Re: All Kobe Talk.....
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I don't think Kobe has been shooting that much. Definitely not 35-50 shots a game. I think last night was the most in this streak. Before that, he's probably averaged around 28 or so shots a game. That's still a whole lotta shots. His arms must be tired. But I say, if you're hitting more than 50% of them, it's no big deal. Plus, the Lakers are winning, so it's even more icing on the cake.
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He's still the 2nd best in the league (IMO) and there's nothing wrong with him jacking up shots if it helps his team win. When it dosen't help his team, then there's something wrong.
I still think T-Mac is the better player, just slightly. Now, if the Magic make it into the playoffs...I think T-Mac will get MVP.
Read this article from 1997:
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Thomas' record: 3-for-3 on draft day
Thursday, June 26, 1997
Thomas' record: 3-for-3 on draft day
By CRAIG DANIELS -- Toronto Sun
When Golden State announced that it was taking Adonal Foyle with the eighth pick of the night, Raptors GM Isiah Thomas knew for certain. He looked up at his office ceiling, clasped his hands above his head in genuflection and said three words.
"Thank you, God."
Then he punched the air and shouted: "Yes!"
Three times as a GM Thomas has gone to the draft well, and three times he has had the opportunity to select precisely the player he wanted.
Last night, it was high schooler Tracy Lamar McGrady Jr., a 6-foot-8 swingman who turned 18 four weeks ago.
And he signed a $12-million shoe deal with Adidas last week.
"We're ecstatic," Thomas said. "I never though he would be there at the ninth pick. Very rarely do you get this type of talent and potential at nine."
Thomas wanted McGrady, despite his young age, this bad: "If we had had the second, third or fourth pick," Thomas said, beaming from ear to ear, "this is the guy we'd have taken."
The irony is that last night's draft was a crap-shoot, the likes of which Thomas never had seen before, not as the official GM in Toronto, not as the unofficial one in Detroit.
Basically, short of San Antonio, which surprised no one by taking Tim Duncan No. 1 overall, no one else knew what they were going to do or who they were going to get.
Except, apparently, Thomas.
Four weeks ago he told people in the Raptors office he wanted McGrady. Problem was, he was convinced there was no way McGrady would still be there at No. 9, and there wasn't much else he was interested in. For that reason, Thomas was trying hard - right up until 3 p.m. yesterday - to trade the pick.
"We had some interesting offers for nine," Thomas said, "but we didn't get anything that excited us."
So when it was clear that a deal wasn't going to happen, Thomas had his people begin the back-room manoeuvring needed to help his chances of McGrady surviving until nine.
The most important smokescreen came in the form of calls made by Toronto scouts to L.A., offering to trade McGrady, if he was still available, to the Lakers, for Elden Campbell. The trade was never going to happen, but the talk, deliberately loose, was designed to plant the notion in the Warriors' minds that the Raptors didn't think much of McGrady, and therefore neither should they.
Who knows if it had any effect. The bottom line was that Thomas got who he wanted.
"For us, this is like getting the first pick overall next year," said Thomas, referring to the fact that had McGrady played a year of university, he probably would have come out early and, in Thomas' mind, would have gone first overall.
It was around McGrady, in fact, that most of the draft-night intrigue focused.
There was talk of the Chicago Bulls trading Scottie Pippen to Boston for its third and sixth picks in order to get their hands on Keith Van Horn and McGrady, but that crashed when Van Horn went to Philly at No. 2.
"We were shocked that Tracy was still available," Raptors coach Darrell Walker said.
According to Thomas, McGrady will step in and play right away behind point guard Damon Stoudamire, shooting guard Doug Christie and soon-to-be-re-signed small forward Walt Williams.
"McGrady is the kind of kid who can play one, two or three," said Thomas, referring to the point, the shooting guard and the small forward positions. And the Raptors like the way he plays, believing he'll fit their running, open-court system.
The question will be about McGrady's maturity, the same kinds of questions that now exist about Marcus Camby. Time will tell.
But last night, Thomas got what he wanted from one of the weakest drafts in years. Three for three.
Craig Daniels can be reached via e-mail at [email protected]
Copyright © 2003, CANOE, a division of Netgraphe Inc. All rights reserved.
