NBA Lottery/Draft/Offseason thread

Snuggles the DESTROYER · Fri Sep 04, 2009 2:31 pm

keL wrote:RAMON SESSIONS

booosh time baby

I don't get it. You aren't winning now so why not let Flynn develop with as much court time as possible?

Sankofa · Post by **Sankofa** » Fri Sep 04, 2009 4:49 pm

^agreed

capable_keL · Post by **capable_keL** » Fri Sep 04, 2009 4:56 pm

Snuggles the DESTROYER wrote: I don't get it. You aren't winning now so why not let Flynn develop with as much court time as possible?

We only have 1 point guard. We had an open slot for whats his face. I am surprised Sessions was available;Sessions at $3.5 million is a steal & played just over 24% of his minutes last year at the 2. Flynn will still get 30 mpg.

Snuggles the DESTROYER · Sun Sep 06, 2009 1:57 pm

keL wrote:
Snuggles the DESTROYER wrote: I don't get it. You aren't winning now so why not let Flynn develop with as much court time as possible?
We only have 1 point guard. We had an open slot for whats his face. I am surprised Sessions was available;Sessions at $3.5 million is a steal & played just over 24% of his minutes last year at the 2. Flynn will still get 30 mpg.

Just because something is a great bargain doesn't mean you have to buy it.

Walking through Walmart buying "Look Who's Talking" Trilogy on Blu-Ray because it is 75% off. You don't need that.

Sessions is great but I really wanted to see him in D'Antoni's offense.

capable_keL · Post by **capable_keL** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 5:30 pm

Snuggles the DESTROYER wrote:
keL wrote:
Snuggles the DESTROYER wrote: I don't get it. You aren't winning now so why not let Flynn develop with as much court time as possible?
We only have 1 point guard. We had an open slot for whats his face. I am surprised Sessions was available;Sessions at $3.5 million is a steal & played just over 24% of his minutes last year at the 2. Flynn will still get 30 mpg.
Just because something is a great bargain doesn't mean you have to buy it.

Walking through Walmart buying "Look Who's Talking" Trilogy on Blu-Ray because it is 75% off. You don't need that.

Sessions is great but I really wanted to see him in D'Antoni's offense.

The way I see it the Timberwolves suffered a decade of Mchale's moves. Khan waits no time after the Rubio decision and fills the slot with Sessions (assuming the Bucks don't match).

The style of play that Rambis is going to run fits having jonny flynn & sessions. In 2 years when Rubio is 20 we can ship Sessions for a nice piece.

It's an upgrade from Foye, Atkins, bobby Brown & Telfair.

capable_keL · Post by **capable_keL** » Thu Sep 10, 2009 2:11 pm

YOUR BOY J.R. RIDER IS COMING BACK BABY

J.R. Rider looks to play again, wants to hear from Wolves
By PAUL WALSH, Star Tribune

One of the baddest of bad boys in recent NBA history -- former Timberwolf J.R. Rider -- is negotiating a return to professional basketball in the United States at age 38.

The owner of the first-year North Texas Fresh in the American Basketball Association said this morning that he is "in the process of getting it done" and bringing Rider on board. Owner Jay Bowdy said that Rider has another offer in play from a team overseas, where players can make more money.

"We're waiting on that," Bowdy said. If that other offer falls through, then the 6-foot-5 guard "is coming to us."

Rider's agent, Joe Lee, said this morning that Rider hasn't played organized ball since a 10-game pit stop with the Denver Nuggets in 2001-02. Still, he's "been working out hard" and playing pickup ball with local college guys in suburban Phoenix, where Rider now makes his home, Lee said.

The New Jersey Nets are considering inviting Rider to preseason camp, Lee said, even though that team said it doesn't see Rider competing for a roster spot.

Big Breeze · Post by **Big Breeze** » Fri Sep 11, 2009 2:55 pm

Rider smokes too much weed. He'll neva make it back and play at a high level.

Mike BLAOWery · Post by **Mike BLAOWery** » Fri Sep 18, 2009 1:37 pm

lol blazers

you guys really won't trade rudy fernandez in a deal for david lee?

