General Chat / NBA

I like Marc Cuban because he cares a lot about his basketball team and he's willing to take some chances to make it better. Some of his trades have been questionable but if you look at what they got in return, they aren't idiotic. Losing Antoine Walker is no big deal. He hurt that team more than he helped it. They got Jason Terry in return who might turn out to be a decent point guard. It's hard to trust his stats from last year considering he played for the Atlanta Hawks, but there's a chance he could put up some good numbers which is what the Mavs needed with Nash leaving. I haven't seen him play so I don't know how well he'll fit into the system. Losing Antawn Jamison on the other hand was a big deal. I wonder if Cuban would have made that trade if Shaq was already in Miami. Considering they gave up Van Exel the year before to get him that makes it more significant. Van Exel is the biggest reason the Mavs beat the Kings in the 2003 playoffs, bigger than Webber's injury. Then again, one great playoff series does not mean he'll be great the whole season, but it's enough to make you think before trading him. And Jamison made sense. He's younger and bigger which means he's a better investment. They didn't hang on to him long enough to really earn much interest on that deal though. And they traded him for a high draft pick and a couple of veterans which is always a gamble. They did get Devin Harris out of the deal. It's possible he'll be a big prospect, I really have no idea. But it isn't like they're dealing these guys away for nothing. Not signing Nash is what immediatly drops them off the leader board but maybe Cuban was right to shake things up considering their record last season and Nash isn't getting any younger. Any team with Dirk Nowitzki has got a legitimate shot at making the playoffs no matter who they put around him so I still rank the Mavs above the Jazz and the Lakers and possibly Portland (if they compete) for that number 8 spot.

As for Boston, look at the division they're in. Boston, New Jersey/Brooklyn, New York, Philly, Toronto. New Jersey still has Kidd and Jefferson but is that enough? And they had that horrible start last year when they still had K-Mart and Kittles so I wonder how Kidd will be motivated to win when it seems like the ownership and the fans (in New Jersey anyway) don't care anymore. New York had a lot of talent last year after the Marbury deal and went nowhere. That's mostly because Marbury was the only real scorer on that team with Allan Houston injured. Crawford may be the boost they need to make that team work but they're going to have to prove it to me. I'm not expecting big things. Maybe they scrape the barrel and pick up Vincanity (yeah right), otherwise I see them as somewhere even with Boston. Whichever one of those two takes the division will be ranked 1, 2, or 3 depending on their record. So it's quite possible (unless you're a real believer in New York or New Jersey) for Boston to be seeded number 3.

And to clarify on the Peja thing, I like him on the Kings. They run a passing offense where they need guys who can catch and shoot and Peja is the best catch and shoot player in the league. He's starting to grab his fair share of rebounds too and he gets more aggresive about attacking the rim every year (even if a lot of those shots weren't dropping in this years playoffs). I hope he decides to stay. But with him saying that his house is for sale and his mind is made up, it seems unlikely he'll resign with the Kings in two years which could leave them with nothing in return for their best player. Maybe the Maloofs and GM Petrie and the guys on the team can convince Peja to stay. But if that doesn't seem likely (which it doesn't right now) they'd be better off getting somebody in return. 4 years and possibly more of Ron Artest is better than 2 years with Peja and nothing in return. If Miller is any indication, Artest may get better offensively with the Kings and he would bring the defensive intensity the Kings have been lacking. It makes for a different team no doubt but they might make up in defense what they lose in offense. And the Pacers would get better too with an inside-outside game featuring one of the best outside shooters in the league and one of the best inside presences. Indiana is ready to make the trade, so it's up to the Kings at this point. I'd be happy either way really as both have a level of uncertainty involved.

How was Paul Tang? (assuming he's still doing it)

Pootie was great....

"I can roll with one hand"

*EDIT*

Rockets just signed Bobby Sura and Charlie Ward. Ha, there goes our point gaurd problem.

Rockets just signed Bobby Sura and Charlie Ward.  Ha, there goes our point gaurd problem.

I like those pick ups, although not major, they will be key players.

Wow...I left for Niagara and the Celts deal for The Glove! I hadn't heard until about 10 minutes ago as I read this thread for the first time in a few weeks.

It sure is exciting, and with all the rookies playing well this summer, it could be a turnaround year for Boston. The Glove dishing to Pierce sure sounds sweet.

Now if we could only get rid of Davis...dunno why Ainge got him, but then again, not many of Ainge's previous deals made sense...

At least this one does...finally. Maybe there's a brain inside that head of his afterall.

Kai

Pootie was great....

"I can roll with one hand"

*EDIT*

Rockets just signed Bobby Sura and Charlie Ward.  Ha, there goes our point gaurd problem.

Buahahahaha!!! That story never gets old. He came to an end of year party last May and smoked pot with some of the students. That was pretty funny, but don't mention anything. Paul Tang is da man. Interesting that you call him Pootie... so does my friend Maurice. I think it's a relatively new nickname too...


Anyway, why can't the Lakers make small but helpful moves like signing Sura and Ward? They're gonna try to build a team around one man... thus making it a one-man team, when it's damn fucking obvious to me that to get out of the west, you need a TEAM.



Fatha, you win this year, but by 2009, we'll have our shit together. Hopefully.

It looks like Marcus Banks and the 2nd round pick is going back to Boston and will be exchanged for Jumaine Jones. This is all because Payton did not show up for his physical.

Link

The USA fucked up. They cannot make a fucking shot. Oh well. That is all.