NBA Preseason Thread

[Secret Agent 0]

Good God, I thought the basketball season just ended in June! Why can't football have this short of time between seasons?

[MrRant 0]

Oh Stephen Jackson, you crazy nigga - http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/6035332?FSO1&ATT=HMA

[SteakGrowsOnUecker 0]

Typical Stephen Jackson. I'm sure Larry Bird is pleased right now.

[Guest Felonies!]

The new basketball looks ridiculous and apparently the players hate it too. Brilliant move!

[Ripper 0]

Typical Stephen Jackson. I'm sure Larry Bird is pleased right now.

 

 

Because what happened last time in a similar situation (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2593080 ) would have been the much better result of it. He did nothing wrong and handled himself better than most of us would. Anyone hits you in the face then hits you with a car I doubt you would be firing warning shots.

 

And once again, Stephen Jackson lone blimish on his criminal record is from that Detroit/Pacer brawl. I still don't see how he got the "He's a thug" label.

[Ripper 0]

The new basketball looks ridiculous and apparently the players hate it too. Brilliant move!

 

 

Seriously. All of 8 players in the league like the ball. What exactly is the point?

[naiwf 0]

And once again, Stephen Jackson lone blimish on his criminal record is from that Detroit/Pacer brawl. I still don't see how he got the "He's a thug" label.

 

He wears cornrows and has tattoos. He's dangerous.

[Krankor 0]

I don't understand the point of the NBA using a different ball.

 

Shaq said it handles like a toy and Steve Nash said the ball just feels like it sticks to the floor when you dribble it.

 

Did the NBA ever issue any kind of statement saying why they felt changing the ball to the new style is going to help improve the game?

[alfdogg 0]

It's obviously Stu Jackson fucking with shit just because he can.

 

That said, I say the players should just shut up and deal with it. I use those kind of balls when I play, and I can shoot threes at a pretty good clip. If I can do it, I'm sure all those actual pro athletes will be able to adjust.

 

I doubt the ball lasts that long anyway, if the players' union lobbies against it. Jackson himself said that they would have pulled it if these comments came out before the ball was green-lighted.

[Ripper 0]

Yeah, shooting threes will be whoopity doo, but the ball completely change alot of bounce passes and how the ball comes off the back board. Especially if it actually gets slick when wet like the players have been saying. So you will then have to adjust mid game to a completely different ball.

 

There is honestly no realistic reason to change the ball. If a good one is given, then fine, but until then, why the fuck?

[alfdogg 0]

I agree with all of that. My main thing is, though, some of these players are acting as if they have to learn to play basketball all over again. Obviously there was no reason to change it, but I really doubt the adjustments will be that huge in the long run. Personally, I think Shaq's just looking for excuses to make when the Heat fail to repeat.

 

My three-pointer comment was based on a comment Wade made where he said "rebounds will go up in the league, because there will be a lot of bricks thrown up". Plus, I wanted to put over my three-point shooting prowess.

[Ripper 0]

Well some are saying that the ball feels lighter also, so that might throw off the shot, the rotation will be different due to the different feel of the ball.

 

From what I can tell, alot of rookies and players with smaller hands like the ball though.

[alfdogg 0]

Fast-forward to this past Wednesday evening following the Bulls' nightcap of two-a-day practices, and Wallace finally decided to open up to ESPN.com.

 

Did he like playing for Flip?

 

"No. I just didn't like the way we handled things," Wallace said. "We got away from our bread and butter, and that's on the defensive end. I hear him saying now that I'm gone he can open up his playbook. I laugh at it. Everyone's looking for something, and for him to say that, he's fishing for getting a reaction out of me. It's funny to me, real comical. I never thought you could win when you've got five guys on the floor looking for the ball and no one out there doing the little things. So that's on him. If he feels like that, go ahead."

 

Wallace mentioned Jim Lynam, Doc Rivers, Rick Carlisle and Larry Brown as the favorite coaches he has played for, going on to say Skiles reminds him of Brown because he does not play favorites and sees himself as a teacher at both ends of the floor.

 

Saunders did not make the list.

 

"I have no relationship with him. He's coach and I'm a player, and that's as far as it went. If you say your door is always open and we can always talk about things and you'll be willing to listen, and when I come to him to talk about something that's bothering me that I think is hurting the team, if you don't do anything to change it, then that's the last time I need to talk to you."

 

That time came early in the season when the Pistons were reeling off wins and beginning to set their sights on making a run at 70 victories, a number they'd eventually fall six wins short of.

