☆☆ 2012 NBA Finals ☆☆ The King has been crowned; Heat win 2012 NBA Finals! Bron Finals MVP.

[cato312]

Originally Posted by JapanAir21

Originally Posted by you big dummy

Dirk was 2 of 15 tonight?

CLIFFNOTES: Nash is an amazing shooter, might have to consider him one of the best.

Kindly do this for all of your lengthy posts...maybe a spoiler.

Have you considered starting a blog?

 

[duba169]

Those jerseys suck I wish the NBA would get more creative I mean it's an exhibition game

I don't get why Deighton doesn't wanna go to chi

 

[thatpersianguy]

Originally Posted by kb8 3qwick

All-Star game Jerseys.

I actually like them. Simple but effective.

 

[buc em]

Originally Posted by kb8 3qwick

All-Star game Jerseys.

Is Adidas just trolling with their All-Star jerseys or what? These are literally the exact same uniforms they've gone with the past two years except last year it said The West and The East on them, and the year before that it was these exact same jerseys except had a giant star in the background.
How much longer is Adidas under contract with the NBA?

 

[duba169]

NBA analyst Charles Barkley has never been hesitant to speak his mind, and this week is no exception. The national TV personality let loose in an interview on ESPN radio in Chicago, bashing the quality of play in the NBA this lockout-shortened season.

“As a NBA fan, I want to apologize to the fans,â€

 

[CP1708]

Bad basketball > No basketball.  Period. 

This is better than a year of listening to rich guys #+$%* about money. 

 

[marath0n]

 

[mister916]

The stripes ruined the jerseys like always.

 

[proshares]

Rookie Watch:  Don't count em out.

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler [+]

Spoiler

If there is anything to be learned from writing rookie reports weekly these past few years, it's how suddenly their seasons can change, simply because there are so many variables at play each day of the season.

This class has had its share of success stories and surprises already, but obviously not every player has started the season as hoped. Here's a look at two top-10 picks in particular who have tripped coming out of the gate, some other guys who are still hoping for a better run, and a few late surprises.
[h3]Two top-10 guys who could turn it around[/h3]

Fredette​

Jimmer Fredette, Kings
When I watched him play for the first time last season, I wrote that he would have to drastically change the way he plays in the NBA. I felt that part of the reason he was able to make so many amazing and deep shots was that he had the ultimate green light from his coaches to launch whenever he wanted. Also, taking that many shots allowed him to make minor adjustments from shot to shot to maintain a good percentage.

In the NBA, however, it just didn't seem likely that he would get those kind of opportunities. The size, length, quickness and intelligence of NBA defenders was obviously going to make things tougher for him, too.

But then I convinced myself that he could change and become a smart and steady floor leader, who took only easy and open looks from the perimeter while playing off of Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins. Unfortunately, thus far, the first Jimmer has shown up and the results have been exactly as I feared.

[h4]ROOKIE 50 RANKINGS[/h4]

We're keeping track of every NBA rook. Here are the latest Top 50 rankings.
[table][h2][/h2][tr][th=""]Rank[/th][th=""]Player[/th][th=""]Stock[/th][/tr][tr][td]1[/td][td]Kyrie Irving[/td][td]

[/td][/tr][tr][td]2[/td][td]Ricky Rubio[/td][td]

[/td][/tr][tr][td]3[/td][td]Kahwi Leonard[/td][td]

[/td][/tr][tr][td]4[/td][td]Jon Leuer[/td][td]

[/td][/tr][tr][td]5[/td][td]MarShon Brooks[/td][td]

[/td][/tr][tr][td]6[/td][td]Kemba Walker[/td][td]

[/td][/tr][tr][td]7[/td][td]Isaiah Thomas[/td][td]

[/td][/tr][tr][td]8[/td][td]Chandler Parsons[/td][td]

[/td][/tr][tr][td]9[/td][td]Enes Kanter[/td][td]

[/td][/tr][tr][td]10[/td][td]Nikola Vucevic[/td][td]

[/td][/tr][/table]
• Click here for the complete rankings »



He's mostly been a chucker and rarely a driver, and it's hard to shoot even decently in this league playing that way. He's taking 3.9 3-pointers per game, nothing like the 8-plus he took in college, so the low number plus the poor selection has kept his percentages down. He was shooting 30.6 percent on 3s heading into last week's action, with a 6-for-28 stretch in January.

