The upcoming NBA season...

[Beware]

Anyone else looking forward to it?

I can't wait to see how it unfolds....

I am so hyped....

The old duo
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f388/heatfan/heat2.jpg
The new duo
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f388/heatfan/heat1.jpg

Miami Heat baby!

[skybrick]

The Celts are going to chew them up and spit them out all over the place.

[Belcebu]

Cannot wait to see my boy Juan Carlos Navarro with Pau Gasol again. He is a great player and I think it won't be long before he finds himself in the starting lineup.
Cannot wait for bball to start

[skybrick]

college basketball the better of the two is coming up even sooner. :nod:

[fcolosimo]

Go Heat!

Although the celts are gonna (or should be) fun to watch.

[ZION]

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c74/GUEBARA78/wallpaperItsTime_800x600.jpg

[cmurdur]

http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u259/shanoah_eagle_22/Team.jpg

[Grendel]

Can't wait to see if Greg Oden lives up to the--

nevermind...

[Max Payne]

hahaha

The Celtics gave up there entire future and I realize that the Celts plan for next season to be the season they can realisticly win it all with a FA pool wanting to come to Boston because of the 3 talents we have but they have to atleast go deep. Gotta get to the ECF or else they didn't do what they should of.

[Beware]

Fuck yeah. My team is dedicated, had practice at 12:01 am Tuesday, the first minute training camp opened...

They are gonna bring the trophy back to South Florida!

[Snake]

ATLANTA HAWKS
http://www.nba.com/media/hawks/HWK_SECONDARY_0622.jpg

New logo. New uniforms. New team colors(Navy, Red, and White). New Hawk rookies AL HORFORD and ACIE LAW.

Joe Johnson-G
Acie Law-G
Marvin Williams-F
Josh Smith-F
Al Horford-F/C

THE HAWKS FINALLY MAKE THE PLAYOFFS THIS YEAR....WRITE IT DOWN!!!:appl:

[thrEE6MAfia]

ZION knows whats up...HOUSTONS TAKING IT THIS YEAR....
or the pistons..

[ZION]

ZION knows whats up...HOUSTONS TAKING IT THIS YEAR....
or the pistons..

:nod:
John Hollinger of ESPN predicts Rockets will win 61 games and the championship

LAST SEASON
W-L: 52-30 (Pythagorean W-L: 57-25)
Offensive Efficiency: 104.0 (14th)
Defensive Efficiency: 97.5 (3rd)
Pace Factor: 93.0 (22nd)
Highest PER: Yao Ming (26.53)
2007-08 SEASON
Training Camp: University of Texas
Projected W-L: See "Outlook" section
Highest PER (proj.): Yao Ming (28.51)

Schedule | Roster | Camp Index





GO TO: 2006-07 Recap Offseason Moves Biggest Strength/Weakness Outlook




2006-07 Recap
Last season's edition of the Rockets had a five-man defense and a two-man offense, a system that was useful for grinding out regular-season wins and shutting down opponents but came up short when an opponent could devise a game plan for it in the postseason. As a result, Houston's season ended earlier than expected after a surprising seven-game first-round defeat against Utah.

While Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady were the stars, in a way they were secondary in how the season played out. That the Rockets' campaign went the way it did was a product of two things: (1) a lack of secondary offensive players, and (2) Jeff Van Gundy.

Let's start with the first item. The Rockets were plainly shorthanded on the offensive end, putting all kinds of pressure on their two stars to create shots. Despite having Yao and T-Mac, Houston only finished 14th in offensive efficiency, which says about all you need to know regarding the supporting cast.

Most 3-Point Attempts Per Field Goal Attempt, 2006-07
TEAM 3-PT % 3A/FGA
Houston 37.2 .290
Phoenix 39.9 .287
New Jersey 36.3 .263
Detroit 33.9 19.0
L.A. Lakers 35.3 .259
League average 35.8 .213


The Rockets took a ton of 3-pointers thanks to all the attention those two players drew, leading the league with 29.0 percent of their shot attempts coming on 3s. They cashed them in, too, ranking fifth in the league at 37.2 percent.

