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Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2014 10:31:50 GMT -5
I had to miss the game last night because of a show downtown, but I still followed the score on my webbernetphone. Seemed like a repeat of the previous game.
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Post by Superb Owl 🦉 on Jun 13, 2014 10:42:06 GMT -5
I do think James (and Bosh/Wade) come back to Miami, at least for one more year. It's all speculative, but I think they'll be there as long as having a shot at the Finals is relatively guaranteed. If the team's direction wavers or loses focus next year, I wouldn't be surprised if the team breaks up. Wade will be in Miami until he can't physically hold it together, which is probably two years from now. Bosh might leave; being a Dallas native, I could see him getting overpaid by Mark Cuban for a couple years after Dirk Nowitzki retires. James will be in Miami as long as he can be the focus of a successful team, but I could see him teaming up with another star of a similar age (let's say, Chris Paul). I feel like his fate is going to be tied to the success of the team more than the others; if the team continues to make appearances in the Finals, he'll be there, but he'd leave if the team failed to do so in consecutive years. I could see James bolting for NYC to play under Phil Jackson. If he could resurrect the Knicks he would own that city. If he cared about that, he would have done it four years ago. I really don't think NY is an attractive destination for him at all. |
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Post by Superb Owl 🦉 on Jun 13, 2014 10:44:53 GMT -5
I had to miss the game last night because of a show downtown, but I still followed the score on my webbernetphone. Seemed like a repeat of the previous game. I actually thought this had a much more dominant feel than game 3. That first game it really felt like San Antonio was just really hot in the first half and built a lead to big for Miami to overcome, but it still felt like the Heat were capable of making it a game in the 2nd half.
Last night, it was just obvious that outside of LeBron they had no one capable of keeping up with what San Antonio was doing. They were just looked done and old.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2014 11:20:59 GMT -5
Barring a historic comeback in this series, is there any way LeBron comes back to Miami? That team is falling apart around him and this idea of bringing in Carmelo next year isn't going to fix their issues. I don't know why anyone would think this is a good idea b/c what Miami really needs are 1) a post player who can defend and 2) a competent starting point guard.* Melo is neither of those things. Unless all 4 guys are willing to take massive pay cuts they'll once again have to fill out the rest of their rosters with NBA retreads. Everyone who's taken the Skip Bayless approach of blaming Lebron needs to consider maybe this is just a really poorly built team in it's current state. Wade has declined sharply (and should consider becoming a Ginobili-esque 6th man) and Bosh has become a rich man's Steve Novak. Other than Lebron everyone has gotten worse whereas the young guys on the Spurs have gotten better since last year (it's laughable that people see SA as old compared to MIA when Splitter, Leonard, Mills, Green, and Belinelli are in their 20s). *If/when the Spurs win my Finals MVP ballot 1) Leonard - buckets and the best job of guarding Lebron I've ever seen. He makes him earn every point. 2) Diaw - 2 years ago he was cut by the Bobcats - BOBCATS! 3) Mario Chalmers - MIA would be better off playing 4 on 5 |
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Post by Superb Owl 🦉 on Jun 13, 2014 11:30:24 GMT -5
Barring a historic comeback in this series, is there any way LeBron comes back to Miami? That team is falling apart around him and this idea of bringing in Carmelo next year isn't going to fix their issues. I don't know why anyone would think this is a good idea b/c what Miami really needs are 1) a post player who can defend and 2) a competent starting point guard.* Melo is neither of those things. Unless all 4 guys are willing to take massive pay cuts they'll once again have to fill out the rest of their rosters with NBA retreads. Everyone who's taken the Skip Bayless approach of blaming Lebron needs to consider maybe this is just a really poorly built team in it's current state. Wade has declined sharply (and should consider becoming a Ginobili-esque 6th man) and Bosh has become a rich man's Steve Novak. Other than Lebron everyone has gotten worse whereas the young guys on the Spurs have gotten better since last year (it's laughable that people see SA as old compared to MIA when Splitter, Leonard, Mills, Green, and Belinelli are in their 20s). *If/when the Spurs win my Finals MVP ballot 1) Leonard - buckets and the best job of guarding Lebron I've ever seen. He makes him earn every point. 2) Diaw - 2 years ago he was cut by the Bobcats - BOBCATS! 3) Mario Chalmers - MIA would be better off playing 4 on 5
Oh bringing in Melo is a TERRIBLE idea. I understand that it's something Miami could pull off, but for the life of me I can't figure out why they would do it. I don't even think Melo is a terrible player or even overrated, he's just the opposite of their needs right now.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2014 11:33:38 GMT -5
I could see James bolting for NYC to play under Phil Jackson. If he could resurrect the Knicks he would own that city. If he cared about that, he would have done it four years ago. I really don't think NY is an attractive destination for him at all. Good point. Maybe LA once Kobe hangs it up? Or does he still feel guilty about leaving Cleveland the way he did and would go home? Or does he really love the zero pressure/no state income tax situation he has in Miami? |
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Post by Superb Owl 🦉 on Jun 13, 2014 11:41:16 GMT -5
If he cared about that, he would have done it four years ago. I really don't think NY is an attractive destination for him at all. Good point. Maybe LA once Kobe hangs it up? Or does he still feel guilty about leaving Cleveland the way he did and would go home? Or does he really love the zero pressure/no state income tax situation he has in Miami? I don't see LA happening either, for the same reasons. Lots of pressure, no obvious path to re-building a supporting cast that can contend immediately.
