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  • jk41 6:41 am on March 4, 2013 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, , , New Orleans Hornets, New York Knicks, Washington Wizards   

    West Coast Courtside Notes Tour (WCCNT) Preview 

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    I’m excited!

    We’re heading to the US soon, initially we were planning just the West Coast but now basically all over to watch some NBA, get some good R&R and bro time.

    Here’s some of the games I’ll be catching with my friend at Natural Born Analysts:

    24th March, 2013: Chicago Bulls @ Minnesota Timberwolves
    3rd April, 2013: New Orleans Hornets @ Golden State Warriors

    And a couple of others I’ll be catching myself or with others:

    22nd March, 2013: Brooklyn Nets @ Los Angeles Clippers
    23rd March, 2013: Washington Wizards @ Los Angeles Lakers
    27th March, 2013: Memphis Grizzlies @ New York Knicks

    And I’ll know there’ll be others Natural Born Analysts will be catching around the country as well.

    So which ones are we most hyped about? Any BOLD predictions?? Who are you most looking forward to seeing in real life?

     

    • naturalbornanalysts 11:02 pm on March 5, 2013 Permalink | Reply

      THE COUNTDOWN HAS BEGUN. 3 Working days left before I jump on the A380 and head to LAX/CVG.

      Obviously the game I am most excited to see is 24th March Bulls @ Timberwolves! Yeah Boi. We will be two rows back from the court, Backcourt Club entry, walking past the bulls bench to get to our seats, and hoping that our boys DROSE and KLOVE are back in action. I’m honestly excited to see both Rubio and Noah do their things the most I think.
      PREDICTION: Triple OT with Rose and Love having triple doubles- is that too much to ask?

      Im also looking forward to visiting Oracle Arena, as that is the supposed to be a fantastic venue with a great crowd. And watching Steph Curry do his thing will be a bit of fun!

      You missed one that we are doing together, when we go to Staples Centre to see Lob City vs Indiana on 1st April (No fools here). Hopefully a few dunks will be thrown down by BG and Paul George can have another casual trip dub.

      Memphis and NYK will be nice on your schedule, especially at MSG. Im hoping to catch either the Raptors or Magic there.

      The biggest game on my schedule is undoubtedly the March 18 match up in Boston between the Celtics and the HEAT! Wowee… Cant wait to hit some of the bars in front of the stadium and mix with the locals.
      PREDICTION: Paul Pierce with a game winner sending the crowd into raptures.

      The other game I’m hoping to get to if we are in the area is the Portland vs Dallas game on April 7th, because the Rose Garden seems like it would be a great place to see a game.

      Heat vs Celtics

      • jk41 6:55 am on March 8, 2013 Permalink | Reply

        The Bulls v Minny game is definitely going to be a highlight. Watch out for a bright red DROSE Bulls tee I’ll be rocking to make it easier to spot on TV! haha. Not sure if Rose will play, but will be massively exciting if he does, along with KLOVE. Not sure how nasty the Minny crowd is either, but you got my back right? right?!?

        Lob city will be something to watch, just a few of these will do:

        Love the C’s / Heat matchup, the Garden will be rocking. The Boston vets always seem to come up BIG in these games, especially at home, so I’m down with your prediction. I also think this game has the biggest Honey Nut Cheerios kind of potential!

        One thing I’m looking forward to is just being in all the different arenas. I’ve only ever been to Chicago games, and they do have a very tame kind of crowd, so it’ll be great to get mad atmosphere going.

        And also seeing Kobe Bryant. Mamba,#Vino, I’m glad I do get to watch him before he retires because he’s definitely up there in my book. Like Chuck says, ‘if Michael’s driving, Kobe Bryant is in the back seat’!

        These are my winners (in bold) for the games:

        Chicago Bulls @ Minnesota Timberwolves – Gotta represent!
        Indiana Pacers @ Los Angeles Clippers – Don’t think George Hill is ready to contain CP3, and the Clipper bigs can run rings around West and Hibbert
        New Orleans Hornets @ Golden State Warriors – The Warriors will be hungry for games like these to make the playoffs
        Brooklyn Nets @ Los Angeles Clippers – Again, I think the pace of the Clippers will be too much, I don’t rate the Nets
        Washington Wizards @ Los Angeles Lakers – #Vino will be hungry to stay in the playoff race, looking forward to #GoodJohnWall if he shows up
        Memphis Grizzlies @ New York Knicks – Not sure who Memphis will put on Melo, while the Knicks have Chandler to combat either Z-Bo or Gasol.
        Miami Heat @ Boston Celtics – CELTIC PRIDE!

        Beyond excited, it’s gonna be a hell of a trip!

        JK

  • jk41 2:45 am on January 31, 2013 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Bill Simmons, Chicago Bulls, , ,   

    Homer Talk 

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    We’re almost at the All-Star break, so a good half way through the season. And I want to be a HOMER! I want Bulls and Wolves talk! If Bill Simmons can talk an hour and a half about Rondo and still have 5 million Twitter followers I see no harm in us doing the same!

    Also, we’re both big fans of our teams and although we have become well-rounded NBA fans more so over the recent years, I think it’s also interesting to know how much the fortunes or successes of our teams affect our view of the league.

    • What has been the best game your team has played this year?
    • What have been the low points?
    • Where do you think your team will finish?
    • Who’s the team you’re rooting for, should your team fall short?
    • Have you found your excitement levels dictate your view of the league, as an NBA fan?

    Fire away! And any irrational ranting is welcome 😉

     

    • naturalbornanalysts 12:22 am on February 4, 2013 Permalink | Reply

      I’m glad I waited until this past weekend, before posting this, because one of our best games game on Sunday (Saturday stateside) against the soon to be Pelicans of New Orleans. The other great game was the win at home against OKC.
      In both games we hit from the outside which is a key to drawing teams off the double team of Pekovic. If he has the chance to work one-on-one he is incredibly efficient. The OKC game we relied heavily on Barea to carry our scoring in the fourth quarter, as we have done on numerous occasions. But the most encouraging aspect of this weekends games (inlcuding against the Lakers), and the previous few, has been the resurgence of Ricky Rubio’s confidence. He has begun to look like the guy the league fell in love with last year.
      The low points are obviously all the injuries. The loss of Love again, Budinger, Lee, Howard, Roy, has really hurt our depth, and forced our hand into signing a number of 10 day contracts, including Lazar Haywood, Mickael Gelabale and Chris Johnson. The latter two, actually showing some decent form, and being signed for the remainder of the season. Im especially impressed with Johnson, who has shown the type of hustle and effort on both ends that our other bigs like Steimsma and Lou Admundson have lacked.
      I cant pick a single point that is a low point, rather just the slow deflation of the high expectations that we had during training camp, where we saw pieces coming together, excited by the return of Brandon Roy, and the eventual return of Ricky Rubio.
      Unfortunately I don’t see us making the playoffs again this year. I think the West is too stacked, and without our franchise guy (unlike the bulls), we dont seem to have the ability to close out games. Our defense has dropped from top ten to almost last in the last month, and we still suffer from 7 minute droughts where cant find the rim to save ourselves.
      Positives though…
      Shved – excited by what he can do. Has no fear of the big moment, and while he doesn’t always make the right decision, and needs to handle the ball a lot, he is an exciting prospect for a backcourt with Rubio in the future.
      Kirilenko – I was against this signing before the season began, but man has he proved me wrong. We would be dead last without this guy. He still has it, and he has it all. The only thing I could ask more from him is the three ball, but I will ignore that due to the brilliance he shows in other areas.
      Cunningham – This guy is a keeper. Deadly mind range shot, unbelievable hustle on defense, and the type of lead by example guy every team needs. While he is probably confused by the European music, fashion, and food he is being exposed to, he goes out and does his job every night.

