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Go Nets.
or bust.
2005-2006 NBA Thread
Training camps opened this week, and if you're a fan of a team not based in Toronto, you're in a better spot than me. The Raps traded Rafer "Streetball legend" Alston for some schmoe in their continuing quest to nab the #1 pick in the next draft. I guess it had something to do with him calling his own plays, taking 20 shots while only hitting 30%, threatening to retire when he got benched, and refusing to play defence so bad he got lit up by Tyronn freaking Lue for 30 points last year.
Good luck, Rockets fans.
Although you probably won't need it, I bet he'll fall in line under Van Gundy. I bet he won't even show up to games stoned.
Anyway, alot of things changed over the offseason. Larry Brown's coaching the Knicks, who now suddenly have Eddie Curry & Quentin Richardson. Which sucks, because I really liked it when they were bad.
The Heat got Jason "White Chocolate" Williams & Antoine Walker, who will no doubt be a monster playing next to Shaquille.
The Cavs - man, great offseason, they got Donyell Marshall (who was amazing last year here in Toronto) & Larry Hughes, who's like the ideal guy to play next to Lebron. They're gonna make noise this year for sure.
The Hawks have a really messed up team - like all 15 guys are swingmen - but they got a TON of talent. They got Marvin Williams who was the best player in the draft, Salim Stoudamire who was the best shooter in the draft, Joe Johnson who may or may not be about to become an all star, Zaza Pachulia who nobody's ever heard of but was actually one of the best per-minute rebounders in the league last year, and they already had Childress, Josh "2005 slam dunk champ" Smith and Al Harrington. If they can somehow balance their roster with trades they could be real good once all those guys start maturing.
The Bucks got Andrew Bogut, the #1 pick in the draft who should be a really solid center, resigned Michael Redd, got Bobby Simmons from the Clips & should get TJ Ford back after he missed last year with a busted spine. They have a shot at the pkayoffs, but the East is absolutely stacked this year for the first time since Jordan's second retirement.
The Kings did well like they always do - they got Shareef Abdur Rahim to replace Chris Webber (bad knee & all!) and Bonzi Wells which I guess moves Peja to SG now that Mobley's gone to the Clippers. If Brad Miller stays healthy, expect them to be a force again.
The Raptors added Jose Calderon, who was the Spanish national team's PG and one heck of a player in Europe, Joey Graham, a SF built like a tank who was the best athlete in the draft, and Charlie Villanueva, a PF with no hair (anywhere) who will either be a bad idea or an okay one. Either way, he'll play out of position or come off the bench behind Bosh. They'll probably finish last in the Atlantic unless one of the teams ahead of them falls apart.
The Celtics lost Antoine Walker and Gary Payton (oh well), but didn't manage to trade Pierce (which is good, I don't want my jersey to be out of date). They drafted Gerald Green who might be the next Tracy McGrady, although he seems dumb as a brick, is missing part of a finger on his shooting hand, seems to have an attitude after he refused to work out for anyone in the draft, and is coming straight out of high school, so he might be the next Qyntel Woods instead. They also signed the real Qyntel Woods. This is a team on the rise.
The Blazers did something stupid and traded their pick which would either have got them Deron Williams or Chris Paul, who bpoth have great shots at being future all stars, and took Martell Webster, a high school kid who can't do much other than shoot. Good going. They also cut Derek Anderson & let Damon Stoudamire walk. They did steal Nate McMillan from the Sonics though, so now he can get in dumb arguments with Randolph & Miles.
The Pacers drafted Danny Granger, who should be a great all-round player as long as his knees hold up. They also get Artest back, though Reggie Miller retired. They'll be near the top of the East again; Rick Carlisle's an awesome coach. He should have won coach of the year last year, IMO, though D'Antoni was definitely deserving as well.
The Jazz drafted Deron Williams who should be perfect for their system, and get a healthy Kirilenko back. They'll be decent, but not good enough to make the playoffs.
The Rockets got Alston to play PG - he's not a true pass-first PG and can't play D or shoot the 3 reliably, but he's got crazy moves, the best handle in the NBA and is quick as hell. He's also a headcase people up here called Reefer Allstoned for a reason. But if Van Gundy can put T-Mac in his place, Alston will be child's play. They also got Stromile Swift, who's a dunk machine that everyone thought was going to be a star when he got drafted out of high school, but ended up sitting behind Pau Gasol forever in Memphis. His numbers should go up, but I think they may have been better served getting somebody who could box out for Yao - Swift's more of an offensive player.
The Lakers got Phil Jackson back as coach (HOW???) and traded for Kwame Brown, which will probably work out brilliantly. Though they're probably not deep enough or balanced enough to do much better than 7th or 8th.
The Suns got Kurt Thomas, so now Amare & Marion can play their actual positions. But they also lost both their swing guys, Richardson & Johnson, so they're going to be a really different team this year. Like a weird mix of uptempo & halfcourt. They also might actually play defence this year.
And oh yeah - remember the Spurs? All they did was add Michael Finley. Give 'em the rings right now.
Anyway, I'd go through every team, but I'd be here all night. If you're a Wolves, Sonics or Magic fan, your team did nothing except slowly get worse. The Nets & Nuggets didn't manage to fill the holes they needed to but didn't get worse either.
