NBA 2005/2006

[JesperT]

Endelig lidt gode nyheder for Lakers

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Kwame Brown is headed to the Los Angeles Lakers, his agent said Thursday.

Arn Tellem confirmed a published report that Brown, the first overall selection in the 2001 NBA draft, will be involved in a trade between the Lakers and Washington Wizards.

"It's Kwame's intention to sign a contract with the Wizards on the first day possible and be traded to the Lakers," Tellem said. "All parties are in agreement. This is the intention we're going to execute upon the first day possible."

That would be July 22 - the date when an NBA moratorium is lifted and teams can announce free agent signings or sign-and-trade transactions.

Tellem wouldn't comment further, saying: "We're restricted in what we can say."

It's believed the 6-foot-11 Brown will join the Lakers in exchange for swingman Caron Butler and guard Chucky Atkins.

The trade was first reported Thursday by the Los Angeles Times, which quoted sources.

"We cannot make any comment until after the moratorium period ends," Lakers spokesman John Black said.

Atkins is under contract for $4.5 million next season, while Butler will earn nearly $2.5 million.

The 23-year-old Brown has been a disappointment in his four seasons with the Wizards, but has shown great potential at times. He gives the Lakers an inside presence they lacked last season, and presumably will move into the starting lineup at power forward and enable Lamar Odom to move to small forward, considered his natural position.

Phil Jackson signed a three-year contract last month to return as coach of the Lakers after taking a season off. The team failed to make the playoffs for only the second time since 1976, going 34-48 and losing 19 of their last 21 games.

Brown was the first high school player to be chosen No. 1 in the draft, and averaged 4.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in 57 games as a rookie.

He averaged 7.4 points and 5.3 rebounds in 80 games in his second season, and 10.9 points and a team-leading 7.4 rebounds in 74 games in his third year.

Brown broke his right foot in a pickup game last summer, and began the 2004-05 season on the injured list. He wound up playing in only 42 games and averaging 7.0 points and 4.9 rebounds in 21.6 minutes.

He was suspended for most of the postseason after missing a practice and Game 4 of the Wizards' first-round playoff series against the Chicago Bulls. He averaged 5.0 points in the first three games.

Brown was a restricted free agent because the Wizards extended him a qualifying contract offer.

"There is no saying that he won't be back with us," Washington president of basketball operations Ernie Grunfeld said after the Wizards were eliminated from the playoffs. "We'll explore all of our options. We'll meet with him and his representatives and see where we are. There is a possibility that he will be back with us."

Apparently, it won't turn out that way.

It's been widely reported that Brown incurred the wrath of Michael Jordan in 2001-02 and 2002-03 - Jordan's two seasons with the Wizards.

Brown will likely be joined in the starting lineup by Odom, Kobe Bryant and Chris Mihm. The other backcourt starter could be someone who signs as a free agent. The Lakers have reportedly expressed interest in Antonio Daniels, who played for Seattle last season.

The 25-year-old Butler was acquired with Odom and forward/center Brian Grant from Miami for Shaquille O'Neal last summer. Butler averaged 15.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 77 games.

Butler was a first-round draft choice of the Heat in 2002 after playing at Connecticut. He averaged 9.2 points as a rookie and 15.4 points in his second NBA season.

Atkins, who turns 31 next month, averaged a career-high 13.6 points in 82 games last season. He entered the NBA with Orlando in 1999 and has also played for Detroit and Boston.

One of Brown's new teammates will be forward Luke Walton, who is returning to the Lakers.

Walton's agent, Lon Babby, said Thursday that Walton, a restricted free agent, "is committed to return, and they're committed to him."

"It will be a two-year deal," Babby said from his Washington, D.C., office. "He's excited about remaining in L.A. That's his home base. He's had a great experience there. He's excited about playing for Phil Jackson again, he had a lot of success playing for Phil in his rookie year."

[T]

Ja der sker en del, mens spillerne nyder deres pause. Det jeg glæder mig mest til at se er dog, hvordan Larry Hughes kommer til at klare sig sammen med LBJ i Cleveland. Det kunne meget vel blive en af ligaens mest giftige duoer.

Jeg tror Indiana blier så giftige i år. Nu hvor Ron Arterst er tilbage, har de en hævn til gode mod Pistons.

