Official NBA Discussion Thread

[TheCrippler]

In regards to the whole David Blatt situation. it looks like the inmates are running the asylum there in Cleveland.

 

As a Cavs fan since the early 80's I was not surprised he was let go. Blatt was not hired to coach THIS Cavs team, he was hired to coach a team with Wiggins, Irving, Waiters and other young guys....his style didn't mesh with the veteran "win now" team they have out there (and of course Lebron)....I think it was the right move, but we won't know until this time next month.

 

Blatt is no doubt a great basketball coach and I liked the hire when they made it, but remember he was hired before Lebron came back here. In my opinion he needed to be on a team that was full of young guys that were willing to listen and grow as players while he grew and learned as a NBA coach. The stories of him backing down to Lebron in the huddle, freezing during time outs and his insistence to only play 7 or 8 guys in December was head scratching. I am not saying the players were innocent or didn't play a role in his firing....but as I said above, I think it was the right more for this a team that is clearly the most talented in the East and should win it going away and they still have half a the season to figure it out and see if Lue is really worth all this hype.

[CQI13]

But Tyronne Lue? Just let LeBron coach.

[TheCrippler]

But Tyronne Lue? Just let LeBron coach.

 

Isn't that what is going on? LOL.

 

The latest rumor around here is that Lebron wanted Mark Jackson but the team wasn't interested in him, so they promoted Lue (another of Lebron's boys) to compromise with Lebron.

[CQI13]

Isn't that what is going on? LOL.

 

The latest rumor around here is that Lebron wanted Mark Jackson but the team wasn't interested in him, so they promoted Lue (another of Lebron's boys) to compromise with Lebron.

 

And it is incredibly disingenuous of LeBron to say that he didn't know about the switch...like it wasn't his call or was consulted.

[K-Nection]

If Lebron is as great as he thinks he is the man wouldn't be politicking this much. You never seen Michael Jordan question any of Phil Jackson's decisions....you never seen Magic butt heads with Pat Riley. Lebron just doesn't hold a candle to class acts like that.

[soxfan93]

If Lebron is as great as he thinks he is the man wouldn't be politicking this much. You never seen Michael Jordan question any of Phil Jackson's decisions....you never seen Magic butt heads with Pat Riley. Lebron just doesn't hold a candle to class acts like that.

 

Those coaches were legends though, winning multiple championships. David Blatt doesn't hold a candle to coaches like that.

 

According to every report I've seen, the decision was made by the GM, who had to convince ownership to go along with it. No player - not even LeBron - was ever consulted.

 

Edit: Just saw DA's report. Still fine with it. Blatt wasn't the right coach for that roster.

[K-Nection]

Those coaches were legends though, winning multiple championships. David Blatt doesn't hold a candle to coaches like that.

 

According to every report I've seen, the decision was made by the GM, who had to convince ownership to go along with it. No player - not even LeBron - was ever consulted.

 

Edit: Just saw DA's report. Still fine with it. Blatt wasn't the right coach for that roster.

 

I was just purely going off the vibe of the conversation in here....I haven't sat down to watch an NBA game since Jordan was playing. I'll back off on throwing my thoughts out here though as anything I've ever read or seen from Lebron I haven't liked.

[soxfan93]

Turns out you were right, as David Aldridge of TNT has reported that LeBron demanded the coaching change, but I'm not buying it, as literally everybody else has reported to the contrary.

 

You don't have to stop giving your opinion, this is the first time I've ever been in this topic, and it was purely by accident lol. Go about your business, gentlemen.

[crownsy]

Turns out you were right, as David Aldridge of TNT has reported that LeBron demanded the coaching change, but I'm not buying it, as literally everybody else has reported to the contrary.

 

You don't have to stop giving your opinion, this is the first time I've ever been in this topic, and it was purely by accident lol. Go about your business, gentlemen.

 

oh yea, "everyone" being Jason Windhurst, a dude who literally has covered Lebron since High School and nothing else and owes his entire career to him?

 

Shocker that the Lebron friendly news would come from that camp.

 

Look, it's well known Lebron didn't respect Blatt, and wanted him gone since he resigned. I don't even care if he asked for him to be fired. But everything with Lebron is just "LIKE ME!!! PLEASE LIKE ME!!!" it's been that way since "the decision".

 

That's what makes people roll there eyes when his camp goes with "lebron is SHOCKED that the coach he openly despised, to the point of clowning him in press conferences and shoving him out of team huddles, was fired after an embarrassing national TV loss to the kid some people are saying has surpassed Lebron as the best player in the league."

 

I wish he would do less of that, and just embrace being the best player of his generation, instead of having to win a PR war every day.

[BHK1978]

As a Cavs fan since the early 80's I was not surprised he was let go. Blatt was not hired to coach THIS Cavs team, he was hired to coach a team with Wiggins, Irving, Waiters and other young guys....his style didn't mesh with the veteran "win now" team they have out there (and of course Lebron)....I think it was the right move, but we won't know until this time next month.