Honestly, wouldn't Cleveland be the most comfortable choice for him? He'd generate so much goodwill coming home that I think it's the one place he could go and still have it be deemed a success without winning a title. At the same time, they actually seem primed to surround him with decent players this time (depending on how you are on Kyrie or Cleveland's chances to bring in someone like Love).
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Post by Deleted on Jun 15, 2014 21:44:49 GMT -5
Well, we're down to the final minutes, and it is over already. The Spurs make it look so easy that this game was actually kind of boring to watch. By the end of the third quarter, I just wanted them to go ahead and call it for the Spurs already, and then it just got worse for the Heat. Anyway, I thought it was going to be a much more exciting finals than it was, but I loved watching the Spurs play like a well-oiled machine. And I kind of enjoy watching Lebron James make "disappointed face." GO SPURS!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 16, 2014 9:06:40 GMT -5
Well, we're down to the final minutes, and it is over already. The Spurs make it look so easy that this game was actually kind of boring to watch. By the end of the third quarter, I just wanted them to go ahead and call it for the Spurs already, and then it just got worse for the Heat. Anyway, I thought it was going to be a much more exciting finals than it was, but I loved watching the Spurs play like a well-oiled machine. And I kind of enjoy watching Lebron James make "disappointed face." GO SPURS! Last night's game would have been ugly if the Spurs hadn't started off slowly. I agree, the league should have called the game at the end of the third quarter, and instead of the fourth quarter, made LeBron answer questions about his future for twelve minutes. The series as a whole was anticlimactic - San Antonio was clearly better, and nobody outside of LeBron really showed up for Miami. |
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Post by Superb Owl 🦉 on Jun 16, 2014 10:13:52 GMT -5
It really was a disappointing series after last year. And now because they got blown out we'll be subjected to endless annoying talk about how LeBron compares to MJ and company.
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Post by Superb Owl 🦉 on Jun 25, 2014 8:49:29 GMT -5
Anybody going to watch the draft tomorrow? I think I'll try to at least follow it a little to see: - If this Embiid injury business leads to any crazy trades
- How Minnesota screws up this time (my money is on an unpopular McDermott pick)
- If Kane or Ejim from ISU manage to sneak into at least the 2nd round
- What kind of reaction Adam Silver gets compared to his predecessor
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Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2014 8:58:40 GMT -5
Superb Owl 🦉: I don't plan to watch the draft but I'm at least curious about it. The Embiid injury is particularly interesting, as it's clearly going to affect everything. God, I hope no college students had planned a Draft Night Drinking Game where everyone drinks when Greg Oden is mentioned, they'll be dead before the lottery teams are done picking. I expect Minnesota to try to take two point guards with one pick or something similar. Adam Silver is going to get plenty of applause because he's new, not David Stern, and still riding the goodwill from dropping the hammer on Donald Sterling.