Miami beholder indtil videre kernen af deres spillere. Kan de holde sig skades fri kommer de langt. Jeg holder stadig på at de havde slået Detroit, hvis de ikke var rendt ind i de utallige skader i playoffs.

I West kan jeg ikke se hvem der skulle kunne slå San Antonio. De har 1 års mere erfaring og bliver højst sansynligt forstærket endnu mere hvis Fabrico Oberto skriver en kontrakt med dem.

Hvis Phoenix får en forstærkning mere, kan de MÅSKE være holdet der kan slå Spurs...måske.

[JesperT]

Weltklasse og fortjent sviner af basketball'ens nestor Charley Rosen

Sorry, but it's Ewing who's overrated. His defense (in the NBA) was deplorable, he hated to pass (that's why he did such a terrible job of it), he had bad hands, he choked in the clutch, he had no understanding of the game, and he was a total jerk. Here's an example of just how selfish Ewing was: He was forced by the Knicks to make an appearance at a hospital ward for young kids with incurable diseases — that's children who were doomed to die sooner rather than later. When one of these unfortunate youngsters dared to ask Ewing for an autograph, his response was, "I never sign autographs the day of a game."

But, Ewing had "good" stats, he always played hard, and he played in New York. That's apparently sufficient for local fans to treasure him as being an icon. In truth, Ewing was a total loser.

[SimonW]

Mht. næste sæson så er jeg enig med T i at SA bliver svære at slå. Selvom jeg hader at indrømme det, så er det et fandens godt hold over hele linjen. Gode spillere på alle pladser, både offensivt og defensivt, og en god træner-stab.. De bliver desværre svære at slå.

Det bliver spændende at følge LeBron og Larry Hughes i Cleveland, men nu er deres PG Jeff "McNasty" McInnis sataneme stukket af til New Jersey for at blive bænkspiller. Med ham til at styre showet, og de andre til at score points i massevis kunne Cleveland ellers blive rigtig gode, men nu mangler de en PG..

Og apropos New Jersey så får de jo et rigtig godt hold i år! Jason Kidd, McInnis, Richard Jefferson, Vince Carter, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Cliff Robinson (er godt nok en smule afdanket, men en god erfaren spiller at have med) m.fl. Mon ikke de skulle have en chance for at komme længere end 1. runde i playoffs??

Indiana bliver en stor trussel nu hvor Ron Artest er tilbage (forhåbentlig i storform) og klar til at lukke modstandernes bedste spiller ned hver aften! Samtidig har de også skrevet kontrakt med litaueren Sarunas Jasikevicius, der jo siges at være den bedste spiller i verden der ikke spiller i NBA. Personligt håber jeg at Indiana og Detroit mødes i øst-finalen, og at vinderen af den serie tæver SA gule og blå i finalen! :4thumbup:

[Chris27]

Hvis Phoenix får en forstærkning mere, kan de MÅSKE være holdet der kan slå Spurs...måske.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Spørgsmålet er om, Phoenix kan undgå at få deres hold svækket. Atlanta har tilbudt deres free agent Joe Johnson en maxkontrakt, og hvis Phoenix skal matche det vil de have tre spillere med maxkontrakter, samtidig med at Studamare utivlsomt vil kræve en maxkontrakt, når hans rookiekontrakt udløber næste år. (Men deres første handel Kurt Thomas for Quentin Richardson lyder son en forstærkning).

Miami forhandler med Antoine Walker, så måske bliver de forstærket der.

NBA har også lavet noget, som de kalder amnesti, hvor hvert hold får chancen for at droppe en spiller for deres hold, hvorefter de så undgår at betale luxurytax for spilleren (men de skal stadig betale resten af spillerens løn). Allan Houston og Michael Finley bliver nok cuttet fra deres hold i den forbindelse.

[Chris27]

Nu må Kwame vist først vise, at han er noget værd inden at jeg vil kalde det gode nyheder for Lakers. Efter fire år har han abslout intet præsteret hos Washington.

Edited July 30, 2005 by Chris27

[JesperT]

han har været meget skadet, men lad os nu se, om Dr. Phil ikke kan få ham på rette kurs

[T]

NBA har også lavet noget, som de kalder amnesti, hvor hvert hold får chancen for at droppe en spiller for deres hold, hvorefter de så undgår at betale luxurytax for spilleren (men de skal stadig betale resten af spillerens løn). Allan Houston og Michael Finley bliver nok cuttet fra deres hold i den forbindelse.

