2007-2008 NBA Regular Season Thread
 

The season kicks off with the Spurs hosting the Trailblazers.

Tim Duncan got an extension today. 2 years $40 mil.

Rockets play the Lakers tonight on TNT

SI

Is there a GM in the league who deserves more and gets less press than RC Buford?

For what it's worth, one of my team's to watch are the Portland Trail Blazers playing tonight. People all but forgot about them since Oden got hurt but they have a boatload of good quality young talent.

Go Bulls.

Spurs are going to dominate and traditionally win by just about 10. Looking forward to the later game.

I think most NBA fans just assume that Popovich is the GM of the Spurs. I am not sure what the power breakdown is but Buford is one of the best.

Portland is hanging around in this one.

No Odom for the Lakers tonight, I believe. The Rox are gonna roll!

Should be a fun game. :)

The Rockets better pick it up offensively. :)

It's early... :)

Hey Jeebs. How did Scola look for the Rockets in the preseason?

Pretty solid. His shot was pretty good, his passing was decent, his rebounding wasn't great. He'll still be splitting PT with Chuck Hayes for a while...

It's amazing how much have a "pedigree" will do for a player. I's saw Coby Karl play at Boise, and he's a solid player, but he wasn't amazing. But because his dad is a former player and coach, he gets a spot on an NBA team...

Very ignorant thing to say

McGrady is having a horrid shooting game. Ugh. And he's on my team.

LOL. Did McGrady just say Fuck on national TV? This is gold! :)

OK.

Much better second quarter than first. When Tracy is off, he's really off. He needs to quit settling for jumpers and take it to the rack...

I've watched the NBA my entire life and that Chuck Hayes free throw was by far the ugliest, most embarassing memory I have.

I second this.

Rockets just HAD to make this game interesting, didn't they?

Jesus

H

Christ

Thank god for Shane...

Hell of a last minute and a half in the Lakers game.

Damn

Cry me a river, Kobe...

Dola-

Hell of a game. The Rockets have a LOT they need to improve on if they're going to compete for the West...

I second this!

Neuqua, how much is Noah expected to play this season - fantasy wise, I need another center (he's eligible).

Good game, btw. Great way to open the 07-08 season.

Just watched the Spurs-Blazers game on replay.

Spurs were their usual invincible selves.

As for the Blazers, they looked pretty darn good tonight, especially Aldridge. Imagine how good the Bulls would be if they had kept Aldridge on draft night? He's going to be something special with that mix of inside-and-out.

Shorty, he's pretty much Ben Wallace's backup. He is going to be out for a couple weeks to start the season though because he got hurt in the last preseason game so you may just want to hold off on him.

He'll probably play similar minutes to what Tyrus played last year.

Does anyone have League Pass? My roommate wants to get it, and I'll feel guilty not paying a share since I will probably watch at least a handful of games. Does the NBA just get old after a full season? Plus, I don't even know who to go for...I watched the Warriors growing up, the Hornets the past two years, and now the Sonics could come to OKC.

He won't generate crap for fantasy numbers anyway. Joe Smith would put up more points than him.

Do not second guess my fantasy skillz.

14 team league. Right now, he's about 6th down on available FA centers... behind DeSagana Diop (2ppg, 2rpg woo), and some other lackeys that average less than that. So I figure why not take a flyer on Noah- maybe he puts up similar numbers, or maybe he gets 6 & 6... it's worth a shot, you aren't missing much by staying away from the other guys

FYI: My NBA League Pass channels are all broadcasting for free for a limited time so check your own! I am watching Yi Jianlian's clumsy plodding ass as I type this!

Varejao wants $9 mil???!!!!!:eek:

The Seattle/Denver game is so goddamned fast. EVERYONE'S BEEN RUNNING. Jeez.

Erick Dampier is still out for the Mavs so Diop should be seeing some decent PT. He's not going to get you all that many points, but he'll likely rack up decent rebound and block numbers...

Dola-

For instance, he had 8 points, 11 boards, and four blocks in 37 minutes tonight...

Durant is consistently getting cut off on the way to the basket and he ends up settling for akward leaners and hook shots.

I will say he's at least showing effort on defense. He looks lost, but he's trying.

He's nursing an (ankle?) injury, so that's probably not doing him any favours.

Hmm, Damien Wilkins looking good, Breakout year anybody?

Who is Kobe Bryant's agent and why was he allowed to rape the Lakers on Kobe's contract?

Rob Pelinka and because the Lakers' dysfunctional management is one of the worst run in sports.

Damn. This Sonics team is fun to watch. :)

BTW, first right decision the Lakers have made in a long time is holding to their guns and refusing to deal Kobe for less than they want. He's an "old" 29 and he can't do anything except play for the Lakers for the next two years. Who is going to give him a max contract in two years, when he's 31 and probably showing signs of decline? How much valuable prime playing time will he allow to pass before forcing action from other teams and not holding to ridiculous contract or trade demands?

