wow
 

My jaw just dropped watching the end of the Sixers/Nets game. yet another tough luck loss for us. 1/30th of a second. Hysterical. Thats what missing 14 ft's will do to ya.

just a thought. If Iggy makes the first ft at the end of the game, he can miss the second on purpose and they win the game. This team has lost more than its share of close ones. Hope they are battle tested for the playoffs.

They will be lucky to win a game

Im just glad Devin Harris is out of Dallas.
Got tired of watching him harass Parker.
Some serious jets on that guy.

How come?

If anything, I would say they have a shot to go far in the playoffs. They have either beaten or went down to the wire with the best this league has to offer. I know the playoffs is a different game altogether, but they can battle it out with the elite. Marreece Speights and Thaddeus Young are getting me back to being a fan of this team. Now if we could only unload Andre "As pitiful shot selector as they come" Iguadola and Samuel "Izell Jenkins" Dalembert, we would be okay. The time to do that was this offseason (esp after Iggy's horrid display in teh playoffs) and we dropped the ball. Elton Brand who??? This team will be good for years to come IMO.

How come? Because they stink? Or they will most likely play Cleveland, Boston or Orlando in the first round? Do you really think they have a prayer of beating any of those tams more than once? Dr. J and Moses Malone aint walkin thru that door...

Or they can pull it together and pull a first round matchup against ATL, MIA, or MIL...I truly think they are better than the teams that I mentioned and would give the teams that you mention a run for their money, even with a chance at beating them. Cleveland is a mediocre team away from home, and they would have to play games away from Quicken Loans. Boston would give us fits, sure. They've played the Magic down to the wire in both games, games that could've went either way. Dont overlook these guys and throw out their chances just yet. This is a WHOLE different ball club under DiLeo than it wsa under Cheeks. DiLeo is rotating these guys masterfully (boy am I going to hear $hit for saying this), and getting the young guys some quality time late in the games. I think they are going to make a nice stretch run heading into the playoffs and land witht he 4,5, or 6 seed. I, for one, am excited about the rest of this year. It's still early but am eager to see if they pull it together and rise in the ranks. If you are still adamant about their chances, or lack there of, come playoff time, we can possibly make a little wager. I know of a few Cheesesteak joints that travel well. I want some more autographs. ;)

Orlando without J. Nelson is very possible. (5-4 without him)
Not the others though at not Orlando with a healthy Jameer.

Iguidalaiguana is OK by me.

You must not watch him on a nightly basis. Some of the shots he takes are beyond headscratchers.

You do realize that they have lost 4 in a row right?

Cleveland is mediocre away from home? They have lost to 1 non playoff team on the road all year and are 18-10 and have been playing a significant portion of the year without 2 starters. Boston is the weak link because Orlando may be better with Alston than Nelson. Philly would surely lose in 4 to Orlando or Cleveland. They may beat Boston once. If everything goes their way they may beat Atlanta twice. But they realistically have zero chance to advance.

Orlando will be fine with Alston.

And i think that the first series is 5 games which makes phiily more likely not to win any.
But at least Declan is a loyal fan!

What is fine?

That was a huge loss imo.

I do not.
But when Philly played SA he was awesome.
And I can see him getting a bit wild on that team.

Trade him, we will take him.
Damn deadline.

Please spare me the Jameer Nelson story. Alston is a pass first PG coming to a team with plenty of shooters. Not to mention that he can hit an open shot and is a sneaky defensive player. Nelson is a nice story but not an elite player

He makes ALOT of money. They are stuck with him for a long time.

5-4 without Jameer.

They have been using Turkeyglue to penetrate late
in games, end of quarters???? No way.
That is Jameer's game. Shooters
they do have, but Jameer is a strong little bugger who
gets into the paint and causes problems. He gives
the shooters time with the penetration. Alston is a
proven dime a dozen PG. I will give the D to Alston.
But with Howard back there... Dont think its quite as important.

