Official NBA 2005-2006 thread

[Magpel]

Oh, one last post mortem on this from me: Assuming all underclassmen return, Florida loses one player to graduation: reserve Adrian Moss, who was a rotation player, of course, but not a really critical one. That's it, unless Noah goes pro, and he'd be a fool to until he develops a credible jump shot. At which point he becomes Kevin Garnett...

 

UCLA loses two key players--Hollings and Bozeman--but you can count on them being good again next year too, and hungry.

[Steve Force]

As a Florida Alumnus, all I can say is....

 

Great job!

 

Great victories over some very tough teams!

[steadyb]

Originally posted by Magpel:

That's it, unless Noah goes pro, and he'd be a fool to until he develops a credible jump shot.

True, but most players that get that championship "win" are often anxious to move on up and cash in on the attention of the moment.

 

Especially when the last impression they make is such a great one, like Noah did. He had a very good game to end the year.

[Magpel]

Originally posted by steadyb:

but most players that get that championship "win" are often anxious to move on up and cash in on the attention of the moment.

 

Especially when the last impression they make is such a great one, like Noah did. He had a very good game to end the year.

Also true. Sometimes, tho, it's the (comparatively) rich kids who hang around just because they like the college experience and don't have the same urgency of financial need.

 

He'd do well to play another year at Florida, work on his shot, put on some more muscle, and have a blast contending for a repeat at the same time, 'cause if he stays I think Florida will be preseason #1.

[steadyb]

Amare Stoudemire's full-time return will have to wait until next season.

 

The Phoenix Suns' star will have arthroscopic surgery on his right knee to look for causes of a cyst and fluid accumulation, his manager, Rodney Rice, told The Arizona Republic for Wednesday's editions.

 

Team physician Thomas Carter is expected to operate Wednesday.

 

"As of right now, I'd say he's not going to play again this season," Rice told the Republic. "I feel that's the best thing for him."

[RABid]

Rhondo from UKentucky announced that he is hiring an agent and entering the draft. A very quick guard with good defense and no outside shot. He is projected as high as 15th.

 

Robert

[Magpel]

I'm really saddened by the sudden death of Maggie Dixon , the Army Woman's basketball coach and the sister of Pitt coach Jaime Dixon. It's a local story here -- I'm about half an hour from West Point. Kind of a yucky thing. My heart goes out to the family and the team.

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

It's just horrible. 28 is way too young for anyone to die, especially an athlete and a coach who could have had a long and successful career.

 

- Jeff

[RABid]

What's going on with Detroit? Sounds like discontent in Motor City.

[Steve Force]

More like boredom waiting for the "real" season(the playoffs) to begin.

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

Okay, let's ask some burning questions:

 

1. Who is most likely to make the last playoff seed in the East: Bulls or 76ers? Both are 37-41 at the moment.

 

2. If the picture in the West is frozen as of now, who will win in the round 1 matchup of Lakers v. Mavs?

 

3. Same question as #2, except with Clippers v. Memphis?

 

4. Is it just me, or does it seem inevitable that the finals will be Spurs v. Pistons II?

 

- Jeff

[RABid]

Originally posted by Jeff Klopmeyer:

...

 

4. Is it just me, or does it seem inevitable that the finals will be Spurs v. Pistons II?

 

- Jeff

I think Miami is the wild card. You never know when Shaq is going to decide to play. He has to know that time is running out.

 

Robert

[Magpel]

I'd be surprised but not shocked if someone derails the Pistons-Spurs II train.

[Trill]

I have actually regained some interest in the NBA again. That can be attributed to Lebron playing up in Cleveland. That dude is some kind of baller. That, and their on every night here in Ohio. I 'm a big fan of Steve Nash also.

 

I 'm looking forward to the playoffs for once. I actually lost interest after the Bulls started winning every year.

[steadyb]

http://i.a.cnn.net/si/2006/basketball/nba/04/15/bc.bkn.trailblazers.lak.ap/p1_041406_lakers_getty.jpg

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

Congrats to Kobe on breaking the Lakers' all-time season points total record. That's pretty damn cool.

 

Lakers still need one more win (or one more loss for Utah) to have officially secured a playoff spot, but it seems like they're locked into the 7th seed.

 

- Jeff

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

And seriously... how anyone can NOT be thinking about making Kobe this year's MVP? There were a bunch of guys who had great years: King James, Wade, Billups, Melo. But c'mon.

 

I don't know if the Lakers will make it past Phoenix in round one, and don't care. Love him or hate him, you have to choose Kobe as MVP.

