NBA 2008-09 Season Thread

[MOtorboat]

Discuss.

[MOtorboat]

Anyone else see Pop hack-a-Shaq in the first five seconds of the season as a joke...that was classic.

[honz]

Good game to the Nuggets. The Jazz and the Nugz clearly missed Melo and DWill, but both teams played hard. There were a couple borderline calls at the end that may have gone the Jazz's way and the Jazz were able to come up with a couple of key buckets. Good start for the Jazz.

Tough loss for the Nugz, but Nene looks healthy and they played hard throughout the game. If the Nugz can keep playing tough D they should be in the playoff mix at the end of the season. I don't think Camby will be missed as much as some people think...as long as Nene can stay on the court.

[BroncoAV06]

Lots of tweaks to jerseys around the leauge. Not a fan of the new Hornet uni's.

[Broncospsycho77]

The Thunder's jerseys suck. Super lame, and a direct ripoff of the Knicks.

Hopefully Melo doesn't ruin the chemistry of the Thuggs, because it looked like a good effort for a first game sans their 20 ppg-er.

[studbucket]

The Bucks may not be transformed to a nice defense Skiles team yet, but they did a good job against Durant the other night. I'm hoping to see 35-40 wins this year, but it'll be tough.

[Benetto]

Damn...Almost beat the Clips last night by 40...Ill settle for 38 though..:D


Baron was tearing it up it the first half...

[Nomad]

Jerry Sloan going for his 1000th win tonight and they're playing the Thunder. GO JAZZ!!!

[honz]

Jerry Sloan going for his 1000th win tonight and they're playing the Thunder. GO JAZZ!!!
He might even win the COY award one of these years. :coffee:

[shank]

this is the last time i will ever visit this thread me-thinks. have fun.

[honz]

this is the last time i will ever visit this thread me-thinks. have fun.

Shawshank is a hack.

My Jazz are staying afloat despite having a slough (or is it slew?) of injuries, including our best player, DWill, really not even playing yet. He played in 2 games, but he wasn't DWill...he had zero explosiveness and he couldn't keep up defensively. Memo has missed a couple games while he was in Turkey tending to his sick father, AK missed a couple games due to a dislocated finger, Brevin Knight missed tonight's game, and now Boozer may have to miss some time. I have to say I am pretty pleased with our 8-4 start despite having some pathetic road losses to bad teams. The Jazz are just a different team without DWill and I will be excited to see how we look once he gets back and everyone is in top form.

[BroncoAV06]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dime-081206-07

What The Advance Scouts Are Seeing And Saying
By Marc Stein
ESPN.com

Roughly one-fourth of the regular season is already finished.

With teams having played anywhere between 16 and 21 games through Friday, it's an ideal time to survey the NBA's true road warriors -- advance scouts -- for some snapshots of what they've seen on their travels.

We surveyed five scouts, each of whom makes his living as a courtside spectator at three to four games per week, to examine some of the league's key developments thus far. Here's what they had to say, speaking on condition of anonymity, about the first quarter of the season:

Western Conference scout on what the Chauncey Billups-Allen Iverson trade has done for the Nuggets

"Chauncey has been fantastic. These guys show him respect. He's got a voice with them right away. You can see him and George Karl are on the same page. He keeps those other guys like Nene and Kenyon [Martin] involved, whereas before AI and [Carmelo Anthony] shot every shot. We'll have to see how he does with the altitude at his age and the speed [at point guard] in the West, but Denver was going absolutely nowhere the way they were constituted."

Eastern Conference scout on Allen Iverson's impact in Detroit

"Are they one of the top teams right now? You can't say that. But I still think they're going to be good, and historically they're better as an underdog. They're still trying to figure things out with AI and a first-time head coach [Michael Curry] feeling his way through. When they want to run a half-court play, a lot of times they've got Tayshaun [Prince] running it, so things are a little bit different.

