NBA 2012-2013

[Alan Dunkin]

We don't have a team anymore. We just have fucking Dirk. This is a pretty good disaster.

Fuck.

FUCK.

--- Alan

Edit:

For the Mavs, the shock of this offseason deepens. With Kidd out of the picture, they are again down to just seven players under contract (plus three draft picks) and not one is a point guard. Free agents Williams, Nash and Goran Dragic are gone. Kyle Lowry has been traded to Toronto. Lin, a restricted free agent and a Mavs target, is almost certain to be retained by the Knicks.

[rattledrush]

Heh, I saw a twitter comment from one of the sportswriter types a few weeks ago that actually, the Lakers this year were up near the top of the alley-oop numbers. Lots of Pau to Bynum.

Nash to Lakers is good, although I'm slightly worried about the Grant Hill talk. I like Metta a lot defensively, and when fit he's better offensively than Ebanks.

One of the sportswriter types pointed out on twitter that the Lakers really need an athletic, Iggy (can't be bothered to look up the spelling!) type of SF to make the most of the Nash aquisition.

Ha, look, lakers are going to have a whole lot of alley oops next year regardless. I guess I worry about two things: 1) is bynum agile enough to maximize steve nash's pick and roll mastery? and 2) is bynum agile enough to effectively defend the pick and roll/react when guards blow past kobe and nash?

I think dwight is a risk, but I also think trading pau for iggy is a risk. Bynum is a better 1 on 1 player than dwight, but with Nash, Im not sure that matters as much. I still think dwight would help fix the laker's other weakness, pick and roll defense, and as long as you're not giving up pau and bynum it's worth it.

As far as grant hill goes, I dont see why signing grant hill means anything as far as Metta goes. The lakers have like zero bench right now, and adding grant hill with a vet min contract to bolster the bench seems a no brainer. (I dont think you sign Hill to relegate Ron to bench duties— Artest is a good piece in between 4 talented players, but leading the bench unit? Probably a catastrophe.)

[Hanacker]

I know I'm not supposed to feel bad for the Mavs, and I can't deny that this is highly entertaining, but I am starting to feel a little sorry for their fans. But then I remember that they won a title two years ago and that goes away fast.

[rattledrush]

We don't have a team anymore. We just have fucking Dirk. This is a pretty good disaster.

Fuck.

FUCK.

--- Alan

Edit:

Legit question, how would you have preferred the Mavs to proceed after their championship?

I'm a huge dirk fan, but not really a Mavs fan, but I thought Cuban made a reasonable decision to go all in for Dwight and Deron. Remember: if Dwight hadn't surprised everyone by being the stupidest player in the NBA, he'd have been a free agent this offseason, free to team up with Dirk (and possibly Deron). Now obviously it blew up, but would the Mavs be much better off signing Terry and Kidd anyway? I just feel like the Mavs didnt have a lot of good options, and Cuban took a risk.

The only thing I can think to criticize is not signing Dragic or Lin, but even then, are those guys really that good?

The way it's looking now, dwight very likely ends up in LA by default, just because he signed that extension. The nets got Deron, but took on Joe Johnson's horrendous (likely dwight-killing) deal to get there. Maybe he ends up somewhere else, but I kinda feel like things just broke wrong for people who weren't the Lakers. And it all comes back to that extension.

[Hanacker]

I don't get why they Mavs didn't re-sign Terry. Didn't they already know they weren't getting Deron Williams when he agreed to go to Boston? Did they just not want him?

[Alan Dunkin]

Lin to the Rockets.

I'll explain my thoughts on the Mavs later tonight when I'm drunk.

--- Alan

[Hanacker]

Lin to the Rockets.

I'm pretty sure the Knicks can still match the offer.

[mono]

I'm pretty sure the Knicks can still match the offer.

They can and will. The Knicks aren't letting Lin go anywhere. Whether he pans out over a full season remains to be seen, but having Kidd as a mentor can't hurt.

[corsair]

I'm pretty sure the Knicks can still match the offer.

I don't think Alan cares one way or the other - he didn't sign with the Mavs. The exodus has descended on Dallas. Call it rats deserting a sinking ship, or the smell of decay keeping them away, or that strange sense that the grass is somehow greener over that other way, or maybe Cuban just making bad decisions like deciding that Nash wasn't that good, after all.

Anyway, despite the poison pill, I think the Knicks will invoke their matching powers. At the worst, they could trade him if they were that afraid of the bloated back end, either now or later.

Oh hey, Alan! I hear that the Mavs are suddenly interested in Sessions! (offers some Glenfiddich)

[corsair]

And not to intentionally add to Alan's misery (but offers a double-shot of Bacardi 151 and strongly advises Alan to gulp it down in one go) but since everything is going south anyway for Dallas....

...admit the extent of the disaster and blow up the team by trading Dirk?

[corsair]

We don't have a team anymore. We just have fucking Dirk. This is a pretty good disaster.

Fuck.

FUCK.