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Post by Superb Owl 🦉 on Jun 25, 2014 9:15:48 GMT -5
Superb Owl 🦉: I don't plan to watch the draft but I'm at least curious about it. The Embiid injury is particularly interesting, as it's clearly going to affect everything. God, I hope no college students had planned a Draft Night Drinking Game where everyone drinks when Greg Oden is mentioned, they'll be dead before the lottery teams are done picking. I expect Minnesota to try to take two point guards with one pick or something similar. Adam Silver is going to get plenty of applause because he's new, not David Stern, and still riding the goodwill from dropping the hammer on Donald Sterling. I feel bad for Embiid, but it's probably the best thing to happen to the entertainment value of this draft. It was sounding like the 1st three picks were pretty set in stone before, now it's all up in the air. If I'm Cleveland, I'm definitely holding Parker for ransom and trying to extort something out of Milwaukee. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 27, 2014 8:42:39 GMT -5
I got little to say here, as I didn't watch the draft and haven't looked at results beyond the headlines. Just wanted to say that it was a great thing that Adam Silver and the league did for Isaiah Austin, the Baylor player who was diagnosed with Marfan's Syndrome this week.
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Post by Superb Owl 🦉 on Jun 27, 2014 9:37:49 GMT -5
I got little to say here, as I didn't watch the draft and haven't looked at results beyond the headlines. Just wanted to say that it was a great thing that Adam Silver and the league did for Isaiah Austin, the Baylor player who was diagnosed with Marfan's Syndrome this week. Yea, that was a classy move. I feel bad for Austin (although I have my doubts on his NBA prospects regardless of his health issues).
Draft itself was fairly interesting, at least the parts I caught in between putting kids to bed. Will be interesting to see what happens with Embiid and Nerlens Noel in Philly, although I think that was the right pick. I wonder if Boston taking Smart means a Rondo trade is in the future this off-season. Toronto inexplicably takes a Brazilian who is by all accounts a good 4 years away from being NBA ready with their first round pick. Lots of good stuff.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 27, 2014 9:46:48 GMT -5
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Post by Superb Owl 🦉 on Jun 27, 2014 9:52:27 GMT -5
I don't mind OSU, so I do feel bad that Travis Ford is apparently signed to the dumbest contract in all of college basketball. |
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Post by opalcat on Jul 10, 2014 0:43:21 GMT -5
So now we're on day whatever of WHERE WILL LEBRON SIGN and as expected the Cavaliers fans have managed to delude themselves into thinking that James will resign with a team that is the very definition of "at least five years away from contending for anything even if we get Lebron."
One disturbing aspect of this whole thing is the idea that Lebron should take less money, as if the Heat or any other NBA team owner will go bankrupt if they go over the hard salary cap and have to pay the luxury tax or the super double secret luxury tax penalty. The owners are ALL billionaires, they can afford tp throw out an extra $30,000,000 or whatever, especially since the entire franchise is one huge tax write off for them every year.
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Post by Superb Owl 🦉 on Jul 11, 2014 11:32:38 GMT -5
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Post by Pear on Jul 11, 2014 11:36:08 GMT -5
*Dan Gilbert hurriedly burns letter*
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Post by Superb Owl 🦉 on Jul 11, 2014 11:40:31 GMT -5
So now we're on day whatever of WHERE WILL LEBRON SIGN and as expected the Cavaliers fans have managed to delude themselves into thinking that James will resign with a team that is the very definition of "at least five years away from contending for anything even if we get Lebron." One disturbing aspect of this whole thing is the idea that Lebron should take less money, as if the Heat or any other NBA team owner will go bankrupt if they go over the hard salary cap and have to pay the luxury tax or the super double secret luxury tax penalty. The owners are ALL billionaires, they can afford tp throw out an extra $30,000,000 or whatever, especially since the entire franchise is one huge tax write off for them every year. It is crazy the amount of shit people will give athletes for treating the careers the same way EVERY OTHER PERSON treats their careers. Just insane.
That being said, I'm glad James is heading back to Cleveland, I think that is going to lead to a lot more fun next season than watching an aging Heat team lose another step. His announcement article with SI makes it sound like he has a good perspective on the whole thing as well.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 11, 2014 11:46:18 GMT -5
So now we're on day whatever of WHERE WILL LEBRON SIGN and as expected the Cavaliers fans have managed to delude themselves into thinking that James will resign with a team that is the very definition of "at least five years away from contending for anything even if we get Lebron." One disturbing aspect of this whole thing is the idea that Lebron should take less money, as if the Heat or any other NBA team owner will go bankrupt if they go over the hard salary cap and have to pay the luxury tax or the super double secret luxury tax penalty. The owners are ALL billionaires, they can afford tp throw out an extra $30,000,000 or whatever, especially since the entire franchise is one huge tax write off for them every year. It is crazy the amount of shit people will give athletes for treating the careers the same way EVERY OTHER PERSON treats their careers. Just insane.