"But what makes this team special is Rasheed [Wallace]. When he's really good, they're really good. If that doesn't happen [this season], then you can write them off. [Antonio] McDyess makes a big difference, too. So when you say that they're 7-7 [through Friday] with Iverson, make sure you say that they're 7-7 without McDyess. Maybe that's overstating it a little, but when Dice is out there it will change the way you guard Iverson and changes the way you guard Rasheed."

East scout on the top three point guards in his conference

"Coming into the year I'd have said that [Jose] Calderon is the best true point guard of the group. Based on what we've seen so far, I'll say [Rajon] Rondo, then [Devin] Harris, then [Derrick] Rose. I've only seen Rose in person a couple times, but everything you've heard is true: He's pretty darn good already. But I'll put Harris just ahead of him; New Jersey's [new] style of play really works to his benefit.

"The thing about that [dribble-drive] offense is that when [Harris] gets the ball with a dribble handoff, he's at full speed … and he's already quick. So he's another step ahead of the defender who's playing catch-up. He's always been a pretty good aggressive driver, but he's been able to attack even more than he used to in Dallas. I don't think [Harris] has to think as much. He uses his instincts, looks to score first and is playing at a really high level."

West scout on the problems in Phoenix

"I hate to say it, because I've enjoyed watching them play as much as anyone, but I think that team is ready to sink like a rock. That thing is smoldering. You can tell that guys are confused and not together. I don't want to pile on Terry Porter, because [Mike] D'Antoni would be a tough act for anyone to follow, but I'm surprised that Porter came in using so much of Flip Saunders' offense. He's coached under Rick Adelman and played for Gregg Popovich; there's not anything from those guys he wanted that he wanted to use? … The [bigger] problem is that the Suns might be stuck.

"I don't think there's much of a market for trading Shaq. [Steve] Nash is the face of the franchise, so trading him is even harder. If they want to make a drastic change, that pretty much leaves trading Amare [Stoudemire]. In some ways Amare still hasn't figured it out; he talks about not getting enough shots and touches but what about the other end? But he's also the youngest of their star players."

East scout on Philadelphia's early struggles

"The biggest thing with Philly is having Elton Brand takes them away from what they did so well -- playing a small lineup, getting up the floor, pressing, creating turnovers. That style allowed their young guys to play freely and cover up their biggest weakness [outside shooting]. Now they have to be a half-court team and their lack of shooting is exposed.

"They've slowed down; they don't press. I think they had to seize the opportunity to get Elton if they eventually want to compete for the title, but they're going to need to surround him with some pieces that can shoot from the outside. He just doesn't look comfortable with them, and they don't look comfortable with him."

East scout on Greg Oden and the surprising Portland Trail Blazers

"Guess what? They're only going to get better. And even though Brandon Roy is playing even better than he did last year, I think the No. 1 reason is the coach. Nate McMillan is really good. Everybody says they should be out running, but they're so young. He's keeping things under control and emphasizing defense, and they're not turning the ball over as much as they would be if they were running.

"[Greg] Oden has helped a lot, by the way. He's enough of a force defensively at this point in his career that people shouldn't pick on him for his lack of offense. And now Joel Przybilla only has to play 20 minutes; Oden and Przybilla together give you a pretty good center combo. But the one thing hidden in all this is that Utah hasn't been healthy. When Utah gets healthy, I think they pass Portland up and win that division."

East scout on the sleeper in his conference

"I think Orlando is the best team in the NBA that's not being talked about. Everyone loves Portland right now, so everyone talks about them. Orlando is racking up the road wins again, and they're going to be a legit player in the Eastern Conference if they can get that No. 3 or [No.] 2 seed and avoid Boston in the second round. I know people say they have no bench, but once you get to the playoffs you only play seven or eight guys anyway.

"Look at what they do have: Rashard [Lewis] and Hedo [Turkoglu] to spread the floor and one of the few legit big guys out there [in Dwight Howard], even though he's not a great scorer. And Jameer Nelson … his problem is that he's making $8 million instead of $6 million. If he was making $6 million, everyone would think he's a bargain. In the playoffs, I thought the kid was pretty good."