He has shot the ball well on 3s in the past six games, and I have no doubt that he's a great shooter with better shot selection. But the pairing with Tyreke Evans, who is also guilty of many bad shots (though I'm seeing slight improvement from him) has been disastrous, as the Kings are a bottom-five offensive team and dead last in assist rate.

Fredette isn't getting to the rim really, either, taking just one shot there per game and making 57 percent of those. Contrast that with scintillating rookie Kyrie Irving, who gets 5.2 shots at the rim per game and is making over 63 percent of them.

Fredette is getting eaten up on defense, as well, on and off the ball. The Kings are the fourth-worst defensive team in the league and Fredette has been their worst defender.

Do I still think Fredette can grow into a solid player? Yes, but he needs to start that growth process now or he'll lose his rotation spot to fellow rookie Isaiah Thomas, who has played much better in fewer minutes. It would help if Fredette found a way to contribute in other areas, as he's averaging just 2 assists and 1.2 rebounds a game.

Vesely​

Jan Vesely, Wizards
It's an interesting juxtaposition, Vesely and Ricky Rubio. Rubio had the star power at a younger age and Vesely was by far the more productive pro in the European leagues. Common sense suggested that Vesely would be the more NBA-ready player because of that recent success in Europe.

But as Rubio has bolted out of the blocks and regained most his mojo from two years ago, Vesely has mostly been a foul machine who looks out of place in this league at times. Known for his athleticism and hustle, Vesely is playing just 15 minutes per game on a team dying for help at the forward spot (that number is growing under a new coach and with Andray Blatche out due to injury).

Out of every NBA player who has appeared in at least 10 games for an average of at least 12 minutes per game, Vesely has committed more fouls per 48 minutes than everyone but two guys, Larry Sanders and Jamal Magloire. But even Sanders, who is also struggling, is averaging a blocked shot per game. Vesely has blocked at least one shot in only three games. He has a PER below 8 and clearly is not comfortable in Washington now.

However, out of all the guys who might be labeled as disappointments, Vesely is the guy I most expect to not be in that category by season's end. For starters, he'll learn that NBA players can't use their hands on defense nearly as often as they do in Europe. Once he gets this, better things are in store for him. He has great instincts on defense and could show enough while Blatche is out to become the full-time starter in Washington, once he learns the NBA game.

---

[h3]Other rooks hoping for brighter days ahead[/h3]

Faried​

Kenneth Faried, Nuggets
Due to Denver's terrific depth everywhere, Faried is mostly stuck on the bench except during blowouts. Even then it's hard for him to get in the game because coach George Karl has so many quality players who deserve playing time.

But one thing is clear: Faried is a special kind of energy guy. From dunks to spectacular blocks and everything in between, he uses his athleticism and huge motor every minute he's on the court. He'd be in the rotation for a lot of teams.

Morris​

Marcus Morris, Rockets
His trip down to the D-League was a huge success until an ankle injury sidelined him. Now he's faced with recovering from that and fighting his way up Houston's crowded depth chart.

With the terrific play of Chandler Parsons, a newly motivated Chase Budinger, a coach who likes to finish games with Courtney Lee at small forward, and a recovering Patrick Patterson as the team's backup power forward, Morris could be stuck with no role in Houston or a starring role in the D-League.

Johnson​

JaJuan Johnson
He's still not getting any real action for Boston, having appeared in just eight games in 2012 and only one for more than six minutes (a blowout win).

Jimmy Butler, Bulls
Butler plays with poise, rarely rushing anything, and his length is definitely a weapon on defense. But he hasn't had many opportunities to play extended minutes for Chicago until recently.

Higgins​

Cory Higgins, Bobcats
Sometimes we see undrafted players playing well and wonder why they weren't drafted. Thus far, we're seeing Higgins play a fair amount, but he hasn't been able to show why he should have been drafted, or why he's even playing (other than because of injury).

