NBA Basketball

[Luzwei]

And I happen to read your conversation on FB with your LA friends and must say most of the time you give Kobe a pass where LeBron does not get one. You don't even need to give LeBron a pas on anything, but you give Kobe passes all the time.

The Jordan quote is great. The Black Daniel Plainview!

And I like Jordan.

Shocking that a bunch of LA people are going to back their franchise player on fucking facebook, I know.

Sheesh.

NahNahNah. I have no prob with backing a franchise player based on his play. When backing your franchise player you let personal things slide and when bashing someone like LeBron you get stuck on that from the top.

Don't get me wrong, I am no LeBron apologist and I still think he has some deep character issues that are written father issues all over, but when grading basketball I never go that deep.

Micheal Jordan was and is the biggest asshole that played this game. THE BIGGEST! A dude that will go and punch Steve OLM Kerr at a team practice for beating you is the worst type of motherfucker asshole you come around. And don't give me competitive bullshit nonsense. He's a kind of person you don't want to be friends with or even associated with if he's a guy next door.

Precisely where you're wrong: I don't bash LeBron's personal life. You're wrong all day long on that observation. I've said it before, I guess I have to say it again: it's the whole "it's gonna be easy" thing that rubbed me wrong. Don't care that he left Cleveland (sorry Adam). Don't care too much about the Decision, though that was really douchey. It's the disprespect to other competitors when these chumps thought they were all but guaranteed to win rings for the next decade. And yeah, I can dislike him for that. It's fucking pro sports! Sheeeeesh!

As funny and ironic as it's gonna sound now, but he was right all along. Cle, 7 years, 2 finals, 0 ships. Mia, 2 years, 2 finals, 1 ship.

Current NBA players I might want to be friends with? That would be a fun topic. Let me think.

I got one. Shane Battier.

A buddy of mine went to Duke with Battier and said he was kind of a prick. My friend is a slightly chubby black dude, and Battier would evidently yell from across campus "Hoooootie" every time he saw my friend. Dude looks nothing like Hootie.

Not an awful person, just kind of a prick. But that was in college, and he definitely seems like a cool guy now.

Your friend is a rather large marijuana cigarette...?

Yeah, people in college act like they are in college.

Who else? I think Pau Gasol. He seems like a nice guy.

[AnthonyCinder]

Current NBA players I might want to be friends with? That would be a fun topic. Let me think.

I got one. Shane Battier.

A buddy of mine went to Duke with Battier and said he was kind of a prick. My friend is a slightly chubby black dude, and Battier would evidently yell from across campus "Hoooootie" every time he saw my friend. Dude looks nothing like Hootie.

Not an awful person, just kind of a prick. But that was in college, and he definitely seems like a cool guy now.

Your friend is a rather large marijuana cigarette...?

Yeah, people in college act like they are in college.

Who else? I think Pau Gasol. He seems like a nice guy.

Totally. Dude likes museums and the opera. Maybe you could turn him on to noise rock, too.

Baron Davis seems like he might be a good guy to hang with.

[Luzwei]

B Diddy is always smiling, such a great guy. I would hang with Jalen Rose too!

Such a big break for the Knicks!

http://espn.go.com/new-york/nba/story/_ ... ffects-cap

[punch_the_lion]

http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2012/06/heat_rack_up_200000_tab_at_liv.php

[Adam P]

And next you get behind your stupid owner, think of that idiotic letter he wrote to you, fans, proclaiming you will win one before him.

Eh? I don't think I've ever gotten behind Dan Gilbert, metaphorically, and certainly not physically, but I doubt that anybody, including Gilbert, actually believed the Cavs would win a title before Lebron did. He spoke out of anger, and inappropriately so. If you think that post-Decision letter is some sort of rallying cry amongst Cavs fans, you're mistaken.

I, too, wish that he would've won it in Cleveland. And for that I blame the ownership as well. They never put him into a position to win it. EVER. Never surrounded him with the talent, gave him too much freedom sometimes to do as he wills.

I've explained previously the level of disarray the Cavs franchise was in when Gilbert bought the team in 2005. I'm not going to delve into it again, but suffice to say, luring top free agents and drafting top talent year after year were not luxuries that the team had at that time.

Do I blame LeBron for that? No, not at all. You never give a player a GM's job while he's playing for your team. EVER. When I look the bulk of it after some time has passed and he really won this and you can see that he really wanted this so much, my only conclusion is that Gilbert's only intention was to milk it as long as it drives. And by milking it I mean financially.

I would venture to guess that Gilbert's intention was to spare no expense in attempting to keep his superstar player, you know...the most physically talented player on this planet, on his team. Obviously there's a string financial interest, but let's not make it out to be some victimization of Lebron.

The guy won a championship. He played like a champion, and his team won. I'm not going to jump for joy and get excited, but it certainly didn't ruin my day or my week or my year.

[AnthonyCinder]

B Diddy is always smiling, such a great guy. I would hang with Jalen Rose too!

Such a big break for the Knicks!

http://espn.go.com/new-york/nba/story/_ ... ffects-cap

Jalen Rose, nice! So we're bringing retired players into the mix? Because that's going to really open it up.

I would hang out with Barkley every day.

[Luzwei]

HA! Sorry, my bad. I got carried away.

