NBA Free Agency

[JoeyBoy718]

I'm not a Mavs fan at all but I like the moves they've made this offseason. I think this year, more than ever, the champion will come out of the West. No team in the East even has a shot. The Mavs were the closest team to beat the Spurs last year and they got significantly better. I like the Tyson Chandler signing. He just seems to work in Dallas. Not sure why he ever left. And Parsons is a big upgrade over Marion, although I think Marion is the most underrated player of the past 15 years. I don't like them losing Calderon because I thought he was a very underrated PG, but I like Jameer Nelson.

 

[RonSpringsdaman20]

Born and raised in SA..............Silver and Black runs through my veins.

But seriously, a lot of pro teams are not underdogs, they are underachievers. They wallow in misery, year after year..........poor management, coaching, and player personnel.

When Houston won in 95, they were underdogs. They were a 6th seed (mainly cause of injuries and player movement during the season). But, even though they won the title the year before, they had a subpar regular season. They found a hot streak (at least Hakeem did) and they rode that to the title. They beat at least 3, if not 4 teams with superior records on the way to the title.

When the Giants beat the Pats to end the perfect season, they were underdogs. They squeaked into the playoffs and beat 4 teams with better records all while on the road, including the unbeatable Pats.

But Cleveland is no underdog.......just a mangy, filthy, stray mutt, that festers in some back alley year after year.

I think having David Robinson get hurt, than drafting Tim Duncan canceled all that underdog talk... but whatever motivates...
management did have the insight to build a team of Euro guys who have chemistry/common ground, and sign character guys who take contracts that allow them to continue to win, respect to that. (not to mention pop is the man, and pounced on the chance to exodus Bob Hill...) Its like I said in the fan zone about our boys.... chemistry starts at the top.....
Respect to the...... "underdogs"...hahaha.....

 

[RonSpringsdaman20]

I'm not a Mavs fan at all but I like the moves they've made this offseason. I think this year, more than ever, the champion will come out of the West. No team in the East even has a shot. The Mavs were the closest team to beat the Spurs last year and they got significantly better. I like the Tyson Chandler signing. He just seems to work in Dallas. Not sure why he ever left. And Parsons is a big upgrade over Marion, although I think Marion is the most underrated player of the past 15 years. I don't like them losing Calderon because I thought he was a very underrated PG, but I like Jameer Nelson.

I don't know about no shot.... lets see what happens... Cleveland (based on further moves) and Chicago are threats..... but again.... lets see... the season is a few months away...

 

[RonSpringsdaman20]

sixers sign Pierre Jackson despite him tearing his achilles in the summer league...
I'm happy for him. I hope it pays off in spades..... all you texas boys know how good he can be... the man is an animal.....

Go Sixers!!!!!!

 

[RonSpringsdaman20]

Then why does anyone with a legit shot at going pro even bother with college, if the coaching is so good, and the competition is stronger? Why go to college when none of the guys who go pro graduate when they can go over seas to get paid?

well here is one answer....

Gary Parrish ‏@garyparrishcbs 1m
Here's a new twist to Class of 2015 star Skal Labissiere's recruitment: "Overseas is an option," he told @cbssports. Column to come.


this may become a habit.

 

[Biggems]

Milwaukee is building a team, too bad they have Kidd as their coach. Atlanta is improving, but was dumb for trading the rights to Ennis to Miami last year. Washington looks good, as does Toronto. I see NJ going backwards, NY falling off a bit, Detroit remaining at the bottom, Boston missing the playoffs, Miami and Indy taking a step back. Charlotte was looking good, but lost McRoberts and then Utah matched the offer to Hayward. I see them taking a step back. Orlando should be near the bottom again. Philly will stink again. Cleveland will be improved. If Rose is healthy, the Bulls should be the favorite in the East.