He's played nine or more minutes in the Bobcats' last 11 games, averaging over 12 minutes per contest. He's obviously not the main reason the team is 1-10 in that span, but he's not helping matters by shooting less than 38 percent from the field and 15.4 percent from 3, with about as many turnovers as assists. Also, he did not have a single steal in 13 of 14 games. He's not any kind of special athlete but he's long for a guard, so it's fair to expect more from him on that end of the floor.

Harper​

Justin Harper, Magic
Harper is barely registering a blip in Orlando, appearing briefly in three games in January.

Vernon Macklin, Pistons
Even with the Pistons losing by wide margins often, Macklin is receiving sparse playing time.

Travis Leslie, Clippers
Leslie has played in only three games in January.

Hobson​

Darington Hobson, Bucks
With the Bucks' depth at small forward, Hobson doesn't have a spot in any rotation. He has not appeared in a game in two weeks and could be released if they decide to add a big man to replace the injured Andrew Bogut.

Jordan Hamilton, Nuggets
Another rookie paying his dues for being on such a loaded team, Hamilton finally got his first game action of the season in a rout over the Kings.

---

[h3]Some late surprises[/h3]

Allen​

Lavoy Allen, 76ers
Since Philly has been fattening up on bad teams and Spencer Hawes has been out a while, coach Doug Collins has wisely given valuable playing time early in games to Allen, who is making the most of that time.

The Sixers' second-round pick has looked to be mostly a catch-and-shoot guy off pick-and-pops, similar to how Hawes began his career. Allen is hitting 10-15 footers, but he's also taken just five free throws this season -- another eerie similarity to Hawes, and not a good one.

On one particular play versus Detroit with 13 seconds on the shot clock, he received a pass on the short left wing while being completely unguarded. The lane to the rim was wide open, but Allen decided to launch a jumper that missed. I would have liked him to attack the rim, where either a dunk or free throws would have been the result. He's playing like the older version of Antonio McDyess at just 22 years of age.

Ayon​

Gustavo Ayon, Hornets
Ayon has impressive stats, and he's also impressive to watch in an old-school kind of way. He's smart and patient with the ball on the post or the perimeter, searching for the best basketball play but always ready to strike when the time is right.

He also has a nice shot and excellent touch in the paint. I love that he does not always utilize only the pick-and-pop or pick-and-roll, but rather reads the action before deciding, as he should. He's showing solid rebounding chops, as well.

Goudelock​

Andrew Goudelock, Lakers
Goudelock has suddenly become a nice spark plug for the surging Lakers, taking advantage of Steve Blake's injury. He has scored in double figures in three of their last four games and hit 8 of 14 3-point shots while committing just one turnover in each of those games.

Cory Joseph, Spurs
When I see Joseph, I think of a puppy, full of speed and energy, creating chaos for his team and sometimes the opponent. But I also see a nice jumper off the left-hand dribble and a nose for the ball on defense. His upside is considerable to be sure; yet another smart second-round pick for the Spurs.

Moore​

E'Twaun Moore, Celtics
Had I written this just prior to Boston's game with Orlando, or to be more specific, just before halftime of that game, it would not have been a pretty picture for Moore. He was just 2-for-14 from 3 going into that game. Then he hit a 3-pointer going into halftime in what looked like a blowout loss. And in the second half, Moore hit three more triples with no misses, including the shot that put Boston ahead for the first time after making up such a huge deficit. The win added spirit to that team, and Moore was a big part of it.

He had been a below-average player in spot minutes prior to that game and he wasn't sharp in Boston's win over the Pacers after that breakout game. But I suspect that knowing he's capable of having a huge shooting game will give coach Doc Rivers the incentive to keep trotting him out to see if he catches fire.

 

[mjshoefanatic]

Originally Posted by marath0n

 

[duba169]

"Look, I haven't said a whole lot about the officiating in a long, long time, but I haven't seen it this bad in a long, long time," Cuban told ESPNDallas.com in the Mavericks' weight room after the loss. "Guys miss calls; that's part of the game. You're not always going to have a great crew. Officials have got to learn that's part of the game.

