On November 26 2009 11:44 unknown.sam wrote: AI just announced his retirement. byebye AI
Fucking good. He was a great player, but after all this horseshit the last year/this year. He knew he would have to if he wasn't willing to help a championship team by coming off the bench.
On November 26 2009 14:13 Ace wrote: what championship team? Surely not Detroit?
I think tonight meant Iverson was talking about wanting to go to a championship caliber team but unwilling to come off the bench which at this point in his career seems unlikely.
On November 26 2009 14:13 Ace wrote: what championship team? Surely not Detroit?
I think tonight meant Iverson was talking about wanting to go to a championship caliber team but unwilling to come off the bench which at this point in his career seems unlikely.
How are the cavs doing so much worse than last season? I remember watching games where even when they were down by a lot, they went into we're not losing this game mode. Other games were just over by the 3rd quarter. I mean, they traded a washed up Ben Wallace and somebody for Shaq, Lebrons jump shot % is up, Mo Williams line is about the same...
Is West's early troubles and Ilgauskas's age affecting them this much?
They have no other player that can create his own shot. James has to have his hand in every offensive possession or their offense is awful. Last year Delonte West gave them that second player that could break down a defense, pass, and score by himself. Who knows what kind of problems West is having this year on the court/off the court, and it's too early in the season to make any broad claim but West's absense plays a part in Cleveland's slow (compared to last year) start.
the problem is they're defaulting to LeBron about 90% of the time... if you remember watching the Orlando series last year, it was LeBron standing around the top of the key dribbling and trying to create the entire offense for the team. This season it looks EXACTLY like that.
Why?
Delonte West is a part of it, Big Z being really unproductive is another part, and despite the fact that Mo Williams is getting similar numbers, he is not playing like he did last season. Shaq is also a big cog in the machine (something that almost everyone predicted except Clevland I guess). They've been getting nice play from J.J Hickson though.
The real issue is that they don't have a good point guard (aside from Delonte West) who can create offense for the team. It would be like if LeBron was the quarterback and whatever the other positions in football are called... the guys that run and catch passes and shit... if that's the offense they are going to struggle like fuck. Defensively they've been out of sync as well.
I'm still really surprised by Atlanta! They've been awesome, really great so far and Jamal Crawford looks like he's gonna claim the 6th man of the year award if they keep their strong play up, and Josh Smith seems set up to be Most Improved.
Another thing to mention about CLE is that everyone was crediting then-Assistant Coach John Kuester with the teams' improved offense last season. However, Kuester left to become DET's head coach this season, leaving Brown back in charge of the offense. Not so surprising that the offense has gone back to all Lebron now.
idk, the few times cleveland have run the offense through shaq they've looked pretty good, but lebron has some young kobe in him and jacks shots when he feels like he hasn't scored in a while, ruining the flow of the offense. he's a great passer and cutter but he does need to dominate the game or he gets bored. you notice how often teams go to their centre for the 1st 5 possessions, score off it, and then just stop doing it? it's pretty retarded and i wouldn't count on mike brown rectifying the situation either
if lebron commits to running the offense though shaq along with andy, mo and parker,and don't stop til it stops being effective then cleveland start looking a lot better, and a lot more consistent. surrounding shaq with shooters and cutters is a proven strategy and cleveland has the personnel to do it in a number of ways, they have the perfect roster to build around shaq, he doesn't need to score 25 a game for it to be better than lebron isos on the wing, they're just not utilizing shaq's offensive strength so half the time he's just getting in the way, he doesn't get that many offensive boards because he's fat and pretty useless off the ball.
