well I've been a Suns diehard since I was born...to be honest, this is the best that they've looked since the Finals season in 92-93. Lots of depth...but still no Center...then again there isn't Shaq to worry about anymore either.

The Suns could get as high as a 6 or 7 seed this year, I think they need a little more depth to go any higher.

:love:
We can hope.


Actually, they made the 3rd seed in the playoffs in my video game. So, you never know.

The Timberwolves are also not very in video games. They aren't accurate.

THis is what I was talking about, it was for next year though. Oops.

http://cbs.sportsline.com/nba/story/7812610

I'll be ecstatic if my Lakers even MAKE it to the playoffs. Right now, I think I have them penciled in as finishing 10th in the West in my predictions. :(


My Finals pick is Detroit vs San Antonio in the ugliest, most defensive Finals you will ever see in your lifetime. I haven't decided who would win that one... prolly Detroit, but in 7.

Don't worry Corky. As another resident LA guy who roots for the Lakers, I think they'll surprise people. Kobe has shown he can score 30 a game if he wanted to. And in the preseason so far, Mihm has been a pleasant surprise and Brian Cook is actually making 3's. He actually went 3-3 the other day against the Clippers, which boggles my mind. He shoots like Shawn Marion, but I could never figure out how Marion scores either. I think Lakers will battle for the Pacific till the end, but it'll take a miracle or two for them to get back to the Finals.

The Lakers (and all the people who jump on the bandwagon in LA) piss me off.

Well I'd agree with you 3 years ago but I don't see a bandwagon for the Lakers right now. I've been a fan since the 80s and through the miserable 90s so don't think that all Laker fans are "bandwagon fans". If anything, people are jumping off the bandwagon since everyone left the team.

The Lakers would have to play really poor to miss the playoffs. They still have good players, why don't people understand that?

I'm with B C Two Dubs.

The Lakers won't win their division or anything, but they'll make the playoffs. They might even make the conference semis (might). The Kobe-Shaq-Phil conflict is gone, and now they have a good handful of young players who will get a lot of playing time now that the triangle offense and Hack-A-Shaq is gone.

I can see the Lakers getting a #6 seed, then potentially knocking off a #3. Especially if they're going to make the three division winners the top three seeds in each conference now. If the top couple of teams in, say, the Southwest beat each other up in the closing weeks of the season, LA could bump pull off an upset.

Rudy T is a good coach, and he has good depth in the front court. It's obviously going to be Kobe's team this year, but if Medvedenko has a good year or someone like Caron Butler or Brian Grant, Kobe's going to get more shots than he has in the past.

I think Kobe will win the scoring title this year.

Loopydate is right on so many levels. Their division has the Clippers, the Warriors, and the Suns. Thats a huge advantage over the teams in the Rockets-Spurs-Mavericks-Hornets-Grizzlies.

Anybody who has ever watched a game of basketball knows that Kobe Bryant is a great player, overall one of the five most talented players in the league. KG, TD, Kobe, T-Mac, AI are probably the five guys with the most talent in the league. Kobe is a better shooter than T-Mac and AI, he is still one of the best players in the league. Shaqs absense will change his game, but it won't turn him into a shitty player, FYI.

And don't be surprised when the Lakers start getting big play from their big men. Look at who they have on the perimeter, Kobe-Kareem Rush-Caron Butler-Deavon George-Chucky Atkins. The other teams will have to move out on them leaving Lamar Odom and Vlade Divac inside with easy layups.

They will be a very different team, but in a head to head I think they are better than the Heat. Sure, the Heat have a rejuvinated Shaq, a solid scorer in Eddie Jones, and a young point guard in Dwayne Wade, but besides that their they have nobody who is going to contribute. They are not a title contender, they don't have any depth beyond three guys, and when you have shitty starters you aren't going far.

lol

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/powerr...n=2005&week=-1

These are rediculous if you ask me.

Courtesy NY Post

Anyone lucky enough to be playing in the NBA or working for it is overpaid. That's my educated position.

Then there are those said affiliates who are obscenely overpaid; Latrell Sprewell, for example. The free- agent-in-waiting is on the Wolves' bloated books this season for $14.625M and earnestly believes he shouldn't take as much as a penny pay cut over the next three years from Minnesota or any team.

