Official NBA 2005-2006 thread

[Magpel]

Originally posted by Rabid:

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.

These are cogent points.

[Magpel]

BTW, I belive that Bill Simmons is one of the great comedic writers in ANY genre/content area. He's one of the few writers alive about whom I can honestly say: lol.

 

Did you guys see the tribute to Sam Cassell in his recent article on the Clips? Wow.

[meccajay]

Steady, I've already conceeded that Kobe is the best player in the league, and that Lebron needs to improve a tad bit defensively before getting his MVP(maybe 3-4 consecutive).

 

Still doesn't mean Kobe is the MVP.

 

Dirk's contribution to the Mavs, Nashes to Phoenix, and Lebron getting his one trick Pony to a 4th seed, are all infinately more immpressive feat's than Kobe's scoring festival.

 

Here in the same article you posted on Dirk--

 

Averaging an astonishing 29-and-10 since the All-Star Break (the only two forwards to average 29-and-10 since the ABA/NBA merger were Bird and the Mailman). He's the only All-Star on a 60-win Dallas team. He shows up for every game. He's an underrated rebounder and superior free-throw shooter in crunch time. He solved the whole "Let's stick a smaller, more athletic guy on him!" strategy by punishing defenders with a variety of herky-jerk moves on the high post. He's German, which makes him fun to dislike whenever he starts sneering at his teammates or arrogantly celebrating after a big bucket. Out of any over-25 player, he made the biggest leap this season; it's hard to imagine anyone meaning more to his team.

[steadyb]

Dirk's not a good defender, and is historically a no show during crunch time in the playoffs. Take the buzzer beater he made against the Clips a week or so ago and put it into a playoff situation and more likely than not he misses that shot.

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

Originally posted by Rabid:

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

- Do I like .500? Hell no.

 

- Do I like being back in the playoffs? Hell yeah.

 

- With the supporting cast that makes up the Lakers of 2005/06 (or lack thereof), am I at least grateful Kobe stepped up to get us back to the dance? Absolutely.

 

I still say the Lakers have to have a better big man to really seriously compete at the level of the Pistons and other elite teams of the moment. But minus Kobe, the Lakers couldn't win the NCAA tourney this year, much less get to the NBA playoffs.

 

MVP! MVP! MVP!

 

- Jeff

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

Originally posted by Magpel:

Did you guys see the tribute to Sam Cassell in his recent article on the Clips? Wow.

It was superb.

 

I laughed at Simmons when he moved here from Beantown and bought season tix to the Clips.

 

I guess he who laughs last laughs hardest, perhaps at the real sleeper team of the West! Don't say I didn't warn you when the Clips get past round one and start REALLY being taken seriously!

 

- Jeff

[steadyb]

Also, let's see how Phoenix does against the Lakers when the Lakers aren't playing the 2nd game of a back to back (which was the case in all of the Suns' 3 wins this year).

 

The Lakers could beat the Suns in round 1, get the Clips or Denver in round 2, and beat either one of them, and after that... anything is possible.

 

Not bad for a team everyone picked to miss the playoffs.

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

Hey steadyb... I must be right in thinking this, but correct me if I'm not: the Lakers and Clips have never met in the playoffs, ever. Right?

 

That will be VERY interesting if it comes to that.

 

- Jeff

[steadyb]

Correct.

 

If round 2 is Lakers/Clippers, this place (Los Angeles) will go nuts.

 

And then, the Lakers will kick their ass back to Realityville.

 

But it would be awesome for both teams... no travel at all.

[meccajay]

Dude, Don't count on the Lakers doin ANYTHING in the west.

 

The west is the west, and the Lakers are the equivilant to the Sixers in the east.. Enjoy the playoff birth, and maybe even a 1st round win, but after that sit back and enjoy the DEE-troit/San Antonio rematch.

 

*edit*

 

When you guys get Garnett next year, my viewpoint changes dramatically.