Orlando is just not as good without him.
We will have to disagree on this one.
(like we never have before)

Of course I know they lost 4 straight. Look at them before the break, as good a record as anyone in a certain time frame, with most of their recent losses (b4 break) being close battles.This team is a rollercoaster. Hot and cold. When they are playing well and playing to their advantages (fast break), they are tough to beat. I'm hoping all of these close game L's explicate them into a team that can sooner or later eek out the close ones. To say that ANY team in the league may be better without Nelson in favor of Alston is as crazy as saying that the 6ers SURELY would be swept by Orlando and Cleveland. Every team suffers from injuries, the Sixers have played the majority of the season without their prized offseason acquisition in Brand (dont get me started on that one). Injuries shouldnt be brought up when speaking of how well or poor teams play. Players elevate their game when key players go down. (Ive won a good amount of money betting wise using this angle. Everyones thinks that just because a certain superstar goes down, that ced team has no shot of winning next out or even the next few. Not so.) Good teams plug the holes and not allow themselves to fall tremendously in the standings.

SO how do you like your steaks? I recommend double meat, double cheese wit (onions) and long hots.

The sad, sad truth. :mad: :mad:

If they are stuck with him maybe they would
like to get rid of him and clear some money?
Will he rework his contract
to play for a team that has a chance?

What team that already has a chance, would want him????

If any team in contention, needs a player that ABSOLUTELY NEEDS to get to the rim to make a difference, then they are pretenders to begin with. He's an 80 million dollar mistake, and when compounded with that thief Brand, Im shocked that they aer even in a situation to make noise.

Yeah they are undefeated with Alston who can penetrate as well.
Nelson was 38th in the league in assists. He was just another scorer on a team that has plenty of scoring. While he was having his best year, what he did for the team is easily made up by Alston. The differences between the two are not that great and Alston is a better fit with Orlando than he was with Houston.

yes they are indeed 1-0 with Alston as a starter i think.
What Nelson did was give them room because he
is a compact little tank in the lane. They will miss him.
Badly imo. Huge improvement which happens with PG's.

If we were co-GM's fisticuffs would break out
and I would be forced to run away. Dont make me run.

While I think your theory is extremely flawed couldnt you say you just defended the Alston move to Orlando. As I explained to Popovich, there isnt much difference between Nelson and Alston. Different situations lead to different performances. Alston can simply concentrate on distributing the ball instead of worrying about scoring. He is a much better player when he isnt forcing shots (though that can be said about anybody I suppose), Orlando wont miss Nelson that much.

Philly simply doesnt match up well. They are a weak shooting team with little post scoring. They also are last in the NBA in 3 pt shooting and 26th in FT %. They are a pretty good defensive and rebounding team but teams that cant shoot lose in the playoffs.

He has 6 years left, they cant rework that.

Philly made some horrible offseason moves the last few years. You know why? Because they like you thought the team was a lot better than it really is. At least you can say you are as good as Philly's GM!

They wont miss him much.

I laughed.

and

which is why we picked up Kareem Rush and Donyell Marshall in the offseason. :rolleyes:

This discussion will be brought up at a later date, Im sure of it.

Donyell Marshall looks like he is 80 years old.

Yes they have. Could haunt the franchise for many years to come. and I strive to be as good as the one acrossed the street. ;) :o

Too bad you arent getting paid

He isn't???

He's got some pretty suave a$$ suits though. I think thats all Ive seen him in all year. I cant complain about Stefanski's decisions. WAIT, Im a Philadelphian, yes I can.

If I was, I'd strap Iggy, Dalembert, and LJ Smith on a rocket piloted by Bernard Hopkins and send them into orbit for good. I might have to hold off on LJ as I look forward to watching him getting teh ball stripped from him by our defense if and when we cross paths again. I dont think Ive ever told my family and friends, about the disdain I hold for Hopkins. Im glad to have finally gotten it off my chest. Some things you just dont admit to around here.