"But these were officials that have been part of the league for years, and it was just off-the-charts bad. And, if no one ever says anything, nothing ever happens."


"It all comes down to this: I understand that it's tough for the officials now," Cuban said. "They're going through the same travel stress as everybody else, but there's absolutely no transparency right now. I mean, you get games like tonight where it was just horrible. Who knows, I'm not saying it impacted the game, but you can just start naming the calls.

"All I'm saying is some of these guys are bad. Let me rephrase that. Some of these guys are having really bad nights, and it's having an impact. The league's got to come out and say, 'OK, look, we understand they're going through some tough travel or whatever. It's just the way it is.' Otherwise, if that's not an impact, you have to wonder how some of these crews are still on the court."

"If no one ever says anything, nothing ever happens," Cuban said. "We turn in stuff not after every game, but we turn in stuff all the time and we get 'inconclusive; inconclusive; yeah, we missed this; yeah, we got it right.' That's all fine and good, but there's nobody reporting to us on accountability. And that needs to change.

"There's a lot of guys and teams that aren't having great starts to the season and there's a lot of crews that aren't having great starts to the season. The league needs to make some adjustments, because you can't have it like this all the time."

"I mean, it's just ridiculous," Cuban said. "Something needs to be done; someone needs to stand up and say something. So here I is."

 

[darthska]

Mark Cuban complaining again?

Oh.

About refs again?

Oh.

And he's not wrong; it's just nobody cares about his crybaby opinion. When people like Fratello or Hubie Brown or Charles Barkley (or any other respected basketball opinion) say something, people listen. But people who cry all the time anyways? Nobody cares.

 

[T0INE]

Originally Posted by kb8 3qwick

All-Star game Jerseys.

They're alright I guess.

I wish they'd get more creative with design/color scheme for the All Star unis.

They've looked the same more or less for the past 3-4 years.

 

[xbiker47]

Originally Posted by CP1708

Bad basketball > No basketball.  Period. 

This is better than a year of listening to rich guys #+$%* about money. 

THIS

 

[marath0n]

Originally Posted by DubA169

"Look, I haven't said a whole lot about the officiating in a long, long time, but I haven't seen it this bad in a long, long time," Cuban told ESPNDallas.com in the Mavericks' weight room after the loss. "Guys miss calls; that's part of the game. You're not always going to have a great crew. Officials have got to learn that's part of the game.

"But these were officials that have been part of the league for years, and it was just off-the-charts bad. And, if no one ever says anything, nothing ever happens."


"It all comes down to this: I understand that it's tough for the officials now," Cuban said. "They're going through the same travel stress as everybody else, but there's absolutely no transparency right now. I mean, you get games like tonight where it was just horrible. Who knows, I'm not saying it impacted the game, but you can just start naming the calls.

"All I'm saying is some of these guys are bad. Let me rephrase that. Some of these guys are having really bad nights, and it's having an impact. The league's got to come out and say, 'OK, look, we understand they're going through some tough travel or whatever. It's just the way it is.' Otherwise, if that's not an impact, you have to wonder how some of these crews are still on the court."

"If no one ever says anything, nothing ever happens," Cuban said. "We turn in stuff not after every game, but we turn in stuff all the time and we get 'inconclusive; inconclusive; yeah, we missed this; yeah, we got it right.' That's all fine and good, but there's nobody reporting to us on accountability. And that needs to change.

"There's a lot of guys and teams that aren't having great starts to the season and there's a lot of crews that aren't having great starts to the season. The league needs to make some adjustments, because you can't have it like this all the time."

"I mean, it's just ridiculous," Cuban said. "Something needs to be done; someone needs to stand up and say something. So here I is."

$150k

 

[you big dummy]

Will the NBA ever switch up their All-Star jerseys?

The Eastern conference has worn blue jerseys every year for the last 10 years now

I know the NBA doesn't care, but they should

 

[CP1708]

The NBA NEEDS to go back to players just wearing their team jerseys. 

Seein the different team jersey's all playin together was the best damn part.