--- Alan

Edit:

Now what the fuck are we supposed to do? We're in some real pretty shit now, man. That's it man, game over man, game over!
-Private Hudson

(I'm teasing, but I feel your pain)

[rattledrush]

And not to intentionally add to Alan's misery (but offers a double-shot of Bacardi 151 and strongly advises Alan to gulp it down in one go) but since everything is going south anyway for Dallas....
o
...admit the extent of the disaster and blow up the team by trading Dirk?

Either they sign Sessions and Chris Kaman, pick up a couple decent young players like Courtney Lee and/or Nick Young... or they should do the right thing for Dirk and trade him whatever he wants. He's one of 2(the other is kobe) NBA players with a full no-trade-clause.

[Alex Hopkinson]

As far as grant hill goes, I dont see why signing grant hill means anything as far as Metta goes. The lakers have like zero bench right now, and adding grant hill with a vet min contract to bolster the bench seems a no brainer. (I dont think you sign Hill to relegate Ron to bench duties— Artest is a good piece in between 4 talented players, but leading the bench unit? Probably a catastrophe.)

If they sign G. Hill (which will, as you say, be a veteran minimum deal) then I think they amnesty MWP. It seems to be the common thinking that the Lakers will amnesty either Blake or MWP (I'd rather lose Blake and take a chance on Darius Morris panning out). I guess we'll see what happens.

If anyone's interested and wasn't aware, the League-pass style access to watching the NBA Summer Leagues is available for $14.99 (next week in Orlando, the week after in Vegas). Available internationally as well, although we have to use PayPal.

[Jag]

I don't get the Mavs moves either. They are acting like they are in rebuilding mode, but they still have the bones of a championship team that they are slowly eroding. Very strange.

[Alex Hopkinson]

Brandon Roy is un-retired and looks set to be a Timberwolf for 2 years. I really want the Twolves to do well, so hopefully that works out for them. They're trying for Batum, which is going to come down to what Portland wants to do with their team.

And whilst my NBA 2K12 My Player SF at the Wizards waits for virtual Nick Young to come back from a broken back (!!), real world Nick Young is off to the 76ers for a year. Perhaps they will actually score now.

[corsair]

I don't get the Mavs moves either. They are acting like they are in rebuilding mode, but they still have the bones of a championship team that they are slowly eroding. Very strange.

They decided to clear cap space for the then expected trio of Williams, Howard and Paul rather than retain everyone from the championship team (most notably Tyson Chandler). Howard and Paul both exercised their options, so it was just Williams, and when that didn't pan out, they were left holding the cap space. They get one of those three and they are in better position to transition out of the Dirk era and remain competitive. That's exactly what the Lakers were trying to do by trading for Paul. Both ended up in disarray (though at least the Lakers can blame the league). However, after that, the Lakers opted for all in the continued pursuit of a championship as long as Kobe is still viable, and the Mavs didn't seem to have any plans at all. Kidd even decided that like it or not, the Mavs were effectively in rebuild mode and went with a team that looked on the way up, and in the meantime, they let Terry get away, which might make sense if they got Williams, but...

So they are bleeding players while simultaneously missing out on a rather large number of key free agents. Now it looks like they either have to write off this next season and just plug holes with stop-gap measures and carry over their cap space, or use up some and try and land some of the better ones left in the hopes of at least a competitive team. Or just plain admit defeat, do Dirk a favor and trade him, and prepare for a full rebuild. Given Cuban's nature, I doubt the latter for now, but so far it has been pretty much a disaster since winning the championship. If I was a Dallas fan, I'd be with Alan and getting blind drunk.

[corsair]

Brandon Roy is un-retired and looks set to be a Timberwolf for 2 years. I really want the Twolves to do well, so hopefully that works out for them. They're trying for Batum, which is going to come down to what Portland wants to do with their team.

I wish the best of luck to Roy - I hate to see a young man like that have such an early end to his career.

And whilst my NBA 2K12 My Player SF at the Wizards waits for virtual Nick Young to come back from a broken back (!!), real world Nick Young is off to the 76ers for a year. Perhaps they will actually score now.

I see ESPN is claiming (in their usual sloppy style without a source) that with Young being signed, that they are going to amnesty Brand. There's a player who's career went south - but somebody will take a chance with the Sixers footing the bulk of the 18 million dollar bill.

[rattledrush]

They get one of those three and they are in better position to transition out of the Dirk era and remain competitive. That's exactly what the Lakers were trying to do by trading for Paul. Both ended up in disarray (though at least the Lakers can blame the league). However, after that, the Lakers opted for all in the continued pursuit of a championship as long as Kobe is still viable, and the Mavs didn't seem to have any plans at all.

I'm playing a bit of devils advocate/cuban apologist, and granted, the Mavs situation is a catastrofuck, but the laker's continued ability to contend and be relevant has a lot to do with the viability of Gasol and Bynum as attractive players/trade pieces.

Here was Cuban's conundrum: you had to let chandler go to get Deron or Dwight, but without Chandler, that team is pretty much Dirk and scrap parts. No real trade pieces, and not all that attractive a destination.

You think Nash wouldve pushed for a trade to the lakers if all they had was Kobe?