      Negatives…
      Pekovic – We need to sign him… or do we? I’ m unsure. We have made a qualifying offer of $6.5M, but surely that is not enough to keep him. Teams will be after a true scoring and rebounding centre. He is playing some fantastic ball, and showing that he doesn’t need to have another dominant big alongside him to put up big numbers. This will really test Kahn and our front office. Pay him? Trade him before the deadline? Or let him walk….shudder.
      Derrick Williams – He just doesn’t have it. Shows flashes of brilliance, and by all accounts is working hard with coaches to get better, and put in extra hours, but I think more than the physical attributes, its the mental side of the game (he is a mouth breather for damn sake – ask me about this theory sometime). I think he will end up being part of a package if we make a move, but at the moment I just don’t see how he fits in our system, and its easy to see Adelman being constantly frustrating with him.

      Who am I rooting for?
      I would be happy with an OKC MIA rematch, with OKC getting that title.
      But I would love to see your boys get there too, the work that Thibs has done by getting that misfit bunch to buy into the system and play hard night in night out has honestly amazed me.

      I think that what your own team does, definitely dictates your enthusiasm for the league to some degree, but as life long NBA fans, I think we both find stories and players that spark our interest and cause us to follow certain teams and situations more closely. For example, I’m loving Portland this year, and have found myself watching a lot of their games. This also goes for GSW, and my interest in watching Marc Jackson work that team into a formidable force in the West…. oh and did I mention that the Lakers struggles have made the disappointment of the wolves season that much easier to swallow?

      Enough Homerism for you?

      GO RAVENS!

      • jk41 8:07 am on February 4, 2013 Permalink | Reply

        Excellent Homerism, I hope you typed that with a slice of pizza on your belly as well!

        High points:

        • The Miami win in Miami was pretty impressive. This was still near the beginning of the Boozer renaissance so I was still sceptical about if he would fold like a house of cards against the Heat. But we slaughtered them on the boards and came out with a tough, strong win.
        • Just this weekend’s Hawks game was also an impressive one. Without Noah, Boozer and Hinrich, off a back to back, in Atlanta, and handing them a double digit beating. Double-doubles for Taj, Deng and Butler, and #GoodNate showing up.

        Low points:

        • The injuries have hit just recently, which I can feel your pain about just having your starters wiped out basically. The one that really worries me in Noah with plantar fasciitis, because the last time that came up he really struggled.
        • The giving up leads against the Bucks, Charlotte were also very low points. This brings up questions of playing down to competition, inability to finish games etc that should be staples of a good team. You can’t be giving up 20, 30 point leads regardless if your injured or not.

        Finishing point:

        • I think we’ll end up with the 3rd seed. Although tomorrow’s game against the Pacers will be the litmus test because they are coming hard in equal 4th in the east. If we can hold on through this spate of injuries, we have a chance to make a run.

        Backup team:

        • I like OKC as well over the Heat. Although they haven’t looked tip top lately. Is it me or do they pretty have no offensive sets other than ‘your turn-my turn’ amongst Durant and Russ?
        • Also pulling for Golden State for entertainment value and because I like how they built their team.

        Yeah, I was definitely feeling down on NBA in general while the Bulls were starting slow. And that’s part of why I watched a lot of early Warriors games to feel some of their winning glow! The Lakers thing was pretty fascinating too, but I’m getting tired of their story, especially when they arrogantly declare they don’t want big money back in return for Gasol. I forgot we were talking to the almighty Lakers here! Gimme a break! #LakersRant.

        Where do you think the Wolves end up? Just missing the playoffs or lottery bound?

        • naturalbornanalysts 9:59 am on February 7, 2013 Permalink

          The Lakers story just got more interesting with Gasol down and out for a while. The emergence of Earl Clarke (always liked him in college) as a possibly decent to good player has also been an interesting side note.

          I think the Wolves finish 10th or so in the West, which is really a waste of a season. The only thing to be thankful for is that this year’s draft is predicted to be incredibly shallow, and it has allowed us to see what we have in Shved, Cunningham, etc, who havent been injured and got a lot of time as a result.

          Time to put your teacher’s hat on and give your players report cards for the season so far.
          Go.

        • jk41 7:01 am on February 8, 2013 Permalink

          Alright, here’s my report card on my beloved Bulls:

          Joakim Noah: A
          All Star Season. Heart of the team and leading the way. Enough said, we win most of the time when he plays and that’s all that matters.

          Luol Deng: A
          2nd time All Star. So much respect from Thibs and filling in where needed. And still playing with torn ligaments in his wrist that now doesn’t even get mentioned.

          Carlos Boozer: B
          Started slow and we didn’t really expect much. But late December and January we saw a Boozer we’ve never seen before in Chi-town. He’s still only a B for all the previous years of heartbreak!

          Rip Hamilton: Incomplete
          Injured again, and on a minutes restriction now so he’s ready for the playoffs so very hard to judge. Is he on a minutes restriction or just not earning the minutes? Maybe Thibs already knows what he has in Rip and wants to use him as a surprise scorer in the playoffs? Time will tell.

          Kirk Hinrich: C
          He sure didn’t learn to shoot in his years away from the Bulls, it’s been horrific. But as a floor leader and defender he has been pretty good, although gets into early foul trouble a lot. Injuries have hurt his grade too.

          Taj Gibson: C
          Even though he’s been hot lately, he’s been thrust into that role with Boozer getting hurt. Yes, his minutes are limited when coming off the bench, but he still wasn’t getting it done. Hopefully he has turned the corner.

          Nate Robinson: B+
          Good Nate / Bad Nate. Pick your poison with this kid. But he is explosive and can score, I’ll give him that. I’d love to see him off the bench just going at it for 10 minutes, giving DRose rest.

          Marco Belinelli: C+
          Had a horrific start and then Rip went out and he was, like Taj, thrust into the starting job. And then he started playing great! He has cooled off since going back to the bench but that’s understandable.