Ja det bliver ekstremt spændende at se hvor mange hold der benytter sig af denne regel. Lige pludselig kan NBA komme til at vrimle med gamle rotter der altså stadig godt kan spille bold. Der har været snak om at Michael Finley ryger i Dallas og at han gerne vil slutte sin karriere i Phoenix. Gør han det, ser det jo godt ud for Phoenix!

Ang Kwame Brown er der skrevet mange artikler om hvad MJ formodentlig har gjort ved den mands psyke i de år han var der(det er ikke gode ting). Men nu er Phil Jackson jo kendt for at få det bedste ud af sine spillere og jeg tror faktisk at Kwame Brown godt kan gå hen og få en god sæson, nu hvor Phil Jackson er kommet til.

men nu er deres PG Jeff "McNasty" McInnis sataneme stukket af til New Jersey for at blive bænkspiller

Det tror jeg ikke kommer til at betyde det fjerneste. Med LBJ, Larry Hughes, Eric Snow, Dajuan Wagner og Luke Jackson har de rigeligt af guards. Men jeg forestiller mig at Eric Snow bliver PG næste sæson og så med Hughes som SG, LBJ som SF, Drew Gooden som PF og the big Z til at rode rundt i midten.

[T]

Spændende udvikling for Phoenix:

Joe Johnson på vej til Hawks?

[Chris27]

Ang Kwame Brown er der skrevet mange artikler om hvad MJ formodentlig har gjort ved den mands psyke i de år han var der(det er ikke gode ting). Men nu er Phil Jackson jo kendt for at få det bedste ud af sine spillere og jeg tror faktisk at Kwame Brown godt kan gå hen og få en god sæson, nu hvor Phil Jackson er kommet til.

Nu er der vel grænser for, hvad man kan give Jordan skylden for. Måske er Kwame bare en overhypet highschoolspiller, han nåede jo heller ikke at vise, at han kunne være en stjerne i collegebasket. Så måske er han ikke bedre. Han fik jo nok minutter i Washington til at vise, hvad han kunne, men han virkede alt for blød, når jeg så ham spille - 7-foot spillere må vise autoritet inside.

[T]

Heat trader sig til forstærkninger?

Forfatteren af ovenstående artikel har sin tvivl om hvor vidt Miami har lavet en god trade fordi man har opgivet Eddie Jones og tilføjet 2 spillere der før har haft problemer. Det han dog glemmer at se på er hvad jeg syntes er en vigtig pointe...Heat får tilføjet 2 ekstra scorere (Williams og Walker) og en forsvarsspecialist der kan stoppe ALLE!

Jeg er helt sikker på både Williams og Walker kan se hvad det er for et hold de er blevet traded til. Et hold der kun var en kamp for at stå i en finale. Der sker tit en masse i hovedet på eliteatleter når de får sådan en chance og de spiller pludselig over evne eller accepterer roller de ikke har gjort før. I de seneste år har jeg faktisk været fan af Williams, (det skal siges at jeg ikke kunen lide ham da han startede i NBA) da han har fået styr på sit spil og faktisk har spillet godt. Walker kan altså både score og rebounde som en gal og jeg tror det bliver et helt andet Heat hold vi får at se når sæsonen starter. Jeg er i hvertfald af den holdning at det er en god trade de har lavet.

Jeres mening?

Edited August 3, 2005 by T

[life*raider]

Tror sku os heat bliver et helt andeledes hold denne sæson med walker :4thumbup: det vil sku komme til at ændre hele deres spil+at de bliver meget mere giftige fra 3 point end de var sodste sæson :4thumbup:

ka nu os godt li det med at Sharef er kommet til Nets, de blir sku os stærke i år, tror han vil passe godt ind i deres run and gun spil

King har os fået sig et godt trade i Bonzi Wells for grg Osterteg og Bobby Jackson :4thumbup:

Meeen nu til de danske nyheder :4thumbup: Nicolai Iversen er kommet til Ungarn og spille i den bedste række og Drejer har skrevet under med Vitus Bologna, ska fandme os blive feeee og se :4thumbup: Trr drejer kommer til at klare sig meget bedre her :4thumbup: Bologna's træner sku os være helt vild med ham, så det jo kun en fordel :4thumbup:

Edited August 3, 2005 by life*raider

[T]

Off topic: ja jge tror også at Drejer får sit livs chance her. Nu må vi så håbe at han gir den gas og viser os hvad vi allerede ved...at han altså kan spille bold!