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</font><blockquote><font class="small">Quote:</font><hr />
I don't think Kobe has been shooting that much. Definitely not 35-50 shots a game. I think last night was the most in this streak. Before that, he's probably averaged around 28 or so shots a game. That's still a whole lotta shots. His arms must be tired. But I say, if you're hitting more than 50% of them, it's no big deal. Plus, the Lakers are winning, so it's even more icing on the cake.
<hr /></blockquote><font class="post">
He's still the 2nd best in the league (IMO) and there's nothing wrong with him jacking up shots if it helps his team win. When it dosen't help his team, then there's something wrong.
I still think T-Mac is the better player, just slightly. Now, if the Magic make it into the playoffs...I think T-Mac will get MVP.
Read this article from 1997:
</font><blockquote><font class="small">Quote:</font><hr />
Thomas' record: 3-for-3 on draft day
Thursday, June 26, 1997
Thomas' record: 3-for-3 on draft day
By CRAIG DANIELS -- Toronto Sun
When Golden State announced that it was taking Adonal Foyle with the eighth pick of the night, Raptors GM Isiah Thomas knew for certain. He looked up at his office ceiling, clasped his hands above his head in genuflection and said three words.
"Thank you, God."
Then he punched the air and shouted: "Yes!"
Three times as a GM Thomas has gone to the draft well, and three times he has had the opportunity to select precisely the player he wanted.
Last night, it was high schooler Tracy Lamar McGrady Jr., a 6-foot-8 swingman who turned 18 four weeks ago.
And he signed a $12-million shoe deal with Adidas last week.
"We're ecstatic," Thomas said. "I never though he would be there at the ninth pick. Very rarely do you get this type of talent and potential at nine."
Thomas wanted McGrady, despite his young age, this bad: "If we had had the second, third or fourth pick," Thomas said, beaming from ear to ear, "this is the guy we'd have taken."
The irony is that last night's draft was a crap-shoot, the likes of which Thomas never had seen before, not as the official GM in Toronto, not as the unofficial one in Detroit.
Basically, short of San Antonio, which surprised no one by taking Tim Duncan No. 1 overall, no one else knew what they were going to do or who they were going to get.
Except, apparently, Thomas.
Four weeks ago he told people in the Raptors office he wanted McGrady. Problem was, he was convinced there was no way McGrady would still be there at No. 9, and there wasn't much else he was interested in. For that reason, Thomas was trying hard - right up until 3 p.m. yesterday - to trade the pick.
"We had some interesting offers for nine," Thomas said, "but we didn't get anything that excited us."
So when it was clear that a deal wasn't going to happen, Thomas had his people begin the back-room manoeuvring needed to help his chances of McGrady surviving until nine.
The most important smokescreen came in the form of calls made by Toronto scouts to L.A., offering to trade McGrady, if he was still available, to the Lakers, for Elden Campbell. The trade was never going to happen, but the talk, deliberately loose, was designed to plant the notion in the Warriors' minds that the Raptors didn't think much of McGrady, and therefore neither should they.
Who knows if it had any effect. The bottom line was that Thomas got who he wanted.
"For us, this is like getting the first pick overall next year," said Thomas, referring to the fact that had McGrady played a year of university, he probably would have come out early and, in Thomas' mind, would have gone first overall.
It was around McGrady, in fact, that most of the draft-night intrigue focused.
There was talk of the Chicago Bulls trading Scottie Pippen to Boston for its third and sixth picks in order to get their hands on Keith Van Horn and McGrady, but that crashed when Van Horn went to Philly at No. 2.
"We were shocked that Tracy was still available," Raptors coach Darrell Walker said.
According to Thomas, McGrady will step in and play right away behind point guard Damon Stoudamire, shooting guard Doug Christie and soon-to-be-re-signed small forward Walt Williams.
"McGrady is the kind of kid who can play one, two or three," said Thomas, referring to the point, the shooting guard and the small forward positions. And the Raptors like the way he plays, believing he'll fit their running, open-court system.
The question will be about McGrady's maturity, the same kinds of questions that now exist about Marcus Camby. Time will tell.
But last night, Thomas got what he wanted from one of the weakest drafts in years. Three for three.
Craig Daniels can be reached via e-mail at [email protected]
Copyright © 2003, CANOE, a division of Netgraphe Inc. All rights reserved.
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*BAP*!!!!!!!!
O 
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