DBAHO

Kevin Love with more rebounds than the Knicks that quarter.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Feb 11, 2012 -> 07:22 PM) Jeremy Lin makes me think of CJ Watson. Watson's definitely a score first type of PG, and that's perfect coming off the bench. I will say that's he's certainly having his best season in the NBA so far however. Lin has 32 assists in his past 4 games, albeit with 17 TO's also. I think he's shown he's certainly a good enough floor general (and yes I know small sample size), and if anything, you'd expect to see that improve when Amare and Melo get back into the lineup. I think some people have to begun to hate on him a little because they obviously think he can't keep this up forever, and there are certainly some weaknesses in his game. But from what he's shown also, there are some major positives also (he's exactly the type of PG SVG would love for Orlando to have right now). But the NBA would be loving this. He's single handledly made the Knicks relevant again, and they're starting to tap into the Asia Market big time now also.

Happy Birthday guys!!!

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Feb 11, 2012 -> 04:59 PM) Well that and there has to be something very good about a player to make him special. Steve Nash for example doesn't need D'Antoni's system to succeed with is spectacular vision and outstanding shooting despite being un-athletic. His system isn't just good for PGs either, big men can also benefit. Luckily for David Lee, it was fitting like a glove when he went to Golden State. Yep, hence why Nash and Amare were so effective even under Gentry in Phoenix, although they still use a very similiar to D'Antoni, albeit with an added focus on defense (and not shooting within 7 secs). I think Lin and Amare could really do some damage, and really this could help Amare's game a lot, obviously his numbers have gone down ever since Felton left. Depends if Melo's going to shoot 25 times a game and only make 8-10 of them going forward however.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Feb 11, 2012 -> 04:48 PM) While I don't believe Lin will be a good PG for a contender, he definitely has a future as a backup. Has a good I.Q., solid vision, can shoot, drive and so far... is efficient and is very solid defensively. He'll be overrated by Knick fans and the media for a long time, but they've had crap PG play since Felton left, so he looks like a god send right now. (and he has been) We'll see with time, but he's been terrific so far. Depends on the system he's in really. D'Antoni's offense is just so PG friendly, Lin can chuck up 25 shots a game ATM if he wants to. With the way he's shooting the basketball currently, of course he's going to have some big nights. But what he's also shown in that if they try to double him on the pick and roll, he's good enough to find the open guy in the corner. But the Knicks don't really have good enough 3PT shooters ATM (besides Novak) to capitalize on that either. All I know is that Mike D'Antoni would probably be fired right now if it wasn't for Jeremy Lin.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Feb 11, 2012 -> 02:46 PM) So what happens when Carmelo & Amare come back and want their 50 shots a game back? Amare will simply take over Chandler's current role as the big in the pick and roll. Melo is the bigger question though, and one I've raised before. Ball movement will go down significantly with him back in the lineup.

QUOTE (JorgeFabregas @ Feb 11, 2012 -> 02:30 PM) Not that he's guaranteed to be a star, but it's a little dumbfounding that no team could figure out that he was a decent player. Did he not get any burn in practice? Is this a product of teams not having any practices during the compressed schedule? A lot of it is the situation he found himself in. Stuck behind 2 pretty damn good guards in Ellis and Curry in Golden State. He's simply a very good fit in D'Antoni's pick and roll offense currently.

That spin move on Fisher was very nice indeed.

The only argument I can make for Deng not being a reserve is that he's missed a few games this season. He's long been underrated, and is now getting some much deserved recognition because of the Bulls' record. I thought Josh Smith was unlucky FWIW. More deserving than Joe Johnson.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 10, 2012 -> 01:21 PM) If Orlando would do it, that'd get done. But that's $25 million Orlando would be taking on. Is that even possible cap wise then?

Dwight's a 99% lock to bolt to the Nets next season regardless. Dwight + Deron + Brooks + early 1st round pick + Sign and Trade either Lopez or Humphries (for say Ryan Anderson), looks like a contender on paper IMO.

Well I'm on the Lin Bandwagon, and I'm riding him like friggin' Secretariat. EDIT: The big test for Lin will be how that offense functions when Melo is back. D'Antoni has finally found a PG who can adequately play the pick and roll, a must in his offense. Lin and Stoudemire could actually have a nice 2 man game going, but if Melo is going to jabstep and hog the ball for 10-15 seconds 20+ times a night, well that ain't gonna be good for anyone. Hence why Galinarri would be a much better fit in that offense IMO.

We got ourselves a Jack Russell Terrier Cross from the pound just before Christmas. Very, very active dog. Loads of fun though.

Love his reaction;

QUOTE (greasywheels121 @ Feb 6, 2012 -> 11:03 PM) So I got engaged yesterday. Wow, congrats Zach.

Oh boy, well at least Evans is a much better chance to repeat his TDF win come July; http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/otherspor...by-the-CAS.html

QUOTE (lostfan @ Jan 26, 2012 -> 05:32 AM) Can't wait for Mass Effect 3 in a few weeks... The demo's out this month right (or already is, I've seen articles up on IGN about it already). I remember you saying lost though that you didn't want to read any spoilers etc. a while back. I've gone down that path now myself, think I've probably read a little more than I would have wanted to going in, so will try to restrain myself for another month.