Quotashun · Post by **Quotashun** » Fri Sep 18, 2009 3:29 pm

Listening to the FAN590 radio station here in Toronto, and they just said that Delonte "Herpes" West was pulled over last night for making an unsafe lane change on his motorcycle........................... and then the cops found two handguns and a shotgun in his possession.

Quotashun · Post by **Quotashun** » Fri Sep 18, 2009 3:31 pm

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Delonte West arrested on weapons charges
by Brian Windhorst, Plain Dealer Reporter

Friday September 18, 2009, 3:06 PM

Tracy Boulian
Delonte West
CLEVELAND -- Cavaliers guard Delonte West was arrested Thursday night near his offseason home in Maryland for weapons possession.

WUSA, a television station in Washington D.C., reported today that West was pulled over in Prince George's County, Md., at 10 p.m. Thursday night for making an unsafe lane change on his motorcycle. The police say West had two handguns and a shotgun in his possession and he was arrested.

West was released on his own recognizance and is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 20.

West's agent did not immediately return a message from The Plain Dealer. The Cavs had no comment as they gathered information about the incident.

The team is scheduled to begin training camp a week from Monday.

http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf ... elo_3.html

naturalborn103 · Post by **naturalborn103** » Fri Sep 18, 2009 4:09 pm

I feel bad for the guy..

This is from 2008
http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf ... vs_re.html

Delonte West took a seat on the bench and spoke quietly and candidly about the mood disorder that caused him to step away from the Cavaliers for almost two weeks. "Before you can help out a team or an organization, you've got to be able to help yourself first so you can give your undivided attention to the job at hand," West said softly. "I removed myself from the team so I could get myself together so I could not be a distraction to the team and what we're trying to accomplish here." "For a while you feel like a weaker man because you've got to raise your hand and ask for help. But I found out over the last week that made me a stronger person." Prompted by his outburst directed toward a high school referee who was working an intrasquad scrimmage during practice Oct. 3, the Cavs' guard knew he had to do something. Having battled depression for years, he recognized the signs. "The ugly head started to show itself again," the 25-year-old West said. "It's been haunting me my whole life, self-destructive behavior. Everything is going good for me -- being on a great team where anything less than a championship is unacceptable this year, getting a new contract, being in a good situation, When everything is on the upside, I'm feeling the worst. "I've had a history of doing that in the past, where I've quit teams or sabotaged my own success. At this juncture in my life, I don't want to keep doing that. I want to enjoy being in the NBA. I want to enjoy being successful. I want to enjoy my life." So West returned to his home in the Washington, D.C., area to look for help. He spoke to a therapist, individually and in group sessions, and also was prescribed medication, which he says has made him feel much better. A gifted artist and poet, the introspective West opened a window to his soul and his life. "At this point in my life, you kind of hide behind the personality that's created by the fans or the media," he said. "But we're still people too. Besides the fame and the finances, you still have to deal with emotional and family situations on a daily basis just like everybody else. "In the gym, I've always found peace. At this age, I want to become more of a complete person off the court. At times I struggle with that. So I feel stronger that I did seek help and I've got a plan of action for this year off the court. Some of that may include group sessions or inpatient time. If that helps me be the best basketball player that I can be, man, I'm all for it." The team gave West plenty of space and time to deal with the problem and has made a commitment to continue to be supportive just as they would with a player who has a physical injury. The Cavs have a therapist on staff but are also willing to give West whatever other help he needs. "Delonte's a good guy, he's trustworthy and forthright," coach Mike Brown said. "When you preach something your actions have to speak louder than words and we're a family organization. We value each one of our family members like they're ours." West said the support of the Cavs' organization and the volume of calls and text messages he has received has comforted him. All of which reaffirmed his commitment to this team. "Every organization preaches family," West said. "But this is the epitome of what a family organization is. Everyone has been supportive. Everybody from Danny Ferry to coach Brown to LeBron James. All the players on the team have called or texted me over the last two weeks to express their concern and tell me how much they miss my joking and my personality around the locker room. "I want to go to war for these people. All I've got in this world is my word and what I stand for. Besides basketball, I feel like I'd die for everybody in this gym. If a terrorist came in here right now, I'm the first one standing in line so everybody else could escape." West knows there's a stigma involved when discussing mood disorders or depression. "I don't care if anyone laughs at me," he said. "All that matters is how I feel about myself." And right now, he feels great. He even felt good about making just two of 12 shots in his first preseason game against the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night. "Seeking help definitely helped me out, put a smile on my face, allowed me to enjoy basketball," West said, brightening significantly. "Last night was the funnest game I've played in years. It was like being on the playground as a child again. I had the time of my life."