If the Lakers are smart, they hold on for the best deal. And if it doesn't come along, they let him and Odom both walk in two years and get a whole crapload of cap space.

I agree with you BUT it seems that this has become very personal for Jerry and Jim Buss. I really believe they want him gone now no matter what. I don't trust those guys enough to put their personal feelings aside for much longer and expect them to jump at a deal before he opts out.

The new look C's debuted nicely. Rondo was impressive defensively against Arenas and looked up to snuff offensively as well. When T. Allen gets over the mental part of his knee injury he'll be a great bench threat along with Posey and House. Scalabrini even showed that playing with veterans he can be useful off the bench. Only one game, but a great start to the season!

Sundays game against the Raptors should be a great game between the two teams I expect to challenge for the Atlantic title.

It's a home game against a team expected to contend for a playoff spot (not a lock) in the Warriors, but it was a very nice night for the Clips last night. They beat a solid team with a monster effort by Kaman, who basically needs to become Elton Brand for the next few months. Wasn't sure he had it in him, and he just looked terrific. Thomas and Cassell both chipped in with 20+, and Maggette had 16. A nice effort all around with a bit of help from a long bench. Patterson, of all people, really disrupted things on the dfefensive end.

One bad thing: way too many TOs (18). Still, it was nice to see. This team has to be on a mission: "Make It To February With A Chance". If it can still be in range to make it to the playoffs, EB will be back.

I know the Nuggets are on the 2nd game in two nights, but the Celtics were just clowning them, 77-39 at the half!

The Celtics defense has been astronomically improved so far this season against 3 good to very good offenses (Wash, Toronto, and Denver). Just the first 3 games have been a huge payoff for sitting through 2-3 seasons of player development.

In sports ... Hawks beat Suns 105-96.

In other news ... Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together - mass hysteria.

Tomorrow's weather ... Forty years of darkness. Earthquakes, volcanoes.

Elton Brand who?

The Heat finally got their first win of the year. I have no idea why Pat Riley keeps draft picks and/or keeps players with less than 6 years experience on his team. With few exceptions (Wade, Haslem), he refuses to get the young guys any time on the floor. I don't know if Dorell Wright is any good or not but there is no reason for him to just get 6 minutes of PT while Penny Hardaway is getting 36 mins in a game.

For whatever bloody reason the programmers behind our ESPN and Fox sports channels still think it's 2 years ago and decided to put way too many Heat games on the Aussie cable sports channels, so I've seen 4 Heat games already this year, few of which have been worth watching. The biggest surprise has been the play of Penny, who looks really, really good out there. I was shocked that the Heat not only brought him to camp but gave him a contract, but I'm happy to be proven wrong.

I've said it before, but imagine Shaq, Zo, and Penny on the same team 10 years ago. :)

they put "names" on tv, they dont care about how the teams are doing

Put the Celtics on...best of both worlds. ;)

So who wants Starbury?
 

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200....ap/index.html

Why in gods name is Isiah Thomas still employed?

Large contract.

Good game tonight.. Celtics/Pacers.

Good game for a Celtics spanking, probably as you know Diogu is out 4-6 weeks they have no depth.

Yeah, I'll be shocked if the Celtics don't stomp them. Having said that, the Celtics can't exactly go 82-0. I'm looking forward to some solid Celtics vs Spurs/Mavs/Suns games.

Celts move to 6-0 with a 15 point win over the Pacers, 101-86.

They're even getting a bit of swagger, this is from the ESPN report:

Indiana guard Jamaal Tinsley fouled Pierce hard on a drive to the basket with the game tied at 38 late in the second quarter. Pierce quickly turned toward Tinsley, but kept his cool.

Suddenly awakened, Pierce even did push-ups between free throws to taunt the crowd. Moments later, after Pierce went baseline for a thunderous dunk, a Celtics player on the bench shouted, "Oops, you got him mad! Uh-oh!"

Pierce scored 13 points in the final 3:06 of the first half to give the Celtics a 52-43 lead.

I saw some of this game and while the Cs looked good at times, I didn't like how their offense was so stagnant during most of the third quarter. They seemed to be almost exclusively relying on one on one matchups in the half court set.

The defense, though, was spectacular. Indiana couldn't get anything going at all and the lane was a complete no passing zone.

Love it. Ainge is a dope for 5 years, makes 2 trades, and suddenly has the best Celtics team since the Bird era.

Ugh...Memphis?!?

thats the kind of team the Rockets always loose to. im suprised they didnt blow it in Charlotte the other day

Cavs finally get a home game, and then allow the Magic to score 11 points in just 1 and a half minutes to open the game.

Cheik Samb with a nasty block on Bynum, but the Lakers continue to play themselves a good game of basketball so far.

Holy crap, Cheikh Samb is playing some amazing basketball right now for the Pistons. Another HUGE block, and he even hit a mid-ranger.

Ok, I had to look up who in the world Cheick Samb is. Never heard the name before.