But nobody could create a shot on his own, and the strain showed in McGrady's numbers especially. He led the league in usage rate, but his 51.5 true shooting percentage was well below the league average. It's not hard to connect the dots -- McGrady kept having to force up bad shots at the end of the clock because his teammates couldn't create anything on their own.

While it was a season-long problem, the most glaring examples came in the postseason. In Game 5 against Utah all but eight of the Rockets' field goals were scored or assisted by McGrady; in Game 7 all but nine were.

One reason Houston's offense struggled was because two potential solutions never saw the light of day. One was Bonzi Wells, who signed as a free agent but showed up out of shape, couldn't get healthy and almost immediately clashed with Van Gundy. He struggled in his rare appearances and sat out the postseason. The second was Vassilis Spanoulis, a talented pick-and-roll point guard imported from Greece whom Van Gundy unbelievably tried to use as a spot-up shooter. Spanoulis can't shoot at all, and of course failed miserably in this role before being exiled to the end of the bench. Van Gundy's mishandling of Spanoulis continued a two-decade-long pattern exhibited by the entire Pat Riley coaching tree. For some reason, Riley's disciples have trouble bringing themselves to trust any overseas player shorter than 7-6.

Field Goal Percentage Defense Leaders
TEAM OPP. FG%
Houston 42.9
Chicago 43.5
Orlando 44.2
San Antonio 44.3
Miami 44.4
League average 45.8


While Van Gundy couldn't get the offense untracked, there's no question he is one of the best defensive coaches of all time. Houston led the NBA in field goal percentage defense last season; look at this roster and ponder that for a second. While role players like Shane Battier and Chuck Hayes deserve credit for their efforts, the Rockets unquestionably punched above their weight at this end. This is nothing new for Van Gundy, however -- every team he's coached has finished in the top five in field goal defense.

Once those shots missed, the Rockets took care of business. Houston's 77.0 percent defensive rebound rate led the league by a healthy margin, with Yao, Hayes and Dikembe Mutombo dominating the defensive glass.

The lone drawback was that Houston played a low-risk defense that had one of the league's lowest rates of forced turnovers. Thus, the Rockets "only" finished third in defensive efficiency, and the defense created few transition chances for the offense.

Despite the defensive success, all was not well on the home front. Van Gundy didn't feel appreciated by the Rockets, while the team had some qualms over the stagnant offense and the fact that two key offseason pickups, Wells and Spanoulis, were barely playing. Almost immediately after the season, the coach and team agreed to part ways.


Offseason Moves
The Rockets had one of the league's most eventful offseasons, and arguably the best. GM Daryl Morey swapped out coaches, massively upgraded the bench and managed to skim a talented power forward off his top division rival.

• Replaced Jeff Van Gundy with Rick Adelman
In choosing a replacement for Van Gundy, the Rockets hardly could have done better than Adelman. While he makes for an easy target for scribes because of his teams' many playoff disappointments, the fact is he's won big in both Portland and Sacramento.

And better yet, he essentially gives the team a free player in the process. The unhappy Wells suddenly became gruntled once the team hired Adelman, who coached him to a huge season two years ago in Sacramento. Adelman will be a big contrast from Van Gundy stylistically, too, as he's more of an up-tempo offensive coach who should be able to take advantage of some of the Rockets' new weapons.

One item that bears watching is that Adelman is a fairly extreme short-rotation guy, with his approach being to pick out his eight best players in November and then get out of their way. With all the quality players Houston assembled this offseason, it's inevitable that a few guys who might expect to play will end up at the end of the bench, and they might make a stink about it.