 

"We weren't playing as hard as we could on defense. We had to grind it out when we should have been up and comfortable, giving other guys a chance to get some reps. But for the most part we had to fight. I just told him the way we were playing defense then, we didn't have a whole lot of defensive principles. We were just out there playing on natural ability, and we needed to put some type of system in place we were going to come out every night and use, instead of trying to feel our way through it," Wallace said. "He said: 'OK, I understand what you said.' But he never changed."

 

"Carlisle was cool. He's one of those coaches who said his door was open and you went to talk to him, if he didn't believe in what you said, he'd tell you and say, 'I'm not going to do it that way, it won't work.' You can't do nothing but respect that," Wallace said. "And coach Brown wasn't afraid to go out there and run a play for you, and if you did well on it he was going to keep coming to you."

 

Saunders also spoke to Insider, taking issue with Wallace's recollection of their meeting.

 

"We had opened 8-0 and we were just back after losing in Utah. We talked more about what he was doing offensively," Saunders said. "As far as Game 6, I'm probably as frustrated as him; we weren't scoring, and I was trying to get some offensive firepower."

 

Saunders did not run many plays for Wallace, and his scoring average sank from 9.7 points in his final season under Brown to 7.2 in his lone season under Saunders. Wallace did pick up his fourth Defensive Player of the Year award, but his rebounding average (11.3) dropped for the third consecutive season, and his blocked shot average (2.21) fell for the fourth straight year. Numbers such as those have caused many to say the Bulls overpaid for a 32-year-old center already on the decline, but while Paxson will allow that the Bulls did overspend (because they had to), he feels the perception that Wallace is in decline will inspire his big free-agent pickup.

 

Chicago is coming off its second straight first-round ouster in the playoffs, but last season was a throwaway year after the Bulls decided to trade Eddy Curry (and Antonio Davis) at the start of training camp, sacrificing their only low-post scoring threats along with a respected veteran whose leadership capabilities were not replaced. By bringing in Wallace and P.J. Brown, two players whose leadership comes from setting an example through their practice habits and game efforts, some of those missing elements have been replenished.

 

When the Bulls open the season Halloween night in Miami, Wallace will be back at the same locker where he sat so wounded and angry in June after what turned out to be his final game in a Detroit uniform. But he'll be wearing Bulls colors this time, red and black, and he'll be starting a new chapter in a career that has taken him from being an undrafted nobody to possibly becoming the biggest impact free agent since Steve Nash left Dallas for Phoenix.

 

And when the final 12 minutes roll around, Wallace hopes Saunders is watching somewhere on TV, taking note that Wallace will be spending this fourth quarter on the floor instead of the bench.

 

"From here on out, I'm going to remember that 12 minutes on that bench," he said. "I had been there through thick and thin with those guys, and I hated to watch my teammates out there put up a fight and there was nothing I could do to help them. It was like the big brother scenario, seeing someone pick on your little brother or sister and you can't do nothing about it.

 

"It was a helpless feeling, man. Things were going the way they were going, and there was nothing I could do to change it."

 

So Wallace decided to change what he could.

 

Mostly it was about the money. But it was also about Saunders.

 

And that, folks, is why Wallace is a Bull.

[alfdogg 0]

Suns-Sixers tonight on ESPN2. Anxious to see what Amare's got.

[alfdogg 0]

Actually, it's on now. AI has 17 points on 6-7 with about 2 minutes to go in the first, but the Suns lead by 3.

[alfdogg 0]

I left at the end of the first half, but the Sixers won 103-100 after trailing by 22 in the third quarter. Amare had 6 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 turnovers in 19 minutes off the bench.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

There is an article up at espn.com saying that Amare Stoudemire considered retirement during the offseason. Here's hoping that he can regain some of his original form, but I have my reservations.

[LivingLegendGaryColeman 0]

In what could wind up as a steal of a trade, the Celtics send Dwayne Jones to the Cavaliers for Luke Jackson and cash.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

In what could wind up as a steal of a trade, the Celtics send Dwayne Jones to the Cavaliers for Luke Jackson and cash.

 

For who?

 

Does this even qualify as news?

[LivingLegendGaryColeman 0]

In what could wind up as a steal of a trade, the Celtics send Dwayne Jones to the Cavaliers for Luke Jackson and cash.

 

For who?

 

Does this even qualify as news?

 

Luke Jackson was a former first rounder who has only been set back by injuries the first couple years. If he can get past the injury bug, for the Celtics to get him AND cash, that would be quite a deal, for a backup center they never let off the bench.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

I know who Luke Jackson is. I used to go to his games at Oregon. He's had major injury concerns his first two years, and it's very doubtful that he every makes an impact in the league. I guess there is that upside if he does come back, but I wouldn't be counting on it.