[ptpoul]

Det sværeste for mig at vurdere er Antione Walker. hvis han kommer til Miami kunne det være flot at se ham i den mere modne rolle han viste i Boston. Dvs. i de kampe hvor andre leverede vare knoklede han med alle de små ting, afleveringer etc. og fyrede IKKE bare håbløse tre'ere af i flæng. hvis Miami kommer langt kunne han pludseligt blive en superstjerne! Det vilel være en morsom vending i hans noget turbulente karriere

[ptpoul]

The sports guy owner igen :4thumbup:

To Allen Iverson ... what would be more entertaining than the "First Annual Allen Iverson Celebrity Golf Tournament"? Anything? Anything at all? Imagine AI showing up five hours late for his 9 a.m. tee time? How would he be dressed? How would he react if he missed a 4-foot putt? Or imagine a terrified Kyle Korver in a foursome with 50 Cent, Ron Artest and Ice Cube? What about Jim Nantz saying, "Let's go to Verne Lundquist on 16, where there's apparently been some gunfire again." I might devote the rest of my life to making this tournament happen. After all, if Michael Douglas can have a celebrity golf tournament, why can't Allen Iverson?

[JesperT]

My date with the Big Dipper

Here's how I got to play against Wilt Chamberlain:

Back in the early 1960s, the NBA season concluded in early-to-mid April. And since the best parties were in New York, many players based on the East Coast flocked there to start celebrating the long off-season.

It was late April 1961, and I'd just completed my junior season as a record-setting scorer (24.2 ppg) and rebounder (16.0 per game) for Hunter College — a middle-of-the-pack member of the Tri-State league which was dominated by the likes of Fairfield and Bridgeport. In some circles, I was deemed a White Hope and projected as being at least draftable by an NBA team. (Note: There were only eight teams in those days, but anywhere from 10 to 15 rounds in the draft.) More knowledgeable observers, however, noted my flat-footed hops and my floppy hands and pegged me as a small-time big man.

In any case, Hunter's coach Mike Fleischer had been a teammate of Floyd Layne on the CCNY baseball team. Floyd, of course, was the clever point guard on CCNY's double-championship basketball team in 1950 (winning both the NIT and NCAA tournaments). Like several of his teammates, however, Layne was later discovered to have been in league with gamblers to fix the outcome of several games.

If Layne was subsequently barred from the NBA, he became an outstanding performer in the Eastern League, a tough, week-end outfit whose best teams were believed to be better than the NBA's worst teams. During the week, Floyd ran afternoon and evening recreational programs at several junior and senior high schools near his Bronx home.

All of these factors made Floyd's springtime "runs" the most illustrious, and most competitive, in the Metropolitan area. One memorable Tuesday evening, I received a phone call from my coach commanding me to be at such-and-such a place at 10 p.m.

At 7-foot-1, 280-pounds, Wilt Chamberlain was a lot to handle even for the NBA's other giants (Ken Regan / Getty Images)

The Dipper was in town and needed some exercise.

The scene of the royal appearance was a junior high school in a racial ghetto in the South Bronx. Come game-time and Chamberlain was nowhere in sight, but the bleachers had been rolled out and about 500 kids were on hand, screaming for somebody — anybody — to dunk the ball. Mine was the only pale face in sight.

The only other players I knew were Floyd; a tough little guard named Junior Martin; and a hot-shooting forward, Ralph Bacot, whose nom-de-hoop was "Durango." While waiting for the feature attraction, Floyd arranged equitable sides and we were off — 15 baskets wins. In theory, the offense called the fouls, but unless blood was showing nobody dared to do so.

In my own Mikanesque fashion, I managed to drop a few hook shots, and was on the verge of feeling confident, when the fans voiced a collective "Oooooo!" And there he was — the 7-foot-1, 280-pound colossus who shredded all the existing NBA scoring and rebounding records as a rookie, and then bested himself in his sophomore season.