• Traded Vassilis Spanoulis, a second-round pick and cash to San Antonio for Jackie Butler and Luis Scola
It cost the Rockets some dough, but this could be the deal that puts Houston over the hump. Last season the Rockets had a glaring hole at power forward at the offensive end, one that gave opponents free rein to double Yao and T-Mac. Now Houston has a high-skill guy in Scola who can make opponents pay.

Scola has arguably been the best player in Europe over the past half-decade, and while he may need an adjustment period he also came quite inexpensively. The Rockets signed him to a three-year, $9 million deal that should end up being one of the best bargain contracts of the summer.

Moreover, the deal didn't cost them any useful players. Spanoulis had already decided to return to Europe, so the division rival Spurs got nothing from the deal except cap space. In fact, Houston added a second asset in the same trade. Butler was a throw-in for cap purposes, but he's a young, talented post scorer who can make an impact off the pine if he can stay in shape. Look for him to step up in 2008-09 after Mutombo retires.

• Traded Juwan Howard to Minnesota for Mike James and Justin Reed
The Rockets took on a longer contract in order to address the need for more shooting in the backcourt, bringing in a long-range ace in James to push Alston for minutes. Reed is unlikely to make the team.

• Signed guard Steve Francis
The Rockets pounced once the Blazers bought out Francis' deal, bringing him back to his first NBA city (at least, the first one he was willing to set foot in) on a cap-friendly two-year, $6 million deal.

Francis will have to adjust to the new reality of becoming a role player, something he seemed to have trouble with in Orlando and New York, but the Rockets really need somebody who can create off the dribble at the end of the clock and Francis can do that. The worry is that he'll kill the beginning of the clock with his dribbling too.

• Drafted guard Aaron Brooks and forward Carl Landry
Brooks will have a tough time eking out minutes in a crowded guard rotation, especially as a tiny shoot-first guard on a team that already has enough scorers. Landry was a surprising choice as the first pick of the second round -- he's basically another Chuck Hayes.

• Re-signed Chuck Hayes
What a bargain -- four years for only $8 million, and less than that if he fails to hit certain incentives. For a quality defensive power forward, that's chump change, and I was fairly amazed some other teams didn't make a run at him. Hayes is unlikely to be the starter again, but he'll fill an important role as a defensive ace off the pine and can bail out Scola if physical power forwards are giving him trouble.

• Re-signed Dikembe Mutombo
One year and $1.2 million ain't too shabby for an insurance policy, even at 41. And although he's hinting that it's his last season, Deke is still hungry for that first ring. That should help come playoff time.


NEXT PAGE: Biggest Strength/Weakness
Biggest Strength: Backcourt Depth
Last season, the Rockets had to play Rafer Alston nearly 40 minutes a game -- even as his bricks were killing them in the playoff loss to Utah -- because they had nobody else. Suffice it to say that shouldn't be an issue this season.

In fact, the Rockets have so many quality backcourt players that it's going to be difficult to decide whom to play. At the point, Francis and James figure to split most of the minutes, but Alston and Brooks remain in the picture too.

Yet that position seems relatively easy to figure out compared to the shooting guard slot. McGrady is the nominal starter, but could see a lot of minutes at small forward if the Rockets choose to play small. If so, that opens up room for Wells to re-establish himself as a quality scorer off the pine.

Then there's Luther Head, last season's 3-point specialist. There's Kirk Snyder, who played well for the Hornets two seasons ago but lost most of last season to injuries. And of course, there are Francis and James, both of whom are capable of sliding up from the point guard spot to play the 2.

Complicating matters further is that Adelman rarely goes deep into his bench. It might be that only three of these guys will play, or four at most. McGrady is obviously one, with the smart money on Francis, James and Wells being the others. If so, there are going to be some awfully good players waving towels at the end of the Houston bench.

Biggest Weakness: The Forwards
Hey, something has to be the biggest weakness. So while in general the Rockets seem pretty stacked, here's where the greatest concern lies. For all the plaudits we constantly hurl at Battier, he had a pretty poor offensive season last season and the Rockets have to be a little concerned about it. Regardless of which forward spot he plays, Houston needs him to do more than occasionally lob in 3s from the corner.