[steadyb]

Originally posted by meccajay:

Dude, Don't count on the Lakers doin ANYTHING in the west.

 

The west is the west, and the Lakers are the equivilant to the Sixers in the east.

Lakers like the Sixers??? You must be joking.

 

Again, the Lakers won't play the Suns as the 2nd of a back to back ever in the playoffs. After round one, it's either the Clippers or the Nuggets. We handled both of them quite well this year.

 

That would leave the Western Conf Finals. San Antonio has to beat Sacramento, then Dallas, just to get there.

 

If, on the other hand, Dallas makes it to the conf finals, The Lakers OWN them.

 

The Lakers have Kobe. The Lakers have Phil.

 

Bring on the playoffs.

[Dan South]

What's this Q-rating that people are talking about? Sometime about Kobe being the first ever scoring champ whose Q-rating surpasses his points. I don't understand it, but I think that the comment was supposed to be pejorative.

 

Look out, world, here come the Nets!

 

[steadyb]

Originally posted by Dan South:

What's this Q-rating that people are talking about?

Parametric EQ is so-called because it has controls to adjust all the parameters of tone control. These are:

 

 

Frequency. The central frequency of the envelope in which the signal is boosted or cut.

 

Bandwidth (of which Q is a relation). The number of octaves (or fractions of an octave) spanning the central frequency over which the signal is affected by boosting or cutting. Bandwidth and Q describe the same thing, but - see below - use different (and inverse) scales: the higher the Q, the lower the bandwidth, and vice versa. The range of possible adjustment can run from about 1/60 octave (Q = approximately 90) to about 3 octaves (Q = approximately 0.4).

 

Gain. The amount by which the signal is boosted or cut.

Sweepable midrange EQ (found on some budget and most mid-priced desks), which has only frequency and gain controls, is sometimes incorrectly described as "parametric". However, the term "semi-parametric" is more often used for this type of EQ. To distinguish it from this, the EQ on more expensive desks - which include a bandwidth or Q control - is often described as "fully parametric".

What it is

A parametric EQ is an EQ which has controls for Frequency, Bandwidth or Q, and Gain.

Some desks have one or more parametric EQ sections on each channel. However, single- or multi-channel parametric EQs (with a varying number of bands) are available as rack-mountable units.

 

Bandwidth is calculated from the points at which the level has fallen (or risen) by 3dB.

[meccajay]

Originally posted by steadyb:

The Lakers have Kobe. The Lakers have Phil.

[/QB]

How could I have forgotten... In that case count on them not only making the finals, but throttling the Pistons in 5.

[Magpel]

Well, I'm glad to see you Lakers fans have Pencilled Kobe and the boys right past the Suns and into round two. They've got Kobe. They've got Phil. And most important of all, they've got Jack. Hollywood always prevails, right?

 

I'd guess the Suns will win in 5 or 6. Kobe will have his big games, but the Lakers are not built to exploit the Sun's biggest weakness--which is to say, a 6'8" center.

 

More evidence for Nash's MVP case: It's not even just that Stoudemire missed the entire year. It's also that they lost Joe Johnson and Qunetin Richardson and got next to nothing out of Kurt Thomas, the big free agent signing meant to address their lack of a legitimate inside presence, which Thomas can be. Instead they have to go with Tim Thomas, one of our generations great underachievers.

 

So I thnk the Suns' season will end up shrouded in what could have been, but still they have enough to shred the Lakers.

[steadyb]

L.A. Daily News:

 

Kobe Bryant is the best player in the NBA.

 

Bryant has elevated his game to another level this season, quite literally carrying the Lakers into the playoffs. Without Bryant, the Lakers right now would be considering whether they should draft Adam Morrison or Rudy Gay.

 

Instead the Lakers are wondering whether they match up better with the Suns or the Nuggets in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

 

With that in mind, Kobe Bryant should also be the easy choice as the league's Most Valuable Player.

