2016-17 NBA Regular Season Thread

[WiggyRuss]

Sounds like a long winded way of saying he sucks.

well it all depends

for example- i wouldnt say Timo Mozgov sucks.....

if he is making 8-9M a year...alright...

if he is making 16M a year--- yah--- that is atrocious.

same with Whiteside....everyone has some price point where they begin hurting you more than helping you in a quest to win at a high level.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Whether you agree with it or not, the fact is that stats are the main thing looked at for MVP. Statistically speaking Westbrook and Harden are having better seasons and Westbrook is on the verge of making history.

When Lebron doesn't win it, you can come on here and tell us all about how the voters got it wrong and how you had Lebron as your MVP. But it still won't give him the trophy.

thats not true..

no matter how good your stats are- the players that have won MVP are practically ALWAYS on teams that are at least top 4 seeds.

When was the last time a guy won the MVP on a team that was a 7 or 8 seed? I dont know if its EVER happened.

Basically- in the history of the NBA- if you are not on a team that is a top 4 seed- it PRETTY MUCH has automatically disqualified a players candidacy for the MVP.

 

[trojanfan12]

Funny how he thinks he knows what it takes to win.
Every team he has predicted to improve for the last 2 seasons has pretty much been terrible.
Cavs have James, so it's very easy to be good.

Does Whiteside need to be a great passer or outside shooter?
Of course not.
No more than a guard needs to be a great rebounder or shot blocker.

The problem isn't that he thinks he knows what it takes to win, it's that he thinks there's only one way to win. That just isn't the case.

I do agree with him to a point that a center who can pass, shoot and guard the perimeter is a great thing to have. It is also mainly a luxury (just like a guard who can rebound and block shots). There just aren't a bunch of those types of players.

Additionally, for a center as athletic as Whiteside, all of those are things that can be learned with a little work. Whiteside has definitely shown that he will put in the work. He doesn't even have to be great at any of those things. With his defense and rebounding, he just needs to be average at passing and shooting and he'll provide all that Heat need, especially if they can land a top FA. We just saw DeAndre in an all star game and, imo, Whiteside is better than DeAndre.

 

[trojanfan12]

You haven't handed out the dumbest post of the day award in a while.
Maybe he's getting ancy?

True. He's definitely the clubhouse leader with that post.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Only 2 NBA MVP trophies have been awarded to a player on a team with losing regular season record:

• Bob Petitt in 1955-56 (first MVP ever awarded). His St. Louis Hawks tied 6th out of 8 teams with a record of 33–39 (.458). The team was seeded 3rd in the Western Division and lost in the division finals.
• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1975-76. His Los Angeles Lakers tied 9th out of 18 teams with a record of 40–42 (.488). The team did not qualify for the playoffs — this has been the only time an MVP played for a team that didn’t make the playoffs.

The only other MVP winners to play for a team that won fewer than 60% of its regular season games are (they still qualified for the playoffs):

• Moses Malone twice for Houston Rockets, in 1978-79 (47–35, .573) and 1981-82 (46–36, .561).
• Bob McAdoo for Buffalo Braves, in 1974–75 (49–33, .598).

Of the 61 MVPs to date (from 1955-56 to 2015-16):

• 39 played for the team with that year’s best regular season record.
• 23 of them won that season’s championship.

 

[gordontrue]

True. He's definitely the clubhouse leader with that post.

 

[trojanfan12]

Who is ready to have their bracket busted?

View attachment 156267

I thought I was last night, before the tournament even got started, when my Trojans fell behind by 17. I have them losing to Duke in the Sweet 16. Fortunately, they did what they've been doing all season long and came back from 10+ points to win.

 

[WiggyRuss]

So- the last time a player won the MVP award with a similar record to Russell Westbrooks Oklahoma City Thunder was Moses Malone in the '81-'82 season.

Which- was just over 35 years ago.

 

[Mecca of the “B” Team]

Hey @Mecca fuck your team

I told you not to trust those mofos!

It will only end in sadness.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

well it all depends

for example- i wouldnt say Timo Mozgov sucks.....

if he is making 8-9M a year...alright...

if he is making 16M a year--- yah--- that is atrocious.

same with Whiteside....everyone has some price point where they begin hurting you more than helping you in a quest to win at a high level.

Please don't put Mozgov and Whiteside in the same sentence.

Now you are smarter then Riley and Elisburg on how the Heat should allot their salary?

What we are seeing now is that you can run a very dynamic offense with a player like Whiteside being a huge part of.

Why don't you actually spend a few hours watching the Heat play?

They probably run one of, if not the most sophisticated offense in the league.

 

[Mecca of the “B” Team]

The clippers are so useless

No, no, no....

Give me some more of that motivational bullshit you are always trying to sell me .

 

[WiggyRuss]

Please don't put Mozgov and Whiteside in the same sentence.

Now you are smarter then Riley and Elisburg on how the Heat should allot their salary?

What we are seeing now is that you can run a very dynamic offense with a player like Whiteside being a huge part of.