East scout on the recent firings of Oklahoma City's P.J. Carlesimo, Washington's Eddie Jordan and Toronto's Sam Mitchell

"The number of people who've been fired already means that the next few guys that are teetering -- [Reggie] Theus, [Marc] Iavaroni, [Randy] Wittman -- will probably get axed soon, too. The earliness of the firings makes it easier for teams [to follow] because there's no surprise factor. It won't look like you're jumping off a cliff. But Minnesota probably has a little bit more patience being so young. It would be more dangerous for Wittman if he had a good veteran player or two to make more of a ruckus."

West scout on how many legit title contenders there are at the 20-game mark

"I can't give you more than three. I should probably reserve the right to include San Antonio, out of respect for all [the Spurs'] championship experience. Who's going to be surprised if they're a factor in the playoffs? But it's Boston, Cleveland and the Lakers. We're all looking up at Boston and L.A. and I can find too many flaws in everyone else."

West scout on the league's worst first-quarter nightmare

"You know what I've seen so far? A lot of empty seats. Arenas are emptier than I've ever seen. I was in Atlanta recently and I know that the Hawks have traditionally had problems drawing, but they're winning now. It's a good team that just made a nice little playoff run and there was almost nobody there. I saw it to a lesser degree even in Denver, where the Nuggets have been playing great. It's scary."

Got to get some NBA talk going again.

[honz]

It is so frustrating to watch the Jazz right now. Even with DWill back he is not himself yet and now Boozer, AK, Brevin Knight, and Harpring are all struggling with injuries. I don't think we've had the same active roster for 2 nights in a row yet. Hopefully everyone can get healthy and the Jazz can get rolling because we just aren't the same team that was dominant in the 2nd half of the season last year. Very frustrating...we get one person back from injury and then another one goes down.

[BroncoAV06]

It is so frustrating to watch the Jazz right now. Even with DWill back he is not himself yet and now Boozer, AK, Brevin Knight, and Harpring are all struggling with injuries. I don't think we've had the same active roster for 2 nights in a row yet. Hopefully everyone can get healthy and the Jazz can get rolling because we just aren't the same team that was dominant in the 2nd half of the season last year. Very frustrating...we get one person back from injury and then another one goes down.

But thats just the thing, they have not been healthy. If I were you I would not be to upset at all, you know it will take some time for the guys to get back into the fold and the Jazz will again be near the top of the west.

[Benetto]

Toughen up Pau...Do you have a glass jaw or something man?


He gets wrecked every time he gets into the paint...:rolleyes:

[Nomad]

Hey honz, John Stockon among the finalist for the HOF! I hope he gets the first ballet. Michael Jordan is a for sure! I miss watching those guys play!

[honz]

Stock will make it in his first try. The all time assists (by like 5,000 assists :lol:) and steals leader not making it first ballot would be like 5 times more ridiculous than Sharpe not making it to the Football HOF.

Sloan is also a finalist, but I'm not sure he'll make it this time. Hell, he's never even won COY. :rolleyes: But yeah, I miss watching Stockton and Malone play. I grew up watching those guys and they spoiled me as a young Jazz fan. I don't really miss Jordan though! :(

[Denver Native (Carol)]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3906621

Amare Stoudemire is not the only prominent employee of the Phoenix Suns facing an uncertain future.

The future of Suns coach Terry Porter appears to be even shakier.

Throughout this uncomfortable weekend for the beleaguered hosts of the NBA All-Star Game, Porter has been subjected to non-stop speculation about his imminent dismissal, amid a growing belief around the league that Porter will no longer be coaching the team when the Suns reconvene Monday to prepare for the final 31 games of his first season.

The Arizona Republic is the latest news outlet to feed that belief, reporting in a story posted on its Web site Saturday night that "there are strong indications that the Suns will have a new head coach leading them at Monday morning's practice."

Suns owner Robert Sarver insisted otherwise in a Friday e-mail to ESPN.com, saying: "We have not made that decision."

