2013 NBA Playoffs Discussion Board

[RunSunRun]

**** the Spurs, damn lucky bastards always get matched up against terrible coaches. D'Antoni and now Mark "Hand down, Man Down" Jackson.

Getting some serious PTSD flashbacks of the Spurs, ugh,

Also lilfishi, Rose is the one who keeps the focus on him. Just look at this quote, this is literally from the Wiretap today.

Rose : "Still up in the air. I might have a chance," Rose said. Rose has been scrimmaging 5-on-5 since Feb. 18 and has been medically cleared to play for two months, but he still doesn't feel confident that his body is ready for game action.

Its this back and forth between not being sure if he can return or not that is killing fans, just make a decision. It's all mental at this point, he's cleared medically and if he wants to play, he can. Its reminding me of Dwight Howard's flip flopping. Just come out and make a decision.

I think fans would be LESS upset if he just came out and said he won't return this season, at least then the focus is off of him and everyone can just cheer for the Bulls to go as far as possible. As it is, there is just this cloud overhanging the entire series of whether or not Rose will return and what impact he will have.

[lilfishi22]

It takes two to tango and to put all the blame on Rose is ridiculous. The guy is trying to get back mentally and he's just being truthful about the struggle to get back on the court. It's the media that's putting this much focus on this topic and it's them who control the angle of their writing. If nobody asks him anything, there would be nothing to write about but it's the media's job to prod and probe for every little tidbits of information.

In the end, it's the guys on the court who are the most affected and they are playing with the belief that they are just as good without him. They would love him to be back on the court but with how disciplined they are and the culture of toughness they have built, they've learnt not to rely on his return.

Thibodeau distinguished between Rose’s career-threatening anterior cruciate ligament tear and the injuries bothering his teammates.

“It requires time. He’s 24 years old. We’re not going to rush him back,” Thibodeau said. “If that means we wait another game, if that means we wait until next year, so be it. We want him completely comfortable and we’re not going to make that mistake.

“Derrick owes it to do what’s right, and the more I’m around him, the more I’m impressed with this guy’s character. He’s not being swayed by anybody. I would never question him, ever.”

Hinrich said Rose should not succumb to outside pressure.

“We don’t feel that way,” Hinrich responded. “It has been a very difficult year for Derrick. I’m not one to speak on how anybody else’s body feels. We know what kind of guy he is and what kind of teammate he is.”

Recently from Noah

“Derrick’s a brother,” Noah told reporters. “And to see him go through this is tough, but at the end of the day, it’s really funny how quick people are to judge. But people don’t know what it’s like to lead a team, especially after you tore your ACL.

“If you tore your ACL and you have to be the starting point guard and have the expectations that Derrick has, then maybe you can judge, but everybody who hasn’t been in that situation before should really shut up because I feel like it’s just so unfair to him and to his team. We’re fighting, and everybody’s going to just (bleep) on somebody who’s been giving so much to this organization. It’s crazy to me.”.

I would never question Nash's resolve to get back on the court if he says he's not ready. I'd give the same benefit of the doubt to Rose.

[mixerball]

Short version, either suit up or shut it down, stop with this "maybe or maybe not" back and forth.

short version, he has to answer media questions

[grumpysaddle]

Klay Thompson is going off. 26pts in the first half. 6-7 3FGs.

[grumpysaddle]

Nevermind... jeesus. 7 of 8 now.

[bigfoot]

Spurs big three looking old. Lucky to have the series tied at 1-1. I think Golden States young legs take this series. Hope the Stern dynasty starts crumbling.

[rsavaj]

I consider their dynasty already crumbled. They haven't won the title(or hell, even played in the Finals) since The Suspensions. That's 6 years now. Sure, they'll keep winning 50 games every year, and they'll make a few trips to the WCF from time to time, but as long as LeBron is on Miami, they're not winning the championship in the forseeable future.

[thamadkant]

These Bulls are showing so much heart, its winning me over as a fan of good basketball. It just sucks that they have a healthy prima donna sitting on their bench who tries to keep all the media focus on him still.

I think that is totally unfair. Rose is probably one of the most humble NBA players in the league and from his demeanor he'd more likely shy away from the media attention than actively seek it out. With a major injury like the one that he suffered, the last thing you want is to be constantly thinking about when you're on the court. His team mates and coach fully support him taking his time and as do majority of fans.

Rose is doing exactly what he NEEDS to do for himself and for the Chicago Bulls.. LONG TERM.


