Moocow wrote:
Did you forget to mention that he's an All-Star caliber PG? Did you forget to mention that he can get to the rack with the best of them? And did you forget that Derrick Rose is a shoot first point guard? So what does that say about any of the rest of those guys getting any shots on your team? Are you seriously, seriuosly, ripping another team for having a shoot first PG? Dude...if you google shoot first PG's, Derrick Rose's picture is the one you'll see before Devin Harris. So where's that "dynasty" of yours huh?
Did you forget Devin Harris shot 44% 2 seasons ago and 40% last season? He hasn't exactly scored at a nice fg% since leaving Dallas. And the difference between Derrick Rose on my team and Devin Harris on your team is your team is full of players that need shots. Butler, Harris, Melo, and Aldridge. You have 4 players in your starting 5, who's best asset is scoring the ball. I have Derrick Rose and Zach Randolph. There are enough shots to go around and I guess you can add Oden too if you like. Oden is a young player who is still trying to get his feet wet. He wouldn't exactly demand shot attempts.
You mean when Carmelo averaged 26.5ppg, 4.9rpg, 2.7apg while shooting 48% from the field in 2005-2006 and 28.9ppg, 6.0rpg, 3.8apg while shooting 48% from the field in 2006-2007? It's also known as his best 2 of the best 3 statistical seasons he's ever had.
No, I mean the Carmelo Anthony that absolutely sucked in the playoffs with Andre Miller because he seen double and triple teams because none of his players could spread the floor for him. Surely if you watched Carmelo at any point in his career during the playoffs, you would have noticed that Andre Miller was actually a negative effect on Carmelo in the playoffs. You want to go ask Nuggets fans that? Carmelo was great with Miller in the regular season because Miller was a great passer and playmaker. Carmelo use to get 2-3 ally oops a game with Miller. The Nuggets no longer do that. In the regular season, no team comes up with a full gameplan to stop a team. In the playoffs when a team sole purpose is to defeating 1 team in a series, that is when their is a full gameplan made against the team. That is why Melo constantly struggled in the playoffs in his early years. Disagree all you want. Find me a Nugget fan that will tell me I'm wrong on this one.
Wait...let me guess...cuz Caron ain't gots no 3pt% he can't stretch the floor right? Good lord with the simpleton way of thinking how 'floors are stretched'. You do know that he can postup, he can hit spot up jumpers (actually one of his best skills) and he actually can also faciliate an offense. Hint: There's a reason that he was considered one of the most versatile players in the NBA a couple years back...it ain't just for his scoring. Of course you didn't.
Caron Butler is versatile? Who didn't know that? When did I disagree with that? That is besides the point. You have no 3 point shooters on the floor. Is that to hard to understand? It doesn't matter if Butler can post up or do whatever you claim, he doesn't space the floor for Carmelo. That was the point. A scorer and a shooter is two different things. You need shooters or scorers that can shoot next to Melo. Not just a versatile scorer. SMH. Find me a Nugget fan that disagrees with that.
Hmm....seems like he averaged 8rpg last season...is that not good enough? And boy for a guy that just takes jumpers 49.5% from the field sure is terrific ain't it? And 1.8 bpg in the playoffs came from him just standing around doing nothing on defense right?
8 rebounds per game from a power forward is suppose to be good enough? Aldridge doesn't crack the top 30 in rebounds per game. As for your blocking, Aldridge has averaged .6-1.2 bpg since he came into the league. That 1.2 came in his first 2 seasons. His last two seasons he averaged 1 bpg and .6 bpg in over 37 minutes per game. Are you really going to use his limited playoff games to prove a point? Haha. And he's a good jumpshooter. I didn't say anything was wrong with him being a jumpshooter. A jumpshooting big man is something Melo has lacked his whole career and he definitely needs it. I was just pointing it out that he's making 10+mil a year just to shoot jumpers.
And that's why we have Ibaka for...defense...rebounding...etc? It's called building a team...not just grabbing stuff.
Like I told you, I have no problem with Ibaka. Hes a good player.
And those Melo comments are nonsense. They really are. You ask for other GM's opinions and when they pretty much unanimously say that you're team is not top 5, you gripe and bitch about why other teams that people consistently rank top 5 aren't top 5. If you are so freaking concerned about what other GM's think, then take what they say and try to improve your team instead of insulting other teams to try to get yourself up higher.
Find me 1 time I complained with someone for not calling my team top 5. It has been very few that said my team isn't top 5, but they most definitely put me in the top 10 and that isn't a bad thing being that I have a young team and my goal was to build a team that has the chance to win multiple championships. Not just 1. To be honest, there hasn't been many anyone that said they didn't like my team. The only person I had a back and fourth with besides you is I Am Ra and we both agreed that my team is pretty damn good.
Ahh...the nba analyst say argument. NBA analyst also say that Wesley Johnson is a mild mannered player that will never be able to maximize his talents. You know that right?
