NBA 2012-13: This time it's... well, probably the Lakers and Heat

A new season deserves a new thread. My beloved Suns are, according to the majority of pundits, the absolute worst team in the league. The HEAT are the team to beat (again), Kevin Love is out for at least the first half of the season leaving the Best White American Player title up for grabs, and this new ineffectual flopping rule is in effect.

Honestly, I can't wait.

I look forward to coming into work in the morning, asking how the Suns game went, and then getting a dirty look.

I predict my dirty look will be justified by one of the following three reasons:

A) You'd think that an organization that has been around for over 40 years would eventually learn how to coach defense, but NOOOO...
B) You'd think that two players that hoist up a combined 40 shots per game (Beasley and Morris) would hit at least a third of them, but NOOOO...
C) You'd think that having the center position be the strongest it's ever been in franchise history would be a positive thing, but NOOOO...

Big announcement: Stern to retire Feb. 1, 2014. That gives him officially 30 years in the job, which I guess explains the odd mid-season timing. Adam Silver will replace him.

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/blog/e...adam-silver-elected-to-become-nba-commisioner

I thought the timing of his retirement was odd too until I saw that would put him at 30 years in the position. Still strange for him not to finish out the entire season.

I knew that Silver was going to be named as the next commissioner when he seemingly took point during the last lockout. He'd obviously been groomed for it for a while, but the lockout confirmed it in my mind. Not sure how I feel about him taking over the reins of the league as he seems like Stern Puppet #1, but we'll see I guess.

I also noticed that the Brooklyn Nets are abbreviating themselves as BN. Shouldn't it be BRK?

I guess Stern really wants to pass Pete Rozelle for longest-tenured commissioner ever. Seems kind of petty, but whatever.

And maybe I've been looking in the wrong places, but I haven't heard a word about Jeremy Lin since he signed with Houston. It's weird after all the hype last year. I guess he hasn't played that well in the preseason.

Lin has not been great this preseason. His shooting has been awful, but he's been taking more jumpers from the little I've seen, and his mechanics are TERRIBLE.

Houston made a serious mistake in their handling of the point guard position this offseason. I don't think Lin is going to be terrible, but his contract will be for what his skills are.

Will the Lakers be able to keep their perfect 0-7 preseason record alive today against the Kings? I'm sure the world is giddy with anticipation.

No team has gone winless in the preseason and made it to the NBA Finals.

No team has gone winless in the preseason and made it to the NBA Finals.

No team has gone winless in the preseason and made it to the NBA Finals.

Oops, I forgot we had this thread. Re: Gregg Popovich benching his starts vs. Miami, I support almost anything that makes David Stern mad. Also, I'm a Lakers fan and I think that Popovich is the greatest basketball coach of all time.

As I said in the other thread, who is Stern to tell a team how then can and cannot rest their players. Spurs are old and a game against Memphis was far more important to them then a game against Miami. The schedual had them playing 5 road games in 6 days. The fine they got is total BS.

Both of you are totally correct. It's a massive overreach by a commissioner who has been in decline for the past decade, and sets a dangerous precedent.

Oh, and as a Suns fan who hates the Spurs, I totally support Popovich and that organization in this.

The precedent isn't that big a deal. The incoming commish has no problem with Pop's decision. Stern is flexing his last muscles. He's made some big mistakes, but overall he's been pretty good for the sport during his tenure.

I think the precedent is a big deal. The league should not be sanctioning teams for who they choose to play or not.

Stern used to be (rightfully) considered the best commissioner in sports, but that was a long time ago. His decisions in the past ten or so years (this fine, the Chris Paul fiasco, his handling of the last CBA/Lockout, the relocation of the Sonics, the dress code, etc.) has changed his legacy. You may be right about him "flexing his muscles," but why should he do so? There's no good that could have come out of this fine, and he should have realized that.

He should rightly be credited with steering and increasing the popularity of the league from the end of the cocaine scandals through the end of Jordan's final stint with the Bulls. But after that his tenure has become much more spotty and much less respectable.

I agree that the fine was wrong, but I don't think it's a precedent because Silver has already stated that he doesn't have a problem and can just say it was part of Stern's basketball reasons.

I agree he's made some big mistakes, but given the length of his tenure and what he's accomplished, I don't see them as huge issues. The fine and CP3 were flat out wrong. The lockout wasn't all him and at least they played given the history of other sport's lockouts (watch any good hockey lately?). The Sonics and dress code I don't have an issue with. OKC has been a fairly big success story. The dress code took some thug life out of sports and made players at least 'look' like respectable role models.