I wonder if he will ever see the court this year.

artMajor · Post by **artMajor** » Fri Sep 18, 2009 4:25 pm

Refs reject NBA's final contract offer

NEW YORK -- The NBA will begin its referee training camp with replacements next week after referees rejected the league's final contract offer Thursday.

In a statement released Friday, the NBA said its offer would have maintained current levels of referee salaries and modestly reduced the league's referee costs through changes to benefits and travel policies.

The NBA said it also accepted the union's demand for an unusually short two-year agreement, so that referees would be able renegotiate a new collective bargaining agreement as the economy improves.

"The proposals we have made to the NBRA are extraordinarily fair and reasonable, given the current economic circumstances," Rick Buchanan, the NBA's executive vice president and general counsel, said in a statement. "Since late 2008, the league and our teams have made far deeper cuts in non-referee headcount and expenses than we are asking for here.

"It is extremely disappointing that the NBRA has ignored the economic realities, rejected our offer, and left us with no choice but to begin using replacement referees."

Referees expected a lockout after negotiations Wednesday between their union and the league resulted in the referees voting 57-0 in rejection of the offer.

so what the hell does this mean...? replacement refs, this is going to be an ugly season.

Quotashun · Post by **Quotashun** » Fri Sep 18, 2009 4:28 pm

What season was it not too long ago that also had replacement refs? Or am I just imagining that it also happened a few years back?

HomeSkillet · Post by **HomeSkillet** » Fri Sep 18, 2009 4:37 pm

Quotashun wrote:What season was it not too long ago that also had replacement refs? Or am I just imagining that it also happened a few years back?

if it did happen I prolly forgot about it because it affected nothing except lines in vegas lol

Snuggles the DESTROYER · Sat Sep 19, 2009 4:05 pm

Quotashun wrote:What season was it not too long ago that also had replacement refs? Or am I just imagining that it also happened a few years back?

95-96.

One month of fines equaled that of the entire 94-95 season.

David Robinson was once ejected.

AC Green came very close to raping Donna Dierco.

Hersey Hawkins punched Detlef Schrempf just because.

It was basically like season 2 of True Blood when everyone's eyes turn black with David Stern as Mary Anne.

artMajor · Post by **artMajor** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 9:49 am

Henderson on training camp list

NEW YORK -- A referee who was previously fired by the NBA is among the group of replacements who have agreed to participate in training camp next week.

Michael Henderson is one of 44 who was sent an e-mail from the NBA's referees operations department on Friday. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the e-mail, which provides the replacements with details about the meetings, scheduled to begin Thursday in New York.

The NBA announced Friday that it would train replacement officials after failing to reach an agreement on a new contract with its referees union.

NBA spokesman Tim Frank said he could not confirm any names on the list because the league hadn't finalized it yet.

Henderson missed three games -- the union called it a suspension -- after he was called to league headquarters following an incorrect call in a game between Denver and the Lakers in February 2004. He mistakenly whistled a shot clock violation on a Denver shot that brushed the rim and was rebounded by a Nuggets player. The officials huddled and ruled it an inadvertent whistle, resulting in a jump ball. The Lakers won the tip and made the game-winning shot with 3.2 seconds left.

After the league publicly acknowledged the error, nearly all the officials responded the next night by wearing their jerseys inside-out with Henderson's No. 62 on the back.

The league would not say why Henderson was fired.

Nice...maybe Donaghy will be brought back to. Why dont they just get them WNBA refs?