          Jimmy Butler: B
          The new favourite of Bulls fans. Not sure if he is the shooting guard we’ve always coveted, seeing as he doesn’t shoot that well, but I love the flexibility he gives when paired with Deng on the floor. His emergence could be an x-factor come playoff time.

          Marquis Teague: Incomplete
          It ain’t fair to judge the kid cos he’s played so little, and Thibs is naturally slow to bring rookies on (see Jimmy Butler). He’s still young, and has shown a few skills to get to the rim on layups, a lot like his brother.

          Nazr Mohammed: F
          Unfortunately, I think he’s past it and this will be his last season.

          Vladimir Radmonovic: F
          He’s seen very little time, but why I don’t give him an Incomplete is because we desperately need 3’s. And that is what he does.

          Daequan Cook: Incomplete
          I like the signing, he’s young and shoots 3’s. Hopefully can be someone to use going forward once a lot of these spare parts leave next season. I don’t think he cracks the rotation this year.

          Tom Thibodeau: A+
          I was frustrated with him when we started slow. And wrongly so. The players just need time to pick up his system and play to it. I’m a pretty harsh critic, but there’s no denying that at 9 games over .500 at this point is way further along that I would have thought. The Bulls are battling a top 4 spot instead of the last 4, which is a credit to Thibs given the injuries and new additions.

          That was a pretty fun exercise. And even more pleasing is that we’ve still got an MVP to come back. And I can’t wait!

          What’s the skinny on your Wolves?

        • naturalbornanalysts 3:36 am on February 11, 2013 Permalink

          Kevin Love : NA
          Really hasn’t played enough this season to have any accurate gauge of how he fared coming back from a successful summer Olympic campaign.

          Ricky Rubio: B
          After a slow start working his way back from the knee injury, Rubio has shown his old self again. The last two weeks he has been that same energetic ball wizard we fall in love with last year. The downside? His shooting has regressed again… and we have no legitimate 3 point threats on the wings for him to kick to.

          Nikola Pekovic: A
          Time and again he is showing that last year’s numbers were not a fluke, but that he doesnt need a dominant 4man next to him to deflect attention. He has been efficient and consistent. Our only issue now is figuring out how to resign the big bear.

          JJ Barea: B+
          JJ has really carried us through some games. He is one of our only real options in the fourth quarter, and never looks scared to shoot. Sure he takes a lot of contested shots among the trees in the paint, but you have to live with it when nobody else is doing much.

          AK: B+
          Despite injuries, this guy has been a rock for us on the defensive end. By far the most intelligent guy we have on the court, he seems to be everywhere. The only disappointing aspect of his return to the NBA has been his 3point shooting which has been pretty dismal.

          Alexey Shved: C
          The inconsistency of a rookie as you would expect. However, they obviously raise them with the ‘NO FEAR’ gene at CSKA because this kid will shoot without hesitation, and has made some clutch plays in his short career thus far.

          Luke Ridnour: C
          Still the same Luke. You know what you are going to get. Sometimes its enough and sometimes its not. The one thing you can always rely on is that he will be out on the court giving you everything he has, and knocking down baseline jumpers.

          Dante Cunningham: A
          This guy has been the surprise of the season so far for me. Wasn’t expecting much out of him, but his defensive hustle is inspiring, and has a surprisingly efficient stroke from the elbows… I would guess 95% of his FGA (other than dunks) are from the elbows.

          Greg Steimsma: D
          This guy has brought very little to the table. For a legit 7-footer, he rebounds horribly, whines a lot, and has no inside post moves. The only positive is that he blocks shots on a team that is notoriously poor at it.

          Derrick Williams: D
          I wish I could give this guy a higher grade, but he is just showing so much inconsistency again this year, and that was reflected in a bunch of DNP-CD’s earlier this season. He is yet to develop any threatening moves off the dribble, highlighting his previous reliance on athleticism alone to get him his baskets in the past. The one bonus is that he seems to play a lot better when Rubio is on court, and with his health and flair returning, at least Williams will be around for some big alleys.

          Mickaël Gelabale: NA
          I like him, and his frenchness, but I haven’t seen enough of him yet to really get a good baseline reading.

          Chris Johnson: B
          I love this kid! He is long and stringy. Bounces all over the place. Gives everything he has. And genuinely looks like he loves playing basketball. Its early days, but the fact that we waived Lou Admundson to keep him around says a lot.

          Lou Admundson: Waived… Which is a good thing.

          Josh Howard: Injured and released.

          Brandon Roy: Injured and retired.

          Chase Budinger: Injured, but promising.

          Malcolm Lee: Injured, but showed flashes.

          Coach Adelman: A
          With what this guy has had to go through this year both on and off the court, he has to be commended.

          So that is the skinny on an incredibly disappointing season so far.
          Half way there.

  • jk41 2:02 pm on October 8, 2012 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Chicago Bulls, , , preseason game   

    LIVE BLOG: Bulls @ Timberwolves – 13th October, 2012 

    Everyone loves a live blog! At least Brandon and Carlos do.

    And so will we for the preseason game between our rival teams here at Courtside Notes.

    Follow our Twitter (@CourtsideNotes) and we’ll shout out the link for you to follow our live comment-ary in the comments section. All you have to do is keep refreshing as we go, easy!

    If it works, we’ll do it more this season. If not, blame the Internet.

    See you on Saturday/Sunday!

     

    • jk41 11:57 pm on October 13, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      Wow, too early this side of the world. Kirilenko out for the Wolves and Deng and Hamilton out for the Bulls. Looking forward to an ugly preseason game.

    • naturalbornanalysts 12:00 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      T minus 5 minutes.

      What are you looking forward to about this game, considering there is no Deng or Hamilton for your boys and no Kirilenko for mine.

      Personally Im looking forward to watching Shved and Roy… and Chase Budinger… he has been really nice in the previous two games and seems that he is the perfect fit for Adleman’s system.

      PS sign up for fantasy already!

    • jk41 12:03 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      Um…I’m looking forward to getting used to ugly ball from the Bulls! They also have some work to do from the bench to get some chemistry going. It’s been rough.

      I’m interested in seeing Roy and Budinger. Yeah Chase has been a decent pickup. White Men Can Jump!

      Haha yeah I’ll get on that!

      Scoreline?

      • naturalbornanalysts 12:06 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

        Wolves 83- Bulls 78
        You?

        Low scoring… lots of turnovers.
        You know what else Im excited about? In a matter of months we could be sitting a few rows back (or courtside) in that building watching those two teams. Cant wait!

    • jk41 12:09 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      That sounds about right I might gived the Wolves more edge without any Deng or Hamilton there to score. Wolves 88-Bulls 72.