Sarver, though, stopped short of guaranteeing Porter's safety, adding that "obviously we need to improve and are evaluating everything." He could not be immediately reached Saturday for further comment.

NBA front-office sources say that the Suns' team-wide evaluation still includes the possible trading of Stoudemire or Shaquille O'Neal before Thursday's deadline and indeed extends to Porter, even though he's barely halfway through his debut season as Mike D'Antoni's replacement. Sarver and Porter were spotted meeting Friday morning at a Phoenix hotel.

With the Suns engulfed by turmoil and mired at 28-23 after a 6-10 slide leading into the break, leaving them ninth in an eight-team playoff race in the West, one source describes Porter's firing before season's end as "probable."

Sources indicate that assistant coach Alvin Gentry -- who has been a head coach three times previously (Heat, Pistons and Clippers) and ranks as a holdover from the D'Antoni era well-liked by Suns players -- is almost certain to take over for Porter should the Suns elect to make an in-season change.

Porter, however, is in the first year of a three-year contract believed to be worth roughly $7 million. For a team looking to cut costs -- which is one of the biggest reasons Stoudemire has been made available in advance of the trade deadline -- firing Porter with more than two guaranteed years left on his deal might prove to be too expensive for the Suns.

The Arizona Republic, in a story posted on its Web site Friday, quoted Porter as saying: "Robert and [team president Steve Kerr] have not talked to me about it. Robert and Steve have not talked to me about losing my position. I don't worry about things I have no control over."

Said Stoudemire during Friday's All-Star media session: "I don't know what's going on. We all are kind of not sure what's going on. I don't know how it's going to play out, man."

As for being traded, Stoudemire said he still believes that it's "60-40" that he'll remain a Sun.

"There's a lot of rumors about Chicago, a lot of rumors about Cleveland, Miami," he said. "I think any situation, any team that I go to, I bring a lot to the table. ... [But] if my last home game is as an All-Star starter here, that would be a great way to go out."

With Steve Nash as D'Antoni's coach on the floor and the modern game's answer to the Los Angeles Lakers' old "Showtime" offense, Phoenix averaged 58 wins over a four-season stretch to arguably become the league's most popular team. When the run ended last spring with an emotional first-round loss to San Antonio, Porter was Kerr's hand-picked choice to take over after they had played together with the Spurs from 1999-2001.

But locker room resistance to Porter's offensive philosophies and practice methods has been tangible since training camp, even though numerous Suns players said after D'Antoni's departure that they were ready for a greater emphasis on defense. Two of the unhappier Suns were traded away in December -- Raja Bell and Boris Diaw shipped to Charlotte in a deal for Jason Richardson -- but Phoenix has continued to be wildly inconsistent despite Porter's gradual willingness to put the ball back in Nash's hands.

The Suns swung a blockbuster deal for Shaquille O'Neal on Feb. 6, 2008, in part because of their long-standing struggles to placate both Stoudemire and Shawn Marion. Yet that has only led to new tensions this season, with Porter often running his offense through O'Neal. Finding room at the offensive end for both O'Neal and Stoudemire has proven tougher than any of the Suns' former challenges, with the defense and versatility Marion used to give them having been subtracted.

Veteran NBA columnist Peter Vecsey reported in Friday's New York Post that Kerr will take over as coach for Porter, but sources with knowledge of the Suns' thinking dismissed that scenario emphatically.

"That's an erroneous rumor," Sarver told the Republic.

If the Suns do make a coaching change, it would be the league's eighth since the season started, one shy of tying the league's single-season record of nine in the 2004-05 season. Memphis fired Marc Iavaroni on Jan. 22 and the first six firings were all before Dec. 25: Oklahoma City's P.J. Carlesimo on Nov. 22, Washington's Eddie Jordan on Nov. 24, Toronto's Sam Mitchell on Dec. 3, Minnesota's Randy Wittman on Dec. 8, Philadelphia's Maurice Cheeks on Dec. 13 and Sacramento's Reggie Theus on Dec. 15.