That being said, I'm glad James is heading back to Cleveland, I think that is going to lead to a lot more fun next season than watching an aging Heat team lose another step. His announcement article with SI makes it sound like he has a good perspective on the whole thing as well.
I think we're also about to see how good Lebron's GM instincts are, since he surely is going to get to pick which A-list free agent the Cavs trade for. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 11, 2014 11:47:24 GMT -5
So now we're on day whatever of WHERE WILL LEBRON SIGN and as expected the Cavaliers fans have managed to delude themselves into thinking that James will resign with a team that is the very definition of "at least five years away from contending for anything even if we get Lebron." One disturbing aspect of this whole thing is the idea that Lebron should take less money, as if the Heat or any other NBA team owner will go bankrupt if they go over the hard salary cap and have to pay the luxury tax or the super double secret luxury tax penalty. The owners are ALL billionaires, they can afford tp throw out an extra $30,000,000 or whatever, especially since the entire franchise is one huge tax write off for them every year. It is crazy the amount of shit people will give athletes for treating the careers the same way EVERY OTHER PERSON treats their careers. Just insane.
That being said, I'm glad James is heading back to Cleveland, I think that is going to lead to a lot more fun next season than watching an aging Heat team lose another step. His announcement article with SI makes it sound like he has a good perspective on the whole thing as well.
I agree with all of this, especially the last part. How dull would the next NBA season be if it simply played out like last season with everyone a year older? This way, things should at least be interesting...for a while. It probably does mean that the champion is all but guaranteed to come out of the West, though. |
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Post by Superb Owl 🦉 on Jul 11, 2014 11:50:20 GMT -5
It is crazy the amount of shit people will give athletes for treating the careers the same way EVERY OTHER PERSON treats their careers. Just insane.
That being said, I'm glad James is heading back to Cleveland, I think that is going to lead to a lot more fun next season than watching an aging Heat team lose another step. His announcement article with SI makes it sound like he has a good perspective on the whole thing as well.
I think we're also about to see how good Lebron's GM instincts are, since he surely is going to get to pick which A-list free agent the Cavs trade for. There were rumors a couple days back about a trade for love involving Andrew Wiggins, whose name was conspicuously absent from the portion of LeBron's announcement where he talked about all the young Cavs he was looking forward to mentoring. Shouldn't he have been the second one mentioned after Kyrie? |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 11, 2014 12:54:30 GMT -5
It is hilarious to see people in Cleveland bend over backwards for lebron when 4 years ago they were burning jersies in effigy.
Honestly, while it is better move than staying with the heat. There was better teams out there. The cavs just flat out suck. They have had 3 number 1 picks in the last four years, that isn't a good thing. Sure the cavs are going to make the playoffs now, could even make the finals, but the suns or rockets probably would have been better.
I haven't read the SI piece yet, but the main line of "I'm coming home", means he didn't do this in a best for career stand point. Which hey, good for him, he had a chance to do what felt best for him and he took it. Just funny because everyone in Cleveland went from hating him to kissing his ass again, and that gilbert letter probably would have went right back up if lebron didn't choose the cavs.
