Originally Posted by cmorioles (Post 957362)

...my only point about the Thunder, and obviously I'm a homer, is a lot of people seem to think this is the same team as the one from the finals, or one that took a step back without Harden. That is simply not the case. They are clearly better this year. Westbrook, Durant, and Ibaka are all better players than they were, and the bench is very deep, much better than when Harden was here.

Jackson alone isn't that far off of Harden's numbers. He is a magician in the paint. If Westbrook could finish like Jackson does he'd be hands down the top PG in the NBA.

Originally Posted by RockHardTen1985 (Post 957363)

I prefer GS, Portland and Houston over LAC. Im not sold on LAC at all. I think Houston will be fine. And when the playoffs come around Im not sold on Portland being a real contender. GS has been a huge disapointment in my eyes. I had them as a top 2-3 team. Hopefully the get it going, they sure are fun to watch.
I dont think George is that far behind Durant and he is 2yrs younger. He took a huge step forward this year.
Durant is the better scorer right now, but if George is hungry and keeps getting better he will be as good by the time he is 25. George would be a rebounding machine if not for Hibbert and West. Durant is the 2nd best rebounder on his team, so the rebounding difference means nothing to me..... George plays better D.

Originally Posted by Duvalier (Post 957369)

Wow Joe Johnson was unconscious tonight in the 3rd quarter... eight 3-pointers and 29 points. Finished with 10 3's and 37 points on the night.

The Association may may need to start looking into some sort of mercy rule for the Sixers after the last few games.

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell (Post 957376)

They have been the kind of embarrassing lately that I envisioned them being the entire season. Their last 3 wins have been OT games so more or less they are 3 points away from having a 20 game losing streak. The last non-OT win was Nov 8.

At least we know the Sixers have a plan for all the losing. After tonights Knicks game I'm pretty sure that Woodson has to go as he appears to have completely lost the team. Now we are hearing rumors about trades for Pau Gasol. Guy looks completely shot.

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell (Post 957375)

You realize that Golden State isnt a cinch to even make the playoffs right?

Kevin Durant is better than George who is just starting to get near the level KD has been at for a few years. George will never be as good offensively as Durant as he has made dramatic improvements and yet still is a step below Durant who is also getting better.

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell (Post 957373)

Asik could be a great pickup for the right team like Dallas or Golden State. Problem is NBA trades are hard to make and Houston supposedly wants a lot and his contract has a balloon payment of $15 million next year. There was a rumor that the Sixers were interested in trading Thaddeus Young for Asik and the money works but who knows?

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell (Post 957374)

OKC is very good. Who knows how good they'd be if Brooks stopped playing Perkins and Fisher? Reggie Jackson holds the NBA summer league record for points in a game lol. Adams has been far better than I thought he'd be and has a lot of room to improve.

Truth is that Asik would be a great pickup for OKC though I don't see Houston making that happen.

Originally Posted by RockHardTen1985 (Post 957378)

Its Gasol for Chandler, but LA would have to take JR Smith.....
There were Shumpert rumors, but I have not read much about that and heard nothing about it on First Take when they discussed Gasol for Chandler.

Originally Posted by RockHardTen1985 (Post 957379)

Right now they are 1.5 games out of a playoff spot. 3 teams ahead of them are not much team IMO.... Dallas, Denver and Phoenix. GS feels like a team that will go on a 15-5 20 game stretch at some point and be right in the playoff mix. With all that said, they are a disapointment, I thought they would be much better.

Originally Posted by cmorioles (Post 957386)

Yeah, the problem with Asik is the contract. It doesn't all count against the cap, but it is still a lot of money to pay for what he brings.

Dallas isn't going anywhere. They are a solid team, nothing more. What could they give Houston that Houston would even want?

Golden State already has a version of Asik in Bogut really, though Bogut is better if healthy. I'm just not sure they would give up much to get him. I don't think anyone will.

Originally Posted by cmorioles (Post 957387)

Asik would only be a great pickup IMO if Houston took Perkins...and who would do that? I don't care much about Perkins playing his 15 minutes a game. It doesn't matter if he starts, his minutes are shrinking and will continue to do so. He is just a backup to be honest, and still has some value against guys like Hibbert and Howard and Duncan.

Fisher is another story. Why Brooks plays him over Perry Jones is beyond me. And even if he doesn't want to play Jones, give the minutes to Lamb/Jackson. I think he will more and more as the season goes on.

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell (Post 957420)

Fischer is totally shot. I've railed against him for three years but the 2011-12 version of him is like Kobe compared to now. He is shooting 20% from the field. I get the veteran leadership stuff but do like Miami did with Juwon Howard. Hand him a towel and lead from the bench.

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell (Post 957419)

I dont know what houston really wants for him but the way they handled this situation by setting a deadline to trade him on Thursday seems odd. Golden State needs front court help. Asik can split minutes with Bogut and Lee which helps keep Bogut in the lineup and improve their defense a lot. He would be a good fit in Dallas and they do have draft picks plus Cuban wont tank. IMO Dallas with Asik probably makes the playoffs. Probably not going too far but still.

The ultimate wildcard would be the Nets where money isnt an issue though I have no idea if the rules allow them to add him considering where their salary situation is now.

Originally Posted by RockHardTen1985 (Post 957477)

Clevland playing a big half so far at home vs Portland. I would like to see them win this game and go to 8-4 at home. Any team with the talent they have, that can also defend home court can be dangerous come playoff time if they stay healthy. With that said they will get blasted by Indiana or Miami.

Originally Posted by Duvalier (Post 957491)

Things will be different going forward for the Blazers. They'll be getting team's best shot on a lot of nights...they're no longer just another non playoff team from the Western Conference...or just another game.

By getting the national media attention and being ranked #1 in some media based polls at this point in the season, there won't be many easy games...but those are the games you need to keep winning to be legit. Teams like Miami, Indiana, San Antonio and Oklahoma City have already solidified their status as true contenders.

Originally Posted by RockHardTen1985 (Post 957496)

They pulled that out tonight against a team thats OK at home. Nice win.