By Smokey Go To Postdiehard spookednah the rockets are desperate, they will win.
never count on the 2016 rockets to get anything done. the L is a legit possibility against the kings
By diehard Go To Postlol what? Portland or Charlotte.you take that back
By DY_nasty Go To Postyou take that backoverachieve in a good way
Hardwood Paroxysm @HPbasketballOKC or Spurs...
The Grizzlies have also clinched no-worse-than-seventh. 7th is also where they land in most scenarios, vs. San Antonio
If we win all-out and POR loses one, LAC. And we play the Clips tomorrow night...
Hmm, so next year is pretty important year... Not sure if we end up trading some of these picks or players, we'll see.
Tim MacMahon
ESPN Staff Writer
Jazz center Rudy Gobert left the arena wearing a walking boot to protect the sprained right ankle that caused him to leave Monday's loss to the Mavs with 7:33 remaining in the second quarter. His status for Wednesday's must-win regular-season finale against the Lakers is in questio
https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA/status/719741511131377664
Seesh. Dude is feeding off Karl's hated toward him.
Seesh. Dude is feeding off Karl's hated toward him.
By etiolation Go To Postman that sucks for the JazzKobe saved all his remaining chakra for his last game as the Black Mamba.
but its still the Lakers
Matt Winer @matt_winerYou can't fake that level of tanking.
Just noticed how shockingly bad the Lakers shot tonight. 28.4% is the second worst in franchise history and worst since 1951…
By vic Go To PostYou can't fake that level of tanking.That's actually kinda impressive.
"I've always held the bar up very high for Kobe and he's not only reached that bar, but he's jumping over the top of it right now. It's the best that I've seen a player of mine play with an overall court game. I never asked Michael to be a playmaker. That's the greatest player I ever had, that I could consider the greatest player in the game. Yet I never asked him to be a playmaker in those terms. I asked him to be a playmaker when he was doubled or tripled. Kobe has to set up the offense, read the defense, make others happy and he's doing a great job of it." – Jackson before 2001 Finals, ESPN.com
nba.com right now has a massive amount of Kobe-related content for his retirement. So many got damn feels.
"It doesn't matter whose team it is. Nobody cares. But this is his team, so it's time for him to act like it. That means no more coming into camp fat and out of shape, when your team is relying on your leadership on and off the court. It also means no more blaming others for our team's failure, or blaming staff members for not overdramatizing your injuries so that you avoid blame for your lack of conditioning. Also, "my team" doesn't mean only when we win; it means carrying the burden of defeat just as gracefully as you carry a championship trophy.
"Leaders don't beg for a contract extension and negotiate some 30 million (dollars) plus per year deal in the media when we have two future Hall of Famers playing here pretty much for free. A leader would not demand the ball every time down the floor when you have the three of us (Karl Malone, Gary Payton, Bryant) playing beside you, not to mention the teammates you have gone to war with for years – and, by the way, then threaten not to play defense and rebound if you don't get the ball every time down the floor." – Bryant after O'Neal's declaration that the Lakers were "his team,"
Got damn ether.
Big men sort of have to call for the ball since they are rarely used as ball handlers. You don't get this in systems in which they are the offensive cog or bringing up the ball, but otherwise it's needed as a big. It's just a part of offensive systems. If you're a spot up shooter then it's the same deal.
Time for the Wizards to blow it up. They can keep John Wall, Kelly Oubre, and Jarell Eddie. And that's it. Everyone else, trade those bums for picks or whatever else you can get. Fire Wittman, tell Grunfeld to clear out his office and then burn his office to the ground with him still clearing it out, burn the arena to the ground as well, make sure as little as possible remains from this disappointing season in Washington.
I bet Obama would be down to drop a nuke or two if it really came down to it. Couldn't hurt to ask.
Actually, trade Wall as well. I bet you could get a real sweet haul for him from a team that doesn't realize that he couldn't even lead his team to the playoffs. Oubre and Eddie = core. Those are players you can build around, players who won't mope when stuff goes a little bit south. The Wizards need men. Manly men.