Even the players in mid-game stopped to savor his dramatic entrance: Wilt was wearing a silk shirt, a gold medallion on a thick gold chain, non-descript black pants and, on his bare feet, tasseled black loafers. Walking behind him in single file were four beautiful women — one carried a pair of huge sneakers, another had a towel draped around her shoulders, a third toted sweat socks, and the fourth had a small bottle of cologne.

The young bleacherites were respectful, and a space cleared on the lowest bench for Wilt and his entourage. He shod his loafers, pulled on his sweat socks, laced up his sneakers, and carefully shed his shirt. The pants stayed on.

Then he warmed up for a few minutes — his trademark fallaway jumpers from the left box, some fluid hooks and even a couple of one-handers from the top of the key. Acceding to popular demand, he also executed several rather dainty dunks.

Floyd proceeded to rearrange the sides — Durango, Junior and I were among the Shirts, while Layne joined Wilt on the Skins.

"Shirts' ball," Floyd pronounced, and we were under way.

Matched against Chamberlain, I didn't presume to move into my favorite spot in the pivot, choosing to aimlessly wander around the perimeter instead. Durango hit a long jumper from the baseline, and we were up 1-0.

If I could be relatively anonymous on offense, guarding Wilt was to accompany him in the spotlight. What to do? Fronting him would be futile. But so would playing behind him, or three-quartering him.

As he settled into the left box, Wilt actually acknowledged my presence. "Hey, boy. You can foul me all you want and I won't call it. Just stay away from my face."

Whoa! He smelled like a distillery! Had anybody lit a match in his vicinity, the entire building would have exploded. He had to be drunk!

Indeed, he seemed much more intent on passing rather than shooting — receiving the ball, waving it around in one huge hand before hitting a cutter or open shooter. (Wilt did, however, take — and make — a pair of fallaway jumpers.) Nor was he interested in moving to the offensive boards. And guarding me so far from the basket was also out of the question. I was relieved, but also disappointed.

On the defensive end, I stationed myself behind Wilt and tried to shove him off his spot. At 6-foot-9, 235-pounds, I was far from being a weakling — but I felt as though I was trying to move the Statue of Liberty. On one sequence, I stepped back, then ran into him with a lowered shoulder as though trying to break through a locked door — but I simply bounced off his massive back.

The only time I touched the ball on offense, I passed to Martin. And, even though I had an adept touch from 16-18 feet, I didn't even dare think of shooting. But Martin and Durango shot the Shirts into a 15-12 victory.

Wilt went to the bench to towel off, and then we were ready to go back at it.

This time, he was more intense. When he posted on the right box, dribbled into the middle, and flipped up a finger-roll, I wound up with a face-full of wet, odorous armpit.

On another occasion, one of my teammates shot and missed, so I decided that I'd try to block Wilt off the boards. Accordingly, I extended my right forearm to make contact with his chest, then prepared to hip him to whichever side he chose to approach the backboard. What he did, however, was to slip a mighty arm under my arm, so that his forearm was under my armpit. Then he stepped forward, locking my right arm between our bodies. And then he simply one-armed me out-of-bounds, tossing me as far, and as easily, as if I was made of straw.

Grabbing the errant shot, he threw it down — to the fans' shrill delight. (Even as I picked my self off the floor and scooted downcourt, my mind sought to avoid the profound embarrassment by short-circuiting, and the only thought that survived was a strictly bourgeoisie judgment: Hey, it's nearly midnight and there's school tomorrow. Shouldn't these kids be home in bed?)

With my brain scrambled, I attempted the unthinkable: I was a step above the key when I received a pass from Martin, and Wilt was once again ensconced near the rim, at least twenty feet away. Sure, I was a step out of my range, but what the hell …? So I fired up the shot … and it plopped through the net!

The young fans acted as though I'd just taken off my pants. "Oooooooooo!"

Before Wilt could retaliate, one of the Skins' guards (not Floyd!) misdribbled and the ball was turned over to us.

Now, I'd played enough in Harlem and Bed-Stuy to know the protocol: Do what you did until you missed. Sure enough, Martin presented me with the ball in just about the same spot, Wilt remained in the shadow of the rim, so I fired up another jumper …

WHAM!

Somehow, Chamberlain closed the gap between the time I cocked the shot and the ball spun off my fingertips. Was my release that slow? Was he that fast? Or what?

