This week in the NBA

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

The Kings aren't a bad team, just one lacking identity. They need a creative mind to put all the pieces together effectively. You can't just hire a defensive coach and expect the team to start playing defense when you don't have the personnel to match. They are half-way between rebuilding and being a contender and can't accept the fact that you have to tear it down first. The Artest trade was a bad move and they are componding it by standing still with a mismatched roster.

[chaosrage 0]

While getting to 60 points is impressive, does anyone here not think that a lot of players could get 60 if they took 37 shots? Especially if they're playing against a horrible team?

 

I'd love to see just once in their careers, Dirk or Nash take 37 shots in a game. To see what they could get.

[Brett Favre 0]

37 shots and getting 60 points is pretty efficient.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

37 shots and getting 60 points is pretty efficient.

 

It's really efficient. At his current rate of performance, Dirk would average about 53 points a game if he took 37 shots every night.

[Coffin Surfer 0]

I'd love to see just once in their careers, Dirk or Nash take 37 shots in a game. To see what they could get.

 

I'm sure Dirk would do fine but I can't see him getting enough good openings or touches to take that many shots at the present. That's one of the things that troubles me about the Mavs, there are times where they look really efficent as a team and others where it looks like everyone has to create their own shot from a bad position. Dirk is a scoring machine but he's not the type that can create off the dribble play after play like a Kobe Brynat; too big for that. Dirk would be unstoppable if he had someone that could get him the ball in his spots time and time again, he's good when has to put it on the floor, but not nearly as good as when he's catching and shooting on the post.

 

I don't doubt Nash would and probably could get that much if he wanted but that's not his game.

[Guest]

I wonder what Michael Redd would get if he took 37 shots, and I say Michael Redd because I want to see what another pure jumpshooter could get with that many shots.

 

I mean, Dirk's a great shooter, but I wonder what a dead-eye shooter could do. The way Reggie Miller could shoot, I wish he would have got a 37 shot game.

[Ripper 0]

Eh. 60 points in 60 shots is impressive to me. If you didn't take freethrows or 3's you shot 50 percent!

 

Okay, not really, but still...60 in 37 shots is fine. Especially when they would have lost the game had he not taken the shots. Plus, they need wins and he is getting them for them. I see nothing wrong with it.

 

And Andrew Bynum is getting a bad rap here. First off, watching the Lakers play, when other players screw up they don't get pulled the second it happens. Phil does that all the time with Bynum. Second, he is a big in the nba. He fights and bangs to get perfect position under the basket and they don't enter the post to him. You fight and keep getting good position for every offensive play down court and take that pounding for no reason, yeah he is going to get frustrated. Shaq would complain about the same thing and he was right then and Bynum is right now. He is frustrated. But the Lakers trading him would be a good move because they don't need a scoring threat on the block. They need a rebounding defensive threat and they can get one alot cheaper than what Bynum will command in a few years. Plus a big that can hit a short jumper would be cool too. I say push for Etan Thomas in the offseason. He and Ronny Turiaf can combine for two of the best defensive foulingest mutha fuckas in the history of the league and still get you 10 boards each.

 

Seriously...why doesn't Turiaf play more?

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

But part of being a great shooter is finding a good opportunity to get off a shot. You can't extrapolate current performance to 37 shots per game. Kobe, Arenas and a few others are the only ones who can get away with that type of performance because of their ability to create a shot off the dribble penetration. The new rules totally favor their style of play. MJ would have scored 40-50 per night if he was playing under the current rules.

[chaosrage 0]

37 shots and getting 60 points is pretty efficient.

 

I said it's impressive. I just think that some other players could probably do the same thing if they wanted to take 37 shots.

 

Take Nash for example. The most shots he's ever taken in a single game is 28. He made 20 of them and scored 48. (Against Dallas in the playoffs) He made the same number of shots as Kobe made last night, but he didn't have the free throws to go along with it.

 

When Dirk scored 50 against Phoenix last year in the playoffs, he only took 26 shots. I wonder how many points he would've had if he had managed to take 11 more.

[Coffin Surfer 0]

"But part of being a great shooter is finding a good opportunity to get off a shot. "

 

 

I would say great shot creator, not great shooter.

 

Kobe is a great shot creator, Jordan might have been the best. Dirk is good, great for his size. Nash creates for other people.

 

"The way Reggie Miller could shoot, I wish he would have got a 37 shot game. "

 

Reggie couldn't take 37 because he was mostly a catch and shoot guy who had to move without the ball and find an opening before he could take a shot.

[Guest]

And Andrew Bynum is getting a bad rap here. First off, watching the Lakers play, when other players screw up they don't get pulled the second it happens. Phil does that all the time with Bynum.

I've come to the realization that Phil doesn't like anybody on the team outside of Kobe and Luke Walton. That's always been his thing, if he doesn't like you, he'll pull you as soon as he has the chance. If Phil ran the team, he would trade everyone but those two guys. And I'm being completely serious.

 

Plus a big that can hit a short jumper would be cool too. I say push for Etan Thomas in the offseason. He and Ronny Turiaf can combine for two of the best defensive foulingest mutha fuckas in the history of the league and still get you 10 boards each.