      I was just thinking that too! Nice shot of the Target Centre in the intro’s. Maybe we can run a live blog from our smartphones?? lol

      • naturalbornanalysts 12:11 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

        No Love either… that changes things…
        I think some blogging and photos from courtside will be a very nice addition.

        Big Pek is going to be beasting again this year… he has lost weight and worked on his shot!

    • jk41 12:12 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      Typical Boozer start. Foul. Travel.

      • naturalbornanalysts 12:13 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

        Hahaha Typical.
        Marco might be a good pick up for you guys. I think he is going to be better than Korver… and cheaper.

    • jk41 12:13 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      Belinelli! Gotta get used to spelling that name! haha

      • naturalbornanalysts 12:14 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

        Noah… ugliest shot in the NBA? I think so
        Good block by Dante…

        We arent shooting well and our passing is terrible.. we were right about it being pretty ugly.

    • jk41 12:15 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      I like the Ridnour v HInrich matchup. Can you have a more whiter, reliable PG matchup?!

      Boozer with another foul. Hey, he’s in playoff form already!

    • jk41 12:18 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      Roy looks fine to me. He’ll be more of a shooter now, but it’s not like he can’t shoot!

      • naturalbornanalysts 12:20 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

        Roy can still shoot and he is just damn smart…. never makes the wrong decision. And Im surprised to hear that DC had six blocks last night.

        Yep that white PG matchup is like we have time travelled back to the 70’s.

        Do you think Noah and Boozer can stay healthy this year if they have to shoulder more load? Is it time for Taj to get starters minutes or would you prefer him coming off the bench?

    • jk41 12:23 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      I think they’re both question marks in terms of health, although were pretty durable last year. Taj will get more minutes because he will back up at C and PF with Asik gone.

      Although if Taj plays too well, he’s gonna price himself out of the cheapskate Bulls.

    • jk41 12:23 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      Jimmy Butler!

      • naturalbornanalysts 12:25 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

        Haha I was waiting for you there.. Very nice. He has hops.
        Forgot you have Nazr… good veteran presence.

        And yeah Taj will price himself out if he hasnt already. You have to think if Asik did he already has.
        He a FA in the summer?

        I just jinxed Roy

    • jk41 12:28 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      He’s restricted FA this year, but someone out there is going to offer him a backloaded, ridiculous contract that we won’t match. Hopefully they can lock him up before that.

      Pek looks like he’s in good form.

      Where’s Derrick Williams at?

    • jk41 12:31 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      Marco Jaric! Familiar face for you guys!

    • jk41 12:34 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      Haha Nate’s going to give Thibs fits this year!

      • naturalbornanalysts 12:36 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

        Yeah our other 4 is alright haha.

        Does Williams remind you of our good Doctor friend? or is it just me?
        He needs to get to the rack this year bad. If he shoots threes he wont play much, thats Chase’s job.

        Yeah Nate seems like the complete anti Thibs guy.

        Shved just needs to calm down… he is a good player.

    • jk41 12:38 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      HAHA yea somewhat like our Doctor friend! Shved reminds me of Colin Farrell.

      20-19 first quarter…and I really don’t give a crap. Is this what preseason feels like?

      • naturalbornanalysts 12:39 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

        Im worried this is what you might feel like all year with no Rose.

        Yeah Im more interested in the WAGS haha.

        • jk41 12:41 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink

          It might be a serious condition. I feel like management threw in the towel and aren’t expecting anything this year.

          You guys loaded up like crazy in comparison

      • naturalbornanalysts 12:44 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

        I agree. I feel like the Bulls decided to write this season off and reload for next year. I wouldnt be surprised if you completely unloaded… Get rid of Deng, Boozer, Noah… im expecting big trades this season.

    • jk41 12:42 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      Nazr is playing way too well and hard for a vet. Although he’s probably going to play 10 mins a game in the reg season so I suppose it’s ok.

      • naturalbornanalysts 12:46 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

        He is solid… you know what you will get.
        What was that tech for? kidding me?!
        Who wears 77? Complete Space Cadet haha.

        • jk41 12:47 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink

          Yeah I have no idea.

          Oh yeah, that’s him….*sigh*

    • jk41 12:46 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      Nice battle of the midgets. Nate v JJ

    • naturalbornanalysts 12:51 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      Wow… KLOVE purchased 500 tickets to the Lynx game for fans… He is a pretty good bloke.

      • jk41 12:52 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

        They’re in the WNBA finals! Nice…i wonder how healthy that league is?

        • naturalbornanalysts 12:53 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink

          Yeah they are going for back to back. At least something good is happening in the Twin cities. Not sure to be honest. Bill Simmons thinks its a good ideas to follow the league for a season and you would make a fortune betting on it! He could be onto something. haha.

    • naturalbornanalysts 12:55 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      Just saw there.. Roy is just missing that last piece of explosion. That layup used to be a gimme.

      Butler has impressed me for you guys. I didnt realise how big and athletic he is.

      • jk41 12:58 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

        Yeah, he used to be such a great penetrator. But still good for a spot up guy with flashes of driving.

        Butler is going to have a bigger role. Basically take over the Brewer spot. His shot is about the same as Brew, possibly worse :S

        • naturalbornanalysts 12:59 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink

          Yeah Brewer was an underrated player but he was already at his ceiling. Butlers ceiling looks to be two-storey in comparison.

    • jk41 12:56 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      I see your boy Teague ready to check in!

      • naturalbornanalysts 12:57 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

        JJ! nice move little man! Needs to stay healthy.

        Teague is nice… Still think Lamb would have been nicer, but for the future… I think Marcus will be better than Jeff

        • jk41 12:59 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink

          He’s struggled so far in the Summer League and preseason. He is 19 though, and we’ve got time…..

        • naturalbornanalysts 1:01 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink

          Yeah typical one and doner…. So much still to learn.
          But watching him at KY last year, he improved dramatically from the start of the season compared to the tournament. A lot less turnovers and better shooting.

      • naturalbornanalysts 1:03 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

        They are tight on travels so far this pre season.

        • jk41 1:04 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink

          That one was pretty obvious, but yeah they’ve been quick

    • jk41 1:04 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      What’s Cunningham’s story?

    • jk41 1:06 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      Booz with 0-1-0-0-1, 2 TOs, 3 fouls. Excellent.

      • naturalbornanalysts 1:09 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

        DC acquired for Interior Defense… he showed some nice things for Memphis last year with lots of hustle. We sent Wayne Ellington over to Memphis because the addition of Roy, AK and Chase meant that we really had no spot for him which was a shame, because he was one of our most consistent last season.

        Boozer just doing the usual. Problem is… who would want him? You need to package him and Deng, and then Noah and a couple of young pieces…

        Who is on your wish list if you made a move this season?

        • jk41 1:12 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink

          But that’s ok because Ellignton wasn’t going to go much further than that.

          I don’t mind keeping Noah if we can get a scoring 4 to go with him.