If Battier is the small forward, then power forward also becomes a concern. I'm a big Scola fan, but he's an unknown quantity at the NBA level and may need an adjustment period to acclimate himself to the different rules. Beyond him, there's Hayes, who is an elite defensive player and an underrated rebounder, but whose offensive limitations became glaringly obvious in last season's playoffs.

Outlook
This might take some of you by surprise, so let me start by saying I realize the waters in which I tread have claimed many good souls before. Betting on Adelman and McGrady to achieve postseason success hasn't been a really wise play over the past decade. Betting on both to win together seems downright masochistic.

Could this be the year T-Mac and Yao see the second round?


That said … I'm betting on these guys. Big time. Like division champs big. Like best record in the West big. And yes, like winning the championship big.

Of course, it's never easy to come out of the West. Houston could easily finish third in its own division, as it's populated by what I consider to be the three best teams in basketball. The two-month playoff grind is a concern, too, given the health problems for McGrady and Yao in recent years -- especially the back trouble that has plagued T-Mac.

While I'm going over potential weaknesses, let's put a few others out there. The team is unlikely to defend as well as it did last season, as Adelman can't match Van Gundy's brilliant track record at that end. It's not clear if Francis can reform his over-dribbling ways and become a secondary player, nor if Scola can make the immediate adjustment to NBA ball that will be needed to close the open wound at power forward. And it appears Yao's defense can be taken advantage of in a seven-game series -- just ask Carlos Boozer for confirmation.

I like them anyway.

What makes me think these guys are so qualified to climb to the top of the mountain? Mainly, the help. Last season Houston had two superstars but little else offensively, and McGrady's numbers cracked under the strain. This season the Rockets have the same two superstars, but now have several quality role players around them to pick up the slack.

In particular, the addition of more players who can create their own shot is going to be a huge benefit to the offense, which was excruciating to watch last season. I'm still haunted by the memories of four guys standing around watching T-Mac during that seventh game against Utah while missing a ton of open kickout shots.

And it's not as if Houston was chopped liver a season ago. The Rockets won 52 games, and actually were much better than their record. One would expect a team with their scoring differential to win 57.4, and as those of you who've read me for a while know, differences between real and "expected" wins are almost pure luck.

That came with McGrady and Yao combining to miss 45 games, Wells going in the tank, Snyder missing half the season and the head coach working on his exit strategy.

So what happens if you take that team and add Wells (essentially), Francis, James, Brooks, Scola, and Butler, and give it a coach who wants to be there? It's scary to think, but a gang that had 57-win talent a season ago may also be the league's most improved team.

And for that reason, even considering T-Mac's and Adelman's postseason histories, one can make a fairly convincing case that the Rockets are the team most likely to be holding the Larry O'Brien Trophy in June.


Prediction: 61-21, 1st in Midwest, 1st in Western Conference

[thrEE6MAfia]

wow thats awhole lot of houston rockets info..I LOVE IT..
clearly gonna be one of the best teams this year..they do have a stacked back corurt..cant wait for the season to start...to bad they coudlny get the haslimm trade to go threw..

[ZION]

wow thats awhole lot of houston rockets info..I LOVE IT..
clearly gonna be one of the best teams this year..they do have a stacked back corurt..cant wait for the season to start...to bad they coudlny get the haslimm trade to go threw..

Agreed, but I believe we wouldnt have got Scola for free(basiclly) if we did get Haslim

[réÐþÁ†µ]

All I know is...

If the Celtics dont make the playoffs in what is an improving, but still pathetic Eastern Conference. Then Rivers and Ainge better be hauling ass outta town because their arent many good years left in Allen or Pierce and Garnett wont last long in Beantown if the team struggles.

C's have no true PG and virtually no bench. Tough to go anywhere with that combination.

45-37 or somewhere in there IMO.