 

Blatt is no doubt a great basketball coach and I liked the hire when they made it, but remember he was hired before Lebron came back here. In my opinion he needed to be on a team that was full of young guys that were willing to listen and grow as players while he grew and learned as a NBA coach. The stories of him backing down to Lebron in the huddle, freezing during time outs and his insistence to only play 7 or 8 guys in December was head scratching. I am not saying the players were innocent or didn't play a role in his firing....but as I said above, I think it was the right more for this a team that is clearly the most talented in the East and should win it going away and they still have half a the season to figure it out and see if Lue is really worth all this hype.

 

Oh I agree with you he was hired to coach one team and ended up coaching another. As you said when he was hired he expected to coach a young team that would be willing to learn from him.

 

I will say this though, I just want to preface this by saying this has nothing to do with Crippler's above quote, I do find it a joke that from what I read the players were treating him as a rookie coach. I mean he was hardly a novice. He coached something like twenty seasons overseas and he was a proven winner. Yes the game is played a bit different in other countries but it is still mostly the same. I wonder if in football the Vikings gave Bud Grant crap because he coached in Canada or the Bills gave Marv Levy crap for coaching in Canada.

 

Yes LeBron's window is closing but he should have learned to keep his ego in check by now. I read that the reason why he left Miami was because Pat Riley would not acquiesce to him. Now I am not saying that is true or not but I would not put it past him. I mean if I had people telling me that I was the best since a young age, then I would believe the hype as well.

[CQI13]

'Blake Griffin doesn't represent what we stand for...' - yes, because KIA signed him as the face to their campaign because JJ Reddick was busy.

[Capelli King]

Yes LeBron's window is closing but he should have learned to keep his ego in check by now. I read that the reason why he left Miami was because Pat Riley would not acquiesce to him. Now I am not saying that is true or not but I would not put it past him. I mean if I had people telling me that I was the best since a young age, then I would believe the hype as well.

 

The truth is that Lebron is probably not the best player any more. He is most certainly not the most entertaining, that is a fact. I think that this is the first time in the past 6-7 years at least that he is no longer the best player. I think he lost at least 2-3 MVP awards though that he clearly deserved (in particular the one they gave to Rose).

 

In regards to Blatt, i know him from his work in Europe and he is a very good coach. I due not think Lue is the solution. It could be a good solution for Lebron though, because this coach is probably someone he can clearly overshadow. I think Blatt needed a bit more time to settle in. A lot of criticism goes his way in regards to not being able to integrate Love. My opinion is that Love is a pretty limited player. He was a borderline all star on a bad team. Now he is pretty much a catch and shoot stretch 4 and he will unlikely be anything more than that. He has very poor lateral movement and athletic ability, which is a poor combination for a big in this pick and roll era and i doubt anyone, in particular Lue will be able to change that.

[BHK1978]

I was watching the Celtics/Suns game the other night and I had to mute the damn thing because of how noxious (Yes I mean noxious and not obnoxious) Brian Scalabrine was as a color commentator. I mean shoot the guy was a terrible player but he is an even worse commentator.

[CQI13]

I was watching the Celtics/Suns game the other night and I had to mute the damn thing because of how noxious (Yes I mean noxious and not obnoxious) Brian Scalabrine was as a color commentator. I mean shoot the guy was a terrible player but he is an even worse commentator.

 

Don't talk about the White Mamba that way!

 

https://youtu.be/ZWewmINCXoY

[Tha Black Phenom]

The Celtics just ended Golden State Warriors's ginormous home streak. Something to take home for the weekend alright. Isaiah Thomas' value just went up quite a bit.

[Dawn]

Huh...this is dead...a new season is coming up next month, guys!

[K-Nection]

I don't know about you guys but I never have been as impressed with how quickly a team rebuilds than the Chicago Bulls have done in free agency this year! They went from not making the playoffs to being one half of the Eastern Conference All Stars! And don't even get me started on Golden State.

[Dawn]

I don't know about you guys but I never have been as impressed with how quickly a team rebuilds than the Chicago Bulls have done in free agency this year! They went from not making the playoffs to being one half of the Eastern Conference All Stars! And don't even get me started on Golden State.

 

I'm a betting man for the Raptors this season. They will make the Finals against Golden State, but ultimately lose.

[CQI13]

I don't know about you guys but I never have been as impressed with how quickly a team rebuilds than the Chicago Bulls have done in free agency this year! They went from not making the playoffs to being one half of the Eastern Conference All Stars! And don't even get me started on Golden State.

 

I will have to see if Chicago learns how to shoot between now and the beginning of the season. Looking forward to Golden State. There's no way they win 70+ games again this year though.