          We need a scoring wing type as well.

          We need a lot. Haha.

      • naturalbornanalysts 1:11 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

        Who is Andre Emmit?

        • jk41 1:13 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink

          He’s one of those dudes who’s always on our Summer League roster, camp invites, 10-day contracts etc.

          Might be from Chi or played with Illinois maybe.

    • jk41 1:13 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      Was that a charge??

      • naturalbornanalysts 1:15 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

        Yeah that was pretty obvious wasnt it? He was playing him straight up and down and Butler just turned and dropped the shoulder into his chest. He didnt make a move to go around Shved, just straight through him. And it wouldn’t take much to knock Shved over haha. Weighs about 55 kg soaking wet.

        Williams needs to finish those moves to the ring.

      • naturalbornanalysts 1:16 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

        Boozer!!! haha
        4 in the first half.

        • jk41 1:17 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink

          He’s really an idiot.

    • naturalbornanalysts 1:19 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      Half time.
      Minn 13 TO – Bulls 12 TO

      Minn 27% FG – Bulls 38% FG

      Minn 63% FT – Bulls 64% FT

      = UGLY

    • jk41 1:31 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      I have a feeling this is how the Bulls season will go:

      Every game – Grind, grind, grind…

      a) WIN = ‘Phew, got away with one there’
      b) LOSE = ‘Eh, at least we were close’

      Record = 41-41, first/second round exit..

      • naturalbornanalysts 1:37 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

        Agreed.. Except if Rose comes back around all star and you can make a strong run into the playoffs… might be able to push hard into the ECF

    • jk41 1:38 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      Haha They play the Godfather theme music for Pek? Why??

      • naturalbornanalysts 1:40 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

        Look at the guy… thats why… haha.
        He looks like an Eastern European Mobster.

        At least there has been a little more rhythm to the start of the second half.

      • naturalbornanalysts 1:43 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

        Surprised that Teague has barely played. Does Thibs generally hate rookies a la George Karl?

        • jk41 1:44 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink

          Yeah, totally. Jimmy didn’t get much of a run early on.

          He hasn’t shown that much either. Plus Hinrich and Nate are there.

        • naturalbornanalysts 1:45 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink

          Butler corner shot…jeez.

        • jk41 1:46 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink

          Quintessential out of my ass kind of shot.

          I enjoy those too. Haha

    • jk41 1:44 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      Hinrich has been good since he’s been back. Hopefully Thibs rides him hard and Deng might play less than 47 mpg this year.

      • naturalbornanalysts 1:47 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

        Kirk is solid PG if you dont ask him to do too much.
        But Thibs loves to ride guys into the ground. I think that’s the biggest flaw in his style of coaching… he relies on 1-6 really heavily, and 7-11 barely play.

      • jk41 1:49 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

        Yeah, in a way he’s TOO intense. There’s always ‘more than enough to win’, gotta play the underdog card dude!

    • naturalbornanalysts 1:52 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      I can already guess Adelman’s summary of Derrick Williams game tonight.

      SHOT TOO MANY 3’s. Needs to assert his authority and get to the ring.

      His stocks will drop this year unless there are injuries

      • naturalbornanalysts 1:53 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

        Ridnour is no Rubio thats for sure haha

      • jk41 1:53 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

        I think Willams is in trouble this year. He doesn’t look like he has a position. And the team makeup makes it worse.

        Would you deal him this year?

        • naturalbornanalysts 1:57 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink

          We would need to get some compensation. He is a number 2 after all. And he can obviously play, he is just in the wrong spot.
          If we were able to package him with Ridnour and something for Harden I would do it in an instant…
          Re: this article
          http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/8486795/the-harden-dilemma

        • jk41 1:59 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink

          That was a good article. The Bulls have never paid the luxury since the Jordan days. Yet are one of the most profitable teams. Too bad, we’re not good enough to have a story written about it.

        • naturalbornanalysts 2:02 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink

          Yeah it was. I really dont see OKC paying over the luxury either… So I dont know what they do. Give it another go this year, but then they need to make the tough decision and I think they made it with Ibaka.

          I dont have an issue with teams not paying luxury, but the bulls just dont want to pay ANYBODY! probably a lot to do with your owner having interests outside of the NBA.

        • jk41 2:05 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink

          It’s so frustrating as a fan. Cos it makes you feel half hearted about your team and chances.

          That’s what I liked about the Wolves’ moves this offseason. Intentionally going out to make the team better and get to the next level.

      • naturalbornanalysts 2:07 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

        Yeah I will be honest… the early moves of AK and Chase I was thinking oh god what are we doing? Then the Olympics changed my mind about AK, and Chase’s play this pre season has been great, so I have been a lot more confident. We really had our hand forced by KLOVE though. We will lose him if we dont have some good players around him

    • jk41 2:02 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      Love’s having a great time on the sidelines! I’d love to be a ball kid.

      • naturalbornanalysts 2:04 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

        Love used to be a ball kid too didnt he?
        He seems like a likeable guy.

        Also.. somebody get me a GIF of that awesome Pek stumble haha

      • jk41 2:06 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

        Oh really? For which team?

        Haha Noah’s killer crossover, gets them every time.

    • jk41 2:07 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      So if you could do over the 2011 Draft, are you still taking Williams? Assuming Kyrie is off the board already.

      • naturalbornanalysts 2:10 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

        GIMME SOME SHVED! Nice move. and 3… I love this kid.

        At the time yes… Williams was the clear number 2 with what he did at Arizona.

        Looking back… I really like Klay Thompson, but can you take him at number 2?
        and there is a lot of love for Jonas Valančiūnas.

        The only consideration I would have is Kanter. Having him and Big Pek would be a nice Centre combo. I think Kanter will be a good player… he is just stuck behind a lot of players in Utah

        • jk41 2:17 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink

          Yeah don’t think taking Klay at 2 would’ve made anyone happy at the time. It was a pretty crappy draft when you look back on it.

          Kanter is hilarious:

        • naturalbornanalysts 2:21 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink

          even better… he thinks he is the undertaker from WWE haha
          Why didnt we take this guy?! come on!

    • jk41 2:11 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      This is the new look bench mob for the Bulls on the floor right now: Nazr, Taj, Butler, Belinelli, Nate.

      Bench Sob as one of the beat writers coined.

      • naturalbornanalysts 2:16 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

        At least you have some nice scoring with Marco and Nate. Some athleticism with Butler. And some Defensive hustle with Taj… its not the best but not the worst. You could be the Bobcats.

        Amudson really just needs to do his job and stop trying to take the ball to the rim. Play D, rebound, and put-backs is your game sir.

    • jk41 2:18 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      Nice pass Shved.

      • naturalbornanalysts 2:19 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

        Kid can play… no doubt
        As long as he is fits in with the Minnesota lifestyle.
        Do you think Spaniards and Russians get along? haha.

