to Ben's 1.1 and 3.8 fouls to Ben's 2.0.
Basically Tyson does the good stuff half as well as Ben and the bad stuff nearly twice as often.
Decent signing for the Knicks, should help. I'll go ahead and upgrade my prediction for them to 29 wins on the strength of it.
That clip is epic, man.
the international rules really cater to his game, i hope he comes back
This could be fun to watch.
C'mon Kevin, you and Danny were on a team together. Send him over, so you can be part of #17.
This is what happens when a kid from E. St. Louis meets some high school kids from one of the whitest towns on the West Coast -- we all gain respect for the E. St. Louis kid.
Even though I know this has no shot of happening, KG to the Lakers would be very, very interesting. Not sure if they'll move Odom though, they like him too much.
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Coach K was making a lot of changes throughout the game and it was funny watching him try to complain to the Korean referee about a noncall. He even got excited enough that he gave Dwight Howard a high five after a dunk. Also saw Rudy Tomjanovich and Mike D'antoni as part of the coaching staff but they mostly just sat around watched the game.
Basically Coach K had the team split into two separate squads. Squad 1 consisted of Wade, Anthony, Hinrich, Bosh, Brand, Battier, and Bowen. Squad 2 consisted of James, Johnson, Jamison, Paul, Howard, Miller, and Arenas. Squad 1 played the first and third quarters while squad 2 played the second and fourth quarters. It kinda sucked because we never got to see Lebron on the court with Wade and Anthony. Overall the first squad seemed to do a lot better both offensively and defensively than the second squad. Carmelo and Wade were extremely aggressive constantly pushing it inside and breaking down Lithuania's zone. Squad 2 seemed a little more passive and relied more on fastbreaks and screens that opened up outside shooters.
One interesting moment was during the 4th period, with the US commanding a pretty substantial lead, the team started playing a little lazily and Lebron accidentally turned it over on a sloppy pass. Coach K got up from the bench and then substituted Arenas in for Lebron to try and get the team back on track. The next stoppage he then put Lebron back in. It was good to see Coach K coaching even when the game was basically over.
The guys looked pretty focused during the game and really seemed to show a lot of comraderie with each other. Even when Lebron missed a wide open fastbreak dunk Carmelo was the first guy to get up from the bench and give him a high five at the next stoppage. When Carmelo and Wade were getting called for weird fouls Lebron was standing on the side cheering his teammates. Even though they seemed to go into cruise control at time, Team USA looks like they will dominate this time around.
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