Leaders are always questioned. Stern's past his time and should go out quietly, but he won't. I suspect he has a few more tricks up his sleeve to further secure his 'legacy'.

New Orleans to change name to Pelicans or possibly Brass or Krewe (yay, Guild Wars 2 reference). Had to double check it wasn't April 1st when I read this story.

Yeah, I just saw this as well. Pelicans is an odd choice, but at least it has a purpose (Brown Pelican is the state bird of Louisiana). I would have preferred Krewe myself, but I understand why they didn't use it.

The best solution would have been to gotten the rights to the name "Jazz" back from Utah, but there's no way that would ever happen.

Oh, I had no idea what a krewe really was. I also thought brass was supposed to refer to management, but it's probably meant to conjure up images of a brass band.

Lakers should be better by now (T_T)

Anyone see the Kobe interview on ESPN? He's at least saying the right things - Don't trade Pau. He's the key to the team and he's like a brother to me. Yes, he probably needs to get the ball in the block more and D'Antoni is going to try to adjust. Yes, Dwight and I are getting along okay, although he does need to work on his free throws. Brought me back a little bit from the brink of despair.

Wow, Golden State won at Miami and have basically the same record as them (15-7 vs 14-6). Who saw that coming?

I'm quite bemused by the Lakers panic. What did people expect? New coaches mean new systems, and since they are playing games that count its going to take some time for it all to come together. If they had gone with Phil again it might have worked a little better, in that Kobe and Pau would have quickly adjusted, but you still would have had Dwight and Nash and others who would need to learn it.

About the best the Lakers can hope for is to stick around .500 for a few months and hope it all comes together for a late season run and the playoffs.

9-13 with 4 more games at home than on the road is much worse than most expected. Weirdly, they have an overall +2.7 points per game differential. I'd be okay with sticking slightly above 0.500 for a few months, but they're well below it and have played most of their games at home. I'm not saying they should make a panic move, but I think it's reasonable for Lakers fans to be nervous right now.

I have been horribly horribly tempted to say really sarcastic awful things about the Lakers here because I hate them. You seem like an alright guy though Hanacker, and in an odd twist of fate, it turns out that you were born exactly one month after I was, so I'll refrain... until Nash comes back.

Don't hold back on my account. I'm not one of those Lakers fans, and I can always console myself in the 5 titles we've won in the last 12 years. And this year has been a disaster so far, so I'm not sure what you could say that would possibly make it worse. And any hate now will just make it more sweet if they manage to turn things around.

Warriors dynasty is beginning, clearly. :D

As I hate Kobe more then any other player in the league not named LeBron, I hope this continues for the entire season.

There are a lot of people who need to start apologizing to Mark Jackson. The Knicks and the Warriors have been the biggest surprises so far.

Early in the 2nd, Knicks are shooting 71% and have yet to turn the ball over. Carmelo has 22. Lakers bench is 0-7 with 0 points. Wheee!

Dwight Howard: 38 minutes, 7 rebounds.
Antawn Jamison: 21 minutes, 6 rebounds.

What the hell? Oh, and Kobe lead the team with 10. If it weren't physically impossible for me I'd start to feel a little bad for him.

So Nash is back, and the Lakers won an ugly one at surprisingly good Golden State. Kobe shot way too much (surprising, I know), but Nash looked good and Artest has been fantastic lately so the Lakers panic meter has temporarily been turned way down.

PS: Fuck the Clippers.

The biggest issue the lakers have is something Nash cannot help with, defense. Their coach doesn't care about defense and the team is following his lead.

Defense, coaching, age, pick your poison.

Yo, 5 game win-steak and their defense did well enough against the Knicks. I'm picking up my pencil to write them into the Finals.

The only silver lining to this season is that Boston sucks equally as bad as the Lakers. At least the Lakers look like they have a bit more potential and can blame injuries for a bit of their slow start.

Even at their best potental for this season i see the lakers as maybe the 4-5th best team in the west and I dont see them beating any of the top teams in a series.

The Clippers have won 16 straight. The Clippers!

If they can beat Utah tomorrow night, they'll have had a perfect month - only the third in NBA history.

Who thought the Clippers would actually gel into a cohesive team? And who thinks they can stay a Top-3 team all year? I do not.

I always cringe when Pau Gasol shoots threes (and he's been shooting them way more this year than ever before), but he's making them at 41% (although he's only taken 17). So keep shooting them, I guess.

I'm a couple days late but David Lee owning Blake Griffin was absolutely glorious.