New Season Thread Made, Move on Over :)

[fudgemoney24]

Not really.......Dwight has initiated un-repairable damage in Orlando. I don't see any possibility D12 has a change of heart and signs on long term with the magic.

Yeah, Kobe softened his trade demand stance like an hour after he first said anything. Dwight has made it clear on numerous occasions he wants out.

 

[patb23]

Brandon Rush close to re-signing with the Warriors.
I don't mind Ebanks as the backup 2 really. The only thing he needs to do well is defend the opponent's 2. Everything else can be solved by playing him in a unit with Gasol, Jamison, and/or Nash - he doesn't need to be polished offensively.

Agreed. Ebanks is going to be a solid role player.  I wished Brown wouldve given him more playing time last year.  He needs to work on that 3pt range tho.  Are we going to sign another sg?

 

[MVP]

Tinkerbell is still available...

 

[three6mafia2007]

Tinkerbell is still available...

please god no

 

[pmatic]

I half jokingly think Tracy McGrady could be a decent pick up.

 

[MVP]

Eh, McLady...why not

 

[kookcle]

I just think we need energy guys like Nate Robinson especially an with old roster like this. just like what Shannon Brown did for us off the bench a couple of yrs. ago.

 

[frenchblue23]

I just think we need energy guys like Nate Robinson especially an with old roster like this. just like what Shannon Brown did for us off the bench a couple of yrs. ago.

I believe Nate just signed a deal with Chicago for the vet minimum.

 

[noblekane]

its not really going to hurt toi have a vet like bell or mcgrady coming off the bench. mcgrady is an exceptional ball handler and can be money for the second unit...

 

[kookcle]

I believe Nate just signed a deal with Chicago for the vet minimum.

Damnate!

 

[tuna629]

McGrady +1. Better than having Steve Blake handle the ball.

 

[runningfishy]

those pimp fit look silly. lolz

 

[essential1]

Read a bleacher report article saying Lakers should "covet" Chris Duhon in a D12 trade.

 

[CP1708]

Duhon can mop up sweat like nobody knows, so I could see that argument.

 

[senorroboto2k5]

On Eddie Jordan:

LONDON – Kobe Bryant has been searching for spacing and freedom and flow on offense, for a way to counter defenses bent on sagging and suffocating him on the floor. Even before the Los Angeles Lakers delivered him point guard Steve Nash, Bryant had raised an idea with coach Mike Brown about the possibility of employing a distant cousin to the triangle – the Princeton offense.

So there was Brown and Bryant in a side room in a Las Vegas gymnasium during Team USA's training camp in early July, listening to Eddie Jordan detail the offense's intricacies, laying out how Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum would benefit with and without the basketball. Here was an old-school Ivy League blueprint daring to be a solution for the Showtime Lakers' issues.

Jordan happens to be the foremost Princeton authority in the NBA, the heir to architect Pete Carril, and that's an immense part of why the Lakers are moving toward an agreement to hire Jordan as an assistant coach. Jordan sold his vision of the offense to a most willing subject, and ultimately Bryant departed for these Olympics convinced that the Lakers have a sound plan of action for the 2012-13 season.

All around Bryant inside the gym at East London University on Monday afternoon were these younger Team USA stars who have him so resolved to push past them next season. Every day, Bryant sees the Oklahoma City Thunder stars who pushed his Lakers out of the playoffs, sees LeBron James who won the NBA championship. Bryant knows his time is short for a sixth championship, his opportunities fleeting.

At 33 years old, Bryant needs edges this season, and the prospect of returning to the discipline of an offensive system in the post-Phil Jackson era holds appeal.

"It's a great offense," Bryant told Yahoo! Sports. "It's exactly what we need. It takes us back to being able to play by making reads and reacting to defenses. It takes a great deal of communication, but that's where we're at our best: Reading and reacting as opposed to just coming down and calling sets. Calling sets make you vulnerable.