Simmons had a great article today, about LeBron and all, finals and all that.

[Adam P]

I would hang out with Barkley every day.

I'd golf with him, and I've golfed maybe five times in my life. I'd still probably win.

[Luzwei]

I'm not going to delve into it again, but suffice to say, luring top free agents and drafting top talent year after year were not luxuries that the team had at that time.

I don't believe in that. I just think they gave money to people that didn't deserve it, traded for player that were not as good. When you look at that first Finals team, they paid Larry Hughes 14mil. I rest my case.

I would venture to guess that Gilbert's intention was to spare no expense in attempting to keep his superstar player, you know...the most physically talented player on this planet, on his team. Obviously there's a string financial interest, but let's not make it out to be some victimization of Lebron.

I just think they never played smart in managing that roster. There were some free agents along the way to grab and they never traded for expiring contracts to make them selves a desirable destination. And star players would come to play LeBron.

[Luzwei]

I would hang out with Barkley every day.

I'd golf with him, and I've golfed maybe five times in my life. I'd still probably win.

You probably would.



What's with him and that jerky pause before he hits it?

[eephour]

Definitely Chuck.

Artest, Dirk, Nash, Arenas and Blake.

[Luzwei]

This is awesome! He's such a great man and a great coach!

[Adam P]

I'm not going to delve into it again, but suffice to say, luring top free agents and drafting top talent year after year were not luxuries that the team had at that time.

I don't believe in that. I just think they gave money to people that didn't deserve it, traded for player that were not as good. When you look at that first Finals team, they paid Larry Hughes 14mil. I rest my case.

You can choose to believe it or not, but its the truth. Read about Jim Paxson's tenure as Cavs GM.

I would venture to guess that Gilbert's intention was to spare no expense in attempting to keep his superstar player, you know...the most physically talented player on this planet, on his team. Obviously there's a string financial interest, but let's not make it out to be some victimization of Lebron.

I just think they never played smart in managing that roster. There were some free agents along the way to grab and they never traded for expiring contracts to make them selves a desirable destination. And star players would come to play LeBron.

They did the best they possibly could with the roster. They had 6 draft picks from 2005 to 2010, including late second-rounders. They turned Ira Newble, Drew Gooden, Larry "Legend" Hughes, Shannon Brown and Donyell Marshall into Ben Wallace, Joe Smith, Delonte West and Wally-world Szczerbiak. And they turned Damon Jones into Mo Williams (who the current regime then turned into Kyrie Irving). Desirable free agents stated publicly that they would not sign with the Cavs, especially not for a MLE, because Lebron was only committed for three years instead of six. Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh both said post-Decision that there was absolutely nothing Lebron could've done to convince them to play for the Cavs.

[Luzwei]

I'm not going to delve into it again, but suffice to say, luring top free agents and drafting top talent year after year were not luxuries that the team had at that time.

I don't believe in that. I just think they gave money to people that didn't deserve it, traded for player that were not as good. When you look at that first Finals team, they paid Larry Hughes 14mil. I rest my case.

You can choose to believe it or not, but its the truth. Read about Jim Paxson's tenure as Cavs GM.

Fill me in. What was the problem?

[Adam P]

Trading away first round picks for guys like Jiri Welsch. Using first round picks that he did have on guys like Luke Jackson. Illegal wink wink nudge nudge lowball deal with Carlos Boozer that let Boozer bolt to Utah. Poor personnel management all around. Left them with an empty roster and cap room in an offseason where among the best UFAs available were Donyell Marshall and Larry Hughes. And fired in 2005 leaving the franchise with virtually no assets around the best player in the world, and a roster that was bad enough to not go anywhere but good enough to never get a high enough pick (when they were actually in the draft) to secure top young talent.

In the words of Joakim Noah..."bad, man...really bad."

[howiemarx]

This is Good.
Mark Cuban Calls Out Skip Bayless
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hv2jqFd2-qI

[Luzwei]

As much as Cuban is right on some stuff, he's not completely right. Saying that the psyche does not play a difference in the game is just to strengthen his arguments and weaken the journalistic stand. As much as it is about x's and o's, it's about the player psyche as well. If LBJ was in the state of mind last year as he was this year, Mavericks could have played two sets of zone defense simultaneously, that would not help in the end.

[Luzwei]

Brandon Roy is making a comeback. Lakers???

[AnthonyCinder]

This is Good.
Mark Cuban Calls Out Skip Bayless
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hv2jqFd2-qI

God damn, Bayless is painfully stupid. I have no idea why anyone listens to a word this guy says. Good for Cuban for taking him to task.

Pretty awesome that an NBA owner is that connected to his team and how they work--Cuban talks like a coach or a GM more than an owner. I have much more respect for the guy after watching this.

The Bayless interpretation of the game takes so much credit away from the players and how they work together. It's even worse than merely speaking in generalities, but Cuban is still right on that point.

[AnthonyCinder]

Definitely Chuck.

Artest, Dirk, Nash, Arenas and Blake.

You'd really hang out with Artest? I met him once, and he seemed totally cool. But man, who knows. I'm sure it would at lest be interesting. Arenas and Nash are both really funny and Dirk seems like a good guy.

I'd add Roy Hibbert to the list as well. Dude is hilarious.