Indiana Pacers vs. Miami Heat - Photos - November 22, 2010 - ESPN
Almost the same record as the Pacers. Bwuh.
Wow Miami. You have LeBron and Wade and you don’t even sell out? Clipper games has more people than that.
Fan up Miami.
That’s why alot of people say that Miami don’t deserve the all-star team they have, or at least Lebron they can keep Wade and Bosh.
It’s not just that, you have to take into account the position they play. Yes, Pau is not a top-5 player. He is, however, a top-3 center. And great centers are just more valuable than great guards are in the NBA. It’s just a fact. Nearly all NBA GM’s would rather build around big men than any other position. This has been true for decades.
Every now and then you get a once-in-a-lifetime talent at guard, such as a Jordan, and you’ll be able to build around them, but that is the EXCEPTION, not the rule. And even Jordan wasn’t the first pick in his draft.
This is why Greg Oden gets picked ahead of Durant. This is why Hakeem gets picked ahead of Jordan. You almost always see NBA GM’s value size over ability. It’s easier to train ability, while it is impossible to teach size.
Look at the past few number 1 picks in this decade:
01: Kwame Brown - Complete and total bust.
02: Yao Ming - Not exactly a bust, but it looks like injuries will make his career a short one.
03: Lebron James - which breaks the streak, but the hype train that was Lebron made him the obvious choice.
Then you got 4 straight centers (Dwight Howard, Bogut, Bargnani, Oden) chosen consecutively.
Big men, and especially bigs who can play the center position have WAY more value in the eyes of the people who actually make NBA decisions. There has only been one Michael Jordan. He’s been the only guard who ever consistently won championships without a force in the middle. Even Kobe has never done it. That’s where you get the value argument from.
Also, in reference to this:
Hey, 2006-07 LA Lakers, you know, the year before they got Gasol but they still had Kobe? Yeah, they went 42-40 and exited in the first round of the playoffs.
Swap 06 Gasol to the Lakers core and 06 Kobe to that terrible Memphis Grizzlies core and you’d see Gasol being hyped as a star and Kobe being Tracy McGrady.
^_-;
Pssft, that team wouldn’t have made the playoffs with Gasol as the star.
That was the one year we finally got to see what happens when someone who wants to do it all by himself gets the chance and it was amazing. He almost beat the suns too. Kobe went bonkers that year.
But we already know Kobe’s worth vs Gasol’s worth, and nearly ever GM out their would either take either Lebron,Kobe or Durant if given the opp. during those circumstances.
Under Jordan’s circumstances he had basically the most under appreciated players in NBA history at his side and one of the best rebounders and defensive players in league history also.
So it wasn’t like he didn’t have decent big men around him.
Man, I’ve missed a lot in this thread. So I’ll recap it in cliffhanger fashion -
Will more butthurt and mad generate from VSlash and Lothar?s game changing trade?!?
Will VSlash and Satomi continue to sling personal insults at each other?!?
Is Pau REALLY the best Laker right now?
Will ckrazy snap and jump off the Space Needle when he realizes the Sonics are never, ever coming back?
Will Toronto continue acquiring foreigners and jettisoning Americans as if they played in Barcelona or Paris, instead of Ontario?
Will the Fun League survive this drama?!?
Will my team continue to be a cellar dweller in the Fun League?!?
Answers to all of this and more on the next episode of AS THE NBA THREAD TURNS!!!
Or you could settle for spoilers:
Spoilers
Spoiler
Yes, Potentially, Debateable, Signs Point to Yes, LOLRAPTORS, Pending a Lockout Next Year we will survive and LOL POWER GRANGERS SUCK LIKE A FUCKITY SUCK, USA #1
Lol “that was the one year”? Seriously? We’ve seen people do this before. A number of times, in fact. It was only the fact that Kobe played in LA that it got more attention.
Compare Kobe’s 2006-2007 stats to Tracy Mcgrady’s 2002-2003 stats and Kobe loses in every statistical category with their teams having almost EXACTLY the same result, with T-mac nearly single-handedly beating the Pistons and Kobe doing the same to the Suns, but both ultimately coming up short.
Guards putting up great numbers because they are the only offensive option on their mediocre team and then bowing out in the first round is an NBA tradition older than Greg Oden’s face.
