NBA 2012 Off-Season Thread

[SammyG]

I don't understand "Kobe fans" or "LeBron fans". Could never understand how people support one individual, no matter where he goes.

[SammyG]

I can tell you that if Kobe Bryant left the Lakers, Bradford left the Rams, I would still be a fan of those teams.

[Supreme Olajuwon]

What if that one individual was a MONTANA GRIZZLY

[SammyG]

Doesn't matter.

[SammyG]

I mean, I'll always want the guy to do well, but I'm not gonna be a fan of his team. Like, If Kobe ever was somehow a .. I don't know, a Pacer, I'd want him to do well, but I'd still be a Laker fan, I'd never cheer FOR the Pacers.

[Supreme Olajuwon]

Ah, I understand.

[Keith]

I feel fans who don't get "attached" to particular teams and just follow players do so because they're "afraid" of rooting for a particular team no matter what, and that team breaking their heart by not doing well.

[SammyG]

That's the life of a true sports fan, ya know? Well, that's just my philosophy, I guess. I can't stand people saying "oh, I'm a LeBron fan". Then when the Heat won the ring, OMG MY TEAM WON IT ALL, CHAMPS, HEATTTTTT. Like, shut the fuck up, you were a Cleveland fan last year.

[Keith]

I got you. And I agree. You celebrate the good times and you suffer through the bad. You don't just pack up and abandon a particular team because its star player went elsewhere.

[Krimzon7]

I know, isn't he amazing? I was mildly kidding about going to check for Lebits' Magic Rant.

I love that he loves THA U (being a proud alum and all), and the Heat Just like MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

[Krimzon7]

So to clarify this position, The only thing that got me following basketball was Michael Jordan. I became a fan of his. When he left, my concern for the game waned. I love Football, I play football, I am Football. So BBall has always been a 'fringe' sport.

However when LBJ burst on the scene, I gave the kid a chance. I watched him at SVSM and i was floored. This kid, who was a couple years YOUNGER than me was a prodigious talent. I wanted to watch everything he did. So, I did. I found a way to watch his senior year's games, and when he got drafted, I watched the Cav's games. I wanted him to win and to be successful. Now that he's with the Heat, I want them to be successful. Honestly, the fact that most of the NBA hate the Heat for doing the same thing the Lakers/Rockets/Warrirors/Celtics did make me love the Heat more.

What can I say?

[Krimzon7]

Originally Posted by SammyG That's the life of a true sports fan, ya know? Well, that's just my philosophy, I guess. I can't stand people saying "oh, I'm a LeBron fan". Then when the Heat won the ring, OMG MY TEAM WON IT ALL, CHAMPS, HEATTTTTT. Like, shut the fuck up, you were a Cleveland fan last year.

pfft, I laugh at this because the NBA wants you to buy into superstars more than the teams. That's Stern's vision and that's how he markets the League. He shoves superstar matchups down your throat for 82 games and 3 rounds of playoffs. He only wants 'teams' to make the finals when those teams are in huge TV Markets, if that isn't the case he's happy to have his most marketable Superstars in the limelight.

[Triple Naitch]

Originally Posted by Keith I got you. And I agree. You celebrate the good times and you suffer through the bad. You don't just pack up and abandon a particular team because its star player went elsewhere.

Yeah, you tell em. You're supposed to start celebrating two months before playoffs and once they start going on a roll.

[Krimzon7]

Originally Posted by Keith I got you. And I agree. You celebrate the good times and you suffer through the bad. You don't just pack up and abandon a particular team because its star player went elsewhere.

Cincinatti. Bengal. Fan.

Try finding that anywhere else in life. I'm not from Cincinatti, Im not from Ohio. I've loved the Bengals since Their first Superbowl in Pontiac Michigan with Forrest Gregg as the coach. I remember (vaguely, but dammit I remember) when they Switched to the striped helmets.

[Supreme Olajuwon]

C-i-n-c-i-n-n-a-t-i

[SammyG]

I didn't know niggas was still crankin'

[Skippord]

good God who makes the choice to be a fan of the Bengals? I assumed Mike Brown had saved your life or something

[Krimzon7]

Originally Posted by Skippord good God who makes the choice to be a fan of the Bengals? I assumed Mike Brown had saved your life or something

You can't help who you love.

[McLegend]

An-drew By-naum

[Triple Naitch]

So excited for Bynum. He got a huge reaction when he said he wants to make Philly his home.

[Keith]

[SammyG]

Yeah, I wouldn't call Beasley anything to his face BUT I'D PROLLY CALL HIM A HOMO BEHIND HIS BACK

[Keith]

[RoXer]

Osama Bin Laden's Former Translator Is Still Upset With LeBron James

Friday, August 17, 2012 1:55 am
Written by: Robbie Levin

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Apparently, not everyone is over "The Decision."
Muhammad Rahim, an Afghan man who served as a translator for Osama bin Laden and is now being detained at Guantanamo Bay, is still peeved over how LeBron James left Cleveland for Miami.
Rahim's lawyer, Carlos Warner, recently released letters that Rahim wrote to him from prison. In one of them, Rahim expresses his strong opinion regarding "The Decision."
"Dear Mr. Warner!" Rahim wrote to Warner, who is from Akron. "Lebron James is very bad man. He should apologize to the city of Cleveland."
Not only has James apologized, he's also said he regrets "The Decision." Maybe that's not good enough for Rahim.
Warner believes Rahim's sense of loyalty originates in his tribal values, where "betrayals are not tolerated or forgiven, although an honest apology from an offending peer is valued."
Rahim also wrote Warner to express displeasure with the fact that one of his fellow inmates was presented with a kitten after displaying good behavior while Rahim did not receive such a gift.

