I wanted to start highlighting unique and insightful comments.
(Update: It would really make things easier for me if you all would kindly click the ‘like’ button within the Disqus interface for any reader comments which you liked. This way, I can simply tally up the highest totals at the end of each week rather than subjecting you all to my arbitrary whims…as if we need any more of that around here. God bless.)
Without further ado, I present to you this week’s best:
Kevin:
It feels like we poisoned the Lakers. “Trevor Ariza” was the #2 Trending Topic on Twitter behind “Grand Theft Rondo” at some point last night.
Stephen:
We should get used to this sort of “rumor”.
Over the past few yrs the Rockets have substantially beefed up their European Operations. Morey has made numerous trips to Europe,attending many of the tournaments and having dinner w/players and coaches.(Just a few months ago he had dinner w/a player the Clips had drafted and instantly we read the Rockets were going to trade for him.) The Rockets spent heavily to buy the rights to a player who wasn’t going to come to the NBA for a while. The team gave significant minutes to Scola and Andersen,showing a willingness to let the players play.(Whereas Portland,fairly or not,is getting the reputation of being a bad example.See Rubio’s comments last yr.) And the Rockets stay in close touch w/their drafted players who are playing in Europe.
So if a European FA wants a little more leverage in negotiating his next deal the Rockets make a credible threat. Over the past few yrs the Rockets have been linked to assorted PG,SG and bigs,all of whom have signed new deals in Europe. In the past San Antonio was “reported” to have been interested in players,now it’s the Rockets.
I believe that the Rocket presence in Europe will pay off in drafting and eventually actually signing a Euro FA. However,my default setting on any report of the Rockets negotiating w/a Euro FA is Scepticism,Level Max.
Here’s a qoute on Pekovic,courtesy of a HoopsHype link from yesterday…
“Nikola Pekovic has to decide his future this summer. The 24-year-old Montenegrin center, who has played for Panathinaikos during the last two season, could stay on the Greek team or leave to the NBA and play for the Minnesota Timberwolves. But, according to the Serbian media, Real Madrid is also interested in landing the former player of Partizan, and has already make an offer to sign Pekovic for the next season.”
Sound like a player panting to get into the NBA,or one trying to get the best deal he can? Esp since his Greek team just hired a new coach. BTW,Real Madrid is supposedly interested in signing half the basketball players in the world. Having Real Madrid and the Rockets “interested” screams an “I’m really good,so pony up!” negotiating tactic.
ty185:
Rahat, it seems that the general consensus for David Andersen is a huge disappointment. — I am really curious as to why that is? What was our expectation for him in the beginning? Were DA really THAT bad last season?
Yes, DA started losing his minutes towards the end of the season, partly due to various minor injuries and partly due to the acquisition of Jordan Hill. But when he did receive playing time, I thought he was reasonably efficient on the court? — take a look at DA’s per-36 post all-star:
47% FG, 62% 3pter, 16 pts and 10 rebound and 2+ blk/stls
Granted, he only played 13 games with 14 mpg so it was a small sample size, but I personally thought that’s slightly better than I had expected efficiency wise.
Also here is his per-36 since new year, so the sample size is a bit larger:
30 games played, 13.5 mpg, with per-36 of
15 pts, 9.3 rbs, 1.4 Blk/Stl, 44% FG, 40% 3pterAgain, as a situational player, I thought that’s a reasonable production? What am I missing from the David-Andersen-is-horrible camp?
Steve:
Rahat, I still think he’s their best bet outside of Bosh. Al can be had at a bargain. If Al can be that 22/11 guy he was before the knee injury, it’s worth the risk.
I view a Jefferson trade like how I viewed the Kevin Martin trade. When healthy, Kevin Martin is a top 10 SG’s in the NBA. There were risks involved when Morey made the deal for K-Mart. IMO, Jefferson, when healthy, is a top 10 PF.
Jefferson demands a double team in the post which Houston currently doesn’t have a player that commands a double team in the post. (Not including Yao because no one knows how he’ll come back from injury) Adelman’s offense relies on ball movement and having players that can hit the open shot. Houston has players that can hit the open three. This is where Jefferson comes into play. He’ll be able to create open shots for his team based on teams sending a helper on defense.
You’re probably right about Al Jefferson not being a Morey type player though.