        • jk41 2:22 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink

          Haha I guess so.

          Better than the Croations and Serbians back in the day. Once Brothers still one of my fave 30 for 30s.

        • naturalbornanalysts 2:23 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink

          Shved has range!

          Yeah it is a really good one. Have you seen any of the new ones?
          I am trying to get a hold of them but cant find them anywhere.

          I love what Taj does. You guys are going to have to pay him for sure.

    • jk41 2:23 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      You guys are pulling away now.

    • jk41 2:26 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      That was your typical Butler jumper.

    • jk41 2:28 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      LOU!!!

    • jk41 2:34 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      My Bulls score prediction is looking healthy.

    • naturalbornanalysts 2:39 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      Well over all that worked out ok… Looking forward to the next Live Blog!

    • jk41 2:39 am on October 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      This was good. We’ll have to do it again some time!

  • jk41 2:33 am on September 5, 2012 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Amnesty, Chicago Bulls, ,   

    The Dream for YOUR Team 

     

    So as we’re deeply entrenched in the slow NBA news days that is early September (prime example), it gives plenty of time for anxious hoping and dreaming about our teams fortunes for the next season but also beyond.

    Everyone has the ideal vision for their own team to get them to the promised land, whether its trades to pull, upcoming draft prospects u’d love to have, amnestying the dog of the team, waiting for guys to grow…so put on your fantasy hat and tell me what’s the dream for your team and when do you get to the championship? What does your roster look like? Who’s the leader? Who’s the coach?

    Be liberal with your dreams, because without them you’re sitting at .500!

     

     

    • naturalbornanalysts 11:09 pm on September 6, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      As an avid wolves fan, I think everyone can guess (in a similar manner to you with DROSE), that Im hoping beyond hope that Rubio comes back from the knee injury and remains the player he was before Kobe kicked him (Kobe is such a dog! haha). The one positive is that he isnt a player who relies on athletic ability. He relies on IQ and seeing the floor well… I think he has been practising his alleys from a wheelchair.
      My immediate hope is that we bring back Anthony Tolliver, as I think he is a valuable piece of the puzzle…rebounds well, hustles, shoots the three, and from all reports is a good locker guy. Unfortunately I dont think its high on our agenda.
      We need Kirilenko and Shved to bring their olympic form to the NBA and Roy returns to some of his old form. As you can see there are a lot of “ifs” here. But to me having this starting 5 would push us towards a top 4 seed in the West

      PG Rubio
      SG Roy
      SF Kirilenko
      PF Love
      C Pekovic

      Bench: Shved, Williams, Budinger, Ridnour, Barea,

      There is a lot of potential there. So I think that the biggest “dream” I have is that these young guys mature into the potential they are showing. That Williams figures out a role. That Roy returns and plays at a high level. That the Russians play a successful Euro-style ball for us. That Love doesnt get worn out and keeps playing at an All star level. That rubio returns healthy.

      The only trades I can see working out for us would be moving Barea and Ridnour , or Williams for some early picks or a solid young big that can develop behind the big Pek.

      So what are your hopes for Chicago? They seem to have gone into rebuilding mode only a season after topping the East, and being a dominant force. Does it show too much reliance on one guy? Coaching being to one dimensional? Owner caring more about the MLB?

    • jk41 6:15 am on September 7, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      I think I’m going to be a lot more fantastical with my answer here because I think the Bulls are now in rebuild mode and looking to 2014-15 and beyond to start competing again. So because there’s a lot more scope for weird stuff to happen between now and then with the injuries, tightass owner, draft pick luck etc. I might as well put myself in a happy place! So here goes…

      Facts
      1. DRose will not be back until after the All Star break next year.
      2. Boozer is not the PF we move ahead with.
      3. Thibs is a keeper.
      4. Rip, Luol, Hinrich are off the books after 2013-14 and Boozer has 1 year remaining in the 2014-15 season.
      5. We have the 2016 Bobcats’ pick unprotected, and they’re not going anywhere below a top 8 pick by then.

      So where do I see it going?

      Next year is a wash. I really don’t care what happens record-wise as long as they don’t try to bring back Rose too quickly and sign up Thibs and Taj. A shitty enough record for a mid first round draft pick would be helpful too.

      2014-15 is the year I would re-tool the roster for, so the work has to be done in the 2013-14 offseason, and here’s what I’d do:

      1. Amnesty Boozer. It just hasn’t happened for him in Chi-town. He is what he is in terms of being a 16-8 kind of guy, with terrible defense. But the PF next to Noah has to be a 20+ scorer to make up for Noah’s lack of offense generation. You only have one amnesty to use and he’s the only one worth using it on.

      2. Trade/dump expiring contracts of Rip and Hinrich (~10mil) for a decent shooting guard, who can create their own shot or shoot the 3 or both. Quick scan of the 2013 free agent list (bit pointless because guys get resigned, traded, but whatever) and I like: Tyreke Evans, OJ Mayo, Klay Thompson, Evan Turner. So let’s say the Kings give up on Tyreke Evans, and you can get him for the mid-level, with some actual successful free agent courting.

      3. Bring in Nikola Mirotic from Real Madrid, a rising star in Europe. He’s your typical European 4 (6’10) but shoots the 3, and seems pretty athletic from youtube videos. I think he comes in at around a mid-level salary of 5mil not the rookie salary.

      4. Trade Luol or let him go to free agency and then you have 14mil in salary. In addition to Boozer’s amnesty you have around 25mil, if that’s how it works?? (might need your help here!). Let’s say you have 15mil to chase for a free agent or in trade. We still have the Bobcats’ pick which is unprotected in 2016, so could prove pretty useful. So in fantasy land we package Luol, plus pieces and the pick for then man we should have had all along…..LaMarcus Aldridge! (stay with me here!)

      So ready to lineup for the 2014-15 season is:

      PG Rose (18mil)
      SG Evans (5mil mid-level)
      SF Mirotic (5mil)
      PF Aldridge (15mil)
      C Noah (13mil)

      Bench: Taj (8mil), Jimmy Butler (2mil), Marquis Teague (1mil), ~pick 20 in the 2013 draft SG/SF (850k), vet min C/PF (1mil), vet min SG/SF (1mil).

      Coach: Thibs

      Total salary around 61 mil so around 3 mil over which will keep Reinsdorf happy (the exceptions don’t count right?).

      And I know half my bench don’t have names but that’s really how much I think we need to re-tool and blow things up!

      So is Adelman your coach of the future for you guys?

      Bit of a tangent, but what about the logo and unis? You like to stick with them?