"There's so many threats, so many options, it's very tough to defend. Against the type of defenses that teams play nowadays, they load up on one side and are constantly coming with help from the weak side. The Princeton offense makes it very, very tough to lock in on one particular player.

"From my experience, those types of principles – ball movement, changing sides on the floor, everybody being involved – those are championship principles. That's championship DNA."

Over dinner in Barcelona, Bryant and Gasol discussed the changing face of the Lakers' offense and a Hall of Fame point guard who can get them high-percentage shots, where the smarts and skills of Bryant and Nash, Gasol and Bynum make this an ideal partnership of system and talent. The Princeton demands post players with passing skills, and which 7-footer has ever been as deft moving the ball as Gasol?

"Steve is going to make it easier for Pau, because he's an incredible distributor, but the system is perfect for [Gasol]," Bryant said. "His ability to pass the ball, to make plays from the high post – to shoot – is the perfect system for him.

"I'm excited for Pau because this is right in his wheelhouse."

Jordan learned the Princeton under Carril with the Sacramento Kings, and implemented it as an assistant and head coach with the Nets, Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers. The Lakers' coaching staff has turned over, with Ettore Messina and Quin Snyder leaving to take over CSKA Moscow this season. Bryant shared Italian roots with Messina and came to value Snyder, who will likely return to the NBA as a head-coaching candidate in the next couple of years.

Without a training camp in the post-lockout season, Brown spent far more time tightening the Lakers' defense. Now, a full camp in the fall gives him a chance to institute an offensive system, balance the floor and give Bryant something he desperately wants now: a way past the Thunder's Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, and a shot at James and the Miami Heat.

"We're still chasing championships," Bryant said. Between now and a gold medal in these Games, Bryant still has work left with Team USA. Nevertheless, this is his farewell tour to international basketball, and soon there will be just one item left for him in the NBA, and that's catching Michael Jordan and that sixth championship.

Bryant's eyes were big talking about the Princeton, about returning to some offensive structure missing since Jackson left his basketball life. When he returns to Los Angeles, Bryant needs something awaiting him that alleviates all those collapsing bodies on defense, all that congestion, and he believes it will be there.

Here comes that old-school Ivy League offense for these Showtime Lakers. Kobe Bryant needs something transformational to be a champion again, and as he watched and listened in that Vegas gymnasium, it sure felt like this could be one more element to push him past all these young stars before it's too late.

Very exciting read. It's almost like we traded for Pau Gasol again, since it looks like he'll be doing more than shooting mid-range jumpers.

 

[MVP]

Duhon can mop up sweat like nobody knows, so I could see that argument.

 

[senorroboto2k5]

The casual onlooker doesn't care about the offseason tho

That's beside the point. I'm saying the casual onlooker still has an idea of this overdramatic Dwight saga just by the endless line of tweets, rumors, Sportscenter reports and false "breaking news" even if they werent' checking for it.

They don't care about it but they hear about it anyway, and my guess is that a lot of those people form a quick opinion and see it as another example of a spoiled star and/or mismangaed team. Which casts a bad light on the culture of the NBA.

 

[mrdieselfuel09]

Duhon>>>Kapono

 

[CP1708]

Wet underwear >>>>> Duhon, so.......

 

[knightngale]

steve blake being the packup pg is a disaster

a crime against humanity

 

[essential1]

steve blake being the packup pg is a disaster
a crime against humanity

Worst part is Duhon is even worse.. The guy who wrote the bleacher report article saying Duhon has been a solid backup his entire career

 

[mr j 858]

Chris Duhon only had a career year when he played for the Knicks because of Mike D'Antoni's offensive which makes a sorry PG look great.

Heck Mike D'Antoni's system could turn Smush Park, Tierre Brown, Chucky Atkins into allstar PG's.

I just threw up in my mouth while typing up those horrible past Laker PG's :x

 

[essential1]

Relevant Parts underlined

Jodie Meeks Weighing Free Agency Options

Every day, Jodie Meeks is asked the same question: “Where are you going to sign?”