 

[RonSpringsdaman20]

Milwaukee is building a team, too bad they have Kidd as their coach. Atlanta is improving, but was dumb for trading the rights to Ennis to Miami last year. Washington looks good, as does Toronto. I see NJ going backwards, NY falling off a bit, Detroit remaining at the bottom, Boston missing the playoffs, Miami and Indy taking a step back. Charlotte was looking good, but lost McRoberts and then Utah matched the offer to Hayward. I see them taking a step back. Orlando should be near the bottom again. Philly will stink again. Cleveland will be improved. If Rose is healthy, the Bulls should be the favorite in the East.

there is no nj, and relax with the "philly will stink" stuff..... they are on the right path.
cocky spurs fan...

 

[Biggems]

there is no nj, and relax with the "philly will stink" stuff..... they are on the right path.
cocky spurs fan...

I know there is no NJ, they moved to Brooklyn......but to hell with those fools, stealing the Spurs colors.

I'm not cocky, well yes I am, but I have a right to be. The Spurs rule.

As far as Philly goes, I was speaking about 2014-15. I was not talking about the longterm future of the team. So yes, Philly will stink. I am rooting for them to improve, as I like Brown from when he was a Spurs assistant. The very same reason I would like to see Atlanta get better, cause of Coach Bud.

Still, the West will once again be stacked, most likely with 10-11 teams at .500 or better, meanwhile the East will be lucky to have 6 teams at .500 or better.

 

[RonSpringsdaman20]

I know there is no NJ, they moved to Brooklyn......but to hell with those fools, stealing the Spurs colors.

I'm not cocky, well yes I am, but I have a right to be. The Spurs rule.

As far as Philly goes, I was speaking about 2014-15. I was not talking about the longterm future of the team. So yes, Philly will stink. I am rooting for them to improve, as I like Brown from when he was a Spurs assistant. The very same reason I would like to see Atlanta get better, cause of Coach Bud.

Still, the West will once again be stacked, most likely with 10-11 teams at .500 or better, meanwhile the East will be lucky to have 6 teams at .500 or better.

You are the basketball fan version of "peacocking" right now...

Take this to the Spurs thread....

it's never funny to mix up jersey with BK (although the Nets are more "chic" BK that "BK" BK.......)

anyway the sixers will not "stink" they will play exciting ball for a 30 win team.. and you will see them get better...... KJ McDaniels, MCW, Jordan McCray, & Nerlens Noel will dunk on a lot of folks in the process! Not to mention the amount of blocks NN & KJ will have..... Let's not forget Joel Embiid will win 'twitter feed of the year'!! May not be ready for primetime, but they will be a fun afternoon matinee!

Go Sixers!!!

 

[jterrell]

well here is one answer....

Gary Parrish ‏@garyparrishcbs 1m
Here's a new twist to Class of 2015 star Skal Labissiere's recruitment: "Overseas is an option," he told @cbssports. Column to come.


this may become a habit.

it should.
no reason for a top 5 recruit to play one year of college ball when the alternative is a million dollars overseas.

 

[jterrell]

Then why does anyone with a legit shot at going pro even bother with college, if the coaching is so good, and the competition is stronger? Why go to college when none of the guys who go pro graduate when they can go over seas to get paid?

The easy answer is habit.
AAU coaches try to get kids into colleges. That's what they sell parents and how they hope to attract college coaching jobs.
AAU exists to sell packets to college coaches at like 775 bucks a pop per tourney.

But top flight kids like Wiggins, Randle and Parker really only had something to lose.
It wasn't much to lose provided they stayed somewhat healthy but it was a million dollars and a few draft slots.

If you have a chance to go to college that is always a pretty cool experience for sure. But a one and done basketball player really has next to no true college experience. They get to campus and work nonstop towards bball until the collegiate season ends and then usually drop out to focus on draft preparation full time in another city. The draft prep is usually covered via loans instead of being funded by a paycheck since they are "amateurs" so they start out the career in minor debt.

If my child was a top 5 prospect coming out I'd look at Turkey, China and other quality Euro programs with sound fundamental coaching.
I'd want him to work one on one with a highly valued skills trainer but that would be paid for outside any agent involvement.
A million bucks tax free and overseas contracts often covering all expenses is a very real amount of money.
Guys get homesick and all that stuff but the same thing happens in college.

 

[jterrell]

Nice offseason for Dallas
Adding:
Tyson Chandler
Chandler Parsons
Al-Farouq Aminu
Jameer Nelson

Is pretty decent.