 

Seriously...why doesn't Turiaf play more?

Turiaf doesn't play as much because he gets in foul trouble real quick, he's a little hurt right now, and because of the aforementioned Phil hate. I think he's going to be around for a long time though, because Kobe's in love with the guy. He's one of very few guys on this team that's safe. Phil's starting to come around on Ronny though, because he's getting more minutes in bigger situations.

 

This team is very, very strange. If the Lakers were based in New York, there would be an Isiah-like media frenzy about the team. Seriously though, you don't know what you're going to get next. Shammond Williams went from not playing for practically the entire first half of the season, to getting 17 minutes last night. Shamu's gonna take Smush's job.

 

Reggie couldn't take 37 because he was mostly a catch and shoot guy who had to move without the ball and find an opening before he could take a shot.

He could do things on his own, that part of his game was way underrated. It was just easier to play the catch and shoot game.

 

ANYWAYS, who's gonna wind up with the 8 spot, in each conference?

[iggymcfly 0]

I agree that getting open for shots is a huge skill on its own and that hardly anyone in the league could just "decide" to take 37 shots and still get a lot of good looks and score 60. However, I really think Dirk could if he tried. He's very unselfish and puts a lot of effort into getting his teammates going, but he's capable of getting a good look pretty much any time he wants to. That little step-fake 18 footer is pretty much undefendable and he's added pretty good driving ability to his repertoire too.

[Brett Favre 0]

Randolph Morris signed with the Knicks. 2 years, 1.6 million. Not bad. Low risk, and maybe a high reward.

[Guest Queen Leelee]

There's definitely skill in scoring so much...

 

Is it the best for the team? And does Kobe deserve the ridiculous praise he gets for it, for example, greatest player ever, greatest scorer ever? I don't believe so.

[Mr. S£im Citrus 0]

I have a hard time saying that a team with Kevin Martin, Mike Bibby, Ron Artest and Brad Miller looks like shit on paper.

That would be because you a) overrate Mike Bibby and b) overrate Brad Miller.

 

The Kings aren't a bad team, just one lacking identity.

I've watched every Kings game this season; the Kings are a bad team... a very bad team.

[Ripper 0]

Watching the Lakers and the Hornets (along with the Hawks/Blazers) and seriously. Kobe is really gunning for it right now. Its just beautiful basketball to watch. He isn't forcing it like he did in previous years. He really is just out basketballing the other team to get open.

[Ripper 0]

Well he is at 50 with 3 minutes to play, so he should get to 60 again tonight.

[Precious Roy 0]

Randolph Morris signed with the Knicks. 2 years, 1.6 million. Not bad. Low risk, and maybe a high reward.

'

Awesome signing. He's the first guy I can remember getting signed right out of college like this. Even if he doesn't pan out it's not much to spend on a guy who'd easily be a first round pick if he were draft eligible.

 

Isiah Thomas' campaign for GM/Coach of the year continues!

 

EDIT*

 

The real question is, can he suit up for the Knicks right now? That would be quite the piece of trivia, first dude to play in the NCAA tourny and the NBA in the same month...

[Ripper 0]

Randolph Morris signed with the Knicks. 2 years, 1.6 million. Not bad. Low risk, and maybe a high reward.

'

Awesome signing. He's the first guy I can remember getting signed right out of college like this. Even if he doesn't pan out it's not much to spend on a guy who'd easily be a first round pick if he were draft eligible.

 

Isiah Thomas' campaign for GM/Coach of the year continues!

 

EDIT*

 

The real question is, can he suit up for the Knicks right now? That would be quite the piece of trivia, first dude to play in the NCAA tourny and the NBA in the same month...

 

Yeah he can. He was a free agent. He could have done it midseason if he wanted to. I was hoping that Billy Knight would get him in Atlanta, as he is from Atlanta, grew up and played with Josh Smith in High School and he and Josh are friends. But I was hoping too much from a fucking idiot (yes I realize he has brought in talent in Atlanta, but really...the guy is a fucking idiot.)

[Guest]

Watching the Lakers and the Hornets (along with the Hawks/Blazers) and seriously. Kobe is really gunning for it right now. Its just beautiful basketball to watch. He isn't forcing it like he did in previous years. He really is just out basketballing the other team to get open.

At this point, it's just a "whatever has to get done, will get done" type of thing. The only way he gets stopped is if he stops himself. I can't believe it, he's not even handling the ball as much as he was earlier in the year.

[Kurt Angle Mark 0]

Clippers beat Jazz by 32 to keep their 1/2 lead over GS

 

Livingston and Cassell's injuries might have been a blessing for the Clippers

 

Dunleavy has been forced to play Maggette 40 minutes a game and it has made a big impact.

 

Brand, Maggette and Mobley are taking the team on their back

[Just John 0]

The best part about that is they beat the Jazz. The Rockets are only a half game away from having home court in the first round with 2 games against Utah still to come.

 

Also, the Rockets being the #5 West team still have a better record than any team in the East.