For the past month, the 24-year-old has received countless phone calls and text messages from people asking for updates, but that’s to be expected when you’re one of the best free agents remaining on the market. Meeks, an unrestricted free agent, is talking with a number of teams and weighing his options.

“I’ve gotten interest from the Lakers, Bucks and Wizards,” Meeks told HOOPSWORLD. “There are five or six teams, but those three are at the forefront right now because I’ve been talking to them the most. I really like those teams and I like what they bring to the table. I’m looking forward to signing, whenever that may be.”

Meeks has proven that he can start in the NBA, which separates him from many of the remaining free agents. He has started 114 games in his 200-game career, averaging 8.1 points over the last three years. Last year with the Philadelphia 76ers, Meeks started 50 games. While he has shown that he can be a significant contributor in the NBA, he believes his best basketball is still ahead of him.

“I feel like I still have a lot to develop,” Meeks said. “I’m still young, only 24 years old, and I have a lot of things to show in my career. I’m looking forward to, whatever team I go to, showing what I can do and trying to win as much as possible.”

Meeks has been training and spending time with his family in his hometown of Atlanta in an effort to keep his mind off of free agency. Rather than worrying about his next contract, he’s working on his game and making sure that he’ll be ready to play at a high level for his new team.

“I’m just trying to find the best fit for myself,” Meeks said. “I just have to be patient. I know that when it comes time to sign, I’ll be ready to help the team that picks me up. I’m staying in shape and keeping myself busy this summer. I’m keeping a winning attitude. I’m very upbeat and positive. I don’t worry about these kinds of things. I’m just letting it play out and I’m looking forward to next season.”

“I’m from Atlanta and I come here every offseason,” Meeks said. “My family is here and I’m down here working out. I’m just working on all aspects of my game. I think you can always improve. There’s never a time when a player can’t get better. I’m working on my lateral quickness and ballhandling, and I’m putting up a lot of shots. I’m just keeping a positive attitude and waiting to see where I end up.”

While Meeks wouldn’t rule out a return to Philadelphia, it seems unlikely since the 76ers didn’t extend a qualifying offer to Meeks prior to the start of free agency and then proceeded to sign shooting guard Nick Young to a one-year deal worth $6 million.

“I loved playing in Philadelphia,” Meeks said. “It was a great city and I was there for two and a half years. I have nothing but great things to say about those guys. They gave me an opportunity to play and I wish them the best of luck.”

Now, Meeks is looking forward to signing his new contract. This was his first time going through the free agency process and while he has had a positive experience, he’s looking forward to focusing on basketball again rather than business.

“Free agency hasn’t been bad,” Meeks said. “I’m just staying patient and positive. I’m just looking forward to seeing what happens. I know I’m going to go to a good situation where I can win as much as possible. That’s the main thing for me, winning.”

“Teams that I’ve been on in the NBA have always made the playoffs, except for my rookie year,” Meeks added. “I was with the Bucks for most of my rookie year and they made the playoffs, but then I went to Philly for end of the season and they didn’t make it. But for the last two years, we made the playoffs. I bring a lot of positive energy on and off the court, and I think that carries over to winning.”

Los Angeles, Milwaukee and Washington seem to be the frontrunners to land his services as of right now. In the coming days, Meeks will weigh his options and then make a decision.

In terms of use.. He'd get the most minutes with the Wizards.. Second most with us.. I think we're the favorites though.

Let's say we land Meeks..... Meeks, Jamison, Hill is a decent bench.. We still need 1 more guy to move us into a bench we don't have to worry about

 

[VinMillerHearn58]

Duhon can mop up sweat like nobody knows, so I could see that argument.

 

[noblekane]

SO my dude cant decide on the lakers, bucks, or wizards? must not care about winning. in that case dont sign with the lakers...