In his twisted view, Sprewell evidently thinks he's salaried on the cheap. In his warped analysis, he feels he deserves a raise (as if he wasn't sufficiently overly rewarded last season, $13.5M), for providing effective effort and pressure points playing off MVP Kevin Garnett and helping lead his franchise past the first round (deep into the third) for the first time in its history.

Should Wolves owner Glen Taylor refuse to considerably upgrade his "insulting" three-year offer (the $30M vicinity) before commencement exercises Nov. 3, Sprewell vows to forever flee Minnesota at season's end.

Well, I've got news for Sprewell: at 35 (Sept. 8, 1970) he's not going to get such a warm financial response from any other team. Not that he isn't dreadfully experienced in running amuck in such mine fields and plundering them. Still, forcing this particular issue, it says here, will prove to be a calculably, uncorrectable error.

Finding a $15M plus taker for his over-ripened services? I can't envision that happening. Sprewell would have a better second chance of squeezing blood from a stoned P.J. Carlesimo.

----------------------------------------------------------------

I'm glad that somebody understands

PORTLANDS GOIN ALL THE WAY THIS YEAR

Spree wants a trade now. What a fucking baby.

Is that new as of today? Ill brb.

Wow what a huge douche bag. I'm getting these off hoopshype...

And the papers were saying how much Sprewell was coming around finally. Now we are just going to dump him off to a shitty team like Toronto. Maybe we'll be nice and let him go back to New York, he cries about being traded every day.

All summer people were talking about trading Wally, and the whole time I said that if we're going to trade somebody, Sprewell is the guy to go. He is old and incredibly inconsistant last year. When he was hot he could win the game for us single handedly, but that didn't happen much. I honestly don't think it will hurt us that much to let him go, I think it'd be worse if he stayed now. Wally is good, you can deny it but he has great career numbers, and now it will take away the drama of who comes off the bench, maybe get us a good draft pick at the same time. If Sprewell is going to be a little pussy, then let him go.

Also, I wouldn't take that as complete fact yet because it was only in the Pioneer Press and they have had the tentdency to report things wrong, such as every Wally trade in the last year. I'd wait a day to make sure, but from all indications it looks like Spre is gone.

Scratch that, pretty much the same article was in the Star Tribune today too.

He's a baby...and he's not worth almost 15 mil a year like he wants...

9 mil per is insulting? FUCK YOU SPREWELL

Dave, he's got a family to feed you bastard :rant:

For 9 mil a year, I could feed my family including pets 3 square meals of caviar and Cristal a day. :p

Any ideas on the trade. I could see somethign with the Pacers. The Knicks like to think they are going to get talent off the Wolves, but they don't realize that they have nobody who another team wants.

If the Twolves are smart, they'd trade for a center. Perhaps they could trade him to the Bulls for Eddy Curry. Even though Curry is somewhat overrated, he's a whole lot better than Kandi-crap.

Post predictions dicks

EASTERN
Atlantic
New York Knicks
Boston Celtics
Philadelphia 76ers
New Jersey Nets
Toronto Raptors

Central
Detroit Pistons
Indiana Pacers
Cleveland Cavaliers
Milwaukee Bucks
Chicago Bulls

Southeast
Miami Heat
Orlando Magic
Atlanta Hawks
Charlotte Bobcats
Washington Wizards

WESTERN
Northwest
Minnesota Timberwolves
Utah Jazz
Denver Nuggets
Portland Trailblazers
Seattle SuperSonics :(

Pacific
Phoenix Suns
Sacramento Kings
Los Angeles Lakers
Golden State Warriors
Los Angeles Clippers

Southwest
San Antonio Spurs
Dallas Mavericks
Houston Rockets
New Orleans Hornets
Memphis Grizzlies

WEST
1. Minnesota
2. San Antonio
3. Phoenix
4. Utah
5. Dallas
6. Houston
7. Los Angeles Lakers
8. Sacramento

EAST
1. Detroit
2. Indiana
3. Miami
4. New York
5. Cleveland
6. Boston
7. Orlando
8. Philadelphia

Wolves over Kings
Spurs over Lakers
Suns over Rockets
Jazz over Mavs
Pistons over Sixers
Pacers over Magic
Heat over Celtics
Knicks over Cavs