 

In all likelihood, however, he will not earn the award this season.

 

What should be an open-and-shut case, is instead considered a wide-open race.

 

So why won't Kobe be the choice? Well, probably because we media types - who vote for this award - like to overthink the word "valuable," thereby missing the implication of simply picking the most outstanding.

 

Since it's a lot easier to focus on Bryant's on-court positives (35 ppg, an unexpected playoff berth, a Bonds-esque respect from opponents during crunch time, that 81-point game), maybe it's best to focus on the supposed negatives against the "Bryant in 2006" campaign.

 

Kobe is selfish.

 

This might be true, but is that really a negative aspect in a basketball player? Consider any great player in NBA history. Selfish is an adjective which would fit almost every time. There is only one ball, someone has to take charge. Shouldn't the "most valuable" player be the one with that ball in their hands?

 

Kobe doesn't make his teammates better.

 

This may have once been true, but it's getting more and more difficult to support this thinking.

 

Who would have thought Lamar Odom would crank out near triple-doubles almost every night and Kwame Brown would come to life?

 

The Lakers are unquestionably better this season than the one before, this month than last and this week than last. Some, if not most of the credit must go to the star player.

 

The difference is Phil Jackson, not Kobe.

 

This is debatable, but ultimately impossible to tell, particularly since Kobe missed so much time with his injured shoulder last season.

 

It's undebatable, however that Kobe Bryant was strong, focused and committed all season. Now, with the playoffs on the horizon, the whole team looks like that. Coincidence? Doubt it.

 

Kobe's not a team player; He broke up the dynasty.

 

This will always be Kobe's personal Swift Boat Veterans argument.

 

Some fans will never forgive him for being the last one standing after the Lakers were dismantled.

 

Would a team of Kobe, Shaq and 10 D-League-caliber players be much better than this year's team? Doubt it.

 

So who might beat out Kobe?

 

Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki is a valid candidate every year, but why this season? The Mavericks increasing last season's win total from 58 games to 60? Whoopee.

 

Elton Brand has clearly been great, but Cuttino Mobley and Sam Cassell truly changed the face of the Clippers. Detroit's Chauncey Billups is just one piece of a tremendous team. Cleveland's LeBron James is worthy, but he'll have plenty more chances to win MVPs.

 

Ditto for Miami's Dwyane Wade and Denver's Carmelo Anthony.

 

And then there's last year's winner, Phoenix's Steve Nash.

 

Consider that in the entire history of the NBA, only 25 players have won the league's MVP award and you could write a near complete history of the league using only those names. Cut the list down to those players with multiple selections (Pettit, Russell, Wilt, Kareem, Moses, Bird, Magic, Jordan, Karl and Duncan) and you might realistically have your five starters and five reserves on your all-time, all-NBA team.

 

Nash was a nice selection last season. He and the Suns came out of nowhere. And perhaps his performance this season has been even more "valuable," with superstar teammate Amare Stoudamire missing most of the season with a knee injury.

 

But the league's media members are also the game's historians. They are the protectors of the NBA's legacy. Look again at the list of multiple winners and ask yourself if Nash belongs on that list.

 

When considering this era of NBA basketball, should history recognize its greatest players as Tim Duncan and Steve Nash? Yes, and an emphatic no.

 

Kobe Bryant deserves his spot in the record books. He's earned his place in history.

 

Bryant is the game's most outstanding player and he's also its most valuable. That's not a contradiction.

[RABid]

Well there you go. If the L.A. Daily News thinks Kobe is MVP, then he must be. We all know there is no bias in media.

 

Robert

[steadyb]

Originally posted by Rabid:

Well there you go. If the L.A. Daily News thinks Kobe is MVP, then he must be. We all know there is no bias in media.

 

Robert

Just like there's no bias from you, mecca, or Magpel.

 

Haters.