Add in the resigning of Dirk for peanuts and the Devin deal and it is an A off-season.
While it will never get the attention it would have had they signed Carmelo is was a better off-season if you just want to win games.

Nelson will really help with a sound basketball game all-around minus the porous defense of Calderon.

We will miss that Caldy jumper tho. That dude didn't even hit rim most of the time.

Aminu is interesting. He sucked a lot but he tore Dallas apart every time he played us.

 

[RonSpringsdaman20]

Add in the resigning of Dirk for peanuts and the Devin deal and it is an A off-season.
While it will never get the attention it would have had they signed Carmelo is was a better off-season if you just want to win games.

Nelson will really help with a sound basketball game all-around minus the porous defense of Calderon.

We will miss that Caldy jumper tho. That dude didn't even hit rim most of the time.

Aminu is interesting. He sucked a lot but he tore Dallas apart every time he played us.

I don't think Aminu sucked... I think his role wasn't defined. So much was expected out of him because he was such a high pick.....but the kid just don't have and never will have some of the offensive skill expected of a pick that high (gordon may have a similar issue).
When it comes to rebounding, defense, & transition... he will be very valuable.
Nelson should be a good replacement for Calderon's shooting...... they will miss Marion, but he is 36....

 

[Biggems]

I don't think Aminu sucked... I think his role wasn't defined. So much was expected out of him because he was such a high pick.....but the kid just don't have and never will have some of the offensive skill expected of a pick that high (gordon may have a similar issue).
When it comes to rebounding, defense, & transition... he will be very valuable.
Nelson should be a good replacement for Calderon's shooting...... they will miss Marion, but he is 36....

Aminu has almost no offensive game. However, he will crash the boards, try hard on defense, and hustle. He is a good addition to the Mavs.

I do honestly feel that the Mavs are reading too much into taking the Spurs to 7 in the first round. While, I do believe they may be a bit better, they are still not near the level of the Spurs and Thunder. I just feel there are a lot of question marks with this squad......and chemistry will take at least a few months.

I feel that they will definitely compete hard for the 2nd spot in the division with Memphis. Houston will be 3rd or 4th in the division, with Nawlins being the bottom feeder.

There aren't many free agents left, unless you count all the leftovers from the SL. So teams are pretty much set, with the exception of a few spots at the end of roster.

I have no clue about the East, but I am not afraid to rank the West.

Southwest
Spurs *
Mavs *
Grizzlies *
Rockets *
Pelicans

Midwest
Thunder *
Blazers *
Nuggets
Jazz
Wolves

Pacific
Clippers *
Suns *
Warriors
Lakers
Kings

* = playoff team

 

[JoeyBoy718]

Aminu has almost no offensive game. However, he will crash the boards, try hard on defense, and hustle. He is a good addition to the Mavs.

I do honestly feel that the Mavs are reading too much into taking the Spurs to 7 in the first round. While, I do believe they may be a bit better, they are still not near the level of the Spurs and Thunder. I just feel there are a lot of question marks with this squad......and chemistry will take at least a few months.

I feel that they will definitely compete hard for the 2nd spot in the division with Memphis. Houston will be 3rd or 4th in the division, with Nawlins being the bottom feeder.

There aren't many free agents left, unless you count all the leftovers from the SL. So teams are pretty much set, with the exception of a few spots at the end of roster.

I have no clue about the East, but I am not afraid to rank the West.

Southwest
Spurs *
Mavs *
Grizzlies *
Rockets *
Pelicans

Midwest
Thunder *
Blazers *
Nuggets
Jazz
Wolves

Pacific
Clippers *
Suns *
Warriors
Lakers
Kings

* = playoff team

Watch out for the pelicans this year. I'd swap them and the suns. But I could see them battling Dallas for the 8 seed

 

[Biggems]

Watch out for the pelicans this year. I'd swap them and the suns. But I could see them battling Dallas for the 8 seed

are you being serious or sarcastic? what is their projected starting lineup.....I know Davis and Asik will make a nice low post duo.

 

[RonSpringsdaman20]

holiday
gordon
evans
davis
asik...

dallas will be a top 5 seed... and will be a problem in the west...
and the GS is making the playoffs.