[Supreme Olajuwon]

WE ARE UNSTOPPABLE NIGGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[Juan]

Hot shit

[Supreme Olajuwon]

Artest just kinda chillin

one of these things is not like the others

[Supreme Olajuwon]

still not as awkward as Devean George standing with Kobe, Shaq, Malone, and GP tho

[Skippord]

I wanted to say one of these things is not like the others

[SammyG]

Originally Posted by Supreme Olajuwon WE ARE UNSTOPPABLE NIGGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

That's my background on my laptop actually.

[Juan]

Here's an interesting HoopsWorld article on how exactly Dwight Howard ended up in Los Angeles:

The Orlando Magic finally put an end to the Dwight Howard era with a massive four-team trade this past Friday. After protracted negotiations with the Brooklyn Nets and then the Houston Rockets, the Magic found a key partner in the Philadelphia 76ers. Once the Nets exited the picture in early July, momentum suggested the Rockets would either get Howard or Andrew Bynum (via the Los Angeles Lakers). The Lakers were willing to give up Bynum for Howard but need a third team to broker a deal. If not Houston, the Cleveland Cavaliers were a possibility, and yet Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak did not believe anything was likely to come of talks. Ultimately Orlando approached the Lakers with an initial three-way idea with the Sixers, which evolved into the four-way that was executed on August 10. In addition to draft considerations, the Magic acquired Moe Harkless, Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic, Christian Eyenga and Josh McRoberts. The Lakers received Earl Clark, Chris Duhon and Howard. The Sixers landed Jason Richardson and Bynum. The Nuggets ended up with Andre Iguodala. The question for many is “Why? Why did the Magic take this deal above other possibilities?” While that’s certainly a hot topic to debate, the question addressed here is “How?” Under the rules of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, teams can break down a large trade into whatever legal combination most suits them. It doesn’t have to be a single transaction but can be a number of smaller ones in tandem. For the Lakers, it was moderately complicated. Bynum was traded for Howard and Clark. McRoberts was used to acquire Duhon. Eyenga did not bring a player back, generating a $1,174,080 trade exception (TPE) the Lakers can use for up to a year. It was straight-forward for the Nuggets who simply traded Afflalo and Harrington for Iguodala. For the Sixers, a single deal was done with Iguodala, Vucevic and Harkless for Bynum and Richardson. It’s the Magic deal that took considerable ingenuity to construct. In addition to the players received, Orlando ended up with a $17,816,880 TPE for Howard. While a basic trade was possible, how exactly was the deal structured to also generate the league’s largest TPE? For some background, Orlando made a deal earlier in the summer that sent Ryan Anderson to the New Orleans Hornets for Gustavo Ayon. The Hornets had enough cap room to absorb Anderson via sign and trade at $8.7 million. Additionally, the Magic were holding onto a $4.25 million TPE from the Brandon Bass/Glen Davis trade. Ayon, at $1.5 million, was acquired via part of the Bass TPE . . . leaving a remainder of $2.75 million. Because Anderson got a raise greater than 20%, the Magic received a $4.35 million TPE. In exiting Howard, the Orlando executed the following: -Christian Eyenga and Josh McRoberts via the $4.35 million Anderson TPE, leaving a negligible remainder of $40,920. -Arron Afflalo and Al Harrington for Jason Richardson, Chris Duhon and Earl Clark. -Mo Harkless via the Brandon Bass TPE, leaving a remainder of $1,018,040 which expires on December 12 -Nikola Vucevic for Dwight Howard, generating a TPE of $17,816,880 which won’t expire until next August 10, 2013. -So in simplistic terms, Howard was traded for Nikola Vucevic and whatever that massive TPE yields over the next year. The Magic are rebuilding and initially may not look to spend. The team just climbed down from tax territory to about $6.2 million under the $70.3 million tax threshold. Even if the team holds through the trade deadline in February, the Magic go into the June 2013 NBA Draft and July free agency with a powerful tool. Orlando may also look to help broker a deal should two teams need a third to execute a complicated transaction. The Magic would love to continue collect draft picks and young talent. It remains to be seen how well Magic general manager Rob Hennigan did with the Howard trade but given the intricacy, he clearly didn’t rush into a frivolous decision.

[SammyG]

[CSL]

lol wrestling, c'monnnnnnnnnnnnn

[SammyG]

nWo will forever be incredible.

[Krimzon7]

Originally Posted by SammyG

This is the gayest thing I've ever seen. and I've spent a lot of time in Seth 82's threads.

[Droford]

The kings are going to move to...Virginia Beach? Haha how the hell did they come up with Virginia beach?
I'm closer to va beach than DC..though it sucks its lie $25 to go over the tunnel and back..

[SammyG]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAMBAAAA

[DaveBrawl]

Originally Posted by Droford The kings are going to move to...Virginia Beach? Haha how the hell did they come up with Virginia beach? I'm closer to va beach than DC..though it sucks its lie $25 to go over the tunnel and back..

That might be pretty cool.

[Triple A]

Wish the Knicks just switched back to these jerseys

[Triple Naitch]

They are