The Suns were one of eight teams -- along with Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Miami, Milwaukee and New York -- that made an offseason coaching change.

"I know for a fact that if things don't go right, there's three guys that'll get blamed: [Kerr] one, me two and Terry three," O'Neal told reporters during Friday's media session.

"It's kind of unfair for Terry. He came in with his system, and a lot of guys here are not really used to the system. But I like Terry. He's a knowledgeable guy. He played the game. It's always the players' job to go out and get it done."

Regarding the likelihood that he'll be traded again before Thursday's deadline, O'Neal said: "I'd love to stay here. [Kerr has] been good to me. The training staff has rejuvenated my career. But I'm not in control."

Marc Stein is a senior NBA writer for ESPN.com.

[Broncospsycho77]

WTF AI shaves his cornrows... (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Allen-Iverson-cuts-his-hair-fellow-All-Stars-ho?urn=nba,141532)

http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/ept_sports_nba_experts__20/ept_sports_nba_experts-596409345-1234726890.jpg?ymrPgzADV2G3_gKz

[Devilspawn]

Let's hear it for little Nate Robinson winning one of the most boring slam dunk contests in recent memory.

[studbucket]

Let's hear it for little Nate Robinson winning one of the most boring slam dunk contests in recent memory.

I am glad I'm not the only one who thought that might have been the lamest dunk contest I ever watched.

I went back and watched the '86 and '87 contests on Youtube just to get the bad taste out of my mouth.

[BroncoAV06]

Howard really layed an egg on his final dunk. Should of saved some of that showmanship for the last round.

Thought Robinson going green was a cool touch.. Hard to live up to the hype after last year. Only so many dunks a person can do.

[Denver Native (Carol)]

Let's hear it for little Nate Robinson winning one of the most boring slam dunk contests in recent memory.

I agree - there are better dunks in games than last night.

[Devilspawn]

I rooted for Nate cause I'm a Knicks fan (yes Knicks and Raiders... hold the applause) but he didn't jump over Dwight Howard COMPLETLY. But it was still ok. I was disappointed in the whole thing.

But what about Kenny Smith and Reggie Miller going "Martin? Who's Martin?!" when Rudy Fernandez removed his jersey to reveal Martin's #10. They really looked foolish when it was noted that Fernando Martin was the NBA's first Spanish born player who died tragically in a car accident 20 years ago. You could smell the shoe polish on their breaths and they tried to play it off.

Fernandez was robbed by the way, his dunk was kinda cool even if it took 6 tries.

[BroncoAV06]

I rooted for Nate cause I'm a Knicks fan (yes Knicks and Raiders... hold the applause) but he didn't jump over Dwight Howard COMPLETLY. But it was still ok. I was disappointed in the whole thing.

But what about Kenny Smith and Reggie Miller going "Martin? Who's Martin?!" when Rudy Fernandez removed his jersey to reveal Martin's #10. They really looked foolish when it was noted that Fernando Martin was the NBA's first Spanish born player who died tragically in a car accident 20 years ago. You could smell the shoe polish on their breaths and they tried to play it off.

Fernandez was robbed by the way, his dunk was kinda cool even if it took 6 tries.

Agree with you on Rudy, judges followed all the hype with Dwight and Nate, see the 50's in round 1!

It might not have been a clean clear but a 5'7'' guy getting up enough to not rack himself and clear a 6'11'' man is impressive, I wish I could pull off any kind of dunk.

[honz]

The problem with the dunk contest is that everybody is so jaded about it now. We have seen pretty much every dunk that is humanly possible and it is hard to remember/realize how amazing the dunks that these guys are pulling off really are. I agree that last night was semi-disappointing, but there were still some impressive dunks. My favorites were Fernandez's dunk that took him a bunch of tries (it sucked that it took him like 10 tries, but it was probably the best dunk of the night IMO), Howard's first dunk in the final round, and Robinson jumping over Dwight.

[Broncospsycho77]

Best part of All Star Weekend:

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