^_-;
T-Mac was in the crappy Eastern Conference. Kobe’s feat was more impressive. Also T-Mac is a huge pussy.
Kobe had a better team with a coach who might go down as the most successful coach of all time. Orlando was the true one-man show. Most fans can’t name 3 Magic players from that season not named T-mac today. Hell, most people couldn’t name their starting 5 DURING the 2002 season. T-mac’s 02-03 season was absolutely more impressive imo.
^_-;
Has Kobe ever accomplished anything without an All-NBA team center on his team?
Pau Gasol’s best season carrying his own team was winning 49 games in Memphis and a first round exit with Mike Miller (13.7/5.4/2.7) as his second banana.
Kobe Bryant’s best season carrying his own team was winning 45 games and a first round exit with Lamar Odom (14.8/9.2/5.5) as his second banana.
HURMMMMMMMMMM…
You really want to use Lamar Odom as a legit second option.
You really want to compare this roster
2005-06 Los Angeles Lakers Roster and Statistics | Basketball-Reference.com
To this Roster
2005-06 Memphis Grizzlies Roster and Statistics | Basketball-Reference.com
and the fact that Gasol NEVER won a playoff game until he played for the Lakers
Your trolling just isn’t that good you need pointers from lothar.
Nah this is Pau Gasol’s best year with Memphis. 2003-04 Memphis Grizzlies Roster and Statistics | Basketball-Reference.com BY 1 WIN!.
I know about that but they still didn’t win a game in the playoffs and that roster was still better than L.A.'s.
I made the argument before the finals that Pau was the best PF in the league, and I was considered crazy.
Now since kelly dywer makes some dumbass article, people want to jump on the Pau bandwagon since the Heat are sucking.
Pau’s team had 6 other guys that scored double digits.
Kobe’s had only 3.
And would you rather have a lineup of:
Gasol
Lorenzen Wright
Battier
Eddie Jones
Damon Stoudamire, with Mike Miller and Bobby Jackson off the bench
or
Chris Mihm
Kwame Brown
Odom
Kobe
Smush Parker, with Brian Cook and Devean George as your bench
juss sayin’
pacers win another one. this year they will be the surprise team like how the thunder was last year. imo they were the best sub .500 team last season.
darrell armstrong
pat garrity
mike miller
gordon girecek (sp?)
grant hill
pat burke
all i can think of at the top of my head lol
Lakers had four double digit scorers in 2006, actually. And I wonder if there still would be such a difference if Kobe wasn’t taking a mind blowing 27 field goal attempts a game.
But man, stop trying to confuse me with your “stats” and your “numbers” and “science.”
James Posey was the second best player on a 50-win team. GOOD GOD, JAMES POSEY. What else needs to be said!?!
Regardless, there is debate. The point has been made.
Also, all the real MIAMI MOLECULAR MOTION fans live in Toronto.
Don’t expect many sellouts in Miami. Seriously. regardless of who’s on the team or not.
Okay, this is what the area is like. There’s a college directly across the arena, I went to that school. So late night games are probably populated with college kids skipping classes. There’s like, a bunch of places to shop in the area, since it is Downtown after all. Bayside is right next door to the arena, with a bunch of stores and places to eat. There are also clubs in the area. I went to one of them back in the day… saw half naked bitches making out on plush couches and everything. Well, that club is gone now but there are others.
So basically, there’s a ton of things to do Downtown. Going to a Heat game is just one of them, but not usually at the top of lists. Sadly.
BUT I IS REAL HEAT FAN! I’ll go to a Heat game finally when a team I actually care to see is in town! Hornets, where you at?
Btw, looked it up earlier. 05-06 Heat started 9-6 before started gelling and eventually winning the championship. Just sayin’.
One of three things is going to happen. A) We play the Celtics again in February. If Delonte is healthy, I expect for LeBron to Hulk out and inspire the rest of the team to play up to his level, thus becoming a fucking juggernaut the last two months and throughout the playoffs. B) This Pacers loss will make guys focus more. C) Dampier will save us.
I’m not playing sides since I didn’t watch Lakers at this time. But still, I only counted 3 others for Lakers and 6 others for Grizzlies.
2005-06 Memphis Grizzlies Roster and Statistics | Basketball-Reference.com
2005-06 Los Angeles Lakers Roster and Statistics | Basketball-Reference.com