[Beware]

Heat got Davis and Blount from Minny for Walker, Doleac, Simien and a draft pick today.

[cmurdur]

Prediction: 1st in Western Conference

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z266/rene602_bucket/RP3848Phoenix-Suns-Posters1.jpg

[skybrick]

Heat got Davis and Blount from Minny for Walker, Doleac, Simien and a draft pick today.

:D Have fun with Ricky Davis, he'll end up shooting the ball more then Wade.

[Beware]

Wade is out for the first month or so anways to fully recover from his surgeries this offseason. We need a 3rd option and most likely he will be our 2nd option after Shaq until Wade comes back.

Are you a Minny fan? If so, do you think they will keep Walker? Compared to the rest of the team he is old lol!

[thrEE6MAfia]

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c74/GUEBARA78/wallpaperItsTime_800x600.jpg

:coolbeer:

we are all about to witness the beginning of the next great NBA dynasty

[skybrick]

Are you a Minny fan? If so, do you think they will keep Walker? Compared to the rest of the team he is old lol!

Yeah I try to be a Timberwolves fan but in the end they are always just a bunch of Timberpuppies. I actually think they will keep him, because even though they want to start fresh they said they want one key vet. The news already claimed him to be old man river, so they aren't giving him much respect. I say he plays a year but I would not be surprised if they trade or even cut him.

[Beware]

What are y'all smoking? Yao sucks and Tracy chokes. The day the Rockets win the trophy is the day a monkey crawls out of my ass.

[skybrick]

You are so full of yourself when it comes to the Heat. Rockets are two times better then the Heat.
The Heat actually play in something called the Eastern Conference.
When they played the Mavs in the finals, it was def. a tainted series. The refs screwed Dallas up the ass.
If you dont believe my judgement my winter job is to ref basketball games at a middle and high school level. So I would know.

[réÐþÁ†µ]

If the C's arent a top 5 team in the East by the end of the year then meh.

Especially the East

[skybrick]

Fuck yeah. My team is dedicated, had practice at 12:01 am Tuesday, the first minute training camp opened...

They are gonna bring the trophy back to South Florida!

Um what team is that? :mhehe:

[Beware]

Shut the fuck up, they can still pull their season around, it isn't over.

I hate all the cock sucking the media is doing to the Celtics, they haven't fucking proved anything yet and I am gonna laugh my ass off when the Pistons rip them a new ass hole tonight.

[thrEE6MAfia]

boston and detroit tonight...fuck ya
no work tomorrow..im gettin drunk as fuck for this shyt

[Beware]

Doesn't interest me, I know the Pistons won already anyways...

[skybrick]

Shut the fuck up, they can still pull their season around, it isn't over.

:spit:

[Max Payne]

Boston played such a shit game.

Pierce is a fucking moron for taking a off balance shot tied game, with 5 seconds left, good to see being paid 20 million a year and you can't even do simple math. Take a shot at last second, and the worst that happens you goto OT.

And congrats on the refs for taking the game into there own hands, whatever happened to letting the teams decide it.

[Duff McCartney]

Boston played such a shit game.

Pierce is a fucking moron for taking a off balance shot tied game, with 5 seconds left, good to see being paid 20 million a year and you can't even do simple math. Take a shot at last second, and the worst that happens you goto OT.

And congrats on the refs for taking the game into there own hands, whatever happened to letting the teams decide it.

Dude that was a legit call at the end...you have to make that call. He came down right on top of him. Smart play.

I guess since it's been so long since Boston did shit you can't remember that the regular season means nothing...it's a long race...82 games...not 30...don't worry so much about losing in December...worry about it in May.

[Duff McCartney]

You are so full of yourself when it comes to the Heat. Rockets are two times better then the Heat.
The Heat actually play in something called the Eastern Conference.
When they played the Mavs in the finals, it was def. a tainted series. The refs screwed Dallas up the ass.
If you dont believe my judgement my winter job is to ref basketball games at a middle and high school level. So I would know.

