Around the NBA 4.0

[JDR720]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/WindhorstESPN/status/429463297487036416[/tweet]

[JDR720]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/WindhorstESPN/status/429464006097895424[/tweet]

[HornetJail]

Andrew "IDGAF" Bynum is still 500 times better than any other backup center they have. They could have just kept Plumlee instead of trading Plumlee, Green, and a 1st round pick for Scola.

[LamarMatic7]

Larry Legend better have one heck of a talk with him. It would be sad to see him mess their team up.

The potential is scary though. Reminds you of Bob McAdoo or Mychal Thompson coming off the bench for the 80s Lakers because of certain circumstances. Bynum also could be that over-qualified guy scoring for the Indy bench for 20 minutes per game.

[Diop]

I would have bet money that he was going to Brooklyn when he was released, especially seeing as it was around the time they got the injury money.

But I guess they have improved by playing small ball.

Also reinforces how little I know about the business, I never get these type of things right.

[BigSlam]

Has anyone been watching the Suns closely this season?

I'll admit that I haven't watched a full game of theirs this season so I am in the dark.

WTF is going on??? How is that rag tag roster 28 and 18?

I know that Dragic is having a good season, but there has to be more to it than just him.

What gives?

I've been praising them ever since the first week of the season. I even dedicated half of my column to them back in November. It feels so good now that I noticed how good they are at a point when they were barely over .500 (7-6 at the moment I wrote about them) and that they are still in the playoff run now in January.

Anyway, I think that I've praised them two or three times on this board as well but, yes, they're this year's young team that has absolutely bought in their coach's philosophy and are out there busting their ass out for Hornacek. Thus they usually out-hustle the other team.

They are well taught on the defensive end and I think that's what has got them here. They are great at defending the pick-n-roll, forcing the action to the side-lines (you know I love "ice") and not giving up open threes. Miles Plumlee has somehow been turned into a very good pick-n-roll defender and offers decent rim protection. Not only are they fundamentally sound though. They are very athletic and force a lot of turnovers just with the afore-mentioned hustle and athleticism. I just checked out that they are still leading the league in fast break points, as they did way back in November. Of course, Bledsoe and now the lone Dragic have a lot to do with that as well as they have mastered drives to the basket in the transition game.

On offense they just seem like a great example of the modern NBA team. Granted, the rest of the league didn't expect Plumlee, per example, to be this servicable but at the end of the day they have guys who can get the job done. Frye, who started off slowly, has been an awesome pick-n-roll threat being the stretch-4 he is. Plumlee is a good roll-man and can finish in the post as well. Almost all of the perimeter players can create their own shots and have a good long-range stroke. So they aren't shy about pushing the tempo a bit with their guards and firing away.

You guys really should watch them play. They are very very watch-able.

Thanks LM7. That was exactly what I was looking for.

I'm personally really happy for Green. I thought he seemed like a really nice kid going into his draft class. Super young and not ready but nice.

I remember reading about the way he was brought up and his Dad making him cut lawns to help teach him the value of hard work, earning money and respecting it.

It was a cool story.

I really wanted us to draft him. At one point I was ok taking him 5th overall and thought he would be a poor mans McGrady.

[LamarMatic7]

and so it does happen. Indy has signed Bynum.

[fatlever]

this is going to make it much tougher to root for indy in the playoffs.

[LamarMatic7]

this is going to make it much tougher to root for indy in the playoffs.

at the end of the day, you'll still root for them when they play against the Heat. and that's all that matters.

[fatlever]

this is going to make it much tougher to root for indy in the playoffs.

at the end of the day, you'll still root for them when they play against the Heat. and that's all that matters.

very true.

but IF they make it to the finals, i might opt for say the thunder, where previously, i might have pulled for the pacers.

that brings us to today's rankings

Fat's Playoff Rooting Rankings (based on current teams in playoffs)

1. charlotte
2. golden state
3. phoenix
4. san antonio
5. dallas
6. portland
7. atlanta
8. toronto - although the realgm fans might make them unbearable, it would be a fun story
9. washington
10. indiana
11. oklahoma city
12. chicago
13. houston
14. brooklyn
15. clippers
16. miami