(me neither)

SI

I watched him play a couple of summer league games and he was impressive in short bursts albeit still rough around the edges, but he certainly looks like a baller tonight. I don't know if it's a fluke or if he's just improved VERY quickly since pre-season, but looks like the Pistons have yet another promising young bigman buried on their bench.

lol... Lamar Odom throws the ball at an official, it bounces off him straight to Vlad who hits the jumper for the first ref assist I think I've ever seen.

Good 4th Q for the Lakers to pull out the win.

This was one of those games for Kobe where for 3 quarters you are thinking "Why the hell are you throwing up that shot with 18 seconds left on the shot clock?", and then you realise why that is in the 4th Q; because he expects to make every shot he takes. Say what you want about him (and I certainly do at times), but tonight was just another example of why there are few deadlier players with the ball in their hands.

Great game from Odom, Farmar and Bynum, too.

Well, it was bound to happen. Celtics are getting smoked at the half by the Magic, down 58-41.

Maybe these Magic are for real?

Celtics fighting back after a solid 3rd Q. Big steal and dunk by Tony Allen and it's 81-85 Orlando with 9:30 remaining.

Magic up by 1 with 7.2 seconds left, Rashard Lewis misses the first FT.

Hits the 2nd. Lets see if Ray Allen, who has hit 2 massive threes down the stretch, can do it again.

Nope. 104-102 Magic, for the Celtics' first loss.

Lakers trade Brian Cook and Maurice Evans to the Magic for Trevor Ariza. With Vlad and Cook essentially the same player they reduced redundancy there, but I don't know about Ariza. He's a good defender and can jump out of the gym (and has always been a guy I pick up in the NBA 2K games), but I think I'd rather have Maurice Evans than Ariza.

Good trade for the Magic, as Evans may very well start over Bogans at SG and Cook gives them a guy who can log 10-15 decent minutes a game off the bench. Bit of a head scratcher for the Lakers.

This was a move to get rid of Cook. He has been bitching for a couple years now about his PT, and never mind when he's told to improve his D and he will play more. He's still an awful defender. He can average 20 ppg with regular time and his team would still be down 5-10 points for having him in there.

I am pretty sure it was a chemistry thing, and the chance to add another decent young player who actually is willing to defend.

Man, I wish ESPN/TNT would put the Magic on TV once in a while, I don't watch enough hoops to justify League Pass but would still like to watch them a few times per year.

Good trade for the Lakers IMO. Lakers are missing a true wing on their squad and besides Kobe, they don't have someone who runs the floor as good as Ariza can. Chief said it right through, Vlad Rad is a better version of Cook and Cook has been a head case. Lakers do lose anything close to a true SG not name Kobe but now Crittenden can actually get on the floor. Plus he's a Bruin :)

Anybody think this Lebron James kid will ever reach his potential? Starting to think he might be an overhyped bust.


(another triple double today)

He's no David Eckstein.

Nice Finish by the Celtics, Ray Allen hitting a three at the buzzer to beat the Bobcats by 1.

I can't wait until he gets snubbed in the MVP voting again. The Cavs would win 15 games a season without him.

In a display of defensive prowess that would make any coach cringe, the score at the end of the first quarter of the Sun and the Warriors is 45-37, Warriors up.

Varajao negotiations looking good in preseason. :(

Uh... the Bucks are leading their division. Yeah, the one with Detroit, Indiana, Cleveland, and Chicago.

Good game between the Cavs and Celts goin on right now.

I'm going to the next Cavs/Celts game sometime in February. Hopefully the celtics get beat single handedly again.

Well, that's the only way it will happen.

Wow. You know the Celts were in trouble when the leading rebounder for the game was their 6'1" PG.

I know you want him back on the floor but do you really want him at $8-10 mil a year?

Nah, it just sucks that it's come down to this.

I think the thing that pisses me off the most about the situation is the timing of the latest comments. It's way to much of a coincidence for Fegan to have Andy speak out right in the middle of a Celtics/Pistons/Celtics stretch. Fegan seems much more focused in trying to distract the remaining members of the team than in working out a reasonable market value contract for his client. In 3 years Andy has basically made the league minimum, so he really has a lot to lose by this stalemate. The money Ferry supposedly offered is more than in line with his production(up to 40mil/5 years) and would easily provide lifetime security for his family.

But simply put Fegan is an asshole, and I hope he emerges with egg on his face. Andy's probably been my favorite player in a long time, and this whole situation sucks. I admire the way the guy battles for everything. Yeah, the flops are annoying, but he does a lot more than just that. He could conceivably fire Fegan, sign a deal and I think the fans would get over it. But now that his older brother is firmly on the Fegan payroll as some sort of a scout/evaluator, it just seems less and less likely. I guess it's sign and trade or bust now.

I have no doubt it's all on Fegan either.

I tell you what though, Gooden has really impressed me lately, and so has Z. If the Cavs want to win, especially with the bench depth they have now (ie. none), these two need to step up to the plate like they did yesterday pretty much every night.