NBA REFS http://phillyref.com/basketball/nbarefs/nbarefs.html

hustler · Post by **hustler** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 2:27 pm

the normal refs were already beyond terrible. how can they fire this henderson guy but they keep joey crawford? someone needs to invent unbiased robots that can do instant-instant replays in their head and make the right call everytime. that way lebron will get called for traveling on every second possession, kobe will stop getting free throws everytime he gets breathed on, and when a big man does a clean block on any "star" player it wont be instantly whistled a foul.

Sumthin_Funky · Post by **Sumthin_Funky** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 11:45 pm

The refs are garbage, who cares if we get replacements.

Cowy · Post by **Cowy** » Tue Sep 22, 2009 4:02 am

I always thought the NBA should have 3-5 refs on the sideline watching live TVs and they push a button if they think a violation occured. It would be majority rules so if 2 of the 3 hit the button its a foul or a travel or whatever.

Have 1 button for offense and 1 for defense so it doesn't get confusing. Your welcome David Stern.

hustler · Post by **hustler** » Tue Sep 22, 2009 5:55 am

Cowy wrote:I always thought the NBA should have 3-5 refs on the sideline watching live TVs and they push a button if they think a violation occured. It would be majority rules so if 2 of the 3 hit the button its a foul or a travel or whatever.

Have 1 button for offense and 1 for defense so it doesn't get confusing. Your welcome David Stern.

i vote we use this system until the japs invent referee robots (obviously we will need to reprogram them to understand the game of basketball, something the japs do not even have a basic understanding of and never will.) on the real, i think new refs might be better, the old refs have so many biases towards the players. and superstar calls are just retarded, if anything the stars should get LESS fouls called on them cause they are always chucking up wild up and under highlight layups and shit hoping to get on sportscenter. fuck those showboating faggots. and another thing, im so sick and tired of a guy getting dunked on and then the foul gets call on him, its not humiliating enough the guy just got the ball fucking rammed down his face, hes on the floor, and ur gona call the foul on him? if the offensive player smashes the defender down, it should be either a no-call or an offensive foul.

Prophecy · Post by **Prophecy** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 11:15 pm

Russian billionaire has deal to buy NBA's Nets

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Could the New Jersey Nets become the Nyets?

The basketball team once known as the New Jersey Americans is a step closer to being owned by Russia's richest man, Mikhail Prokhorov, who on Wednesday said he has a deal to buy 80 percent of the NBA team and nearly half of a project to build a new arena in Brooklyn.

The proposed blockbuster deal would give the Nets' current principal owner, Bruce Ratner, the needed cash to move forward with the centerpiece of his Atlantic Yards development, which includes plans for retail and residential projects.

It would make Prokhorov, a Russian billionaire and former amateur basketball player, the NBA's first non-North American owner.

It would mean the Nets really do seem headed to Brooklyn, a New York City borough without a major pro sports franchise since baseball's Dodgers decamped for Los Angeles in 1957.

And it would be a sign the NBA is serious about building a worldwide identity. Commissioner David Stern immediately praised the deal, saying it will help the NBA expand its reach and would ensure that the Nets, who play in the aging Izod Center in East Rutherford, will have a state-of-the-art arena.

"Interest in basketball and the NBA is growing rapidly on a global basis, and we are especially encouraged by Mr. Prokhorov's commitment to the Nets and the opportunity it presents to continue the growth of basketball in Russia," Stern said in a statement.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, too, is ready to welcome Prokhorov to the NBA.

"I love it. I think he will bring fresh ideas and viewpoints, and hopefully this will be the start of a trend towards international investors," Cuban said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "Plus, I took Russian in high school, so it will give me a chance to refresh."

Stern has long touted the NBA's international reach, proudly boasting that two-thirds of the players on the medals podium at the Beijing Olympics were NBA players. The league plays preseason games in Europe and China, and its All-Star and NBA finals games have been televised in hundreds of countries.

In going global, Stern could be welcoming quite a globetrotter.