[Ripper 0]

So Cleveland looked at their roster and said "You know what....I think our shooting will be fine with Larry Hughes, Eric Snow, and Daniel Gibson. Lets trade away one of our only pure shooters for a 4 th string frount court player."

[alfdogg 0]

Since when is Eric Snow a shooter? Or is that your whole point.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

None of those guys can shoot worth a damn. That was the whole point.

[Ripper 0]

And after one day of practice, Paul Pierce already has made a point to say what a great shooter Jackson is. Which is what Cleveland needed....which is why this is quite the retarded trade.

[Kurt Angle Mark 0]

Fuck you to all the stupid NBA GMs for the contracts they gave to Dalembert, Nene and Chandler.

 

Kaman now wants 11 million a year which would put him just above the players mentioned and Clippers are offering 10. Once I saw those signings I knew the Clippers would almost have to offer the max to keep Kaman. hopefully things can be worked out.

[alfdogg 0]

Jared Jeffries is out 3-6 weeks with a wrist fracture. Saw this on Yahoo last night.

[Brett Favre 0]

It's now 6-8 weeks. He looked good the first few minutes of the opening preseason game, but this will give the Knicks a better look at Balkman, who has also looked good in preseason.

[MrRant 0]

Will the season just start already? Jesus.

[Brett Favre 0]

Isiah tells Greg Anthony to go fuck himself.

 

NEW YORK -- The surprising play of rookie forward Renaldo Balkman this preseason has Knicks GM/coach Isiah Thomas feeling good. And he's letting ESPN analyst Greg Anthony, a former Knick, hear about it.

 

Still upset over Anthony's draft night criticism after the Knicks selected the unheralded Balkman with the No. 20 pick, Thomas ripped his fellow former point guard Wednesday.

 

"This so-called former Knick, on draft night with millions of people watching, had the audacity to take me to task on a player that I'm pretty sure he had never seen before in his life," Thomas said. "But he stands on national television and talks about a kid he has absolutely no idea about. I'm just glad that all of New York doesn't think like Greg Anthony."

 

Thomas went on to question Anthony's credentials as a TV commentator, and even took a slap at his 12-year NBA playing career.

 

"Greg Anthony should never ever be in a position to question myself on anything about basketball," Thomas said. "I do remember the kind of player he was. I'll leave it at that.

 

Balkman, a 6-8 forward from South Carolina, has played well during New York's first three exhibition games. He had 11 points and seven boards in 16 minutes against the Nets in his debut, and had nine points, seven rebounds and two steals in 13 minutes in Tuesday night's exhibition win over the Celtics. His hustle and energy even won over the Madison Square Garden crowd, which gave him a rousing ovation as he left the floor.

 

With Balkman off to a good start, Thomas felt free to vent some of his pent-up anger.

 

"This is between Greg and I," Thomas said in a lengthy diatribe about Anthony to the media after the Knicks practice. "The things he said on draft night ... after all the good solid work we had done in the draft ... for him to take that position he took ... I thought he was way way way out of bounds."

 

Thomas , who was booed by the New York crowd and widely panned by other ESPN commentators on draft night, said he was singling out Anthony because of his status as a former Knicks player. He said he hadn't spoken to Anthony, but would love to in the future.

 

"I just thought he was very unfair to the Knicks organization," Thomas said. "It would be different had he not worn a Knick uniform. But for a guy who claims to have been a Knick, to treat the Knicks the way he treated us that night ... I know a Piston would never do that. A Celtic would never do that. A Laker would never do that. It wouldn't happen. It just goes to show you what we're dealing with."

 

Thomas went on to refer to Anthony several more times during the remainder of the 15-minute session with reporters, sometimes even on unrelated questions.

 

When asked whether he could see Balkman someday defending LeBron James or Tracy McGrady, Thomas replied, "Wait a minute, hold on now ... you can run him out there but he'll probably get stepped on a little bit ... Unlike Greg Anthony, I do have respect for others."

 

When asked about the Knicks' dismal season a year ago, and what role all the injuries played, Thomas said, "We all were in a funk last year ... Greg Anthony was in a funk."

 

Later, when talking about Balkman's ability to handle the ball, a reporter jokingly asked if he had a better handle than Greg Anthony. "Most definitely," Thomas said. "Greg could only go left."

 

Anthony declined to comment through an ESPN spokesman.