By Smokey Go To Postdiehard spookedhogwash. SAC is tied at 33 wins with two other teams, they will play the the towel boy.
never count on the 2016 rockets to get anything done. the L is a legit possibility against the kings
Rockets barely edge in there Morey possibly gets another year of flying under the radar just because of a playoff birth.
So if Rockets and Jazz win, Jazz miss the playoffs because of their worse conference W-L? So the Rockets have to lose to the Kings for Jazz to make it, eh.
People were expecting them to not be the second-worst team in the league because they're the Lakers and they have an old man wearing Kobe's jersey, I guess.
I don't recall seeing a tear-drop shot quite this way before:
https://twitter.com/hoopshype/status/719876004232196096
https://twitter.com/hoopshype/status/719876004232196096
By blackace Go To PostKobe being a dickhead isn't really ether
Shaq was immature as fuck then. Beefing with ownership over a max extension, showing up fat. Talking about not playing defense unless he's the main offensive cog after Karl and GP showed up and they had the most talent they've ever had. Literally complaining that Gary Vitti, perhaps the most respected medical guy in the league, wasn't agreeing with Shaq on the seriousness of his injuries. Etc.
Kobe had his issues obviously. Selfish, ball hogged, etc. but Shaq's problem is he squandered that 04 opportunity as the leader of the team because he let his pettiness over ownership and Kobe get in the way. Which is all the more sad that as soon as he showed up in Miami like one year later he was motivated again and had no problem taking more of a backseat to Wade. He just let his personal shit get in the way - and if years of TNT broadcasting has shown us anything, it's that he's petty and won't let any slight or perceived insult go.
By etiolation Go To PostBig men sort of have to call for the ball since they are rarely used as ball handlers. You don't get this in systems in which they are the offensive cog or bringing up the ball, but otherwise it's needed as a big. It's just a part of offensive systems. If you're a spot up shooter then it's the same deal.
I get that, but this is the triangle. It's not like it's MDA's system or what the rockets run. Shaq had no shortage of post touches
By blackace Go To Postbecause when they werent losing on purpose they looked better than their record
????????????????
They started the season 3-21.
I'd prefer to get Memphis but I'll take Dallas too. Only teams I didn't want in the first were Portland and Houston. Rox give us trouble for some reason.
I honestly didn't think LA would be this bad this season. No idea exactly how terrible they are next.
By Psy-Chan Go To Post
Phaze found his soulmate
By Moris Go To PostI honestly didn't think LA would be this bad this season. No idea exactly how terrible they are next.If they get a top 3 pick and replace Scott they have a chance to be better.
If not... Things could get really damn bad.
Hey Die, I apologize ahead of time if Kobe somehow steals your playoff berth.
That love/hate video you all showed as a tribute will be even more real
That love/hate video you all showed as a tribute will be even more real
By IWMTB19 Go To Post????????????????by design.. No one in their right mind plays Kobe the mins he played and benches players for not manning up..
They started the season 3-21.
I see the rotations and I can't think anything but trying to lose
By blackace Go To Postby design.. No one in their right mind plays Kobe the mins he played and benches players for not manning up..I mean, they could've played the younger guys and still lost 65 games. It's very clearly a team built to fail and try and keep their lottery pick.
I see the rotations and I can't think anything but trying to lose
Federer with the nod to Kobe
By 3SidedPolygons Go To PostHey Die, I apologize ahead of time if Kobe somehow steals your playoff berth.
That love/hate video you all showed as a tribute will be even more real
win or lose, they have no chance making the playoffs.
By rodeoclown Go To PostI mean, they could've played the younger guys and still lost 65 games. It's very clearly a team built to fail and try and keep their lottery pick.I don't disagree fully... but they looked a bit better than 16 games... I know they regret the stupid trades they made but it was very shameless tanking...
ESPN writer doing some actual research into the Pels injury woes this season: http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/15179914/new-orleans-pelicans-season-injury
Of note, he found out some of the preventative steps they have started to take. It looks like they really only started doing a lot of good stuff before last season. The head trainer said they are still trying to just get to the Spurs level.
The team has apparently also replaced all five of their medical professional in the last two seasons.