 

- Jeff

[steadyb]

Yep, even the people who'd vote for someone else as MVP acknowledge that he's the best player in the NBA right now.

 

Plus, if you look at it this way...

 

Take away the leading candidates from each of their teams this year, and what would the record be.

 

That cements Kobe as MVP this year. Take him off the Lakers, and they win 15-20 games this year.

 

That isn't the case for Chauncey, Brand, Lebron, Nash, Parker, Dirk, etc. None of those teams would fall as far without their main guy.

[steadyb]

http://lang.dailynews.com/socal/gallery2/sports/041506_lakers/6.jpghttp://lang.dailynews.com/socal/gallery2/sports/041506_lakers/15.jpghttp://lang.dailynews.com/socal/gallery2/sports/041506_lakers/7.jpg

http://lang.dailynews.com/socal/gallery2/sports/041506_lakers/13.jpghttp://lang.dailynews.com/socal/gallery2/sports/041506_lakers/16.jpg

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

Originally posted by steadyb:

Take away the leading candidates from each of their teams this year, and what would the record be.

 

That cements Kobe as MVP this year. Take him off the Lakers, and they win 15-20 games this year.

Exactly. That's what defines the MVP. People seem to forget it stands for Most Valuable Player. If there was a player in the league who was more valuable to his team than Kobe this year, I don't know who it was.

 

There were a bunch of great performance, of course. Wade carries the Heat, but with a lot of help from Shaq, even still. Billups is great, but he's also surrounded by greatness. Melo? He's MVP caliber, but needs to mature a bit to be a true leader.

 

It's gotta be Kobe, and if he doesn't win, it would only be a matter of anti-Kobe bias rather than any true objective determination of his contribution this year.

 

- Jeff

[steadyb]

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2006-04/22975462.jpghttp://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2006-04/22974936.jpghttp://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2006-04/22975153.jpg

[Magpel]

I think the Suns would suffer a similar drecrement in wins without Nash this year. Next on that list would be LeBron. How can you say he wasn't worth 20+ wins to an otherwise astonishingly mediocre team, esp. without Hughes for long stretches? Plus LeBron fills up the stat sheet in a way few players can and has recently started making big shots in the 4th. Next on the indispensible list would be Wade, in recognition of the fact that Shaq isn't really Shaq anymore (to say nothing of Walker, Payton, and Riley...).

 

Oh and one more: How many games do the pathetic T'Wolves win without the still and always amazing KG -- leading the league in rebounds again, and playing with what Bill Simmons calls near-homicidal intensity every night? Pretty damn close to 0, you'd have to guess

 

The nice thing about candidates like Nash and Billups is that it shows a little bit of a glimmer of an understanding on the part of the fan base that socring isn't the only thing that matters. In fact, there is evidence that if you put your basic NBA guy in the ROLE of 20pt/game scorer, he'll probably come up with 20 points a game.

 

That said, scoring does matter, and Kobe is the league's most prodigious. So I have no problem with Kobe as an MVP.

[Magpel]

Originally posted by Jeff Klopmeyer:

Exactly. That's what defines the MVP. People seem to forget it stands for Most Valuable Player.

- Jeff

You've got to define value. Because the Lakers made the playoffs and will finish a good few games over .500 in the tougher conference, I have no problem signing off on a Kobe MVP, but be it known, though, that elevateing a team from, say 30 to 48 wins does NOT represent the same increment value as elevating a team to 45 to 55. The upper echelon wins are way more valuable and most be factored into any individual player's worth. The team's success sets a ceiling on the value of the player--if I it didn't, we'd all be mentioning KG in MVP talks, too.

 

If there's a basketball knock on Kobe, I'd say it is it that he doesn't "make the players aorund him better"

 

Look, he scores a zillion points a game, and his percentage is a decent (for him) 45%. LeBron, a baby, shoots 48%. Wade shoots 49.5%. Nash shoots 51% from the field, and leads the league in assists. Tony Parker shoots 54%!!! Kobe could easily raise his percentage a few points, and perk up his assist total and the involvement of his teammates in the process, but I don't think that is where his head is at.

[meccajay]

Kobe...MVP??

 

Me no think so... The Lakers are like a .500 team barely into the playoffs. This is not Kobe hate, so let me say this, I think Kobe is the best player in the NBA right now. No doubt.

 

But the simple true is that the league now belongs to Lebron, who because he's still a tad green defensively is on the cusp for an MVP. For 2006 though, the most valuable player is still gotta be either Dirk, Lebron, or Nash(look at his teams performance without Stoudemire).