They have little chance to beat the Heat, even with Rose... he'd be rusty and low confidence on his knee..

Look at Shumpert, rushing back players with knee injuries prior, are a big risk.... as some said.. it is indeed a 2 year injury... 1 year for the new ACL to bond, another year to get the knee structure to internally heal and regain strength around the area.

Rushing back would endanger his career.... he wants a 15 year career.. not a 7-8 year one.

[DRK]

I think Rose has proved enough through his career that would die for the game of basketball.

If he cant play, he cant play. The team doctor's arent the ones on the ocurt grinding it out. It's up to each his own. If he could play, he would play.

[bigfoot]

OKC fan base starting to bad mouth their GM and ownership for trading Green and Harden. They don't like Perkins and Martin just can't replace the offense of Westbrook like Harden could.

[RunSunRun]

OKC fan base starting to bad mouth their GM and ownership for trading Green and Harden. They don't like Perkins and Martin just can't replace the offense of Westbrook like Harden could.

Yep, for all the positive accolades Presti gets, he screwed the pooch with Perkins and the Harden trade. Could even say with not taking on Tyson Chandler as well.

Still can't believe they didn't trade for a center during the trade deadline this past season, we were willing to give up Gortat and instead they opt to hold onto Lamb and the Toronto lotto pick. I know there is a bit of hypocrisy here since the Suns were notorious for giving away lotto picks during our SSOL era, but this would be trading for a vast upgrade at the center position, not just selling a pick for cash money.

[ASU MVP]

OKC fan base starting to bad mouth their GM and ownership for trading Green and Harden. They don't like Perkins and Martin just can't replace the offense of Westbrook like Harden could.

Yep, for all the positive accolades Presti gets, he screwed the pooch with Perkins and the Harden trade. Could even say with not taking on Tyson Chandler as well.

Still can't believe they didn't trade for a center during the trade deadline this past season, we were willing to give up Gortat and instead they opt to hold onto Lamb and the Toronto lotto pick. I know there is a bit of hypocrisy here since the Suns were notorious for giving away lotto picks during our SSOL era, but this would be trading for a vast upgrade at the center position, not just selling a pick for cash money.

Yeah, he really dropped the ball on the Harden trade. He was doing such a great job and then he just dismantled everything he built with a couple idiotic moves. I feel bad for Durant too, I really like him and I wanted him to win many championships until our team finally becomes relevant again. But their team as currently constructed can never get past Miami at this point. I never understand why teams that are so close to a championship decide to move key players to save some salary when they would make much more money by winning a championship and all the benefits and exposure that comes with it, as well as making your fans happy. It's a shame, hopefully OKC ownership learns from this. Idiots

[Sun Scorched]

I appreciate the opinions on Rose - to each his own.

But if he is participating in full scrimmages and dunking, he's available for live action. His decision not to play is just that, his decision, but this whole "mentally" prepared BS is just that, BS.

[ASU MVP]

I appreciate the opinions on Rose - to each his own.

But if he is participating in full scrimmages and dunking, he's available for live action. His decision not to play is just that, his decision, but this whole "mentally" prepared BS is just that, BS.

Derrick Rose is a joke. He used to be my favorite non-Suns player with Durant. And now his jersey that I have of him belongs in the trash. I honestly can't believe the guy, any competitor would die to get on the court and help their team in the playoffs, yet this one sits out 2 more Months after he was medically cleared to play. He is a joke and has lost all of my respect. He should have returned after the huge game 1 win over Miami, or at the very least play a few minutes in game 3 on their homecourt and give a huge emotional boost to the team and fans which would have definitely helped. And the worst part was how he kept stringing everyone along constantly saying that he could return soon, when he knew damn well that he was not coming back. He deserves no respect after this pathetic carnival show. Brandon Roy destroyed his career by trying to play at 50% and help his team, Kobe plays through almost every injury, Nash played through a crippled back, even Dwight Freaking Howard played through a severe shoulder injury. I have never seen an instance like this where a player is this selfish, un-competitive, and has the audacity to lie to everyone and string along the fans the entire way. He really used that "muscle memory" excuse too? Gtfo! I am donating my D-Rose jersey to the homeless, and even they will probably throw it away.










Enough said

[Sun Scorched]

The Brandon Roy comparison is shockingly spot on.

[thamadkant]

The hate on OKC FO is a bit unfair..

they didnt plan for having Westbrook being out...

Harden was due for an 80 Million dollar contract.... and OKC had him off the bench as part of their strategy.