Its cool that they said that. Do you see my team? In one of the Build A Team 4.0 discussion topics, I even mentioned how I don't need Wes to be a star. I don't need him to maximize his talents because of the players that are around him. I need him to rebound, defend, and shoot. Those are 3 things he does very well and that is all I need from him. He's already 22 years old so its not like he has to develop a ton before I throw him out there.
Marvin Williams is a bust and yet he's better than any of the guys on your bench. So what does that say about your bench? A bench of busters? To which...that's what you have.
What? Where? When? Haha. Marvin Williams isn't better than Richard Jefferson. Marvin Williams isn't better than Reggie Williams. Marvin Williams and Marcin Gortat play two totally different positions, but find me 5 people that would want Marvin Williams over Marcin Gortat at that salary. Marvin Williams is better than every player on my bench? Haha.
You have a GROSSLY OVERPAID Richard Jefferson looking like crap. You have Delonte West who is about two bulbs short and half a straw from flipping out, who's just been suspended by the NBA. A chucker in Reggie Williams. A lamp post in Joe Smith...I'll ask again...you do realize it's 2010-2011 right? Joe Smith is DONE FOR. There were a TON, A TON, of guys that would have made much better sense than Joe Smith left and you passed by them all. Good lordy. And then there's Marcin Gortat who you better hope can actually play a LOT cause with Oden there he'll finally get the wish he hasn't had in Orlando behind Dwight Howard.
I needed a veteran small forward that can play basketball. I got that. Richard Jefferson's contract is horrible, BUT how does that affect my team in a negative way? I can still compete now. I still have a cap friendly team. I still have a team that can sign a big free agent in the next season. How is his contract hindering my team? It doesn't. That's why it doesn't matter. Reggie Williams is a chucker. That's great. Isn't that a good thing that he is coming off the bench, can shoot, and can score at a very efficient clip? JR Smith, Jason Terry, Leandro Barbosa, and Jamal Crawford. Those are 4 guys usually in the running for 6th man of the year. All of of those guys get their shots up, right? Joe Smith is backing up Zach Randolph. Him playing 10 minutes a game behind Z-Bo isn't going to be the difference on how far my team goes. He's a decent backup for 10 minutes a game. And as far as Marcin Gortat, that is why I drafted him. I guess this is his big opportunity. Haha.
So Devon Harris is just a chucking PG, but Derrick Rose is a proven stud? He ain't no chucking PG too? Why's that? Cuz he's on your team?
Derrick Rose scores at a 48% clip and Harris has scored at 43% since joining the Nets. These are over the last 2 seasons, by the way. Call Rose a chucker. He's still efficient, in which his chucking wouldn't exactly be a bad thing. The same can't be said for Harris. And once again, you have Harris on a team with players that want their shots. I don't have to players next to Derrick Rose.
And Zach Randolph is suddenly mister studly?
Oh for the love of pete. Why? Because he made an All-Star team? Devon Harris has been an All-Star. Caron Butler's been an All-Star. How come you didn't mention that earlier? I know...because if they ain't All-Stars on your team then they aren't real. Only guys on your team are real All-Stars right?
Its been years ago since Butler has been an All Star and I called him a good player. Harris made the allstar 2 seasons ago and he's a good player. I criticized you for picking those 2 players on a team with Carmelo, as I felt they weren't the best compliments. Oh and Zach is a stud because he gets 20/10, efficiently, AND is on a contract season. They do say that players have their best years in their contract season, don't they?
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...and a backup starting at SG.
You're the only one who would argue that Pietrus isn't a capable starting shooting guard. Its ridiculous. Haha.
And he's NBA ready how? You do know that analysts say that he's too mild mannered and unassuming to ever be able to be an impact player right?
You do know that when a player is older, they usually say they're NBA ready...Right? You do know that he can shoot, defend, he's athletic, and he hustles right? Those aren't things that translates to the NBA game. I'm not asking for him to become a scorer. He's being asked to be an energy guy that can shoot the floor. Ala Shawn Marion. He doesn't have to be exactly Marion, nor does he have to reach his potential. He is just being asked to fill a role.
When healthy? That's like me saying about Eddy Curry, when he's not fat, he's a top notch post player. And you honestly don't think a 22 year old that can't stay healthy is a positive (because he's only 22?? I can understand it if it's a 35 year old, but he's ONLY 22 and he's already had multiple MAJOR surgeries on his knees. The fact that he's only 22 IS THE MAIN REASON why this he's a HUGE RISK. A 22 year old shouldn't be having all these physical problems!!!!
Oden being healthy is a big question mark. I said that repeatedly since I drafted him. What more do you want me to say? He's not a huge risk because his contract isn't that long. He's not a huge risk because he's still young and I have a capable backup behind him. At worse, he'll be a guy that can protect the paint. No matter how you look at it, this isn't a huge risk. I don't have to keep him. He has a very friendly contract. Getting rid of him would open up cap space for next season. Once again, I know we aren't doing multiple seasons with this, but its the thought process behind it. You either build a team to win now or you build a team that looks to be impressive in the future. My team fits under both and this is why the reward outweighs the risk of drafting Oden.
He's also a nutjob that just got suspended by the NBA and is one more nutjob away from being exiled to Timbuktu. You do know that right? Of course you didn't. Word of advice, keep him away from Derrick Rose's mom.