      • naturalbornanalysts 9:43 pm on September 9, 2012 Permalink | Reply

        Nice. I like it, but youre two biggest problems would be trying to pry Aldridge from Portland… just dont see them letting him go. And there is no way Tyreke only gets paid the mid level. Someone will throw money at him… he is getting at least 10 mill a season. You have backloaded all your contracts which always makes things a little more difficult when trying to unload guys, but the bonus is that once you unload Deng’s 14.3M and Boozer’s 15.3M you have 28.6M, so you could still chase REKE if you want.
        That bobcats pick is very nice, even as a trade chip, I think there would be a lot of takers.
        What if you could package that with an expiring boozer for a young stud like Monroe (and some other junk?) I guess it depends a lot on the strength of the draft and if you think you can draft immediate help.
        Anyway, we both agree Chi-town is in need of a shake up.

        Im happy with the wolves logo and uniforms. We changed them a lot over the last 5-10 years so I would like to just see us stay put. Have any teams had major overhauls this season?

        I saw the Knicks have “new” ones, which I think are a joke. Either go Retro or try something new.

        NEW:

        OLD:

        • jk41 3:40 pm on September 11, 2012 Permalink

          Maybe something like an OJ Mayo instead of Reke if it doesn’t work out in Dallas….someone, anyone who can create their own shot!

          I reckon the classic teams like the Lakers, Bulls, C’s, Knicks should always carry their original uniforms. Not a big fan of advertising going on uniforms either but almost every sporting league around the world does it.

          I guess we can clearly tell that the T’Wolves look in better shape in the short term future at least. I definitely needed a lot more imagination and a couple more years to even assemble a team to compete again. Let alone chemistry, injuries etc.

          Although luck can always fall your way so you never know. Sometimes, you only need 1.7%.

  • jk41 10:10 am on August 5, 2012 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Chicago Bulls, DPOY, , , MVP, , Offseasons, ROY,   

    Talkin' courtside 

     

    Alright, let’s kick this off!

    Welcome to Courtside Notes, where we talk NBA and basketball in general. Me and my buddy over at Natural Born Analysts aka NBA (naturalbornanalysts.wordpress.com – follow!) talk NBA over email, whatsapp, in person, facebook etc. we thought it’d be fun to make a blog out of it.

    For the record, I follow Chicago, while NBA goes for Minnesota, so there might be some elevated Bulls/Wolves talk but we’ll try to keep it league wide.

    Seeing as this is the first edition, I think we should open it up and see how we go, so here’s a few starters:

    • NBA Offseason – best/worst moves, Dwight
    • Olympics – do we care?, send or don’t send NBA players next Olympics
    • Next season – early calls on who’s breaking out, which teams are rising, which are falling

    and any other business…

    …take it away!

     

     

    • naturalbornanalysts 5:00 am on August 22, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      Best moves of the season… I guess there is a case for a few… notably Lakers STEALING Dwight and picking up Nash, Philly acquiring Bynum, and obviously the Brooklyn Nets trying to buy anything with two legs (except Brook Lopez) and half a basketball brain.
      But I think a lot of people are sleeping on how nice of an addition Iggy is for the Nuggets. He is easily as good as AA on the defensive end, and obviously a more explosive player, particularly in transition on the offensive end. While they will miss Harrington’s scoring off the bench, you would be happy to see that contract go. Timofey had a nice Olympic tournament and will look to improve, McGee could finally reach his potential in the free Karl system, and if the Manimal continues to improve… watch out West.
      Another few nice pick ups for teams:
      -Scola to Phoenix… best player to ever be amnestied…can see him working nicely with Dragic.
      -Boston adding Jason Terry and C.Lee, and resigning Jeff Green sures them up nicely after the departure of Ray to the heat.
      -Miami picking up two amazing long ballers who will knock down wide open threes all day as LBJ penetrates and kicks.
      -Dirk… should be pretty upset at Cuban thinking he can replace Terry and Kidd with OJ Mayo, Brand and Chris Kaman (actually he might be happy to see his somewhat-German-brethren again).
      -I really like Golden State (provided they are healthy) and the addition of Landry only sures them up even more… I think they will make a deep playoff push this year… maybe even do a Dallas to OKC/LAL??!!
      -Clips see the return of probably the most underrated player in the league in Mr. Billups, as well as the addition of veterans Crawford and Hill, which are some very nice additions considering they didnt lose much at all in Nick “Swaggy P” Young and Flop Evans.
      -Did I mention how stacked the Lakers are? add Jamison and Jodie Meeks to that list…
      -The Knicks replaced the money making machine with a combined 248 years of basketball experience and a chubby point guard…. it might work…
      -OKC and SAN.AN stayed as is (dont fix whats not broken)… its like big brother little brother with the under the radar signings…

      CHICAGO- Unfortunately I really think it could be a long season, even if Rose is back towards the start of the season, its well known that full mobility and confidence doesn’t come back for at least 24 months, and I really hope they dont rush him back, because to be honest, with boozer in there and a lack of a bench, they aren’t going anywhere near the first or second seed. I love Rose, Gibson, Luol, Noah, but the rest can be thrown out any day of the week. The addition of Kirk is nice because it might mean that Rose can sit at 2 a little bit and give teams something different to look at. But Robinson, Marco B, and Radmanovic (where the hell did you find this guy? I thought Phil Jackson sent him into orbit a few years ago…) just add nothing to an already under performing bench. I think its time for the Bulls to make some serious moves and that means everyone except Rose is on the block.

      MINNESOTA- Holding our collective breath on Rubio, in the same way that CHI-TOWN is for Rose. The only bonus is that Rubio was never an athletic point guard, so that may play into our hands of bringing him back a little earlier (yes, I’m going to refer to the Wolves as “us” and “we”… habit). We gave up on Wes (understandably) and B-easy (even more understandably), amnestied Darko (Thank God!) and didnt resign a few other un-notables. In the process of turning the team completely white (dont think Kahn wouldnt pull the trigger if a nice white guy came up for Williams), we added some nice pieces, who are under valued and (mostly) under paid. Chase gives some range and knows Adelman, Brandon Roy is a calculated risk, but is welcome any day of the week, and if the double Russians play anything like they did in the Olympics, the wolves are worthy of a league pass follow for sure. We still might not win enough games to make the playoffs, but we will be fun to watch and you can guarantee at least 27 alley attempts a game. Cant wait!

      So to end here are my standings for 2012/13

      East
      1. Heat
      2. Celtics
      3. Knicks
      4. Bulls
      5. Nets
      6. Pacers
      7. Philadelphia
      8. Bucks
      9. Cavaliers
      10. Magic
      11. Wizards
      12. Hawks
      13. Raptors
      14. Pistons
      76. Bobcats

      West
      1. Thunder
      2. Lakers
      3. Spurs
      4. Denver
      5. Clippers
      6. Memphis
      7. Warriors
      8. Timberwolves
      9. Mavericks
      10. Hornets
      11. Jazz
      12. Rockets
      13. Blazers
      14. Suns
      15. Kings

      • jk41 3:30 pm on August 22, 2012 Permalink | Reply

        Moves I liked:

        Lakers: Obvious the biggest of the offseason, and I think the most satisfying part of it is that it will really challenge the small ball concept of Miami should they eventually meet at the end. Dwight/Pau is a different beast as opposed to Perkins/Ibaka. I think if healthy they have to at least make the Finals with all the talent they have right?? And Pau’s gold medal game showed that he’s still got plenty left in the tank after he kinda tanked last season himself.