Wow. I get what you're trying to say, but Skip is to Nelson as Ramen Noodles are to Shrimp Lo Mein.

I know nelson was having a good year but he isnt Chris Paul or Deron Williams or a young jason Kidd or Gary payton or ....

He is a 15 ppg and 5 assist guy who is an excellent free throw shooter, not Magic Johnson.
A pass first PG will mesh nicely in Orlando. They have gone from a B player to a C+, not that big of a difference.

Nelson is a good player but he is the most replacable part on that team. I think Orlando will continue to win without him and is a threat for Boston and Cleveland if they get on a good shooting roll in the playoffs.

Give the kid a break. He is finally comfortable in his role as the floor leader
and he gets hurt. And you are comparing him with guys that have already proven themselves and were/are franchise players. Nelson will never be that with Howard. He will be the 2nd best player on the team.

If Nelson is a B, Alston is a D as a starter and team leader.
I think this removes Orlando as a team having a good chance
to go to the finals.

pgardn's rankings:

On top:
1. LA (If and when Bynum comes back, maybe bring him off the bench for Gasol) KOBE
2. Cleveland (hurt players coming back not missing a step) Pure.Le BRAWN
3. Boston (still very solid on D, very physical, and still scoring)


A way back:

4. San Antonio (Duncan maybe the most consistent player ever)

Step down again...

3rd level:

Utah (Boozer is back so a chance to move up with SA; Williams is awesome)
Hornets (Paul is the man, West is showing some weaknesses now)
Orlando (D. Howard... and shooters)
Houston (Yao and company make them very tough inside; McGrady softness not a huge problem to overcome... a meaner team now)
Denver (Mystery... Billups definitely makes them tougher in the playoffs; when they play D they can be very good)

4th level:

Portland (Roy and Aldridge... too young and Stupid)
Dallas (Soft foreheads)
Phoenix (back to the run and gun... Amare gone... either way, no way)
Atlanta (Joe Johnson... thought Horford would be a lot better on the offensive end this year but no)
Detroit (looking awful right now but I think they have the potential to be 3rd level and trouble in the playoffs if they dont have a mental meltdown... may have already happened)

Horford has been hurt, McGrady is out for the year, Detroit is dead, Orlando is much better than you give them credit for.

Nelson is simply not a great player. Good players can be replaced, great players cant. Alston is better than a D, he is a league average point guard. The great thing about sports is that they play the games and we see who is right.

That and the Celtics are getting Starbury. Is life good or what!

And I figured now would be a good time to revisit a conversation Peegardn and I had last year about Kevin Durant.

26 points a game, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 49% from the field, 43% on 3 pointers, 86% from the line, and he leads the NBA in minutes played. So much for a too skinny, one dimensional gunner. By the way he is 20.

Looks like All NBA to me.

For comparison:
Kobe Bryant 27 points per, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 47% from the field, 35% on 3's, 86% from the line

Whoa, whoa, hold it!
Last year I said he was skinny, shot from the outside too much
because he could not go to the hole. I also said (because I frggn
watched him play almost everygame at Texas) that I had never seen
such a beautiful catch and shoot guy and once he starts going to the
basket and getting fouled...

And thats exactly what he is doing.
He is still skinny but not the wimp last year.
He has definitley hit the weights. I actually saw
some definition in those arms. He is almost about Gervin
strength. I think thatll do.

The guy I also really like on that team is Green. He could
really take off next year.

Now as for a comparison with Kobe...
Durant has led his team to stellar 13 wins.
You can put him all NBA for big stats but
a team that is getting waxed every other night...

Do the stats mean as much? Dont think so.

This is what I meant when I said his soft play would not be missed.
Detroit does not have to be dead.
But I think you are right, they are mentally cooked.

I think its good for all basketball for the Celtics to get stephon.
There could be some comedy.