Yeah I'm sure reffing a bunch of 12-16 year olds is the same as reffing grown men playing basketball.

The Heat were on fire when they played the Mavs...simple as that. They beat them fair and square..the Mavs are a chokejob...nothing more.

[skybrick]

coming from a spurs fan.

[Max Payne]

Dude that was a legit call at the end...you have to make that call. He came down right on top of him. Smart play.

I guess since it's been so long since Boston did shit you can't remember that the regular season means nothing...it's a long race...82 games...not 30...don't worry so much about losing in December...worry about it in May.

Obviously you have to make the call, however it's still bull shit.

the NBA is a touch leauge, and its ruining the game, he didn't even bother his shoting hand nor the other.

But I don't expect Detroit to knock down 50% and make 10 three point shots and I don't expect the Celts to miss 6 FT like that, and I definitley don't expect the Celts to blow the game with 5 seconds left and shot with 4 EVER again.

They got tight, nervous around a good team and felt the pressure of playing a good team, took them out of rythm in the second half and they looked real sloppy, need to fix it.

[IKickAssForTheLord]

coming from a spurs fan.

I'm a spurs fan also :wideeye:

[Duff McCartney]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AsUGhnr.IABaMiFOp_5fKYg5nYcB?slug=aw-fivedisappointments010308&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

More than anyone, Houston Rockets owner Les Alexander believed Jeff Van Gundy was holding back his basketball team. Alexander berated his ex-coach for playing too deliberately on offense and costing him customers. Why, the owner lamented, can’t we play like the Phoenix Suns?

As it turns out, Van Gundy wasn’t holding the Rockets back.

He was holding them together.

After Alexander dropped Van Gundy for Rick Adelman, new general manager Daryl Morey had sold people on the Rockets as a serious challenger for the Western Conference championship. He traded for Argentine forward Luis Scola, signed Steve Francis and activated Bonzi Wells. There was a growing belief that he had constructed a roster to benefit Adelman’s accomplished offensive mind.

Yes, the Rockets insisted, the handcuffs were gone. Now, the Rockets could let loose.

And how’s that going?

They discovered the truth about this team’s limitations. From Tracy McGrady’s mental and physical fragility to an absence of athleticism, they were a flawed power. They’re devoid of an identity, stuck between what they were with Van Gundy and what they’ll never be with Adelman.

For this, the Rockets (15-17, 10th in Western Conference) deserve to be declared the season’s biggest disappointment. There are worse teams in Yahoo! Sports top five, but none had Houston’s expectations. They can use McGrady’s knee injury as a excuse, but they’ve played better without him this past week. Bad enough that they’re worse defensively, but they’ve also struggled on the offensive end. Yao Ming is down to 21.4 points a game, from 25 a season ago. He’s under 50 percent shooting for the first time in his career, too.

Without great defensive players, Van Gundy managed to make the Rockets one of the league’s best defensive teams. With Yao out for 34 games with a broken leg, with McGrady in and out of the lineup with his usual ailments, with the monumentally limited Chuck Hayes starting at power forward, with a suspect bench, the Rockets still won 52 games in the Western Conference.

After initially believing that he wanted to resign out of frustration with Alexander at the end of last season, Van Gundy made the mistake of waiting too long to change his mind. Morey was considered a supporter, but those in the owner’s ear, including out-going GM Carroll Dawson, sources said, worked to validate the owner’s belief that the roster’s talent was far better than it is. Finally, Alexander believed, the Rockets could advance out of the first round of the playoffs.

Now, they’ll fight to make them.

For Van Gundy, Houston’s struggles have only made his candidacy on the free-agent market that much more appealing. The best guess on his next job? Philadelphia. Yet, Van Gundy can be choosy.

As it turns out, he wasn’t holding the Rockets back. Van Gundy was holding them together.

Sounds about right.

[bravenewworld1]

Suns will win it all......