But it's Heat & Spurs fans who are in for the most fun seasons (again)
Last edited by StriderKyo; 06 Oct 2005 at 09:01 PM.
-Kyo
Go Nets.
of Nazareth
I'm excited to see this Gerald Green kid. The Celts will be fun to watch at the least.
I hope KG somehow gets out of Minnesotta and ends up on a team that isn't on the decline.
Ha ha
Pacers vs Spurs in the Finals. Especially if Bender can stay healthy and live up to his awesome potential. What a ceiling that kid has if he can just avoid pulling a Humpty Dumpty act again.
I agree about Boston. This is the year everybody comes to realize that Al Jefferson is a motherfucking beast. Double teams every fucking night and he'll still get his.
The Magic may not have gotten worse only because Dwight Howard will be that much better. No one will criticize the Magic for taking him over Emeka after this season.
My darkhorse ROY candidate is Martell Webster. That kid can fill it up and is more athletic than people give him credit for. A touch like Glen Rice and Dale Ellis and with a health Z Bo in the paint, Martell should get some good looks. That Blazers team is going to be fun to watch, though they'll frustrate with their youth and lack of basketball intelligence. Travis Outlaw came on really strong last year.
I'm really intrigued by the Lakers this year. Phil will be able to run the triangle in its purest form - a system where every player can both man the post and face up for a jumper. Not to sound sacriligious, but the triangle was somewhat compromised in Shaq's days because his inability to face up. Not that it prevented their success, of course.
Ambassador of Kickyourassitor
I <3 the Spurs.Originally Posted by StriderKyo
Load"*",8,1
The Mavericks have done nothing to help with their current problems. They need a true center and someone to replace the position lost with the Nash trade.
Shaq put on 15 pounds of muscle in the off season. Morning signed on full time and they've aquired quite a few solid players as well. They will be a force in the east.
It will be the Heat Vs. the Spurs come the finals.
revenge thriller
Iguodala's breakout season.
or bust.
I can't believe Reggie chose this year to retire. He even had one more year on his contract.
Enh. I gave up on waiting for that guy. The Pacers have even been trying to trade him and couldn't.Especially if Bender can stay healthy and live up to his awesome potential. What a ceiling that kid has if he can just avoid pulling a Humpty Dumpty act again.
Jefferson's respected by those who pay attention - although I think of him more as a defensive player than a guy who's going to see alot of double teams. On a team with Davis, Pierce and now Green, his touches will be a bit limited, though I guess Raef can't exactly be their go-to guy in the post.I agree about Boston. This is the year everybody comes to realize that Al Jefferson is a motherfucking beast. Double teams every fucking night and he'll still get his.
Howard is going to be fierce - he's the next Alonzo. He might be better than Bosh (and it pains me to say that) because he has something resembling a post game and is big enough to defend the post. Oh yeah, he's athletic as hell:The Magic may not have gotten worse only because Dwight Howard will be that much better. No one will criticize the Magic for taking him over Emeka after this season.
The only reason I say they got worse is because after Christie walked they basically traded Mobley for nothing, and their draft pick Vasquez screwed them over and decided to stay in Europe (and he's not young), so they basically spent a draft pick on nobody. No way they're a playoff team.
It all depends on McMillan. If he can give them something like a real system and get them to stick with it, then Webster/Randolph can be a nasty inside-outside combination. But my faith in their roster isn't great, and Telfair's still too young to run a team, IMO. I'd pick Deron, Chris Paul, Granger, maybe even McCants ahead of Webster, though he's a gutsy pick. I'm taking Warrick for darkhorse.My darkhorse ROY candidate is Martell Webster. That kid can fill it up and is more athletic than people give him credit for. A touch like Glen Rice and Dale Ellis and with a health Z Bo in the paint, Martell should get some good looks. That Blazers team is going to be fun to watch, though they'll frustrate with their youth and lack of basketball intelligence. Travis Outlaw came on really strong last year.
Or Graham for the homer pick.
Sure, but are you expecting a whole lot of jumpshooting out of Mihm or Bynum? Kwame's expected to play PF (although I'm sure they'll go with a lineup of him at C with Odom back at PF when the matchups dictate).I'm really intrigued by the Lakers this year. Phil will be able to run the triangle in its purest form - a system where every player can both man the post and face up for a jumper. Not to sound sacriligious, but the triangle was somewhat compromised in Shaq's days because his inability to face up. Not that it prevented their success, of course.
Haha...welcome to every other team in the NBA. "We just need a true center and a true point!" The Mavs have a true C, Dampier's just a softy. And as for the PG...good luck. Nash is irreplaceable, unless Cuban can swing that Kidd trade (keep dreaming). But the guys they have at the 1 aren't bad. Really, the Mavs' biggest problem is that Tim Duncan plays for someone else.
Wasn't that last year?
-Kyo
revenge thriller
As a rookie he performed as expected
ranked 8th in the league for steals per game
ranked 5th among rookies for rebounds per game
ranked 9th among rookies for points per game
and ranked 3rd among rookies for assists per game
He should take the next step this year which is being selfish with the ball and putting it in the basket.
or bust.
Is he bulletproof? Iverson's got a bit of a temper, I hear.
-Kyo
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