 

[JoeyBoy718]

are you being serious or sarcastic? what is their projected starting lineup.....I know Davis and Asik will make a nice low post duo.

I'm very serious. Injuries set them back last year. But they have a great young team.

PF - Anthony Davis, 21 years old, is gonna be the best player in the NBA in a few years. The future of the PF position. Stretches the floor on offense, shuts down the post on defense.

PG - Jrue Holiday, 24 years old, had a breakout year in Philly two years ago. Traded to NO for a top draft pick but only played 34 games last year. Great young PG in a PG driven league.

SG - Eric Gordon, 25 years old, was looking like a star for the Clippers but hasn't played much the past 3 seasons since being in NO. Played 64 games last year with pretty good numbers but not as good as when he was in LA. I don't know if he'll come back to form and live up to potential. We'll see.

SF - Tyreke Evans, 24 years old, it seems like so long ago when he had the best rookie season since Shaq while playing PG. Then Sacramento moved him to SG and then SF. Me may have peaked out in his rookie year but he still puts up decent numbers.

C - Omer Asik, 28 years old, great off the bench in Chicago and great in Houston before Dwight got there. Don't expect much on offense but great on defense. Didn't pair well with Dwight but I think he'll pair well with Davis since Davis is so versatile and will allow Asik to play more traditional center.

PF/C - Ryan Anderson, 26 years old, was good in Orlando and will come in for Asik to provide some offense at the big position

 

[RonSpringsdaman20]

I'm very serious. Injuries set them back last year. But they have a great young team.

PF - Anthony Davis, 21 years old, is gonna be the best player in the NBA in a few years. The future of the PF position. Stretches the floor on offense, shuts down the post on defense.

PG - Jrue Holiday, 24 years old, had a breakout year in Philly two years ago. Traded to NO for a top draft pick but only played 34 games last year. Great young PG in a PG driven league.

SG - Eric Gordon, 25 years old, was looking like a star for the Clippers but hasn't played much the past 3 seasons since being in NO. Played 64 games last year with pretty good numbers but not as good as when he was in LA. I don't know if he'll come back to form and live up to potential. We'll see.

SF - Tyreke Evans, 24 years old, it seems like so long ago when he had the best rookie season since Shaq while playing PG. Then Sacramento moved him to SG and then SF. Me may have peaked out in his rookie year but he still puts up decent numbers.

C - Omer Asik, 28 years old, great off the bench in Chicago and great in Houston before Dwight got there. Don't expect much on offense but great on defense. Didn't pair well with Dwight but I think he'll pair well with Davis since Davis is so versatile and will allow Asik to play more traditional center.

I'm not sure about gordon's dedication, and evans is out of position, although he's not a good shooter.
but yeh, they have talent, Davis is the man...... lets see if it comes together.... but it won't be dallas they will be battling if they are battling for 8th...

 

[jterrell]

various--

Dallas fans ARE making too much out of the Spurs series.
By the same token the Spurs are making too much out of winning the title.
They've never repeated so expecting to do so seems contrary to all evidence.
Especially with at best only the 4th or 5th best roster in basketball. (and that may be generous given Mills is out for a few months minimum)
They had no injuries of note last year.
They had 1500+ minutes out of their top 8 guys.
Duncan led the team with over 2100 minutes.

The Pelicans are going to be fun to watch but winning is probably a couple years away.
That is a really young team.

Aminu is a good fit for Dallas because they have scoring skill galore.
They needed a guy who can play ugly and is just a raw athlete.
He fits but how much Carlisle will pay a guy who isn't consistent is a huge question.
I think that is why they went Lewis first. --He is a stretch 4 and consistent if very limited at this point in his career.
I think with Aminu they can make Wright available at the trade deadline.

The Thunder are really talented but that team needs a coach who can install some confidence by winning late game match ups.
The give the ball to KD plan is not a bad one but it doesn't offer much belief in the coach.

GSW is a total wildcard. New coach and lotsa talent.

Teams are pretty close to set for the start of the year but in season trades are very likely this year as teams shift around trying to find a winning mix.