they have to use as prescribed, shaq is too unique to just stick on an nba roster and catapult them to the championship, they have to plan their gameplan around him
JAMEER DEJA VU – The only way this team is staying on top through December and January is if ‘Shard starts earning his money. (‘cause Vince obviously won’t) CRANKY OLD MEN – Of the East’s top teams, this is the one that will lose to the Hawks in a seven-game series. BUYER’S REMORSE – And you thought Delonte was the bipolar one. WINGS!!! – See? The only thing a young, talented team needs is some consistency from season to season. Not that it makes up for not drafting Chris or Deron, but still. Nice to see and hope it lasts. MIAMI SUSTAINED FLAME – At this point, which O’Neil would you rather have? ROMAN HOLIDAY – HE IS THE STARTING POINT GUARD FOR THE EAST ALL STARS – DON’T HATE, JALEN SAID SO – AND I NEED TO TYPE IN ALL CAPS TO PROPERLY CONVEY MY EXCITEMENT. WHY DOES THIS TEAM EXIST? – The wasted talents of Gerald Wallace and Boris Diaw make me sad, but in very different ways. Boris, you’re fat. PETER PAN COMPLEX – I can’t make any sense out of this team. Neither can Vinny. It’s too bad, because the ingredients are there. Why didn’t they hire a real coach? JIM O’BRIAN LOVES FANTASY BASKETBALL – This team feels like it’s playing in a perpetual preseason, like it doesn’t matter who wins or loses, as long as they break 120 points and give the young kids some burn. EUROLEAGUE FINAL FOUR – As an open-minded and adventurous soul, I don’t mind when free thinkers come along and try to look at basketball from a radical point of view. Wacky zones, smallball, PER, and Shane Battier – I like all of it, and the new wrinkles they add to the game. But after watching Toronto, never have I been so convinced about the old truism of Big Men Should Be Big Men. Bosh and Bargnani sometimes look like they should be some kind of backcourt pairing on an alien planet where the average height is 7 feet. Chris even looks like one of those blue guys from Avatar. BAD BOY SCOUTS – Of all the starters who could have got hurt, having Rip and Tay be the ones injured is God’s way of saying to the people of Detroit, “For the last time, this ain’t that team no more!” WASHINGTON FILIBUSTERS – What is this team waiting for? When are they gonna realize they supposed to be good now PHILLY 1999 - Has no point guard. And then: Lou Williams! And then: Broken jaw! And then… Jrue Holiday? THIS IS THE TEAM THAT SHOULD ACTUALLY SIGN IVERSON! THE NEW YORK D'ANTONI EXPERIMENT: YEAR TWO – So... was it D’Antoni or Nash? All I know is that when LeBron eventually doesn’t come, this team will be fuuuuuuuuuuuuucked. 0-16 – Growing pains. Remember, this team is supposed to be Cap Space + Devin Harris + Brook Lopez + Courtney Lee + Yi Jianlian (maybe). So, growing pains.
SUNSET CONFERENCE
THE PHOENIX IS A MYTHICAL BIRD WITH COLORFUL PLUMAGE AND A TAIL OF GOLD AND SCARLET. AT THE END OF ITS LIFE IT IGNITES; BURNING FIRECELY AND BECOMING REDUCED TO ASHES, FROM WHICH A NEW, YOUNG PHOENIX ARISES, REBORN ANEW TO LIVE AGAIN - NASH IS JESUS THE LAKE SHOW – Kobe’s unbelievable, and Pau is great, but the real genius is the guy with the glasses, who’s sleeping with the boss’s daughter. OKAY, SO MAYBE I SHOULD STOP CALLING THEM ‘CHAUNCEY’S TEAM’ – This could be his season, and he knows it. ALL STAR GAME 2005 – Except for Jason Terry. Sorry, Jet. THE ROY TEST – The A+ student gets his first Cs… how will he respond? BAT KILLERS – They just won their first road game? Are they trying to lure the rest of the league to a false sense of security again, or is Father Time for real this time?. OKC SONICS – Jeff Green is the weak link, right? For all his career, he’ll kinda be what he already is, no more, right? JERRY SLOAN – I’ve come to realize Deron Williams is right there on the level of Chris Paul. It’s just a difference in style. HUSTLE & FLOW – Chuck Hayes, Brooks, Scola, Ariza, Battier… A really easy team to like, not that they’ll win much or anything. SACRAMENTO PAIR OF 5 – This is ancient history, but you know, they could have protected the rights to Gerald Wallace instead of Doug Christie. BZZzzzzzz……… - Whenever I see this team on the floor I’m shocked by how small they are. And I don’t think it’s the pinstripes. CLIP SET – If Baron stopped shooting 3s this could be a dangerous team. If Josh can change, you can change, Baron! MEMPHIS PRACTICE? PRACTICE??? – I’d be pissed if I were him too! Conley sucks! WTF! WE GRIEVE – Nellie, I used to love you, but fuck up the boy and you’re dead to me forever. (You know who I’m talking about… NOPE, not Monta) DON’T FORGET, THIS TEAM IS 0-15 SINCE BEATING THE NETS ON OPENING NIGHT – List of things to do once I get a Time Machine, updated: 1) Prevent the division of Korea. 2) Be there for her when she needed someone 11 years ago. 3) Introduce Darko Milicic to water polo and away from basketball. 4) Protect Al Jefferson’s knees.