Could they have gotten more for him? Maybe.

But that Raptor's pick, they probably expected to be higher than pick 12, thats for sure.... And Jeremy Lamb could be a very good 6th man off them within the next 1-2 seasons.

[lilfishi22]

The hate on OKC FO is a bit unfair..

they didnt plan for having Westbrook being out...

Harden was due for an 80 Million dollar contract.... and OKC had him off the bench as part of their strategy.

Could they have gotten more for him? Maybe.

But that Raptor's pick, they probably expected to be higher than pick 12, thats for sure.... And Jeremy Lamb could be a very good 6th man off them within the next 1-2 seasons.

I wonder what how things would be if they moved Westbrook instead of Harden and played Harden as a combo guard. Ever since last season, I've thought Harden was the better offensive player and much better facilitator than Westbrook. But I'm biased as I'm not a fan of Westbrook's style of play.

[ASU MVP]

The hate on OKC FO is a bit unfair..

they didnt plan for having Westbrook being out...

Harden was due for an 80 Million dollar contract.... and OKC had him off the bench as part of their strategy.

Could they have gotten more for him? Maybe.

But that Raptor's pick, they probably expected to be higher than pick 12, thats for sure.... And Jeremy Lamb could be a very good 6th man off them within the next 1-2 seasons.

Could be. But the other factors that are intertwined were that 1) Trading Harden for a rookie that won't produce immediately and a future pick in a weak class knocked them out of the title hunt for the near future. And it's not even a guarantee that either asset they acquired will help them even near the amount of a James Harden, if ever.
2) They pretty much chose Kendrick Perkins and his ridiculous contract over Harden. If they really wanted to go all in, they could have packaged a few picks, cash and Perkins to another team to take him and keep Harden. They chose not to go that route. OKC could have gone over the cap to keep all 4 of Durant, Westbrook, Harden and Ibaka due to bird rights. Then you add in the MLE and LLE exceptions that they would get every year and that is a potential dynasty in the making once D-Wade falls off the map(which is happening quickly).

IMO the Jeff Green trade was bad, but the Harden trade was absolutely Devastating for them, absolutely devastating. Imo those two moves deserve the criticism they are getting but especially the Harden move. Lamb and their 12th pick could blossom a few years down the road, but for now, their title hopes are pretty much non-existent with a healthy Miami squad on the opposing side

[ASU MVP]

The hate on OKC FO is a bit unfair..

they didnt plan for having Westbrook being out...

Harden was due for an 80 Million dollar contract.... and OKC had him off the bench as part of their strategy.

Could they have gotten more for him? Maybe.

But that Raptor's pick, they probably expected to be higher than pick 12, thats for sure.... And Jeremy Lamb could be a very good 6th man off them within the next 1-2 seasons.

I wonder what how things would be if they moved Westbrook instead of Harden and played Harden as a combo guard. Ever since last season, I've thought Harden was the better offensive player and much better facilitator than Westbrook. But I'm biased as I'm not a fan of Westbrook's style of play.

If I understand the Bird rule correctly, they could have re-signed all of their 4 core players and went over the cap if they wanted to. But they chose saving money instead of competing for championships (not 100% sure on that though)

[lilfishi22]

Derrick Rose is a joke. He used to be my favorite non-Suns player with Durant. And now his jersey that I have of him belongs in the trash. I honestly can't believe the guy, any competitor would die to get on the court and help their team in the playoffs, yet this one sits out 2 more Months after he was medically cleared to play. He is a joke and has lost all of my respect. He should have returned after the huge game 1 win over Miami, or at the very least play a few minutes in game 3 on their homecourt and give a huge emotional boost to the team and fans which would have definitely helped. And the worst part was how he kept stringing everyone along constantly saying that he could return soon, when he knew damn well that he was not coming back. He deserves no respect after this pathetic carnival show. Brandon Roy destroyed his career by trying to play at 50% and help his team, Kobe plays through almost every injury, Nash played through a crippled back, even Dwight Freaking Howard played through a severe shoulder injury. I have never seen an instance like this where a player is this selfish, un-competitive, and has the audacity to lie to everyone and string along the fans the entire way. He really used that "muscle memory" excuse too? Gtfo! I am donating my D-Rose jersey to the homeless, and even they will probably throw it away.

Brandon Roy is exactly the reason why Rose doesn't want to get back before he feels 100%. You are asking him to risk his career and the Bulls a superstar player, just to satisfy you for a few more games.