Why don't you actually spend a few hours watching the Heat play?

They probably run one of, if not the most sophisticated offense in the league.

even the smartest of GM's make mistakes. I mean- Isn't Riley the same guy that gave Joel Anthony 20 million dollars and then spent a 1st round pick to get rid of him shortly thereafter?

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

I told you not to trust those mofos!

It will only end in sadness.

We needed you last night, but we'll be fine.

Say goodnight to Bulls.
Pistons prob on deck.

I think Heat/Bucks get last 2 spots.

Bucks are 11-6 since Jabari injury, but to be fair that's when Middleton came back.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

even the smartest of GM's make mistakes. I mean- Isn't Riley the same guy that gave Joel Anthony 20 million dollars and then spent a 1st round pick to get rid of him shortly thereafter?

He also helped him win a title.

Remind us of what the Cavs gave for Mozgov and what they got out of him or for him.

Also remind us of who that 1st round pick turned into.

 

[Mecca of the “B” Team]

We needed you last night, but we'll be fine.

Say goodnight to Bulls.
Pistons prob on deck.

I think Heat/Bucks get last 2 spots.

Bucks are 11-6 since Jabari injury, but to be fair that's when Middleton came back.

You'll get in.

I'll root against you, that'll guarantee it.

I'm changing my avatar in @bksballer89 honor ...lol

 

[WiggyRuss]

He also helped him win a title.

Remind us of what the Cavs gave for Mozgov and what they got out of him or for him.

no doubt about it--- no GM no matter how smart they are have immunity from making mistakes.

And like i said- i bet you can get the 8 seed, or shit, maybe even a 6 seed spending a quarter of your payroll on a center that cant pass/cant shoot/cant switch.....but you arent winning a conference

if your goal is to ultimately have a CHANCE to win a first round playoff series or two? have at it.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

no doubt about it--- no GM no matter how smart they are have immunity from making mistakes.

And like i said- i bet you can get the 8 seed, or shit, maybe even a 6 seed spending a quarter of your payroll on a center that cant pass/cant shoot/cant switch.....but you arent winning a conference

if your goal is to ultimately have a CHANCE to win a first round playoff series or two? have at it.

If you don't have James, you much more then likely aren't winning the East, so what's your point?

You don't think this Heat team, right now, can't compete in a 7 game series with anyone else?

I think they can/will.

This is a very good team right now if you haven't noticed.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

no doubt about it--- no GM no matter how smart they are have immunity from making mistakes.

And like i said- i bet you can get the 8 seed, or shit, maybe even a 6 seed spending a quarter of your payroll on a center that cant pass/cant shoot/cant switch.....but you arent winning a conference

if your goal is to ultimately have a CHANCE to win a first round playoff series or two? have at it.

What's the Cavs goal been for the last 3 decades when they didn't have James?

Get over it already.
He's not going to be there doing this for that much longer.

 

[trojanfan12]

well it all depends

for example- i wouldnt say Timo Mozgov sucks.....

if he is making 8-9M a year...alright...

if he is making 16M a year--- yah--- that is atrocious.

same with Whiteside....everyone has some price point where they begin hurting you more than helping you in a quest to win at a high level.

Except that with the season Mozgov was having, he'd still suck at $8-9 million. It would just be easier to justify by using his mentoring of the young guys as the reason.

Where you are wrong about Whiteside is that, first of all, there were about 6 teams ready to offer him a max deal. You don't get that many offers of that size if teams don't believe you can help them win unless Jim Buss is your GM.

Also, you are far too narrow in your approach. With very few exceptions (Lebron, KD, Kawhi) who are worth a max deal to whatever team they go to, players are worth more to some teams than others.

Teams are puzzles and the teams that have more pieces that fit are the better teams.

Tristan Kardashian is a perfect example. Not one other team in the league would have paid him what the Cavs are paying him because he isn't good enough to make a true difference in those teams fortunes. However, to the Cavs, he's worth every penny because he provides exactly what they need and with their cap situation, they simply couldn't let him walk and have the cap space to sign someone else who can replicate what he brings.

As an example of the opposite, look at the Clippers (sorry @Mecca). They are a deep, talented team, but there are pieces in their puzzle that just don't seem to fit so they are not the threat to win a title that they should be given their talent and depth.

With what the Heat are trying to build and what they are doing as a team, Whiteside fits in very well and is worth what they are paying him. If he and they continue to improve and they can find a way to add another top flight/closer type of player, things will get very interesting in the East.

 

[WiggyRuss]

If you don't have James, you much more then likely aren't winning the East, so what's your point?

You don't think this Heat team, right now, can't compete in a 7 game series with anyone else?

I think they can/will.

This is a very good team right now if you haven't noticed.

if the CAvs didnt have LeBron- and the first thing they did after an exodus of a bunch of great players like happened to the HEat- and they signed a center to a max contract that cant pass, cant shoot, and cant switch- in the league landscape where passing and space is everything- it would be the height of stupidity.