Anyway, maybe the lakers can do a three way swap:
pau to rockets for kevin martin, picks/parts
martin, picks and parts to Mavs
dirk to lakers

getting way into never going to happen, but nash, kobe, dirk, dwight is like the best team ever in 2006

[Armiger]

And imagine if the Lakers didn't "Mav" themselves by trading away Odom, whose psyche might not have shattered, and remained an excellent sixth man for them.

[corsair]

I'm playing a bit of devils advocate/cuban apologist, and granted, the Mavs situation is a catastrofuck, but the laker's continued ability to contend and be relevant has a lot to do with the viability of Gasol and Bynum as attractive players/trade pieces.

Very true, but at the same time, if they had retained Chandler and JJ from last season, they'd lose cap space but have assets on hand. The Lakers kept their pieces, but lost the cap flexibility.

Here was Cuban's conundrum: you had to let chandler go to get Deron or Dwight, but without Chandler, that team is pretty much Dirk and scrap parts. No real trade pieces, and not all that attractive a destination.

Keep Chandler and offer him as compensation in a sign and trade. Let him go and you indeed have nothing if no one takes you up on the cap space. A very tough call, but I think Cuban made the wrong one (I know, cheap 20/20 hindsight, but I thought it was a mistake to let Tyson walk at the time). .

You think Nash wouldve pushed for a trade to the lakers if all they had was Kobe?

No, but that's because the Lakers retained their options.

Anyway, maybe the lakers can do a three way swap:
pau to rockets for kevin martin, picks/parts
martin, picks and parts to Mavs
dirk to lakers

It would depend a lot on what the picks and parts are - the only reason to give up Dirk is to get (good) picks and youth. The Lakers would probably like that because a shooter like Dirk would conflict less with Bynum. However, I strongly see Cuban greasing his hair back Riley-style or slitting his wrists before that happens (note how I give them equal weight)...I mean, trade the franchise darling to the Lakers?!?

getting way into never going to happen, but nash, kobe, dirk, dwight is like the best team ever in 2006

Too many generals, not enough grunts, but it would be scary.

[corsair]

And imagine if the Lakers didn't "Mav" themselves by trading away Odom, whose psyche might not have shattered, and remained an excellent sixth man for them.

They would have had a useless player making nine million dollars that they would be stuck with (well, they would have bought him out for 3 mill this season) and not have a trade exception for Nash. Screw Cuban and (eventually) get Nash? It worked out great for the Lakers given that Odom acted like an ass and demanded the trade. Let's place all blame where it belongs, and as much as I enjoyed Odom while he was with the Lakers, I wanna smack him upside the head for his terrible self-destructive attitude - I mean, I actually feel sorry for Mark fucking Cuban!

[Thongsy]

And it is done, the Kings have reached the salary floor. No more need to look at free agents. Time to revoke the offer sheet to Jason Thompson and to stop looking at Ryan Anderson or AK47. Isn't it great to be a Kings fan?

[Armiger]

Jesus just signed with Miami. I wonder if that'll get those Boston fans agitated at some home games next year.

[Alex Hopkinson]

From Adrian Wojnarowski at Yahoo Sports on the twitters:

Privately, Ray Allen had insisted to people that he didn't believe the city of Boston would be too hard on him for signing with Miami.

Allen believes the capital he's built up playing for UConn and the Celtics would supercede signing with Miami. He's probably misjudged that.

Yeah... good luck with that Ray!

Apparently, nearly getting traded this year and an increasingly bad relationship with Rondo were factors.

[Tim James]

Maybe Boston fans will merely dump water on him as he leaves the arena. Cool and refreshing.

[Jag]

Maybe Boston fans will merely dump water on him as he leaves the arena. Cool and refreshing.

Not sure why Allen would want to leave this amazing fan base.

[mk56]

Is the covering over the walkway there only a mesh?

[Jon Rowe]

This is why when asked the quintessential sports question "Yankees or Red Sox" I always have to go with the former. I hate boston fans. New York is pretty bad too, but good lord boston is the worst. They are like the rich kid that whines about everything.

I am sorry you have an amazing football team, hockey team, basketball team, and baseball team. Some of us just get to have one.

[corsair]

This is why when asked the quintessential sports question "Yankees or Red Sox" I always have to go with the former. I hate boston fans. New York is pretty bad too, but good lord boston is the worst. They are like the rich kid that whines about everything.

It's real easy - Boston and New York fans are so vain and arrogant that they actually think that they are the "essential sports question". Hate 'em both!
:-)

[Sarkus]

So Dwight Howard to the Nets could be happening in a four team, 10 player deal involving New Jersey, Orlando, Cleveland, and the Clippers. The Lakers seem out of the picture because a) Bynum isn't willing to sign a long-term deal with Orlando right away and b) the Lakers sent two of their upcoming first round picks (2013 and 2015) to Phoenix in the Nash deal. League rules don't allow teams to trade first round picks in consecutive years, meaning the Lakers cannot offer their 2014 and 2016 first rounders to anyone.