BOP!

The shot was not only blocked, but it came back at me at warp-speed, bounced off the top of my head, knocked me to the floor (again!), and caromed into the bleachers! Imagine the celebratory whoops from the stands—and also from the players.

Turned out that Durango and Martin never cooled off, and the Shirts won again, 15-13. Afterward, the fans crowded around Wilt not to get his autograph, or shake his hand, but merely to touch him. (A few of them pointed at me and laughed.) He toweled off, splashed himself some of the cologne, changed shoes, put on his shirt, and, with his ladies in tow, made a grand exit stage right.

And what did Floyd have to say to me? "Good job," he said with a smirk. "I'll call Coach when Russ gets into town."

So, "my" team had swept Wilt's team in an abbreviated two-game series—and I'd scored an important bucket. But, I was never drafted, and either Bill Russell never showed, or Floyd never made the call.

Worst of all, I'd been revealed as just another White Hopeless.

[Chris27]

ka nu os godt li det med at Sharef er kommet til Nets, de blir sku os stærke i år, tror han vil passe godt ind i deres run and gun spil

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Det kom han så ikke alligevel, istedet fik de Marc Jackson. Han er vel egentlig ikke lige, hvad de har brug for: En god scorer men ikke en særlig atletisk spiller og heller ikke den enforcer, som kunne styre inside.

Så måske bliver det igen i år en af deres små spillere (Jefferson, Carter eller Kidd), som bliver toprebounder på holdet.

[ptpoul]

Ærgeligt den deal skulle gå i vasken. Det helt store drama er pt i Houston hvor en af ejerne nægter at godkende Joe Johnson traden..

Det sjoveste ville være hvis han røg tilbare til phoenix med halen imellem benene

Meeen det ender nok med at Divid Stern sætter det hele på plads

[Chris27]

Ærgeligt den deal skulle gå i vasken. Det helt store drama er pt i Houston hvor en af ejerne nægter at godkende Joe Johnson traden..

Det sjoveste ville være hvis han røg tilbare til phoenix med halen imellem benene 

Meeen det ender nok med at Divid Stern sætter det hele på plads 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Det er nu ikke Houston men Atlanta hvor Joe Johnson er¨på vej hen

[ptpoul]

He he, så sandt:D Et eller andet sydstats hul

[JesperT]

Charley Rosen har bare de bedste svinere :4thumbup: :4thumbup: :4thumbup:

Miami

The guards — Jason Williams is presumably the new starting point guard. He's supremely talented, but is mostly out of control—forcing bad shots and unnecessarily fancy passes. He's also a spoiled brat. Gary Payton is presumably the new backup point guard. He's old, in the way, gloveless, and a spoiled veteran. In any case, Dwyane Wade will be relieved of being the Heat's primary ball-handler, a move that allows him to concentrate on scoring, but will do nothing to improve his faulty defense. Shandon Anderson plays hard on defense — all finesse and no power. Jason Kapono is a shooter who's always looking to shoot. He has a quick release, moves well without the ball, and knows how to get open—a classic zone-buster. Driving, passing, and defense are not in his repertoire.

The forwards — Who will start at the small forward? James Posey, who can do everything from shooting to playing hard without the ball, from driving and spinning to playing confrontative defense. Perhaps Antoine Walker, who can pass and post, fill a box score with ill-advised shots, has no left hand, no lift, no defense, and little interest in practicing. Udonis Haslem has a lock on the No. 4 slot — a wondrous role player who knocks down open shots, rebounds, and plays shut-down defense.

The centers — How long before the Big Load breaks down for good? Probably sooner rather than later. Until then he'll be a dynamic force in the middle for the first 45 minutes of every game in which he plays. As ever, his putrid free-throw shooting prevents him from being a go-to scorer in end-game situation. Still, until he's displaced by injuries or by Yao Ming, Shaq will continue the rule the lane. Alonzo Mourning has his occasional moments — blocking shots, rebounding, putting back teammates' misses — yet his self-aggrandizing act is hard to take. In truth, Zo-Mo is also a loser. Michael Doleac is a sturdy screener and jump shooter who will go blind on the bench as he waits for daylight.