Prokhorov, who is 6-foot-6 and was an avid basketball player in his school days, is a fixture in glitzy European resorts and once was held in France for four days of questioning -- but never charged -- in a prostitution investigation. Even in Russia, he raises eyebrows for his penchant for private jets and a gorgeous entourage. A 2007 TV commercial for a Russian juice company lampooned him, although it did not name him.

Prokhorov's love of the high life is rivaled by his devotion to basketball. He owns a share of the Russian team CSKA Moscow, and he said on his blog he wants to buy the Nets partly to get access to NBA training methods and help Russian coaches get internships in the league.

Russia has a proud basketball tradition, having won the Euro championship in 2007, and CSKA is a perennial Euroleague power. Yet Andrei Kirilenko, a Utah Jazz forward, is the only Russian currently in the NBA.

It remains to be seen how Prokhorov's jet-setting lifestyle might play with Nets fans, but the NBA will be far more interested in his finances. Prokhorov has been ranked as his country's richest man in the Russian edition of Forbes, with an estimated $9.5 billion -- even after shrinking by some $7 billion in the world economic crisis.

He weathered the financial storm by cashing out some lucrative assets before the downturn battered commodity markets.

Another rich Russian oligarch, Roman Abramovich, is the owner of the British soccer power Chelsea. Uzbekistan-born billionaire Alisher Usmanov owns more than 25 percent of another British soccer team, Arsenal.

"In any sport nowadays, if you can bring someone in who is financially stable, it is great for the sport, and I think it will be great for the NBA," former player and current TV analyst Charles Barkley said. "If he's going to do some work on the building and not take advantage of the fans, that's great for the city."

The franchise started with the ABA in 1967 as the Americans and then the Nets, bouncing around to different arenas in New Jersey and New York before settling in East Rutherford in 1981-82.

It's not clear how Brooklyn's sports fans, who have nursed their wounded pride ever since the Dodgers left, might take to a team with foreign ownership.

There's already been community grumbling over the British bank Barclays buying the naming rights to the arena -- and also the rights to name the subway station beneath it.

Brooklyn's famed Russian enclave of Brighton Beach is only a few miles from the proposed arena, but for many Russian emigrants Prokhorov symbolizes everything wrong in their homeland -- a smooth operator who made a fortune when Russia sold off its state industrial treasures for a song.

Nets president Rod Thorn said he expects little reaction about a Russian owner: "I don't think players really care who owns the team."

Los Angeles Lakers guard Derek Fisher, who also is president of the NBA players' association, said the deal "speaks to the fact there's something that potential ownership groups still see about the NBA that is good because you wouldn't have anybody -- European, Russian, American -- buying into an NBA team at this point if they didn't see something that was a positive for them to get out of the deal."

Prokhorov's Onexim Group announced the deal jointly with Forest City Ratner Cos. and Nets Sports and Entertainment. According to the agreement, entities to be formed by Onexim Group will invest $200 million and make funding commitments to acquire 80 percent of the NBA team, 45 percent of the arena project and the right to buy up to 20 percent of the Atlantic Yards Development Co., which will develop the non-arena real estate.

The NBA will review the proposal, and the deal must be approved by three-fourths of its board of governors. Ratner and Prokhorov said they hope to have the sale completed by the first quarter of 2010.

"I have a long-standing passion for basketball and pursuing interests that forward the development of the sport in Russia," Prokhorov said in a statement. "I look forward to becoming a member of the NBA and working with Bruce and his talented team to bring the Nets to Brooklyn."

While the proposed deal would give Ratner's group an infusion of money for the arena project -- he faces a December deadline to break ground or lose access to financing from tax-free bonds -- there is fervent opposition to the additional 22-acre residential and commercial real estate development. It would create more than a dozen residential and office towers with more than 6,400 apartments built over property that includes a rail yard, warehouses and several blocks of homes and businesses.

Critics include homeowners who say the government is illegally claiming their property and thousands of residents who worry about how the skyscraper project will affect their neighborhoods.

New York's Court of Appeals is to hear an eminent domain challenge to the project next month.

Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn, the project's leading opponent, accused Ratner of being untrustworthy, noting he had repeatedly said the Nets were not for sale.