[LamarMatic7]

wow. honestly, I couldn't rank them the same way you did. I can only separate them in tiers.

love:
charlotte

really really like:
memphis (hopefully they make it)

would definitely root for:
phoenix
san antonio
dallas
portland

likely to root for:
golden state
atlanta
indiana
chicago

mostly indifferent about:
toronto
washington
oklahoma city

wouldn't root for:
houston
brooklyn
clippers

please, don't win:
miami

[LamarMatic7]

It can get tricky though. Let's imagine a scenario where OKC and Phoenix are battling in a close Western conference finals, while Miami has already advanced in the East. At that point I might feel like OKC, about whom I'm mostly indifferent, would have a better shot at taking down the Heat than Phoenix. Thus, even though I like Phoenix more, I'd be okay with both teams winning since Oklahoma is a bigger threat in the finals. So stuff like that can come into play.

[fatlever]

agreed about memphis (and also minnesota for me). both would shoot up the rankings if they made it. i'd probably put both around #5

and you know me... i can rank anything. doesnt mean i wont change my rankings on a daily basis though.

[LamarMatic7]

haha, yes, I know.

we all should just rank things the next off-season.

[mrknowitall215]

Of all the teams currently in the playoff picture I'd root for...

1. Charlotte
2. Oklahoma City
3. San Antonio

...and everybody else I'm either indifferent about or would root against

[fatlever]

haha, yes, I know.

we all should just rank things the next off-season.

dont tempt me. i've been wanting to start a random ranking thread for a long time. haha.

[BigSlam]

Of all the teams currently in the playoff picture I'd root for...

1. Charlotte
2. Oklahoma City
3. San Antonio

...and everybody else I'm either indifferent about or would root against

Im with you mrknowitall215

[mrknowitall215]

Harrison Barnes' new brand: Bust?

Barnes began this season with a foot ailment, and he’s been, to put it bluntly, quite bad so far. It's not often that you’ll see a player with a 9.95 PER get so many opportunities. Jackson continues to post Barnes up as though his high-flying wing is Al Jefferson waiting to happen. The results have been miserable, mostly because Barnes claims neither the shooting ability nor passing vision to capitalize on frequent post-ups. It’s not all Jackson’s fault, though. Barnes dribbles with the stultifying caution of someone who fears the ball might set off land mines. He also holds on to it with the slow, deliberate focus of someone consulting a Magic 8 ball. To summarize, he’s a ball-stopper, but without the gaudy individual offense that many ball-stoppers can conjure up in isolation.

Though blessed with the body of an elite perimeter defender, Barnes has shown none of the instincts this season. While it’s understandable that a younger player might struggle on defense, Barnes’ flaws on that end are highlighted by the dogged defensive efforts of less-touted second-year man Draymond Green.

Barnes still has time and still has plausible excuses (remember the early-season injury?). Mark Jackson repeatedly extols his work ethic. Nobody on the team has criticized Barnes for a lack of desire or effort. If you’re hopeful about Harrison, you’ll have to lean on the subjective because the statistical profile is looking bleak. If you’re looking for optimism, you’ll have to consider what Curry said about Barnes after the victory over the Clippers: “He’s still young. He’s still trying to, you know, find his way. New role this year, obviously, coming off the bench. He’s going to get it. We still have confidence in him, we keep staying in his ear; he has confidence in himself, and obviously he’s shown that he can make a huge impact.”

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_ ... brand-bust

It's about time a publication/pundit has came to their senses, and stopped acting like Harrison Barnes has been playing like a up & coming star. Barnes has been scoring at the same rate as MKG without the defensive effort & rebounding ability. I guess it's all coming to the forefront now since the Warriors aren't winning as much as expected. I've always stated that "winning masks deficiencies', and GSW may be winning but they are fighting for that final playoff spot in the West with a few other teams

[doc.end]

haha, yes, I know.

we all should just rank things the next off-season.

dont tempt me. i've been wanting to start a random ranking thread for a long time. haha.

Ranking forecast thread lol. With Olympics you have whole new field for random rankings.

[vorbis]

to be honest, and I know this sounds ridiculous, but I don't know how to root for another team. I'll have interests in either team in a playoff game and I'll flipflop excitement even sometimes on a play-to-play basis.