1. Celtics are too flawed to win it.

2. Spurs are too injured and history tends to repeats itself.

3. Lakers have an injured important big man

4. Jazz are sucking right now.

5. Chicago is sucking right now

6. Detroit will choke. They have since Brown left.

7. Hornets, GSW, Blazers just do not have what it takes.

8. Rockets have what it takes. But have a bad front office (they have a decent coach). Surprise!

9. who am i missing?

10. Miami = a joke of a franchise and should be happy they won a title with such a great coach.

11. Atlanta.... Gotta do something with that PF position. oh, and they owe this years pick to PHX.

12. Knicks - Only hope i have for this team is if Dolan decided to fire Thomas and hire Brown and kiss his ass.

13. Nets, Good experienced gaurds. Not enough good experienced bigs.

14. Magic? No. Great youth. Bad Shard contract that will haunt them for years.

15. LBJ ..... ohh... the Cavs... no.

16. Wizards.. hell if they continue to play like they have without Arenas.. this could be an eastern title contender............ wow that hurts.

17. Bobcats. Great team. why cant they get their shit together?

18. Sonics? Oklahoma?

19. Mavs.. wow did i wait this long for the mavs? Great solid team. depth, starters, youth...... 2nd round losers because teams know their major weakness.

20. Nuggets - Whens the last time you saw a PG guard a SF better than his counterpart? Nuggets do this on a nightly basis.

[réÐþÁ†µ]

C's finally starting to cool off. Injuries piling up. Bench has to start producing or their in a bit of trouble.

[skybrick]

I think it boils down to the Mavs and Celts... Spurs if they get healthy

[cmurdur]

Suns will win it all......



:nod:

[Max Payne]

Heard a little rumor floating around that Artest is going to the Spurs for Barry, Elson, and picks.

If so, then the Spurs could beat the Celts next time around as Artest is a thorn in Pierces ass.

[IKickAssForTheLord]

The spurs will make it to the finals like they always do.

[thrEE6MAfia]

fuck the spurs

[Max Payne]

Spurs got Tim Thomas for what apparently is the same package they offered but got cold feet for Artest, Id say that they picked the wrong guy.

Artest is prolly going to Denver now.

[steelba]

Shaq is doing good on rebounding but thats about all :(

[Lucio Argento]

Spurs got Tim Thomas for what apparently is the same package they offered but got cold feet for Artest, Id say that they picked the wrong guy.

Artest is prolly going to Denver now.


They got Kurt Thomas, not Tim Thomas.

[réÐþÁ†µ]

Celts D starting to cost them some games. Not overly worried though.

Right now IMO heres how I'd rank the west teams with the deals made recently.

1. Lakers - team looks really good right now and Gasol is fitting right in. With Bynum, they should be a tough out.

2. Spurs - champs made a solid move for a veteran and until otherwise should be a tough out.

3. Mavs - Slight edge over the Suns because Kidd should help the Mavs.

4. Suns - still a possible powerhouse but that Shaq trade was such a bad move IMO. Their team was built for speed and transition 3's not a halfcourt game. They should make it out of the first round but I have a hard time believing with Shaq on the floor that they can still be as quick.

5. Hornets - best record in the west but they have to prove themselves in the playoffs where it counts.

[ZION]

fuck the spurs

Just to give you a heads up, the Rockets traded Bonzi Wells & Mike James for Bobby Jackson...dont ask why. Also they traded Kirk Snyder for Gerald Green, which I approve of.

[Max Payne]

LOL at Red not even putting the Celts in the top 5.

Ya, two games of bad defense in a row, but through 50 games of being the best team in the leauge you would think they earn a top 5 list.

[Duff McCartney]

LOL at Red not even putting the Celts in the top 5.

Ya, two games of bad defense in a row, but through 50 games of being the best team in the leauge you would think they earn a top 5 list.

He specifically stated West teams...last I checked Boston is in the Leastern conference.