[Magpel]

From Skip Bayless's ESPN.com column:

 

 

If Nash had played for the Lakers this season, and Kobe had played for the Suns, the Lakers would be the second seed and the Suns would have missed the playoffs.

 

Nash would turn Lamar Odom into Marion (if not more) and all of a sudden Smush Parker and Devean George and Luke Walton and Sasha Vujacic would start running and spotting up and draining 3s, and Kwame Brown and Brian Cook would outsprint other postmen for thundering dunks, and the Lakers would actually look like they were having fun playing basketball.

 

When you play with Nash, you know you're going to consistently get the ball exactly where you're best with it -- and when you're most open. Nash is a 12-man team. Kobe is a one-man show. Nash needs teammates. Kobe needs a stage.

 

A Suns source said: "Do not underestimate the leadership impact Nash has. He routinely organizes team dinners on the road -- and guys actually like it! You don't see that very often in the NBA."

 

Certainly not with Kobe's team.

 

If Kobe were a Sun, Marion would feel as if he were on the dark side of the moon. Marion would split time between waving unsuccessfully for the ball and complaining to the media. Kobe would take one look at House and Jones and shoot.

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

Skip Bayless bugs the fuck outta me. Just in case you wanted to know.

 

- Jeff

[steadyb]

Originally posted by Jeff Klopmeyer:

Skip Bayless bugs the fuck outta me. Just in case you wanted to know.

 

- Jeff

Agreed. Skip Bayless is a moron.

[Magpel]

Will mobile agents of the KDL (Kobe Defense League) please perpretrate a small denial-of-service attack on newyorktimes.com this morning? Apparently, one of their sports stringers has dared to use the words "Kobe" and "selfish" in the same sentence. They will learn.

 

With the Bayless and Kerr smears complete, it's time to turn our attention to the alliance building effort. We've learned that Odom has asked us to double the 5 mil. honorarium we offered in exchange for saying something complimentary about Kobe in a major media soundbyte. We'd love to have Lamar on board, but, since so many of our resources are tied up in the "Better Than Jordan" initiative, it looks like we may have to settle for Devean George again.

 

And I'd once again like to congratulate all of us for the ongoing success of the image rehab and refocusing program. Mr. G's proposal to go with, rather than against, the flow of the offseason troubles and reinvent Kobe as a rebel outsider is paying huge dividends. This is "if you can't fix it, feature it" at its best. Note the recent attempt at imitation, the highest form of flattery, by the TO/Rosenhaus team.

 

Well done, lads, well done. With The Sports Guy in the bag, the MVP is all but a lock. I, meanwhile, will continue to impress upon commissioner Stern the importance of having at least one major coastal urban market advancing deep into the playoffs. I can assure nothing, but we all know he has been receptive to such thinking in the past.

 

33

[RABid]

Who here would like to see Iverson and Kobe on the same team next year?

 

 

 

I wonder how many games they could go without passing the ball to each other?

 

Robert

[meccajay]

Originally posted by steadyb:

Originally posted by Jeff Klopmeyer:

Skip Bayless bugs the fuck outta me. Just in case you wanted to know. - Jeff

Agreed. Skip Bayless is a moron.

Yeah, but that moron sure can write!

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

1. I think Bayless is probably the WORST sportswriter at ESPN. He inserts himself into everything (i.e. "So there I was in the locker room and Bonds cam up and stared me down"). Who cares? Bayless also tends to make silly speculations... "If this guy had played with this team, and that guy hadn't been injured, and the other guy's mom hadn't spanked him more as a child, and the coach wasn't going through a divorce, then team B would definitely have been the victor... you heard it here first."

 

2. Kobe is selfish. Perhaps (and I may be wrong) if he really felt the Lakers could get wins without him hogging the ball, he'd hand off the rock more often. I think Kobe is only as selfish as needed to win under the current circumstances.

 

- Jeff

[Magpel]

Frankly, I don't even know who Skip Bayless is. I was just blindly cutting and pasting to show how easily the argument can be marshalled either way.