This should get the Anti Dwight's going;

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Feb 4, 2012 -> 10:32 AM) Glen Davis suspended for two games by Orlando for conduct detrimental to the team. Apparently him and SVG got into a pretty heated shouting match at practice today. Orlando is in a death spiral. Probably about who the better looking person is.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Feb 3, 2012 -> 04:56 PM) For the I hate isolation basketball crowd - let me introduce you to the Denver Nuggets. Oh my goodness. Their depth has depth. They just run, pass, cut, and shoot the s*** out of you. I called them a sleeper team coming into this season. They obviously don't have a bonafide superstar on their team anymore, but as you said, they do have depth. And in this short season, you need to go 10 deep now, and Denver do that. An interesting question to ask also, going forward, if you were building a team, would you rather Melo on a max contract, or Gallinari for 4/42? Plus they still have rights over Wilson Chandler and J.R Smith I believe once they get out of China?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 2, 2012 -> 12:47 AM) If Orlando didn't have to worry about "Keeping Dwight", then after the Finals, they should have made the same effort they did make to sign Hedo. When they failed to sign him, then they had to look and see a much weaker roster, especially after the next season when Lewis's dropoff really started to show (and that was when he had the roid suspension as well, right?). That might have been a great time to play for cap space and picks. The previous incarnation had reached its peak, and although Lewis's contract was hard to move, it might well have been clearable, at least a year at a time. Or worst case scenario, you get to a point where a new CBA comes along and then you can amnesty the last year. The other guys, like Reddick, etc., you could move in sign and trades to try to clear more salary, until you put yourself in a position where you can be a threat to sign someone like Deron Williams or Chris Paul if they become a Free Agent. The problem with doing so is that it means 2-3 years of maybe being in the edge of the lottery or at the back end of the eastern conference, which isn't a fun place to be, but with the contracts they had for aging guys, they could have pulled it off and still had a 27 year old Dwight Howard with a rebuilt team around him. Instead, they have to compete every year to keep Dwight happy. Thus, they start making more and more desperate, high risk moves, to see if they can pull off a competitive season every year, and they have no realistic way to escape salary cap hades. Otis usually overpays his guys to keep them around (Gortat and J-Rich probably are 2 good examples). I just don't think there way any way he was going to go 5/55 on Hedo, and yet now after a season and a half decided to bring back that contract because of the chemistry the Magic lost when Hedo went in the 1st place. I love what Dallas is doing, yes they just won a championship, but they are in position to be able to sign Deron Williams this off-season. Would have liked Otis to try and do something similiar, and I think most Magic fans are in agreement with that. I don't think anyone really saw Lewis's decline coming the way it did, and it really killed us, he provided so many matchup problems at the 4, and Hedo likewise at the 3 in his prime.

BTW, this was probably my favourite dunk I saw growing up as a kid;

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 1, 2012 -> 12:39 AM) here's my issue DB... I look at every one of those and feel like it's a "Trying to find that last piece next to Howard" role. He's trying to keep Dwight happy, convince Dwight he can win in Orlando, and build a team that can "Win now" at any cost. Those deals all look like crappy deals...they're all overpays, but if the other alternative is not spending money and letting Dwight think that the team won't spend money to put players around him, then the other alternative is worse. Same with those big trades...if the guys aren't working that curently are on the Magic, those are desperation, hail mary "Maybe guy X can recover his former glory next to Dwight" deals. I don't think you make any of those deals if you don't have the specter of "Departing Dwight" hanging around your neck. Just like Cleveland doesn't make a bunch of their bad deals if they didn't have the fear of "Departing James" hanging around theirs. I think a lot of it making a move for the sake of making a move. How would Orlando have gone if they didn't trade anyone after they made the finals? Would they have kept Hedo still? The problem is, even if Howard is dealt, they're going to be in cap hell now. And a lot of that is on ownership, because they desperately want to win now and will overpay to do so. FWIW, I think SVG is an excellent coach also, probably a top 5 coach in terms of his X and O's and his defensive system, however it's fair to say things have definitely stagnated offensively in his system. He needs a PG who can distribute the ball well in his offense, and currently Nelson is not doing that which is causing the likes of J-Rich and Hedo to have down numbers. Calderon for Nelson would be something I'd look at if the Raps were interested (Raps could start Bayless, maybe Orlando would have to chuck another piece in also like Justin Harper).

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 31, 2012 -> 12:33 AM) Much like Jim Hendry, I've got to express some sympathy for the guy. He's been trying to balance buildilng a winning team with keeping a superstar happy and outsourcing some of the decision making to that superstar. Not a simple task. 3 main faults I've had with him over time; 1 - Overpaying guys on the MLE. He loves targeting players after their rookie deals have finished and then signing them to MLE+ deals. The Hedo Turkogly contract I'll give you was a fantastic signing (5/29). Mickael Pietrus (5/29) and Glen Davis (4/26) have not been. Jason Richardson for 4/25 looks like another bad deal right now. 2 - The 2 big trades he's made since we made the NBA Finals. Getting an aging Vince Carter for Courtney Lee (who I think would be starting for a few teams if he wasn't in Houston right now), albeit Ryan Anderson has become the best player in that deal. Killed our chemistry though. And the Arenas trade, that's Otis picking up his old Golden State buddies. 3 - Not being able to find that 2nd superstar, overpaying for Lewis, and we've basically had no-one come out of the draft since J.J Redick 4 years ago. And if it was up to him, Dwight Howard would be a Net, and Brook Lopez (pre foot injury) and Gerald Wallace would be Magic players right now.

Finished at 1:38 my time, I gave up at 11ish considering I had an early start for work the next morning. Thought Rafa was gone midway thru the 3rd, but credit to him to taking it to a 5th set. If only he didn't stand so far back, especially returning on the 2nd set, reckon he may have had Djokovic, who clearly wasn't at his best over the past 3 rounds, but still found a way to get it done.