 

[kevin cleveland]

Been meaning to get your two cents on his season so far.  Always thought the kid was really good and SVG should have been giving him more minutes since last season.  I think his numbers take a dip when D12 is traded.
He's been great, man. Probably better than most people realize. 44/43/85, 16.5 and 7 per, PER of almost 24 (ninth in the league), 3.4 win shares (eighth - second in win shares per 4 and he doesn't turn the ball over. Defensively, he's maybe adequate, but that will go out the door once Dwight does.

I think he has to be on a good team to carry on as effectively as he is right now. He gets all kind of open looks because of Dwight, so it will take another post player who requires double teams (few and far between) or a great point guard for him to continue to play like this, whether it's with the Magic or not. He's a little bit more than just a spot-up shooter, but obviously, that's his biggest asset. He's not creating a ton of quality looks for himself.

 

[coldcity]

Originally Posted by CP1708

The NBA NEEDS to go back to players just wearing their team jerseys. 

Seein the different team jersey's all playin together was the best damn part.

 

[miamin2]

Originally Posted by ColdCity

Originally Posted by CP1708

The NBA NEEDS to go back to players just wearing their team jerseys. 

Seein the different team jersey's all playin together was the best damn part.

This
Too bad its all about that extra jersey sale $$, unfortunately 

 

[coldcity]

Originally Posted by miamin2

Originally Posted by ColdCity

Originally Posted by CP1708

The NBA NEEDS to go back to players just wearing their team jerseys. 

Seein the different team jersey's all playin together was the best damn part.

This
Too bad its all about that extra jersey sale $$, unfortunately 

THAT!

 

[japanair21]

Originally Posted by marath0n

Originally Posted by DubA169

"Look, I haven't said a whole lot about the officiating in a long, long time, but I haven't seen it this bad in a long, long time," Cuban told ESPNDallas.com in the Mavericks' weight room after the loss. "Guys miss calls; that's part of the game. You're not always going to have a great crew. Officials have got to learn that's part of the game.

"But these were officials that have been part of the league for years, and it was just off-the-charts bad. And, if no one ever says anything, nothing ever happens."


"It all comes down to this: I understand that it's tough for the officials now," Cuban said. "They're going through the same travel stress as everybody else, but there's absolutely no transparency right now. I mean, you get games like tonight where it was just horrible. Who knows, I'm not saying it impacted the game, but you can just start naming the calls.

"All I'm saying is some of these guys are bad. Let me rephrase that. Some of these guys are having really bad nights, and it's having an impact. The league's got to come out and say, 'OK, look, we understand they're going through some tough travel or whatever. It's just the way it is.' Otherwise, if that's not an impact, you have to wonder how some of these crews are still on the court."

"If no one ever says anything, nothing ever happens," Cuban said. "We turn in stuff not after every game, but we turn in stuff all the time and we get 'inconclusive; inconclusive; yeah, we missed this; yeah, we got it right.' That's all fine and good, but there's nobody reporting to us on accountability. And that needs to change.

"There's a lot of guys and teams that aren't having great starts to the season and there's a lot of crews that aren't having great starts to the season. The league needs to make some adjustments, because you can't have it like this all the time."

"I mean, it's just ridiculous," Cuban said. "Something needs to be done; someone needs to stand up and say something. So here I is."

$150k

Okay, I'm a little more comfortable complaining about the game now.

It just seemed like more often than not, when we went inside, and they contested, it was just physical play. If that's the way you call the game, fine, but don't let Russell & Durant do the same thing and call fouls.

I hate when they do that. And then late in the game when Dallas made it's surge, they pretty much swallowed their whistle after JET tied the game. It was like they said, okay, NOW we won't call anything for either side. I hate that..

 

[al3xis]

They were ugly as hell, but I enjoyed the themed jerseys in '95 and '96.
now we just get the generic red and blue crap year after year.

 

[japanair21]

I would enjoy them going back to representing their individual team jerseys.

It would've been fun back in 05 when Detroit Pistons wore their jerseys against the West squad.

 

[Bert.]

Originally Posted by CP1708

The NBA NEEDS to go back to players just wearing their team jerseys. 

Seein the different team jersey's all playin together was the best damn part.

i agree with this but of course Adidas and NBA want more $$$$$ from the sales of jerseys