 

And I have to disagree with Jeff that Kobe would distribute more if he had more talent to distribute to. It's a fact that he used to frustrate Phil to no end by not getting the ball

inside to Shaq nearly enough. With the most unstoppable low post player at his disposable, he still took way too many shots. Why would you expect his Shaq-less life to be anything other than the Kobe spooge-fest that it is?

 

And before I get lumped in with "The haters," please do acknowledge that in evey post I've made on the subject, I have said that I'm perfectly okay with a Kobe MVP, though I don't think it's a runaway, and it won't make me like or respect the guy any more than I do at present.

 

If he wins a playoff series or two, that would be a different matter. Then I'd be serioulsy impressed. Until then, yawn. He campiagned hard for an MVP, and it was a brilliant campaign. So give it to him.

[meccajay]

I am a hater..

 

It's no secret. I make Kobe hate like I make a sandwich...carefree yummy fun. The other truth is that I LOVE Iverson. Always have. He's the Brett Farve or Steve McNair of the NBA.. Limps off the bus, and leads his team to a game winning performance night in and night out.

 

That said, neither AI or Kobe should be MVP this year.

 

They are ballhogs plain and simple. Bollhogs that do not help players around them get any better. Love there play. One is the best player, the other is the gutsy-est player in the NBA. That's not an MVP to me though. Although both bring a wealth of scoring to the table, which has and will win them MVP titles. To me the classic definition of MVP is this-

 

MVP = Makes Verygood Players

 

It should mean that anyway.. Kobe will get his and be deserving. AI has gotten his and was deserving, but Nash, Dirk, Magic, Jordan, Bird, soon Lebron etc etc.. Those guys made players good. They made teams good too.

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

Well, ladies and germs... we have playoff matchups!!!

 

EAST:

Pistons (1) v. Bucks (8)

Heat (2) v. Bulls (7)

Nets (3) v. Pacers (6)

Cavs (4) v. Wizards (5)

 

WEST:

Spurs (1) v. Kings (8)

Suns (2) v. Lakers (7)

Nuggets (3) v. Clippers (6)

Mavs (4) v. Grizzlies (5)

 

---

 

Now, here are my predictions::

 

EAST Round One:

 

Pistons over Bucks in 4

Heat over Bulls in 5

Nets over Pacers in 6

Cavs over Wiz in 6

 

WEST Round One:

Spurs over Kings in 4

Suns over Lakers in 7

Clippers over Nuggets in 6

Mavs over Grizzlies in 5

 

NBA Playoffs! It's Fan-TASTIC!

 

- Jeff

[steadyb]

Originally posted by Jeff Klopmeyer:

Now, here are my predictions::

 

EAST Round One:

 

Pistons over Bucks in 4

Heat over Bulls in 5

Nets over Pacers in 6

Cavs over Wiz in 6

 

WEST Round One:

Spurs over Kings in 4

Suns over Lakers in 7

Clippers over Nuggets in 6

Mavs over Grizzlies in 5

 

NBA Playoffs! It's Fan-TASTIC!

 

- Jeff

EAST Round One:

 

Pistons over Bucks in 4

Heat over Bulls in 7

Nets over Pacers in 7

Wiz over Cavs in 7

 

EAST Round Two:

 

Pistons over Wiz in 5

Heat over Nets in 6

 

EAST Conf finals:

 

Heat over Pistons in 7

 

WEST Round One:

 

Kings over Spurs in 7

Lakers over Suns in 6

Clippers over Nuggets in 6

Mavs over Grizzlies in 5

 

WEST Round Two:

 

Kings over Mavs in 6

Lakers over Clippers in 5

 

WEST Conf finals:

 

Lakers over Kings in 6

 

NBA Finals

 

Lakers over Heat in 7

 

 

You read it here first.

[Magpel]

Pistons over Spurs in 7