Haha. I knew this was going to be mentioned. That's ok though. Its not like West is one of the most important players on the team. I want him here, but I'm fine without him. One step towards Ms. Rose and he's a goner.
He's a CHUCKER that was allowed to CHUCK in Nelson's CHUCKATHON offense. He can't play defense (funny that you mention my guys as can't play defense but not yours...why's that?).
When I was discussing my team, I put that some of my players play good defense. If they're not exactly the best defender, I didn't mention it. Wasn't that obvious? And this chucker scored efficiently. I don't need him coming in and being the best defender. He is backing up Pietrus because I want him to come off the bench and score. He's my main bench scorer. His job is to chuck.
Jefferson has looked like crap.
Jefferson has looked like crap on the Spurs. The 3 seasons prior to going to SA, he has shown that he can score and shoot at a nice clip. I'm not going to use 1 season to write him off.
So Zach Randolph is going to play 48 minutes at PF? And spread the floor with his jumpshot? Dude...he shot less than 40% from the floor last season. Heck, Ian Mahinmi is better at "spreading the floor" than him and believe me that's an insult to Joe Smith and not a complement for Mahinmi.
Joe Smith will see very limited minutes on this team. 10 minutes at that and I can always go small ball. He wasn't picked because he was a great player. He was picked because he's a solid veteran player that can hit a jumper. He shot 3x a game last season. Look at all of the seasons prior to that. Look how efficient he was. Haha. He's a decent player.
Speaking of which...since I seem to have forgotten to...you do realize that Mahinmi actually was extremely productive (A LOT MORE THAN JOE SMITH) when he actually got minutes right? And Mahinmi's my 3rd string PF/C. Not to mention Mahinmi's a MUCH BETTER defender, MUCH YOUNGER and MUCH MORE UPSIDE (not hard since the last time Joe Smith had any upside it was probably for breakfast when he asked for his eggs sunny side up). Admit it, you wasted the pick on him. Stop trying to sugar coat a mistake.
Ian sucks and your other big is old, and your starting pf isn't that good. I can get by with Joe Smith as the backup pf. You can't get by with that frontline you have. Joe Smith was a 11th round pick. How did I waste a pick on him? He's a cheap, veteran, backup pf. What did I waste? Haha.
And you're going to need him with Oden there.
But hold on....did you just say he "can fill in at center (for Oden) and we won't miss much"? Are you saying that Gortat is almost as good as Oden when healthy (to which a big hearty LOL) or are you saying that Oden isn't that good?
Its a saying. You know when a player goes down and another player comes in and play well, its said that the team didn't miss a beat? That is what I meant by it. Oden>>Gortat when healthy. But without Oden and with Gortat, we will still be a good team. I mentioned throughout how Oden is the difference between a deep playoff run and a short playoff run. But with or without Oden, this is a playoff team.
If you're not relying on Oden to anchor your team then what kind of a team do you have? The ONLY REASON you're team would be a top notch team is IF Oden is healthy. Why? Cause IF HEALTHY he's a potent defensive presence. Without Oden your team is basically Zach Randolph and Derrick Rose chucking you to wins. Which...is hardly something to get excited about.
I just discussed this above. This is a playoff team with or without Oden. We don't exactly have to win this year, but with Oden we very well can. The team is still young. Its not like its now or never for us.
Oh please...it wasn't a little jab. You've been yapping about the Heat as "Melo and nothing else" whenever other GM's (your peers) have said that your team is not as good. Why can't you just accept that? Or maybe this is a consipiracy and they're all against you? Yeah, that must be it. They jealous!!!
A little jab as in a cheap shot I've been taking at you since we started this thing. It was my way of criticizing your team as I've been vocal about saying Melo will come to Denver next season. It was basically me saying my team has a team in place that will make a great supporting cast to him, unlike yours. If everyone is calling your team a top 5 team, then I can't say your team sucks. My point was to say Melo will have more help in Denver. It was all in fun. Nothing serious.
"Feed the Beast"? If you're referring to Randolph as the Beast then wow...just wow. If Randolph is a Beast then half the team's have Godzilla's on their team. Randolph is a chucker, always have been, always will be. One season on a good team making him look good doesn't change things. Or have you forgotten his Knick days?
Zach Randolph isn't the reason this team failed and Zach Randolph definitely wasn't a bad player when he was here. Once again you're calling him a chucker/blackhole. Once again, him being a shot nut isn't exactly bad for this team. On this team he doesn't have to compete for shots. He scored at a 49% clip his last 2 seasons. If he will put up 20/10 on 49% shooting on this team, then he can get his shots.
You simply wrote to much for me to respond to the rest. If you guys want me to tone down the talking, I'll do that. It was all in fun and even with the guys I went back and fourth with, I've never said their team wasn't good. The only team I heavily criticized was 2010's LA team and even then I still have his team as a top 5 team in the West. Next time Moocow, please don't write so damn much. I come here to read things for fun. I don't come here to read 200 page books. Haha. We still cool, right?