Wolves over Jazz
Spurs over Suns
Pistons over Knicks
Heat over Pacers

Spurs over Wolves
Pistons over Heat

San Antonio Spurs def. Detroit Pistons, 4-3

League MVP: Kevin Garnett, MIN
Rookie of the Year: Emeka Okafor, CHA
Coach of the Year: Jerry Sloan, UTA

Miz w/ Suns in 1st :love:

I'll make my picks in a little bit, but I think that the Miz has better picks then most of the so called "experts"

I think the Celtics are going to win the Atlantic Divison this season

Spree is the man

EASTERN
Atlantic
New York Knicks
Boston Celtics
Philadelphia 76ers
Toronto Raptors
New Jersey Nets


Central
Detroit Pistons
Indiana Pacers
Cleveland Cavaliers
Milwaukee Bucks
Chicago Bulls

Southeast
Miami Heat
Orlando Magic
Atlanta Hawks
Washington Wizards
Charlotte Bobcats


WESTERN
Northwest
Minnesota Timberwolves
Denver Nuggets
Utah Jazz
Portland Trailblazers
Seattle SuperSonics

Pacific
Phoenix Suns
Sacramento Kings
Los Angeles Lakers
Golden State Warriors
Los Angeles Clippers

Southwest
San Antonio Spurs
Houston Rockets
Dallas Mavericks
Memphis Grizzlies
New Orleans Hornets


WEST
1. Minnesota
2. San Antonio
3. Phoenix
4. Denver
5. Houston
6. Dallas
7. Utah
8. Sacramento

EAST
1. Detroit
2. Indiana
3. Miami
4. New York
5. Cleveland
6. Boston
7. Orlando
8. Philadelphia

Wolves over Kings
Spurs over Utah
Suns over Dallas
Denver over Houston
Pistons over Sixers
Pacers over Magic
Heat over Celtics
Knicks over Cavs

Wolves over Denver
Spurs over Suns
Pistons over Knicks
Pacers over Heat

Wolves over Spurs
Pacers over Pistons

Wolves over Pistons 4-3

Wadding, you gotta be kidding me??? Pacers over Pistons. That is a terrible pick.

TONIGHT BABY, RINGS ARE HANDED OUT, BANNERS ARE RAISED, AND THE DEFENSE OF A CHAMPIONSHIP BEGINS



DETRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTT
BASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKEEEEEEEEEEEEETTTTTTTTTTBALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

Alright, here I go.

ESPN.com has the Lakers ranked 10th in the West and like 16th in the whole NBA in their power rankings. From the start, I have been one to stand up and say that they are totally underrated and that Kobe Bryant's talent is going unnoticed because of the drama going around his name. After tonights game, beating the team that ESPN has ranked fifth overall I think, you have to give the Lakers some respect.

Kobe Bryant played a team game. He didn't shoot very much at all in the first half and kept setting up Chris Mihm for a career high in scoring. Then in the second half he broke out and ended the game with 25 points. This was a game where Kobe Bryant made his team better. Who knows if its going to last, but I wouldn't bet the farm that is does. What makes it so that Kobe Bryant can't change when he heard all of the criticism in the off season? T-Mac was criticized that he wasn't a team player and couldn't carry a team, but then he said he could with Yao and everybody forgot about it.

Kobe Bryant is being terribly underrated and so are the Los Angeles Lakers. They will be between 5-7 seed in the playoffs, mark my words.

Try this on for size...

This year, Dikembe Motumbo will be making 2.7 million dollars more than Kevin Garnett, and Allan Houston will be making 1.5 million more. Those two guys are being paid more money this season than anybody in the NBA, excluding Shaquile O'Neil. New York Knicks baby.

omg

Have any of you guys seen the Spurs passing game these past two games?

It's improved 200% from last year.

We already took out the Kings and the Lakers and are 2 - 0.

I guess Lakers dont count though. :lol:

Yeah but TMac in Lando shouldn't even have been brought up, considering he had....oh yeah noone besides Howard? Tyronn Lue? Come on the only reason Lue is even noticed is because he played with Shaq and Kobe when they weren't bitch fighting.

But yeah, they showed how good they were against the Jazz. ;) I think they'll do alright though.

Celtics whooped up on the Knicks the other night, I am liking what I am seeing

Both the Kings and the Lakers aren't nearly what they used to be, not taking anything away from the Spurs