[lazorbeak]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="CQI13" data-cite="CQI13" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="27836" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I will have to see if Chicago learns how to shoot between now and the beginning of the season. Looking forward to Golden State. There's no way they win 70+ games again this year though.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> I wouldn't count on it, Rondo still hasn't learned to shoot and hasn't been a net positive on a basketball court in five years (he spent last year chasing empty assist numbers and playing no defense), and Dwayne Wade is 35 and posted his career-worst shooting numbers last year. It's going to be pretty tough to score with so many guys that can't shoot on the floor at once.</p>

[K-Nection]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="lazorbeak" data-cite="lazorbeak" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="27836" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I wouldn't count on it, Rondo still hasn't learned to shoot and hasn't been a net positive on a basketball court in five years (he spent last year chasing empty assist numbers and playing no defense), and Dwayne Wade is 35 and posted his career-worst shooting numbers last year. It's going to be pretty tough to score with so many guys that can't shoot on the floor at once.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Just think though Dwayne was the only standout player on his team. Yes he is on the wrong end of 30 but the guy can still go. Rondo isn't a good shooter but did a magnificent job dishing assists on a team that can't shoot at all. And Jimmy Butler....man that guy is insanely good! This team isn't going to win a ring but they will definitely ruin some playoff dreams for several teams. Mirotic and Snell can shoot the lights out so this team has threats no matter who is on the floor.</p><p> </p><p> (You can't tell I'm a Bulls guy can you?)</p>

[Ayden]

I don't know about you guys but I never have been as impressed with how quickly a team rebuilds than the Chicago Bulls have done in free agency this year! They went from not making the playoffs to being one half of the Eastern Conference All Stars! And don't even get me started on Golden State.

 

While Chicago signed a couple of good players...who will hit threes for them. In this day and age you have to have outside shooting and apart from Mirotic and McBuckets, the Bulls have nobody. I love D-Wade though and I love that they replaced one hometown hero (Rose) with another. I just don't see them competing this season. They'll be around the 8th seed but that's it.

 

I'm looking for good improvement from my Hornets. Their coach (Steve Clifford) is one of the more underrated coaches in the entire league and with a healthy Kidd-Gilchrist, we should realistically be pushing for a top 4 seed in the east, probably fourth though as I think Cleveland, Toronto and Boston are the elite in the east

[CQI13]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Ayden" data-cite="Ayden" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="27836" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>While Chicago signed a couple of good players...who will hit threes for them. In this day and age you have to have outside shooting and apart from Mirotic and McBuckets, the Bulls have nobody. I love D-Wade though and I love that they replaced one hometown hero (Rose) with another. I just don't see them competing this season. They'll be around the 8th seed but that's it.<p> </p><p> I'm looking for good improvement from my Hornets. Their coach (Steve Clifford) is one of the more underrated coaches in the entire league and with a healthy Kidd-Gilchrist, we should realistically be pushing for a top 4 seed in the east, probably fourth though as I think Cleveland, Toronto and Boston are the elite in the east</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Well, it is the East, so Chicago might be higher than 8th. But I do agree they will be in the bottom half of the playoff teams.</p>

[Tha Black Phenom]

<p>Given where I'm from I'm obviously a huge Raptors fan... but despite everyone's optimism I feel like I'm the only one who thinks that the team hit their ceiling last season.</p><p> </p><p>

Biyombo has signed somewhere else(Magic?), and even as a roleplayer he was a huge part of their run through the post-season. If JV stays healthy and consistent then perhaps they may reach a top seed again but even there it's iffy. Lowry and DeRozan can only do so much but they need great roleplayers surrounding them in order to keep their top standing. The only person I have absolute trust in is Dwayne Casey, he's become by far the best Raptors coach of all time.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>

I'm also a Bulls fan, and I find their situation interesting here, as mentioned above, they switched a hometown hero for another, what this seems like is pretty much short-term rebuilding. Obviously Wade is winding down and Butler/Rondo will have most of the minutes on the floor, they'll be looking to build off of this year hoping that playing with a veteran like Wade might be a decent incentive for other players to sign.</p><p>

But I don't think the Bulls office are eyeing a deep post-season run right now, the current plan is likely to watch Wade play his final years while they'll be working hard to find the right pieces to eventually climb back up to the top seed.</p>

[Ayden]

Given where I'm from I'm obviously a huge Raptors fan... but despite everyone's optimism I feel like I'm the only one who thinks that the team hit their ceiling last season.

 

Biyombo has signed somewhere else(Magic?), and even as a roleplayer he was a huge part of their run through the post-season. If JV stays healthy and consistent then perhaps they may reach a top seed again but even there it's iffy. Lowry and DeRozan can only do so much but they need great roleplayers surrounding them in order to keep their top standing. The only person I have absolute trust in is Dwayne Casey, he's become by far the best Raptors coach of all time.

 

 

I'm also a Bulls fan, and I find their situation interesting here, as mentioned above, they switched a hometown hero for another, what this seems like is pretty much short-term rebuilding. Obviously Wade is winding down and Butler/Rondo will have most of the minutes on the floor, they'll be looking to build off of this year hoping that playing with a veteran like Wade might be a decent incentive for other players to sign.

But I don't think the Bulls office are eyeing a deep post-season run right now, the current plan is likely to watch Wade play his final years while they'll be working hard to find the right pieces to eventually climb back up to the top seed.

 

A healthy DeMarre Carroll could do wonders for you guys. An upgrade at PF would be ideal. Patterson/Sullinger are decent but you could do better. If there was some way for you guys to pry Millsap away from ATL, i'd go for it