 

my list-

 

1)Dirk

2)Lebron

3)Nash

4)Kobe

5)Chauncey

[RABid]

Kobe is definitely not MVT, Most Valuable Teammate. He does not make other players better and even with all his skills, his arrogance has done a lot of damage to the Lakers. He wanted to win it all by himself, but he has barely managed a .500 season.

 

Robert

[Magpel]

Kobe's bulling his way to an MVP with scoring and the fact that, to his credit, he's always been a good defender.

 

Butlooking at stats alone, it's gotta be LeBron -- unreal: 31, 7 and 7.

 

Has anyone EVER average over 30 pts and over 7 assists? I have my doubts. Maybe Wilt in some freakish season of total, ring-less dominance.

[steadyb]

[steadyb]

Originally posted by meccajay:

The Lakers are like a .500 team barely into the playoffs.

from ESPN:

So why isn't LeBron James the 2006 MVP? Two reasons. First, he hasn't committed himself on the defensive end yet. It's not even an effort thing, I think he's just been poorly coached. Bird and Magic couldn't guard anyone either, but they were always great help defenders, and Bird actually controlled games on that end like a free safety (just watch Game 6 of the 1986 Finals, you'll see what I mean). Defensively, LeBron is a complete non-factor.

 

More importantly, the next guy has just been a little bit better ...

 

 

1. Kobe Bryant

You don't know how much this kills me. Actually, you probably do. But Mamba passes all three MVP questions ...

 

Question No. 1: When remembering this season 10 years from now, which player will pop into your head first?

 

Answer: Kobe. The dude scored 62 in three quarters against Dallas, then 81 against Toronto a few weeks later. He's about to become the fifth player in NBA history to average 35 points a game (along with Wilt, MJ, Elgin and Rick Barry). He made up with Shaq. He made up with Phil. He made up with Nike. He appeared on the cover of Slam Magazine with a Mamba snake wrapped around him. He did everything but make the obligatory cameo on "Will and Grace." No player took more abuse from writers, broadcasters and radio hosts this season, but Kobe seemed to feed off that negative energy. It was almost Bondsian. And just when it kept seeming like he might wear down, he'd toss up another 50 just to keep you on your toes. Kobe was relentless. That's the best way to describe him this season.

 

Question No. 2: In the proverbial giant pickup game with every NBA player waiting to play, who would be the first player picked this season?

 

Answer: Kobe. He's the best all-around player in the league, the best scorer, the best competitor, and the one guy who terrifies everyone else. Plus, if you DIDN'T pick him, he would make it his mission to haunt you on the other team.

 

Question No. 3: If you replaced every MVP candidate with a decent player at their position for the entire season, what would be the effect on their teams' records?

 

Answer: If you replaced Kobe with a decent 2-guard (someone like Jamal Crawford) for the entire 2005-06 Lakers season, they would have won between 15 and 20 games. I can say that in complete confidence. Terrible team. When Smush Parker and Kwame Brown are your third- and fourth-best players, you shouldn't even be allowed to watch the playoffs on TV. Throw Kobe in the mix and they're headed for 45 wins. So he's been worth 25 victories for them. Minimum.

 

In a weird way, Kobe ended up getting what he always wanted: The Lakers completely revolve around him. He gets to shoot 25-30 times per game. He gets to take every big shot at crunch-time. He gets all the credit. Nobody else on the team dares to challenge him. And even better, because he lucked out with the only possible coach who could make this cockamamie situation work, his supporting cast kills itself to make him look good.

 

Basically, he's Elvis and everyone else is Joe Esposito. And it's working! That's the crazy thing.

 

Now they're a sleeper in the West -- seriously, do you think Phoenix wants any part of them in Round 1? -- and have the only player in the league who can win a playoff series by himself.

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

Nice article. I read Simmons regularly.

 

Remember, MVP is not necessarily MVT (teammate). I disagree that either LeBron, Dirk, 'Melo, Wade, or Nash made as big an imapact on their respective teams' seasons as Kobe did to the Lakers' this year. With all objectivity I can muster, I still think Kobe is the only real choice.

 

You still have to respect the other guys, though. I can't remember a year where so many guys came up big.

 

- Jeff

[RABid]

Basically, he's Elvis and everyone else is Joe Esposito. And it's working! That's the crazy thing.

1. People like Elvis. I think he is more like Peter Wolf. Had great sucess when in a good band but would rather crash solo than fly high with a group.

 

2. If LA fans think .500 means it is working, then their standards have dropped drastically since Shaq left.