This is kind of worrying, though:
A little more information on the withheld medical information on Jrue from the Sixers trade:
Pondexter stuff:
Evans:
This level of transparency is completely new to either the Pels or the Saints. They have traditionally held injury information so close to the vest that there was a running joke with Saints players being out with "a knee".
e: There is a lot more than what I quoted in that article.
Of note, he found out some of the preventative steps they have started to take. It looks like they really only started doing a lot of good stuff before last season. The head trainer said they are still trying to just get to the Spurs level.
"We're getting there," Sumerlin says. "We're definitely moving in the right direction. We're just in the process of getting to where the Spurs are. I think once we start winning some playoff games, start getting a bigger budget, we can start going that route."
Sumerlin, after reading his quote two weeks later, says that he regrets the comment, and Demps provided the following written statement in response:
"Mr. and Mrs. Benson have spared no expense, and have gone above and beyond in providing all the resources for the Pelicans to be successful. Our practice facility is one of the top five facilities in the league, if not the best.
"As I have repeatedly explained, our first year strength coach was promoted to his position after all of our equipment for this season was purchased and ordered.
"After each season, we evaluate our facilities and equipment, research what is the optimal equipment for our players and then we attain it. There is no budget."
The team has apparently also replaced all five of their medical professional in the last two seasons.
This is kind of worrying, though:
The Pelicans do not employ a department head for their medical staff or a head of sports science, like the Spurs or Philadelphia 76ers do. Brooks runs the training room and Sumerlin the weight room, and daily meetings are used to organize and trade ideas. The team takes a collaborative approach to technology too.
A little more information on the withheld medical information on Jrue from the Sixers trade:
Soon thereafter, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the 76ers were ordered to pay the Pelicans $3 million for not fully disclosing Holiday's injury history before their 2013 trade. Holiday says the report is based on osteochondroma – extra bone growth – found on his left leg during a physical in his rookie season, but he says it has not caused any issues in his career.
Pondexter stuff:
"To finally be a starter on an NBA team like I was and playing for Monty Williams last year, I didn't feel … I couldn't sit out," he says. "There was no part of me, no matter what pain I was going through, that I was going to sit out – especially after finally earning a starting spot in a place I really love."
In July, Pondexter told the Times-Picayune that he "begged" the medical staff to not administer an MRI until after the postseason, out of fear that the results would take him off the court, but the Pelicans provided documentation to ESPN that shows the 28-year-old underwent MRIs on March 16 and April 15 of last year. Pondexter says the scans showed swelling and "little bits of things floating around," but the team wouldn't know the issue until a scope was performed.
"It was something that was there all along," Brooks says. "The actual injury itself, I'm not going to say it was worse, but the symptoms were."
Evans:
Evans, meanwhile, played in a career-high 79 games last season, but his offseason surgery – a debridement to remove loose particles in his right knee, per Brooks – was the result of wear and tear brought on by past issues. Brooks says Evans has a history of bilateral knee cartilage wear and trace of fusion on both knees that dates back to before the 2013 sign-and-trade that brought him to New Orleans.
"Even if he probably hadn't had surgery, I'm sure some maintenance work was being done on the side, just to get him through the season to possibly prevent surgery," Brooks says. "Both knees are tied to a prior history."
The 26-year-old former rookie of the year returned for the preseason but bumped knees in practice with Kendrick Perkins. That led to a chip in his right knee and surgery in October. Evans returned Dec. 1, but persistent knee swelling – despite the draining of fluid "several times," per Brooks – led to a third procedure in nine months. Evans underwent an osteochondral autograft transfer system (OATS) procedure in February to replace cartilage in three areas of his knee, Brooks says.
This level of transparency is completely new to either the Pels or the Saints. They have traditionally held injury information so close to the vest that there was a running joke with Saints players being out with "a knee".
e: There is a lot more than what I quoted in that article.
I can't tell if this is a fetish or an obsession or both:
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/knicks-players-fit-triangle-system-article-1.2597885?cid=bitly&utm_content=buffer235fd&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=NYDNSports+Twitter
Knicks will go after players who fit triangle system
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/knicks-players-fit-triangle-system-article-1.2597885?cid=bitly&utm_content=buffer235fd&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=NYDNSports+Twitter