2008-09 NBA General Discussion Thread

[darklighter1]

NO I was just askin. I think Shaq is old and slow now and won't quite be the help they may think they're getting. He may help against Orlando but Boston will blow by them....of course I may be bias.

Anyway as much as it kills me congratulations fellas on the big win. They deserved it. Orlando was a joke. I'm happy that you guys are happy...really!....somewhat. :laff:

[AYHJA]

Kobe is the best...Period...End of story..!

Shaq...To Cleveland..? For what..? That's not going to help them win a Championship...Shaq is a shadow of his former self, and if he can stay healthy for 60 games, it would be a blessing from God himself...Dude averages 8 boards a game, shit I know there are probably some guards in the league able to put up them numbers...He's never been great a defense, his free throw shooting is horrible, and he will absolute wreck the franchise when he leaves...He's done it to every team he's been to, Cleveland will be no different...

[darklighter1]

With that said...

LA 15

Boston 17


MWHAHAHAAHHAA!! :giggle:

[Habib]

AYHJA I totally agree with your analysis on the Shaq to Cleveland trade.

I like looking forward toward the future, so, I'll ask this...

Do you think the Lakers can repeat next year as NBA champions?

Personally, I feel that they can. But I also strongly think that they have to find a way to resign Trevor Ariza and Lamar Odom. They are unrestricted free agents before next season apparently.

The Lakers won't be where they are today without contributions from those 2 guys, they are very important.

What do you guys think?

And yes...now I comfortably and confidently put Kobe Bryant somewhere among the top 10 basketball players of all time.

[darklighter1]

I think Odom will be back but Ariza is going to follow the money. YOu just better hope Kobe doesn't opt out of his contract...Hello New York, hello Spike..

But as for a repeat...you must've forgotten about something major in the way H.

The Boston Globe is reporting that Kevin Garnett is recovering well from knee surgery. Garnett reportedly told Celtics' owner Wye Grousbeck that he is guaranteeing Celtics' championships in 2010 and 2011.

[AYHJA]

Even with KG, the Celts won't beat the Magic, hell, they might not beat the Cavs...It's not like Big Baby and those that played in his spot were stinking up the place...They were solid...The East is going to be something serious next year, please believe it...

You might be right, Ariza might follow the money, but we are talking about Phil Jackson here...Lets not forget, Ariza was melting away on the Laker bench last year, just like Adam Morrison was this year...If Ariza wants to act up and ask for a ton of cash, the Lakers will gladly let him go and season Morrison in his place...And he's a natural 3 point shooter...He'll spend a summer with Kobe who will blast him until he gets his shit together and the Lakers won't miss a beat...Ariza is from L.A., and has bounced all over the league, he has all the reason to stay in L.A. and win championships...

When you play with great players, it brings the best out of you...How many times did we see guys leave the Bulls and vanish into anonymity and just be average players at best..? Lets not get it twisted, Ariza makes plays...To make an analogy I know you'll appreciate dl1, Wes Welker had 67 catches in 2006...In 2007, his first year in New England, he had a league leading 112...Nobody will be offering Wes Welker a fat contract when he becomes a free agent...The Lakers have a chance to win plenty of titles man...They are YOUNG...Kobe, Fisher, and Odom might be the only players over 30...That won't be so easy to walk from...Plus, he probably gets king treatment in L.A....

Odom will stay for less cash, I'm sure...Ariza might take the money and go elsewhere, but he'll get a nice deal to stay in L.A.

I hope Boston makes it back to the finals next year....We owe them an ass whippin..!

[Habib]

...The Boston Globe is reporting that Kevin Garnett is recovering well from knee surgery. Garnett reportedly told Celtics' owner Wye Grousbeck that he is guaranteeing Celtics' championships in 2010 and 2011.

LoL so what..?!?!? Um, you don't win championships in front of reporters and the press haha, everything is done on the court. He can guarantee 500 championships all he wants, but he for sure isn't gonna get with his mouth.

Well, actually, the Celtics are kind of lucky that they didn't get to the ECF, and I was happy for them. I would have felt really bad for them on how Cleveland would have embarrassed them had they gotten to the ECF. While KG is the heart and soul of the Celtics, I think they would have really struggled even with him had they played Cleveland in the ECF. And AYHJA...regarding Big Baby Davis...I know dl LoL you may bite me for this -- but honestly, he filled in quite well for Garnett. The only different between them may have been on the defensive end. But Big Baby Davis had better offense than KG, making all those jumpers that KG invariably missed when he was healthy.

To me the Lakers are the BEST team in the league, sheer talent wise and in deepness wise. They will be a difficult team that the whole league would have to deal with for years to come. Things just come so easy for the Lakers...I mean, they don't have to depend on Kobe scoring 50 and playing his A game anymore, Lamar Odom is such a tough matchup coming off the bench and whenever he plays his A game, the Lakers are impossible to beat.

However, while the Lakers are the "best" team in the league, I think Orlando is the most "dangerous" team in the league and really they would have beaten Boston even with a healthy KG. And I'm definitely sure that the Lakers wouldn't have lost again this year to the Celtics if they got to the finals.

Still though, I think the Lakers NEED to keep Trevor Ariza. Him and Lamar Odom are so important, I don't even know who's more important to keep. Trevor Ariza does so much on defense and he's becoming such a reliable threat from 3-point range. Remember his 2 crucial clutch steals in the Denver series anyone? It would be a whole different story had it not be for Ariza's defensive abilities.

As for Kobe Bryant, there's no need to worry about it. I can bet on anything that he will retire a Laker and he isn't even thinking about playing for any other franchise anymore.

About Adam Morrison -- hmm, he MAY be a good shooter...but damn...he doesn't bring to the court the kind of defense that Ariza does. It was Ariza that was guarding the best players on the opposing teams in this series. Plus, Morrison doesn't have the athletic abilities that Ariza does, so it will be a whole different scenario.

Who's more important to keep for the Lakers though guys -- Odom or Ariza?

[AYHJA]

Ariza was not known for his defense or 3 point shooting prior to him coming to L.A...That's good coaching and mentoring that's as responsible for that as much as athletic ability, if not more...Odom is by far the more crucial piece, he can play all 5 spots...

[Habib]

Odom has a very rare combination of size and ball handling skills man, damn. He plays like a point guard, and he rebounded almost as much as Dwight Howard in these finals.

But hey guys, look!

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=A ... &type=lgns

[darklighter1]

Mark my words...the Magic will NOT be back..