The coach — Poor Stan Van Gundy. With the Heats' fortunes suddenly revived, Pat Riley is aching to take over. It says here that Van Gundy will not get the chance to suffer too long while the Heat develop sufficient team chemistry to seriously challenge the Spurs. If Van Gundy doesn't clinch the championship by New Year's Day, then Riley will slide into the command chair. The outlook — This is a fantasy team, not a legitimate contender for a real live title. Williams, Walker, and Payton are chronic malcontents whose presence will destroy any semblance of team harmony. Unless, of course, the Big Sheriff smacks them upside their respective heads. Look for overwhelming success in the regular season, followed by overwhelming disappointment thereafter.

[T]

Det er jo meget nemt at kritisere. Jeg syntes ikke han har noget at have det halve af sin kritik i. Jeg er sikker på at Miami kommer til at dominere East så vildt at vi tror det er løgn. Det er ligefør jeg vil gå dertil og sige at de har en chance for at slå Bulls rekordsæson med 72 sejre. Det samme kan siges om Spurs. De ser altså alvorligt grumme ud på papiret!

[Chris27]

Jeg køber heller ikke hans kritik. Selvom jeg bestemt ikke er Shaq-fan med hans møvebasket, og derfor nødigt ser han vinder NBA, så er det svært at argumentere imod det. For nu har de både to MVP-kandidater i Shaq og Wade og en god bredde med de nye spillere, og muligheden for et mesterskab gør folk mere fokuserede på holdsucces, hvilket i hvert fald vil gøre sig gældende for Walker og Payton (hvor det nok er sidste chance for at få en ring). Posey ligner den perfekte holdspiller og Williams vil nok opdage, at hvis han bliver for egoistist på banen, så får han slet ikke spilletid.

San Antonio kan få svært ved at få spilletid nok til alle. Men de har vist mange good-guys, så det kommer nok til at virke alligevel.

Derudover så fortsætter New York med sine tvivlsomme aktiviteter. Nu har de givet en næsten max-kontrakt til en center med hjerteproblemer, Eddy Curry, og i stedet droppet to indestartere og nogle første runde drafts. De fik også antikke Antonio Davis med i købet.

Edited October 12, 2005 by Chris27

[Chris27]

I går åbnede ESPN's NBA fantasy league, hvis det skulle have interesse for nogen. Jeg har tilmeldt mig og skal forsvare min ligasejr fra sidste år.

Det koster 30dollar at være med, men der er livedraft, 82runder og mulighed for udskiftning hver dag, så jeg kan i hvert fald få rigtig meget tid til at gå med det.

I år er det vist også legalt at deltage selvom man ikke er amerikaner.

[T]

Nu er sæsonen endelig startet og efter at have set en del preseason kampe er jeg klar til at heppe på et par hold:

Miami ser stadig uhyggelige ud. I de preseason kampe jeg har set, har de spillet fantastisk selvom de har brugt 12 mand hver gang. En 3 scorer i Walker, har bevirket at Shaq kan få flere pauser og generelt har mere frit spil. Det i sig selv er jo uhyggeligt nok.

Cleveland har spillet en rigtig god preseason hvor de har prøvet alt muligt for at finde ud af hvordan de supplerer LeBron bedst. At LeBron så har brugt off season på at udvide sit arsenal med et giftigt 3 points skud er jo bare "icing on the cake". :4thumbup:

Detroit fortsætter som de plejer. En ny coach betyder intet. De har stadig et af de bedste mandskaber i ligaen.

Houston bliver det hold jeg kommer til at følge mest. Hold da ferie de ser giftige ud. Jeg har set alle deres preseason kampe og de har altså fået samlet et kanonhold. Udover McGrady og Yao Ming er Juwan Howard vendt tilbage i topform efter problemer i slutningen af sidste år. Tilføjelsen af Derek Anderson og Stromile Swift gør holdet endnu bedre. Da jeg så Houston mod San Antonio pillede Stromile Swift fuldstændig Tim Duncan fra hinanden. Han er vanvittig eksplosiv og havde 3 låg på Duncan. Samtidig mind er han lidt om en ung Shawn Kemp i angrebet.

Det bringer mig så til noget spændende. Shawn Kemp har ikke spillet med i preseason kampene men har på det seneste trænet med Nets. Han skulle efter sigende være i topform og hvis Nets skriver kontrakt med ham, ser de da rigtig onde ud!

Edited November 3, 2005 by T