"The only reason Ratner would make this deal is because he is in dire financial trouble," spokesman Daniel Goldstein said. "If Ratner has to go overseas to get major funding for the arena, how on earth is he going to finance the rest of the project?"

Prokhorov, 44, shot to prominence in the chaotic early years of privatization deals that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union. In 1993, the Onexim bank he headed acquired Norilsk Nickel, one of Russia's huge but lumbering industrial conglomerates.

Under Prokhorov, Norilsk become more efficient and profitable. He resigned as Norilsk chairman in 2007 and sold his shares for $7.5 billion, but retains substantial interests in other metals companies through Onexim, including shares in gold-miner Polyus and Rusal, the world's largest aluminum company. Onexim's other interests include real estate, insurance and energy.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4497411

the dead poet · Post by **the dead poet** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 11:18 pm

Snuggles the DESTROYER wrote:
keL wrote:
Snuggles the DESTROYER wrote: I don't get it. You aren't winning now so why not let Flynn develop with as much court time as possible?
We only have 1 point guard. We had an open slot for whats his face. I am surprised Sessions was available;Sessions at $3.5 million is a steal & played just over 24% of his minutes last year at the 2. Flynn will still get 30 mpg.
Just because something is a great bargain doesn't mean you have to buy it.

Walking through Walmart buying "Look Who's Talking" Trilogy on Blu-Ray because it is 75% off. You don't need that.

Sessions is great but I really wanted to see him in D'Antoni's offense.

is it really 75% off?

capable_keL · Post by **capable_keL** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 11:49 am

al jefferson has lost 30 pounds!

we're gonna run up and down the court to 29 victories!!

bringinoutbangerz · Post by **bringinoutbangerz** » Tue Oct 06, 2009 10:48 am

T Rav · Post by **T Rav** » Tue Oct 06, 2009 3:41 pm

Are they giving all the Wizards creepy lighting in their player profiles or just Mike Miller?
He looks like Leprechaun.

Tweak Da Leak · Post by **Tweak Da Leak** » Tue Oct 06, 2009 3:46 pm

i want to see the wizards give J. McGee the same photoshoot as miller

capable_keL · Post by **capable_keL** » Tue Oct 06, 2009 3:51 pm

it's offical, kevin love has grown 1 whole inch. ( no homo)

Tweak Da Leak · Post by **Tweak Da Leak** » Tue Oct 06, 2009 4:35 pm

so does that make love a legit 6'10 with shoes?!?!?

VideoKilledThe · Post by **VideoKilledThe** » Wed Oct 07, 2009 11:47 am

Hedging bets...

NBA general managers predict repeats this season for the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James.

The league executives who responded to the eighth annual NBA.com GM survey picked the Lakers to win another NBA title -- though their opponent is unclear -- and saw James as the runaway winner of another MVP award.

The Lakers received 61 percent of the votes to win the championship while Boston and Cleveland shared second place at 18 percent. The Celtics took 50 percent of the vote to capture the Eastern Conference crown and the Cavaliers 43 percent.

Orlando, the defending East champion, received only 7 percent to win the conference and no votes to earn its first championship. Dwight Howard, the Magic's All-Star center, played down the voting results.

"Those are general managers," Howard said during a call to promote the NBA Live 10 video game. "Those are guys who aren't playing basketball anymore, so of course they're going to pick their teams to win, and we understand that."

Other teams selected to win their divisions Tuesday included San Antonio in the Southwest and Portland edging Denver in the Northwest.

General managers were not permitted to vote for their own teams or players.

James drew 69 percent of the MVP vote, easily outdistancing 2008 winner Kobe Bryant (17 percent) and Howard (7 percent). James was chosen by 79 percent of GMs when asked which player they would sign if starting a franchise today.

Blake Griffin, the overall No. 1 draft choice of the Clippers, was picked by 79 percent to be rookie of the year.

Tweak Da Leak · Post by **Tweak Da Leak** » Wed Oct 07, 2009 1:51 pm

Chase "Larry Legend" Budinger

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