        Nuggets: I liked that Denver got Iggy as well. Afflalo was good last season but not as effective as the year before that. Ty Lawson, Iggy, Manimal, McGee, it’s a massively entertaining team on paper.

        Wolves: I’m intrigued by your team on paper, especially after the Olympic campaign from Kirilenko and Shved. Along with Budinger, Stiemsma and any other white guys you can find, it’s looking playoff like!

      • jk41 3:40 pm on August 22, 2012 Permalink | Reply

        Moves I didn’t like:

        Rockets: So they went all in….and now have Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik? As a Bulls fan, I totally hope they fall on their face after backloading all those deals so that the incumbent teams couldn’t possibly match. Karma will hopefully be a massive bitch!

        Bulls: We were hamstrung with the cap, but I don’t see why we had to dump the bench seeing as most of them had one year left on their deals anyway and then we sign all these other guys for 1-2 yr minimums. They’re definitely planning for a future without Boozer and possibly Deng in 2014, but are such tighasses that in the meantime, they’ll prob lose Taj to free agency next year. They still haven’t resigned Thibs either….yeah, its gonna be a looong season. Prepare for lots of bitching from me!

        Knicks/Nets: They love to burn cash up in NYC! Nets I’m actually okay with, because when they realized they couldn’t get Dwight, they moved to plan B which ended up pretty good. I thought the Knicks were stupid to let Lin go, given the money he would have made them. And it must definitely be time to euthanize Kidd right??

    • jk41 3:44 pm on August 22, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      So who you got as the following:
      a) Guy last year who was way BELOW their par and will make a big COMEBACK next season
      b) Guy last year who was way ABOVE their par and will make a big DROPOFF next season
      c) First coach fired?

      • naturalbornanalysts 7:33 am on August 23, 2012 Permalink | Reply

        Yeah definitely as a bulls fan you are happy to let Omer walk at that price.. he isnt starter quality.

        a) Can i answer Brandon Roy for this or is he ineligible? I think I will have to go with Pau on this one.. he didnt have a shocking season last year, but with the amazing looks he will get this year he is sure to shoot up the ladder of big men again.
        b) Got one name for you… ILYASOVA… no way he puts up those numbers again.
        c) Del Negro? haha but seriously… I think Skiles needs to get the bucks performing… and Avery Johnson will be in a pressure cooker if the Nets dont supply W’s for the cash they have spent.

        Who are you thinking for the three?
        And give me your ROY, DPOY, MVP, 6th too.

        • jk41 8:17 am on August 23, 2012 Permalink

          a) I’d call Roy ineligible, seeing as the last image I have of him is that playoff game he destroyed Dallas with. Argh I was gonna say Pau….I’d love to go out on a limb with someone like Tyreke Evans here, but he’s the kind of guy who might need a change of scenery before getting back to playing good ball again or even remotely interested. Our Aussie buddy Bogut could be in line for a fresh start, but then he was injured, so I might go with Lamar Odom. He’s back in LA, should be motivated after all the bs last season and can basically fill the jack of all trades again like he did with the Lakers. And if not, well, nothing wrong with being a reality TV husband. And by nothing I mean everything!

          b) Hahaha Ilyasova was my fantasy workhorse last year! I think Ryan Anderson could drop off given he got paid and no ones going to be collapsing in the lane with Dwight gone. Jeremy Lin is gonna have tough time in Houston as well trying to carry the team while all the other teams will go hard at him.

          c) Vinny should forever be on the hot seat to get fired. He’s lucked into such great talent but runs the same pick and roll set while planting guys in the corners for threes. I’d say Tyrone Corbin would be shaky, Doug Collins if Bynum is still a bit crazy, Mike Woodson after the Knicks lose 1 game and want the burn down MSG.

          ROY: Gonna go with the Brow here over MKG. The Brow’s got a bit more support in terms of talent which will make it look like he had more influence in wins. Plus an offseason with Kobe, Lebron, Durant and co is a pretty good training camp!

          DPOY: I think Dwight is gonna be busy with the blocks with all the quick guards slipping past Nash, Kobe and Artest. Gasol isn’t a huge rebounder so Dwight will still get his.

          MVP: If Lakers turn out to be number 1 seed, and Dwight’s in DPOY mode, does that put him in MVP category?!?! Or is there still too much hate out there for him? I think with Dwight it was more annoying rather than hatred we had for Lebron after The Decision. Although it is the press that vote for MVP (and there have been lots of them panning Dwight for his actions), how could you deny someone in DPOY form, pulling a 3rd seed up to 1st and still averaging the numbers he does?

          6th Man: I like Terry in Boston, although he might actually start. Taj Gibson might be called upon even more this year with Asik gone so he’s a good chance. And if Harden stays on the bench and has the same kind of year you couldn’t look past him.

        • naturalbornanalysts 1:05 pm on August 23, 2012 Permalink

          yeah I remember watching that game live, and remembering why i was so devastated when we traded him away on draft day… apparently his mum has still got the wolves hat from draft day.
          and this is cool too… to relive

          yeah I had kind of forgotten about Odom, he had dropped that far off the radar… you think he should at least get back to some resemblance of form.

          ROY, its going to be hard to look past the brow, but I think Beal will have a really strong year for Washington, and a guy like Perry Jones 3 for OKC or a Jared Sullinger for Boston could have big years because there is absolutely no pressure playing at the places they are playing, and are part of winning programs immediately…always enjoy a good rookie sleeper.

          DPOY: Serge? I thought he was stiff to miss out last year, even though a lot of his blocks are purely weakside rotation blocks… still i think he should be in the conversation.

          MVP: No i dont think that D12 can… unless he puts up Lebron numbers. But he is unlikely to be back before Christmas, so I really dont think he can be in the conversation this year… Lebron or Durant have my money. I think if OKC lock up 1 in the west again and Durant wins the scoring title four the fourth year running, it will be like an Oscar MVP for body of work.

          6th Man : I always find this the toughest to pick..sure Harden is there, Terry is there… Jamison might also be in the mix in laker land if he is off the bench… or Jamal Crawford for Flop City.

    • jk41 4:00 am on August 28, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      Forgot to close this post off, which we should always do…after all, you don’t leave without saying goodbye right?!

      I think what everyone loves about the NBA season is the surprises…so it’ll be interesting to see what sticks and what doesn’t of our predictions above.

      No doubt we’ll have plenty to talk about!

      JK

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