RandomAct Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 Hey, the Bobcats aren't terrible this year. If they can get an upgrade at the 3 or 4 spot, I think they are a dramatically improved team next year. Hell, they are already improved this year. Jefferson was a good move. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supremebve Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 I didn't say that I WANTED Bosh as the best player on the team. I said I think he would step up a lot. Big difference. I know Wade's knees are bad and he's over the hill, but let's compare Westbrook to Wade please before you act like Westbrook is shoulders ahead of Wade: This year: basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2014_advanced.html Last year: basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2013_advanced.html And again, people thinking that the Heat wouldn't make the playoffs without Lebron and the Thunder would make the playoffs without Durant is just laughable. The Bobcats are the 8th seed. BOBCATS. Wade and Westbrook are pretty comprable, but the difference is we have seen the best of Wade, and he is declining quickly. As of right now I would want Westbrook at 100% over Wade at 100% because Wade's 100% is probably about 60% of his peak, while Westbrook is getting better. I think Wade is probably a top 5 shooting guard all time and if he was at his best they should give the MVP to Durant, because Wade was more than able to carry his weight. Right now, he is just another guy based on the fact that he can't play everyday, and when he does he isn't consistently elite. At his best right now he is probably still the best guard in the Eastern Conference, but he just isn't at his best very often. LeBron has to be at his best every single day, for them to be competitive, because of how inconsistent the contributions he gets from the rest of the team. Durant doesn't have to be as good as he has been for them to be competitive, and when Westbrook gets back, he really won't have to. Durant is great and he's having a hell of a year, but his value to his team is not nearly as high as LeBron's value to his. The Thunder without Durant is probably not very good, but not as bad as Miami without LeBron. Miami does not have a chance without him, everything that team does starts and ends with LeBron. The Thunder, some argue that it is to their detriment, do not have all their eggs in the Durant basket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DougN Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 I disagree with pretty much everything there, but there's no use going around in circles. Only thing though is that numbers on Wade and Westbrook, Wade's slightly better than Westbrook with the same amount of games played. I know you can't base everything off of numbers and if I was building a team I would pick Westbrook over Wade right now without hesitation, but saying that Wade's "just OK" now is pretty dismissive of someone playing at the same level as Westbrook. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greggulator Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 Declining D-Wade is 16th in PER this year. I'll take that in a minute. He misses games but that's part of the Heat's pacing for the season.He pisses me off like no other player. He used to be one of my favorites, too. But his lack of getting back on defense when not getting foul calls is the absolute most garbage thing to see. It's terrible and he's so much better than that. It's shameful.That's why I friggin' haaaaate the Heat. They're the jocks from gym class who all worm their way onto the same team to play against the dorks. They're so talented though they can just turn it on, which is so annoying. They're also really lucky and came two dumb coaching strategies away from losing last year -- both times when Vogel and Pop pulled any sort of rim protection because the Heat went small. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greggulator Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 Hey! So I'll be performing comedy in Boston at the after-party for The Sloan Conference, the super nerdy sports stats conference. Working on my John Hollinger impersonation as we speak! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supremebve Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 I disagree with pretty much everything there, but there's no use going around in circles. Only thing though is that numbers on Wade and Westbrook, Wade's slightly better than Westbrook with the same amount of games played. I know you can't base everything off of numbers and if I was building a team I would pick Westbrook over Wade right now without hesitation, but saying that Wade's "just OK" now is pretty dismissive of someone playing at the same level as Westbrook. I'm not saying he is just OK, I'm saying they can't count on him night in and night out. When he is good, he is really good, but no one knows when he is going to be good. LeBron is more valuable because he has to be great every single game, because everyone else on the team is a question mark. Durant is also great every single game, but the team around him is remarkably consistent, which allows him to do what he does best every single game. LeBron has to adjust every single game based on what the rest of the team brings to the table, which is basically a roll of the dice. So if we are judging the two players on who is more valuable LeBron wins because he is basically a swiss army knife. Sometimes he needs to use his blade, and sometimes he needs his phillips head screwdriver, but in order for the team to win he has to use all of his different tools depending on the night. Durant is a great chef's knife, he is the most used, most versitile knife in his block, but he also has a bread knife and a paring knife doing their jobs every night so as long as his blade is sharp they can get the job done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DougN Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 Let's just stop this arguing. I want to hear you make more comparisions to players and their teams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie M. Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 My only problem with a lot of this is saying Ibaka is better than Bosh. That's silliness. Once in a blue moon Ibaka will shoot well. Plus, Durant has to play with this guy: http://youtu.be/ArocLB2-4Qo?t=1m49s 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greggulator Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 My only problem with a lot of this is saying Ibaka is better than Bosh. That's silliness. Once in a blue moon Ibaka will shoot well. Plus, Durant has to play with this guy: http://youtu.be/ArocLB2-4Qo?t=1m49s Ibaka's shooting over 51% for the year. That's very solid. Someone on Grantland (Lowe or Goldsberry) had an article about how great he's become at mid-range shooting. It's opened up a ton of room. What's crazy -- Ibaka shot way better last year, at over 57%, which is insane. In fact, this is his lowest FG% of his career. He's been a very good offensive player for a really long time. Combined that with your defense, I think you can actually make a case that Serge is the best player in the NBA right now to never make an All-Star game. Man, I think he is better than Bosh. He's a much better defender and rebounder. Ibaka has about 70 more rebounds over the course of the season, including 50 more offensive boards. I know block totals aren't the end-all, be-all but Ibaka has 60 more blocks and is one of the best big defenders in the game, reputation wise. They also have the same amount of fouls. Bosh has made 13 more baskets than Ibaka this year. He's taken 10 more shots. That's essentially a wash in that department. Bosh turns the ball over a little bit less but it's not a huge difference -- Bosh has eight more assists and one less turnover. Bosh is a lot better at getting to the FT line. Overall, he's scored 99 more points than Ibaka. He's gotten to the FT line 50 more times. That's a pretty significant difference. He also has 20 more three pointers, which is also significant. That's pretty much the only place where Bosh has any significant advantage of Serge. Serge also plays more minutes. They've both played 42 games. But Serge has played 48 more minutes -- essentially one more game. For what it's work, Bosh's PER is 30th in the league. Serge is 50th. But damned if I can find where the difference is between them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supremebve Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 My only problem with a lot of this is saying Ibaka is better than Bosh. That's silliness. Once in a blue moon Ibaka will shoot well. Plus, Durant has to play with this guy: http://youtu.be/ArocLB2-4Qo?t=1m49s He may be the worst starter in the entire league, and I'd bet money he's the worst starter on a team with a winning record. Whether Ibaka is better than Bosh is irrelevant, but I feel like the Thunder probably have a better idea what Ibaka gives them every night than the Heat have for Bosh. On the Thunder Ibaka's defense and rebounding are much more valuable than his scoring. 14 points per game will get the job done on a team that has Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook on it. If Westbrook can get healthy, they have the potential to be better than they were with Harden. Ibaka is a much better offensive player than he was when they went to the Finals. Reggie Jackson and Jeremy Lamb are developing nicely. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are like Outkast, they are two people who seemingly shouldn't get along, but when you put them together great things happen. I think that Kevin Durant is basically the NBA's Andre 3000, someone who seemingly makes up new ways to be great every chance he gets. Westbrook is more like Big Boi, who everyone looks at like the weak link of the duo. I remember having conversation with people saying that Big Boi was holding Dre back. Andre 3000 has shined on features with a multitude of different artists, but no one sounds better with Andre 3000 than Big Boi. Big Boi is often overshadowed by the transcendent talent of Andre 3000, but Big Boi has always been a monster in his own right. We need to give Big Boi and Russell their props for being great while playing along side a once and a life time talent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlfredoE Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 Does Fisher still get a lot of playing time for OKC? How about Perk? I haven't really checked, but if yes to both, I'll have to give Durant my make believe MVP vote. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greggulator Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 Does Fisher still get a lot of playing time for OKC? How about Perk? I haven't really checked, but if yes to both, I'll have to give Durant my make believe MVP vote. Sadly, Perk gets about 20 minutes per game and Fish 16. Those guys are terrrrrrible. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie M. Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 Inconsistent or not, Chris Bosh can take over a game and win it for you. He has to completely change the way he plays depending on who is playing for the Heat. Ibaka has a defined role which probably why he appears to be more consistent. The Heat want Bosh to sometimes be a big man, sometimes be a stretch four, sometimes carry the team when LeBron rests, sometimes shut up and let Wade do his thing, etc. Ibaka is a nice piece on a good team, who I've seen parked on the bench in key playoff games. Bosh is fun to rag on but on a team of nobodies, he's an all-star. On a team of nobodies, Ibaka would never get close to an all-star game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaedmc Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 By the way Joakim Noah should be an All-Star this year. No Rose. No Deng. Noah don't give a shit man, he comes to play. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 Does Fisher still get a lot of playing time for OKC? How about Perk? I haven't really checked, but if yes to both, I'll have to give Durant my make believe MVP vote. Sadly, Perk gets about 20 minutes per game and Fish 16. Those guys are terrrrrrible. Fish exists in the NBA for two reasons 1) To play good cop as a veteran. (This was why he was Lakers co-captain. Somebody had to speak to the rookies after Kobe tore them down) 2) Playoffs. Fish's mediocrity in the regular season is the warm-up to play Captain Clutch during playoff time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supremebve Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 Inconsistent or not, Chris Bosh can take over a game and win it for you. He has to completely change the way he plays depending on who is playing for the Heat. Ibaka has a defined role which probably why he appears to be more consistent. The Heat want Bosh to sometimes be a big man, sometimes be a stretch four, sometimes carry the team when LeBron rests, sometimes shut up and let Wade do his thing, etc. Ibaka is a nice piece on a good team, who I've seen parked on the bench in key playoff games. Bosh is fun to rag on but on a team of nobodies, he's an all-star. On a team of nobodies, Ibaka would never get close to an all-star game. All of this is true, but Chris Bosh is probably the ultimate gift and a curse player. He has the talent and skill level to take over a game and win it for you, but if your team is depending hon him to take over games and win them, your team is in pretty bad shape. Ibaka is a nice piece on a good team, but a great piece on this particular Thunder team. His midrange game keeps the allows them to keep the floor spaced for Durant and Westbrook to get into the lane, and gives them a third option when the two offensive whirlpools of suck Thabo and Perk are on the floor. The fact that the Thunder are able to score the way they do when two of their five starters should never touch the ball never ceases to amaze me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Fowler Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 Bosh never gets enough credit for completely sacrificing his entire game to fit in with Miami. He doesn't play anything like he did in Toronto, because Miami needed him to be a different guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niners Fan in CT Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 Recede for Embiid is in full effect. No Westbrook, no Durant, OKC still leading Boston. My old UConn brethren Jeremy Lamb putting up numbers. We can do this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandomAct Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 Shit the be(e)d for Embiid Edit: So this dude Teletovic from Brooklyn has 24.......in just the second quarter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mco543 Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 Uh, just checked the stats for my fantasy team tonight and apparently Melo is having himself a night. 21-28, 5 threes, 51 points, and ZERO assists and it isn't even the 4th yet. It's against the Cats and they have 64 points. Remember when we used to do Ballhog Of The Night and shit on the old board with Khan? I think 'Melo might be taking the crown for the season tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niners Fan in CT Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 He's not really hogging the ball. He's unconscious. I'm watching it right now. bobcats are being bitches out here too. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muhammedboehm Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 I think the funnier stat is as of my check early in the 3rd Melo had like 21 shot attempts...only one other person on either team had more then 10 attempts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Mann Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 I thought JR Smith might kill him in a jealous rage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muhammedboehm Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 No one on the Knicks had more then 9 shot attempts other then Melo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 Melo might be the only 60+ game with 0 turnovers. Fuck yes. That was awesome to watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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