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Post by Superb Owl 🦉 on Jul 11, 2014 13:04:37 GMT -5
It is hilarious to see people in Cleveland bend over backwards for lebron when 4 years ago they were burning jersies in effigy. Honestly, while it is better move than staying with the heat. There was better teams out there. The cavs just flat out suck. They have had 3 number 1 picks in the last four years, that isn't a good thing. Sure the cavs are going to make the playoffs now, could even make the finals, but the suns or rockets probably would have been better. I haven't read the SI piece yet, but the main line of "I'm coming home", means he didn't do this in a best for career stand point. Which hey, good for him, he had a chance to do what felt best for him and he took it. Just funny because everyone in Cleveland went from hating him to kissing his ass again, and that gilbert letter probably would have went right back up if lebron didn't choose the cavs. The two things I took away from his piece, and they could very well just be savvy marketing, were:
1) He misses his home and wants to raise his family there
2) Winning just one title in Cleveland would mean more to him than winning multiple titles elsewhere. He's pretty upfront that Cleveland is not the best basketball move.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 11, 2014 13:13:50 GMT -5
It is hilarious to see people in Cleveland bend over backwards for lebron when 4 years ago they were burning jersies in effigy. Honestly, while it is better move than staying with the heat. There was better teams out there. The cavs just flat out suck. They have had 3 number 1 picks in the last four years, that isn't a good thing. Sure the cavs are going to make the playoffs now, could even make the finals, but the suns or rockets probably would have been better. I haven't read the SI piece yet, but the main line of "I'm coming home", means he didn't do this in a best for career stand point. Which hey, good for him, he had a chance to do what felt best for him and he took it. Just funny because everyone in Cleveland went from hating him to kissing his ass again, and that gilbert letter probably would have went right back up if lebron didn't choose the cavs. The two things I took away from his piece, and they could very well just be savvy marketing, were:
1) He misses his home and wants to raise his family there
2) Winning just one title in Cleveland would mean more to him than winning multiple titles elsewhere. He's pretty upfront that Cleveland is not the best basketball move.
Yeah, seems right. I'm not faulting him for that. He just wants to do what is best for his life, not career. Seems to have learned a lot since 4 years ago. Now what about other teams? Bosh should totally go to Houston, right? And Houston has to find a way to keep parsons as well. And melo should probably choose the bulls. Even if rose gets injured again, a bulls team with melo is going to probably be the best or 2nd best team in the east. If rose is healthy? The bulls would probably take down the cavs in the ECF. Though it seems like Lakers or Knicks is more likely. Which really seems dumb from a basketball standpoint. Lakers at best with melo and a hobbler Kobe would be lower half of the top 8 in the west. And the Knicks? Well they are the Knicks.... |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 11, 2014 13:27:00 GMT -5
And I just read that the Lakers are out in the melo chase, do my last paragraph was for nothing(well parts of it).
Also read that the cavs would be looking to trade Dion waiters, Anthony Bennett, and a first round pick in exchange for love. Which if the t'wolves take that shit heap of a deal they deserve to lose for another decade.
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Post by Superb Owl 🦉 on Jul 11, 2014 13:35:04 GMT -5
And I just read that the Lakers are out in the melo chase, do my last paragraph was for nothing(well parts of it). Also read that the cavs would be looking to trade Dion waiters, Anthony Bennett, and a first round pick in exchange for love. Which if the t'wolves take that shit heap of a deal they deserve to lose for another decade. Yea, if that's what they end up with, they're going to regret not jumping on that Golden State deal when they had the chance. |
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Post by Superb Owl 🦉 on Jul 11, 2014 13:37:57 GMT -5
The two things I took away from his piece, and they could very well just be savvy marketing, were:
1) He misses his home and wants to raise his family there
2) Winning just one title in Cleveland would mean more to him than winning multiple titles elsewhere. He's pretty upfront that Cleveland is not the best basketball move.
Yeah, seems right. I'm not faulting him for that. He just wants to do what is best for his life, not career. Seems to have learned a lot since 4 years ago. Now what about other teams? Bosh should totally go to Houston, right? And Houston has to find a way to keep parsons as well. And melo should probably choose the bulls. Even if rose gets injured again, a bulls team with melo is going to probably be the best or 2nd best team in the east. If rose is healthy? The bulls would probably take down the cavs in the ECF. Though it seems like Lakers or Knicks is more likely. Which really seems dumb from a basketball standpoint. Lakers at best with melo and a hobbler Kobe would be lower half of the top 8 in the west. And the Knicks? Well they are the Knicks.... Bosh should totally go to Houston at this point. And I believe that if they can get Bosh signed within 72 hours of Parson signing that Dallas offer sheet that they would be able to both sign Bosh and match the Parsons offer. Gotta love the goofy NBA salary rules.
I've heard rumors though that Bosh really doesn't want to go back to Texas. I wonder if Phoenix would be interested, seems like he'd be a good fit there, especially after they lost Frye. He needs to get out of Miami at any rate, if he wants to still be on a contender.
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