DizzyDutch:
So if Bosh is available, you don’t think Lowry could be packaged away him with Scola and fillers? I’m not saying that DM would trade Lowry for anyone but a top tier player.
Also, I am not sold on this year’s crop of big men. For a class that’s dubbed the deepest PF class in a long time, each post player seem to have a certain Achille’s heel, starting from Cousins and Aldrich to Whiteside and Orton. DM seems to always draft a player that comes out of nowhere(Brooks, Landry, C-Bud, etc). This year everyone expects him to draft a big to back up Yao but the closer we get to the June 24th, the more I feel like he will draft a guard. None of the bigs this year seems ready to contribute immediately except for Cousins and Monroe.
verlorene:
I honestly don’t follow Jefferson but I did notice that along with Kevin Martin (who did place) he made honorable mention for a top 5 list…for the 2010 All Non Defensive Team. It may just be me but with our backcourt defensive issues I just don’t see Morey gunning for another person who can be above average on offense but lacking on the defensive end and TS%.
The blogger, Haralabos Voulgaris, is a professional gambler and backs up his claims with insight from his couple hundred thousand dollar custom database which has play-by-play for thousands of games as well as watching over 900 games a year.
Along with his blog, ESPN did 2 interviews with him in 2008. They are 2 of the most insightful things that I have read on ESPN, I highly suggest you all read them. Much of the article as well as his blog deals with debunking Tim Donaghy’s claims that he didn’t fix games, it is interesting stuff.
RFWC:
Watching parts of game 7 reminds me of watching the Rockets in 94, and also in general why I dislike basketball. Lots of physical play, flopping, and ultimately the refs calls and no-calls change a game. Gasol swats Garnett’s hand it’s a block. Gasol gets swatted and he goes to the line for 2. So on and so forth. On a 6/24 night by Kobe (which really reminds me of a MJ) Boston couldn’t wipe Artest with a pick n Roll to free up Perkins and that’s the outcome.
What’s clearly demonstrated here is that in a physical, drag-down shootout, being able to throw the ball down to a H.O. or a Y.M. really can be the difference in a game, that is if you got a healthy HOlajuwon or YMing.
Phil Jackson probably never sweated so much for a ring. At the end, NBA make sure everyone got theirs, except GASOL GOT SCREWED. He should have been the MVP. This is why I hate the NBA, completely subjective. It’s like figure skating and at the end someone with vested interest raises 6.0 or 9.5
Shawn:
Anything on the puppet strings here? Or will you not touch it since you’ve got your site feed on ESPN? You can’t feel good about the Rockets chances next year. Not with Stern and his cast of Donaghy’s deciding what would make the best story. Donaghy took the fall for what is a much larger network of crooks. I cared until last night. I won’t be watching the draft or any NBA games ever again.
Easy:
They swallowed the whistles until the 4th quarter, when they suddenly decided to go back to their normal selves. We all knew that playing physical favored Boston, and the results of the first three quarters showed. Most people predicted a quick start for LA and without Perkins, Boston was no supposed to stand a chance inside. Yet the actually outcome was the reverse of that prediction.
Without the foul calling, the Celtics were able to keep their lead even though they were predictably pounded on the board. Then came the 4th when they sent the Lakers in to penalty shooting just halfway through the quarter.
Keeping Boston in the game, then letting LA catchup at the end, with the officiating pattern. I am not a conspiracy theorist. But when the game went like a scripted drama, the cynical side of me thinks, maybe it was somewhat scripted.
purvisshort:
Agree on the post, Rahat.
When Ron-Ron shot that ‘3’, I actually jumped up and cheered because that was the shot I wanted the Lakers to take…and then he nailed it. What a dagger. There was a point last night when Ron’s 14 points were well over a third of the Lakers points, I think they had 36. I’ve always been neutral about the guy–to weird for me to “get”, but clearly not the devil some have made him out to be. It’s fitting that on the night of one of the best defensive performances I can remember, the other team’s defensive specialist carries them home on offense.
Boston was great, and was just a few quality minutes short from its exhausted starters. When they stagnated on offense in the fourth, I kept wanting them to run Allen off a Rasheed screen on the block and then kick it to Rasheed! I mean that worked all night (I think he missed one when he for some reason took it to the lane). Oh well.
That was the best sports game I’ve ever watched when I did not have a routing interest for either team. So happy I can go back to cheering against both the Lakers and the Celtics again.
